A/DA Flanger
Released on June 1977 and designed and manufactured by Analog/ Digital Associates (A/DA),this iconic flanger featured a design and feature set that instantly set it apart from other flangers at the time. Sporting a heavy cast metal enclosure and a plethera of knobs, it made a statement that this was a pedal to be contended with. However, it was not the look, but the sound of the pedal that earned it a place in guitar effect history. The A/DA flanger can go from sweet chorus, to Baracuda aggression, to absolutely wacky.There are several features that makes the A/DA flanger stand out from other flangers. First, it runs at a higher voltage than a 9V battery-powered flanger However there are several other flangers that run a higher voltages so this is not exclusive to the A/DA.
Secondly, beside the typical control found on basic flangers (manual, depth, rate and feedback) the A/DA also featured an even/odd harmonics switch for a slightly different type of feedback. It also contained a Threshold knob to gate the flanging effect. This made the pedal very quiet. The Manual knob sets the nominal time delay and is disabled when the Range knob is turned fully clockwise. In this mode, the A/DA Flanger could be swept with either the Manual knob or an external control pedal, which was an unusual feature for that time. The sweep range of the A/DA was also much wider than any other flanger and the circuitry was more advanced, employing a built-in compressor and a bandpass filter in the feedback loop.. The first version of the A/DA Flanger used the Reticon SAD1024A Bucket Brigade device, but the circuit was revised in May of ‘78 to use the Panasonic MN3010 chip.
Notable users of the A/DA flanger are Pat Travers and Paul Gilbert. However the flanger has made its way on to many tracks over the years.
The A/DA Flanger remained in production until 1981. A/DA reissued their famous Flanger in the mid-nineties. The circuit used the MN3010 BBD and had a built-in AC power cord; unlike many reissues, this one was as good if not better than the original. The production didn’t last long though. Today A/DA has resurected the A/DA flanger (along with several other effects). The current builds are said to sound as good as the old. However, i have not tried one of the new ones.
The A/DA flanger claims to have a delay time from .4-14 seconds. I measure .4-15 on mine.
It has a frequency response of 20 Hz - 16 KHz.
The rate can go from .04Hz to 10Hz
The input impedance is .5 Mohms
and can add about 1.5db of gain.
It uses a roughly exponential waveform. However, I could never completely exactly capture the waveform on the Axe-fx II. Also the Axe-fx does not have quite the delay range of the A/DA flanger. That being said, the Axe-fx is still capable of emulating some of its more iconic settings. For some of these tones a delay block seemed to work a bit better.
First my apologies, I let too much time go by between when I matched and when I recorded and refined the presets. Time got away from me. I don’t remember and for got to record the original settings of the A/DA flanger. I have provided three example of A/DA flanger type tones. First, a chorusy flange that is great for clean sounds and arpeggiated chords; second, a Barracuda type sweep flange that is great with distorted sounds; and finally a wacky take off flange setting.
The distorted tones are just a pedal in front of a Shiva Clean and meant for example only. The key to getting a full and heavy flange it to get distortion (lots of harmonic content) before the flanger. You can accomplish this by using a drive pedal or after a driven amp.
For the take off attach a modifier to the flanger feedback and go from 0 or low to maximum for sweep. You can use a switch or pedal for this. I did not set that up.
Excerpts taken from EffectsDatabase.com
Patches here:
Choraflange
Axe-Change - Download Preset - ADA ChoraFlange - by javajunkie
Baraflange
Axe-Change - Download Preset - Baracuda - by javajunkie
Take off
Axe-Change - Download Preset - Take Off - by javajunkie
Audio Files:
Choraflange
Baraflange
Take Off
just a small addition:
Controls on axe-fx vs A/DA
manual = delay time
Range = Depth
Speed = Rate
Enhance = Feedback
Even/odd Harmonics = use positive or negative values in feedback
Threshold = not really need on the Axefx
Next Up: Boss dimension C DC-2
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