TC Electronic FireworX

Great sound, parameter/value knobs are too delicate.

really awesome sound quality

sat in my studio rig for about five years (bought new) and the power supply went out. I called them and was quoted a minimum of $250 for the repair. Pissed me off. I paid $1700 for this in NYC. I ended up ordering a power supply from them for $80 and installing it. It works fine so far.

very easy and smooth to edit things.the manual is ok too

The sound quality is very good for any kind of effects you need in your studio.

This is why I'm posting this review.I bought my unit as a second hand one.Had it one year functioning without problem and then..the power supply breaks.Costs about 150E to repair.This was one year ago, but today the same seems to happen again.This sucks completely,there is no way I can explain this failure.The unit is in normal use all the time and then all of a sudden it just breaks.So be aware that the reliability of the material might be not the best you can get, although for the price you pay for it, I wpould expect things to work.I'm disappointed.

Quite good.There website gives a lot of info and the staff replies quickly to ypout questions

Perfect for small home studio use, but does that matter if the unit breaks down from time to time?

Great but, was a little disappointed about not being able to use my Roland VF-1 in the S/PDIF loop (they could never lock)

Amazing for the most part and everything is very usable controls for everything. Great for creating unique sound effects.

So far so good seems reliable enough with proper handling.

Never tried there is a bit on there website and to be honest with you this is a low volume unit so not too bad

I bought this to replace my MIDI guitar stuff which I found to be to stale and I tell you what I should have bought this before as I likely would have never bothered with MIDI guita. I also play Electric Violin and this thing is great with that instrument. I will add that they are a little sluggish where Patch Changes are concerned.

Many reviews on this site indicate this piece is difficult to edit and is not for novices - totally untrue. Anyone who has even a basic knowledge of how a synthesizer works can easily manipulate this piece. Anyone who thinks this piece is difficult to edit compared to most other effects need to consider the vast abilities of the Fireworx to sync to midi clock or bpm values. You can sync nearly every applicable parameter to a bpm value ie: filter sweeps, phaser cycle rates, panning rates and of course delay times. If you have ever tried to accurately sync any of the first 3 examples with the old standard values such as 0-99 or 0-127 found in older or less advanced pieces then you know how boring, difficult, frustrating and lame it is. The unit is deep when it comes to editing ablities which is a hugh + due to the designers approach to making editable parameters truly useful is outstanding. For sure - absolute 10 on Ease of Use!

The unit is extremely quite. Some patches will have more noise than others depending on the effects being used ie: filters and phasers can go into self oscillation creating some background noise. Compared to other units in it's price range this unit shines in sound quality. Also - note - don't get fooled by the stock patches. Some of them are less than impressive at first, especially if you are not running the type of signal through the piece that the patch was designed for. However - it is extremely easy to create your own patches that sound outstanding which is the true measure of any processor, sync, drum machine, software, etc..

I am giving an 8 here only because of the knobs and buttons. The knobs have do have a delicate feel and seem as they must be handled carefully. The buttons are small and awkward to press quickly. Otherwise the unit is solid.

Another 10. Call or email them or check out thier web site if you want proof.

Bottom line - would definitely replace this piece. I have had many other effects - this one far surpasses them in all respects. Comparable piece is $500 more - Eventide Eclipse. Bang for the buck - 10. Once you have it you will probably use it on every track from here on out. How many pieces of gear can you really say that about?

OS 2.00
This unit is not for novices. The unit itself is very deep, and very capable. As a result, the unit is also very complex and sometimes very frustrating. I've found myself sitting in front of the Fireworx for hours editing a single patch. The manual is very well written and laid out so you can find a specific topic quickly. you can get very deep in this unit, but its easily to get lost if you don't know what youre doing.

The unit is relatively quiet. Delays and reverbs are very clear and dynamic. The distortions are a little weak for my tastes, but i have yet to find a single unit that can give me my 'chararistic brutal' sound. The filters are great, especially the formant filter. The Fireworx can be very visceral, and very ill-tempered, as well as very prestine and beautiful. The possibilites are virtually endless thanks to the modulation matrix. The matrix is what really makes this unit shine, in my opinion. you can link any internal parameter (i.e. pitch detection, envelope filters, ADSR) to any effect parameter. By these means, you can saturate your tone with distortion by adjusting your picking, sync panning to an LFO, ect. The only complaint that I have is that the reverbs can sometimes sound a little cold, but then again, this is a digital unit.

For studio use, I have never had a problem. I've heard of people's Fireworx units locking up after upgrading the OS to 2.00, but I didn't have a problem. Can't comment for live use, though. The knobs and buttons are plastic, and have a delicate feel to them.

Once i purchased this piece, I had a few questions regarding the editing matrix, the internal monosynth, and MIDI, and Filip at TC Electronics was very helpful. I had a response via e-mail within 3 days, and they answered all of my queries efficiently.

Overall, i feel that the Fireworx is worth the price, especially now since prices for secondhand units are around $750. Ive used this unit to add those special touches to my mixes, and you can achieve outrageous and sometimes frightening results. I do wish there would be a wet/dry knob on the front panel.

JUST BOUGHT THIS UNIT. I GOT IT USED ON EBAY FOR $750. IT SEEMED A LITTLE OVEDRWHELMING AT FIRST. ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST EFFECTS UNIT I HAVE EVER BOUGHT. BUT AFTER A LITTLE READING IN THE MANUAL I WAS SOON NAVAGATING THE REVERB WHICH I WAS REALLY ENTERESTED IN FOR MY VOICE. IN THE SECTION ON REVERB THERE IS A PART FOR SIMPLE OR ADVANCED. AND WHAT WAS NICE IS I COULD HOLD THE MICROPHONE AND EVERY TIME I CHANGED SOMETHING ON THE REVERB I COULD IMMEDIATELY HEAR THE RESPONSE. THIS WAS VERY GOOD FOR ME. I AM SURE THERE ARE MANY MORE THINGS FOR ME TO LEARN ON THIS UNIT BUT I HAVE ONLY HAD IT 1 DAY.

