TC Electronic FLASHBACK User manual

DELAY AND LOOPER
USER’S MANUAL

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Important Safety Instructions
1 Read these instructions.
2 Keep these instructions.
3 Heed all warnings.
4 Follow all instructions.
5 Do not use this apparatus near water.
6 Clean only with dry cloth.
7 Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accor-
dance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8 Do not install near heat sources such as radiators, heat
registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampli-
fiers) that produce heat.
9 Only use attachments/accessories specified by the
manufacturer.
10 Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
Servicing is required when the apparatus has been
damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or
plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects
have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been
exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally,
or has been dropped.
Warning!
• Toreducetheriskoffireorelectricalshock,donot
expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and
ensure that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases,
are placed on the equipment.
• Donotinstallinaconfinedspace.
Service
• Allservicemustbeperformedbyqualifiedpersonnel.
Caution:
You are cautioned that any change or modifications
not expressly approved in this manual could void your
authority to operate this equipment.
When replacing the battery follow the instructions on
battery handling in this manual carefully.
EMC/EMI
Thisequipmenthasbeentestedandfoundtocomplywith
the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15
of the FCC rules.

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Theselimitsaredesignedtoprovidereasonableprotection
against harmful interference in residential installations.
Thisequipmentgenerates,usesandcanradiateradio
frequency energy and – if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions – may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is
no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception – which can
be determined by turning the equipment off and on –, the
user is encouraged to try correcting the interference by
one or more of the following measures:
• Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna.
• Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentand
the receiver.
• Connecttheequipmenttoanoutletonacircuit
different from the one to which the receiver is
connected.
• Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TV
technician for help.
For the customers in Canada:
ThisClassBdigitalapparatuscomplieswithCanadian
ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est
conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

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AUSTIN ECHOES AMBIENT SLAP

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EDGY ECHO DUAL DELAY

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www.tcelectronic.com - www.youtube.com/tcelectronic
(EN) Introduction
Congratulations! You have just bought a delay pedal that is a stepping stone to a world of
inspiration, innovation, and tone.
WeareproudtopresentFlashbackDelay,providingTCElectronic’slegendarydelaysounds,intuitive
controls and instant satisfaction. Our delays are widely heralded as the best for a reason, but that’s not
all. We love tone as much as any guitarist out there, so we are very excited to present a brand new,
groundbreakingconcept:TonePrint!
TonePrintgivesinstantaccesstocustom-tweakedsounds.Wehavegatheredanimpressivelist
of guitar heroes and had them tailor their signature sounds – the tones that made them famous.
TonePrintswillnotjustbringyouclosetothesoundsofyouridols,theygiveyoutheiractualsounds!
UsingTonePrintsisbotheasyandfun.JustdownloadtheTonePrintyouwantfromwww.tcelectronic.
comand,voila,yourfavoriteartisthasjustputaTonePrintinyourpedal.Forgetemulation–let’stalk
collaboration!

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1 - Effect on/off (true bypass)
2 - 1/4 inch mono jack input
3 - 1/4 inch mono jack input (for stereo in)
4 - 1/4 inch mono jack output
5 - 1/4 inch mono jack output (for stereo out)
6 - FX level control
7 - Delay time control
8 - Subdivision selector
9 - Feedback control
10 - Delay type selector
11 - Power in (9VDC)
12 - USB connection for uploading TonePrint
settings and software updates.

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Connecting
Input jacks - Use MONO for mono input and both MONO
andSTEREOinputsifconnectingastereosource.
If the pedal runs on battery, we recommend removing the
mono input jack to preserve battery power when you don’t
play.
Output jacks - Connect to another pedal or directly into
an amp or mixer. Use MONO for mono setups and both
MONOandSTEREOforstereosetups.
Note that it is possible to select between true bypass and
buffered bypass mode via a dip switch located under the
battery cover.
Power in-Usea9VDCpowersupplywiththefollowing
symbol:
USB
Connect to a computer using the supplied USB cable for
upload of TonePrint settings.
Theconnector-typeisMini-B.

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The controls
FX LEVEL
Controls the level of the delay repeats. Notice that the direct signal is always passed at the original
level (unity gain). Only the level of delay repeats are changed when turning the FX level knob.
DELAY
Thedelayknobcontrolsthedelaytime.Apartfrom“Slapback”,alldelaytypeshaveadelayrangeof20
ms to 7000 ms (that’s 7 seconds). Slapback has a range from 20 ms to 300 ms.
FEEDBACK
Feedback determines how many repetitions you will hear by controlling the amount of the delay that is
fed back to the input.
Delay Type selector
TheDelayTypeselectorallowsyoutoselectbetween9delaytypes,looper,andTonePrint.
Delay Audio Tap function & Subdivision
ThedelaytimecanofcoursebesetusingtheDELAYknobasdescribedabove.However,fortiming
the delay repeats to the tempo of the song you are playing, you can also tap in a the tempo via audio.
Once you have tapped the songs tempo, the subdivision selector switch allows you to chose between
letting Flashback play 1/4, 1/8. or 1/4+1/8., according to the tapped tempo.

