Timefactor 2.0

[52ftbuddha]

Harmony Central is reporting that the timefactor 2.0 update is immediately available, the article no longer lists it as a Beta? Are eventide going forward without any further revision or is this article just direction to the beta?

rob

 

[Alex Law]

That's confusing. They were going to un-Beta it on the 18th, and then pushed it out to the 28th of February. Still looks that way at http://update.eventide.com/update/.

 

[starfish]

Harmony Central is reporting that the timefactor 2.0 update is immediately available, the article no longer lists it as a Beta? Are eventide going forward without any further revision or is this article just direction to the beta?

rob

I just installed it on Sat. and the version downloaded was the beta.

I don't know if it's just me, but the update did some things I didn't like sound wise. I can't put my finger on it yet. I need to check and see if the bypass type was reset and some other things. My first impression was to revert. But that's probably knee jerk at this point.

I also noticed a bug. When you're in tap tempo mode, you can press the tap tempo button once to see what the tempo is, then twist the encoder knob to manually fine tune the BPM tempo. With Beta 2.0 There's no visual feedback when you twist the knob. But when you press the tap button again, a single time, you can see the twist of the encoder in fact changed the tempo. The visual feedback used to be present in 1.1. Anybody else experience this?

 

[Alex Law]

The filters have changed - you may need to tweak your settings?

 

[blood5150]

im getting my TF via UPS today... should I wait to install the update and leave it as it is until the official update is out?

 

[Alex Law]

There are a few bugs in the update, although it's extremely promising. Depends whether you want to test a work-in-progress or not.

 

[starfish]

The filters have changed - you may need to tweak your settings?

That may possibly be it. However, one of my fave sounds is stock preset 1:1 with BPM, wet, and feedback levels set to taste. Would they have changed the sound of the preset with new filters? It could be that the wet, feedback, and bypass type was rest with the update. That could be enough of an audible change that the preset felt different on and bypassed. Couldn't touch it yesterday, but I'll check those tonight.

 

[Teahead]

Starfish, I agree entirely. My first instinct was to downgrade as soon as I played with the beta2. Bank 1:1 certainly changed for the worse although the filters and increased feedback range are great, along with the improved mix control.

 

[Alex Law]

Oh, I'm fairly certain that they may have - the filters seem quite different, a lot more range available. It also wouldn't surprise me if the supported release is improved, though. I've found a couple of looping & switch issues in the beta that they're going to fix.

 

[blood5150]

alright... so based on what I hear here (?), I am going to pass on the update until its official.

 

[Alex Law]

If you don't have the correct USB cable, you'll have to wait anyway!

 

[John Price]

im getting my TF via UPS today... should I wait to install the update and leave it as it is until the official update is out?

I got mine 2 weeks ago and the first thing I did was to install the update. I did notice that the presets listed on the preset card you get with it are set up different than what's programmed in my unit. I'm glad that I did the update, this way I can't get upset with the changes......

 

[Alex Law]

Hah! I like the way you think!

 

[g-nem]

If I understand correctly, the presets don't change at all when you install the update- I've overwritten all of them on mine, but when I installed the update, all of my saved patches had the same knob settings. What has changed is now the knobs do different things- for example, on the digital delay the tone knob used to be from 0 (flat) to 100 (treble cut). On the update it goes from -100 (bass cut) to 100 (treble cut), passing through 0 flat on the way. So any patch that had the tone knob 10 o'clock, which used to be a mild treble cut is now a mild bass cut. A lot of the knobs are this way- if any of your patches had a 100% feedback, now they are at 110% feedback- watch out!

IMO the update is completely worth it- the new filters are fantastic and the preset changing is faster and seamless with spillover on. The only thing you need to watch out for is switching patches with different delay times on certain settings you will get pitch shifted delays.

 

[NoFi]

"Thank you for trying out TimeFactor Rev 2.0 Beta.
Since this is Beta software, it has not received the level of testing required for a full release. While it has been well tested by Eventide staff, there is a small possibility that it has problems our testing has not revealed. We recommend that you only install this software when you have time to fully evaluate it, and never just before a tour or gig.
Please report any bugs you find to TF_Beta@eventide.com
We recommend that you back up your existing presets before updating to REV 2.0 Beta.

