MusicRadar Verdict
A great sounding flanger, but - to be fair - Source's Gemini, Lunar and Mercury are interchangeable.
Pros
- +
Interesting sounds.
Cons
- -
Perhaps not an essential purchase.
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The Mercury's Classic setting conjures up the sort of vintage flanging that's relatively mild and not unlike a chorus effect.
The difference between flanging and chorus lies in the delay time, and the Mercury has a Delay knob that delivers in the appropriate range.
Set it right and there are familiar flanger sounds here, reminiscent of an Electric Mistress, especially with the resonance knob turned up to add a metallic edge.
Utilising two delay lines, the Thru-Zero setting is designed to emulate the sort of flanging originally created in the studio using two tape machines, and sounds good with fuzz or distortion in front of it where it can offer a similar flavour to Queen's Keep Yourself Alive.
The Shadow setting dials in a more animated and intense flanging experience. Again, it's a perfect partner for dirty sounds and the place to be if spaceship and ray-gun sounds are on your agenda.
Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.
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