Carvin XP4

I have been refering to this website for a long time. I figure it's about time I "pay it forward" and contribute.

I like having a knob to instantly adjust the input and output. Since it adds no hiss, I use it as the last level control before going to the sound card. (I record direct.)

You will need the manual.

I currently use this unit with this chain:
Self-designed guitar
ADA MP-1
Digitech MEQ 28
Rockman Chorus
Rockman Echo
Echo Layla 24
Carvin FET 1000

This thing is very quiet...Pro quality here.

The reverb has a character that works well with guitar. Its not exaclty what I like but, I have to try tweaking it. The Echo has the CLEAREST repeat I have ever heard.
I was dissapointed that the flanger sucked. In all fairness, I have not really dug in and tweaked the presets but, I don't think the flanger is going to give the big jet plane I am looking for.
The chorus does not have much warmth to it. If you are looking for a great chorus, try a Rockman Stereo Chorus...you will never turn it off.

Although I use ths XP4 mainly for guitar, I have to mention that patch #84 has a echo that sounded great for thickening vocals. (sounds very close to Boston's "Cool the Engines")
I think about 95% of the presets are useless So, I am rating the other 5%...which I give a 8.

I own MANY different Carvin pieces and I have had great luck with thier reliability....EXCEPT, their guitar amplifiers which I have had nothing BUT severe problems. Carvin uses top notch components in thier stuff so, I forsee no problems but, would I gig without a backup? No. *insert Spock's voice* "That would be...illogical".

I have delt with customer support since 1988. They have helped with most of my issues.

Here is what it really needs:
A Wet/dry knob...Carvin blew it by ommiting such an important control.
And a Midi expression pedal input would be nice.

I have been playing Rock for nearly 20 years and only recently have I set out on my quest for the perfect tone. The I truly doubt the XP4 will be in my final rack setup.

I will replace it with something else....I once I figure out what to replace it with!!!
Bottom line: If you find one for $40.00-$50.00, try it.

The setup is very flexible. You can go out any effect into any other. Set up as 4 completely different processors.

Sound quality for all effects is perfect and boring as hell. Everything seems dry and lifeless - no effect seems to add color. Nothing is inspiring if you know what I mean. I compared some of the effect to my stomp boxes, I didn't get the same kind of response from it. It doesn't breath, it just does a boring chorus or delay no life to it. Sound is not disturbed though. Not good for guitar, maybe more for voice?

O dpn't know, I took it back.

They were cool about it.

Well, of course I don't like it much. I think there are some real hidden jems out there. This is not one of them. If you really have a pro sound - you will appreciate an art proverb believe it or not. But only if you have a good dynamic tone to appreciate it with.

With the manual, OK to use. Without manual--HUH? Replace the "notched" pots with smooth-non segmented pots. Add a "mix" pot on front (wet vs. dry mix).

Top notch. Great effects. My only, and biggest, problem with this effects unit is the fact that the output level changes between settings. That's ok in a studio (where you can change levels) or in a sound system (where unit is used for one effect perhaps),... But, when changing from a chorus/delay for one song to a dryer type of effect for guitar, the volume/output level changes. Thus, my lower rating on sound quality. Great effects, design needs tweeking by manufacturer.

Electronics-Great.. Physical construction... so-so...
The unit I own had a face plate screw fall off, releasing the internal nut to roam freely amongst the exposed circuit board. A potential short, wherever the nut made contact.

Carvin has demonstrated both good and bad customer service to me. More good than bad.

1. Rock, whatever.
2. 25+ years. 5150, Fender, Ibanez, Carvin, Gibson, Yamaha gtrs.
3. Would most likely look or different effects mfgr.
4. The quality of the effects. Output level change when changing effects. Front knobs.
5. Yes. Art, etc. Price, trial period, previous experiance with Carvin.
6. A "wet/dry mix knob" on front.
7. Helps.
8. Music comes from the heart... Music touches the heart...

