TC Electronic Flashback Delay

Delay is quite possibly the most universal effect for guitarists used in different forms across all genres. When it came time to build my pedalboard I knew I had to have a delay pedal on there. I had become accustom to having multiple types of delays from my multi-effects devices I had owned. I knew I wanted to have plenty of options, but I wanted to keep it simple and small. The Flashback Delay by TC Electronic embodied everything I was looking for. The mini version was not available when I bought my delay, but I would not have gone for it since it was limited in its application. The X4 version was too large for my board, but it was tempting.

Line 6 offers some very nice delays that sound fantastic, but I don’t trust the build quality of the housings and switches of their effects. I didn’t want to buy the DL4, then spend the money to get it modified with better switches. Strymon builds very nice pedals, but the Brigadier and El Capistan were not the type of delays I was looking for and the Timeline seemed like over kill. The Timeline I believe works best in a rig that has midi control, and that was not the type of board I was building at the time.

The Flashback was the right size with the right type of delays. There is a wide range of delay types that are available in this small pedal, and they all sound very good. I use the mod, analog, slapback, and TonePrint, throughout my bands set. The TonePrint feature is an amazing addition that expands the capabilities of the pedal. There are four knobs to control- delay, feedback, FX level, and type. There is also a mini-switch that allows choosing between quarter note, dotted quarter note, and a combination of both, for use as the repeats of the delay.

It does not have a tap tempo in the traditional sense, instead it has audio tapping. It works by turning on the pedal and holding down the footswitch for about two seconds until the LED turns off. Strum the quarter notes, then release the switch and you are in tempo. A brilliant answer to keeping the pedal small and still having tap tempo. The looper function is good, but without the extra switches of the X2 I find I only use the looper at home and not at gigs.

There is a slight hum to the pedal, I believe this has to do with the fact I have it on buffered bypass. There is a dip switch on the inside of the pedal that allows you to switch between true and buffered bypass. It is the last pedal in my chain, and it is a good idea to have that pedal be buffered. I also like that the delays continue after I hit the footswitch to turn the pedal off, which sounds so much more natural than the hard stop of true bypass.

The TonePrints are so well crafted that I would prefer to have more slots for them on the type selector knob. Just like my Hall of Fame pedal, the Flashback eats batteries as a snack. I believe the processing power of the pedal, and all its capabilities is the reason for how fast it goes through batteries. I am not complaining about it, because I love what the pedal can do, it just is a fact of its operation that you need to plug it in.

The Flashback is a great and versatile pedal. A very good addition to any pedalboard with its small size. If you only use one type of delay, then the mini version may be the one you choose. If your delay use is more extensive, and you use a looper, then check out the X4. For my purposes the standard model works best with plenty of flexibility, and only requires a little bit of on-the-fly knob turning to keep up with my needs at a gig.

This is a killer delay by TC Electronic. It has this cool feature called tone print, which allows you to get pre set delays made by many guitarists out there and put them on this pedal. It works really well for doing this and is very simple to put the tone print on the pedal. The pedal it self is the best sounding delay I've ever used. It has 8 different types of delay and they all sound great. It is a compact pedal and has a mini toggle switch to choose between quarter notes, dotted 8th and 16th notes.

UTILIZATION

Using this pedal is super simple. The tone print feature is so easy to use and works perfectly every time. IT comes with a usb cable to hook up to your computer and pedal. You can leave all your knobs at noon and choose any delay type and it will work and sound great. Not much tweaking needed unless you are going for a specific delay type.

SOUND QUALITY

I use the analog and tape delay. It is the best tape delay I've ever heard. I run this pedal through my FX Loop and it just sounds awesome. THe crisp and clear delays sound amazing through my overdriven amp. The analog delay mixes well with my overdrives and really as a very smooth feel to it. I have recored with this pedal and it comes through a Shure SM57 perfectly. Sounds Great!

OVERALL OPINION

I love how easy this pedal is to use. I am able to get much better delays out of this pedal than I have before. Usually I struggle with getting good delay sounds with other pedals but this one it is just easy to do without and headaches. I think the price of this pedal is awesome for what you are getting. TC always makes great quality products and it holds true with this pedal. I plan to get more TC electronic pedals in the future!

