few phaser examples I can think of in modern jazz ( Esbjörn Svensson Trio , Bill Evans ) and in slightly more modern rock ( Van Halen ’ s Eruption ), most phaser action tends to show up in 1960s and 1970s classic rock ( Billy Joel , Styx , etc .) and in more modern electronic music ( Daft Punk ). Obviously if you are mixing a cover band that happens to have tunes in the set that originally included phaser effects , you could reach for the 12 Stage , but as with many effects being triggered from the console you ’ d likely need to confer with the band to see how they ’ d like to have it covered . If the guitarist or keyboardist has a phaser on their pedalboard and the song calls for only a limited instrument selection for the effect , all good . But if the entire drum submix or the full LR mix needs a phaser , now you know you can cover it !
WHAT GOES AROUND … One of the coolest effects around is based on playing around with the Doppler effect . While most folks would associate this type of sonic phenomenon with the siren of a passing police car , the original physical ‘ rotating speaker ’ effect created the same change in pitch within a large wooden box . Designed by Donald Leslie in the 1930s , a Leslie speaker projects an incoming signal and modifies the sound by rotating a baffle chamber drum in front of the loudspeakers and / or a rotating system of horns in front of a treble driver . If you ’ ve ever grooved out to funky jazz organ tunes , you ’ ve likely heard a Leslie in action . If you have ever had to load in an actual Leslie speaker for a gig , your back has likely not yet forgotten the experience .
Luckily for stagehands across the world , various analog and digital methods for replicating the very mechanical and cumbersome Leslie unit have been designed over the years . The Allen & Heath Rotator effect is one such example . The array of features on the plugin provides comprehensive control and configurability of all the different options and frequent use cases for rotary speakers .
Check out the Allen & Heath Rotator
here :
The rotator models the treble / woofer speakers of the rotary speaker separately , along with their crossover . The rotors can be switched on and off , and their speed adjusted from a very low setting ( 0.1Hz ) through the classic “ Chorale ” and up to “ Tremolo ” settings . The acceleration / deceleration on each speaker is also modeled independently , and both speakers stop facing the front when the motors are powered down .
Some users of rotary speakers choose to cut the deflectors off the end of the treble horns to produce a more pronounced “ chopping ” sound ( more amplitude modulation and a less pronounced Doppler effect ). In the Rotator the deflectors can effectively be removed or
replaced by the flick of a switch . Similarly , the back panel of the cabinet can be removed or replaced to produce a different cabinet response .
Microphone set up is crucial to the rotary speaker effect , so three options have been provided in the Rotator . The effective microphone positions can be set to Side-Side ( one either side of the cabinet ), Front-Back ( one at the front / back of the cabinet ) or Front-Front ( to reproduce the effect of a stereo pair ). In the latter setting , the distance between the two microphones can be adjusted , to change the effective physical width of the stereo microphone pair .
Rotator features a simulation of the tube drive stage found in a classic rotary speaker . This reproduces the warmth and distortion introduced by such a stage , and when driven hard can produce the classic rotary speaker ‘ growl ’. Finally , an option to introduce mains hum ( and its associated intermodulation distortion ) is provided – for those who desire the true rotary speaker experience . Well , almost the true experience … the usual accompanying back pain is not emulated within the digital version of the effect . Give the Rotator a spin ( sorry , I couldn ’ t help making this pun at some point !) and continue to expand your effects repertoire without needing a chiropractor visit .
Jeff Hawley A 20-year music industry veteran — equally at ease behind the console , playing bass guitar , leading marketing teams or designing award-winning audio products . He currently heads up the marketing for Allen & Heath in the US .