Very, VERY versatile. LOTS of effects, and all are completely editable. Very easy to edit and save. I only wish the instructions were more concise on how to set up MIDI. The bypass ports are configured to use Carvin's FS-22 footswitch (marketing ploy?) so if you don't have them, you'll need an adaptor that splits a stereo signal into left and right channels, and latched pedals (Bespico's work fine). The point is, in order to use this feature, you have to spend more...

Supurb. Full control over all effects and volumes make this thing soar. My best module in my guitar chain. I have it set with reverb, 2 types of delay, and a phaser.

So far so good (I love Carvin stuff...)

Very agreeable. Perhaps maybe this is so, because I've only called them to order stuff!

Carvin is a great choice for musicians on a budget (what musician isn't?). It's great quality stuff at a lower price (because they're the only ones who sell direct).

How easy can you get??? Dial in a preset and you are there. Or, if you are a little familiar with processors, tweak a preset or dial in a brand new one. The only thing I miss is a display that shows you what effect you are using. For that, I will give it a 9 (and also because they warn you that superficial, glowing reviews will not get published.) Other than that, really simple format.

$1200 effects for $200 (XP2). How can you go wrong. I've used other brands that were anywhere from twice to almost 10 times the price I paid for this, and the XP2 is right up there with the best. Lexicon quality on an ART budget. Someone in the forum said that Carvin dropped the ball on this one. I think it was more like a slam dunk!!!! You have to know how to use it in the format that you want. I run sound and also use it in my bass rig. You have to change the mix (wet to dry) depending on if you are running through an effects loop, into a channel, etc. The manual tells you pretty clearly how to do that. When I run it through my bass rig, I use a crossover (also Carvin) and run the highs through the effects and leave the lows clean. The XP2 lets you pick the freqs. that you want the effect on. I'm just pretty content running it the way that I am.

Again, no problems with the Carvin. I run it a few times a week at clubs, outdoors, etc. and it never shuts down on me. I always carry a backup (just in case), but I have never even had to plug it in.

The guys at Carvin are great. If an individual does'nt know the answer, he will get you over to a rep that does. I've never had to wait on the phone for more than a few minutes, but they play pretty cool hold music while you wait. Not much else to say, they have my vote.

If it was ever lost or stolen, I would buy another. I have been playing Bass for about 12 years now, and running sound for about 8. This is a FAR cry from the effects of yesteryear. Really top notch. I was on a pretty tight budget when I put together my PA system, and I figured if it sounded half as good as everyone said it did, I would be happy. It has far exceeded my expectations. Guitar players will have to rely on another form of distortion, but solid state distortion does'nt sound all that good anyway. Most players would dig the rotary speaker patch. Just like a Lesley without the backache. Bass players, this processor works wonders, I know from experience. You can get all kinds of funky, thick tones out it. As a sound man, I can get any kind of reverb, chorus, flange, phase, echo, or delay that I want. Really clean, really transparent, easy to use. Best value ANYWHERE, bar none.

Very easy to use, but please review my reliability section

Excellent Sound quality when it works

Don't buy this unit! Carvin has dropped the ball on this one. I'm sending back the second defective unit, and purchasing the Lexicon MPX100. Do the same!

Good people at Carvin

The processors are bad. Sometimes they boot, sometimes they don't. Sometimes the LEDs work Sometimes they don't. Sometimes the effects work, sometime they don't. Don't gig with this unit without backup. Don't buy this unit until Carvin fixes the problems

Carvin XP2. Okay, not an XP4 but the exact same thing with two digital engines instead of four, so here goes. The manual is short and somewhat cryptic, but just put it aside. After 5 minutes of hands-on fiddling, I found this unit extremely easy to use. All settings for a patch are in an easy edit menu system and set-up is painless. Just keep the reference page handy so you understand each parameter code.
PLEASE SEE CUSTOMER SERVICE RATING BELOW.

I run the XP2 thru the effects loop of a Legacy half-stack or an MTS3200 half stack, along with a BBE Sonic Maximizer. The unit is completely silent. The effects are the among the best I have ever heard. Everything is lush and it never changes your tone. I paid 199 bucks for this thing, and the effects sound like those on a $1200 processor. The reverbs are dense and natural, the chorus is juicy, the delays are natural and flexible. It doesn't get any better.
PLEASE SEE CUSTOMER SERVICE RATING BELOW.

