Chase Bliss Audio Spectre Analog TZ Flanger

The Flanger effect is one of the most recognizable in all the land, and one that generally is not in the forefront of a lot of music these days (or, in the past, either, really). Sort of an oddball effect, the lone kid on the playground that’s kinda weird and is sometimes difficult to approach, flanging is mostly used in very specific settings, and even then only for short bursts or passages. Until now. Joel Korte and the team over at Chase Bliss Audio have done it again, putting out an effect that is called a flanger, but, as usual with their pedals, is so much more. Harkening back to a classic and under-used flanging effect called “through-zero“, the Spectre Analog TZ Flanger is a true wonder to behold and play.

The Mix (Ramp) knob gets the control section going, and works in the same fashion as on other CBA pedals. When none of the digital dip switches on the top of the pedal are engaged, it simply is a Blend knob for your wet and dry signals. When working in conjunction with the switches, it allows you to control both modulation and rise-and-fall of the flanged signal. Zero controls the delay time of the flanger, with the actual “zero” point falling between 1:00 and 3:00, roughly. Turn this control past that point for the through-zero point (when mixed with the Width knob), or turn it backwards for simpler, more traditional types of flanger sounds. Regen is a staple on all flanger pedals, and it allows you to adjust the intensity of the effect, from a subtle chorus sound to an all-out, crazy, wacky flanges, including some awesome self-oscillation when maxed.

The Rate knob varies the speed of the flanger, from slow and creeping to fast and in-your-face. The Modulation area features two knobs, as well as a couple of toggle switches we’ll chat about in a minute. Width adjusts how wide the flanger can go, with huge tones when turned clockwise, and Shift lets you select a perfect center modulation wave point (at 12:00), or 2 separate options depending which way you turn it. To the left, the wave will ramp up quickly and back down gradually, and it will do just the opposite when turned to the right.

Next come a trio of toggle switches. The first is labeled 1-2-4 (3-6-8), and it controls the tap division for the tap tempo feature (accessed by a second footswitch at the bottom of the pedal, next to the Bypass). You can switch to the 3-6-8 configuration via one of the dip switches, as well as for either the Rate or Ramping parameters, depending where that switch it set. The next 2 toggles let you select from 2 sets of waveforms, one for the first half of the wave modulation, and one for the second. Choose from either Sine, Triangle or Square waveforms, and you can create some really unique sounds by mixing and matching different waves.

One last toggle switch at the bottom of the pedal, between the two footswitches, gives you access to 2 presets as well, either to the left or right, with the middle position showcasing all the current controls, manipulated in real time. The dip switches are another integral part to all Chase Bliss Audio pedals, and work with the controls knobs AND the Exp/CV jack, with which you can use an expression pedal for even more control over virtually every aspect of the Spectre. Plus, there’s a Tap/MIDI jack, for input/ouput tap tempo capabilities, as well as a wide range of MIDI control, through the use of a Chase Bliss Audio Modified Empress Midibox.

As with all Chase Bliss Audio pedals, the Spectre has a digital brain, but keeps the signal 100% analog, always, so your original tone is never digitally processed or compromised. Though it has a bit of a learning curve, as did the Warped Vinyl, Wombtone and Gravitas, this pedal will become a staple on many boards in a hurry, as it launches your creativity and use of flanging to new heights, soaring with every note and chord strummed and plucked. As always, tons of thanks go out to Joel and Chase Bliss Audio for sending yet another of their incredible creations our way to review and check out – and if you don’t know yet, there’s a delay on their horizon called the Tonal Recall, so check back with us for a review on that soon, and make sure to check out their website as well!