Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo

Manual – 2014-06-24

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 1

 

Table of contents
Important safety instructions 3 Inputs, outputs and controls 15 Frequently asked questions 32
Caution 4 Power / Switching the effect on and off 18 Frequently asked questions about
Service 4 Audio in and out 18 TonePrint pedals 33
Warning 4 Expression pedal input 18
EMC / EMI 4 USB port 19 Links 34
Explanation of graphic symbols 5 MIDI IN / MIDI THRU jacks 20 TonePrint resources 35
Effect controls 21 Support resources 35
Before you begin 6 Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo delay types 23 TC Electronic on… 35
About this manual 7
Getting support 7 Using the Looper 24 Technical specifications 36
Using the delay in Looper mode 25
About this pedal 8 Recording a loop 25
Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo 9 Playing a loop continuously 26
True Bypass 9 Stopping loop playback immediately 26
Playing a loop once 26
TonePrint 10 Stopping loop playback at the end of the
What are TonePrints? 11 loop 27
Transferring TonePrints to your pedal Undoing a loop recording 27
using the TonePrint app 11 Erasing a loop completely 27
Editing TonePrints with TonePrint Editor 12 Loops cannot be stored 28

Setup 13 Maintenance 29
Ready… 14 Updating the firmware 30
Set… 14 Switching the pedal from true bypass to
Play! 14 buffered bypass mode 30
Kill-dry on/off 31

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 2

 Important safety instructions

Important safety instructions

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 3

 Important safety instructions

1. Read these instructions. 14. Refer all servicing to qualified service per- EMC / EMI
2. Keep these instructions. sonnel. Servicing is required when the ap- Electromagnetic compatibility / 
3. Heed all warnings. paratus has been damaged in any way, Electromagnetic interference
4. Follow all instructions. such as power-supply cord or plug is dam-
5. Do not use this apparatus near water. aged, liquid has been spilled or objects This equipment has been tested and found to
6. Clean only with a dry cloth. have fallen into the apparatus, the appara- comply with the limits for a Class B digital de-
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. In- tus has been exposed to rain or moisture, vice, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules.
stall in accordance with the manufacturer’s does not operate normally, or has been
instructions. dropped. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
8. Do not install near any heat sources such protection against harmful interference in resi-
as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other dential installations. This equipment generates,
apparatus (including amplifiers) that pro- Caution uses and can radiate radio frequency energy
duce heat. You are cautioned that any change or modifi- and, if not installed and used in accordance with
9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the po- cations not expressly approved in this manual the instructions, may cause harmful interference
larized or grounding-type plug. A polarized could void your authority to operate this equip- to radio communications. However, there is no
plug has two blades with one wider than ment. guarantee that interference will not occur in a
the other. A grounding-type plug has two particular installation.
blades and a third grounding prong. The
wide blade or the third prong is provided for If this equipment does cause harmful interfer-
your safety. If the provided plug does not fit Service ence to radio or television reception, which can
into your outlet, consult an electrician for All service must be performed by qualified per- be determined by turning the equipment off and
replacement of the obsolete outlet. sonnel. on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
10. Protect the power cord from being walked interference by one or more of the following
on or pinched, particularly at plugs, con- measures:
venience receptacles, and the point where
they exit from the apparatus. Warning – Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
11. Only use attachments/accessories speci- To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not – Increase the separation between the equip-
fied by the manufacturer. expose this apparatus to rain or moisture and ment and receiver.
12. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, objects filled with liquids, such as vases, should – Connect the equipment into an outlet on a cir-
bracket, or table specified by the not be placed on this apparatus. cuit different from that to which the receiver is
manufacturer, or sold with the ap- connected.
paratus. When a cart is used, use Do not install this device in a confined space. – Consult the dealer or an experienced ra-
caution when moving the cart/apparatus dio / TV technician for help.
combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning
storms or when unused for long periods
of time.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 4

 Important safety instructions

For customers in Canada Explanation of graphic symbols

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Ca-
nadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est

conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. The lightning bolt triangle is used to alert the
user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous
voltages” within the unit’s chassis that may be of
sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of elec-
tric shock to humans.

