Recording Studio Equipment

Who IS this guy, and why does he care about the M350?

I’ve been a semi-professional live musician for many years, mostly low-key, “house of worship” stuff, but there was also a time when I actually toured the US and Canada as a rhythm guitar player with a contemporary Christian music group. I’ve never fussed much with big banks of guitar or vocal effects, because the kind of music I do generally doesn’t require them. However, in more recent years, I find myself doing a bit more live PA work, both for myself and for other musicians/singers, so my interest in these accessories has increased. What I started looking for in particular was a very simple, rackmount effects processor that would just allow me to do a bit more by way of “warming up” live vocals, e.g., reverb, delay and compression.

Studio vs. Stage

With the explosion of digital recording and “post-production” processing of every kind of media imaginable, something of a split has occurred in the huge variety of audio signal processors available in the market, e.g., between platforms designed for highly controlled, computerized studio and “post-production” work, and platforms designed for “real time” stage and live performance. The TC Electronics M350 can be used in either setting, but its rackmount format and system of external knobs and buttons for control of all its functions is really ideal for “dinosaurs” like me, who don’t want to have to haul a laptop computer around just to add a reverb and effects loop to a few channels on their mixer in a live setting. This review is written for all you live stage techs and analog dinosaurs out there who are looking for the same thing, and don’t want to negotiate an animated replica of a control panel on a computer screen, or a baffling array of “soft-keys” and LCD/plasma menus whenever you want to change effects or kick the gain up a notch. I’m here to tell ya, the TC Electronic M350 fits that bill.

What the heck does “dual engine” mean?

The M350 is a true “dual engine” device. That means it has two distinct signal processors combined in one unit. One of these processors is dedicated to “effects” and the other one is dedicated to “reverb.” That also means that when the M350 is hooked up to the right kind of mixer (e.g., one that has at least two separate “aux” inputs/sends available to dedicate to “efx”), the amount of “effects” and “reverb” you’re applying to any particular sound source can be separately controlled at the mixer. The nature, sound and character of the signal processing itself still has to be selected and controlled from the face of the M350. For those of you that don’t have such a mixer, or only one aux send available for “efx,” you can still access both “engines” in the M350 by setting it up in serial or parallel mode, running both effects through a single aux send/return, and controlling the balance between, and amount of signal processing by each of the individual “engines” from the face of the M350.

The effects “engine”

On the effects side, the M350 provides a total of 15 distinct effects, with potential applications to both instruments and vocals, including several unique delays, chorus, phaser, flange, compression and de-essing. Each of these individual effects can be modified to suit individual tastes, assigned a number between 1 and 99, saved in the M350’s memory as a user preset, and then later recalled on demand. Don’t be intimidated by all the jargon, however. This thing couldn’t be any easier to use. Getting any one effect up and running is as simple as turning the selector knob to the effect you want to hear, and putting the adjustment knobs at 12 o’clock. At this setting, you’ll hear the “default” effect, or what the factory guys consider a basic example of the effect you selected. You can then use the adjustment knobs to tinker with this sound if you wish, or if you think the “default” sound is fine, just leave it alone and enjoy. The functions of the adjustment knobs automatically vary, depending on the effect you’ve selected. There’s even a “tap” button on the face of the M350 that allows you to synchronize the timing of your chosen delay with your “real time” playback. Nice touch.

The only problem I noted with the multiple effects provided with the M350 is the fact that you can’t combine any of them. You may select and use only one effect at a time. That’s not surprising for an “entry level” effects processor like the M350, but it’s kind of sad, since many of these are effects you might like to combine, like continuous compression and de-essing on a vocal track/channel, or continuous delay and chorus on a keyboard or guitar. In this particular configuration, however, the only way to combine effects in “real time” is to have multiple M350’s in your effects loop. I took off one rating “star” for this limitation, but I admit it could just fall into the “you get what you pay for” category, and not necessarily be a legitimate basis for complaint.

The reverb engine.

The “reverb” side of the M350 operates in the same way as the “effects” side, but the reverbs are really what this gizmo is all about … a total of 15 “canned” reverb formats, easy to select, use and modify. Check out the detail of the M350’s faceplate on the TC Electronic website, if you’d like to see the manufacturer’s descriptions of its individual reverb or effects settings. I’ve tried most of the “default” reverbs through a typical PA/mixer set up, and I thought they were great … quiet, clean and polished. If you’re like me, and just want the ability to quickly and simply put a touch of quiet, quality reverb into any channel on your mixer, you WILL be happy with this product.

The M350 and MIDI

While you can only access one distinct effect or reverb at a time in either of the two processing engines found on the M350, the device is MIDI-compatible, and can receive/send signal in either digital or analog format, so I assume that anyone who wants to incorporate the M350 into some kind of computerized sequencing system can alternate effects and settings in a single playback through a series of MIDI commands, with the same limitation, however. MIDI may allow you to jump from effect to effect, or from reverb to reverb in a single playback track, but you’ll still only get one effect/reverb at a time out of the M350. Using MIDI to control a device like the M350 is far too complex a subject to talk about in any detail here … it’s just good to know you can do it if that’s your thing.

The bottom line.

The M350 lists at $249, but most of the major music retailers I looked at offer it at $200, which I consider a decent value. If that’s a bit rich for your blood, you can probably find a used one for a little less on E-bay, and most of those will be indistinguishable from a new unit, as there really isn’t much that can be damaged or fail on a unit that’s been properly used in a typical rackmount application. The M350 is solidly constructed, lightweight, provides an effects loop that’s silent as a grave, easy to use, looks really cool in your rack, and its connection options, effects and reverbs are all great. Most amateur/casual users will never need much more than what this thing has to offer, and even pros will find it useful for limited applications … like monitor feeds for those insecure prima donnas who just can’t seem to drag themselves on stage without a little “post-EQ” delay and reverb added to their voice …

For me, this gizmo fit the bill in every respect, and if your goals/needs are similar to mine, I think you’ll be satisfied with the M350 too.

I’ve had this about a month now and I love it. I use it for home recording and primarily use the reverbs for vocals and electric and acoustic guitars. I mess around with the delays and other effects but I love the reverbs. The reverbs and delays do not produce any feedback or noise which is great for recording. Phaser and Flanger has a little “phasing” noise but I guess all phasers and flangers will have that. Overall, I love it. You can use two effects at once which is nice, hence the term “dual effects processor”. I thought it had two inputs but it only has one. No biggie, I’m a solo musician anyway. I do not record on a computer so I can’t comment on USB connection but there is one so this could be a great plugin for PC recording. Good buy!