I had the chance of revisiting again a TC Electronics Flashback from a friend, and we put the Echosystem and the Flashback, the quality tone in the Echosystem feels more analogue than the Flashback, however and despite the direct options to tweak the Flashback, it had a consistent and great sound, but that was a picky test, so probably in a massive gig the crowd will not even notice which pedal are you running BUT it must be in a stereo setup to achieve a big improvement in your sound.

About the past comment, my conclusion is that the Echosystem has a lot of features very well appreciated for studio purposes, where the quality can be noticiable, but in a live situation and if for your playing your don't require a lot of features, the TC Electronics Flashback brings a good quality on delays modes and more by making some tone prints.

By the way, every delay pedal with modulated sounds can bring "free" modulations effects in dry mode, and the Echosystem is not a exception.

So you can select the Digital mode - Pristine (blue color), then turn the delay and the feedback to zero, apply the desired mix and turn the "things" knobs at your taste. The tone knob can also bring some bright on the tone.

Using the engine in "Series" you can put your first engine as a modulation and have the second engine making the delay effects.

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Yesterday, I gave another try to find the Echosystem magic, and I think I already find it.

All the awesomeness in this pedal is based on how much volume up has the Input knob. Maybe, changing the Pad input to 0 dB will help a lot :) Turn back to 5 stars again!

Did another season with this fancy pedal, now I went into advanced mode and put the attenuator pad level at 0 db to get a raw gain and volume signal... Now, sounds much better than before! My only complain now is about the analogue modes with low volume even when the mix is all wet. I'll check if this can be fixed with the manual.

All right, I'll do a quick summary: After you get an Empress Echosystem, go and update the pedal. After, go into advanced configuration. In the manual check how to put off the level pad input to 0 dB, with these mods you will have a better sound from the whole chain.

Recent addition: I have been doing some practice with a beginner band and now I have the time to check how the pedals sounds blend with everything. So the true nature about this pedal appears when a full band is playing, it has a good sound and I like that the volume can be adjusted, in this way, if a wet sound is not clear at all, just adjust the volume up. Very good pedal, I use it in MXR Carbon Copy > Empress Echosystem, both turned on, both with delay on.

Right now I'm using the Echosystem in a multipurpose pedal with two amps, so far to really get the juice from this pedal you have to go this way. So these are the multioptions that you can use this pedal at the same time or specific at some moments:

1) The first thing to come to my mind is the delay using (what it is intended for), so ... Go in a Egde mode and put two different types of delay for every side... or manage to get the same style of delay but with different times. The magic comes when you press the infinite delay stomp, so the feedback goes infinite just in one amp. Stomp the machine mode button to change which side (left or right) is having the feedback.

2) Use the serial mode to put a modulated effect in the first machine and a delay or reverb in the second: So, for the first machine, go with 0% delay time and feedback and full wet effect, with volume at your taste. Then, change to the second series machine to config your desired delay time. Enjoy!

3) If you don't like or have modulations (like me), you can use stereo and dry/wet presets so you can use your Echosystem like a mixer. How to do this? Use a color bank to remember that those presets will be dry/wet or stereo, or even an amp cancel (with 0% volume). You just have to put the Left/Right Mode, use the 100% wet (or the quantity you desire) for the wet amp and 0% wet for the dry amp. Actually, you can select the wet/dry or stereo mode from the pedal configuration but, during a Gig this tip is better to change between routings.

4) I haven't tried but, using a pedal expression to modify the thing 1 or 2 probably will unlock a wider tonal experience. The common way is to modify the amount of the delay time or feedback but modifying the modulations in the delay machines will bring a different experience.

5) The parallel mode is the easiest way to get ambient tones, but also to get a clear sound or sustained background. Put a Spring Reverb with low volume and bring a good amount decay. You will have a background sound to support you.

By the way, I think I'm nailing the Timeline sounds, so you can get the Timeline sounds into the Echosystem, but with an improved quality.

As far I'm getting on the Empress Echosystem, I'm making interedting presets for music. Say, put a Tape delay on the left-side while you put a Whiskey-red Octaves machine on the right-side with some delay, then put a little down the volume on that right-side. The right amp will act like a shadow for the left amp, but with an octave up, very Radiohead-ish.

On serial mode, put a Digital Standard delay (Digital-Blue), chain with a Digital Ping Pong (Digital-Red). Use different time delays, so it musically sounds like a triplet or something like that.

Thoughts on the Looper Mode: It works really nice, it's very well appreciated so I will not buy a dedicated looper just for the pedalboard. Fits well on what I need, probably I have to work with it a little more, but my first experience with this mode was complacing. I'm glad to have bought the V30 Card 32 Gb is so fair.

My recent discovered trick, is to put the machines on Series Mode, first put Whiskey-Red with 100% wet, feedback 0%, thing 1 at 12 o'clock and some delay. The next machine put Delay+Reverb (Blue or Green, as you like), mix at 50%. Delay, Feedback, Thing 1 & 2 as you like. This will bring you a Sag-like tone, so you can play with a little smoothness, but also to have a bassy rounded sound.

After practicing a little bit with the built-in looper, I can say that is an useful feature. I just can't have a good timing sometimes, my foot is dummy and I don't hit properly to move between the tracks and the Echosystem pause the track or begins to dub the current track. So, I think is more about practicing or maybe I will stick with a rhythm box and control the Echosystem thru midi, also to have an accurate start and end.