The Flamma Innovation FC15 is an analog flanger pedal in the maker's ultra-compact FC series format. Flamma describes it as packing "a rich analog flanger effect in the small form factor expected from the FC series," and the pedal carries the full name FLAMMA FC15 Classic Analog Flanger with Filter and Oscillator1. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in August 2022, called it "an ultra-compact micro pedal" and noted that the enclosures used with these pedals are "really robust and sturdy, ensuring you can take them on the road or to any gig without fear"2.
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, covering the FC15 in October 2022 as one of three new pedals joining Flamma's Mini FC-Series, observed that it is "in all likelihood circuits already found in some old Mooer pedals"3. Players who know the Mooer Eleclady or the Mooer E-Lady will recognize the territory: a small-format analog flanger with a short control panel.
The controls: Color, Range and Rate
The FC15 keeps its face simple: Color, Range, and a large Rate adjustment knob1. Flamma says the simple design allows for quick customization3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Color | Controls the effect's feedback23 |
| Range | In Normal mode, adjusts the limit range of the sweeping scope; in Filter mode, sets the filter's cutoff frequency23 |
| Rate | Large knob adjusting the flanger's sweep rate13 |
Pedal of the Day's review adds a detail worth knowing before you turn a knob: Range "adjusts the speed of the flanger (Normal mode only, this control does not work in Filter mode)"2. Delicious Audio puts the Filter-mode side of it plainly: "In this mode, the Range control will set the filter's cutoff frequency"3. So if the sweep seems stuck when you switch modes, that is the design, not a fault: Range has moved from shaping the sweep to shaping the filter.
Normal and Filter modes
A toggle switch selects between two modes, Normal and Filter, which Flamma says provide "more effect variations"1. Pedal of the Day describes them as "providing 2 different flanger sounds"2.
- Normal mode: the standard flanger sweep, with Range controlling the width and speed of that sweep23.
- Filter mode: adds a low pass filter that, in Delicious Audio's words, "makes the sound warmer and more watery," with Range setting the filter's cutoff frequency3.
"There's also an added Filter mode, which adds a low pass filter that makes the sound warmer and more watery."
Power and bypass
Pedal of the Day reports the FC15 "can easily be powered by a 9v power supply"2. The maker's page describes the bypass as true bypass: "The true bypass circuit ensures a noise-free environment until you're ready to flange again"1, a point Pedal of the Day echoes in noting the pedal "features true bypass circuitry"2.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's verdict centered on practicality: the FC15 "has an easy-to-use control set and a small footprint, to easily slide into any rig, big or small," and the review notes FC series pedals fit comfortably in tight places2. For a player comparing small analog flangers, that is the FC15's pitch: three knobs, two modes, a micro enclosure, and an analog circuit in the lineage of earlier mini flangers123. Other compact analog flangers on the site include the Ibanez Flanger Mini, the MXR M152 Micro Flanger and the Retro-Sonic Classic Analog Flanger.
Videos
Flamma Innovation
Perry Frank
Ryan Lutton
Questions
Is the Flamma FC15 true bypass?
Yes. Flamma Innovation states the FC15 uses a true bypass circuit, which the maker says ensures a noise-free environment until you are ready to flange again. Pedal of the Day's review likewise notes the pedal features true bypass circuitry, so your guitar's signal passes through unaffected when the effect is off.
What voltage does the Flamma FC15 need?
Pedal of the Day reports the FC15 can easily be powered by a 9v power supply. The maker's product page does not list a current draw figure, so check your supply's available current against Flamma's documentation before adding it to a daisy chain.
Does the Flamma FC15 run on a battery?
The facts published about the FC15 only mention powering it with a 9v power supply. Neither Flamma Innovation's product page nor the published reviews describe battery operation, so treat it as a pedal you run from a supply.
What is the difference between Normal and Filter mode on the FC15?
The FC15 has two modes selected by a toggle switch. Normal mode is the standard flanger sound. Filter mode adds a low pass filter that Delicious Audio says makes the sound warmer and more watery. The Range knob also changes meaning between the two modes, acting on the sweep in Normal mode and on the filter in Filter mode.
Why does the Range knob not change speed in Filter mode?
Because Range does different work in each mode. In Normal mode it adjusts the limits of the flanger's sweeping scope, and Pedal of the Day's review describes it as adjusting the speed of the flanger in Normal mode only. In Filter mode the Range control instead sets the filter's cutoff frequency, so turning it changes the tone of the filter, not the sweep speed.
Is the Flamma FC15 an analog or digital flanger?
Analog. Flamma Innovation describes the FC15 as packing a rich analog flanger effect in the small form factor expected from the FC series, and the pedal's name itself carries the Analog Flanger designation.
Sources (3)
- FLAMMA FC15 Classic Analog Flanger with Filter and Oscillator, Flamma Innovation
- Flamma Innovation FC15 Analog Flanger, Pedal of the Day, 2022-08-03
- Flamma FC15 Flanger, Delicious Audio, 2022-10-05
