The original flanging effect was tape-based, produced by leaning on the outer rim—or flange—of one of two duplicate playback reels, the proper and careful execution of which would create the signature jet-swoosh we know and either love or hate today (there's no in between, really). The Strymon Orbit dBucket Flanger uses a slightly different method for recreating this radical phase trick: 1's and 0's. The company's proprietary dBucket virtual bucket brigade algorithm is a chip-hungry digital process that nonetheless creates impressively analog-sounding results.

In order to feed this virtual beast, the Strymon Orbit Flanger milks the ample power reserves of an incorporated SHARC floating-point processor. This powerful little DSP also makes it possible for the Orbit to offer a wide range of controllable parameters otherwise rarely—if ever—found on a flange pedal effect.

Fore more on these radical Strymon effects pedals on Gearwire, check out our reviews of the Brigadier Delay, the Blue Sky Reverberator, and the Ola Chorus / Vibrato.