Eventide TimeFactor

This pedal can be approached on two levels. On the simple level, it is easy to use, turn the knobs, get a sound going, hold the Delay type knob down to save.

However you can get much more advanced, with global settings, menus and the mysterious Xnob.

And of course what does get confusing are the amazing posiblities locked inside this little gray box.

I'm using this with a Strat/G&L ASAT, T-rex Alberta, MI Audio Boost, and a Sovtek MIG-50 amp head. Cab is a 4X10.

I've had all the 'big' delay pedals, including Boss DD3/5/20, the DL4, the Akai headrush, the TC Nova Delay plus some older stuff like the Ibanez AD80 and a echoDek tape delay.

Great clear, clean digital delays. Gorgeous deep modulation, that is extremely tweakable. The multitap mode is great for general ambience.
One of the cool things about this pedal is that as well as delay it can make a sweet chorus, plus flange, phaser, reverb and nasty bit crusher distortion.

However, I have a little trouble programing in warmer, subtle delays. To me the tape comes close, but doesn't quite get there. The same for analogue/vintage delay.

But for intracate, interweaving delays, with lashings of control, the TF has not yet been beat.

I brought mine second hand, and after a while it started going weird on me. Suddenly settings would change franticly, odd space noises would scream out loudly. After I flicked through presets for a while, it would start working correctly again.

I tried uploading firmware but it made no difference.
After getting really annoyed at the blasted thing, I pulled it apart to have a look. Someone had previously opened it, and had squashed the ribbon cable connecting the two boards. I blew out any dirt or dust, cleaned the plugs with contact cleaner, and installed a new ribbon cable, and it's worked perfect since.
I can't afford a backup, but I don't think I will need one to be honest.

There is a good online forum at Eventide.com which has Eventide reps answering questions. They seem to be very helpful.

I play mainly praise and worship music. With this pedal, I can nail all of the delay sounds I need.

I would get another if this one died on me, or was stolen.

One thing that people always moan about is the wallwart. This pedal CAN BE POWERED by a pedalpower 2+! You need to get a cable that connects the 2 L6 outputs in parallel. Mine can provide nearly a full amp of current set up this way. The cable I used was from T-rex.

It is extremely easy to get a multitude of good sounds out of it as a matter of fact every sound you get out of it is rich and full, the detail and trail off in the delays is the finest you can purchase,the filters and modulations seem to swell and melt the notes together so that it can be made to sound more like a high end keyboard rather than a guitar, and of course there are three optional true bypass modes. Editing patches is easy and the display is large and well illuminated even for day time use. The manual is concise and clear and doesn't try to sound hip and groovey like the Line 6 Manuals. I use a pair of vintage Fender Twin amps, as stereo is very important if you want to maximise the aural qualities of the unit.

I use a number of guitars with this unit a Guild twelve string, a mohan vina, a Maton 6 string acoustic and a Musicman Stingray, I put the Musicman into an old Zoom 40404 multi effects, and occasionally place the acoustic guitars in front of the amps to get the feedback which I then modulate through the eventide and a chaos pad, I guess you could say I do improvised noise scapes, as I have been playing guitar for 45 years I find songs with beginnings middles and ends too restrictive, this unit allows me all the freedom I can handle

When I bought this unit only a month ago and started to read the manual I could not make head nor tail of it, until I realised that there was a mod factor face on my time factor machine. That's right someone in a Chines assembly plant where they probably assemble television, washing machine, and hair drier, had put the wrong face on the unit. That sort of quality control did not augur well. I took it back the next day and needless to say the salesman was very embarrassed. He replaced it straight away. Then on the weekend at a function the by pass pedal decided to stop working, so once again it is back with the repairman. Not a good start.

the company have been quite cooperative so far

I compared this unit with the new TCElectronics stomp box, the Line 6 echo park, and the boss mega delay and the electro harmonics, this was by far the best sound and user friendly. Ilove all the sounds and user interefaces, but as to be expected I hate the Chinese quality control, if it were stolen I would probably replace it with an Ensoniq DP4 if I could find one. It does help me make the music but you have to be care ful not to overdo it because some of the delays settings can go on for ever and cloud the dynamics, but that is the case with all effects

It is easy to use this product, even easier if you read the manual. The manual is fantastic, it reads very human, "down to earth". Editing the patches are simple, just turn a knob. Unit came with firmware 1.1, I updated to 2.0.3[2]. It would be even easier to use if it had less knobs, but then it wouldn't be as versatile. The display is great, quick and responsive, and just looks cool.

I've only played with the unit for one night, but I'm having a little trouble customizing the length of the repeat function. I also think the looper might be useless since you cannot cut the ends of the loop more precisely to create a seamless loop. You can cut the ends by seconds not by milliseconds.

When the effect is engaged it alters my tone, no doubt about that. That's unfortunate. It cuts some lows and adds brightness. I'm a recording engineer and i can hear it - I'm surprised others don't hear it because to my it's obvious. Well it doesn't really alter it to the point of creating a nasty unusable tone, just a different one. But really, when you are playing delay's do you really want a lot of low end stuff repeating? That could get muddy.

