So let’s get this straight. With the HOF2x4 you can create your own custom reverb sounds on a mobile app, beam it from your phone to the pedal through your guitar pickup, create six custom preset banks with eight per bank and play this reverb pedal like a wah-wah pedal, all while sounding as airy or as dark as you could get a reverb pedal to go. Crazy.
The HOF2x4 is a gorgeous pedal. Its shiny red finish contrasted with black knobs is a bold look. The knobs all feel nice to touch, the flick switch snaps into place with ease and the footswitches feel sensitive but durable. This pedal feels like it could take a year on tour and come back in working order.
The HOF2x4 has ten reverb algorithms built into the pedal, with the ability to adjust the decay, pre-delay, tone and level of each via the knobs. Using the flick switch you can access each of the algorithms plus the additional six TonePrint slots. You can modify each of the parameters using the knobs and store them in any of the eight available preset slots.
The sound of the pedal is very versatile. Ranging from the subtle Ambient and Room reverbs to the more extreme LoFi and Shimmer reverbs, the latter a brand new algorithm to this pedal boasting an otherworldly tone. Switching between effects on the buffered bypass setting allows the tail of the reverb to ring out while changing the sound of the new input. While sounding great on guitar, I found the pedal also functioned well with synths, drum sounds and effects, especially the shimmer setting.
Out of anything aboard this pedal, the MASH feature really sets it apart. Built into all four footswitches, MASH makes them touch-sensitive. While applying more pressure to the footswitch, in most cases opens up the reverb sound and closes it when taking pressure off. I had a lot of fun during testing using MASH to create swells and lulls in my reverb sounds. This feature really adds another level to the functionality of this pedal.
Input routing on the HOF2x4 is also versatile, supporting line and guitar level inputs and outputs in both stereo and mono. Along with this, the kill dry switch can be used to only output the reverberated signal. This allows for its use as a send/return feature, a great option for studio and live sound use. The level setting, which is basically a dry/wet knob, even at the maximum setting does not achieve a 100% wet sound which seems like possibly the only drawback from this pedal.
Utilising TC Electronic’s TonePrint, which is an app available for PC, MAC, Android and iOS, you can customise the parameters for the extra six TonePrint slots allowing you to tweak to your heart’s content. TonePrint lets you alter any and every part of the onboard reverb effects, not to mention you can change up to three parameters that MASH alters to achieve a unique sound in a matter of minutes.
All in all, this reverb pedal from TC Electronic is world-class. Utilising innovative technology to create customisable sounds with a user-friendly design that has flexible uses, the HOF2x4 is a welcome addition to a guitar players arsenal and studio engineers effect chain.