I GAVE THIS UNIT A 9 ON THE SOUND ONLY FOR THE VOCALS. THIS BABY WILL OF COURSE DO EFFECTS ON ALMOST ANYTHING IN YOUR WILDEST MIND BUT THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR THE VOCAL. I HAVE A FENDER ACOUSTASONICS PRO WHICH I SING THROUGH WITH MY ACOUSTIC FENDER GUITAR WITH ITS FISHMAN PRE AMP. IT REALY SOUNDS GREAT BUT MAYBE NOT AS REAL AS I WANTED. I ALSO HAVE A PEAVEY KBA 300 AMP. AND IT HAS REVERB ALSO BUT IT SOUNDS TERRIBLE. SO I TOOK MY BRAND NEW USED FIREWORKS AND DID NOT HAVE IT PUT THROUGH THE EFFECTS PATCH BUT HOOKED A MIKE DIRECTLY TO THE INPT ON THE FIREWORKS AND THEN FROM THE OUT ON THE FIREWORX INTO THE MIKE INPUT ON MY PEAVEY KBA 300. WELL AFTER SPENDING FUR STRAIGHT HOURS LISTENING TO ALL THE FACTORY PRESETS I FOUND OUT RIGHT AWAY THIS WAS NOT SPECIFICALLY MENT FOR VOCALS. BUT WHEN I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO MANIPULATE THE REVERB ONLY I WAS ABLE TO GET A REALISTIC GOOD SOUNDING REVERB OUT OF IT. SO I AM ONLY REATING THE REVERB TODAY. THE FACT I CAN MANIPULATE ALL ASPECTS OF IT I WAS REALY IMPRESSED.

CANNOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT RELIABILITY BECAUSE I HAVE ONLY HAD IT FOR 1 DAY

N/A

I PLAY CLASSIC COUNTRY AND GOLDIE MOLDIES ON MY FENDER ACOUSTASONICS PRO AND AM SO HAPPY WITH IT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WORDS I CAN SAY ABOUT THE FENDER. BUT I ALSO RECENTLY PURCHASED A LES PAUL GUITAR AND WANT TO START PLAYING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF MUSIC AND SINCE I SING I WANTED A GOOD EFFECTS UNIT FOR MY VOICE. NOW I THINK I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT SOMETHING SPECIFICALLY FOR MY VOICE BUT ONCE I BEGAN TO GO OVER THIS UNIT I HAVE FOUND OUT IT REALLY IS AWSOME BUT WILL REQUIRE SOME WORK ON MY PART TO GET THE REAL BEAUTY OUT OF THIS FINE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT

Naturally, the more capabilities and features something has, the more user-intensive it'll get. There are plenty of menus, but this box is designed beautifully; three knobs, plenty of buttons, and a generous backlit lcd screen. Editing is such a pleasure. I love the Fireworx manual: concise, detailed explanations of every effect, neat diagrams, etc.

You should expect professional results from a $1,000+ unit. The effects are absolutely phenomenal; high quality, or low quality... if you're that kind. My favorites are the more rare, sound-obliterating effects, like the variety of distortion, feedback, and noise algorithms...quite tasty indeed. The reverbs are very crisp and digital - perfect for cold ambient soundscapes. The only effect I haven't gotten a chance to use yet is the vocoder, but I can't imagine that it could even remotely suck.

This unit is built solid all around: metal and solid plastic. The power supply is internal (!) so there are no worries with the heavy-duty three-prong connector. The buttons could be more intact, as they're a bit loose, though the three knobs are very solid. I would gig without a backup.

I've sent an e-mail to TC Electronic and gave them a call. With the e-mail, they took about five days to respond, but the response was helpful. The phone call was also satisfying. The guy knew the product and was pretty friendly. Nothing fell apart, it was only a question I had which the manual didn't answer.

I create industrial/ambient noise/whateveryouwannacallit. The Fireworx is wonderful with it's generous pallate of sound-mangling capabilities and absolutely murders all those boring-as-hell meat-and-potato boxes. This is my never-dissapointing all-in-one unit. That's cool how there's no numerical limit on the number of simultaneous effects...dsp dependent, but it is sort of annoying that you can't chain five delays together, for example. I think it only allows up to two of the same effect, regardless of dsp power. The synth algorithm rocks, which allows for designing some sick monophonic synth sounds. Of course it's limited (square and triangle waves only?), but hey, it's not a synth. The built-in mini sequencer and slew of modifiers are awesome. Worthy of mention is the expresssion pedal input (!) to control not just one, but many different effects at once with the pedal (I use a Roland EV-5, works great). By the way, some of the presets are self-sufficient and require no input to be heard; 200 factory, 200 user... more than enough. Switching/scrolling between user and factory could be better. If you only have three users, let's say, and try to scroll past them to the fourth onto the factories, the Fireworx won't allow you. The lcd is very informative and the exterior is beautiful black! The Fireworx is a gem. I have few complaints about this monster. Should anything ever happen to mine, I'd buy another in an instant... assuming I could find another, that is.

This is was my first "pro" quality fx unit... and it was not difficult at all to use or modify (it is much more difficult, for me at least, to capture the sound in my head starting from scratch. I'll attribute that fault to me rather than the FireworX, though). The unit gets a 9 merely for the difficulty in adjusting the wet-dry mix and the levels across patches.

As other posters have mentioned, scrolling through the presets can be a pain in the arse. They've provided filtering capabilities, but sometimes you cannot remember which preset used which fx you are trying to reach (was it phaser or a filter?) which decreases the utility.

