Instant Phaser Mk II (Eventide plug-in demo)

[Brian Johnston]

Amazing that this plug-in emulates a phaser from 1972, the Eventide Instant Phaser. The algorithm may simulate analog tape flanging from years gone by, but this digital remake sounds both modern and unique in all its qualities. Of course Eventide expanded the phaser’s abilities with various knobs and controls, now called the Instant Phaser Mk II, and its clarity in the mix is truly Eventide. But what makes this plug-in so cool is that it is so different from typical phasers, both in sound and flexibility. The demo I created uses guitar, but there are several drum, voice and bass presets in this plug-in (and it would sound great with synth, as well). Some presets are very subtle, whereas some sound like an angry bullfrog – most I included in the demo seem to sit in the middle with enough dynamics to make the listener take notice.

There are several cool features to this plug-in. Foremost is the Add Age, which means older analog phasers drift further from their marked values, which means an old phaser sounds different from a new one of the same brand/type. You get three different phase-shift types: shallow, deep and wide (smaller vs. bigger sweeps). There are different ways to control the phasing, you can adjust the depth (mix), apply side-chain mixing, and control oscillation, feedback and gain input/out. Fun, fun, fun! Many of the presets in this plug-in sound so good, that I simply demoed those and didn’t even bother with any editing functions.