Re: DL-4 available NOW!

[Kim Flint <kflint@annihilist.com>]

We now have a Line6 DL4 section on the Looper's Delight site. There's a
nice review there by Jeff Seltzer, along with links to various stuff:

http://www.annihilist.com/loop/tools/line6/Line6-DL4.html


At 9:46 AM -0800 11/24/99, Scott A. Martin wrote:
>Looperfolks-
>
>I had the privilege yesterday of playing with one of the new Line 6 DL-4s
>at Elderly Instruments in Lansing.  While my experience with looping is
>basically nil (which is why I won't offer a full review), it was 
>definitely
>a fun little box.  The sound is great!  I especially like the reverse and
>half/double speed options

I find this to be the strangest part about the DL4. They stuck reverse and
half speed on one button. To get it to do reverse, you click the button
twice. While I was reading the manual, I was wondering, "so you want to
reverse, you go to click it twice, but what is it doing after the first
click and before the second? Does it switch to half speed before it goes to
reverse?"  Jeff answered my question. It actually *does* switch the
half-speed for that moment in between double-clicks, then switches back! So
on one hand you can't go to reverse instantly since you need the two taps,
which kinda ruins the fun for me, and when you do go to reverse your loop
goes in and out of half-speed for a moment. (or if you are already in
half-speed, it bounces to regular speed and back.)  I'll be nice and call
this "awkward".


(enough that I'm rethinking my decision to
>purchase a Headrush, although at the moment I'm probably better served by
>the ability to undo my mistakes =).  Two gripes: (1) the height of the box
>makes it a little tricky to hit the footswitches, unless you're lifting
>your foot completely off the floor to stomp on the thing; (2) it's
>difficult to remember to press Play/Stop to close the initial loop.  I 
>kept
>pressing Record/Overdub instead, and inadvertently adding things to the
>loop.

This is similar to how the headrush does it too, and it just baffles me
because it is a really unituitive way to tap loop times. When people are
focused on playing an instrument, it seems natural and intuitive for them
to use the same button to start and stop the loop. You don't have to think
about it then. We did some studies while developing the echoplex and
discovered this right away. People naturally like the same button to start
and stop something. If they have to use a different button, the brain needs
to intervene, they have to remember which button to go to, and they usually
screw something up. (either their playing or their button presses.)

And if you need to set a short delay time, it's certainly easier to tap one
button....

anyway, the models of ancient delays seem interesting.

kim



______________________________________________________________________
Kim Flint                   | Looper's Delight
kflint@annihilist.com       | http://www.annihilist.com/loop/loop.html
http://www.annihilist.com/  |