Danish people are a very serious bunch; these tc pedals have an aura of 'serious musician's only', a bit like the atmosphere at the APRS. Certainly tc's reputation is one of high quality and expense. However all this high quality can go to your head I reckon, that's why I didn't receive any instruction manuals with most of these effects so I can't pass on all those little extra facts. Musimex (tc's U.K. distributor) were obviously concerned about my mental wellbeing.

Like a pack of Danish bacon the pedals themselves are neatly designed and housed in jackboot-proof metal boxes. The control knobs are a bit too tall however to be kick proof but maybe the Danes aren't as clumsy as us Brits. Each of the units — where appropriate — is fitted with a rather old-fashioned looking 'plunger' type bypass switch which is nonetheless positive in action. The units can be run from battery or mains and interestingly the higher the DC voltage used the higher the specifications.

The frequency range of these pedals is certainly in the studio range, more comparable to rack mount type units than floor pedals. However specifications are one thing and actual performance another — I decided to let the pedals do the talking, you can judge the individual spec for yourselves.

Stereo Chorus, Flanger and Pitch Modulator

RRP: £157

Apart from the internal design of this pedal there are only a couple of differences from a more standard unit, but you'd be very wrong to think that it is just another expensive stereo chorus. We have the standard rotary controls, speed, intensity and width, a small toggle selecting each of the three modes and a bypass switch. There is a single standard jack input, mono and stereo out plus external bypass which allows linkage to the remote switch. A small rotary control allows you to set the correct input level positioned next to an overload LED which is extremely useful especially in a studio environment.

This is the only unit which is solely mains powered and the on/off LED indicator doubles as a speed indicator for the modulation time.

Certainly you'll have a long search to find a pedal that operates to quite such a high degree; it is totally noiseless and the quality of the three effects leaves nothing to be desired. Very much a studio sound if you know what I mean, the chorus for example is very smooth whereas guitarists might want a 'harder' chorus for certain applications but as a general usage unit it's faultless. The pitch modulation is a useful additional sound combining chorus and vibrato but not the main strength of the unit.

Easily the best chorus I've heard for ages not to mention the flanger which is also superb. Whether you're an instrumentalist or a small studio this one would be a more than useful addition.

Phaser

RRP: £126

You can't give phasers away today but if someone offers you this one take it! It is the only usable phase pedal I've tried for ages. The reason behind this is simply the versatility of the sounds available. Not only do we have the usual speed and width controls but also a function control offering different bands within the sound to be emphasised in three degrees of peak, linear and notch. The phaser also has the facility to be 'programmed'. This is achieved with two separate jacks containing a modicum of extra circuitry which when plugged into the program socket subtly changes the overall character of the pedal. Another interesting feature is that a volume pedal can be connected into the program socket and used to control the rate of sweep, also enabling you to 'hold' the sound in a certain sweep position. The third function of the program socket is to link up another tc phaser so that two instruments can use the same sound or one instrument can have a stereo output. A small toggle switch allows a choice of three different filter settings providing yet more tonal variations. An external power socket and (unlabelled) external bypass socket complete the picture.

This is also offered as a Bass/Keyboard phaser with a working range one octave lower than the standard model. Certainly tc have thought of everything — about the only thing it won't do is warm up a slice of their native bacon!

Of course this pedal is still a phase pedal and the inherent characteristic isn't to everyone's taste but it certainly has taken phase effects probably as far as they can go.

Remote Switch

RRP: £21

%image4% I drew a blank on this I'm afraid, despite nearly all the pedals coming without instructions this was the only one I couldn't figure out. It has three switch inputs (two As and one B) plus an output and a single on-off switch. Connecting up a couple of pedals to this it's possible to switch them in and out via the single switch on this unit but because the switch goes in a cycle of four this doesn't seem particularly effective. For example the first clonk on the switch activates both pedals 1 and 2, the next 1 alone, then 2 alone and finally neither. Connecting a lead from the output into an amp amplified the clonk of the switch — very handy. I'm sure when used but due to the lack of info I'll just say that I must have missed the point!

Booster, Linedriver and Distortion

RRP: £94

This unit is typically multifarious in its functions and typically well thought out. On a basic level it is a booster but offering a treble and bass boost/cut of plus or minus 15dB. An XLR output is provided which sends a low impedance signal designed for DI-ing into a desk. Via a small switch, clean boost or distorted boost can be selected the distortion having its own control to determine the amount required. Mind you it's a very 'clean' distortion (if that's possible) the type found on every American AOR record. If that's what you want you're okay but it is a bit sterile and 'overproduced'. Also included is a noise suppressor with a smooth cut-off point and variable threshold level but unless you have a noisy input signal or are using other noisy effects in line it is redundant, as like all these tc units, the pedal itself is perfectly quiet. The standard single point output jacks are featured as well as external power and external bypass sockets.