The exclamation point triangle is used to alert

the user to presence of important operating and
service instructions in the literature accompany-
ing the product.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 5

 Before you begin

Before you begin

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 6

 Before you begin

About this manual Getting support

This manual will help you learn understanding If you still have questions about the product af-
and operating your TC product. ter reading this manual, please get in touch with
TC Support:
To get the most from this manual, please read it
from start to finish, or you may miss important tcelectronic.com/support/
information.

This manual is only available as a PDF download

from the TC Electronic website. Enjoy your TC product!

Of course, you can print this manual, but we en-

courage you to use the PDF version, which has
both internal and external hyperlinks. For ex-
ample, clicking the logo in the upper left corner
of each page will take you back to the table of
contents.

To download the most current version of this

manual, visit

tcelectronic.com/support/manuals/

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 7

 About this pedal

About this pedal

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 8

 About this pedal

Thank you for spending your hard-earned mon- Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo True Bypass
ey on this TC Electronic product! We have done A synergy between two hit products, Flashback Here at TC, we have a simple philosophy: When
our best to ensure that it will serve you for many X4 Delay and the original Alter Ego Delay, Alter you are using one of our products, you should
years to come, and we hope that you will enjoy Ego X4 Vintage Echo combines innovative fea- hear something great – and if you don’t, you
using it. tures with twelve absolutely spot-on tributes to shouldn’t hear it at all. This is why this pedal
the most heralded delay units of yesteryear. sports True Bypass. When it is bypassed, it is
really off and has zero influence on your tone, re-
Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo is a culmination of a sulting in optimum clarity and zero loss of high-
pure love for superior vintage tape, analog and end.
digital delay sounds.
You will also be delighted to hear (literally) that
this TC Electronic effect pedal will let your dry,
Main Features unprocessed sound pass without ever convert-
– Twelve exclusive, gorgeous delay sounds ing it to digital – keeping your original tone pure
– Spot-on tributes to time-honored classic and and without any latency. This feature is called
vintage delay units analog dry-through.
– A true celebration of the best of the best in
tape, analog and digital delays Sometimes, it is advisable to switch an effect
– TonePrint-enabled – for a world of signature pedal from True Bypass to Buffered Bypass
and customizable effects mode. For more information, see “Switching
the pedal from true bypass to buffered bypass
mode”.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 9

 TonePrint

TonePrint

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 10

 TonePrint

This TC Electronic product supports TonePrints. But wouldn’t it be cool to have world-famous Transferring TonePrints to your
To learn more about TonePrints, go to guitar players – guys like Paul Gilbert, Guthrie pedal using the TonePrint app
tcelectronic.com/toneprint/ Govan, John Petrucci or Steve Vai – virtually Being able to virtually rewire your TC Electronic
rewire your reverb pedal, defining what should effect pedal wouldn’t be much use if you needed
happen “behind the scenes”? a lot of extra equipment to do it. This is why we
created the TonePrint app. The TonePrint app is
What are TonePrints? And how about doing this yourself? free software for popular smartphones that al-
When you look at your TC Electronic effect ped- lows you to “beam” new TonePrints right into
al, you’ll only see a few knobs. Actually, for some This is exactly what TonePrint allows you to do. your effect pedal whenever and wherever you
pedals, it’s just one knob. So – one knob, one feel like it.
function, right? TC Electronic is working with top guitar players
who explore a pedal’s hidden tonal potential, re-
Actually, there’s a lot more to it than meets the defining the controls and creating their personal Obtaining the TonePrint app
eye. TonePrints. And we are making these custom If you own an iPhone, you can download the
TonePrints available to you. Uploading them to TonePrint app from Apple’s App Store.
your pedal is really easy (see “Transferring Tone-
Star-tweaked signature sounds Prints to your pedal using the TonePrint app”) – If you own an Android phone, you will find the
When TC Electronic builds an effect pedal, the and with the amazing TonePrint Editor, you can TonePrint app on Google Play.
relationship between its controls and many pa- even create your own signature pedal, tweaked
rameters “under the hood” are defined by devel- specifically to your liking. Once you have the app, no additional downloads
opers, musicians and product specialists who or in-app purchases are required. You can ac-
live and breathe sound. This gives you an excel- You can change the TonePrint in your pedal as cess all available TonePrints from within the app,
lent starting point: a great-sounding pedal with often as you like, and the best part: and all TonePrints are free.
well-balanced controls.
It’s totally free.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 11

