The Flamma FC16 Optical Tremolo is a mini tremolo pedal from Flamma Innovation, a builder Delicious Audio described in 2022 as "newish" and Chinese. It produces what the maker calls a classic optical tremolo effect with a huge range of speeds and depths, and it does so in a compact, metal package. Tremolo, in plain terms, rhythmically raises and lowers the volume of your signal, and the FC16 is built around that one job with three knobs and true bypass switching12.
It arrived in 2022 as part of a wave of three pedals integrating Flamma's Mini FC-Series, reported by Delicious Audio on 19 September 20222.
What an optical tremolo does to your sound
An optical tremolo uses a light-driven circuit to vary your volume, and the FC16 is pitched by its maker as delivering "that classic optical tremolo sound" with a huge range of speeds and depths available1. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio put it this way: "The FC16 Optical Tremolo brings a huge range of depth and speed in a compact, metal package."2
Because the effect only shapes volume, it sits cleanly alongside drive and time-based pedals; it is a different tool from a vibrato pedal, which shifts pitch rather than level. Flamma also points to the FC16's simple design, which it says allows quick customization and tone tweaking on the fly2.
The controls: Depth, Bias and Speed
The FC16 keeps its faceplate to three knobs, which both the maker and reviewers describe the same way123:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Depth | Sets how deep the volume dip goes on each pulse2 |
| Bias | Brings various colors of the tremolo sound, per Flamma; Delicious Audio describes it as making the LFO wave choppier or smoother12 |
| Speed | A large speed adjustment knob setting how fast the effect pulses12 |
The Bias knob is the one that changes the character rather than the intensity: turned one way the wave smooths out, turned the other it chops harder, which is how a tremolo goes from a gentle sway to a stuttered, machine-like pulse12.
Build, bypass and what reviewers said
The FC16 is finished in what Pedal of the Day called a fire engine red color, with stylized modern fonts and graphics that Delicious Audio singled out as looking great thanks to a tasteful choice for the metal case's color23. On the enclosure, Pedal of the Day wrote:
"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
The pedal's true bypass circuit is described by Flamma as ensuring a noise-free environment until you are ready for more of the effect, a point both Delicious Audio and Pedal of the Day repeat in their coverage123. Pedal of the Day's verdict in August 2022 was that the easy-to-use control set and small footprint let it easily slide into any rig, big or small, and that it is hard to beat the lineup of effects pedals from Flamma Innovation3.
Videos
Flamma Innovation
Pedal of the Day
Perry Frank
Questions
Is the Flamma FC16 true bypass?
Yes. Flamma states the FC16 has a true bypass circuit, which the maker says ensures a noise-free environment until you engage the effect. Pedal of the Day and Delicious Audio both repeat the same point in their coverage, so the true bypass switching is consistent across the maker's page and the press.
What does the Bias knob do on the Flamma FC16?
The Bias knob shapes the character of the tremolo effect. Flamma says it brings various colors of the tremolo sound, and Delicious Audio describes it as making the LFO wave choppier or smoother. In practice it moves the effect between a soft, rounded pulse and a harder, more squared-off one.
Is the Flamma FC16 a mini pedal?
Yes. Delicious Audio describes the FC16 as one of the mini pedals from Flamma, released as part of a wave of three pedals in the company's Mini FC-Series. Pedal of the Day notes its small footprint, saying it can easily slide into any rig, big or small.
What did Pedal of the Day say about the Flamma FC16?
In an August 2022 review, Pedal of the Day called it a fire engine red machine with an easy-to-use control set and a small footprint, said the enclosures used with these pedals are robust and sturdy enough for the road or any gig, and found it hard to beat the lineup of effects pedals from Flamma Innovation.
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