10 delay types including the 2290-style delay
40-second looper with infinite sound on sound recording
TonePrint technology gives you instant access to custom pedal-tweaks made by top guitarists
Audio Tapping lets you set delay times by simply strumming your guitar
6 seconds delay
Stereo I/O
Switchable true bypass and buffered bypass modes
Switchable dry signal muting
Analog-Dry-Through circuitry preserves your analog tone
Delay Time, Feedback, and FX Level controls
Spillover on/off switch gives you super-smooth and natural transitions between sounds

UTILIZATION

Let me say, I am a big fan of the tone print series. This was a great idea. Put rack style tone in a pedal format. They are very accessible to guys who detest menus. I'm not a menu hater, for the record. But it sure is nice to have a pedal like this where everything is really a knob away. In fact, I think in terms of knob layout and control setup, this might be the best delay on the market next to some of the boss stuff. Unfortunately the boss delays don't have great tone. The stereo option is great even though I'm not an avid stereo user. The manual is great. TC has that whole manual thing covered.

My only HUGE problem is that this should have midi. It needs it bad. This pedal would be so much more usable to me with midi. I cannot stress this enough. I want to use mine with a midi controller in a rack setup, but alas, TC is stupid.

SOUND QUALITY

Here's where this pedal gets the high marks. I think in terms of pedal delays, at least digital ones, this is the best thing next to the eventide timefactor. The timefactor of course costs a huge amount. This one is significantly less and it a way better value in my opinion. It's a great studio performer. Pretty darn good live too. The tape is by far my favorite mode. The looper is also pretty ridiculous though. It's actually insane how many usable modes the flashback has. I cannot really say in words how organic and natural this unit sounds. Try it. Please.

OVERALL OPINION

The value on these is what makes them incredible. It's not the best or most function delay. But for the price I really like the feedback. It has so many features that the pedal should probably explode. There's gotta be a good brain in there. The midi thing I guess I can get over. Wish TC would make a bigger version with midi. It would wow me senseless. Try one of these. I bet you will buy it. That's all I can say.

The TC Electronic Flashback is a great little delay unit from TC Electronic that offers the versatility of many much larger and more expensive units in a small, easy to use, and affordable package. There are various different types of delays ranging from the famed TC 2290, through to analog, tape, lo-fi, modulated, slapback, stereo and even reverse delays. It also has a wonderful looper that allows for up to 40 seconds - great for rehearsing ideas quickly. It's a pretty simple delay as far as the controls go, just standard time, feedback and level controls plus a switch to go between quarter notes, eighth notes or dotted eighth notes. It also has a stereo output to go to separate amps to make best use of some of the thicker sounding delays too. It's housed in a pretty small box with a convenient thumbscrew to get to the battery.

UTILIZATION

Setting up this pedal for use is pretty easy for sure. It reacts like the other delays that I've owned and other than getting used to the different modes that the pedal offers, it is pretty easy to use. The controls react well and the pedal's not too extreme as far the taper of the controls. It can get some nice oscillating repeats if you set it up with the controls turned up high which is cool. I was able to figure most of it out by trial and error without even reading the manual. It basically takes the standard delay controls and mates them with different mode selections for different tones and styles.

SOUND QUALITY

This delay pedal is pretty good sounding overall. TC Electronic is known for their high quality, pristine delays and this pedal definitely carries that lineage. My main concern with it is that it's a bit dark sounding and can get a little bit lost in the mix with distorted tones. I found myself using the 2290 mode for more pristine tones, and the tape delay mode for my leads. I did like the slapback mode for country type sounds, and the looper proved quite useful when I was just working on riffs for my bands. Of course, with this flexibility comes the inevitable price... I find that it doesn't really have the GREATEST tone like a delay that specializes in one type of sound, but if you're looking for a whole gauntlet of delays in one easy to use package, it's definitely cool.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think that the TC Flashback is a cool little delay for someone looking for a great set of delay tones in a convenient package. It sells new for about $180 which is really a killer deal considering the quality and features. I ultimately found that I preferred the sound of a truer tape echo, and have since sold mine to fund a Strymon El Capistan which is one of the greatest tape echo simulators on the market. If you need one or two great tones, I would look into something different, but if you need an "all in one" you can't get much better than this TC Flashback.