damn this things got a lot of different options...

I don't love the looper with it. But the delay sounds are varied and sound great. worth it, its a great studio tool.

From Gear Setup

Nice delay staple with looper included

I got this pedal from a friend, and before I tested it with a nice score. However, after I got an Empress Echosystem, with a better processor, is noticeable the difference on the sound quality. Yet, I believe the TC Flashback has a hidden Reverb which you can tweak by using the Tone Print tool, so this is the "magic" for its sound, a boosted and compressed sound and finally we get a beautiful tone for our delayed rhythm.

I mostly use this pedal just for the looper, because is easy to start and stop. I tried to combine with the Empress Echosystem, using this last just in Reverb mode having decent results.

The TC Flashback is amazing, however, it lacks some advanced features that I look at delay pedals, like tap tempo and kill-dry button easier to switch. But, let's going to do a fair review, this is a small pedal and despite that has been released years ago, it is still a favorite for most pedalboards.

UPDATE NOV/28/2024. What can I do to this pedal if I'm going to buy a better Delay Pedal (like a Timeline, for example) soon? As I stated, this is a nice staple pedal, so: 1. The first use you can do is to use it as a Looper. 2. Behind the pedal there is a cover, so you have to unscrew then you can configure the Dipswitchs following the manual directions to have a Kill-Dry configuration. Then, the Mix knob will now act like the pedal volume and use the Delay Time Knob around 30-100 ms, Digital Delay mode for the biggest clarity. What will this used for? Your sound will have a proper delay so this emulates a tube amp effect and brings dynamics and a smooth playing. If you play Blues or Jazz, please try this option, but will work with any style. The pedal must be the on the closest place to the guitar input (not the amp input). Additionally, I setted a cheap reverb pedal without use (Mooer Shimverb) between the Flashback and the guitar plug and this drastically improved my playing (I'm a huge fan of tube amp dynamics to be honest).

Preferred Settings + Usage:

A Valiant Effort, But Not User-Friendly

First, it's worth noting that the sounds in this little blue box are great. The effects blend with a signal very well, allowing for the instant creation of lush atmospheres or just adding a little color to the sound of a wailing solo. However, I personally found the tones a little thin-sounding, compared to the rich analog tones of EHX's Digital Memory Boy or even the Line 6 Echo Park's tape echo model. The TC Electronic delay is, by comparison, remarkably clean but this comes at a cost to the character of the pedal.

Second, some of the pedal's innovations are a little clumsy. For instance, the idea of letting a player use their hands to set the tap tempo is a very good one considering that most guitarists spend a lot of energy working on their timing. It's likely that your strumming hand has better timing and control than either of your feet. However, having to hold down the FlashBack's footswitch for two full seconds to access the tap tempo is a real buzzkill. In a live performance situation, having your signal muted for as long as it takes to tap in a new tempo leaves a very noticeable gap in the mix. Also, while you are only required to hold the footswitch down for two seconds, this feels like an eternity onstage!

With that said, the Looper feature is one of the easiest to use of any I've ever encountered, although it does require that the player have pretty good foot-timing because there's no built-in quantization. The pedal starts recording the very instant you hit the footswitch, and starts playing as soon as you step on it again. However, with a little practice it's quite simple to get used to and before long, you'll be layering loops like a pro. My only qualm with the Looper is that one can't use a delay sound at the same time as looping, but this limitation is logical and not a deal-breaker.

The only feature I'll say I dislike outright on this pedal is the fact that the switch used to toggle trails on or off ("trails" referring to echoes continuing to occur after the pedal is turned off) is hidden in the pedal's chassis. To access it, you have to pick up the pedal and use a coin or some other large, flat implement to unscrew a panel on the reverse side of the FlashBack, inside of which you'll find an on/off switch. It seems to me that even mounting this as a toggle on the side of the pedal would have been a better idea than putting it under and inside of it.

When playing alone, the FlashBack is... Read More

Nice programmable digital delay machine

This pedal satisfies my looper, high quality buffer, digital delay (on 2290 setting), digital vibrato (TonePrint) and weird modulation (TonePrint) needs.

I don't use much any other settings apart from 2290, Looper and TonePrint. Analog setting doesn't really sound like analog delay (check out my Analog Delay vs Analog Delay Emulation video on YouTube). Lofi and Dynamic settings sound awful to my ears.

