Review Demo - TC Electronic SpectraDrive
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- Read the review: bit.ly/TCElectr...
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to find a solid bass tone. While our guitarist compadres rack their brains trying to find the perfect relationship between instrument, amp, and effects, we bassists often just plug our trusted axe into an amp and-with a few tweaks of the preamp-voilà! It’s low-end gold. Numerous bass-gear designers have acknowledged this resourceful approach in creating portable devices loaded with essential components for the working bassist. TC Electronic is one such designer, and their latest pedal, the SpectraDrive, marries function and form. It’s a combination preamp, DI, effects pedal, and practice tool, all packaged into a sandwich-sized stompbox.
TC Electronic has worked with a lot of bassists over the years, and it’s clear the SpectraDrive is a product born of these relationships. The front panel contains a 4-band preamp that’s voiced similarly to the EQs in TC’s amps. Along with the gain and level controls, the six knobs surround two of the standout features of the pedal: the TubeDrive and SpectraComp controls. Although the pedal has built-in effects, these controls function with TC’s proprietary TonePrints technology, which allows players to fine-tune the drive and compressor effects by downloading different TonePrints from TC’s website or app.
Many preamp boxes provide DI functionality, but the SpectraComp contains a couple extra goodies. Accompanying the ground/lift and pre/post switches around back is an instrument/line switch, which extends the sonic quality of the signal to the mixing board. Meanwhile, the company’s Bonafide Buffer circuitry mitigates tonal degradation due to long cable runs.
The SpectraDrive also transforms into a practice amp. A pair of mini jacks are located on the left side for headphones and audio playback devices. TC uses speaker cabinet simulation to deliver a live feel through the headphones.
Continue reading the review: bit.ly/TCElectr...
I bought that pedal last month and it is awesome. I don't know why it sounds so bad on this demo. Maybe the distorted bass is weird when isolated. I don't know. The surest thing is you are not doing TC Electronics any favor guys... that pedal is awesome and you're making it sound like crap...
I watched a Ben Eller video where he plays a Green Day song with this pedal and it sounded awesome.
Yep. I almost turned it off after 15 seconds. Classic bass tricks vs actually useful sounds.
Facts this is a horrible demo.
ABSOLUTELY David - shit demo, great pedal. So bad, I didn't even get that it was a BASS being played in the intro until I saw the bass-guitar. obviously (as in most YT demos, the song choice cannot be anything we recognize in case UA-cam CENSORS their demo... Hearing the excellent tc gear is useless until you can play the most famous track it was used on!!
Bass drive in isolation always sounds weird to me. I know that the high end presence/fizz is what sticks out in a mix, but it's an odd sound to my ears.
Did you recognise the special thing about Tc EQ? The frequencies is different depending if you nor’easter or decrease. I don’t know if it is really so special or helpful but it should be mentioned.
Cool demo, very ASMR.
I wish they (they being whoever) would make more pedals like this for guitar players.
I have that same exact pedal and not only it sounds 1000 times better than showed here, it is usable with guitar too. Both as a compressor or overdrive. It also has the Toneprint function to drastically change the sound (if you want).
Can any Toneprint get a clean tube (read SVT) sound?
than you for the good review!
Our bassist, who is a gear whore, grabbed one of these. Dialed in some tones and says it'll never leave his board. Sounds really good. This, did not do the thing justice.
I don´t think you could sell one of that pedals with this kind of "demo"...
So many reports about tc electronics tone print but no one reports about the small but significant drawback. The strong differences in volume. This is a blocker for live applications. My practical experience has been with several products. Bass amps BH500, BG250-210, BG250-115 first generation, BH250 and pedals Spectracomp, Sub'n'up, Helix phaser as well as the Spectradrive pedal which is similar in se8nem construction to the amps. The one-button solution is simple but limited. If I set the desired amount of compression, I cannot compensate for the level increase; if I set the volume of the distorted Spectradrive sound, I have no influence on the amount of distortion. This is not noticeable with Sub'n'Up and Helix, which have more than one knob. Don't get me wrong. The idea behind TonePrint is clever, the Customer Presets are exciting, the application is simple, the possibilities via App on the PC near inexhaustible. - - But only for the studio. Live it does not work. I have discovered great sounds with the Pectracomp. But as soon as I turn off the pedal, the volume is too low. So the pedal has to stay on all the time. But what to do if I want different compressor settings for individual songs? Does not work, end off, bad luck. For live use better invest in many pedals or a digital multi-effect. For the latter, I'm thrilled with Zoom. Since the B1 over B3 to my current B3n. Robust, useful sounds (unlike Boss) and affordable.
Like most people on here I have cupboards full of pedals, I have one dedicated to the TC stuff that breaks or doesn't function properly. Expect it to have a limited life then for them to ignore you when you enquire about getting it fixed.
Sorry Steve, I know you mean well, but you shouldn't be reviewing gear... You just don't have enough chops to make the gear sound good. Normally, when it's just basses, we can more or less understand how the bass sounds despite your lack of technique, but on a piece of gear like this one, your lack of capability of producing a good sound out of a bass, just makes this pedal sound totally like crap.
doesn’t hold a candle to the dark glass... assuming that’s what it’s trying to be a cheaper version of
idk whatever idea on a drive...same old story at least like 100ufs in the front....aliveeee and still swirly when you get on it etc.
Nice job..this PJ is?
Thku.
It's an LTD.
I only know this because I own the jazz version of it lol
Thku!!204 Esp
Sounds like arse!
DMSProduktions My arse is more tuneful
So is mine! Esp AFTER a CURRY! ;oP (Yours too I expect!)
DMSProduktions Should clip a polytune on and see what note it is haha
ATCHA!
Sounds good
I'm sorry, but I've got one of these and it sounds WAAAAAAYYY better then what I'm hearing here...Go find another proffession, this demo does not do justice to the pedal, not by a long shot!!!!
Hi, it's possible ti activate only compressor without preamp?
@@johnfa51 Yes, both can be used separate from each other..
My God that thing is crap!
It's the player
Should have just said "for bass" in the title so we could have skipped it.
Sounds horrible
He makes it so. TCE can sound good. I have heard them. This dude tho...
it must be the demo.. no idea how they managed to make it sound so shitty. I don't believe TC would put out such horrible sounds.
Pessima apresentação do pedal, serviu mais para desmerecer o produto do que para apresentar o que realmente ele tem...
The Darkglass B7K eats hundreds of Spectra Drives for breakfast.
For the price the tc SpectraDrive sounds really good. The headphone out also sound very good.
totally unusable
Premier guitar, please find bassists when demoing bass stuff. No one strums chords on bass.
Go back to the drawing board!
I dont understand , how the tc team function those recent years ? Like doing affordable stuff for musicians by soundding crap and cheap ...!! when we know their reputation..as serious company.. doing a serious top gears in the past ...how they put all their efforts making a genius concept pedal like this .. soundding crap..!!?
Are they walking backwrds ..?
Or is it part of th New world order program...:) ?
No weight, no musical no lowend