EHX Electric Mistress Settings Guide
The EHX Electric Mistress is a flanger/chorus with a unique Filter Matrix mode — a fixed comb filter that produces a permanent, non-sweeping flanger effect that simulates 12-string guitar and chorus simultaneously. The Filter Matrix mode is the Electric Mistress's defining characteristic, unavailable on any other compact pedal. Famous in post-punk (The Police's Andy Summers), ambient, and shoegaze music for its distinctive frozen-flange timbre.
Used by: Andy Summers (The Police), David Gilmour
The best EHX Electric Mistress settings start with: Rate at 4/10, Depth at 5/10, Color at 5/10, Filter Matrix at 0/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For New Wave / Post-Punk: Rate 4/10, Depth 6/10, Color 5/10, Filter Matrix 0/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | 4/10 | Slow → Fast |
| Depth | 5/10 | None → Max |
| Color | 5/10 | Warm → Bright |
| Filter Matrix | 0/10 | Off → On |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Slow-to-moderate Rate flanger/chorus blend — the Electric Mistress in sweep mode at Rate 4 produces the characteristic 1980s flanger-chorus that Andy Summers used throughout The Police's recordings. Color at 5 is neutral; adjust toward higher Color for more pronounced comb-filtering character.
Filter Matrix mode engaged — bypass the Rate and Depth controls entirely. The fixed comb filter at Color 7 produces a static, shimmering 12-string-like tone that suits shoegaze layering. Kevin Shields has cited the Electric Mistress as an influence, and this frozen-flange quality is present in many shoegaze recordings.
Slow Rate, moderate Depth for atmospheric modulation. The Electric Mistress at slow sweep settings produces a gentle, floating quality suited to ambient and reverb-heavy playing where the flanger adds subtle movement without asserting itself.
Faster Rate for more obvious flanging — the jet-engine sweep at Rate 6–7 produces the classic "comb filter sweep" flanger effect popular in 1970s and 80s rock. Best on single notes and power chord riffs rather than complex chord voicings.
Artist Settings
Documented settings used by professional guitarists on this unit.
Summers' Electric Mistress tone defines his style across the Police's discography — the flanger-chorus combination in slow sweep mode adds the shimmering quality to his clean chord work. The Message in a Bottle arpeggiated chord intro is a classic Electric Mistress application.
Gilmour used the Electric Mistress on Comfortably Numb's lead sections — the Mistress adds the characteristic flanger-chorus movement to his Strat lead tone on the intro and solo. His application is subtle, with the modulation adding depth rather than calling attention to itself.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- Filter Matrix mode is the Electric Mistress's most unique feature — it freezes the flanger sweep at a fixed phase position determined by the Color knob. Experimenting with different Color positions while in Filter Matrix mode reveals different comb filter characters, some more "12-string-like" and some more "resonant."
- The Electric Mistress has a higher noise floor than modern flangers — it's an analog circuit from an era before modern low-noise design practices. A noise gate after it can be helpful in high-gain contexts.
- True bypass vs. buffered bypass: the Electric Mistress uses a buffered bypass, meaning the buffer circuit is always active. This affects the tone of other pedals in the chain when the Mistress is bypassed — not a problem, but worth knowing if you're experiencing unexpected tonal changes.
FAQ
EHX Electric Mistress — Common Questions
Best starting settings for EHX Electric Mistress: Rate at 4/10, Depth at 5/10, Color at 5/10, Filter Matrix at 0/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For New Wave / Post-Punk: Rate 4/10, Depth 6/10, Color 5/10, Filter Matrix 0/10. Slow-to-moderate Rate flanger/chorus blend — the Electric Mistress in sweep mode at Rate 4 produces the characteristic 1980s flanger-chorus that Andy Summers used throughout The Police's recordings. Color at 5 is neutral; adjust toward higher Color for more pronounced comb-filtering character.
For Shoegaze (Filter Matrix): Rate 0/10, Depth 0/10, Color 7/10, Filter Matrix 1/10. Filter Matrix mode engaged — bypass the Rate and Depth controls entirely. The fixed comb filter at Color 7 produces a static, shimmering 12-string-like tone that suits shoegaze layering. Kevin Shields has cited the Electric Mistress as an influence, and this frozen-flange quality is present in many shoegaze recordings.
Rate: Modulation speed (Slow to Fast). Depth: Modulation depth / intensity (None to Max). Color: Filter resonance / color (Warm to Bright). Filter Matrix: Fixed filter / freeze mode toggle (Off to On)
Filter Matrix mode is the Electric Mistress's most unique feature — it freezes the flanger sweep at a fixed phase position determined by the Color knob. Experimenting with different Color positions while in Filter Matrix mode reveals different comb filter characters, some more "12-string-like" and some more "resonant." The Electric Mistress has a higher noise floor than modern flangers — it's an analog circuit from an era before modern low-noise design practices. A noise gate after it can be helpful in high-gain contexts. True bypass vs. buffered bypass: the Electric Mistress uses a buffered bypass, meaning the buffer circuit is always active. This affects the tone of other pedals in the chain when the Mistress is bypassed — not a problem, but worth knowing if you're experiencing unexpected tonal changes.
Andy Summers (The Police) settings: Rate 4/10, Depth 5/10, Color 5/10, Filter Matrix 0/10. Summers' Electric Mistress tone defines his style across the Police's discography — the flanger-chorus combination in slow sweep mode adds the shimmering quality to his clean chord work. The Message in a Bottle arpeggiated chord intro is a classic Electric Mistress application.
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