In an industry
that can be slow
to embrace change,
Denmark’s TC
Electronic rarely sits still.
Never keen on rehashing
tired stompbox templates,
TC’s recent effects
systems like the Nova,
G-System, and G-Natural for
acoustic guitar are all brimming with features,
voices, and switching options. The
company’s products reflect an engineering
mindset that focuses on sound and song creation
rather than emulation.
TC Electronic’s new TonePrint series,
which include the Flashback Delay and
Looper, Shaker Vibrato, Vortex Flanger, and
Corona Chorus reviewed here, are another
example of TC’s tireless exploration into the
potential of digital effects. But, what’s truly
new about the true bypass TonePrint pedals
is the new approach to artist collaboration
and end-user web interactivity that makes
effect performance parameters imagined by
Bumblefoot, John Petrucci, Orianthi, Pete
Thorn, and others available to any player
with a TonePrint pedal and web connectivity.
The end result is one of the most unique
and intriguing stompbox concepts that’s
come down the chute in a while.
Affordability is certainly part of the
TonePrint pedals’ appeal. The Shaker,
Corona, and Vortex each cost about $130
on the street, and the Flashback goes for
about $170. TC Electronic could have built
any number of player-specified performance
parameters into a more expensive digital
pedal. But the TonePrint concept is about
options and enabling curious guitarists to
shop for sounds, check ’em out, and try
new ones—almost like a sonic Netflix.
And for the player who’s willing to invest
a little time in exploring the constantly
growing library of TonePrint presets, the
pedals represent a real bargain and a portal
to experimentation, unexpected sounds—
and perhaps applications beyond what the
TonePrint artists ever imagined.
For the TonePrint concept to work—and
not inhibit creative applications of the technology—downloading the TonePrint sounds
themselves had to be a fast and uncomplicated
process. And with the exception of a
few hiccups here and there, it was as simple
as using the included cable to plug the pedal
into my Mac’s USB port (you can just as
easily use a PC), visiting the dedicated section
of the TC Electronic website, selecting
a TonePrint, and clicking the download
command. The interface is well-designed,
concise, informative, fun to explore, and
conducive to experimenting with different
effects, which is really the point.
While the downloadable TonePrints are
the real news with these pedals, it’s worth
noting that each is a more-than-capable
device on its own. And if plans to expand
the TonePrint library come to fruition, the
ability to continuously modify the performance
of these pedals well into the future is
what will make them special.
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Download Example 1
Pete Thorn Modulation Delay Toneprint, Level at noon, Delay at 10 o'clock, Feedback at 2 o'clock
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| Clips recorded with a Fender Telecaster and Vox Pathfinder
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Flashback Delay/Looper
Of all the TonePrint pedals, the stereo
output-equipped Flashback is the most versatile.
As of this writing, there are 12 artist
TonePrint presets from guitarists including
Pete Thorn and Bumblefoot, as well as five
TC Electronic factory TonePrints available
on the Flashback page. But there are also
nine switchable delay modes on the pedal
itself, including a TC2290-inspired delay,
analog- and tape-style delays, a lo-fi setting,
a modulated delay, and slap, ping-pong,
and reverse settings. The looper, meanwhile,
can handle up to a 40-second loop in mono
or a 20-second loop in stereo. So even without
TonePrint presets, the Flashback gives
you a lot of ways to explore echo.
Some of the most inspiring built-in
modes include Mod (modulation), which
adds a slight and very pleasing vibrato effect
akin to Echoplex tape warble that sounds
fantastic on hanging, slow-strummed chords
and slow- to medium-tempo arpeggios.
Tape mode has many similar qualities with
the addition of a fairly authentic-sounding
high-end decay, while Lofi mode sounds like
a tape delay that’s done about 40 years on
a fishing boat—very nice for skuzzy garage
rock. Slap mode worked beautifully for a
pass at “Guitar Boogie Shuffle” and a few
other greasy rockabilly runs. Loop mode is
about as easy to use as a looper can be. To
capture audio, you simply hold down the
footswitch for the duration of the chord
progression or picking pattern you want to
loop. The Reverse delay was a ton of fun
too, though the reverse repeats had a vague,
but perceptible digital quality to the swells.
The Flashback’s TonePrints aren’t all subtle
variations on existing parameters. I downloaded
Guns N’ Roses guitarist Bumblefoot’s
Alienmimic delay, which matches your dry
signal with repeats that sound like a scrambled
transmission from a busted satellite—a
texture that works surprisingly well for atmospheric
slide work. The Bumblefoot Dual
Delay TonePrint gives the illusion of two
delays working at a slightly offset rate, which
I dialed in with the Feedback and FX Level
knobs at about 10 o’clock for some cool
eighth-note “Another Brick in the Wall”-
flavored picking. The differences in texture
between this Dual Delay Toneprint and the
onboard 2290 mode set to the same levels
were subtle. But the extra wash in the signal
was worth the investigation and the time
required to hook up the pedal and download
the TonePrint—a process that took
two minutes at most.
Rating...