It has two bypass modes essentially, "DSP" and "RELAY". RELAY is a true bypass, and it does not alter my guitar's tone at all. DSP bypass sends the signal through the Analog->Digital->Analog converters and that alters the tone. I would recommend RELAY bypass mode, although you cannot get that wonderful ability to have the delay tail carry on after you hit bypass in RELAY mode.

That said, all the effects on the unit sound amazing and different from one another. Majority of the presets are great. Even one really weird one (10:2). My favorite feature is the duckedDelay. I had no idea that I would even want that effect, but it is amazing, my favorite.

I'm using an american fender strat into Timefactor into a VOX AC30cc2. The product does not introduce any buzz/hiss.

I've only had it one night, but it seems very sturdy and well built. I also bought it used so i can only imagine that it has lasted someone else a while.

When i tried to upgrade the firmware from 1.1 to 2.0.3[2] i had some issues. I downloaded the update utility for windows, installed it, and it ran fine but then paused and froze in the middle of firmware updating. But it may have been because i didn't hold down the middle button while powering up as listed in the update instructions. After waiting 5-10 minutes, I freaked and unplugged the timefactor, leaving me with a bricked unit (no firmware). I emailed customer service.

Luckily for me my housemate has a mac, so i tried the update utility for mac. I made sure to hold the middle button down when updating this time and it worked flawlessly.

I was pretty amazed at customer support, a human emailed me back within 30 minutes!!!!!!! He basically said to uninstall the windows program, and try again being sure to hold the middle button. I didn't try it again since i got it working with the mac utility.

I like the unit a lot so far. The only other delay pedal i've had is a danelectro dan echo. I bought the timefactor for it's true bypass, versitility, look, upgrade-ability, and tap tempo. I ended up getting it for under three-hundred used, lucked out!

I was comparing it (on paper) against the electro harmonix deluxe memory man, but it has no tap tempo = worthless. The diamond memory lane 2 is way way overpriced, looks ugly, and doesn't have a display, WTF? Not to mention products that have numbers attached makes me feel like my gear is going to inevitably eventually be outdated.

i am very hard to please with gear but this thing is quite amazing.
it's a serious professional pedal and not for a child. the Design is almost perfect maybe just the banks that only goes up without assigning an external pedal but i wont use more than 2 presets per songs.taking all in, very pratical and logical. but you have to read the manual. If you don't read you'll have a hard time to make it work as it should.

i've tried them all in the store and this one is in a different category. very warm, open and rich sounding.
not noisy.

looks well build and very sturdy

the manual is quite perfect
gives me the idea that they are well behind their customers

expensive but so worth it.
great sound and well design.
not perfect but quite close.
to answer the guy who complained about the size of the power supply.
this pedal needs close to 1200ma and most pedal needs like 100ma.
do the math

This product is sold for ease of use and I found it complicated and very complex. It certainly can be mastered but it is not easy as advertised.

I love the sound of the product when it works.

I have had nothing but problems with the switch on my unit and have had a difficult time getting support.

The support on this product was difficult at best. E-mail response was slow, it was impossible to get a live person when I needed one during business hours. The voice mail box was full and I got stuck in a phone loop where I was continually transfered to a mail box that was full and you couldn't leave a message.

I am still working to get support and I am hopingb for better results

You have the read the manual!! At least two times!! The manual is very well written and contains an abundance of info on all aspects of the unit. You have to understand that this is not your typical turn a couple of knobs and away you go type unit. It can be very complex and allows you to get just about any delay sound you are looking for. If you are the impatient type then beware you will probably get frustrated. I have had mine for about two months now and am just scratching the surface of what it can do.

Unbelievable! I've been playing for over 45 years and have owned just about every reverb/delay out there and there is nothing that compares to this unit for sound and versatility. Two separate delays that can be adjusted independent of each other. Nine different delay types, three different bypass types, multiple parameters for each delay, looper, MIDI control, the unit can even be used as a MIDI controller for your DAW. Eventide is using many of the same algorithms that they use on their Harmonizer series of studio effects and it shows. This unit really shines in stereo and an expression pedal is a must. I'm using a Roland EV-5 and it works great. You can also attach a three button momentary switch to remote the three existing switches on the unit itself. I'm using a Dightech FS3X for this. The unit is also upgradeable via your computer so when new features come out you can download them from Eventide. I could go on for pages but you'll just have to hear one yourself.

Very well built. No problem so far.

Excellent. I've emailed them and called and they were very helpful.