 TonePrint

Transferring TonePrints to Editing TonePrints with Obtaining TonePrint Editor

your pedal – step by step TonePrint Editor If you want to use TonePrint Editor for your Win-
– Launch the TonePrint app on your smart- The TonePrint app allows you to use TonePrints dows or OS X computer, download it from
phone. created by your favorite guitar and bass players.
– Find the TonePrint you want to use. You can But this is only the start. Using TC’s TonePrint tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/
browse TonePrints by Artist or Product (i.e., Editor, you can create your very own signature
pedal type). You will also find Featured Tone- pedal sounds. If you want to use TonePrint Editor on your Apple
Prints. iPad, download it from Apple’s App Store.
– Plug your guitar or bass into your TonePrint
pedal. TonePrint Editor features Please note that version 2.0 or higher of the
– Turn your TonePrint pedal on. – Use TonePrint Editor to build your own custom TonePrint Editor is required for working with TC
– Turn up the volume on your instrument and set sounds. Electronic Mini pedals. Version 2.0 has a Library
the pickup selector to one pickup. – Enjoy complete control over all effect param- function that allows you to access and use Tone-
– Hold the speaker of your smartphone next to eters and effect behavior – it’s your vision, Prints even without an Internet connection.
the chosen pickup and touch “Beam to ped- your sound.
al”. – Customize knob function and knob range to
suit your needs and sounds. Obtaining the TonePrint Editor manual
– Audition your sonic creations in real-time live Download the TonePrint Editor manual from
– make changes on the fly and listen to results
immediately. tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/support/
– Works with both PC and Mac.
If you open the manual for TonePrint Editor in
Last but not least… Adobe Reader, you can click on interface sec-
tions to jump directly to the sections of the man-
– TonePrint Editor is absolutely free! ual you are interested in.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 12

 Setup

Setup

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 13

 Setup

Ready… Set… Play!

Your TC Electronic effect pedal box should con- – Connect a 9  V power supply with the follow-
tain the following items: ing symbol to the DC input socket of your TC
Electronic effect pedal.
– Your TC Electronic effect pedal
– a power supply
– a USB cable
– 2 rubber feet for “non-velcro” pedalboard This product has no battery compartment.
mounting A power supply is required for operating this
– 1 TC Electronic sticker product.
– 1 leaflet about TC’s guitar FX product range – Plug the power supply into a power outlet.
– Connect your instrument to the in jack on the
Inspect all items for signs of transit damage. In pedal using a ¼“ jack cable.
the unlikely event of transit damage, inform the – Connect the out jack of the pedal to your am-
carrier and supplier. plifier using a ¼“ jack cable.

If damage has occurred, keep all packaging, as

it can be used as evidence of excessive handling
force.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 14

 Inputs, outputs and controls

Inputs, outputs and controls

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 15

 Inputs, outputs and controls

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – rear

Click/tap on user interface elements to jump to the respective sections of the manual.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 16

 Inputs, outputs and controls

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – top

Click/tap on user interface elements to jump to the respective sections of the manual.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 17

