Vintage Electric Piano Phaser in MainStage
The Vintage Electric Piano Phaser effect is based on analog phaser pedals used by electric guitarists in the 1960s and 1970s, including the subtle analog-style distortion typical of these units. These phaser pedals were also popular among electric pianists—especially in the electric jazz, jazz-rock, and pop styles of the 1970s.
The Phaser effect runs the original signal through a series of four filters that enhance particular aspects of the Vintage Electric Piano frequency spectrum. This filtered signal is slightly phase delayed and mixed with the original signal, resulting in notches in the frequency spectrum. The notches in the phase-delayed signal are moved up and down through the frequency spectrum by an LFO (low frequency oscillator) modulation. This results in the amplitudes of the two signals reaching their highest and lowest points at slightly different times.
Note: MainStage offers a sophisticated Phaser effect (and other modulation plug-ins) that can be used alongside, or to replace, the integrated Vintage Electric Piano Phaser effect.
Phaser effect parameters
On/off button: Turn the Phaser effect on or off.
Rate knob and field: Set the speed of the phasing effect. The rate is set in Hz values, or bar/beat values when the Sync button is turned on.
Sync button: Synchronize the Phaser effect to the host application tempo. The Rate knob sets bar and beat values, including triplets.
Color knob and field: Set the amount of Phaser output signal that is fed back to the effect input. This changes the tonal color of the phasing effect.
Stereo knob and field: Determine the relative phase shift between the left and right channels.
At a value of 0 the effect is most intense, but not stereophonic.
At a value of 180 the effect symmetrically rises in the left channel while falling in the right channel, and vice versa.