To my mind every setting should just be TonePrint.

I like that there's an option to switch between true bypass and buffered bypass, although I don’t really notice a difference during normal playing.

But there is one major downside: if there’s no buffered pedal placed before it, the pedal causes noticeable tone suck - even when it's off, and regardless of whether it's set to true bypass or buffered mode.

From Gear Setup

Amazing sound quality!

The sound quality is perfect! the original sound is not modified at all (analog dry through) and the feedback added sound has great quality too. I found myself playing for hours with very different sounds and effects....... It has tons of features: the "2290" is an excellent modern delay; "analog/tape/slap" are different kinds vintage delays; the "modulation" delay provides a chorus in the feedback (set the time to zero and you'll have a nice chorus); "Ping Pong" is great for alternating delay repeats from left and right channels; "Reverse/Dynamic" are fun. The looper is too basic but it can be interesting if you don't have other loopers. Don't count on it if you are serious about looping (can't undo, can't stop and start the last recording, can't separately control the recorded volume without affecting the main volume). The Tone Print feature is amazing if you are friend with computer and cell phone apps. It allows to configure the pedal in ways you wouldn't imagine. The pedal is great for home & studio. For live performance, the disadvantage is that you can't store multiple presets, so you need a couple of seconds to configure the sound you want. I'll move to TC Flachback X4 or TC Tripple Delay in the future for sure.

Reliable, Fast and Easy to Use!

This pedal is one of my favorite common pedals from TC Electronic. The looping feature works smoothly and is precise. The delay settings are also ideal. I have had it for 5-6 years now and used it non-stop with little to no damage.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Swiss Army of Delays

What can't this pedal not do? With that ability to change up with toneprints, several delay types, or tweek with a computer you have millions of options. I lean towards setting up on the computer. It is a bummer you can't do this via android device like you can with a iproduct.

Construction: 5 Stars: solid as all T.C. products. The big screw makes it easy to access to change bypass or battery. You don't always have a screwdriver but you most likely have coinage in your pocket which will suffice in gaining access to the pedal. Some don't like the soft click when activate/deactivate thinking it is a poor switch that will give out but I prefer it over the EHX switches which are really noisy. The softer switch is a product Germanic engineering as with some German made telecom tools I have which these tools now have a noisy click because they did think it was performing like it was suppose to when there was no click.

Software: 4 Star. Toneprints are nifty if you are in a rut or trying to sound like a particular artist in a cover band. Computer interface is easy to figure out but would be better if you could use Android. You can set the parameters up so you don't have to get the flashlight to tweek the controls when changing delay types.

Delays: 5 Star You have many popular delays types to choose from. Warm analog type to pristine digital it is all there. I find this better sonically than the M9 or DL4 by Line 6 and 1/4 the size. The bitch is that you can't stack delays like the Line 6 M9 so I would recommend getting this with a Flashback Mini or a Flashback x4 (cheaper but big footprint) if this is something you are looking to do.

Looper 3.5 Star Haven't really used it since I have a Ditto looper which seems easier to use.

ALL THE DELAY

Soooooo many options. Don't know which delay type you'll want? Take the Flashback, it has them all, and if for some reason you still can't find the one you want? Toneprint. Genius. My main critisisim is the tap tempo. You hold the button which mutes your signal, and you strum to the tempo. Useful, don't get me wrong, but only if you already know you want delay in that sound and have time to set the tempo. No use for last second "Delay would sound great here" moments. Great pedal, but could use a re-issue with the tap-tempo addressed.

Most Versatile Delay.

If you're an analogue snob go pick up the Carbon Copy. If you're reading this chances are you're already comparing. It does what it does better than the Flashback, but that one trick pony can't do a tenth of what this pedal does. So if you're just looking for pure delay get the Carbon Copy, if you're looking for a staggering amount of options and sheer versatility, this pedal belongs on your board.

Time Machine of a Delay Pedal

This is by far the most versatile, compact, and pro quality delay pedal I've ever played. I went through a lot of delay pedals before I found this one and it has been a staple on my board for over a year now. This is one of the few pedals that if it broke, I would run out right away and buy a new one. Tons of tweaking ability inside and a wealth of clear delay sounds inside. It may sound stupid, but I like the way the footswitch feels. It's smoother and doesn't audibly "Click" when you engage it. Tons of possibilities. Trust me, you need this pedal.