 Inputs, outputs and controls

Power / Switching the Audio in and out Expression pedal input

effect on and off The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo allows you to con-
Audio inputs (stereo) nect an expression pedal (optional/not included).
Power input The audio inputs of this pedal are standard ¼” Once you have connected and configured an ex-
To power up your pedal, connect a power supply jacks (mono/TS). pression pedal, you can use it to control one or
to its power input socket. more of the following parameters:
– If your signal source is mono, connect it to the
The power input socket of your TC Electronic MONO in jack of the pedal. – Delay Time
effect pedal is a standard 5.5 / 2.1  mm DC plug – If your signal source is stereo, connect the ca- – Feedback Level
(centre = negative). ble carrying the left signal component to the – Delay Level
MONO IN jack and the cable carrying the right
Your TC Electronic effect pedal requires a 9  V signal component to the STEREO IN jack. These parameters will be explained later in this
power supply providing 300  mA or more (sup- manual.
plied). You may also use another 9  V or 12  V Audio outputs (stereo)
power supply, as long as it provides 300 mA or The audio outputs of this pedal are standard ¼” You can define…
more. jacks (mono/TS). – which parameter(s) you want to control with an
expression pedal and
To minimize hum, use a power supply with iso- – If the next device in the signal chain has a mo- – the parameter range to control.
lated outputs. no input (e.g. your amp), connect the MONO
OUT jack of TC Electronic effect pedal to the Choosing an expression pedal
other device’s input. For use with the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo,
– If the next device in the signal chain has ste- you’ll want to use a 25 kOhm linear pot expres-
reo inputs (e.g. another stereo effect pedal), sion pedal.
connect the MONO OUT jack of your TC Elec-
tronic effect pedal to the left input and the Please note that a standard guitar volume pedal
STEREO OUT jack to the right input of the has a 250 kOhm logarithmic pot and cannot be
other device. used as an expression pedal for the Alter Ego X4
Vintage Echo.

If you already own an expression pedal and you

are not sure if you can use it with the Alter Ego
X4 Vintage Echo, please ask your local vendor or
get in touch with TC Support.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 18

 Inputs, outputs and controls

Assigning delay parameters Resetting parameters and USB port

and parameter ranges to parameter ranges Use the standard Mini-B USB port on your TC
an expression pedal To reset the parameters and parameter ranges Electronic effect pedal to connect your pedal to
You can control any combination of the Delay assigned to a preset, proceed as follows: a computer. This will allow you to load TonePrints
Time, Feedback Level and Delay Level param- into the pedal or create your own TonePrint us-
eters with an external expression pedal. – Connect an expression pedal to the Exp Pedal ing TC’s TonePrint Editor. For more information,
jack. see “TonePrint”.
– To set up parameters and parameter ranges, – Switch on the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo.
proceed as follows: – Choose the respective preset (A, B or C). If there should be firmware updates for this ped-
– Connect an expression pedal to the Exp Pedal – Set the expression pedal to the maximum po- al, they can also be installed using the USB port
jack. sition. – see “Updating the firmware”.
– Switch on the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo. – Press and hold the footswitch for the preset.
– Choose a preset (A, B or C).
– The LED of the selected preset will light up.
– Set the expression pedal to the maximum po-
sition.
– Set the knobs for the parameters you want to
control to the desired maximum values.
– Set the expression pedal to the minimum po-
sition.
– Set the knobs for the parameters you want to
control to the desired minimum values.
– Press and hold the footswitch for the preset to
store these settings.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 19

 Inputs, outputs and controls

MIDI IN / MIDI THRU jacks MIDI Thru jack

These are standard MIDI (Musical Instrument To forward the incoming MIDI signal to another
Digital Interface) connectors. MIDI-equipped device, connect the MIDI THRU
jack of the Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo to the MIDI
Input of another MIDI device.
MIDI In jack
Connect a computer/DAW (or another device
generating a MIDI Clock signal) to the MIDI IN
jack to control the pedal’s delay tempo.

An incoming MIDI Clock signal will override the

settings of the pedal’s own Delay Time knob.
However, the Subdivision Selector switch still
defines the actual note values used to generate
the delays.

You can also send MIDI Program Change mes-

sages from your computer (or another MIDI-ca-
pable device) to the pedal to switch between the
pedal’s three presets.

– Program Change message #001:

Recall Preset A
– Program Change message #002:
Recall Preset B
– Program Change message #003:
Recall Preset C

The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo is receiving MI-

DI messages on all MIDI channels (MIDI Omni
Mode).