I play a variety of music and the Timefactor fits them all. I compared the Timefactor to three different high-end delays and in my opinion there was no comparison. Multiple feature sets, wonderful sounds, upgradeable and good customer support.

great manual. i still need to refer to it every now and then but its pretty easy to tweak.
i havent bothered to upgrade mine to the latest version as of yet...nor have i bothered to check which version. (ive owned it about 4months now)

using the timefactor in the line level(0db) fx loop of my Framus CS 30W head with matching 2x12 Vintage 30 cab.
the amp is a parallel loop so the kill/dry function on the TF is a blessing.

no unmusical noise and the delays/chorus/modulation all sound great.
i love the ducking delays for high gain lead playing and the delays/reverb/chorus sounds on the clean.

presets effects are cool and usable with a few over the top ones. ive mainly tweaked half and reprogrammed half.

feels rugged. ive owned it less than 4 months and it hasnt left the house yet so i dont have an opinion.

ive registered with the forum and my questions were answered quickly

ive previously owned the Line6 DL4 which i changed to the Boss DD20 due to wanting to run several pedals offo ne powersupply and needed a pedal which could use with line level fx loops.

then upgraded the Timefactor and like this even better.
i play clean cleans,bluesy,jazzy,to rock to heavy high gain metal.
this delay does everything i want from clean/modulting chouruses, SRV lenny type reverbs, to the high gain petrucci/vai type leads
and all other spacey tone altering type fx.

love it. i have to pickup a extra footswitch and maybe a midi pedal board (behringer FBC) so i can change channels on the amp with the behringers built in relays as well as control the time factor via mide...but for now i dont feel liek program midi.

also the looper is a cool addition.

It definetly requires reading of the manual to get to know your way around this thing. But after that it's pretty simple and logical.

AWESOME, (considering what it has under the hood). With 40 presets (with the free update), and 9 delay types and a looper, hands down the best value for under 400 bucks. There is a slight alteration in tone but this is minor and not that big of deal considering what you get in return!!!!!!!!

Not only are the delay's all AMAZING, but you can get some very CRAZY and very GREAT sounding stand alone (with no delay) chorus's. This was an added bonus.

The software update adds a couple features which enhance the unit; 110 feedback (for self oscillating effects), faster switching between delay sounds and on/off, a "bleed" feature lets the delays blend when switching between different types of delays in the middle of songs, so there is no loss of delay.

bottom line if your a heavy delay user, you need to get this pedal!!!

awsome

great

great go buy one!!!!!!!!!!

p.s.
I play mine in front of my amp, ( i also use a boss dd-5, and rv-3), and get the optional tap tempo switch and expression pedal for it.

I would give this a 6 or 7. it's pretty powerful. there's alot in it, though it takes awhile to figure out.

I think overall I have to give this a 10. it's tape echo and vintage delay as well as digital delay sounds are all great. when I hear the tape echo back on CD, it almost does sound like a space echo. very impressive. one thing I really like about this device is the delayed sound does not get lost - there are no volume drops (read Line6 DL4). also it sounds great inline or in the effects loop. I have had Boss units, the DL4, a Roland RE-150 tape echo (which I don't like to take out and yes, the hiss can sound like the ocean). there's even hiss, wow + flutter settings on the TimeFactor which are pretty funny - thou I don't use them. For the past few months, I've dialed in a few of my favorite sounds, haven't done lots with pre-sets, programming, but I'm really digging the sound quality. best I've heard yet. I play jazz/funk/rock/fusion/avante-something and this thing is great. been getting into spending the bigger bucks for 'boutique' true bypass and it's very worth it to me!

I hope I can depend on it. it's very pricey. wish they could have used a real power cord instead of a wart. it is made in China, which scared me a bit, but hope for the best.

Haven't had to deal with them. it's been good so far!

I've been playing+writing 30 some odd years. using a strat, tele or es335 into fender tube amps with a bunch of pedals. I did find something a little funny (sound wise) when plugging the TimeFactor into my Alesis MIDI verb thru the effects loop in my Fender Concert amp. By itself in the efx loop it's fine. when I'm using it an the Alesis, I just put the TimeFactor inline. One of the big thing that sold me on this pedal was that it is USB (internet) upgradeable! I can't believe noone has done this before. brilliant idea. you can even downgrade to the previous version if you don't like the latest. haven't done this yet, but that's what the docs say. Same-Day-Music has a 60 day return policy and no shipping cost - so how could you not try it?! I wanted to sell my DL4, but I actually like the reverse in it, better than the TimeFactor.

THIS THING IS AWESOME RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, I USE IT WITH BASS GUITARS, GREAT SOUNDS WITH NO PROBLEMS, EASY TO USE.

I RUN 2 SVT PRO-4 AMPEG BASS AMPS, WITH 16, 10s AND 2 15s. THE TIME FACTOR SOUNDS AWESOME WITH THE TONEBONE PEDALS AND CARL MARTIAN PEDALS THAT I USE. IT ALSO SOUNDS GREAT BY ITSELF.

THE RELIABILIY OF THIS BOX IS VERY STRONG

NEVER USED IT

IVE BEEN PLAYING METAL AND JAZZ BASS FOR MANY YEARS AND THIS IS A GREAT MATCH FOR BOTH. I WOULD BUY ANOTHER ONE IF THIS ONE WAS EVER STOLEN. I LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT EXCEPT FOR THE WALL RAT AND THE KNOBS ARE VERY TOUCHY. CHECK THE EVENTIDE TIME FACTOR OUT BEFORE BUYING ANOTHER PEDAL, ITS WELL WORTH THE PRICE.