When it comes to delay in general, one of the names that instantly pops into your head is TC Electronic. From the famed 2290 rack units of the 80’s, to all of their newer models, most of which we’ve had the pleasure to review: Flashback, Triple Delay, Alter Ego, Nova Delay and Repeater and so on. Today’s featured pedal is also a delay, and a massive one at that. The Alter Ego x4 Vintage Echo boasts sounds from classic tape delay units of decades past, emulating the Binson Echorec, Roland RE-201 Space Echo, Watkins Copicat and Tel-Ray Super Organ Tone, to name a few, with precision and tonal exactness. This puppy has a lot of features and controls, so let’s dive in!
The top control section of the Alter Ego x4 starts off with the Delay Type selection knob, from which you can choose from the following modes: Binson Echorec 1, Binson Echorec 2, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe MemoryMan Vibrato, Tel Ray Organ Tone, TC’s own classic 2290 Modulated, Reverse Modulated, Boss DM-2, Watkins Copykat, Maestro Echoplex 2, Electro-Harmonix Echo Flanger and Roland RE-201 Space Echo. These represent some of the most famous echo and delay machines ever created, and you have access to them all in this one black box! If those choices weren’t awesomely overwhelming enough, you can also upload 4 different TonePrints via an app on your phone, to harness the power of some of today’s best guitarists and their own personal delay settings.
The rest of the top control panel lets you utilize an array of controls to dial in your echo sounds. Delay Time adjusts the, well, delay time, ranging from 20ms up to a ridiuculous 7000ms (or 7 whole seconds). Feedback sets the number of desired repeats, while Delay Level controls the intensity of the delayed repeats (this only affects the effect, and not your original dry signal). There’s a small toggle switch in this section as well, allowing you to select from three different note subdivisions: Quarter Notes, Dotted Eighths or both!
Aside from being able to select from three different preset delay lines using the provided footswitches, the Alter Ego x4 also doubles as a Looper, which is selectable by another small toggle switch near the middle right of the pedal. When this mode is engaged, the 4 footswitches switch to controls for Record, Play, Once and Undo functions for controlling the Looper. Using the Looper Level knob and the Delay Level knob together, you can use BOTH of these modes simultaneously, providing you with more experimentation and exploration than you’ll know what to do with.
In addition, the Alter Ego x4 features Stereo Inputs and Outputs, for a multiple amp/guitar setup, along with MIDI In and Thru and USB ports for even more technical interactions. The Exp Pedal jack also lets you conrol either the Delay Time, Feedback Level or Delay Level parameters, giving you that much more instant control over the sounds you sculpt and create. We’ve put together a little demo video below that will give you a hint at what kinds of effects this beast is capable of, but it’s really a sit-down-and-experiment yourself kind of pedal. The Alter Ego x4 Vintage Echo was created in partnership with ProGuitarShop, and they have great deals on this thing a lot of the time, so head over to their website to pick one up, and head over to see TC Electronic for much more info on this fantastic echo delay.
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