EVENTIDE TIMEFACTOR

[Kaz]

ok so now after a month or so with the unit i finally am now comfortable with it. it can be quite intuitive and at times not so intuitive. i found you need to pass a good cable to and from this unit because with bad cables this unit finds a way of projecting that. i still by no means think i've got this unit down to all it can do but thus far i'm pretty blown away. one piece of advice... read the manual like ten times. the delay functionality will come easy but knowing how all the modulations will work take some time, experimentation and reading the manual. highly recommended for those that use a lot of different delays and want it all in one package. i can say that this unit can do delays you wont find outside a complex delay unit (eventide, high end tc and lexicon).

Hey Jon, have you installed the version 2 software upgrade from Eventide?

 

[jdurso]

ok so now after a month or so with the unit i finally am now comfortable with it. it can be quite intuitive and at times not so intuitive. i found you need to pass a good cable to and from this unit because with bad cables this unit finds a way of projecting that. i still by no means think i've got this unit down to all it can do but thus far i'm pretty blown away. one piece of advice... read the manual like ten times. the delay functionality will come easy but knowing how all the modulations will work take some time, experimentation and reading the manual. highly recommended for those that use a lot of different delays and want it all in one package. i can say that this unit can do delays you wont find outside a complex delay unit (eventide, high end tc and lexicon).

Hey Jon, have you installed the version 2 software upgrade from Eventide?

yes it was very easy. also i failed to mentioned i'm using balanced cables from my rg16 to and from the timefactor. someone on another board mentioned it might help with the noise and the thing is quiet as a mouse. the only thing its missing is reverb so i need to find a good reverb unit. ive been thinking maybe the TC m350 or m2000... someone also mentioned lexicon but i have yet to try one so i dont know what i should expect from them.

 

[Kaz]

I'm looking for some balanced cables actually so I can run them a little further than just 2 feet, since I want it by foot control for now (no switcher yet.) Any recommendations?

 

[jdurso]

I'm looking for some balanced cables actually so I can run them a little further than just 2 feet, since I want it by foot control for now (no switcher yet.) Any recommendations?

i just went with the live wires they have at GC. they sound good and they're affordible (19.99 for 20 ft cable). i still havent had the time or extra $$$ to get the mogami cable and plugs to make my own but i found the live wire stuff is great for the price. they use top of the line g&h ends and the wire seems to be on par with monster. keep in mind im talking about 1' cables to run from my rg16 to my pedals not for my long runs which are planet waves right now but will be mogami soon enough

 

[myqqy]

I haven't gotten a time factor yet- i have a eventide eclipse rack unit, and that's the coolest piece of gear i've ever had- so in the future i will definately get the time factor and mod factor pedals...

 

[jdurso]

I haven't gotten a time factor yet- i have a eventide eclipse rack unit, and that's the coolest piece of gear i've ever had- so in the future i will definately get the time factor and mod factor pedals...

im so f&*king jealous. how is the switching time on the eclipse in a guitar rig? i've had multiple opportunites to play the eclipse but never payed attention to that. i'd like to get an eclipse sooner than later but need it to switch patches without the delay that was inherent in the harmonizer line.

also why get a timefactor/modfactor when you already have the GOD of eventide guitar fx?

 

[jab]

I'm about a month in on Timefactor so here is my review.
- I sold the Boss DD20 and the Line 6 DL4 for this. Good move.
- This is about the most "expressive" delay/effect I've worked with. Delays are extra crystal clear, and as others have mentioned, quite "wet". It's like a delay on crystal meth. You have to really keep the wet/dry mix low for the most part, but when you need to push the envelope, this is twice the delay of DD20 or DL4. For the first time, a 40ms delay actually means something instead of being virtually indistinguishable.
- Best Features: twin delay (I took a delay off my board, and U2 just sounds tremendous); modes (a big difference in the various modes such as digital, modulated, tape, etc. Much moreso than the DL4 or DD20. These are VERY tweakable via the other knobs so versatility is a 10); 2 switches so you can have 2 modes at a time at your feet (i.e. rhythm and lead. Boss you only have one regardless of presets because you can't go back and forth - you have to run through all presets to get back to your original.); wet/dry knob (one delay setting can get you a wide variety of tonal characteristics with this); ms readout (great to know exactly your delay time when using 2 delays - the ms times move quickly on the knob so tweaking it to the exact number takes an extra step so read the manual on that), switches (they seem a lot sturdier than the DL4). It's also a chorus pedal - put the delays on 0 but add in the speed/depth on modulation and you have a straight chorus.
- Cons: manual (written by a physicist in small print - really have to read it a couple of times and sometimes they don't make things abundantly clear like a Line 6 manual would); delay volume (you can adjust the mix of 2 delays left/right, but it's not quite the same as adjusting the ind. volume of two delays); power (can't use the Voodoo - 1200ma too much); too many knobs (the X knob and Filter used occasionally, but that's ultra fine tuning stuff. A studio mixer might love it though); input/output jacks should be in reverse on the back panel.

I'm glad I made the purchase - expensive but it does the work of 2 delays and with much more expression and clarity. This is not for the feint of heart though, you'll need to work this. A month in and I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface. It feels & sounds studio quality, not typical stomp box quality.