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 20

 Inputs, outputs and controls

Effect controls The delay types are described in the section “Al- You can still use the delay effect when using the
Please note that the knob assignments on your ter Ego X4 Vintage Echo delay types”. Looper module. If you do so, use the Delay Level
TC Electronic effect pedal are the default as- knob and the Looper Level knob to balance the
signments. Using the TonePrint Editor, you can volumes of the effect and the audio loop.
rewire all knobs so they control one or several Subdivision selector
parameters of your choice. For more information, Use this switch to choose the note intervals that
see the TonePrint Editor manual. the delay repetitions are based on. Preset footswitches (A / B / C)
When the Looper/Delay switch is in the bot-
– Top position: quarter notes tom position (“Delay”), the three footswitches
DELAY TIME knob – Delay time control – Middle position: dotted eighths labelled A, B and C can be used to access the
Use the DELAY knob to control the delay time. – Bottom position: quarter notes and dotted pedal’s three presets.
eighths.
Almost all delay types have a delay range of When the Looper/Delay switch is in the top posi-
20 ms to 7000 ms (that’s seven seconds). Slap- Looper/Delay switch tion (“Looper”), you do not have access to pre-
back (“SLP”) has a range from 20 ms to 300 ms. Use this Looper/Delay switch to set the function- sets. Instead, the current positions of the delay
ality of the footswitches A, B and C. knobs define the delay settings.

FEEDBACK knob – Feedback control When the switch is in the top position (“Looper”), Recalling a preset
Use the FEEDBACK knob to set the desired the four switches A, B , C and Tap (Undo/Redo) Press the footswitch corresponding to the preset
numbers of delay repeats. Turning the FEED- control the Looper functions. you want to recall (use). Only one preset can be
BACK knob to the right will give you more delay active at a time.
repeats. For more information on the Looper, see “Using
the Looper”. The LED of the active preset’s footswitch will be
lit.
DELAY LEVEL knob – Effect level control When the switch is in the bottom position (“De-
Use the DELAY LEVEL knob to control the level lay”), the three switches A, B and C can be used Factory presets
of the delay repeats. to access the three presets. There are three factory presets, but you can
overwrite them with your own favorite settings.
The direct, unprocessed signal is always passed For more information on presets, see “Preset
at the original level (unity gain). Only the level of footswitches (A / B / C)”. A This is an Eric Johnson-style tape echo with
delay repeats is changed when turning the DE- somewhere between 2 and 3 repeats.
LAY LEVEL knob. B This is a swirly and big 2290 delay with modu-
Looper Level knob lation on the repeats. Great for clean playing
Use the Looper Level knob to set the playback and volume swells – or if you’re into U2…
Delay type selector volume of the Looper. C This is a short analog delay that will give your
Use the Delay type selector to choose the type sound a bit more ambience.
of delay you want to work with.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 21

 Inputs, outputs and controls

Preset off / Bypass mode Preset content Simply tap the Tap footswitch a few times in the
When none of the three footswitch LEDs are lit, A preset includes all settings of the delay mod- current song tempo.
the pedal is in bypass mode, and you will only ule – including the currently used TonePrint (i.e.,
hear the dry, unprocessed signal. if the Delay type selector is set to one of the four To readjust the tempo when it is a bit off (of
TonePrint slots). course, the drummer is to blame!), just tap the
If you have set the internal Kill-Dry dip switch to Tap footswitch again in the correct tempo.
the “On” position (see“Kill-dry on/off”), and none If you have attached an external expression ped-
of the three footswitch LEDs are lit, no signal will al, the parameters assigned to this expression Please note that the tempo is defined by tap-
be present at the output. pedal are stored as part of the preset as well. ping quarter notes. However, if you have set the
Subdivision Selector switch to the mid or bottom
Storing presets TonePrints and presets position, what you will actually hear are delay
When you have selected a preset and you have When you have stored a preset that is using a repeats with dotted eights and/or quarter notes
changed parameters (e.g. the delay time), you TonePrint, you can upload/beam a new Tone- timing.
may want to store your edited version of the pre- Print to that TonePrint slot without affecting the
set. preset. This means that you can effectively ac-
cess seven TonePrints, like this:
To store the current delay settings, press and
hold the footswitch of the currently active (lit) – Beam four TonePrints to the four TonePrints
preset slot for circa two seconds. slots of the pedal.
– Switch to TonePrint slot 1, adjust delay set-
The LEDs of the Tap footswitch and the selected tings and store the results as Preset A.
preset will blink to confirm that the preset has – Switch to TonePrint slot 2, adjust delay set-
been stored. tings and store the results as Preset B.
– Switch to TonePrint slot 3, adjust delay set-
Delay spill-over tings and store the results as Preset C.
The pedal has two bypass modes: True Bypass – Load four new TonePrints into the four Tone-
and Buffered Bypass. Changing the bypass Prints slots of the delay type selector.
mode is described under“Switching the pedal You now have access to seven TonePrints –
from true bypass to buffered bypass mode”. those in the four TonePrint slots and those stored
as a part of presets A, B and C.
When the pedal is set to True Bypass and you
switch off the currently selected preset, the de-
lay will immediately be switched off. Tap footswitch
To set the desired delay time, you can tap the
When the pedal is set to Buffered Bypass and Tap footswitch rhythmically. This is an alternative
you switch off the currently selected preset, the to using the Delay Time knob.
delay will be allowed to fade/“ring out”.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 22

