Glou-Glou really impresses by releasing 4 diverse Millisecond-Range Flancher variant Voltage-Controlled Analog BBD Stereo Delay / Modulation Devices - all at the same time
At the end of November last year - I put out an article featuring the two very first full stereo analog bbd delay pedals - The Walrus Audio Meraki, and Flower Pedals Dahlia. Shortly after that went live - my friend Olivier Armbruster of Glou-Glou fame - sent me a message to say that he was working on a number of his own Analog BBD Stereo Delays. And that has now been revealed to be 4 separate units - with 2 minor variants of control topology - featuring different BBD Chips for different Delay and Modulation Times.
These devices are topologically identical but with some tiny variations. One of the first things you should notice is the 11 Control Voltage Ports - which target every parameter of the pedal - and which make this a sort of mix of stompox and Eurorack device. It’s a distinct and different approach - but somewhat reminiscent of Gamechanger Audio’s recent AUTO Series Trio - albeit those effects are DSP, and Glou-Glou’s are all-analog!
It probably makes best sense to look at the 2 slight variants of control topology. All 4 devices though have the same 5 Rear Ports, but very slightly different controls and CV Ports (underlined for easy reference / comparison) :
Control Voltage Ports (Delay) - Double | Phase | Speed | Depth L | Time L | Depth R | Time R | Dry | Wet | Feedback | 5V EXP.
Control Voltage Ports (Modulation) - Tri/Sine | Phase | Speed | Depth L | Time L | Depth R | Time R | Dry | Wet | Feedback | 5V EXP.
Main Controls (Delay) - Waveform : Tri / Sine, Phase, Speed, Depth L, Time L, Depth R, Time R, Dry, Wet, Feedback, Double (Delay Time Range), X-FB : Normal Feedback / Crossover Feedback (Crossover Feedback).
Main Controls (Modulation) - Waveform : Tri / Sine, Phase, Speed, Depth L, Time L, Depth R, Time R, Dry, Wet, Feedback, Dry± (Dry/Wet In or Out of Phase), FB± (Positive / Negative Feedback).
Rear Ports - Expression | 9V DC In [-] 500mA (Min 410mA) | Left In (or Stereo TRS) | Right In (Mono) | Left Out (or Stereo TRS) | Right Out (Mono).
The major difference between each device is the variant of BBD Chip deployed, and its corresponding Delay Time range. Those are indicated in each of the reference visuals I’ve done! All the BBD chips are powered at 15V, from a 9V DC [-] Input - with minimum 410mA current draw!
- Flancher FL5.Bright (Delay) - 2 x Xvive MN3005 4096 Stage BBD with 12ms > 480ms Delay Time Range
- Flancher FL5.Dark (Delay) - 2 x Xvive MN3005 4096 Stage BBD with 16ms > 630ms Delay Time Range
- Flancher FL7 (Modulation) - 2 x Xvive MN3007 1024 Stage BBD with 1.5ms > 34ms Delay Time Range
- Flancher FL9 (Modulation) - 2 x Xvive MN3009 245 Stage BBD with 0.4ms > 9ms Delay Time Range
Note that for the 2 Delays - the ’Double’ button allows you to flip between two Delay Time Ranges :
- FL5.Bright Double = 12ms > 240ms / 24ms > 480ms
- FL5.Dark Double = 16ms > 315ms / 32ms > 630ms
The core of these 4 pedals is obviously the CV inputs, Modulation Section, Left and Right Channel Depth and Time, and Dry / Wet / Feedback controls. The two white push buttons vary very slightly across Delay and Modulation - but all-in-all it’s pretty much the same control topology in structure.
Each device has an optimised use within the Delay / Reverb / Modulation area - and you have a weapon of choice for every occasion here depending on your preferences and the nature of your rig. And compared to some of the previous Glou-Glou pedals these aren’t that large @ 17 x 15 x 6 cm, and weighing around 1kg each.
I will detail the specifics of each device individually below. The 2 delays (FL5 variants) are @ $650 each, and the 2 Modulations (FL7/9) are @ $620 a piece! All 4 are available for orders now via the Glou-Glou Webstore.
Olivier has combined a lot of analog smarts into these 4 units, which generally for me are more for the tabletop crowd - and you can get Desk-Sides supports for $30 extra. I still feel these can be somewhat deployed as stompboxes too - but with all the CV inputs and the need for hand-on control for modulating the output - probably best suited to the modular synth genre!
Flancher FL5.Bright Voltage-Controlled Stereo Analog Delay Device - $650
Control Voltage Ports - Double | Phase | Speed | Depth L | Time L | Depth R | Time R | Dry | Wet | Feedback | 5V EXP.
Main Controls - Waveform : Tri / Sine, Phase, Speed, Depth L, Time L, Depth R, Time R, Dry, Wet, Feedback, Double (12ms > 240ms / 24ms > 480ms), X-FB : Normal Feedback / Crossover Feedback (Crossover Feedback).
Rear Ports - Expression | 9V DC In [-] 500mA (Min 410mA) | Left In (or Stereo TRS) | Right In (Mono) | Left Out (or Stereo TRS) | Right Out (Mono).
