Flanging using reel to reel

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iireverb

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Anybody know a technique to create that tape flanging sound like you hear on songs like Itchykoo Park and Are you Gonna Go My Way? I have a Fostex R8 reel to reel and an old Voice of Music 2 track r2r that I use as a master deck. Any ideas would be great!
 
Originally posted by iireverb:
Anybody know a technique to create that tape flanging sound like you hear on songs like Itchykoo Park and Are you Gonna Go My Way...

Whoo! Everything old is new again! Manual flanging is very hard to do; in the old days it was a trial-and -error process. You really need 3 reel-to-reel machines to do this. You mix your song to 2 r/r tapes at the same time. Then you get the two mixes playing back IN PERFECT SYNC, mix the two machines together through your mixer into the third machine, which records the whole mess.
Now as they're playing, you lightly touch the flange of the reel on one machine to slow it down just a little (hence the name "flanging"). As the two playbacks slide out of sync, they create the cool phasing effect as they're mixed together, if you do it just right. I repeat, this is VERY HARD to do. ;-)
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What you need is two identical 2track recorders like two revoxes or otaris. Put them both into record and and switch to playback. (you need a 3 head machine) Now feed your track into both recorders and return both tape recorders into your console and balance them so they are at the same level. Now switch one of the recorders to varispeed and slowly adjust the speed up and down. You will immediately have true phaseing created by the time delays that occur. This is the ultimate phaseing sound!!
 
Now, of course, there is an EASY way to do this too. A flanger. Availiable in stomp-box formats, and in included in most multi-fx racks.
 
It's not the same regebro if you get a chance try real phasing and you will hear what I mean.
 
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