Old-school Zero Point Flanging from a Pedal
You don't need an old reel-to-reel or serious retro flanging skills to get a vintage comb filtering effect (what is known as "flange"). Catalinbread has put it all in a pedalboard- and budget-friendly small-footprint pedal called the Zero Point Tape Flanger Pedal. It features two footswitches — an On/Off latch that engages the "two tape machines" inside the pedal for that historical, shallow phasing/flanging sound that was due to the wow and flutter inherent to the machines — and one latch for engaging the full-on flange effect. The Zero Point gets its name from its subtractive (zero point) mode (as opposed to additive mode), which puts the signals from its internal "machines" out of phase so they eventually cancel out (reaching the "zero point"). It can be powered by a 9V—18V center-negative DC power supply (not included).
Related Videos: Zero Point Studio Tape Flanger Pedal
No LFOs allowed
When manufacturers began replicating tape flanging digitally, they often used a Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) that could end up sounding mechanical, rigid, and predictable. Catalinbread didn't employ an LFO in creating the flanging effect within the Zero Point; instead, they put you in creative control of the flange cycle. Once you use the top latch to turn it on, pressing the flange latch starts the upward sweep of the effect, and releasing the switch starts the downward sweep. This results in a more natural, musical feel to the flange effect.
Additive mode vs. subtractive mode
The Catalinbread Zero Point Tape Flanger pedal ships in what is called additive mode; i.e., holding the flange switch down takes the signal through a normal flanging cycle, with the pedals two "tape machines" in phase with each other. By turning the pedal off, disconnecting your power supply while holding the momentary flange switch down, and then reconnecting and powering up the Zero Point, you'll put it in Subtractive mode. This puts one "machine" out of phase with the other — just like engineers used to do with one of their two tracks — resulting in a thinning of the signal until it eventually reaches the "zero point" and completely cancels out.
Gear that makes you want to play
The self-avowed gearheads at Catalinbread focus on making musical devices that they want to use themselves — "gear that gets us excited and inspires us to play." The result of that authentic focus and unwavering integrity is the type of innovation that isn't market-driven; Catalinbread creates its own market for products players love, whether overdrive, delay/reverb, fuzz/distortion, or tremolo/modulation pedals (many of which are available at Sweetwater). The Zero Point Tape Flanger Pedal is a powerful example of Catalinbread's commitment to exciting, inspiring innovation.
Catalinbread Zero Point Tape Flanger Pedal Features:
- Old-school studio tape flanging in an affordable, low-maintenance pedal format
- Two topside footswitches for engaging on/off/normal flange/zero point modes
- All-metal chassis and high-quality true-bypass footswitch for long-lasting performance
- Powered by 9V–18V power supply (not included)
- Made in the USA
