TC Electronic Flashback x4

SOUND:
TC Electronic’s Flashback X4 is a combo pedal, offering a wide array of delay types with a looper and as demonstrated in the YouTube video below:



TC Electronic is known for its quality delays and the company brings its best in Flashback X4. You get 12 delay types, starting with Tape, which has a very vintage and widely popular tone. Tube is slightly warmer than Tape. Space has rich echo sounds based on the Roland Space Echo. Analog produces a nice fading echo, while Analog with Modulation adds some swirls in the mix. Reverse is based on the old Hendrix experimentation, reversing a tape delay signal. Dynamic is unique, as the delay swells in volume when you stop playing and reduces while playing. 2290 is a vintage TC Electronic delay from 1985, producing a crisp and clean echo – while the 2290 with Modulation adds a tri-chorus effect in the mix. Slap produces that vintage slap-back echo, reminiscent of Scotty Moore and Chet Atkins. Lofi has a (well… lo-fi) tone that sounds dirty. Finally Ping-Pong shifts the echo back and forth from left to right (cool when running your gear in stereo, although it sounds great in mono). The overall quality of sound is obvious and pristine; whether keeping the effect low or high in the mix both the guitar signal and the delay are audible and separate. What also is cool is that you can edit and create unique delays (and save them in three presets) or upload TonePrint delays, which are delays designed for TC Electronic and by professional musicians like Petrucci, Morse and Townsend.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:
TC Electronic is known for its delay pedals, and so you know you have quality on your pedal board. However, the Flashback X4 is not the most pedal-board-friendly, since it has a second function – a looper. Gigging musicians may opt for the Flashback Mini (if not wanting to store a preset or a TonePrint) or the Flashback (regular) or Flashback 2, both of which can save at least one presets/TonePrint. However, even with the added size of the Flashback X4 if you’re looking for a delay that offers three presets that can be accessed with footswitches, as well as another four TonePrints, upward of 7000ms of delay and have access to the many delay types (that you set manually), then you would be hard pressed to find a better and more complete option… all at a price of $249 USD. What also makes this version of Flashback useful is the MIDI in/out, stereo capabilities and being able to use an expression pedal for some unique and ambient effects. The Flashback X4 does come with its own power supply, but you can use any 2.1 mm 9v-12v supply that gives at least 300mA of power.

EASE OF USE:
The first part of the Flashback X4 is the DELAY. Three factory presets are included at the footswitches, which you can change and save. The other delays (e.g., Tape, Tube, Space, etc.) and all their elements are “what you see is what you get.” For example, you can select Tape delay and from there you turn a knob to select Delay Time (unless you use the Tap temp function), Feedback (or how many repeats you get) and Delay Level (how much you want to hear the delay, e.g., the mix between dry and wet). This is very straight-forward stuff. There’s also a Subdivision Selector so that you can chose the note intervals that the delay is based upon (e.g., quarter note, dotted eighths or quarter notes + dotted eighths). It doesn’t take long to set these and to know where to set them, although it depends if you want a hint of delay or a lot and how much feedback, etc. (and once you find what you like, simply save them in the footswitch presets).

Use of the TonePrints (uploading them more particularly), or creating your own unique delays/TonePrints is more involved, but not that difficult to apply. Users first would download the free TonePrint Editor and hook up the Flashback X4 via USB (cable included) to a computer… or you can use a SmartPhone and stream the information to the pedal. Once in the editor you can select from dozens of custom TonePrints from world-class musicians… you can edit them or create your own from scratch in the editor and then save those in the presets or in the four TonePrint slots (located with the delay type selections). This also brings us to the use of an expression pedal. When using such a pedal to create unique delay effects, you can apply different elements to the pedal. For example, you can create a delay time swell, from 200ms to 1000ms… you can increase the amount of modulation in the mix, or perhaps alter the Feedback or the Delay Level… or all the above.

The second part of the X4 is the LOOPER, activated with a flip of a switch and while still able to access the various delay types (with other loopers you still need a delay effects pedal) so that whatever you record includes delay. However, you do not have access to the presets, since the footswitches now have different functions when working the Looper. You can add as many dubs or layers to your loop (up to 40 seconds of record time) simply by pressing the REC footswitch, and each one can have a different delay type and mix. Once you press REC a second time the recording stops and the loop plays continuously until you press the Play/Pause footswitch – also, you would have to press REC again to start another dub. If you don’t like a recording you press the UNDO/REDO switch (obviously pressing it again will REDO the recording … and holding it down for a few seconds wipes out the Loop and all its layers). There’s a ONCE footswitch, which is useful if you stop soloing and want the loop to play one last time before ending. One thing you should be aware of is that the Looper does not save any recordings… once you turn off the Flashback X4 you lose what you recorded.

RELIABILITY & DURABILITY:
TC Electronic’s Flashback X4 is a hefty piece of technology, encased in steel. The company did not skimp on the quality of the housing, that much is obvious. The footswitches are soft-click-based and all solid to the touch. The footswitches are spaced apart well enough that it’s unlikely you will double-click anything. The footswitches also are far removed from the heavy black plastic knobs, large enough that you likely could rotate them with a foot (with the exception of the delay selector, which clicks in place). The two switches on the front (Subdivision Selector, e.g., eighth notes, full notes, and the Delay/Looper switch) are small and located between larger knobs, and so they are well protected from mishaps. All lines (input/output/power/USB/MIDI) are located in the back, to save on pedal board space and to keep unwanted force or pressure away from a stomping foot. You cannot use a battery with the Flashback X4, but a 9v DC power supply that provides at least 300 mA (power chord included or use your own pedal board power supply).

