The Spaceman Effects Aurora Analog Flanger is an analog flanger pedal built around a triangle wave BBD flanging effect, announced on 31 March 2021 at an RRP of USD 3191. Spaceman describes it as able to create "flange, vibrato, lush chorus, phase and filtery spatial effects", so it reaches well beyond what most players expect from a flanger pedal1. Pedal of the Day, reviewing it after its release, heard "shades of flange, vibrato, chorus, phase, and filtery spatial effects with the lush sound of an analog signal"2.
What it does to your sound
At its heart the Aurora is a BBD flanger, meaning the delayed signal that creates the flanging sweep runs through bucket-brigade device chips, the same analog delay technology used in classic flangers. Its presets also contain comb filters, the sharp notched filtering that flanging produces when the delayed and dry signals interact1. Pedal of the Day calls it "a powerful 5-mode modulation bus with 2 LFOs, 2 tape emulations, and a static comb filter"2.
Gearnews' Jef, writing at the announcement, came away impressed by how much the pedal covers: "It's a functionally complex little box and as far as I can tell it's doing everything exceedingly well."1
The controls
The Aurora carries the standard flanger control set plus two extras that widen its range1:
- Rate, Width, Range and Regeneration: the standard flanger controls1
- Mix: described by Gearnews as a useful Mix control1
- Output: lets you go above unity gain1
Pedal of the Day notes what the core controls can do when pushed: "Crank up the REGEN, WIDTH, and RANGE and careen into deep rhythmic sweeps."2
The five modulation modes
The modes let you control the sweep's rise and fall times, which Gearnews says gives "a huge amount of ways to affect or modulate your sound"1.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| LFO 1 | Triangle waveshape; traditional flanger at lower speeds, lush chorus and phasing at moderate speeds, pitch-shifting vibrato at higher speeds with MIX fully wet2 |
| LFO 2 | Discrete control over rise and fall times, letting you craft ramp up, triangle and ramp down waveforms2 |
| TAPE 1 and TAPE 2 | Mimic tape deck manipulation of early flange effects; holding TRIG begins the upward sweep, releasing begins the downward sweep2 |
| COMB | Freezes the modulation; RATE and RANGE set two static delay times switched between with the TRIG footswitch2 |
Pedal of the Day sums up the comb filtering's range: "The comb filtering effect can be used in a variety of ways, from simple thickening, to exotic, chaotic, robotic clang."2
The TRIG footswitch
Alongside the main bypass switching, the Aurora has a Trigger footswitch whose function changes with the chosen mode1:
- LFO modes: a quick tap resets the LFO to the bottom, and holding it holds the LFO low2
- TAPE modes: holding TRIG down begins the upward sweep, and releasing it begins the downward sweep, for manual tape-style flanging between two points12
- COMB mode: toggles between the two comb filter settings2
Build, colors and price
The Aurora is hand built in Portland, Oregon, and was offered in three color versions, Red, Silver and Blue, which all do exactly the same thing1. Guitar World reported the pedal as available for $319 in silver, blue and red colorways3.
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Questions
Where is the Spaceman Effects Aurora made?
Gearnews reports that the Aurora Analog Flanger is made in Portland, Oregon, and that the pedals are hand built. Three color versions were offered when it was announced in 2021, in Red, Silver and Blue, and all three do exactly the same thing.
What does the Trigger footswitch do on the Aurora?
The TRIG footswitch has different functions depending on the chosen mode. In the LFO modes, a quick tap resets the LFO to the bottom and holding it holds the LFO low. In the TAPE modes, holding TRIG down begins the upward sweep and releasing it begins the downward sweep. In COMB mode it toggles between two static delay times.
What colors does the Aurora come in?
The Aurora was announced in three colorways: Red, Silver and Blue. Guitar World lists the same three colors, silver, blue and red. According to Gearnews, the color versions all do exactly the same thing.
Is the Aurora analog?
Yes. The Aurora is an analog pedal built around a triangle wave BBD flanging effect, and Pedal of the Day describes its sounds as carrying the lush sound of an analog signal path.
How much does the Spaceman Aurora cost?
The Aurora was announced at an RRP of USD 319 in March 2021, and Guitar World reported the pedal as available for $319 in silver, blue and red colorways in April 2021.
Sources (3)
- Aurora Analog Flanger: A tweakable powerhouse of an analogue flanger pedal, gearnews.com, 2021-03-31
- Spaceman Effects Aurora Analog Flanger, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2021-05-23
- Unlock whole universes of sonic bliss with Spaceman Effects' Aurora Analog Flanger, Guitar World, 2021-04-02
