Electric mistress

[CBTL]

Has anyone found a work around for an original electric mistress flanger sound? The deluxe L6 have modeld is a world away from the original, it just doesn't have the liquid tone and is more of a jet type.

[steevo1977]

You have an original Electric Mistress?

[CBTL]

Hell no, never have either! It's a very different sound to the deluxe. There are some good shoot outs on YouTube between the two as well as some clones

[CBTL]

[steevo1977]

And you don't think you can get the Courtesan Flanger to sound like that?

[Paolo_Maina]

I owned once.

Helix not nails absolutely the real sound.

I avoid to use it.

Even in line6 video tutorial how to have Andy Summer sound the guy doesn't use the electric mistress but boss ce1.

When you switch on the real electric mistress Andy Summer jumps out immediately of your amp because it was one of his trademark effect in conjunction with dynacomp.

[CBTL]

And you don't think you can get the Courtesan Flanger to sound like that?

No you can't, not the original! It's not a million miles off the deluxe which it is a model of but it has a completely different tone to the original electric mistress.

[JLondon]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Helix' Mistress is useless for emulating the sound of the original Mistress (but in fairness I've always heard later models of the Mistress are pretty useless for that purpose as well).  I have two options for you. 

1- get one of these and put it in a return/send loop:  http://www.gilmourish.com/?p=4019 Don't let the miniature size, minimal cost, or country of origin fool you.  This thing is awesome if set right (see video) and blows my Hartman Flanger away (supposedly the best original Mistress clone on the market).  2- Start with the Courtesan Flanger in the Helix.  Then add one of the Rotarys and maybe even a phaser.  Then play with the individual settings and mixes.  This is obviously a DSP hog but I A/B'd it with an analog in the loop and I got something I was satisfied with.  I can't give you the specifics as I won't be near my Helix for a while.  Both suggestions will definitely get you in the David Gilmour "Pay My Rent" category.  If you have a couple inches on your Helix board and $70, the 1st option will use less DSP  AND you'll have the best original Electric Mistress clone on the market for use on an analog board as well.

[CBTL]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Helix' Mistress is useless for emulating the sound of the original Mistress (but in fairness I've always heard later models of the Mistress are pretty useless for that purpose as well). I have two options for you.

1- get one of these and put it in a return/send loop: http://www.gilmourish.com/?p=4019 Don't let the miniature size, minimal cost, or country of origin fool you. This thing is awesome if set right (see video) and blows my Hartman Flanger away (supposedly the best original Mistress clone on the market). 2- Start with the Courtesan Flanger in the Helix. Then add one of the Rotarys and maybe even a phaser. Then play with the individual settings and mixes. This is obviously a DSP hog but I A/B'd it with an analog in the loop and I got something I was satisfied with. I can't give you the specifics as I won't be near my Helix for a while. Both suggestions will definitely get you in the David Gilmour "Pay My Rent" category. If you have a couple inches on your Helix board and $70, the 1st option will use less DSP AND you'll have the best original Electric Mistress clone on the market for use on an analog board as well.

Iv already gone down the rotary mix flange line, it works quite well but it's still lacking! Hopefully L6 will do a model of the original!? After spending £1300 on the helix I'm not looking at putting external fx in unless I really have too. The only thing at the moment making me do that is the lack of a talk box type effect.

[WickedFinger]

I've had several versions of the Mistress FL. Helix is nothing like it. Back in the day the Mistress was the only Flanger that would self oscillate in a musical way, most note worthy example I can recall is Robin Trower's Somebody's Calling and I saw him do it live. He used two Flangers one set to do the cool oscillation flange and another for tamer std use. I find the flangers, phasers, in particular in the Helix greatly lacking, The Deluxe Phaser is pretty good but the issue is probably digital, used to be digital could not compete with analog on modulation. It's getting better the Vibe and Chorus are pretty good but others just lack the depth and organic analog tone.