 

[ak47]

Just picked up my new Timefactor today.... so what are my first impressions then ???

Well... let's just say that all I have done so far is to roll through the preset delay types without tweaking any of the other knobs yet....

...and I LIKE it a LOT! :twisted:

 

[jab]

have fun with it ak47. Let us know if you come up with any great tips. I was amused at the Tape Delay where you could dial in hiss, wow, and flutter to simulate a noisy old tape delay. Doubt I'd use it that way but what attention to detail (for solos I am using tape delay with hiss/wow/flutter on zero though). I've been setting delay times, then moving through modes (dig, vintage, tape, etc.) and can actually hear a difference in modes - unlike other delays where there really isn't a big difference sometimes. That mix knob is really sensitive too.

 

[konstantine RK]

you have to take the wall wart on the Eventide and plug it into the female "courtesy" outlet on the back of Pedal Power 2. Therefore, you only have one cord still running off your board into the wall so not a bad solution.

Voodoo is coming out with a product end of year that will power Timefactor directly.

Any more info on this?
I have to use a normal extension cord at the moment for one of my pedals.

Is there anyting I could use to lose the extension cord simpley because the Eventides wall warts are too big?

 

[konstantine RK]

We would not recommend the use of a higher supply voltage than 9V.

Higher voltages will increase internal power dissipation, and any peaks much above the normal could potentially (pun) cause damage.

In addition, the powerfail detection circuitry (used to save changes) is calibrated for use with the supplied power supply and may not work properly at other voltages.

Our problem with power supplies is that the unit was designed to use the supplied power supply. As your letter demonstrates, there are an endless number of alternative options, and we cannot rigorously test them all. We are looking at some of the more popular supplies and will report back in due course.

From the eventide forum

 

[ak47]

Well, well, well.... never thought I would like a pedal this much! As Jab said here earlier, the difference between the modes is just astounding and I feel this is also true of the transparency of the effect. Pretty much every thing I dial in when on the clean channel of my amp is breathtaking and I love the filtering!

As we know, using it for looping riffs is great for jamming along with... but I am planning to use this function as a way to 'sample' some riffs using my amp's front end and then import into Protools.... should be fun! Anyone tried this???

I can also say that I am powering it from my pp2+ with the reverse polarity red line6 cable and it is working fine. You can see what else I am running here because as previously stated, the power draw from the other pedals will determine how well it all runs.

 

[konstantine RK]

NICE!

But I wont use the voodoo stuff til I get the go ahead.

 

[jab]

nice board. Where do you run the red cord, into L6 5 or 6? And do you have to flip a switch on the PP2 somewhere to run Timefactor? I have about the same amount of pedals as you, and everything else is just regular power so perhaps this would work for me too.

I wonder if it doesn't work, what happens? Do you fry your PP2 or other effects?

 

[ak47]

The red cord is running from L6 #6 with the dip switch away from normal. Everything seems fine so far but I am considering waiting for an 'official' compatibilty approval from Eventide as Konstantine said....

I did consult with Voodoo Labs first and they said it should be ok to run like this (they have tested it but add that you should consider what else is also running..) but, as quoted above in the Eventide forum, the voltages are an issue..

I think the pp2+ is unregulated with the dip switch away from normal and the voltage can be greater than 9v in this position (12-15 v I think). But if the dip swithch is 'normal' you get your 9v but only 250mA.. not enough).. Might not be so good... Anyone looked into this?

Also, on the TF wall wart the draw is 1,2 A @ 9 volt and 10,8 VA... anyone know what 10,8 VA is??

I also saw this link where a t-rex 'juicy lucy' is used for 9v @600 mA.... might be interesting..

http://www.hugeracksinc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=47755

 

[jab]

I did email Eventide support and asked about PP2, and they responded that it should not be used to power Timefactor with a barrel connector. Voodoo did tell me over the phone they have a product coming out end of year that will power it. So, perhaps better to be safe than sorry, I'll use the courtesy outlet for now and I guess sell the PP2 and upgrade it when the time comes.

Don't know if you're into U2 but my band covers a lot of it. For fun set delay to digital with speed/depth around 1:00 for modulation, delay A to 523ms with a repeat, delay B to 352ms with 2-3 repeats, mix about 3:00 (more to the 352ms delay), and let 'er rip. Sounds so much better than other delays I've tried this with, and the best part is I only need one unit now.

 

[jab]

last weekend at a gig my Timefactor was powering on/off by itself during songs. Very disturbing. I had it plugged into the female courtesy outlet on my voodoo pedal power 2 plus which should just be a complete pass through to regular current. My other effects were fine.

It was an outdoor gig though, and the band was being powered by a generator, not wall current. Do you think that could cause the problem because Timefactors draw so much power?

 

[konstantine RK]

was it a bigtime generator? Like the ones that power public flood lights or the one you pull out when your house floods?


If I were you I would sign up on the EVentide forum and find out..these pedals are still a mystery to me on many levels (especially levels) but I love em!

sorry to hear about your problem ...

 

[konstantine RK]

was it a bigtime generator? Like the ones that power public flood lights or the one you pull out when your house floods?


If I were you I would sign up on the EVentide forum and find out..these pedals are still a mystery to me on many levels (especially levels) but I love em!

sorry to hear about your problem ...