The TC Electronic Flashback Mini Delay is a mini-format delay pedal that shrinks the company's Flashback Delay down to a three-knob box built for tight pedalboards. TC Electronic announced it in 2014 as one of four miniaturized versions of its existing pedals, built in the same enclosures as the company's PolyTune Mini and Ditto Looper12. It is a digital delay: in its stock setting it uses TC's 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay algorithm, which produces a perfectly clean delay signal2.
The line was updated in 2019 with the Flashback 2 Mini Delay, based on the full-size Flashback 2 Delay and adding the MASH pressure-sensitive footswitch34. Both versions keep the same three-knob control set, so the Mini remains one of the simplest delays in TC's range, which otherwise spans up to the Flashback X4 and the Flashback Triple Delay.
A small digital delay with three knobs
The Flashback Mini Delay keeps its control surface to three knobs: feedback, delay and effect level5. That is the whole interface, and it is the main way the Mini differs from the larger Flashback pedals in TC's lineup, which add delay-type selection, presets and more. Guitar World's review of the mini pedals noted the Flashback Mini's delays include "sweet chorus-laden repeats and TC's classic 2290 digital delay"6.
The Mini also has one extra feature that its three knobs do not reveal. Guitar World's reviewer described it in 20155:
"The Flashback Mini Delay has an extra trick up its sleeve, an audio-tapping function that is engaged by holding down the [footswitch]"5
With audio tapping, you hold the footswitch and strum at the tempo you want, and the pedal sets its delay time to match5. It is a workaround for the lack of a tap-tempo switch, which the bigger Flashback pedals carry.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Feedback | Sets the number of repeats |
| Delay | Sets the delay time |
| Effect level | Sets the volume of the repeats against your dry signal |
The original Flashback Mini was announced alongside three other miniaturized TC pedals in 2014, all using the company's small enclosures shared with the PolyTune Mini and Ditto Looper12.
The Flashback Mini 2 and the original Mini
In December 2019 TC Electronic introduced the Flashback 2 Mini Delay alongside the Hall of Fame 2 Mini Reverb, both smaller versions of the company's existing Flashback 2 and Hall of Fame 2 pedals34. The Flashback 2 Mini keeps the three-knob layout of feedback, delay and level7, but it adds the MASH pressure-sensitive footswitch, which gives real-time parameter control: pressing the switch harder changes a delay parameter on the fly8.
The MASH footswitch also has a second job. Gearnews reported that "The MASH control on the Mini Flashback 2 Delay also doubles as a tap-tempo input for your delay times"3. Guitar World's review adds that you can select tap tempo rather than MASH if you prefer a conventional tap switch8.
The Mini 2 also changes what the pedal sounds like out of the box. Where the original Mini's stock setting is the clean 2290 digital delay2, Guitar World's reviewer found "the Flashback 2 offers the sound of a tape delay as shipped"8. Delicious Audio describes the Mini 2's next-generation delay algorithms as giving "ultra-realistic analog and tape delay tones with warble and flutter effects"9, and Guitar World's launch coverage lists ultra-realistic tape, analog and digital delays among its modes4. Delay time on the Mini 2 runs up to 800ms10.
| Flashback Mini (2014) | Flashback 2 Mini (2019) | |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit | Digital, 2290 stock algorithm2 | Digital, tape delay sound as shipped89 |
| Knobs | Feedback, delay, effect level5 | Feedback, delay, level53 |
| Footswitch | Audio tapping by holding the switch5 | MASH pressure-sensitive control, doubles as tap tempo38 |
| Delay time | Not stated | Up to 800ms10 |
The Flashback 2 Mini is designed and engineered in Denmark9. Its launch price was not yet announced when Gearnews covered it in December 2019, with the recommended retail price listed as to be confirmed3.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com reviewed the Flashback 2 Mini in February 2020 and rated it 9/10, with the verdict line "Just when you thought TC's mini-delay couldn't get any more clever…"11. Guitar World's review of the mini pedals found the three knobs could dial in a tape-style delay tone, and its budget delay pedals buying guide likewise notes you can use the three knobs to get a tape-style delay with up to 800ms of delay time on the Mini 2510.
For the original Mini, MusicRadar's review highlighted its range of delay sounds despite the small box, praising its "bevy of beautiful delays, including sweet chorus-laden repeats and TC's classic 2290 digital delay"6.
Where the Mini sits in the Flashback line
TC's Flashback delay range spans from the diminutive Mini up to the flagship Flashback X4, with the Flashback Triple Delay later added as a top-of-the-line model12. The Mini is the simplest entry: three knobs, one footswitch, no delay-type selector and no presets. Players who want delay-type selection, presets and a dedicated tap-tempo switch move up the range to the X4 or Triple Delay, while the Mini trades that flexibility for enclosure size and a simpler control set.
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Questions
Is the TC Electronic Flashback Mini analog or digital?
Digital. The original Flashback Mini Delay runs the 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay algorithm in its stock setting, which produces a perfectly clean delay signal. The Flashback 2 Mini is also a digital delay pedal, using next-generation algorithms that model ultra-realistic analog and tape delay tones with warble and flutter effects.
What delay algorithm is the Flashback Mini's stock setting based on?
The stock setting uses TC's 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay algorithm, which produces a perfectly clean delay signal. The 2290 is TC's classic digital delay, and the full-size Flashback Delay also includes it among its delay types alongside chorus-laden repeats.
How many knobs does the Flashback Mini have?
Three: feedback, delay and effect level. The Flashback 2 Mini keeps the same three-knob layout of feedback, delay and level, so both versions stay simple to dial in despite the small enclosure.
What is the difference between the Flashback Mini and the Flashback Mini 2?
The Flashback 2 Mini is an updated version built on the Flashback 2 Delay. It adds the MASH pressure-sensitive footswitch for real-time parameter control, which also doubles as a tap-tempo input, and its next-generation algorithms deliver ultra-realistic analog and tape delay tones with warble and flutter. The original Mini instead uses audio tapping to set delay time.
Does the Flashback Mini 2 have tap tempo?
Yes. The MASH control doubles as a tap-tempo input for delay times, and you can also select tap tempo rather than MASH as the footswitch's function. The original Flashback Mini has no tap tempo switch, but you can hold the footswitch and strum to set the delay time.
Sources (12)
- TC Electronic Expands Mini Pedals Line, Vintage Guitar magazine, 2014-05-13
- Pedal News: TC Electronics' Mini Pedals, Delicious Audio, 2014-06-02
- TC Electronic launches Hall of Fame 2 Mini Reverb and Flashback 2 Mini Delay, www.gearnews.com, 2019-12-13
- TC Electronic goes big on features with the new Flashback 2 Mini Delay and Hall of Fame 2 Mini Reverb, Guitar World, 2019-12-12
- Review: TC Electronic Mini Pedals, Guitar World, 2015-02-03
- TC Electronic Flashback Mini Delay review, MusicRadar, 2014-07-30
- TC Electronic releases the Hall of Fame 2 Mini and Flashback 2 Mini, Guitar.com, 2019-12-13
- TC Electronic Flashback 2 Mini & Hall Of Fame 2 Mini review, Guitar World, 2020-05-08
- New Pedals: TC Electronic Flashback Mini 2, Delicious Audio, 2020-01-07
- Best budget delay pedals: echo and slapback for not much greenback, Guitar World, 2024-03-27
- Review: TC Electronic Flashback 2 Mini & Hall of Fame 2 Mini, Guitar.com, 2020-02-11
- Review: TC Electronic Flashback Triple Delay Pedal, Guitar World, 2015-02-03
