I Hate The DL4 But Love The Auto-Volume Swell, What Are My Options?

[Snap]

I've used the DL4 for many years and even with the Keeley mod it still has a noticeable tone suck. It's stayed on my board for two reasons mainly, the Auto-Volume Swell and the Loop feature are both easy to use and get usable sounds from quickly.

I'd love to upgrade to a higher quality delay pedal, but am afraid mainly to lose the Auto-Volume feature.

Some considerations:
- Line 6 M9/M5 (but do these units suffer from the same tone suck of the DL4?)
- Boss SG-1 Slowgear or BYOC Lazy Sprocket (but I'd have to pair this with a separate delay).

What would you guys suggest?

[cwcashiniv]

If you're dead-set on keeping the auto-volume option, then the M-series from Line6 will do that for you, along with giving you a slew of other options. If you want to upgrade altogether, then the Timeline has a Swell function that emulates the same thing as the auto-volume option on the Line6 pedals.

[Risewithfaith]

I went from the DL4 to the M9 and loved it! The looper is better (easier to use) on the M9 and I didn't notice any tone loss. But, I sold the M9 for a Timeline and haven't looked back.

[mapleneck72]

If you don't need the looper, the M5 would work for you.
M9 doesn't have the tone suck of the DL4 and the looper is better:
Print effects onto your loop or change the effects applied to the loop after you record
Erase last layer recorded

Timeline swell sounds great but is a little harder to use than the Line 6 auto-volume.
You need to have a consistent technique or it will not swell some of the notes.

[StratAtak83]

I was hoping the timeline would have an easy swell setting like the dl4, but i was let down by the swell function on the timeline. I never use it.

[Abandoned]

My first thought was timeline.

[The P-Man]

People are so quick to say M9 or timeline but neither of those units nail the auto-volume echo on the DL4. The m-series never quite got the swell as natural sounding.

[Grizz_Lee]

the timeline's swell delay is amazing and very natural sounding.

[voorhiessa]

Echo Park has the swell mode.

[brettmoor]

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-SM20...8896701&sr=8-2

[Ryan07]

Originally Posted by The P-Man

People are so quick to say M9 or timeline but neither of those units nail the auto-volume echo on the DL4. The m-series never quite got the swell as natural sounding.

Originally Posted by Grizz_Lee

the timeline's swell delay is amazing and very natural sounding.

[kickstrat]

I really love the auto-volume swell on the DL4 and the loop function is cool too.
While the loop feature in the M9 is more efficient, it could not reproduce the auto-volume swell like the DL4. Too bad...

[pedalboy88]

The guyatone slow-volume does a great swell sound. I haven't tried the latest version but the old version works really well.
Echo park is more similar to the dl4. I prefer the slow volume separate and away from the delay however.
Behringer have a slow gear clone, haven't tried it.

[SG_Seth]

Originally Posted by The P-Man

People are so quick to say M9 or timeline but neither of those units nail the auto-volume echo on the DL4. The m-series never quite got the swell as natural sounding.

I had a DL4 that I sold for a timeline. The auto swell on the dl4 was awesome. The timeline simply cannot replicate it. I sold the timeline and now have an M9. The auto swell on the m9 sounds identical to the dl4 imho.

[tdk8709]

Same here, the M9 Auto Swell sounds the same as the DL4 Auto Swell (which sounds the same as the Echo Park Auto Swell...)