Seems dependable. Housed in a steel and aluminum chassis, with no delicate stuff inside. Keep it in a rack and I doubt it will fail you.

These guys get a resounding ELEVEN here....when I first bought the unit, the mix function would decrease the dry signal as the wet increased, causing volume drops when patching in. Good for console loops, bad for instrument effects loops. I emailed Carvin to describe my problem, and within a weeks time Carvin engineering had created revised software to alleviate the problem, sent me a chip for beta testing, and requested my feedback on the software revision. THAT, my friends, is customer service. I can't think of a single other company that would go to that trouble over one customer's observations. Stellar.

Professional effects unit for the same price as those sterile, brittle, nasty, tone-sucking Digital-tech units (don't want to mention names....). The best value to be had anywhere, and thanks to the response of Carvin engineering, now great for guitar effects loops and other instrument loops.

Being that I'm decently-versed in effects units, this was relatively easy to operate after reading the manual and playing with it. According to Carvin, a new manual will be available sometime in May of 2000. They say it will be online too.

$1000 sound for $299. No beating that! Excellent. Incredible. Lexicon-like. WOW!

Built like a pro unit. I have an older ART FX Elite that's built pretty well (and it is now gathering lots of dust). This rivals that. Alesis, Digitech, etc. have nothing like this quality.

There are some really cool guys at Carvin. They do not make a personal commission, so the guys can spend the time. Unlike almost every other company out there, these guys are cool. Just don't abuse it as I might be the next guy waiting for help!

I'm a digital cat, computer and tape. I've got real good hearing (no HF loss) and I'd like to think that I've got good taste in gear. Carvin has proven themselves as great value and for American designed and built stuff that alone is worth it! No wonder my local store even told me that the best deal would be to go with them.

Once I figured the editing process out, the XP4 was easy to edit. What I really like about it is the fact that it is actually four different processors, each with 100 presets, each of which can be edited. The editing process is the same for each of the four engines.

This unit is lush and quiet. It has both input and output gain controls, making it very easy to match into an effects loop. I use it in the loop of a Mesa Boogie Mark 1 reissue. I found that the unit is just as quiet with all four engines running, so to speak, as with all four in bypass.

It seems to be well built and reliable.

Speaking as a former technical writer, I found the user's guide to be very poorly done. It is too brief and a bit hard to figure out. Particularly missing are descriptions of the inter-relationships of the parameters of each effect. This would greatly enhance creative patch design.

I have been impressed by this unit. Used with a midi foot controller, it is quite a capable processor.

Carvin appears to have tried to minimize the number of buttons to deal with, and as a result, made the unit absurdly complicated. Unit is relatively difficult to configure and edit, but is midi-compatible. It would seem to not be a good choice for guitarists, but is probably OK for effects loops of sound boards. Footswitch controls that I had only activate and bypass the 4 independent effects engines. A midi controller would make infinitely better use of the XP4's functionality.

Was using this unit in the effects loop of an old Carvin XV212-C combo amp. Effects are good, but difficulty of use made me decide against keeping it.

Didn't keep the unit long enough to judge its propensity for failure, if any. My limited experience with it suggests that, like most carvin gear, it is quite reliable. I think that (if I were going to keep it) I'd trust it enough to forego a backup.

This was my biggest gripe with this product. The documentation that came with the unit was extremely brief, generalized, and written in Engineer-ese. Real instructions are nonexistent, and my repeated requests for assistance by email and telephone went completely unanswered. I've played Carvin guitars and amps since 1986 and am sold on their quality, but I will henceforth limit my Carvin purchases to these, and stay away from any effects processors they come up with.

I play in both a prog-rock and blues-influenced format. I've been playing since the late sixties. As a guitarist, I found the XP4 to be impractical and cumbersome. But a sound technician (live or studio) might find this unit to be quite acceptable. I've returned the unit to Carvin for a refund (Carvin IS good about THAT). I'll be getting a diffent effects processor soon, with an expression pedal (which the XP4) doesn't come with. I'm considering a Boss GT-5, but haven't made a final decision.