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Would I be a fool to buy a Line6 FM4 now?


King Rat

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I'm not sure if you would be.

Last Wednesday I was planning on loading my DM-4 presets into the M13 I just bought so set them up side by side to dial the sounds in. And the DM-4 definitely sounds better - clearer, more lively, and more punchy. By comparison the M13 was a bit more grainy, the bass felt more boomy and squashed, and I couldn't get a good midrange out of it.

They're supposed to have the same digital models, and the M series is supposed to have higher quality digital converters, but there's more to the sound than that and the DM-4 definitely sounds more pleasing. Is this true of the FM-4 as well? I don't know. But food for thought.

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Quote Originally Posted by Cirrus View Post
I'm not sure if you would be.

Last Wednesday I was planning on loading my DM-4 presets into the M13 I just bought so set them up side by side to dial the sounds in. And the DM-4 definitely sounds better - clearer, more lively, and more punchy. By comparison the M13 was a bit more grainy, the bass felt more boomy and squashed, and I couldn't get a good midrange out of it.

They're supposed to have the same digital models, and the M series is supposed to have higher quality digital converters, but there's more to the sound than that and the DM-4 definitely sounds more pleasing. Is this true of the FM-4 as well? I don't know. But food for thought.
+1

I had a DL4 and M13 and the DL4 sounded better to me, deffo not identical.
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What I want to know is this, are the XX-4 pedals all identical inside bar the software? Or do they have different hardware going on as well?

Also the M series use the old rack pro "higher fidelity" algorithms, not the stompboxes, but that doesent neccisarrily equate to better on the ears, thats personal taste.

That said after trying a DL4 and M13 together while the DL4 definitely sounded slightly better to me it was marginal, and the problems I had were universal to both. Except analog with mod which owns on the M series.

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I would personally get the M5 over an FM4. It's way more useful as it has a tuner, stores more presets, and offers quite a lot more in terms of pitch shifting and tap tempo subdivisions etc.

I can't really comment on the sound quality as I haven't owned an FM4. I have owned both the Filter Pro and an M13 though. The filter effects on the M13 and all of the effects on the Filter Pro are almost universally {censored}, IMO. There are a couple of cool things, but mostly just very digital sounding bleeps and gurgles which I could never find a use for. FWIW I think the Digitech Synth Wah or EHX Microsynth are way better for that type of thing, though not as flexible.

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Quote Originally Posted by GDan

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Also the M series use the old rack pro "higher fidelity" algorithms, not the stompboxes, but that doesent neccisarrily equate to better on the ears, thats personal taste.

 

Is that right? I always thought the rack versions had the same sounds as the stomp boxes, but the converters were better + obviously the extra stuff like midi, gain control etc.
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Quote Originally Posted by ChuckNorris1982 View Post
I would personally get the M5 over an FM4. It's way more useful as it has a tuner, stores more presets, and offers quite a lot more in terms of pitch shifting and tap tempo subdivisions etc.

I can't really comment on the sound quality as I haven't owned an FM4. I have owned both the Filter Pro and an M13 though. The filter effects on the M13 and all of the effects on the Filter Pro are almost universally shit, IMO. There are a couple of cool things, but mostly just very digital sounding bleeps and gurgles which I could never find a use for. FWIW I think the Digitech Synth Wah or EHX Microsynth are way better for that type of thing, though not as flexible.
I love synthy, digital blips and gurgles, which is why i love and bought the FM4 and the M5. however....


M series cannot fully access all of FM4's sounds. 99%, but not all.

for instance, on the synthomatic setting (i think), which i love on my FM4, you cant turn the attack swell all the way off. this saddens me. but everything else is all there. i doubt my one cinderalla setting that i use, that isnt good for most bands, would dissuade you from an M5. and it IS smaller, more capable and cheaper.

i bought my M5 to replace my ditching FM4. now that i have it might fix the FM4. the selector switch is frozen, so all my presets are all ive got, and the knobs and switches are starting to go. if i fix it, i could have all my awesome FM4 sounds on command and now have all the cool stuff from the M5 as well love.gif

i wonder if line 6 would be the best people to go through or to just go ahead and send it to that modder guy.
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