FL5.Bright Double (Time Range) = 12ms > 240ms / 24ms > 480ms [2 x Xvive MN3005 4096 Stage BBD's]
So a an independent channel stereo analog delay - with separate Depth and Time controls for Left and Right Channels, every parameter can be Voltage-Controlled to for a really dynamic and responsive beautiful sounding analog delay - where Feedback will take you all the way up to a very musical self-oscillation.
All the controls are very clearly marked and laid out in logical sections. Obviously all those CV Ports lend themselves to more of Modular Synth platform approach - while the device can also reasonably function as a stompbox.
You need to decide which is your preferred Time Range, and whether your Rig and Preferences are better suited to either the Bright or Dark FL5 variant - which do have significantly different Time Ranges too!
These are beautifully made unique and distinct devices which deliver a really high-fidelity output!
Flancher FL5.Dark Voltage-Controlled Stereo Analog Delay Device - $650
Control Voltage Ports - Double | Phase | Speed | Depth L | Time L | Depth R | Time R | Dry | Wet | Feedback | 5V EXP.
Main Controls - Waveform : Tri / Sine, Phase, Speed, Depth L, Time L, Depth R, Time R, Dry, Wet, Feedback, Double (16ms > 315ms / 32ms > 630ms), X-FB : Normal Feedback / Crossover Feedback (Crossover Feedback).
Rear Ports - Expression | 9V DC In [-] 500mA (Min 410mA) | Left In (or Stereo TRS) | Right In (Mono) | Left Out (or Stereo TRS) | Right Out (Mono).
FL5.Dark Double (Time Range) = 16ms > 315ms / 32ms > 630ms [2 x Xvive MN3005 4096 Stage BBD's].
So largely the same as the FLB.Bright - but with a Darker Voicing and slightly extended Time Range.
Which of the 2 Delays you go for will very much depend on the nature and core EQ of your own rig, as well as what kind of voicing you are trying to achieve - the more traditional vintage darker output, or a more modern brighter one.
You will need to listen to several demos before you make the most appropriate choice for your own circumstances!
Note that all 4 devices can achieve Delay, Reverb and Modulation outputs - e.g. Chorus / Warble - while one or two of these may be more optimised for the particular palette of sounds and textures you wish to generate.
Flancher FL7 Voltage-Controlled Stereo Analog Modulation Device - $620
Control Voltage Ports - Tri/Sine | Phase | Speed | Depth L | Time L | Depth R | Time R | Dry | Wet | Feedback | 5V EXP.
Main Controls - Waveform : Tri / Sine, Phase, Speed, Depth L, Time L, Depth R, Time R, Dry, Wet, Feedback, Dry± (Dry/Wet In or Out of Phase), FB± : Positive / Negative (Feedback).
Rear Ports - Expression | 9V DC In [-] 500mA (Min 410mA) | Left In (or Stereo TRS) | Right In (Mono) | Left Out (or Stereo TRS) | Right Out (Mono).
Delay Time Range = 1.5ms > 34ms [2 x Xvive MN3007 1024 Stage BBD's).
These Modulation specific devices have a much narrower Delay Time Range - for doing all those great Tape Delay Manipulation Modulation sounds - Chorus, Flanger, Vibrato, and sort of Ring Modulation.
Olivier has honed each pedal to deliver optimally within a classic analog effects segment - and while all are capable of both Delay and Modulation sounds - the two Modulation soecific varieties give you a lot more granularity within their targe area.
The two Modulation devices also have a Tri/Sine CV Ports versus the Double of the Delay Devices, and the 2 White Push Buttons have slightly different functions - the first Dry± sets whether the Dry and Wet Signals are In or Out of Phase, and the second FB± sets whether the Feedback is Positive or Negative - the latter of which deliver more hollow / tubular sounds!
I feel that the Modulation Devices are even more honed towards a table-top environment as those involve a lot of hands-on tweaking on each of the key control knobs.
Flancher FL9 Voltage-Controlled Stereo Analog Modulation Device - $620
Control Voltage Ports - Tri/Sine | Phase | Speed | Depth L | Time L | Depth R | Time R | Dry | Wet | Feedback | 5V EXP.
Main Controls - Waveform : Tri / Sine, Phase, Speed, Depth L, Time L, Depth R, Time R, Dry, Wet, Feedback, Dry± (Dry/Wet In or Out of Phase), FB± : Positive / Negative (Feedback).
Rear Ports - Expression | 9V DC In [-] 500mA (Min 410mA) | Left In (or Stereo TRS) | Right In (Mono) | Left Out (or Stereo TRS) | Right Out (Mono).
Delay Time Range = 0.4ms > 9ms [2 x Xvive MN3009 256 Stage BBD's).
These Modulation specific devices have a much narrower Delay Time Range - for doing all those great Tape Delay Manipulation Modulation sounds - Chorus, Flanger, Vibrato, and sort of Ring Modulation.
The FL9 has the smaller / tiniest Delay range of just 1/2ms to a maximum of 9ms. This obviously gives you the maximum granularity and fine-tuning within that specific range - where you will likely need to try out both devices or watch a lot of demos to fully ascertain the differences and potency of each to deliver the kind of modulation sounds you're looking to generate.
Each of these devices is priced just a fraction above the Walrus Audio Meraki ($599 | 14.6 x 10.7 x 6.5cm) while they deliver a lot more - again albeit in slightly larger format (vs 17 x 15 x 6 cm).
