[sdiy] Build a Tape Flanger?

[Chris Randall]

> > > I've always wondered:  Once one reel down is momentarily slowed,
> > > how did they 'resynch' the decks so that the difference is
> > > eliminated again?  Drag a finger on the other one?  Sounds
> > > difficult.  Pardon my naivete...
> > As I already told Scott in a private mail:
> >
> > The flanging usually was not done using the tape machines to playback
> > two copies of the same tape, but using two machines as delay (record the
> > sound and listen from the separate playback head). Either the flanged
> > machine is speeded up a littlebit or you flange alternating the one and
> > the other tape. So there is no big trick ...

There's actually a rather lengthy explanation of this effect, and how it was
achieved, in George Martin's autobiographical book "All You Need Is Ears."
He also goes in to something of a rant about the term "flanging" itself, and
how he remembers it being coined. According to Sir George, the term has
nothing to do with the actual act of dragging one's finger on the "flange"
of the reel, as according to him this isn't how the effect was achieved in
any case. Rather, it is one of what he says are many nonsensical words that
John Lennon came up with to describe various things. (This doesn't seem
completely out of the realm of possibility to me, in all honesty.)

I have just moved, and am totally unable to find the book itself amid the
20-odd boxes of same, but there is a paraphrased version of his story of the
creation of "flanging" here:

http://www.audiorevolution.com/music/revs/beatles/

It is quite a bit less technical than Martin's explanation in his book, and
is somewhat off base on a couple of issues, ("This modulated signal was then
fed back into the first machine..." Okay, whatever with that.) but by and
large it's the same story.

Whether it's true or not, I daresay that (a) none of us here can find an
example of the effect made prior to "Tomorrow Never Knows,"  and (b) this
seems slightly more reasonable than the whole finger dragging episode. I
mean, really. Did the tape op wear gloves for the mixdown? Think about it.

-Chris Randall

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