The Flamma FC16 is a tremolo pedal from Flamma Innovation, a Chinese builder whose mini pedals have drawn press attention for packing a lot of range into small, affordable boxes. The FC16 delivers what the maker calls a classic optical tremolo effect with a huge range of speeds and depths, in a compact metal package1.
Tremolo is a volume effect: the pedal raises and lowers your signal's level in a repeating cycle, from a subtle pulse to a hard, choppy on-off stutter. An optical tremolo does this with a light-dependent resistor, the approach associated with vintage amplifier tremolo circuits, and Flamma positions the FC16 as a take on that classic sound12.
What the FC16 does
Delicious Audio described the FC16 as bringing "a huge range of depth and speed in a compact, metal package," and placed it among the mini pedals from this "newish Chinese builder"2. In September 2022 the site reported that the FC16 was one of a wave of three new pedals integrating Flamma's Mini FC-Series2.
The pedal's simple design is part of its appeal for players who want to set a tremolo quickly and get on with playing. Flamma says the FC16's simple design allows for quick customization and tone tweaking on the fly1. Pedal of the Day called it "this fire engine red machine" with an easy-to-use control set and a small footprint3.
The controls: Depth, Bias and Speed
The FC16 has three knobs1. Two of them do the standard tremolo jobs, and the third shapes the character of the effect:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Depth | Sets how deep the volume swing is, from a shallow shimmer to a full chop2 |
| Speed | A large adjustment knob that sets the rate of the tremolo cycle2 |
| Bias | Shapes the character of the effect1 |
The Bias knob is the one that sets the FC16 apart from a bare-bones two-knob tremolo. Flamma says the bias knob "brings various colors of the tremolo sound"1. Delicious Audio put it in circuit terms: "The Bias knob makes the LFO wave choppier of smoother"2. In practice, that means Bias moves the effect between a hard, square-edged pulse and a rounder, gentler swell, while Depth and Speed set how far and how fast the volume moves.
The large Speed knob is a deliberate design choice: rate is the control players adjust most often, especially for matching a tremolo to a song's tempo, and a bigger knob makes that easier to grab mid-performance2.
Bypass and build
Flamma says a true bypass circuit "ensures a noise-free environment until you're ready for more of that classic optical tremolo sound"1. Both Delicious Audio and Pedal of the Day repeated the true bypass claim in their coverage23. For a player, true bypass means the pedal is effectively out of the signal chain when switched off.
The enclosure is metal, and Pedal of the Day was positive about the build quality across the Flamma line3:
"The enclosures used with these pedals are really robust and sturdy, ensuring you can take them on the road or to any gig"3
Pedal of the Day, August 20223
What reviewers said
Published coverage of the FC16 was favorable on both value and function. Delicious Audio called it "a bread and butter effect that does well what it promises at an incredible price"2. Pedal of the Day took a wider view of the brand, writing that "affordable pedals are an important piece of our sonic ecosystem, and they're making sure good sound doesn't have to cost" a lot3.
Neither review flagged shortcomings in the pedal itself; the coverage centered on its range, build and price.
Videos
Flamma Innovation
Pedal of the Day
Perry Frank
Sources (3)
- FLAMMA FC16 Classic Optical Tremolo Pedal, Flamma Innovation (www.flamma.shop)
- Flamma FC16 Optical Tremolo, Delicious Audio, 2022-09-19
- Flamma Innovation FC16 Optical Tremolo, Pedal of the Day, 2022-08-08
