Phaser (effect)
Sweeping audio effect / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Phasing" redirects here. For the compositional technique in which a repetitive phrase is played on two musical instruments in steady but not identical tempo, see Phasing (music).
A phaser is an electronic sound processor used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs of the waveform being affected is typically modulated by an internal low-frequency oscillator so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect.
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A short, unprocessed string sample, followed by a few different phasing effects on the same sample
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg/50px-Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg.png)
A short, unprocessed drum sample, followed by the same sample with a slow phasing effect
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Phasers are often used to give a "synthesized" or electronic effect to natural sounds, such as human speech. The voice of C-3PO from Star Wars was created by taking the actor's voice and treating it with a phaser.[citation needed]