TC Electronic Sub 'n' Up Octaver

122
Guitarist november 2016
TC ElECTroniC
P
olyphonic octave pedals have taken off in the last
few years and now TC Electronic has joined in
the fun with the Sub ’N’ Up, a pedal capable of
adding up to three additional octaves to your dry signal
– one up, one down and two down. This pedal, however,
goes beyond the sound of straight octaves thanks to
TC’s TonePrint facility, which allows you to zap factory
or artist-created presets into the pedal, or alternatively
create your own using the editing software.
Sounds
Operation of the Sub ’N’ Up is pretty straightforward:
you get individual knobs for each of the four signals,
so you can create your own blends. A three-way toggle
switch sets the mode you work in, the first of which is
Poly, which offers polyphonic octaving, so can work
equally well on chords or single notes. Here, you can
start with subtle enhancement of the dry signal – just
a touch of single or multiple octaves added in can give
you a fuller, more dimensional sound. Higher settings
of the octave knobs can yield the illusion of guitar
and bass playing in unison or offer layered octaves for
some truly massive sounds, considerably empowered
through fuzz/distortion or an overdriven amp. A more
pragmatic approach can see the high octave knob
set somewhere in the higher regions of its travel for
delivering a passable impersonation of a 12-string that
can be thrown into a song for extra flavour.
The Classic mode offers the sort of old-school
monophonic octave shifts associated with vintage
octave pedals (complete with glitching if you attempt to
play chords) and is great for huge, tightly-tracked Seven
Nation Army-style riffs or if you’re just wanting to play
basslines on a standard guitar.
It’s all good, but what really unlocks the pedal’s
potential is the TonePrint capability, which can add
modulation into the sonic equation. Here, you’ll find
organ sounds or be able to mix in, say, flanging or
overdrive for an eclectic array of alternative tones.
Verdict
A definite winner, this easy-to-use pedal is small
enough to slot into most pedalboard scenarios
and seemingly costs a lot less than the immediate
competition while offering more versatility. It’s the
perfect tool for stoner rock and metal players looking
for the sound of doom, and proggers, fusionists,
experimentalists, noiseniks and those guitar-and-drum
duos who like to create a much bigger sound than two
people should reasonably be expected to.
Tech Spec
ORIGIN: Thailand
TYPE: Octave pedal
FEATURES: True
bypass (optional
buffered bypass)
CONTROLS: Dry,
Up, Sub, Sub 2,
Poly/TonePrint/
Classic switch,
internal dipswitch,
bypass footswitch
CONNECTIONS:
Standard input,
standard output, USB
POWER: 9V DC adaptor
(not supplied) 100mA
DIMENSIONS: 48 (w) x
93 (d) x 48mm (h)
TC Electronic
0800 917 8926
www.tcelectronic.com
TC ELECTRONIC
Sub ’n’ up oCTavEr
£122
9
TC Electronic jumps into the polyphonic octaver fray with a pedal
that has hidden depths just waiting to be unlocked
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Neil Godwin
PROS Three separate octaves with clean tracking; TonePrint
facility to create a wide variety of sounds; compact; low cost
CONS Separate outputs for the dry sound and the octaves
might have enhanced the versatility
GIT413.peds_tc.indd 122 28/09/2016 14:37