My recommendation: get rid of that near useless alpha wheel and put some wet-dry/level/pez-dispensing controls over on the right side. Oh and some differently-colored buttons so we can switch fx in the dark better.

My setup is: a variety of guitars (single coil and humbucker, solid and semi-hollow, etc.) and a couple Basses (Warwick Vette PL5 and MIJ J-bass) into either a Fender Blues Deville 410, Fender Ultra Chorus, Marshall Valvestate, or a Holmes... sometimes with any of a variety of fx in the loop, or in the fx loop, or sometimes direct in to the board using either the Mackie as a pre-amp or a (Bass) Pod Pro as a pre. At any rate all of that goes into the FireworX (either direct or as an aux loop) which then goes into the RNC compressor and out to the recorder (Tascam 788).

The unit is quiet as death. I have absolutely no complaints there. Most of the effects are very very good, I particularly enjoy the phaser-esque fx, the delay, and, well, most everything. My complaints are that the 'verb is a bit ... thin and I can never seem to get quite the reverb for which I am looking. Again, I attribute this more to my lack of skill than the unit, although to a leser extent than the Use category above. The one effect that I really feal it does not do well at all is distortion. Let me rephrase that: it does distortion about as well as any high-end digital distortion can sound... which is a backhanded compliment to say the least.

Overall, I think it is fantastic for my needs; I already have the distortion I'm looking for (TS9/808 and Captain Coconut 2, mainly) so the fireworx one glaring weakness is not so important in my book.

I give it a 10 because, well, it's a rack-mount digital fx unit. If it breaks down, I'll be both surprised and quite upset. There is no fear that it will break down, malfunction, or attitude.

I would not, however, even dream of using this on a gig. This probably has more to do with my proclivities to be, shall we say, rough on equipment live than anything else; put it in one of those SKB racks and I'm sure you'll be fine.

The real show-stopper for me re: gigging witht he fireworx is that it can take a second or two to switch between patches, which is simply unacceptable for a live guitar performance... unless you're one of those who stick to one sound.

If I actually had a dedicated vocal rack, then the fireworx wouldn't be a bad choice for gigging at all.

Absolutely friggin incredible. When I was trying to decide if I was going to get a tc electronic product, I requested a demo cd of the gforce and gmajor off of their website (yeah, I downloaded the mp3s already, but what the heck). About a week after I had the demo cd, I received an email inquiry making sure I had all the info I needed. When I asked about my concerns with the ROM memory on the fireworx being too little, those were addressed quickly and to my satisfaction. Right up there with Analogman in terms of support. Go tc d00ds!

The fireworx is, to me, a fantastic piece of equipment. It meets every need I have currently, and every one of which I can conceive for future use. The styles I play range from jazz to punk to blues to funk on all instruments and with my voice (such as it is) through amps and DI's. This unit is among the top 3 in price/performance I have ever used. I have no reservations about giving this unit a 10.

Anyone familiar wit TC Electronic knows about their sound quality, and this box is no exception. Turn it on , and run something through one of the presets, might not be what you want, but it sounds good. The REverbs are lush, and the unit on a while is quiet (unless it's not supposed to be- i.e. nasty digitial distortion) This is a very complex box, and I think TC has done a wonderful job of arragning and tiling the menus. There are a lot, but they're intuitive. If you want to get everything out of this box. the manual is a must. The manual is, however, very well written and very detailed. You can teach yourself the theory of the unit fairly quickly.

Incidentally, you can hook up a midi controller, send on chan 1, and program this baby to be a monophonic synth. and if you don't like the synth tone you're getting, you can even change that!

Like I said, sound quality is top notch. Noisy when it needs to be, quiet all the other times, and of those who want to use some of the noisey effects without the noise, they even have a gate for you. . . Every effect sounds top notch. But would you really expect much less form TC?

I've heard this called the Nine Inch Nails box, and yeah trent used 5 (count the five) on The Fragile. The nice thing is though that you can just as easily get those kinds of sounds out of is as you could trance, trip hop, experimental, or just totally complely wierd.

Reliability is great, it's never crashed on me and I've never had it conk out on me. However, When programming this little box wiht that sound in your head sometimes you'll overload the DSP, then the unit mutes itself until you fix that. It's usually *not* that big of a deal for me since I have others units that I can patch into it as an insert. If I took this on a gig, I would most defiantely not need a backup.

Very helpful. Luckily I've never had to deal with their customer support much, but the few times I've called, they were very nice and helpful. Seems to be a small office in CA. they get to know their customers. E-mail customer support is equally as good, however, I think it goes to denmark, so considering the amount of e-mail they get and the time difference it might take a day or two to get a response. I actaully bought my unit as a floor model from a Guitar Center and it came fully upgraded with 400 Presets. love it. . .

I play a lot of Industrial, dark, ambient, Trip-hop. This box seemed to be made for me. I've been doing this for 7 years, and it really shines with my M1, M2000, waldorf Q, korg Z1, NL2, etc. . . I run everything I do through this. Everything. It's my first choice for both bread and butter type reverbs and the craziest stuff I've ever heard. If this thing got stolen, I would cry, but through my tears I'd pull out the plastic and order another one and have it overnighted to me. The only thing I wish it has was another DSP so I could keep punching in effects, but maybe someday. I'd pay for the upgrade in a heartbeat. I can't stress how great this box is. After you figure out a few little tricks with it you can take those dull, boring, annoying presents in any of your synths, run them through this machine and you have something cool. If you have the money, buy one, if you have more buy as many as you can.

A very intuitive and visually-interesting interface. Actually, this is prolly the best looking UI I've seen in a hardware effects box.

No noise whatsoever (except for the digital distortion patches which are intentionally noisy)...

