Experimental Noize Aphazing

The Experimental Noize Aphazing is a digital phaser pedal from Los Angeles-based maker Experimental Noize. It covers the classic phase sounds guitarists have used for decades, but it is built for players who want to go beyond them: a Stages control shifts between 2, 4, 8, and 12 phasing stages, and a Mode knob selects four different ways the effect is generated¹. Premier Guitar reviewed it in 2021 and called it "a great-sounding and bargain-priced digital pedal," priced at $169 when purchased directly from Experimental Noize².

The controls

The Aphazing's control set is unusually wide-ranging, and Premier Guitar's reviewer called it one of the pedal's star features². The standard Rate, Depth, and Resonance knobs are present, alongside controls that are less common on a phaser¹.

The Stages control is where much of the pedal's range lives. In the reviewer's experience, 2-stage phasing provides a straightforward, tape-like sound, while the 12-stage setting is thick and complex, and the 4- and 8-stage options split the difference².

The four modes each generate the effect differently:

• Mode A: What most players think of as a regular phase sound, combining the dry signal with a slightly offset, pitch-modulated wet signal. It is capable of traditional phasing tones in the Phase 90/Small Stone vein².
• Mode B: Blends the signals subtractively, producing hollow-sounding tones with greater phase cancellation².
• Mode C: Introduces asymmetric modulation with a "fishhook" twist reminiscent of a Uni-Vibe².
• Mode D: A thinner-sounding subtractive version of Mode C².

Build and layout

The Aphazing lives in a large-format folded-steel enclosure, roughly 7" x 5" x 2", and Delicious Audio described the pedal as about 8" tall²¹. Inside are two stacked circuit boards populated with modern micro-components and linked by a ribbon connector, with board-mounted jacks and pots, both boards securely affixed to the enclosure². It runs a 32-bit processor¹.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's 2021 review was largely positive about the sound. The reviewer found the core sounds "terrific: rich, detailed, and convincingly analog-sounding" for a digital pedal, and summed up the pros as fine vintage-style phasing, countless cool and musical variations, and a great price².

The criticism was aimed at the control layout rather than the tone. The reviewer found a confusing, near-random layout: controls not grouped, not visually differentiated, labels in small type that are hard to read, and an enclosure graphic that adds to the confusion. Still, the reviewer concluded it is not a deal-breaker, and that you will learn your way around after spending some time with the pedal².

Delicious Audio, featuring the pedal ahead of the 2016 Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit, described it as one of the most versatile phase shifters out there, able to achieve the classic phase sounds loved by guitarists for decades but aimed at players who are not afraid to break new sonic ground¹.

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