DivKid’s Small Stone: Phaser Mayhem for Synth Freaks

The Electro Harmonix Small Stone isn’t just a pedal – it’s a survivor. DivKid kicks off by giving this battered box its due, pointing out it’s been gigged, battered, and probably dropped more times than most of us change socks. Released in 1975 and still going strong, the Small Stone is living proof that sometimes the old gear still slaps. It’s mono, it’s simple, and it’s cheap enough that you won’t cry if you spill your pint on it.

Don’t let the guitar heritage fool you. This thing’s got synth history running through its circuits, with legends like Jean-Michel Jarre making it a staple. The controls are dead simple: LFO rate, a colour switch for subtle-to-juicy resonance, and a footswitch. DivKid’s had his for over 20 years, and it’s still taking names. If you want a phaser that’s more workhorse than show pony, the Small Stone’s your mate.

Here’s where things get spicy. DivKid shows how the Small Stone can stand in for pulse width modulation, but with a twist. Instead of your standard PWM on a square wave, he runs saws and squares through the phaser, getting thick, evolving textures that leave basic modulation in the dust. The trick? Process the oscillator directly, not just at the end of your chain. That’s how you get those blooming, resonant notches that make your pads sound like they’re breathing.

He doesn’t stop at theory – the video’s full of practical patches, from droning saws to sequenced lines. The Small Stone before a low pass gate lets the phasing movement shine through, especially when you slow the LFO for that syrupy, resonant sweep. If you want your synths to sound like they’ve been through a toaster-fight and come out singing, this is the move.

DivKid isn’t content with just lush pads – he’s out to break waveforms. By phase-shifting before wavefolding, he manages to fold even square waves, turning them into gnarly, brutal bass monsters. It’s the kind of trick that makes you wonder why you ever settled for vanilla distortion. The phaser’s LFO adds that essential movement, and when you start ducking things against drums, it’s pure bunker energy.

But the real curveball? Pinging the phaser for percussion. Instead of filter pings, you get percussive zaps and squeals that sound nothing like your average drum machine. With feedback and a bit of trigger filtering, the Small Stone becomes a one-box percussion lab. Some of these sounds are so wild, you’ll need to watch the video to believe them – text just doesn’t do the chaos justice.

DivKid wraps up with a barrage of practical tips for squeezing every drop of magic from your phaser. He shows how running synths like the Yamaha SY-1 or Vox Jaguar through the Small Stone creates classic, vocal-like textures – especially when you slap on some spring reverb. The message is clear: if you’re not using a phaser on your synths, you’re missing out on a whole world of lushness.

He goes deep on FX sends, mono vs stereo tricks, and how to tame harsh transients before they hit your reverb. Using envelopes and low pass gates, you can sculpt your sends for maximum vibe. The real secret? Adding subtle phasing before your reverb to glue everything together and make your ambience come alive. It’s the kind of nerdy detail that separates the bedroom dabblers from the studio assassins.