 Inputs, outputs and controls

Alter Ego X4 Vintage TonePrint slots 1 to 4

Echo delay types The slots “1”, “2”, “3” and “4” of the Delay Type
Use the Delay Type Selector to choose the type Selector are “placeholders” for TonePrints. You
of delay you want to work with. The Alter Ego can load one TonePrint into each of these slots,
X4 Vintage Echo offers a wide range of vintage giving you access to four additional TonePrints.
delays.
Using and editing TonePrints is explained in the
– Binson Echorec 1* “TonePrint” section.
– Binson Echorec 2*
– Electro-Harmonix The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo comes equipped
Deluxe MemoryMan Chorus* with the following default TonePrints:
– Electro-Harmonix
Deluxe MemoryMan Vibrato* – Delay TonePrint by Steve Morse
– Tel Ray Organ Tone* – Basic Delay TonePrint by Bumblefoot
– TC Electronic 2290 Modulated – Basic Delay TonePrint by Doug Aldrich
– Reverse Modulated – Synth Delay by James “Munky” Shaffer
– Boss DM-2*
– Watkins Copykat*
– Maestro Echoplex 2*
– Electro-Harmonix Echo Flanger*
– Roland Space Echo* When you choose a delay type, the chosen de-
lay type will “pick up” the current positions of the
delay control knobs (for example Delay Time).
However, if you choose a preset and turn one of
the delay control knobs, nothing will change ex-
* All product names are trademarks of their re- cept for that one, specific parameter.
spective owners, which are in no way asso-
ciated or affiliated with TC Electronic. These
product names and descriptions are provided
for the sole purpose of identifying the prod-
ucts that were studied during product devel-
opment.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 23

 Using the Looper

Using the Looper

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 24

 Using the Looper

The Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo is actually two Using the delay in Looper mode Recording a loop
products in one: You can still use the delay when working with the Set the Looper Delay switch to “Looper”.
looper module. This means that you can record
– a delay pedal and loops with delay effects. – To start recording a loop, tap the Rec foot-
– a looper that allows you to build audio loops switch.
by stacking several recordings of what you Please note the following differences between – To stop recording, tap the Rec footswitch
are playing. Delay mode and Looper mode: again.

To operate the looper module, set the Looper/ – When the Looper/Delay switch is set to “De- You can start and stop recording while the loop
Delay switch to the “Looper” position. lay”, you are usually working with one of the is being played back.
three delay presets. In other words: Either
preset A, B or C is active, and the LED of the
respective footswitch is lit. Changing delay settings
– When the Looper/Delay switch is set to “De- while recording loops
lay” and no delay preset is active, the pedal As you can change delay settings during loop re-
is in bypass mode. No effect signal is coming cording, you can get really creative when stack-
out of the pedal, only the unprocessed signal ing your recordings.
is being passed through.
– When the Looper/Delay switch is set to “Loop- For example, you could start with a dry bass line
er”, you do not have access to presets. In- (Delay Level set to minimum), then add some
stead, the current settings of the delay con- chords with a subtle Tape delay and top it all
trols (Delay Type, Delay Time, Feedback, De- off with a solo drenched in a luscious “2290 w/
lay Level) apply. This means that “what you mod” delay.
see is what you hear” – and what you hear is
being recorded as part of a loop. Accordingly,
if you do not want to record any delay effects
as part of your loops, simply turn the Delay
Level knob down to minimum position.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 25