One of the buttons broke off during shipment... And buttons feel like they could become unresponsive over time. But on the whole, it seems solid.

No comment

I was looking for a unique processor to add low-fi textures to my songs--and I found it. Compared to the GTR-4000 (which I later sold), the Fireworx seems to offer cleaner more interesting effects. The Eventide may have more potential under the hood--but the programming interface is ridiculous and non-musicial to the extreme.

Is it easy to get a good sound out of the FireworX? Absolutely. The FireworX uses AKM 24-bit 128x oversampling converters, which give it a very clean, open sound. The I/O, as noted in reviews below, is about as comprehensive as is possible in a 1U device (analog on XLR, S/PDIF opt or coax, ADAT, AES/EBU) and very, very flexible (you can even insert an external device into the signal path using the sidechain function!).

If you are reading this review, you already know that the FireworX is extraordinarily powerful, but what might be surprising (especially if you don't own any other t.c. gear) is how easy it is to use. The 128x56 graphic LCD-based interface is very well-designed and everything makes sense. A series of buttons arranged in a 4x3 grid to the right of the display light to indicate which effects group is active for a particular program (e.g. delay, pitch) so you want to get rid of the reverb completely, you can just press the reverb button. Another nice feature is the tempo button, which, when pressed, opens a menu that allows you to quickly change all tempo-dependent effects like delay to match a tempo. But the best--and coolest--thing about the FireworX is the alpha dial. This essentially acts like a mod wheel on a synth, giving you some realtime control (and of course it sends midi out) over a particular function(s).

The manual is good. It's not as thorough as a Lexicon manual, but is well-arranged (though it is obvious the writer was not a native English speaker. I was disappointed that t.c. failed to put a sysex guide in the manual, but I think you can download one from their site.

The unit I am reviewing is version 2.0, which adds 200 additional presets (400 total), word clock as standard, and apparently a few minor changes to the midi implementation.

I will take 1 point off for ease of use though because this processor is so deep, which might make it very difficult for drummers to use. heh :)

This processor sounds superb. It's that simple. It's sparkling clean when you want it to be, but becomes wickedly evil at the touch of a button or two. The S/N is 104 dB, so it's safe to say that it not noisy.

The effects are simply very good to excellent in all cases, except for the pitch shifter, which despite being based on Wave Mechanics' technology (founded by two New Jersey-based ex-Eventide gurus) has a more limited range of realism than I expected. The dynamics and filters are great (the formant filter is particularly interesting), the ring modulator is by far the best digital emulation I've ever heard, the synth. . .well the synth is in a class of its own. What other effects processor doubles as a not very well-mannered monophonic synth that you can PLAY with a midi keyboard? The drive distortion (i.e. amp distortion)is great though very high-tech sounding, but the cruncher algorithm is the true standout. This process *intentionally* creates aliasing distortion and produces quantizing errors! It may sound hideous but hey, why not? The delay is awesome (derived from the 2290) and up to 6 taps are provided. As for the reverb, I would say that it is very clean, with no metallic overtones or grain, but doesn't sound quite as full and warm as a Lexicon PCM. I feel like I'm kind of nitpicking here though, because the fact is I wouldn't hesitate to use it. It does use a lot of DSP power however, as all good digital reverbs do, which restricts the number and type of effects you can use at once.

I have never rated anything a 10 for sound quality before, but I do so here without any reservation.

I have only had it for about a month, but it seems to be well-constructed and has never behaved erratically. I wouldn't use it at a gig unless I had Mr. T and Mike Tyson as bodyguards, but then I guess they would probably get into a fight on the way to the show and possibly mistake the FireworX for an ear. Barring a calamity of that magnitude, I would definitely not need a backup.

I have been pretty impressed with t.c.'s support. When I first visited the website, I placed an online order for the M3000 and FireworX demo CDs and brochures, and received them about a week later. The following week, I received an email from someone asking me if I had any questions and if I was satisfied with the material I received. Once I got the FireworX, I guess I accidently disabled the DSP overrun setting, which essentially allows the DSP to process more data than it is capable of processing. I asked a question about it on the FireworX "mailing list" (it's not much of one) and got a quick reply from a tech support guy, who I assume was lurking on the list.. .

I make psy trance, ambient/dub, triphop or whatever ends up piquing my interest and the FireworX is perfect for this. I use it for sound design (making weird pad noises, atmospheres, and my own brand of "distorted reality"--yes Eric Persing used this box for those). I have been making music for maybe 5 years though I've played keyboards for a few years for a while). My other main effects unit is a Lexicon MPX 1, which although a bit more tame and less powerful then the FireworX, complements it pretty well. Of course the FireworX is INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE so make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before gear-lust seizes the rest of your checking account. If it were stolen or lost I would be in big trouble, so this question would depend on my financial situation at that time I suppose. What do I love about it? It does literally almost every effect in existence, and even invented a few of its own. It sounds (and looks) very futuristic, which I like--meaning that if I wanted a retro amp simulator I'd buy one.

I never really thought about anything else because the FireworX is kind of a niche product aimed squarely at me (free will notwithstanding ;) ). Anyway, the PCM 81 is also an awesome processor with better reverb, but it simply was never designed to mangle sound the way the FireworX was (and also costs about $500 more) and is more of a "typical" multieffects unit. The FireworX is a sound *generating* machine in its own right (check out preset 201 if you don't believe me) as opposed to something that enhances or simply modifies an existing sound. If you can stomach the obligatory bank account destruction, get it now.

Having owned over 20 digital synths and multiple digital effects units, including the finalizer, I have to say that this is most difficult and awkward unit I have ever used. The screen is far too small, the parameters are scaled to keep you turning a knob for half a minute to edit a single parameter, and the base layout of scrolling down lists of parameters is the most painful system ever. This unit is for Preset-only-users.

