If the DL4 were a person you’re looking to score with, you had better be willing to put in the time and effort. Easy enough to get interested with a quick chat up line, but requiring hours of invested time and genuine interest to get the most out of the sound when using live. Make no bones about it, the DL4 is a keeper and one you’ll want to settle down with – that is, if you have a penchant for ambient sounds, uber delay, or just something a little different.
The box containes 16 different delay models (such as the legendary Roland RE 101 Space Echo or the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man), which basically means you can get any sort of delay you want, as well as innovative sounds like the “Auto-Volume Echo” (a volume swell with a tweakable tape-style echo; or the enigmatic “Reverse Delay”). There are four foot switches for operating the pedal (incl. saving and recalling your sounds), and six knobs for selecting models and tweaking parameters. It can be battery operated, but it’ll eat through these like Taylor Swift gets through men! Instead, you’re better to buy a power lead; best make it a line 6 compatible one however else your sound will get gnarly (which I discovered live to my detriment).
Ordinarily I’m not a fan of Line 6 pedals. I’ve found their pedals generic sounding and to be lacking in charm. However, whether by accident or design, the DL4 is exceptional. It is Line 6’s Aphrodite in a crowd of minotaurs.
The main reason I bought this gorgeous, green tank of a box is that I wanted to try and emulate Alan Sparhawk’s (Low) ambient guitar sound. I feel I got exactly what I wanted and then some! MY DL4 takes pride of place on my pedal board and I use it in my alt-rock indie band, Fire at Night. A great example of how I’ve used it can be heard on our track ‘Dumb. This Is What I Can’t say’. I use digital delay, loop a simple phrase, layer it with another phrase but adjust the delay time knob (which causes a sort of bubble like noise), send it in reverse, and then slow it down to half tempo. I love how this simple effect adds such an ambient sound to the overall track. However, this use of the DL4 is elementary compared to how Dave Knudson (Minus the Bear) uses his. Definitely worth watching on YouTube, as the guy pretty much owns the DL4. Check out a live version of the track ‘White Mystery’. Knudson uses a total of four DL4s to produce a sound that is unique and refreshingly original.
The short 14 second loop time can put some people off (apparently this is the reason Alan Sparhawk stopped using one). So I would say if you’re looking for a loop pedal then this is not the best one available. I use my DL4 through a AC30 Vox amp and play a Gibson Midtown.
Users: Bill Frisell, Dave Knudson, John Frusciante, and Alan Sparhawk.
November 17, 2014
Good review, I have had no problems using a non-line6 power supply. You get 28 seconds of looping if you start in the half-tempo mode, no slower after that of course, but it does increase the looping time.