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Fireguy8402 « Awesome Pedal with a Ton of Tricks »
Published on 11/19/11 at 13:42The DL-4 by Line 6 is actually a modeler of several different famous delays of the past, along with a few modern ideas thrown in. The pedal features models of 16 different vintage delays and on top of that they throw in a 14 second looper feature (which can be twice as long if used in half time mode). The pedal has three footswitches for three presets which can have values changed in real-time via an outboard expression pedal, and there is a fourth footswitch for using the tap tempo to change the delay speed. The pedal can be used in “True Bypass” mode for tone purist or it can be used in my favorite setting, “Trails” mode, which allows the delays to fade naturally when the pedal is turned off. Stereo ins and outs are provided for a full stereo sound when using multiple amps. This particular model is a floor based unit, however Line 6 did come out with a rackmounted version. The DL-4 supposedly runs for about 30 hours on four C batteries but is best powered by the Line 6 power adapter or a third party power source.
UTILIZATION
Hooking up the pedal is fairly simple. For a simple guitar rig most people hook this up at the end of their pedal chain after gain pedals or in the effects loop of their amplifier. There are stereo inputs and outputs so if you’re using it in mono with one guitar and amp be sure to plug into the mono input and output. Editing the sounds can be a little tricky on the DL-4 without the use of the manual, however Line 6 includes two stickers for the pedal to help you along. The pedal has your basic delay knobs, but also includes a Tweek and a Tweez knob that change different parameters depending on what delay you are modeling. If you are on one delay model these two knobs may change the amount of modulation and rate of modulation, while on another delay model these knobs may change the amount of bass and treble in the delay. It’s nice that the pedal is tweakable, but this can get confusing if you don’t use the pedal often, so keep those stickers. In looper mode the pedal works just like you’d expect, no surprises there. Overall, the pedal is pretty well laid out and easy to use. Basically you just tweak the knobs until you find a sound you like, hold down on a preset button for a few seconds until the LED blinks and you’ve stored your sound to that footswitch. Basic usage is simple, but to get into all of what this pedal can do it is best to read the manual, and I’m a guy who rarely does so. The manual is clear and easy to understand, there are just a lot of features packed in this green machine.
SOUND QUALITY
If you need the tones of a Tube Echoplex, a Space Echo, and a Deluxe Memory Man but don’t feel like shelling out the big bucks for all these different pedals, this modeler is a good compromise. Does it sound exactly like each one of these pedals? No, but it’s in the ballpark. This pedal does basically everything you’d ever need in a delay, and that’s why it’s so widely used. The looper is great for practicing or performing and it is easy to get clean starts and stops on your loops. The delays can be set to short and subtle or long and super lush and anywhere in between. The “Swell” setting is sort of like a Boss Slow Gear and sounds similar to using a bow from a cello on the strings, fading in the sound and rounding off the initial attack of the notes. I love it. Another one I really like is the “Sweep” delay which puts a phaser type modulation on the delays. The “Reverse” delay when set high can get you those wild Jimi Hendrix sounds that a few years ago you could only acheive in the studio, now these are available for live use. I usually set up a slap back style echo for rhythm guitar on one preset, a longer delay with a few more repeats for solos, and a lush delay with modulation for a third preset. You can make this pedal as subtle or extreme as needed, and the tone is great without killing your signal. I do notice a slight signal drop when it’s used in the loop of certain amps though.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall this is a super versatile delay that will do just about anything you can dream up. I love having different delays at the push of button, and with tap tempo I can line them up perfectly with the tempo of the song so the delays line up. While many people use the looper live, (if I were to use one this would be the one due to it’s simple layout) I only use it for practicing leads over chords. The footswitches on these units are known to fail with time, but there are many people out there to replace them with sturdier switches that can take abuse. I’ve done this mod myself and it’s quite simple. It has a ton of features for the price, but I’ve moved on to two separate delays because the pedal has a significant volume drop when I use it in the loop of my Marshall. I probably wouldn’t buy it again myself, but not because the pedal is poorly designed or built, but because it has too many features that I never use and takes up too much space on my pedal board.
UTILIZATION
Hooking up the pedal is fairly simple. For a simple guitar rig most people hook this up at the end of their pedal chain after gain pedals or in the effects loop of their amplifier. There are stereo inputs and outputs so if you’re using it in mono with one guitar and amp be sure to plug into the mono input and output. Editing the sounds can be a little tricky on the DL-4 without the use of the manual, however Line 6 includes two stickers for the pedal to help you along. The pedal has your basic delay knobs, but also includes a Tweek and a Tweez knob that change different parameters depending on what delay you are modeling. If you are on one delay model these two knobs may change the amount of modulation and rate of modulation, while on another delay model these knobs may change the amount of bass and treble in the delay. It’s nice that the pedal is tweakable, but this can get confusing if you don’t use the pedal often, so keep those stickers. In looper mode the pedal works just like you’d expect, no surprises there. Overall, the pedal is pretty well laid out and easy to use. Basically you just tweak the knobs until you find a sound you like, hold down on a preset button for a few seconds until the LED blinks and you’ve stored your sound to that footswitch. Basic usage is simple, but to get into all of what this pedal can do it is best to read the manual, and I’m a guy who rarely does so. The manual is clear and easy to understand, there are just a lot of features packed in this green machine.
SOUND QUALITY
If you need the tones of a Tube Echoplex, a Space Echo, and a Deluxe Memory Man but don’t feel like shelling out the big bucks for all these different pedals, this modeler is a good compromise. Does it sound exactly like each one of these pedals? No, but it’s in the ballpark. This pedal does basically everything you’d ever need in a delay, and that’s why it’s so widely used. The looper is great for practicing or performing and it is easy to get clean starts and stops on your loops. The delays can be set to short and subtle or long and super lush and anywhere in between. The “Swell” setting is sort of like a Boss Slow Gear and sounds similar to using a bow from a cello on the strings, fading in the sound and rounding off the initial attack of the notes. I love it. Another one I really like is the “Sweep” delay which puts a phaser type modulation on the delays. The “Reverse” delay when set high can get you those wild Jimi Hendrix sounds that a few years ago you could only acheive in the studio, now these are available for live use. I usually set up a slap back style echo for rhythm guitar on one preset, a longer delay with a few more repeats for solos, and a lush delay with modulation for a third preset. You can make this pedal as subtle or extreme as needed, and the tone is great without killing your signal. I do notice a slight signal drop when it’s used in the loop of certain amps though.
OVERALL OPINION
Overall this is a super versatile delay that will do just about anything you can dream up. I love having different delays at the push of button, and with tap tempo I can line them up perfectly with the tempo of the song so the delays line up. While many people use the looper live, (if I were to use one this would be the one due to it’s simple layout) I only use it for practicing leads over chords. The footswitches on these units are known to fail with time, but there are many people out there to replace them with sturdier switches that can take abuse. I’ve done this mod myself and it’s quite simple. It has a ton of features for the price, but I’ve moved on to two separate delays because the pedal has a significant volume drop when I use it in the loop of my Marshall. I probably wouldn’t buy it again myself, but not because the pedal is poorly designed or built, but because it has too many features that I never use and takes up too much space on my pedal board.