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yoTrakkz « love the phaser »
Published on 11/29/11 at 20:57The TC Electronic GForce unit is a multi effects rack for guitar. It can't be edited through a computer. This effects unit is a combination of reverb, delay, harmonizer/octavizer, vibrato, chorus, phaser, flanger, and almost any other effect except for distortion. There is no MIDI connection.
UTILIZATION
Getting through these sounds can be a huge pain sometimes, simply because there are about a thousand presets to choose from. Each preset ranges from a basic effect (reverb, phaser, vibrato) to a complex combination of effects and algorithms. The manual does a decent job of explaining how to program and shift through all of these various effects. However, it is a chore for anyone who isn't dedicated to finding buried treasures.
SOUND QUALITY
I have only used this with guitar. Using it with a bass or keyboard would produce some truly freaky sounds, as running the guitar through this thing is enough to bewilder just about anyone. Some of the effects that this thing produces are jaw-dropping. Some settings produce wild harmonization’s and polyphonies that repeat in an ambient fashion from just a few randomly plucked notes. Some settings will harmonize, even pitch correct, every note that you play and continually loop sounds and replace them in a manner similar to a Steve Reich piece. Some sounds produce gorgeous, orchestral multi octave washes of sound that are very soothing. Playing two notes on some of these settings will produce an ominous drone that sits in the bottom of your stomach. For all of these wildly innovative effects, there are a ton that are wild and foreign but have no real practical application, which makes it frustrating to find the good ones.
OVERALL OPINION
I love the wide variety of textures that can be easily created using this machine. I hate having to sift through a million lackluster or annoying settings to find the good ones. I think that this is a ridiculously expensive piece of gear, and that anyone willing to shell out the money for it had better realize how frustrating and time-consuming it may be. However, some of these sounds are very difficult to recreate elsewhere, and some of the ambient textures would be very useful for someone who makes ambient or very spacey music. I'm sure there's a niche of customers who would adore this product, I'm just not sure I'm one of them.
UTILIZATION
Getting through these sounds can be a huge pain sometimes, simply because there are about a thousand presets to choose from. Each preset ranges from a basic effect (reverb, phaser, vibrato) to a complex combination of effects and algorithms. The manual does a decent job of explaining how to program and shift through all of these various effects. However, it is a chore for anyone who isn't dedicated to finding buried treasures.
SOUND QUALITY
I have only used this with guitar. Using it with a bass or keyboard would produce some truly freaky sounds, as running the guitar through this thing is enough to bewilder just about anyone. Some of the effects that this thing produces are jaw-dropping. Some settings produce wild harmonization’s and polyphonies that repeat in an ambient fashion from just a few randomly plucked notes. Some settings will harmonize, even pitch correct, every note that you play and continually loop sounds and replace them in a manner similar to a Steve Reich piece. Some sounds produce gorgeous, orchestral multi octave washes of sound that are very soothing. Playing two notes on some of these settings will produce an ominous drone that sits in the bottom of your stomach. For all of these wildly innovative effects, there are a ton that are wild and foreign but have no real practical application, which makes it frustrating to find the good ones.
OVERALL OPINION
I love the wide variety of textures that can be easily created using this machine. I hate having to sift through a million lackluster or annoying settings to find the good ones. I think that this is a ridiculously expensive piece of gear, and that anyone willing to shell out the money for it had better realize how frustrating and time-consuming it may be. However, some of these sounds are very difficult to recreate elsewhere, and some of the ambient textures would be very useful for someone who makes ambient or very spacey music. I'm sure there's a niche of customers who would adore this product, I'm just not sure I'm one of them.