Sure, it's new, But it has very starightforward, (and boring)algorithms.

probably fairly reliable.

If your going to use the presets, they're fairly unusable do to being programmed by really lame engineers trying to be cool by applying LFO's to every other parameter. And if you want to spend 20 min. to mess with the terrible operating system design you might get through editing one effect, EXAMPLE-- "finally, I got the pitch shift down one octive, but I'm so pissed that I don't even care."

Have not bought it yet, see below.

Have not bought it yet, see below.

Have not bought it yet, see below.

Have not bought it yet, see below.

Hi!

These are som questions and answers I believe others would be interested in reading, since, for example, TC claims that new specifications have been altered since the release. The news are, for example a lot more preprogrammed presets, and 24 bit S/PDIF contacts. TC claim, interestingly, that the S/PDIFcontacts have been 24 bit all the time, although the (online)manual always has and still says it's 20 bit. It would be nice if an independent user could varify if they are 24 bit.

The pretty fast and detailed answer from TC says, in my opinion, more than a little about TC:s customer support...

Henrik Bergman
Lund, Sweden

--------------------------------------

2000-11-29

Hello!

I'm seriously contemplating buying your Fireworx effects unit. I looks like a mean powermachine. Need some answers to the following questions, though. Knowing, by a lot of people, that TC is a great company at support and answering customers questions, I hope it's possible for you to take the time answering them. I will report your response to the user review section in Harmony Central for your convenience/free advertising. Thank you very much.

1) I plan to use the Fireworx as a effects unit for the EMU P2000 (using the AES/ABU IN of the Fireworx), POD Pro (spdif IN ditto) and Echo Mona PC card (ADAT IN ditto). I plan to keep the other digital gear connected to the Fireworx this way, avoiding changing physical contacts all the time. Then, after processing, I will send the (hopefully) 24 bit signal spdif OUT from the Fireworx back to my Mona card for recording in my PC. Do you see any problems with this, on behalf of the Fireworx?

The bottom line: Do ALL the digital connections (AES/EBU, spdif, ADAT) of Fireworx work in 24 bit today?

2) If all the spdif and ADAT work in 24bit today, did the ADAT/spdifs in earlier versions of Fireworx work in 20 bit (like it even today says in the manual)? I'm asking because I know a guy, in the Harmony Central, who claimed that, a year ago or so, the 20 bit spdif out didn't sound as great as the AES/EBU 24 bit out.

3) How will I know that the Fireworx unit in the store I'm buying it in has the ADAT/spdif contacts working in 24bit, when the manual says 20-bit (without having a practical possibility to really check out the sound of the unit in a noisy store)? Any special markings?

4) In the case of digital synth units working in 20bit (like the EMU P2000, for instance) together with the Fireworx, will the Fireworx accept them through its spdif/AES EBU? Any sync problems?

5) The cost of having different effects in DSP-power, as stated in the manual, is that all referring to 24-bit operation? If I want to record a sound together with, for example, three different Fireworx' algoritms (like compressor, vocoder and reverb), all performing at the same time, will I be able to capture all that in realtime on my PC-harddisk in 24bit (provided the PC does it's usual supposed task)?

6) Can I use the Alphamodwheel (or any other knob) as a real-time pith bender while playing my synth? Will I, in that case, be able to record that in real time on harddisk?

7) What converters do the Fireworx have? AKM? Which model?

8) Space considerations: Can I take the rackmount "ears" off the unit if I need to?

9) How many presets does the Fireworx have? In the advertising there is 200, but in the manual there are over 300.

10) Is there any possibility of editing Fireworx through a PC, like as with Sounddiver? Can't find any Sounddiver implementations anywhere.

11) In a review by Hugh Robjohns in SOS (june/1998), he complained that there is no global dry/wet mixture control in the machine. George Shilling in Studio Sound (3/1998) said the same. Have you perhaps addressed this problem in an OS-revision since then?

12) How does the quality of the effects in Fireworx compare to your TC Works plugins?

13) An honest question: Give me some reasons why I should invest in a Fireworx,

faihi all just a quick review...others cover whats what better......
easy to use ..manuals fine.....not sure of the firmware....musit checkthat!

sound is very very cool...to say the least.....i made the choice to buy this unit rather than yet another synth! or sound module that mimiks old synths and does nothing really new...i figured that this fx unit may be able to act almost like a re-synthesis tool....it does
and really adds an edge to the sound....sets your music apart...very
good for abstract/ambient stuff.....i must admit at time i have pondered the #900 i paid secondhand....thats an awefull lot of money for me....but this thing is just so rich sounding...quite clinical
maybe and not that warm maybe but very futuristic......2001 sort of
the again maybe thats the sounds i use! and something to do with the style>>>

seems ok...has locked once...when i over dsp'ed it...but most gear does this on occasion......or mine does anyway!

haven't a clue>.

shot hot abstract/ambient dance fxunit thats also a synth and a cool
soundsource in itself if you create samples etc ......rich resonant feedbacks....spacial distortions and lush reverbs...pitchshifts...
not an eventide but unique in its own right..and a classic no doubt.

A word of advice.....stop buying all the hyped new synths...mk this or this.....use more fx treatments on your sounds ...re-sample them...
spend your money on getting a defining edge rather than what others brainwash you into buying.....and have fun........ishq

The t.c. electronic FireworX is a 1U-high 19"-rackmount multi-effects processor sporting a plethora of connectivity options, a wonderful user interface that perfectly fuses the software with the front-panel controls, and a selection of effect modules that allow you to create both classic and progressive sonic treatments guided by a multitude of modulation sources with as much control as the deepest of synthesizers.