 Using the Looper

Playing a loop continuously Stopping loop playback Playing a loop once

To start playback of a previously recorded loop immediately To play back a previously recorded loop just
from the start, press the Play/Pause footswitch. To stop playback immediately, press the Play/ once, press the Once footswitch.
Pause footswitch again.
Playback will continue until you stop it.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 26

 Using the Looper

Stopping loop playback Undoing a loop recording Erasing a loop completely

at the end of the loop During loop recording, each new recording is To erase your loop recording completely (instead
To stop the playback of the loop at the end of the added on top of the loop’s previous version. of just undoing the last recording cycle) , press
loop cycle, press the Playback Once footswitch. However, if you make a mistake during a record- and hold the Undo footswitch.
The Playback Once footswitch will blink until the ing cycle, you can undo it by pressing the Undo
end of the loop cycle is reached. At this point, footswitch.
playback is stopped.
If you change your mind, you can press the Undo
This is very helpful if you want to end a perfor- footswitch again to bring back the previously de-
mance “gracefully” (i.e. right at the end of a loop leted recording cycle.
cycle) without having to worry about hitting the
footswitch at just the right moment. The undo/redo feature is not only useful for fixing
mistakes – it can also be used as a creative tool
on stage. Here is a simple example:

– Record a bass line (loop cycle 1)

– Record some chords (loop cycle 2)
– Record a melody (loop cycle 3)
– Tap the Undo footswitch to remove the melo-
dy. Sing or improvise.
– Tap the Undo footswitch again to bring back
the previously recorded melody.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 27

 Using the Looper

Loops cannot be stored

Please note that while you can store the delay
module’s settings as presets, you cannot store
loops. When you switch off the pedal, the current
loop is erased.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 28

 Maintenance

Maintenance

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 29

 Maintenance

Updating the firmware Applying the firmware update Switching the pedal from true
TC may provide updates for the built-in software – Quit all MIDI-related applications (e.g. your bypass to buffered bypass mode
of your pedal, the firmware. Updating your TC DAW) on your computer and launch the firm-
pedal’s firmware requires… ware updater you have downloaded in step 1. True Bypass and Buffered
– In the firmware updater app, select your TC Bypass explained
– a computer running Microsoft Windows or pedal from the drop-down list under the True Bypass mode is a hard-wire bypass that
OS X with a standard USB interface “STEP 1” heading. gives absolutely no coloration of tone when the
– the specified DC power supply for your pedal. – When the “Update” button under the “STEP 2” pedal is bypassed. This is the default mode for
heading turns green, click it. your effect pedal.
Preparing the firmware update
– Download the newest firmware from the “Sup- The updated firmware will now be transferred to Using True Bypass on all pedals is a perfect
port” page for your TC pedal. There are up- your TC pedal. Wait for the progress bar to reach choice in setups with a few pedals and relatively
daters 100%. When the update procedure is complete, short cables before and after the pedals.
– for Microsoft Windows (these are ZIP ar- the pedal will automatically restart.
chives containing the firmware installer) and If…
– for OS X (these are disk image files contain- – you use a long cable between your guitar and
ing the firmware installer). the first pedal or
– Unplug all cables (including the power supply) – if you use many pedals on your board or
from your TC pedal. – if you use a long cable from your board to the
– Connect the pedal to your computer using a amp,
USB cable. …then the best solution will most likely be to set
– Press and hold the leftmost footswitch on your the first and the last pedal in the signal chain to
TC pedal. Buffered Bypass mode.
– Insert the DC power supply plug.
– The leftmost LED on your pedal should turn Can you hear the difference between a pedal in
green. This indicates that the pedal is ready to True Bypass or Buffered Bypass mode?
receive the software update.
– Release the footswitch. Maybe, maybe not – many factors apply: active/
– Your TC pedal will now be recognized as an passive pick-ups, single coil/humbucker, cable
updatable device. quality, amp impedance and more. We cannot
give a single ultimate answer. Use your ears and
find the best solution for your setup!