Some changes have been made to the Mix, Feedback, and Filter controls which may change the sound of User-Created Presets. You may want to adjust the Mix, Fdbk A, Fdbk B, and Filter controls of your Presets after updating.

TimeFactor REV 2.0 Enhancements

More Responsive User Interface
TimeFactor's Operating System software has been fine-tuned resulting in less latency when turning knobs, selecting effects, and responding to external controls.
Audio Enhancements
-New smooth/quiet transition between Active and DSP Bypass.
-Mix knob taper improved for better control.
-VintageDelay "Bits" control no longer introduces noise at low signal levels.
-Mix knob audio level issues have been fixed.
SpillOver
SpillOver provides smooth transitions when changing Presets by fading the lingering echoes of one Preset into the echoes of the next Preset. SpillOver [SPILL] can be turned ON or OFF from the Utility section of the System menu (Default is OFF.)
FeedBack Oscillation
The range of the Feedback controls for all delay effects has been increased to 110%. This allows TimeFactor to go into self-oscillation at high feedback values resulting in some very interesting (and potentially LOUD!) sounds. BE CAREFUL.
New Filters
TimeFactor V2 features dramatic new filters providing for greater sonic sculpting capabilities.
Global Mix/Tempo
Mix and Tempo now have independent Global settings in the System menu.
Looper Enhancements
-The Looper now responds to MIDI Start/Stop commands when MIDI clock is present.
-Looper Beats resolution has been improved in Tempo Mode.
-Loop splicing has been improved making Loops more seamless.
Aux Switch "Alternate" Mode
In Alternate Mode, the AUX switches act as Play Switches when the Stompbox is in Bank Mode and Bank Switches when the Stompbox is in Play Mode. Alternate Mode is the new default setting for the Aux Switches. The alternate mode switch designators are "FS1", "FS2" and "FS3" and can be reassigned in System Mode. "

 

[Angle Loss]

There is also this thread, for those who haven't seen it:

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/333792

I like the revisions so far, though there is still some things they are working on apparently, like the looper.

 

[The Pup]

 

[starfly59]

Can the Time Factor do reverse looping (record a guitar line into the looper, press something to play back the line backwards)? I love that feature of the DL4 and was just wondering if there is a similar feature in this pedal.

 

[Angle Loss]

Unfortunately not. But it could be included in a future software revision perhaps...

 

[starfish]

Ok, I was able to play with beta 2.0 a bit more tonight. I'm much more pleased. As suspected, many of the v 1.0 and 1.1 presets (not user changed, just stock presets) sounded different because the filter settings had changed. Once I tweaked these, reset my mix and feedback, I was basically back in business.

I would have much preferred that the software update took the sound of the old stock presets into account and made equivalent filter settings. But the upside is I really had to start tweaking and thus learned the interface/software changes rather quickly.

I agree that much has been improved. The new filters overall are really good. Who's complaining about the tape delay? It sounds pretty cool and I own an EP-1, a blue SIB Echodrive, a DM-2 with the MN3005 chip, and I've owned various Roland Space echoes. Digital isn't ever going to sound like real tape. But this is pretty sweet for a digital delay. It's way more musical than most will imagine by reading our threads. The new filter really refines it IMO. I've been so pleased with 1.0 since last July that I had a hard time finally convincing myself to try the beta. A bit bumpy at first, but now I like the ride a little bit better.

I'm still experiencing some strange operational issues, perhaps bugs. When I change presets, volume seems to be much lower. Then I will just ever so slightly tweak a setting like feedback by one or two notches and bam, full volume again. Another intermittent issue - I reported earlier that I'm not always getting visual feedback when changing the BPM manually. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Hopefully these will get worked out. I hear the looper is better but I don't care much. I have an RC-2 because I want full access to the gorgeous delay sounds while I'm looping. A best of both worlds and worth the price of an RC-2. Heck, it runs on a 9v battery too.

More tomorrow...