RevelBandGuitar
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I purchase a Line 6 M13 a few weeks ago and wanted to give a short review. I've used it quite a bit, for everything from recording to a few little jam sessions. I can say that the M13 has allowed me to sell quite a few of my pedals, and not really miss them. I kept all of my vintage and discontinued items, as well as my Whammy 5 and Ernie Ball MVP. The M13 makes recording, writing, and jamming so much easier. These are my favorites:
Octo Reverb:
I'm not a big shimmer fan, but this one sounds great. It's just "wet" sounding enough, and isn't too hi-fi or piercing. It adds a cool texture behind your guitar that never sounds cheesy or over the top.
Particle Reverb:
This one is pretty unique and pad like, very haunting and cool. I especially like this one running into some delay. Set to the least "stable" setting with mix and decay cranked sounds breathtaking in stereo.
Cave Reverb:
This is my favorite standard ambient reverb in the unit. It's just the right balance of cold, huge, and lush, and has a lot of the qualities I like about my RV-3. Definitely a winner!
Lo Rez Delay:
This is the delay I use 90% of the time. It reminds me a lot of my DE7. The repeats sit behind your signal nicely, and they have a very textural feel. This could easily be a pedal all on it's own.
Analog Delay
This is what I use for dotted eighths, the repeats are nice and "solid" but still have a nice warmth to them, so it's perfect for this application. This also sounds great for leads.
Boost Comp:
I use this to lift certain parts out of the mix, or as a subtle overdrive. This model impressed me A LOT. For my uses it sounds better than my Morning Glory did. The bass, treble, and comp controls are invaluable.
Line 6 Distortion:
I like this model for distortion sounds that are just totally over the top. I use it like I would use a big muff, and dialed in right it sounds great for shoegaze and post rock. I should also mention that it sounds fantastic for that obnoxious 90's death metal and industrial sound.
Analog Chorus:
The perfect chorus sound, in my opinion. Ominous, lush, but never cheesy. Think like the Metallica clean chorus sound. This is probably my favorite chorus that I've ever owned.
Opto Tremolo:
Again, probably my favorite tremolo I've ever owned. It's very full sounding, I actually prefer it to the trem in the TRRI I owned.
Noise Gate, Tap Tempo and Looper:
The utility aspect of the M13 is very well executed, all of the above work beautifully.
The Bad:
Spring Reverb and 63' Spring:
Not bad necessarily, just kinda meh. Nowhere near as inspiring as the Hardwire Supernatural Spring.
Blue Comp Treb:
Noisy and piercing, not for me.
Univibe:
This is probably the only model in the M13 that I think is truly awful. It sounds comically flimsy.
Pitch Glide:
Again, just kind of meh. This might be passable if you're doing an RATM cover and need it just for that one song, but for whacked out, psychedelic pitch shifted craziness, it pales in comparison to the Whammy 5.
Overall:
The M13 is a great unit. The design is very intuitive, it really is like twisting knobs on a pedal. I also really appreciate that they kept the Script Phase 90 and Dyna Comp models down to one and two knobs. I feel like all of the algorithms really hold up after all these years, and I can't honestly say they sound inferior to the Strymon and Eventide products I've owned. There is a slightly unnatural sounds to some of the models, but as someone who plays shoegaze, post-rock, ambient, etc. this isn't unwelcome. The format of the M13 is unbeatable as well. Anyone else still loving their M13? I thought I would be cool if everyone posted their favorite models, settings, etc.
Octo Reverb:
I'm not a big shimmer fan, but this one sounds great. It's just "wet" sounding enough, and isn't too hi-fi or piercing. It adds a cool texture behind your guitar that never sounds cheesy or over the top.
Particle Reverb:
This one is pretty unique and pad like, very haunting and cool. I especially like this one running into some delay. Set to the least "stable" setting with mix and decay cranked sounds breathtaking in stereo.
Cave Reverb:
This is my favorite standard ambient reverb in the unit. It's just the right balance of cold, huge, and lush, and has a lot of the qualities I like about my RV-3. Definitely a winner!
Lo Rez Delay:
This is the delay I use 90% of the time. It reminds me a lot of my DE7. The repeats sit behind your signal nicely, and they have a very textural feel. This could easily be a pedal all on it's own.
Analog Delay
This is what I use for dotted eighths, the repeats are nice and "solid" but still have a nice warmth to them, so it's perfect for this application. This also sounds great for leads.
Boost Comp:
I use this to lift certain parts out of the mix, or as a subtle overdrive. This model impressed me A LOT. For my uses it sounds better than my Morning Glory did. The bass, treble, and comp controls are invaluable.
Line 6 Distortion:
I like this model for distortion sounds that are just totally over the top. I use it like I would use a big muff, and dialed in right it sounds great for shoegaze and post rock. I should also mention that it sounds fantastic for that obnoxious 90's death metal and industrial sound.
Analog Chorus:
The perfect chorus sound, in my opinion. Ominous, lush, but never cheesy. Think like the Metallica clean chorus sound. This is probably my favorite chorus that I've ever owned.
Opto Tremolo:
Again, probably my favorite tremolo I've ever owned. It's very full sounding, I actually prefer it to the trem in the TRRI I owned.
Noise Gate, Tap Tempo and Looper:
The utility aspect of the M13 is very well executed, all of the above work beautifully.
The Bad:
Spring Reverb and 63' Spring:
Not bad necessarily, just kinda meh. Nowhere near as inspiring as the Hardwire Supernatural Spring.
Blue Comp Treb:
Noisy and piercing, not for me.
Univibe:
This is probably the only model in the M13 that I think is truly awful. It sounds comically flimsy.
Pitch Glide:
Again, just kind of meh. This might be passable if you're doing an RATM cover and need it just for that one song, but for whacked out, psychedelic pitch shifted craziness, it pales in comparison to the Whammy 5.
Overall:
The M13 is a great unit. The design is very intuitive, it really is like twisting knobs on a pedal. I also really appreciate that they kept the Script Phase 90 and Dyna Comp models down to one and two knobs. I feel like all of the algorithms really hold up after all these years, and I can't honestly say they sound inferior to the Strymon and Eventide products I've owned. There is a slightly unnatural sounds to some of the models, but as someone who plays shoegaze, post-rock, ambient, etc. this isn't unwelcome. The format of the M13 is unbeatable as well. Anyone else still loving their M13? I thought I would be cool if everyone posted their favorite models, settings, etc.
