The flanging effect was first discovered in the recording studio. It was produced by setting up identical reel-to-reel tape machines synched to start at the same time. Pressing the flange of one tape machine would put the two machines slightly out of synch, creating the effect. A flanger pedal clones the incoming signal and mimics the tape machine effect by creating a slight variable delay of no more than 20 milliseconds. Flangers can create more complex harmonic effects than phasers. Eddie Van Halen used one to create the jet plane effect at the beginning of Unchained.
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