MXR has released the Flanger/Doubler, a stompbox version of the company’s original rack unit that re-creates its all-analog flanger and doubler effects in a single pedal.
While the flanger and doubler sounds heard on countless ’70s and ’80s records relied on bucket-brigade circuitry, MXR has preserved that same analog signal path and original control set here.
The Flanger/Doubler is built around its two core voices. The flanger delivers the classic sweeping, jet-engine swoosh and metallic resonance associated with the effect, while the doubler thickens the tone with a slightly offset second layer that can create lush chorusing or a short, tightly dialed slapback.
The Doubler button switches between the two, while the Manual, Width, and Speed controls set tone, range of motion, and sweep rate. The Regen knob uses feedback to control intensity, ranging from a gentle shimmer to a more intense metallic bite, and the Mix knob blends the wet and dry signals. The Invert switch reverses the wet signal’s polarity, shifting the voicing from airy and hollow to a punchier low-mid thickness.
From there, the Manual, Width, Speed, Regen, and Mix controls shape the sound, from subtle shimmer to aggressive jet-engine resonance. An Invert switch flips the wet signal’s polarity for an additional set of textures. CV jacks and a line-level switch allow the Flanger/Doubler to connect with synths, sequencers, and hotter signal chains, making it suited to both pedalboards and studio racks.
The Flanger/Doubler includes two front-panel LEDs that track delay time in real time, with their rate, brightness, and left-right movement responding to the Speed, Width, and Manual settings — giving players a visual readout of the effect for quick adjustments on a loud stage. CV In and Out jacks allow the pedal to link with synths, sequencers, CV-capable expression pedals, and other external gear for synced and automated modulation, while an Input Level switch keeps the signal clean when running hotter, line-level sources.
The MXR Flanger/Doubler is available for $333 from Sweetwater and Guitar Center.
