5 Best Flanger Plugins

While the flanger was originally hailed as a guitar stompbox, in the digital world, we have the ability to use its unique characteristics to spice up our mixes and add a bit of space-age flavor. A good flanger plugin is a valuable asset for any producer or mix engineer, as it is one of the main modulation effects music makers use. 

Of course, because it is such a popular effect, there are TONS of flanger plugins on the market, which can make separating the quality ones quite difficult. Today, I want to take you through some of my favorite flanger plugins!

Note: This article may contain affiliate links, meaning I would receive a commission - at no cost to you - for any products you purchase.    

What Is a Flanger?

A flanger is a type of modulation effect wherein the signal gets duplicated. While the initial signal remains intact, the other is continuously shifted, causing a unique sweeping comb filter effect. The comb filter effect is a product of small peaks and valleys in the frequency spectrum of the signal.

Flangers have been used for decades to turn single, dry signals into textured layers or craft unique, sweeping effects. There are millions of ways to use a flanger, though having the right flanger plugin to work with is crucial.

Flangers are pretty similar to phasers and choruses, but with some unique differences that are explained in more detail here.

The 5 Best Flanger Plugins

With decades of home recording under my belt, here is my top five list for the best flanger VST plugins available.

All of them offer great sound, ease of use, and some unique tricks!

The overall Best Flanger VST - Softube Fix Flanger

The Fix Flanger by Softube is based on Paul Wolff’s rare 1979 hardware flanger unit. It’s a truly unbeatable flanger plugin that can help you create lush, chorused sounds, professional vocal doubles, unique stereo widening, and, as you would expect, quality flanging.  

The Fix Flanger provides super realistic sounds thanks to the modeling technology and DSP. The servo motor bounce emulation combined with the VSO flange control makes this plugin feel like the real thing. Plus, no matter what style of flanging you’re looking for, from manual tape machine flanging to vintage stompbox flanging, you can find it here! 

The cool thing about Fix Flanger is that it also comes with the Softube Fix Doubler plugin, giving you something extra for your arsenal. Both of these units are creamy and smooth, perfect for getting that old-school flanging sound with modern controls. You’ll never get anything that sounds cold or artificial, which is definitely hard to come by with many modern flanger plugins.

Among all of these plugins, I think the SoftTube's Fix Flanger is the easiest flanger to use to dial in the sound you're looking for. Something about the interface is so intuitive that you don't need to fiddle knobs to guess what's going to happen.

Most customizable Flanger Plugin - Arturia Flanger BL

The Arturia Flanger BL is unique in that it allows you to create your own control patterns. This flanger plugin is an emulation of the famous BEL BF-20 stereo flanger. The original flanger from the 70s came with a modulation frequency knob, variable depth control, and a single-oscillator. 

One thing I love about the Arturia Flanger BL is that it’s also very straightforward and intuitive to use. You can quickly adjust the knobs on the interface to dial in the sound that you have in your head. Whether you’re producing EDM, scoring for film, or making a classic rock track, it’s super versatile. 

 Click here to check the price of the Arutria Flanger BL on Plugin Boutique or save with the Arturia FX Collection at ADSR Sounds.

Plus, because the plugin is made by Arturia, you get the warm, analog goodness that the company is so good at recreating. They nailed the emulation of the original bucket brigade circuitry, giving you analog warmth with all the control you would expect to have in the digital world. 

While the plugin might be simple on the surface, you can dig in deeper with the cutting-edge controls, including the envelope follower, LFO shaper, and filter section. There are 28 presets to get you started, all of which are excellent for various textures. Plus, it’s so easy to load up a preset and get your own sound by simply switching between the modulation sources.

Instant Retrovibes - Eventide Instant Flanger

The Eventide Instant Flanger is an emulation of the original Instant Flanger hardware unit from 1979. You get two iconic effects with this plugin, including a flanger and a phaser. If you’re looking for a flanger plugin that can provide you with a rich, psychedelic sound, then this is it! I absolutely love it for clean guitars, as it imparts a unique distortion that sits in line with classic psych-rock music! 

Start by choosing between the two analog and digital modes with the select switch before dialing in the proper sound with the feedback and sweep rate controls. You can also select between three different flanging flavors, including wide, shallow, and deep. Shallow is excellent for subtle flanging, Wide provides that unique jet plane tone and Deep is super dramatic.

Click here to check the price of the Instant Flanger MKII on Plugin Boutique or here to check the price on ADSR Sounds 

I love the included Bounce knob, which replicates the bouncing tape reel motors from the original hardware unit. However, Eventide did a great job at bringing this element into the modern world by using a feedback loop to modulate the delay time instead of an LFO. You get a sound that is significantly better in my opinion. 

Overall, if you want a plugin that can emulate the flanger sounds of the 70s and 80s while providing you with analog goodness, then this is an excellent choice!

The Pink Floyd Flanger Effect - D16 Group Antresol

Anyone who knows anything about classic flangers knows about the Mistress flanger, which was manufactured in 1976 by Electro-Harmonix and used by legends like David Gilmour. D16 Group did an excellent job emulating this classic flanger unit, taking it a step further with complete LFO control and independent stereo controls when it created the Antresol.

One thing I love about this particular flanger is that it deals with low-end really nicely, making it perfect for drums or other low-frequency percussive instruments. With the additional independent stereo controls, you can create a unique sense of depth and space. 

Click here to check the price of the Antresol on Plugin Boutique or here to check the price on ADSR Sounds

The GUI is fantastic, giving you a warm and authentic sound without all of the weird artifacts you get from cheaply-made flanger plugins. Plus, it’s very easy on the CPU and doesn’t have any latency that’s noticeable.

The Tempo Sync module is great for synchronizing the phase and frequency of oscillation with your host DAW. There are even different values you can set it to, including full, dotted, triplet, and off. 

If you’re someone who likes getting quick results, you’ll be happy with the wide variety of presets that Antresol comes with. However, what makes it truly exciting is that you can store you’re own!

Most affordable Flanger Plugin - Kuassa Efektor FL3606

If you don’t have tons of money to spend or you want a simpler, more straightforward flanger plugin, the Kuassa Efektor FL3606 is a great choice! The ease of use is a huge selling point for a lot of people. 

The plugin designers made this look a lot like a stompbox, which I absolutely love. There are three distinct flanger flavors you get, including Royal Flanger, Jet Flanger, and Electro Flanger. Royal Flanger provides a vintage flanging effect, Jet Flanger gives you a spacey stereo image with a jet-like howl, and Electro Flanger imparts a trippy, swirly, chorus-like sound, great for darkening your signals. 

Once you find the right style, adjust the rate, delay, depth, and feedback. There is even a handy mono mode that is great for busy mixes. Beyond that, you’ll also find a few great presets to get you started. 

Overall, this plugin is incredibly simple, and there’s not much else to say than if you want a quick and painless flanger effect, get the Kusassa Efektor FL3606.