DL4 mkII Looper Issues persist w/Firmware update

[refjenolds]

I'm still having problems with the Looper after the firmware update. It will not operate like the original DL4 with these bugs/issues..  

 

It's not possible to record a short phrase loop while the half speed function is engaged.  If you try to create a very quick loop, something like one chord or an eighth note, neither the overdub or play buttons will not respond for several additional seconds, making it impossible to achieve a very short loop.  After several seconds the buttons will begin to respond, but it is not possible for short phrases. This makes it impossible not only to create short loops, but also short pitched up/2x speed loops, once disengaging the half speed function.  

 

In addition, when the half speed button is engaged on the initial recording of the loop there is noise that occurs at the loop boundary.  No matter how softly the record button is tapped to begin the recording, after the initial pass there is a pop like noise that is very present in the loop.  This is similar to what was happening prior to the firmware update, but now only seems to occur when the half speed button is engaged on the initial recording of the loop.

 

I mainly use these pedals for the Looper, very little for the delays.  I create loops using the Original DL4, with the half speed function engaged on the initial recording constantly to create 2x speed loops and short loops that I retrigger like short stutter effects.  These are simply not possible on the mkII, even with the current firmware update.

Any idea if and/or when these issues will be addressed/fixed? 

I have had this pedal since April and still haven't been able to truly demo the looper because of the original bugs and the persisting ones.  

[kylebarnhart]

I'm having the same issue and it's driving me nuts. 

 

With the first firmware you could do this but the noise would ramp up and oscillation would occur. Now with the new firmware the noise issue is gone but you simply cannot hit the record/dub button fast to record those short loops. The response time on that button has been decreased dramatically.

 

I just put in a ticket to see if this can be addressed but I see your post it from several months ago so I'm not too hopeful 

[anon26r6gf]

I wanted to chime in here and say that I have also been sorely disappointed with my purchase of the DL4 MKII. I own two of the original first-generation DL4 pedals, in both of which I've replaced the switches, and in one of which I've also replaced the pots for the knobs. I have used these for nearly twenty years now, and I've always been impressed by their versatility and hardiness, even though the hardware has its weak points. Like many, I see the DL4 as the world's best looping pedal. It's a cool delay, but the looper is where it's at. Even though it has a short recording time, this was more than overcome by the facts that Line6 absolutely nailed the interface, that the audio quality is top-notch (I have heard people say different, perhaps later generations of the DL4 are not as good), and above all, that the software is bulletproof. I can spam the start/overdub button as fast as I possibly can, and the DL4 doesn't mind at all — it just records, stops recording, starts again… as quickly as I can press the button. Same goes with the reverse and half-speed functions. I can let the pedal record, switch to reverse in the middle of a recording, switch to half speed, close the loop with overdub, stop overdub, start again, etc. all as rapidly as my foot can possibly perform, and the DL4 keeps up. It's a wonderful pedal.

 

On the other hand, the software on the MKII seems to have been developed with a much less comprehensive approach. Glitches abound, and not just with crazy button spamming. Laying down a long-ish loop today, closing it out, switching to half-speed and reverse, and recording again, yielded a blast of white noise in the middle of the loop, not even coincident with my second punch-in and punch-out… it was just random white noise.

 

What this most likely indicates is poor code QC, and insufficient testing before coming to market. It may be that the MKII's software is written in a style where conditional flows collide and variables or states get mangled in the shuffle. It could be a fault in the way audio bitrates are handled. It could be poor integration between software and hardware. I really don't know, and tbh it doesn't matter. What matters is, the pedal is unserviceable in its current state. Yes, it's awesome to have a DL4 with super long recording times (for the record, I am using an SD card). But to be frank, the main thing that made the DL4 special was its combination of simple interface and creative flexibility brought on by the robustness of its feature set, and how, if you had a question "well can it do this?" the answer was always "yes."

 

I wanted a super long recording DL4, but what I have is a glitchy, unreliable piece of gear that no one in their right mind would take on stage in an experimental music rig. So, for people like me it's like it didn't come out.

 

I hope the engineers at Line6 are working on a follow up to the firmware update they released last year. I hope they're going back to the drawing board with it, and putting whatever they come up with through a comprehensive QC process, testing before they release an update, fixing this stuff. I hope so because I like what they've done in a lot of ways. It's great hardware (albeit with some unfortunate choices regarding indicator lights management), great sounding delays, solid construction, awesome input options.

 

But unfortunately, because the endurance of the legacy of the DL4 is all about the looper (sorry, that's the truth), the MKII is not usable in its current state.

[MemoryMan92]

Has anyone heard anything from Line 6 personnel that they're working on another update to address these issues? I haven't been able to find any statements giving any news or possible timelines on another update. Kinda seems like there may not be anymore updates.

[georgemo]

Just posting to say I have the same issue with the noise at the loop boundary when recording at half speed.  This makes it effectively impossible to dub an effect to play back in double-time.  

 

I'll be reverting to my trusty 24-year old DL4 model in the meantime.  Disappointing that the new ones with all their new features aren't as reliable.  

[tubezipper]

i just got a 2nd hand but basically brand new MK2 and having the same issues, even after firmware update.

My looper is SO noisy, it replays almost bit crushed. The quality of the sound playback is noisy from the first replay, with a couple of overdubs after it just gets worse and worse.

Additionally the noise floor bypassed in my chain is considerably increased which is very disappointing.

Anyone had any luck? I issued a ticket with Line 6

[Rekosz]

any update? my DL4 is also noisy as hell and loop quality is very low... any update? my DL4 is also noisy as hell and loop quality is very low...