Eventide TimeFactor Settings Guide
The Eventide TimeFactor is a dedicated stereo delay pedal with 10 delay types including Digital, Vintage Digital, Tape Echo, Mod Delay, Ducked Delay, Reverse, and Band Delay. It was the first of Eventide's Factor series pedals and introduced professional-grade stereo delay processing to the pedalboard market. MIDI in/out, tap tempo, stereo I/O, and 100 preset slots make it a professional live performance tool. Succeeded by the H9 algorithm library but still in active use.
The best Eventide TimeFactor settings start with: Mix at 4/10, Delay at 5/10, Feedback at 4/10, Xnob at 5/10, Ynob at 5/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Classic Rock (Tape Echo): Mix 4/10, Delay 5/10, Feedback 3/10, Xnob 6/10, Ynob 5/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Mix | 4/10 | Dry → Wet |
| Delay | 5/10 | Short → Long |
| Feedback | 4/10 | None → Inf |
| Xnob | 5/10 | Min → Max |
| Ynob | 5/10 | Min → Max |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Tape Echo mode — the TimeFactor's tape simulation degrades repeats with high-frequency roll-off, modulation, and saturation, mimicking the Sound City, Echoplex, or Binson Echorec character. Feedback at 3 for 2–3 repeats. Xnob (Wow/Flutter) at 6 adds subtle tape instability.
Mod Delay mode with long Delay and high Feedback — modulated delay where the repeat pitch slowly modulates. Near self-oscillation at Feedback 7. Used for ambient washes where the modulated repeats add harmonic movement.
Digital mode, short Delay, single Feedback — clean, precise digital slapback with no tape saturation. Xnob controls stereo spread in digital mode; at 5 it's a standard mono delay. One tight repeat.
Digital delay with tempo-synced dotted-eighth timing via tap tempo. The TimeFactor's tap tempo mapping allows precise synchronisation to song tempo for the rhythmic delay approach that Edge popularised on The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The TimeFactor's Killdry mode (accessible via system menu) removes the dry signal entirely — useful when running it in a parallel effects loop where the amp provides the dry signal and the TimeFactor provides 100% wet delay only.
- Tap tempo triggers via the right footswitch when not in bank mode — in bank mode, right footswitch switches presets. Holding the right footswitch while in bank mode activates tap tempo. Read the manual for the footswitch behavior in your chosen operating mode.
FAQ
Eventide TimeFactor — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Eventide TimeFactor: Mix at 4/10, Delay at 5/10, Feedback at 4/10, Xnob at 5/10, Ynob at 5/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Classic Rock (Tape Echo): Mix 4/10, Delay 5/10, Feedback 3/10, Xnob 6/10, Ynob 5/10. Tape Echo mode — the TimeFactor's tape simulation degrades repeats with high-frequency roll-off, modulation, and saturation, mimicking the Sound City, Echoplex, or Binson Echorec character. Feedback at 3 for 2–3 repeats. Xnob (Wow/Flutter) at 6 adds subtle tape instability.
For Ambient (Mod Delay): Mix 6/10, Delay 7/10, Feedback 7/10, Xnob 5/10, Ynob 5/10. Mod Delay mode with long Delay and high Feedback — modulated delay where the repeat pitch slowly modulates. Near self-oscillation at Feedback 7. Used for ambient washes where the modulated repeats add harmonic movement.
Mix: Wet/dry balance (Dry to Wet). Delay: Delay time (Short to Long). Feedback: Repeat count / feedback (None to Inf). Xnob: Algorithm-specific parameter X (Min to Max). Ynob: Algorithm-specific parameter Y (Min to Max)
The TimeFactor's Killdry mode (accessible via system menu) removes the dry signal entirely — useful when running it in a parallel effects loop where the amp provides the dry signal and the TimeFactor provides 100% wet delay only. Tap tempo triggers via the right footswitch when not in bank mode — in bank mode, right footswitch switches presets. Holding the right footswitch while in bank mode activates tap tempo. Read the manual for the footswitch behavior in your chosen operating mode.
Got the Eventide TimeFactor? Build the rest of your rig.
Use the Rig Builder to find matching guitars, pedals and cables for your genre and budget.