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Tosetthetempo:
• HolddowntheON/OFFswitch.Withtheswitchhelddown,playsteadyshort1/4notesonyour
instrument.
PleasenotethefollowingregardingAudioTap:
 –Theoutputisalwaysmutedwhileyoustrumforaudio-tap
– In Buffered Bypass mode, your delay repeats ring out when the pedal is bypassed (spill-over)
• Playsteadyshort1/4notesonyourinstrument.
• Releasetheswitchagain.
That’sit-youhavenowenteredtheglobaltempo,andthedelayrepeatswillplayaccordingtothe
selectedsubdivision.Theoptionsare:1/4,1/8.and1/4+1/8.
2290 - Digital Delay
Inputequalsoutput.SuperbdigitaldelaybasedonthelegendaryTC2290.Noprocessingofthedelay
repeats.Pureandclearunaltereddigitaldelay.
ANA - Analog
TheAnalogDelaydelicatelyrollsofhigh-endfrequencies,givingyoudelayrepeatswithlessedgethat
blend in perfectly with the music, even when long relatively loud repeats are used.

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TAPE
Thisisanemulationoftheoldstyletapedelays.Priortothedigitalera,delayswerecreatedusinga
TapeRecordingdevicewithatape-loopandseveralrecording/playbackheads.
Analogtape-recordershaveatendencytodeteriorate/changetherecordedmaterial.Wowandflutter
combined with a significant loss of high-end frequencies, and to some extent also low-end frequencies,
areallelementscommonlyassociatedwithtaperecordings.Theseattributes,thatonpapersound
negative, are often quite useful and sought-after as they tend to compliment the source material in a
highly musical manner.
LOFI
Deliberatelysquashingthesoundofthedelayrepeats,theLo-Fidelayeffectallowsyoutomakea
statement.
DYN - Dynamic
ThisisareplicaofthelegendaryDynamicDelayinitiallyintroducedintherenownedTC2290.The
Delay’s output level is actively altered by the dynamics of the input level. While playing, the delay
levelisattenuatedandinbetweenphrasesthedelaylevelisincreased.Thisallowsyoutoplaywitha
relative large amount of delay without muddying fast riffs.

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MOD - Modulated
TheMODtypeadsvibratotothedelayrepeats.Theresultisquitestunning.Opposedtorunningthe
entire signal through a chorus/vibrato and then adding delay, you can have the input signal perfectly in
tune and present in the acoustic image, yet at the same time have the cool lush vibrato on the delay
repeats.
P.PONG - PingPong
ThePingPongdelaybasicallypansthedelayrepeatsfromlefttorightandbackwhilekeepingtheinput
signalatitsoriginalposition.Thisgivesaverywidespreadspecialeffect.
SLAP
Slapbackdelayisaveryshortdelaywithonlyasingleorafewrepeats.Theeffectiscommonlyused
asa“doubling-effect”makingtheprocessedmaterialseemmoremassive.Shortslapbackdelaysare
also often used on funky rhythm guitars, - a bit longer on Rockabilly guitar or vocals.
RVS - Reverse
TheReversedelayisagreateffectwhenamoremysterious,exoticdelaystyleisrequired.Theinput
signal is sampled and played in reverse.

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LOOP
With Flashback’s loop function you can record and playback grooves and lines for playing along. You
can even overdub your recording an unlimited number of times.
Thedurationofaloopcanbeupto40secondsinmonoand20secondsinstereoregardlessofhow
many overdubs you make.
How does it work?
1 SelectLOOP.
2 Makesurethepedalisinbypassmode(LEDoff).Feelthegrooveandprepareforrecording.Then
presstheswitchtostartyourrecordingandplay.TheLEDflashesred.
3 Presstheswitchagaintostoprecording.Flashbackimmediatelystartsplayingtheloop.Inthis
playmodetheLEDisgreen.
4 Tooverdubyourrecordingpresstheswitchoncemore.TheLEDnowblinks.
5 Todeleteallrecordings,double-clicktheswitch.
Pleasenotethefollowing
- Thefirstroundofrecordingalwayssetsthelengthoftheloop(1).Ifanoverdubexceedsthelength
oftheloop(2),athirdroundofrecordingbegins(3).Thisgivesaverynatural,logicandmusical
feel when recording loops.

