It’s the sound of The Police – so take a small step (or giant leap) and hit the footswitch of this Andy Summers signature flanger
Following last year’s release of the J Mascis Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi, Electro-Harmonix seems to have got a taste for artist signature pedals, so here we have the Andy Summers Walking On The Moon Analog Flanger/Filter Matrix, which is basically the newest iteration of the company’s Electric Mistress. That original pedal (powered by two PP3 batteries) was launched in the late 70s and was used by Andy Summers during his days with The Police. There have been other versions since then, but this model seems pretty much to be a decked-out version of the Deluxe Electric Mistress, which had been in the EHX roster for quite a few years until the company discontinued it prior to launching the WOTM.
Your basic flanger controls are all here. Range adjusts the flanger sweep, with the narrowest sweep being fully left. Turning the knob increases the intensity, taking the sweep further into the bass region. The Rate knob sets the sweep speed, running from really slow through to a fast warble-like rotary speaker at full pelt. And the Color knob ramps up the feedback to really emphasise the whole cyclical movement, getting progressively more swooshy and metallic.
In a side-by-side test, this version doesn’t quite have the visceral voicing of an original 1970s pedal, but within its parameters there are plenty of Andy Summers-like sounds to be found, bearing in mind that at times Andy used the pedal for sounds that could be classified as chorus just as much a flanger. Just stick a compressor in front of it and a delay behind and you’ll be pretty much there for its eponymous tune and other Police songs.
Beyond that, there are more extreme flanging sounds to be found onboard, not least with the Filter Matrix switch, which disconnects the modulation waveform from the flanger circuit, effectively freezin
