Asheville Music Tools AFG-1

100% Analog BBD based Flanger pedal: A Whooshless Resonant Comb Modulator

The Analoger™ Series AFG-1 is a 100% analog dynamic flanger with some unique differentiating features. Its lush swirls, vocal comb filter sweeps, and metallic flourishes can be controlled with the on-board LFO, or articulated by your playing dynamics with our bi-directional, multi response envelope follower. By drawing from synthesizer-style architectures and elements of beloved vintage rack effects, Hawker has designed this modulator from the ground up to go where no classic flanger has gone before.

The AFG-1 flanger architecture uses a 256-stage MN3009 high-voltage BBD chip powered by an internal 15V power supply, to create an extremely short delay in the audio range of time. Adding this delayed signal back into the original signal forms a series of peaks and notches as harmonically related frequencies that constructively and destructively interfere. This is known as a comb filter. By moving this comb filter up and down over time, the AFG-1 creates the sound we know and love as flanging.

The AFG-1 includes all the features one expects from a flanger. Use the onboard LFO for impossibly slow whooshes or fast warbles. Our LFO has a true sine wave shape and a synthesizer-style exponential converter for a smooth, musical sweep over several octaves of delay time. This ensures the modulation is pitch symmetrical rather than Hz symmetrical. The Freq control behaves similarly to the Manual control on a typical flanger and sets the center point of the LFO to dial in the perfect sweep range. The VCA controlled Feedback routes the delayed signal back upon itself to enhance the intensity of the comb filter or create oscillating tuned pitches at maximum settings. And finally, the Drive control adds rich saturation with increasingly sculpted tone and harmonics to add to the flanger sound.

What truly sets the AFG-1 apart is the Envelope control.

This is very rarely found in pedal format flangers and hearkens back to classic “whooshless” rackmount flangers of the 70s. Featuring both positive and negative control and three different attack/release settings, the envelope detector allows you to animate the peaks of the comb filter entirely with your playing dynamics. From a practical standpoint this means the flanger modulation stays out of the way and does not make the sometimes undesired background whoosh during quiet passages or when not playing. Moderate settings add mild tonal emphasis or harmonic-enhancing shimmers. At higher settings you can dial in gorgeous sweeps, surprisingly funky vocal filter throbs, lo-fi aliasing, or robotic chaos — all controlled by your playing.

In addition, we have included a unique three-position phase toggle switch to set the relative phase of the delay and feedback signals, which changes the texture of the comb filter. Airplane mode produces classic flanger sounds while Swirl mode is warm, subtle, and textural. Lastly, the Phase setting produces deep bass or hollow, vocal sounds reminiscent of a talk box. Combine this toggle with different Feedback settings to unlock all sorts of new textures that you’d never expect from a traditional flanger.

And to truly go to new bounds, and give you more control of your playing, the AFG-1 Expression jack enables expression pedal or control voltage functionality. Not only can you control 4 of the knob parameters, but it also expands the range of each knob above and below their maximum limits. Want to push the Freq control to the shortest time possible or drive the AFG-1 deep into self oscillation? With an expression pedal, that’s no problem.

Using its expansive array of controls, the AFG-1 goes where few flangers dare to tread. The AFG-1 will completely change your perspective on what a flanger can do to your sound.