Eventide has released Instant Flanger Mk ll, a free update to registered owners of Eventide’s Anthology X or Anthology Xl software bundles. Instant Flanger Mk ll emulates to iconic sounds of the original 1975 Eventide Clockworks Instant Flanger hardware unit. 

What Is New In Instant Flanger Mk II From Eventide?

Some of the features in the new Instant Flanger Mk ll make it unique. Instead of a traditional Mix control, the Depth knob is used to mix the delayed signal in, but also provides a fully sweepable range of phase inversion of the input signal, up to -100% for a fully inverted signal. 

Unlike most flangers, which are solely controlled by an LFO, the Instant Flanger gives you access to 4 different modulation sources. They are Manual, an Oscillator based LFO, Envelope  (flanging is controlled by the level of the input signal), and via MIDI. In addition to being used individually, any or all of these inputs can be summed.

The Bounce function creates the distinctive effect of the tape machine’s capstan motor ‘hunting’ for its proper speed when the engineer removed their thumb from the tape reel flange.

What Is Flanging?

Flanging is based on a time delay circuit. Originally, flanging was produced by mixing the output of two tape recorders, one of which was running at a slower speed than the other. Since the head-to-head distance is fixed, the transit time of the tape from the record head to the play head determines the path delay. We now consider flanging to be the effect of mixing a delayed signal with the original, regardless of the method used to create that delay.

The mixing of the delayed signal with the original produces nulls in the output spectrum. Flanging thus produces many nulls that are harmonically related to one another. Longer delay times will produce more nulls than shorter delay times. The original Eventide hardware used the well known “bucket brigade” delay chips of the time, which have been faithfully emulated in this plug-in.

We Test Instant Flanger Mk II To Recreate the Bucket Brigade Time Delay Circuit From Its original Hardware On Electric Guitar

See and hear the new Instant Flanger Mk ll for yourself on an electric guitar part I used in an arrangement of an original tune. It adds a nice shimmering depth to the part.

Try It Out For Yourself

All in all, this is a unique sounding flanger with lots to offer modulation newbies or veterans! Try out Eventide’s free thirty-day demo to hear it for yourself on your own music. Eventide also has an overview tutorial video showing it’s new features. There is also an interesting and informative introductory video by Eventide’s DSP engineer Woody Herman.