Is the FireworX easy to use? Given the modular nature and complexity of this unit, it demands a certain level of programming knowledge to operate. If you do not have previous experience programming synthesizers, you will not realize the full potential of this box.
That said, t.c. electronic gets top marks for creating an environment that simultaneously harnesses the power of the machine and releases the creative vision of its user. The combination of a large, clear, backlit graphic LCD with 25 buttons, 3 wheels, 2 knobs and a PCMCIA slot means navigation is fluid and does not get in the way of the creatve process. This is very important, as the FireworX has the resources available to satisfy the most rabid programmer, and it comes "alive" when tweaked so. The manual is excellent and articulate, and mixes the "reference" style of manual with bits of the "tutorial" style, mainly by way of user tips and notes. You can download the manuals for all t.c. electronic products from their website, and I must say that had a definite impact on my decision to purchase the unit, as I knew what I would be getting into, and that it had the power I desired.

Is it easy to get good sound? Oh my goodness, yes! Everything from vintage effect tones to modern treatments can be realized, all with the kind of detailed sound that speaks to the sonic quality of the algorithms, which are world-class to say the least!

I use the FireworX to process a mix of wavetable, FM, virtual modular, and analog synthesizers, and it handles all of them with elan. The FireworX adds no noise to the input signal unless you want it to, and if so, it has the tools to satisfy.

Tools? The FireworX is appointed with the following modules: dynamics (expander/gate, soft compressor, hard compressor/limiter (all with sidechains!)), filters (resonance, bandpass, phaser, resonator, resochord), formant processing, distortion (drive (tube-distortion), cruncher (quantize and alias)), vocoder, ring mod, synth (function curve generator, fractal chaos generator, noise generator), stereo pitch shift (this is quality pitch shift done by WaveMechanics, and is musical over a much wider range than most pitch shifters), chorus (2 types), flanger (2 types), delay (stereo dual, dual three-tap, one-tap, six-tap, and reverse delays), reverb (quality reverb based on the t.c. M5000/M2000 algorithms with a welcome level of shaping and control of both the early reflections and reverb "tail"), tremelo, pan, stereo enhancer, and parametric EQ.

You control all of those algorithms with a varied complement of modulation sources, including up to 8 MIDI CCs, the alpha wheel or pedal/slider controller, pitch detector, 2 x envelope detectors, 2 x ADSR, 2 x LFO, 2 x function generator, and a "freeform modifier", which is a multi-stage step-sequencer that can modulate any other parameter in a patch.

You choose up to 20 modulators per patch, and as many effects blocks as you wish, up to the DSP limit of the FireworX, arranged in a freely definable modular matrix that includes serial and parallel routings, feedback loops, and external inserts. With this setup you can realize configurations that cover the gamut of options. How much DSP do you get? Quite a lot. You can create maddeningly complex sound processors that go far beyond the limits of other units that seem to offer more DSP. However, the reverb module eats up a bit of power, so the most complex patches + reverb might not be attainable, but the FireworX has excellent provisions for this in the form of an insert loop. You can patch any external processor into the signal chain of the FireworX via alternate I/O from the main I/O. When it comes to connectivity, how does balanced XLR 24-bit analog, AES/EBU, S/PDIF, TOSLINK, and ADAT litepipe sound? I send and return the FireworX via analog I/O, but I have three other effects devices chained to the FireworX via digital I/O, so I not only have the processing I desire on-demand, but the FireworX serves as a capable digital router at the same time, greatly expanding the flexibility of my project studio.

The build quality of the FireworX is nothing short of excellent, sporting a sturdy feel, auto-sense international power supply, and a solid tactile response to its fingertip controls. While I do not gig with the FireworX, I would have no problems doing so. Dependability has been top-notch, with nary a problem.

t.c. electronic has been a pleasure to correspond with via e-mail, and the experience ranks among the best feedback and customer-support I have ever experienced from a maker of musical equipment.

The FireworX is a great match for many musical styles, but offers the power, control and style of effects that make it wonderfully-suited for "modern" musical styles that could be loosely grouped into the heading "electronica". When you need reverse tape fills on-the-fly in your drumbreaks, it delivers. When you need to tempo-lock your delays with melodic, stepped filtering, it delivers. Lush, organic modulations that make pads come alive with motion and air are at your disposal. If you need to patch in another box for more power or because you can?t let go of an analog pedal, it can accommodate. This is the Swiss-Army Knife of processors.

If my FireworX were lost or stolen, I would need to be tranquilized so as to not commit an act of grievous bodily harm upon the perpetrator. I would most certainly get another one!

Is there anything wrong with the unit? Yes, I would like to see a bit more velocity sensitivity in the dials, as spinning to get thru over 1000 patches can become tiresome. This is a niggling complaint overall. Instant patch load would also be nice, but all of the high-end processors of this class need a second to switch setups.

I didn?t compare the FireworX with any other multi-fx units, as none of them offered the kinds of "radical" processing and control that the FireworX did. It is simply in a league of its own.

The FireworX has been programmer?s paradise, and it certainly helps me to achieve the kind of sound I hear in my head and on the records I love to spin. It has been rewarding in a way that can only be appreciated when you program one and add it to your mix.

first of all, the fireworx is not for everybody. analog freaks and old school synth programmers love the idea of its almost limitless modulation capabilities. ironically, though, these are often the same folks who will not want to wade through pages of nested menus on an lcd screen to unleash all the modulation capabilities.
but, given all it does, the relative ease of use is undeniable, even by non-tech-oriented musicians. the global individual effect type cancels are especially useful for those, like me, who do remix and techno work.

typical TC sound quality: pristine. i recommend this in bypass mode as a dedicated a/d converter in a MIDI studio setting.