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-TheDELAYandFEEDBACKknobsareinactiveinLoopmode.
TonePrint
Consider the knobs and switches on your pedal as a few handles that actually controls a large number
ofparameters.TCElectronicstaffhasdefinedthecontrols,-butwouldn’titjustbecooltoletthe
world’s leading guitar players contribute with their own definition of how the controls should work?
YES-thisisTonePrint.Weallowtopguitarplayerstodigoutthepedalshiddentonalpotential,
re-definethecontrolsandmaketheirownTonePrints.TheseTonePrintsareavailableforyouand
uploadingTonePrintstoyourpedaliseasy.
• ConnectthepedaltoyourMacorPCcomputerusingthesuppliedUSBcable.
• Findyourpedalatwww.tcelectronic.com/pedalsanddownloadtheTonePrintsettingfromyour
favorite guitar player to a location where you can easily locate it again – e.g. your desktop.
• OpentheapplicationandpressUPDATE.

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Now,–onceyouhaveselectedTonePrint,allcontrolsreactexactlyasdefinedbytheartistthathas
providedtheTonePrint.
Bypass modes and Kill-Dry on/off
Unscrew the back-plate and look for the two small dip-switches in the upper left corner.
Theupperdip-switch(closesttotheDC9Vinconnection),switchesbetweenTrueBypassmode
(default) and Buffered Bypass mode.
True Bypass Buffered Bypass Kill-Dry - off Kill-Dry - on
True Bypass – is a hard-wire bypass that gives absolutely no coloration of tone when the pedal
isbypassed.UsingTrueBypassonallpedalsisaperfectchoiceinsetupswithafewpedalsand
relatively short cables before and after the pedals.

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Buffered Bypass – If you use a long cable between your guitar and the first pedal or if you use many
pedals on your board or if you use a long cable from your board to the amp, then the best solution will
most likely be to activate the buffer in the first and last pedal in the signal chain.
CanyouhearthedifferencebetweenapedalinTrueBypassorBufferedBypassmode?Maybe,
maybenot,–manyfactorsapply.Active/passivepick-ups,singlecoil/humbucker,cablequality,amp
impedance and more. We cannot give a single ultimate answer. Use your ears and find the best solution for
yoursetup!
Kill-Dry on/off – With Buffered Bypass activated (upper switch to the right), the lower dip-switch sets
Kill-Dry on/off. Kill-Dry removes all direct signal from the pedals output and is the mode to use when
thepedalisplacedinaparalleleffectsloop.Kill-DryisNOTanoptioninTrueBypassmode.
Changing battery – Unscrew the thumb-screw on the back of the pedal and detach the back-plate.
Unmount the old battery and attach the new battery to the battery clip making sure the polarity is
correct.Thenremounttheback-plate.Tosavebatterylife,removetheinputjackwhenyoudon’tplay.
Batteries must never be heated, taken apart or thrown into fire or water. Only rechargeable
batteries can be recharged. Remove the battery when the pedal is not being used for a longer
period of time. Dispose batteries according to local laws and regulations.

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9renownedTCElectronicdelayeffectswithupto7000msdelaytime
40secondsLooper(20secondsinstereo)–createepicsoundscapesinseconds
Unique,newTonePrintsettingforstuffingFlashBackDelaywithyourfavoriteartist’stones
72 mm x 122 mm x 50 mm - 300 g (excl. battery)
DualSupplyRailstechnologyensuresheadroomforlineleveleffectloopsfromasingle9V
battery. Battery failure circuit automatically puts Flashback Delay into true bypass mode if the
battery runs out
Custom ‘hammerhead’ rugged, die-cast aluminum casing built for a life on the road
Unique one-screw battery access for lightning fast battery changes
Stereo inputs with automatic mono/stereo sensing – feed it any signal
Stereo outputs for that ultra-wide delay sound
MiniUSBconnectorforuploadingcustomTonePrintsandsoftwareupdates
Delay,Feedback,FXLevelandDelayModeknobswithhigh-quality,metal-shaftpotentiometers
Heavy duty tactile footswitch with true bypass for zero tone coloration
USBcableforuploadingTonePrints,Owner’sManual,TCElectronicGuitarPamphlet,
TCElectronicSticker.
These specifications are subject to change without notice
Sounds
Size & Weight
Battery
Design
Connectors &
Inputs/Outputs
Knobs etc
In the box
(EN) Technical Specifications

TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov
[email protected]