The continued need to copy old technology pedals using the highest modeling technology seems a study in anti-logic. Why not model a state of the art pedal if you have to "model" something.  Maybe thought might be given to render Strymon level effects, Eventide, Source Audio Nemesis, maybe create a Flanger and a Phaser with enough tweaks to get musical stuff out of it than worry over copy mimic of some pedal that was never really all that great. 

IS anything wrong with creating something that is not a copy mimic of something else?? Maybe modeling by its nature is just flawed concept of using cutting edge technology to sound old??? Nostalgia is what it is, a memory of things which seem far better than they used to really be.

I'll tell you if I could do it all over again I think I would go BluAmp and stay with the pedals I like. I hate the POD concept and all the really crap effects it has. If the Helix cannot be on another shelf I would just soon take the loss and sell it. 

[CBTL]

I've had several versions of the Mistress FL. Helix is nothing like it. Back in the day the Mistress was the only Flanger that would self oscillate in a musical way, most note worthy example I can recall is Robin Trower's Somebody's Calling and I saw him do it live. He used two Flangers one set to do the cool oscillation flange and another for tamer std use. I find the flangers, phasers, in particular in the Helix greatly lacking, The Deluxe Phaser is pretty good but the issue is probably digital, used to be digital could not compete with analog on modulation. It's getting better the Vibe and Chorus are pretty good but others just lack the depth and organic analog tone.

The continued need to copy old technology pedals using the highest modeling technology seems a study in anti-logic. Why not model a state of the art pedal if you have to "model" something. Maybe thought might be given to render Strymon level effects, Eventide, Source Audio Nemesis, maybe create a Flanger and a Phaser with enough tweaks to get musical stuff out of it than worry over copy mimic of some pedal that was never really all that great.

IS anything wrong with creating something that is not a copy mimic of something else?? Maybe modeling by its nature is just flawed concept of using cutting edge technology to sound old??? Nostalgia is what it is, a memory of things which seem far better than they used to really be.

I'll tell you if I could do it all over again I think I would go BluAmp and stay with the pedals I like. I hate the POD concept and all the really crap effects it has. If the Helix cannot be on another shelf I would just soon take the loss and sell it.

Some of the mods are very good, the phase 90 is exceptionally accurate. However, they will never be able to make digital sound analogue. It's like artificial flavouring, it tastes the same but a little something is missing.

[WickedFinger]

Some of the mods are very good, the phase 90 is exceptionally accurate. However, they will never be able to make digital sound analogue. It's like artificial flavouring, it tastes the same but a little something is missing.

That my friend is the most accurate and dead on observation that it is possible to state. Digital rules in the DDL time based arena with delays and reverbs and modulation has greatly improved but besting a higher end analog pedal, not by the hair of my chinney, chin, chin. The only thing I can appreciate about the Phase90 copy is no longer having that buffer. And yeah still just not quite there, their Vibe is pretty good, amazing for a Digital, but I have a hard time really finding a use for it as I stopped playing Strats a couple years ago. If find the Flangers dreadful and that Dynamix typical of a POD M series thing which is not really usable. A great pedal is like this, as soon as you turn it on something decent comes out and you do not have to tweak for hours to find something magical or perhaps not at all. 

 

I have resolved to farm out to better pedals and just leave the effects alone. The delays and reverbs would be an asset but only if they HX the reverbs and for the love of god, why, always must we model some old circuit pedal and copy that? Anyone ever hear of Strymon or Eventide?

[Graemey]

I posted about this very subject a few months back. The Courtesan flanger is nothing like an old Mistress. I am lucky to own several original battery Mistress' and several Deluxe models. I also have a Hartman Analog Flanger which is a superb modern update on the 18 volt battery Mistress, and sounds really authentic. Helix does nail some amazing old modulation effects convincingly (Uni Vibe, Phase 90, CE-1) but the Electric Mistress 'model' is a total head-scratcher??. It's not a bad sounding flange effect, but that unique Andy Summers sounding chime is simply not happening with the Courtesan.