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Line 6 M9 Stompbox Modeler
www.line6.com
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USABILITY
Review by Scott Kahn
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Line 6’s line of stompbox
modeling pedals are
extremely popular with
guitarists for good reason:
they are built ruggedly
and sound great.
The M9 is a clever and
compact multi-effect
pedal that continues that
tradition, providing direct
access to numerous Line
6 effects, each instantly
accessible from the
multi-button footswitch.
The M9 delivers simple
access to many popular
effects while adding
numerous features not
available in the standalone
pedals. It can provide single pedal-like simplicity, or it can function
like a multi-effects processor with instant recall of scenes containing
effects from up to three virtual pedals.
Barely less capable than the larger and more costly M13, the M9 is a
great choice for players who want to add a variety of high-quality effects
to their existing pedalboard, or who just need a couple of standard
effects from a single device in order to preserve a very simple rig setup.
The assortment from all of the popular Line 6 pedals includes Distortion,
Delay, Modulation, Filter, and Reverb. The M9 has also Tap Tempo, which
adjusts all time-based effects in use, an onboard tuner, Stereo I/O and
Midi I/O. This pedal shines in particular in the effect department: fantastic
analog delay with modulation inherited from the DL4 (with a bigger
display!), great sounding analog choruses, fantastic Tremolos—the Opto
Tremolo in particular. Also, if you’re searching for an intelligent pitch shifter,
you’ll be very impressed by the quality of this effect in the M9. It’s good
enough to be the only reason you purchase this pedal, but we’re sure
you’ll end up using many other sounds once you put the M9 in your rig.
Phil Jones Briefcase Bass Amp
www.philjonespuresound.com
FEATURES
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there is a headphone jack for private practice.
Review by Joseph Dubbiosi
If you dream about a compact bass
amp but still want something with proclass
sound and features, this is one
amp you need to check out: the Phil
Jones Briefcase is a very compact, reasonably
lightweight (under 30 pounds)
bass amp that is perfect for practicing
at home or taking to a small nightclub
gig. This mighty little combo amp is
ideal for small venues such as coffee
houses or intimate jazz clubs, but has
features and options that could make
it fill a very big room or even tackle
outdoor gigs and sound fantastic.
The front panel has an Active/Passive
switch for use with any bass guitar.
There is a five-band graphic equalizer.
There is also a very effective compressor
with a variable sweep control knob
to dial-in just the right amount. Finally,
The rear panel has some additional features that are almost never found on
a practice amp. The first is a speaker output (4-16 ohms) that allows the user
to use the amp with other (larger) speakers, which is great considering that
most mid size venue have a bass cabinet in their back line. Lastly, there are
Pre-amp out and Balanced line out connections for direct sends to a house
PA or to drive an external power amp.
We played a variety of basses through the Briefcase—they all sounded beautiful
but we were especially impressed with the tone from our upright and acoustic
basses but the tone was always clear and even across all four (and five) strings.
The EQ gave us the ability to dial in the exact tone we wanted with each bass
used, and was very musical in character, and we were very impressed with the
overall sound reproduction that two five-inch speakers delivered.
It was hard for us to imagine that such a physically small combo unit could
make such a big sound with great tone.
FXpansion DCAM: Synth Squad
www.fxpansion.com
Review by Tony Grund
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DCAM is a package of four devices. Three synths: Strobe, Cypher, and Amber, and
a rack-type environment called Fusor that lets you stack 3 of the synths together
and incorporate effects, an arpeggiator, and sequenced modulation.
Amber is a (kind-of) emulation of the old string machines of the 1970s, but it also
includes a formant filter, and three distinct chorus types—way more than just a
classic string machine. Definitely the most forward-thinking of the
bunch, Cypher is a three-oscillator synth that merges classic subtractive
synthesis and FM synthesis, and includes a great overdrive section
that really lets you drive the sound hard. Strobe is a mono-synth on
the surface, and its only oscillator is set up so that you can get chord
tones out of it with the Detune function. Fusor is the effect plug in.
These usually offer some kind of unique twist on each type.
What we found when we dove into these synths were three excellentsounding
analog modeling synths that inspire creativity with their look, feel,
and sound. Easy to edit and fun to program, DCAM really packs a big wallop
of a sound that is inspired by analog monsters from the days of old but also
incorporate digital techniques such as FM synthesis and advanced effects.
Some of the high points for us were the versatility, the modulation parameters,
and the fact that you can use each synth as an effects unit all by itself.
The beauty, warmth and fun of analogue with Cypher’s FM synthesis
gets pulled into the fray, a welcome addition to say the least.
If you are looking for strong analog-modeling synths, we highly
recommend the DCAM suite. Each synth has a firm grasp on today’s
technology, and the combination of old and new means you will never
have stale analog sounds in your productions again.
the deli_47 fall 2010
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