Subdecay Starlight DLX

The Subdecay Starlight DLX is a deluxe analog flanger pedal, hand made in Oregon by Subdecay. Where a basic flanger gives you one or two sweep shapes, the DLX puts a large set of options in one box: seven LFO shapes, envelope flanging, and a trigger mode with a ramp waveform that Subdecay describes as creating "a perfectly timed continuous rise until that jet plane goes over the horizon"¹.

The circuit is built around the MN3007 bucket brigade chip, the same delay line family used in many classic analog flangers, and Subdecay runs it at 15 volts for maximum sweep and headroom¹. The pedal is out of production and has been replaced by the Starlight Flanger V2.

What it does

A flanger mixes a delayed copy of your signal back with the original, with the delay time swept up and down to produce the characteristic whooshing, jet-plane sweep. What sets the DLX apart from simpler flangers is the range of movement shapes on offer. Subdecay lists seven LFO shapes plus envelope flanging, where your picking dynamics drive the sweep instead of a fixed oscillator¹.

The trigger mode with ramp waveform works differently again: rather than cycling continuously, it produces a single continuous rise, which Subdecay suggests timing so the effect peaks right as a chord rings out¹.

The regen (regeneration) control sets how much of the swept signal is fed back through the circuit, which intensifies the effect. Subdecay tuned it deliberately¹:

At full regen the pedal self-oscillates, producing extreme feedback sweeps rather than a conventional flange¹.

Power and setup

The DLX runs on a regulated 9VDC adapter with a negative center 2.1mm barrel plug, drawing less than 150mA. It cannot be powered by a battery, and no power supply is included in the box¹.

Signal connections are conventional: input impedance is 1M and output impedance is less than 1K¹.

How it differs from the Starlight Flanger V2

The Starlight DLX was the option-heavy version of Subdecay's flanger line, and the Starlight Flanger V2 that replaced it takes a different approach. The V2 is a complete redesign with six LFO shapes rather than seven, including triangle, sine, a square/triangle mix, random sample/hold, and 8 and 16 step shapes²³⁴. Subdecay describes the V2 as delivering vintage flanger tone with modern versatility, with warmer tone, more transparency and a dramatic improvement in headroom over the earlier design².

In a demo video exploring the V2's controls, Subdecay's Brian Marshall walked through its LFO shapes, including the square/triangle mix, which Subdecay's product page suggests for letting "chords ring out with the disorientation of the Square/Triangle mix shape"²⁴.

Players comparing feature-rich flangers today might also look at pedals like the EarthQuaker Devices Pyramids or the Source Audio Mercury, which take similarly wide-ranging approaches to the effect.

Videos

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Questions