i use it with a roland SP-808 sampling workstation and a mackie 1202VLZ, live. i use aux 1 from the mackie as the left fireworx channel and aux 2 on the mackie as the right fireworx channel. this way i can have 2 different and completely distinct effects paths. i run it all thru a peavey cs800s 1200W power amp and some fancy altec 145 coaxial speakers.

some people had mentioned that they had trouble getting "low-fi" sounds out of it. i havent had that problem. application of the LPFs in many of the effects algorithms, the "smasher" (tube emulation) parameter in the analog distortion algorithm, and the sample rate reducer can all be implemented(simultaneously if you want!) to thoroughly gunk up your sound.

i heard aphex twin has one of these in his live rig, and that type of sound is easy to get, if that's what you want. sometimes i want that.

i use a peavey pc1600x midi controller to run the fireworx. this gives me the ability (thanks to the fireworx's wonderful MIDI learn mode and exhaustive MIDI implementation) to perform outlandish effects routings completely on the fly.

it has typical swedish build quality. it is as reliable as a volvo. you can bet the farm on this one.

TC was great when i was asking about the finer points of internal signal routing. once we got past the language barrier (i dont speak swedish), we were cool like that.

its main flaw is that it "hiccups" in between presets. it also could use a more efficient DSP power implementation algorithm to avoid processor overload. both of these problems could be addressed in upgraded firmware.
there is no sound that i have wanted, vintage or otherwise, that i have not been able to achieve with the fireworx.
i dont believe that there is a finer effects processor for techno remixers, for studio or live use. to me this box really shines live because of its almost infinite modulation routing capabilities.

Elegantly logical interface and clear, well-illustrated manual. Presets are useful as starting points, plenty of access to effect parameters, and you can save something like 200 of your own presets without erasing the 200 factory ones. You can also backup to PCMCIA card (type I). It allows you to place other devices into a virtual "effects loop" at any point of the FireworX's digital effects chain (which can be parallel or serial). One of the best things, for me, is the ability to assign multiple modifiers (like MIDI control pedals) to virtually every parameter of every effect! These work flawlessly, and open up endless possibilities for distinctive effects. Some drawbacks are that (1) no morphing: preset changes take about 1-2 seconds to load, so if you switch presets mid-phrase in a live performance, you will get a very disruptive "hiccup" (unless you were to use the FireworX in an effects loop at something like 50% or less mix level--which wouldn't do it justice in an average rig). So, although it's wonderful in the studio, I don't recommend it for live use as a primary processor. (It's great as a secondary one, though, as in my setup, where I can quickly switch in and out of basic effects with another device, and reserve the FireworX for other times.) (2) although it has AES/EBU/TOS/S/PDF coaxial and optical digital outputs, only the AES is 24-bit; the S/PDF runs at 20-bit. This makes connecting it to some other digital devices via S/PDF awkward. For instance, I found that it sounds better to go analog (rather than digital) from a t.c. G-Force (which, in contrast, has 24-bit S/PDF I/O) to the FireworX. Both the G-Force and the FireworX have really good 24-bit A/D, so that's not a big problem, but something to consider if you absolutely must to go into the FireworX using S/PDIF connectors. (3) It only has something like 8MB effects RAM, which means you run out of configuration options pretty fast. Its reverb algorithm takes up a lot of memory, for example, so the number of effects you can use along with reverb will be somewhat limited. Some very high-end venue sound systems use these units, and I've heard from one of their tech that they've been a little frustrated by the restrictions imposed by the RAM limit. This is not a big complaint on my part, though, since what it CAN do is still pretty amazing for the price. (4) There's no global "wet/dry" control. You have to adjust the output of each preset separately.

Beautiful sound on just about any instrument or voice, live or in the studio. I've used it on a pop/rock demo for everything from tracking flute and vocals to mixdown; live for a 15-minute avant-garde processed violin solo; also in a guitar rig for performing/recording alternative rock. (My setup is: tuner>cry baby>Ibanez Tube Screamer>Boss DD-5 delay pedal>Rocktron Voodu-Valve preamp>t.c. electronic G-Force guitar effects processor>FireworX>BBE 882 sonic maximizer>Mesa Simul 2:90 amp>Marshall 4x12 w/Celestian 75 speakers.) Very smooth, lush, refined time-based effects for instruments or vocals. The delays are wonderful (better, to me, than the Lexicon PCM-80, which I USED to use). I've been told that the t.c. M3000 offers more realistic room-emulations, but the FireworX is definitely no piece of cheese (and much more verstile). There's nothing inherently "low-tech" about any of the sounds (though you can dither down to 8-bit, if you wish). Compression is very effective, and transparent (but it won't add "personality" like a tube compressor). I don't think the distortion sounds are what most guitarists are looking for; they don't emulate classic amps or anything, but they can be used for vocal effects and such. The parametric EQ is good for some things, like guitar, but not primo studio quality. Formant and other filters add dimension to the EQ possibilities (very useful for "wah" and other "special" effects). I have not found a good application for the ring modulator. The stereo-ization effects sound good. The 2-voice pitch generator tracks very well and is sonorous, (but it's NOT "intelipitch", only "fixed", so cannot be set to harmonize in a key like the G-Force or an Eventide Harmonizer). I haven't been able to get a really good rotary speaker simulation, though it might be possible if you know how to do it. Their rotary speaker preset isn't even close to the real thing. The A/D conversion is very clean, and the device is exceptionally quiet. Although it's being marketed in some places as a "guitar" effects processor, I think many guitarists might find the FireworX to be too "high-tech" sounding for a lot of "roots" alt., indie, metal, grunge, blues, etc. It's more of a Vai, Satriani, kind of product, than one suited to the SRV school (of course). But it's not "clinical" sounding when used in the appropriate musical context. It's about as "transparent" as the current generation of digital processors can be, I guess.

