Few effects have had a greater impact on modern music-making than the DL4. Now, Line 6 has given the legend a full rebuild, making it far more powerful and versatile, without losing any of the original's beloved features.
When we caught word from Line 6 that the DL4 MkII was on the way, we thought we'd ask a DL4 master to give it a test run. Who better than David Knudson, the former Botch and Minus the Bear guitarist known for constructing complex riffs by using multiple DL4s at once? We got him two of the new DL4 MkIIs to see what he could do with them.
In our video above, you can hear his first impressions on the new DL4. And for an extra treat, David plays a riff from his first solo release—The Only Thing You Have to Change is Everything—streaming everywhere 5/13/22.
If you pre-save Dave's new album, you can get exclusive access to hear the new music first. For the hardcore MTB fans, Dave and Jake Snider (lead singer of Minus The Bear) just dropped a new track called "Jealous Time Steals." Check out the new track now.
The DL4 MkII vs. the Original DL4
One of the first digital modelers of analog delays like Echoplex, Space Echo, Deluxe Memory Man, and more, the original DL4 did something that many digital units then and now struggle to achieve: It feels like an analog unit. With an easy-to-use interface with just a few knobs, you could get musical, tape-like tones quickly or dive deep into the stranger settings.
But its most revolutionary feature was one of its smallest: a 14-second looper function that inspired bands, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists of all kinds to build tracks live and layer dense arrangements.
The DL4 MkII expands on the original features without getting in their way. All of the legacy settings are intact, but it now has two loopers—each with 240 seconds of looping time if using onboard memory or several hours with a microSD card—along with 15 new delay options, and a "secret" menu of reverbs you can mix and match with the delays.
Some of the best upgrades are in the form and connectivity options: The new DL4 is much smaller than the old, losing the bulky battery bay and the equally bulky wall wart power supply.
Plus, there's now an XLR microphone input and MIDI In/Out/Thru, so it's easy to use with vocalists or other gear.
Full features, according to Line 6, include:
- Identical knob and footswitch layout as the original DL4
- 30 Delays: 15 new MkII plus 15 Legacy DL4
- 2 Looper types—mono/stereo and pre/post signal path options
- Up to 240 seconds of looping time, or several hours with optional microSD card
- XLR dynamic microphone input for vocal processing and looping
- MIDI In, Out/Thru DIN connectors—receives PC and CC messages
- 128 Presets via MIDI, with footswitch control of up to six
- Switchable true, buffered, or DSP bypass
- Input for optional expression pedal or two additional footswitches
Check out the full video above, and find the new DL4 MkII on Reverb now.