Integrated Preamplifier

RRP: £52

A simple unit this, but again one with more than satisfactory specifications. It is very simple in use with three controls for treble bass and volume. Uses? Well just about anything really from overdriving amps to matching levels with a desk or compensating for long leads on stage. Basically wherever you have a level problem this will sort you out and with the minimum of additional noise.

Sustain and Parametric Equalizer

RRP: £94.50

Visually this is pretty similar to the Booster pedal with the same input and output and linkage sockets, four rotary controls plus noise suppressor. However, its functions are very different. Primarily it is a compressor/sustainer which allows you to compensate for high level sounds with a very low actual amp level, via the sustain control.

The second control — gain — allows you to decrease of increase the level coming from your instrument. There is also a distortion on/off switch which introduces a fixed amount of distortion into the sound. A main part of the design of this pedal is its use in conjunction with either the Booster pedal or with an overdriven amp setting enabling you to reduce your overall level but still retain the overdriven or distortion sound.

The second but equally effective part of this pedal is the parametric Eq controlled by two knobs — function (Cut or boost) and (frequency) centre — plus a two way switch selecting either a one octave bandwidth or 0.2 of an octave. The centre range is from 50 to 5000Hz and provides an extremely broad tone range.

Mind you this pedal takes some setting to achieve a good result. It's not an 'instant effect' but an extremely useful one, albeit subtle. Certainly this unit will solve any tonal or sustain problems you might have when it comes to solo time not to mention that those big sounds can be achieved without annoying the neighbours. Not only useful pedal for live work but also for the studio environment where it would be extremely handy for compression and high level only sounds.

Dual Parametric Eq

RRP: £84

This really is a surprise, a dual band parametric plus treble control all of studio quality for £84. A parametric Eq is worth its weight in gold for so many applications from studio on live mixing to individual sound modification. The two bands on this unit take care of low/mid frequencies (20 - 2kHz) and mid/high (100Hz - 10kHz) selected by the two centre controls. Each of the ranges has a bandwith option of between 0.1 and 1 octave plus a boost and cut of plus or minus 16dB. The treble control has a plus or minus 16 dB cut or boost, and there is an overall gain of plus or minus 12dB. Lastly there is an Eq in/out switch.

This probably isn't the place to discuss the pros and cons of parametric Eq but it is enough to say that any problem sound, feedback, hum and boom for example can easily be accessed and removed. Because of the wide bandwidth selection even very small adjustments can be made to a sound without changing the overall sound greatly, a facility the manufacturers say is the equivalent of having a 330 band graphic Eq!

Certainly though a pedal as precise as this would be wasted on all but the most discerning instrumentalist and might find more use in a budget recording studio where two of these units would provide a handsome stereo para metric system at an extremely good price.

Power Supply

RRP: £42

This unit comes with four outputs specifically designed for the tc units. Two models are available, one with four 9 volts outputs and the other with two 9 volts and two 18 volts. Of course being a tc unit it's not as simple as that, having a short circuit protect circuit and a total absence of hum or noise.

Conclusions

Quite a remarkable range of pedals these, of great use to any musician not to mention their studio applications. Expensive? No, I don't think so; £157 is a lot of ackers for a chorus/flanger but you only have to hear the quality of the sound to realise just what you're paying for. These tc pedals certainly have some impressive specs too but don't get misled by all that, I've tried to review the pedals and not the spec sheet. After all, if you can't hear the difference between the tc Chorus and a cheaper make there's absolutely no point in you buying one is there?

They are hard to fault technically although I don't go a bundle on the LED on/off indicators which fade away to save battery drain after a few seconds — it's nice to be able to immediately see what is on and what isn't. Similarly those programme jacks for the phaser pedal wouldn't last more than days in yer average muso's gig bag, not tc's finest moment. Barfing that, the units are well built and should last a longtime in most situations.

If you're looking for some effects and processors do try these pedals, do a comparison with other makes and if the difference your ear hears matches the added expense then buy some. Do not be taken in by a salesman quoting the spec sheet at you, judge the pedals for their performance!

tc ELECTRONIC STAGE EFFECTS UNITS - RRP: SEE COPY