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 30

 Maintenance

To set the bypass mode, proceed as follows:

True bypass
– Disconnect the pedal and turn it on its back.
– Unscrew the back plate of the pedal and look
for the two small dip-switches in the upper Buffered bypass
left corner.
– The upper DIP switch (the one closer to the
power in jack), switches between True Bypass
Kill-dry off
mode (default) and Buffered Bypass mode.
– Set the DIP switch to the desired position.
– Remount the back-plate.
Kill-dry on

Kill-dry on/off
When you activate Kill-dry, the direct signal is
removed from the pedal’s output. Use this mode
when you place your TC Electronic effect pedal
in a parallel effects loop.

To set Kill-dry mode, proceed as follows:

– Disconnect the pedal and turn it on its back.

– Unscrew the back plate of the pedal and look
for the two small dip-switches in the upper
left corner.
– The lower DIP switch (the one further away
from the power in jack), switches between Kill-
dry on and Kill-dry off mode.

You can only remove the dry signal from the sig-
nal path if you have selected Buffered Bypass
mode using the upper DIP switch – see “Switch-
ing the pedal from true bypass to buffered by-
pass mode”. Kill-dry is not available in True By-
pass mode.

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 31

 Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 32

 Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

about TonePrint pedals

“Are TonePrint pedals analog or digital?”

The dry signal of your guitar passes straight
through this effect pedal and is in no way digi-
tized. The “wet” signal is just added.

“Do the TonePrint pedals have balanced

or unbalanced inputs/outputs?”
TonePrint pedals have unbalanced inputs and
outputs. Use cables with TS jacks (i.e., standard
instrument cables).

“Is it possible to run this TonePrint pedal

in the effects loop of a tube amp?”
Yes. All TonePrint pedals have a very wide gain
range and are designed to run at both instru-
ment and line level. There are a few amps which
are capable of running much hotter than regu-
lar +4 dBu line-level signals because of the way
their effect loops are designed. With these amps,
it might be possible to get the input to clip. But
for 99  % of all amps, the TonePrint pedals will
work just fine.

For additional information about your TC Elec-

tronic TonePrint effect pedal, please go to TC
Electronic Support:

tcelectronic.com/support/

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 33

 Links

Links

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 34

 Links

TonePrint resources Support resources TC Electronic on…

– TonePrint: – TC Electronic service and warranty: – the web:

tcelectronic.com/toneprint/ tcelectronic.com/support/service-warranty/ tcelectronic.com/

– TonePrint products: – TC Electronic Support: – Facebook:

tcelectronic.com/toneprint/toneprint-prod- tcelectronic.com/support/ facebook.com/tcelectronic
ucts/
– TC Electronic – product software: – Google Plus:
– TonePrint app: tcelectronic.com/support/software/ plus.google.com/+tcelectronic/
tcelectronic.com/toneprint-app/
– TC Electronic – all product manuals: – Twitter:
– TonePrint Editor: tcelectronic.com/support/manuals/ twitter.com/tcelectronic
tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/
– TC Electronic user forum: – YouTube:
– TonePrint Editor manual: forum.tcelectronic.com/ youtube.com/user/tcelectronic
tcelectronic.com/toneprint-editor/support/

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 35

 Technical specifications

Technical specifications

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 36

 Technical specifications

Please note that due to continuous development, the following specifications are subject to change without further notice.

Bypass mode True Bypass (Buffered Bypass optional)

Signal circuitry Analog dry-through
Dimensions (width x depth x height) 235 x 145 x 57 mm
Input connector 2 Standard ¼” jacks – mono/TS with automatic mono/stereo sensing
Input impedance 1 MΩ
Output connector 2 Standard ¼” jacks – mono/TS with automatic mono/stereo sensing
Output impedance 100 Ω
Expression pedal connector Standard ¼” jack
Power input Standard 9 V DC, centre negative >300 mA (power supply included)
MIDI IN + MIDI THRU Standard 5 Pin DIN connectors
USB port Mini USB connector for uploading and editing custom TonePrints and for software updates

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 37

 Technical specifications

Alter Ego X4 Vintage Echo – Manual (2014-06-24) 38