more... Gear • Reviews • Effects • Delay • Digital • Digital • Sound Samples • March 2013 • TC Electronic
Based on the same hardware and metal casework as their Flashback X4 delay pedal, TC Electronic’s Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo sports a smart custom livery. It also ships with an entirely new set of programs, which were created in partnership with Aaron and Andy of US-based guitar-effects specialists ProGuitarShop.
A few years ago TC Electronic debutedthe Flashback Delay/Looper, a compactdigital delay that not only packed a ton ofdelay flavors in a petite package but alsoincorporated the company’s now famousTonePrint technology. The impressive collectionof delay types ranging from tape echostyle to reverse delay was enough to sell alot of gigging players on the unit. But as theTonePrint library (which offers free delayscreated by professional artists) has continuedto grow, the Flashback continues to becomean ever more functional and versatile unit.
Never a company to sit still, TCElectronic heeded the clamor from its sizableonline community of users and createda more expansive Flashback. The resultingFlashback X4 Delay/Looper turns the littleFlashback into a relative behemoth fourtimes the size of the original. The payoff?A dedicated tap tempo, three presets, additionaldelay voices and TonePrint slots, andan enhanced—and much more capable—loop function for building your own wallsof sound.
Simple But SeriousSound Selection
The Flashback X4 gives players a lot moresound options and control than the original,but it remains simple enough for plug-and-play use and TC seems to have placedthat aspect of the X4’s performance at a premium.The upper leftmost knob switchesbetween twelve delay types (including 2290with modulation, tube, and space settings),plus an additional four TonePrint presets.TonePrints can either be uploaded from theTC Electronic website via USB, or via yoursmart phone through your guitar’s pickups.Yes, you can literally “beam” a TonePrintto the Flashback X4 by placing the phonespeaker output to your pickup and transmittingthe TonePrint data (assumingyour phone supports the app). It’s a usefulinnovation if you need some fresh presets atrehearsal or for a last-minute cover tune.
Delay time, feedback, and delay levelwork just as they do on any conventionaldelay—changing the distance betweenrepeats, total repeat length, and repeatintensity, respectively. The subdivisionswitch alters the intervals for note repetitionwith quarter-note, eighth-note, or quarter-plus-eighth-note counts.
The rightmost knob, looper level, isonly activated when the correspondinglooper switch, located at the lower right,is engaged. And the looper enables you torecord up to 40 seconds and add almostlimitless layers to your foundation. Unlikethe original Flashback, the looper on theX4 can be used in conjunction with thedelay. Though once in looper mode, thefootswitches change from your delay presetsto a mini-editing station that can pause,playback, playback once, and undo the lastlayer of your loop.
Additional features include stereo input/output, MIDI jacks to clock sync delay, anexpression pedal input (which can controldelay time, feedback, or delay level), and aninterior DIP switch to choose between truebypass or buffered bypass. All of this comesin a tough metal chassis and enclosuresporting the same cobalt sparkle finish asthe original Flashback.
At nearly four times the size of the original,making space for the X4 may be hardto justify for those who use delay only occasionally.But echo freaks will doubtless betempted to ditch more limited units for thebounty of excellent delay sounds that lurkin the X4’s circuitry.
Echoes of the Past,Contemporary Tech
One of the new delay options on theFlashback X4 is the 2290 w/Mod, whichtakes the performance characteristics of theclassic TC 2290 delay adds some very chorus-like modulations on the repeats. Usinga Les Paul plugged into a Carr Bloke, I wasable to coax the X4 into producing dancingdelay embellishments that would makeThe Edge proud. And the setting is a perfectmatch for the quarter-plus-dotted-eighth-notesubdivision. This combination mightbe about as close as you’ll get to U2-in-a-boxwithout splurging on countless rack effectsand a couple of techs for maintenance. Thededicated tap tempo also helps you add atouch of precision to keep your echoes surgicallysuccinct with a rhythm section.
Using the USB interface, I downloadedthe Omar Rodriguez-Lopez TonePrintentitled “David, the Dogs!” from the TCElectronic website. This TonePrint mates atape delay-style voice with dirty repeats thatare louder than the original input, whichcreates a kind of sputtering, hacking coughof a delay that works great in chaoticallyrocking situations. But though the “David,the Dogs!” setting is a little bonkers, all theadjustability you get from one of the X4’sstandard delays applies to the TonePrint, andyou can quell the repeat intensity by rollingdown on the delay level. That said, as withmany of the TonePrints, the extreme natureof the sounds is their strength—and havingthese unique and often radical effects alongsidemore traditional delays makes the X4 aneven more valuable gigging and studio asset.
Plugging into the stereo output, I flippedthe rotary switch over to ping-pong delay,and sent one output to a silverface Bassmanand the other to a Nace M1-18R. Witha Telecaster in hand and a little distancebetween the amps, I created a rather massivesounding post-rock setup, creatinga frenzied delay pattern of chirping crisptriads in stereo. At times, I found the ping-ponga tad sterile for my taste, and a toneparameter would have been a nice additionto shape repeats on all settings. However,rolling off the Tele’s tone rounded theoutput considerably, and the minute differencesin sterility that provoked my auralnitpicking would likely go unnoticed in alive situation with a full band.
Ratings
Pros:
An abundance of delays to keep you busy.TonePrint enabled.
Cons:
Takes up a lot of room. Can’t store loops or createyour own TonePrint.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Tc Electronic Alter Ego X4 Manual
Build/Design:
Value:
Alter Ego X4 Manual
Street:
$249
TC Electronic
tcelectronic.com
The looper feature on the X4 is a vastimprovement over the original Flashbacklooper simply due to increased control. TCset up the four footswitches to maximize useof the 40 seconds of looping time, whichenabled me to lay a foundation, play aharmony—inevitably screw up the last fewnotes—and then use the undo function topeel off the flubbed layer and make anotherpass. The once footswitch is also a smart featurethat will play your previously recordedloop and cut off before repeating the cycle.This is especially useful for a precise endingfor a tune, or summoning a recurring harmonyif you’re the sole axe slinger in a band.You can also use the onboard delay whencreating a loop, a much appreciated featureoddly missing in some delay/looper combosincluding the original Flashback.
The Verdict
The Flashback X4 is an excellent soundingdelay by any measure. And it’s home toan absolute wealth of features—includingmore delay voices than can be covered inthe space of this review. The inclusion of amore capable looper means the X4 claimsquite a bit of pedalboard real estate, but it’snot that different from a lot of other industry-standard delays and loopers that takepride of place on a lot of pro boards.
A few of the delays will inevitably sounda bit antiseptic to analog heads, thoughplayers who savor the crystalline soundsof digital will savor how clean it sounds.Overall, though, the X4 has a warmer characterthan a lot of digital delays out there.The Flashback X4 is a total workhorse.At $249 it’s priced right, and with a freeTonePrint database that grows constantly,you’ll have ever-expanding acreage of newterritory to explore without spendinganother dime.