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moosers
Published on 12/08/10 at 12:42
Line 6's ever popular DL4 is a delay and looper pedal with a ton of versatility. The pedal has 16 different types of delays on here, each on modeled after a classic delay pedal with it's own sort of sound. The looper gives you 14 seconds (28 seconds if the half speed button is engaged) of looping ability, which is truly awesome when you're playing by yourself. The pedal is a digital one that consists of two 1/4" stereo jacks for inputs and outputs and the pedal is powered up by a specific Line 6 power supply that I believe is 12 volts. It's not going to be rack mountable as it's a foot pedal.
UTILIZATION
Using the Line 6 DL4 isn't too difficult to follow, as more or less everything follows a pattern. The pedal has four buttons for controlling the looper and for setting your preset delay sounds, depending on which mode you're in. The far one will also act as a tap tempo button if you're using one of the delays. Once you've chosen from the different delay types, you can further edit your sound using a series of knobs for parameters which will change depending on which delay setting you're on. They are labeled delay time, repeats, tweak, tweez, and mix - tweak and tweez and the ones that change depending on the delay mode you're in. You can get away with not using the manual, but if you want to know what the corresponding parameters are for each of the delay types, it's definitely a good thing to have around.
SOUND QUALITY
As far as tones go, the Line 6 DL4 offers a plethora of different sounds between the 16 types of delays. You can usually get some pretty differing sounds within each of the delay types as well between all of the parameters. Many of the delays on here definitely come off as being digital delays, since they of course are, but it's a trade off considering how many different sounds you're getting. If you're looking for an analog delay sound, you're not going to find the best ones on here, but if you get an analog delay you're not going to get all of the control you get here. The looper is probably my favorite part of the pedal however, as it provides endless fun and is a great songwriting tool.
OVERALL OPINION
The Line 6 DL4 is a very popular pedal for good reason, as it's the best way to get an almost endless variety of delay sounds in one place. Perhaps none of the sounds on here will be as nice a true analog delay, but considering how many different types of sounds you're getting, it's really not a big deal I don't think. If you're after that thick analog delay sound, I'd look elsewhere, but for versatility amongst delay sounds, this is the place. The pedal isn't too expensive considering what you're getting here, as most looping pedals will cost around this price. The Line 6 DL is absolutely the time to check out for every guitarist...
UTILIZATION
Using the Line 6 DL4 isn't too difficult to follow, as more or less everything follows a pattern. The pedal has four buttons for controlling the looper and for setting your preset delay sounds, depending on which mode you're in. The far one will also act as a tap tempo button if you're using one of the delays. Once you've chosen from the different delay types, you can further edit your sound using a series of knobs for parameters which will change depending on which delay setting you're on. They are labeled delay time, repeats, tweak, tweez, and mix - tweak and tweez and the ones that change depending on the delay mode you're in. You can get away with not using the manual, but if you want to know what the corresponding parameters are for each of the delay types, it's definitely a good thing to have around.
SOUND QUALITY
As far as tones go, the Line 6 DL4 offers a plethora of different sounds between the 16 types of delays. You can usually get some pretty differing sounds within each of the delay types as well between all of the parameters. Many of the delays on here definitely come off as being digital delays, since they of course are, but it's a trade off considering how many different sounds you're getting. If you're looking for an analog delay sound, you're not going to find the best ones on here, but if you get an analog delay you're not going to get all of the control you get here. The looper is probably my favorite part of the pedal however, as it provides endless fun and is a great songwriting tool.
OVERALL OPINION
The Line 6 DL4 is a very popular pedal for good reason, as it's the best way to get an almost endless variety of delay sounds in one place. Perhaps none of the sounds on here will be as nice a true analog delay, but considering how many different types of sounds you're getting, it's really not a big deal I don't think. If you're after that thick analog delay sound, I'd look elsewhere, but for versatility amongst delay sounds, this is the place. The pedal isn't too expensive considering what you're getting here, as most looping pedals will cost around this price. The Line 6 DL is absolutely the time to check out for every guitarist...