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Eventide Releases Instant Flanger Mk II Software for Mac/PC
Eventide is proud to release the Instant Flanger Mk II plu-in, emulating the iconic sounds of the original Instant Flanger hardware.
“For years and years I had set up two to three tape recorders to achieve real, genuine flanging and phasing. Instant Flanger Mk II is the first plug-in to achieve the same exact effect without harming tape recorders. ‘Itchycoo Park’ and ‘I Am The Walrus’ are now available to everybody!”
–Tony Visconti (GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, musician, and arranger), 2019
LITTLE FERRY, NJ, USA, April 2, 2019: Eventide is proud to release the Instant Flanger Mk II plug-in — perfectly emulating the iconic sounds of the recording technology trailblazer’s original Instant Flanger hardware released in 1975, and available with added creative features and functionality for use in all of the most popular DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations). Creative mixing and sound design for modern music production, video game, and motion picture scores can easily be achieved by any musician or engineer using Instant Flanger Mk II. As an easy-to-use, expressive plugin that offers new creative controls and features while retaining the magical sound and functionality of the original hardware, Instant Flanger Mk II delivers stunning results for any mix or desirable flanging track effect.
The original Eventide Clockworks Instant Flanger hardware was among the world’s first pro audio effects boxes, so who better to reintroduce its innovations to today’s DAW-driven production populace than Eventide’s ‘resident fossil’, Tony Agnello. He begins by answering an obvious question:
“Why ‘instant’? Well, the original hardware was designed to give artists the ability to ‘instantly’ create the psychedelic sound effect that otherwise required two tape machines, a bunch of cables, and a deft touch. Its introduction in 1975 ushered in the era of electronic studio effects. Tony Visconti used it to magically transform an ordinary piano into an otherworldly harpsichord on David Bowie’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’. Also our innovation of adding a de-correlated output was seized upon by engineers who were seeking to create rich stereo images — case in point being Bill Wittman’s brilliant use of the ‘pseudo stereo’ effect on Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’.”
Today, Eventide’s updated Instant Flanger Mk II plug-in is a more authentic recreation of the original Eventide Clockworks Instant Flanger in appearance and most importantly – sound.
Creative Controls and Features
- Three distinct flanging flavors — set MODE for SHALLOW, DEEP, or WIDE. • MANUAL control allows adjustment of the ‘comb’ effect by turning the big knob.
- OSCILLATOR drives the flanging at a user-determined rate.
- ENVELOPE FOLLOWER drives the flanging based on the source signal’s amplitude.
- REMOTE maps the flanging control to a keyboard controller’s mod wheel for tactile manipulation.
- DEPTH allows users to set the intensity of the effect — 100% adds the dry signal to the delayed signal, -100% adds the phase inverted dry signal to the delayed signal.
- BOUNCE creates the distinctive effect of the tape machine’s capstan motor ‘hunting’ for its proper speed when the engineer removed their thumb from the tape reel flange.
- SIDE CHAIN allows for triggering the ENVELOPE FOLLOWER from a separate source in the mix for inter-track mingling.
- Exercise total control of the OSCILLATOR with SYNC and RETRIG controls.
- Tame the intensity by removing low frequencies from the flanged signal with the LOW CUT knob.
“Decades later, reflecting on the heart and soul of the many songs that were enhanced by the original machine’s sound, creating a plug-in that’s convenient and affordable for modern music makers is something that we’re quite proud of. An incredible legacy of hits were made with our original hardware in studios the world over, and we anticipate that many more will be made in the future with the Instant Flanger Mk II plug-in.”
–Tony Agnello, Eventide’s Managing Director
Price and Availability
Instant Flanger Mk II is now available as an AAX/AU/VST plug-in for Mac/PC at an introductory promo price of $37.00 USD until April 30, 2019 — rising thereafter to $129.00 USD — from Eventide dealers, https://www.eventideaudio.com/dealers, or directly from https://www.eventideaudio.com
The Instant Flanger Mk II software for Mac/PC is free to registered owners of Eventide’s Anthology X and Anthology XI software bundles.
For more in-depth information, including a free and fully-functional 30-day trial, please visit the dedicated Instant Flanger Mk II webpage: https://www.eventideaudio.com/instantflanger
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes…
It is always great to meet a super busy bassist who simply exudes a love for music and his instrument. Erick “Jesus” Coomes fits this description exactly. Hailing from Southern California, “Jesus” co-founded and plays bass for Lettuce and has found his groove playing with numerous other musicians.
Join us as we hear of his musical journey, how he gets his sound, his ongoing projects, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Bob Forte
Featured Videos
Visit Online
www.lettucefunk.com
IG @jesuscsuperstar
FB@jesuscoomes
FB @lettucefunk
Bass Videos
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
“These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
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Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