Fifteen different delay, input / output stereo 6.35mm jack, and can put an expression pedal, works with a standard 9V battery or power supply on 3 memorized settings under foot, tap tempo, very big button setting (time / feedback / level), a rugged metal case there are any available quickly and without programming or need to look in the doc. This architecture seems to refer to all manufacturers, TC Electronic has added a few niceties for pickier, repeating the black / eighth / triplet, a looper and a preset editing via USB or via a cellulaire.L gear is tru -bypass, pledge of silence in our chain effet.Il lacks nothing is perfect and corresponds to that expected a guitarist today.

UTILIZATION

Using trivial, we chose a type of delay, the tempo by hand or foot rule is, we choose the number of repeats, the level of effect desired, and stored with the foot ... it's simple, effective The large buttons help us both on stage and the race potentiometers allow precise adjustments. We can handle everything with his feet if you're careful. The looper is a little less convenient but not bought the flashback to celeui it.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality is the rendezvous. The effects are clear, clear, no breath, the pedal is quickly forgotten. Next atmospheres be appreciated
-the surgical precision of 2290 (Police, U2 to name a few)
-the warmth of analog tape delays tube-analog (Pink Floyd)
Dynamic -the handy that is forgotten when the quiet game
-the Fun Lo-Fi or reverse
-the reverb side of space.
-the slap back so rockabily
For Analog and 2290, a typical modulation chorus is added and handy for solos.
STILL remains the tone print (preset downloadable and editable via a computer) to more personal sound ...
The sound is just perfect, this pedal is a reference, we expected no less of a manufacturer who makes himself with his 2290 reference for thirty years.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a year, I am a heavy delay, I put almost all the time on my guitar, it's my favorite effect! Here it's said, I'm addicted and I can heal myself pas.J'en tried a packet of Boss DD2, DL-6 (cold, precise, beefy) the big green line6, which inspired the Flashback X4 let us say bluntly, the horny MXR Carbon Copy (my favorite is-said-in-passing), the Ibanez AD9 rockabileuse and incredible Catalinabread (replicas of Binsons echoplex and dear to David Gilmour and Jimmy Page) etc ... Frankly all these other pedals are good in their field, the FlashbackX4 tend to unite in a single package with great accessibility. I particularly appreciate the large buttons and the size of the pedal again or we will soon live to basics and a glance you see what is going not.The price / quality ratio is very good since fifteen pedals are met for the price of une.A no time have I regretted my purchase and I am even planning to build a more compact pedalboard dedicated to the stage with the new "mini Flash Back" .In finding I will say this is the new benchmark in the market, in terms of ergonomics and sound. Can be found for less at MXR or BOSS, sharper sound with Strymon or Catalinbread, benefit adjustments at Eventide etc ... but the majority of guitarists who-don't-want-not-to-take-the-head choose Flashback!

I will not go into the details of the effects, there is everything on the forum and PREV review.

I'll just give my opinion on the reason for such a purchase.

It is almost perfect already nothing but the TC electronic brand we have here in terms of delay as a reference 2290, the monster quality, used by our friends The Edge (U2) short anything that it sets the tone .

UTILIZATION

Easy to use in terms of having multiple delay posibilitée quality (we rule and enregitre available on a preset) on the other hand when we want to use the TonePrint is the same thing so I put a little less on the use because there is a lot of manipulation is done to integrate the desired effects (well, after several test we remember easily)
Looper for the part is simple, standart operation like most looper, the loop is Inrush we play and it stalls, good personally I think this pedal does not need looper but hey it helps the need to have.
Another negative point, it is very impressive in the pedalboard, it'll be interesting to eased possibilities such as looper and reduce the size because posibiltée 4 simultaneous effects available to walk a bit by reducing the size will have been great.

SOUND QUALITY

I find fabulous delay, he filled it with the possibilities of TonePrints a slight delay plate has a profound delay is huge Verily I am impressed by the diversitée of delay we get, I do not think there was much possibilté and difference.

OVERALL OPINION

So to make an overall opinion, I think this pedal is amazing in terms of sound quality by against price may be high on the occasion located in a more reasonable price.
A mix between flashbach 1 and 4X and it's heaven.

See other reviews (there is even the AF test so ^ ^)
Thank you
Highlights: 3 recordable settings, + the "TonePrints" changed (I am not using this option at all, there are already so many ways!).
You can find on this model (compared to "small" Flashback), modes of additional delays and very successful (I love the way "Space" for me)!
Other + a looper mode (which I am not using).
ONLY downside ... Size! A real tank!

UTILIZATION

Simple Config, it sounds now! I read the manual, it can potentially be used (it will be used primarily for the kill switches present on the back of the pedal) but hey, everything is explained on the pedal .... In addition I had the "standard" model before so I was not surprised to use.
Note, here we have a dedicated tap tempo switch!

SOUND QUALITY

Devilishly effective effect: at least now I know I do not even embeterai me to look elsewhere, if it is to buy, sell, purchase etc ... I have a great product with many possible settings, including 3 recordable.
Special mentions to 2290 modes, analog, and space that I use most of the time.
Digital delay but without the "coldness" to which one might expect when you hear the word (Num. ..).

OVERALL OPINION

Used for 2 months. I had the model before "basic" (small), which has enchanted me for + a year. I was a little tired on the other hand constantly having to write down my settings to change me down, so I decided to lead me naturally to this model, three settings at the foot amply sufficient me.
The only drawback to this model, as noted above ... Size! Otherwise than that it's all good!
I love being able to remember three different settings to walk, have many possible modes, fast editing delay with intuitive knobs, here it is served!
I remake that choice without any hesitation!