No problems in two years on regular use. It gets moved around quite a bit and doesn't jitter. I think it's reliable enough for casuals, though I don't use it that way.

The U.S. t.c. electronic tech support have been receptive to my inquiries, but I've never had to have the thing repaired, so I don't really know.

I play a variety of styles, and wanted a high-quality effects processor for a wide range of live and studio applications. I have not been dissapointed with the FireworX despite some of its shortcomings. The biggest problem is the delay that occurs when changing presets, which makes it awkward for live performance. The overall sound quality is excellent, though, and it's range of effects and control are awesome. If I were to replace it, I would look at the Eventide Harmonizers (GTR4000 or the Orville) or t.c. electronics M5000 system, but these cost much more money. I'd probably end up buying the FireworX again. But I'm such a gear addict that I'd like to have ALL of the above!

I've been using this unit for a year now and created many patches. The versatility it proposes is incredible, but has its side effects. Indeed, when you come to create really complex presets, it's a bit boring to navigate between so many pages and you're limited with the size of the screen. I put 8 as for the moment no pc editor is available.

I use the unit with my home studio : my 01V, my sampler and a Line 6 Pod. The effect blocks are very impressive once understood how to get the nice juice from them. I especially like the flange/chorus (you have to add a feedback loop to get a really whooshy flange), the delays, the dynamics & pan. The distortion is a bit flat, but is important to get rid of the really clean sound of blocks such as phasers or synths. The pitch sounds for me really digital, as for the filters and the reoschords. I like to get sometimes a raw/wild sound coming out of my machines, but I find really hard to get something that sounds not "trancy" out of it. Don't try to saturate the analog imputs, it sounds awfull. Don't try to change the delay time while running, it'll make some digital clips.
The vocoder is a bit weak with one band.
The synths blocks are really cool, but you can't modulate it quickly enough to get some sounds with a real attack.
However, I'll put a 9 as it'll please those who like clean and precise sounds.

for the moment, no problem with it, it never crashed. However, with the price, I'd think twice to use it in an oudoor live at a muddy free-party !

I asked a few questions to tc and receive the answer the day after. I think they're ok on the support.

I play electronic music. I'm not a purist of analog machines, but I still think some effects sound really digital. You can get more organic sounds with the eq etc..., but it is hard to mix low fi sounds with the quality of the effects of the fireworx (that often sound brighter, more present than the dry source !). I love to use the flange as a laser beam which sounds, once passed through my pod, almost like a guitar, but it's a bit expensive to get that effect.
I'm still expecting to discover new utilisations with this machine, but if it was stolen, I must admit I would try maybe something else, with the same control/modulation capacities, but with a warmer sound. Does it exist ?

Its very easy to get artistic juices flowing with 200 different presets. Editing isnt that difficult when you had others digital machines before. The manual is setup very good so you can start working very quik and so is the user interface, this is a big advantage. Just in one day I got myself going and even editing some patches, and got an expression pedal set up in ten minutes or so. The userinterface is big of course. But hey what can you expect from a machine like this. I really think this is the best interface I had until now except the ones on my computer. Which have obviously much more space. Then there's the manual which got me going. But... its very simplistic I think. With such good effects and this power in the machine I would like to have some more information then a global idea. But maybe this is just me. Its 80 pages which I found to be less then some other simpeler machines i own or have owned. The software version is 1.02. It tells you all the features and parameters and how to do things but I think it should give also more in depth ideas about the effects and how they can be used in comibantion which eachother.

I just had to give this a ten. I've used it with electric guitars, strat and paul, bass, vocals, acoustic guitars, my synth stuff, flute and some percussive instruments. Just too good to be true! This machine has no noise, great presets, great effects and the things you can control are just amazing. You can get many parameters controlled by one controller or setup many controllers. Just something i never thought was possible until now. The presets are very versatile. Most sounds used in all kind of music can be made with it. Also I see good possibilities in this machine to be used for effects on movies. The 24 A/D converters cant be heard in my opinion. I've got it running after my mic preamp straight into my digital in on my soundcard to bypass the soundcards ins. Also got it in after my guitar preamp and behind the synth. The soundquality is the best I've got until now except some plugins on my computer(dspfx). Which are just as good in soundquality I think but not so versatile and you can't maipulate the sounds as well.

Cant say much on this poit yet. Its staying in my homestudio and I think it wont give any problems as long as I myself dont do anything to it. Or if the software has some bugs. No known problems yet.This is also a reason why I bought this expensive quality unit. I hate having to deal with this kind of things I have a computer which is more then enough to handle. I know how but I rather make music.

Not much on this point either.

Im not going to give this a ten because I dont think any machines in this line deserve that with the fast development in the dsp-industry. It comes close to the ten for sure. For me its just a temporary solution until computerbased processing is much better. And for me this will be in two year or so. Right now I wanted a better A/D converter and something that didnt needed upgrading again too fast. I play almost any kind of music. Started out with guitar and picked up anything I could. I've done some recordings for other people, teach and make my own recordings. I like to do everything myself so I just got to have the complete line from instrument to recordingmastering at the right level. Well at least on a budget that is.I think this was my last piece for now I really just got to have. I've had some other stuff like digitech and the VS880 from Roland. But that didnt work for me. Just got to be close to perfect with the budget I have. No I only work with logic audio anymore because its the fastest way to work. Got some good plugins for the final mix. And now I think ive finally got the link i was missing. A good realtime effectprocessor with great quality effects and some really funny and weirds ones. This is gonna make my record really come alive. I can use it with almost anything I play. I used it on some compositions of mine, some guitar stuff like Steve Vai does, classical, blues, jazz ,dance music and I tried to make some movie effects with it. It all can be done. Thats what I call versatile!! For me this is the perfect solution for now. But as technology keeps growing and hopefully so does my budget who knows what I think in a year or so.....