Line 6 Modeller
118 Guitarist July 2011
£169
EFFECTS
Two footswitches control
operations, the first being a
standard on/off switch while
the second is a tap tempo switch
that can also be held down to
call up the onboard tuner. The
footswitches are also used to
call up presets – holding down
both puts the unit in preset
mode, calling up the preset
screen where you can scroll
through using the footswitches
or the model select knob.
Holding the two down together
again makes the selected preset
active and puts the pedal back
in its normal performance
mode. Alternatively, you can go
into the M5’s setup menu to
initiate instant preset, whereby
presets load without having to
hold both footswitches down
for a second time. Operation
can be in mono or stereo, MIDI
control is possible and you can
add an expression pedal for
real-time parameter changes.
Sounds
At a similar size to an original
Big Muff, you wouldn’t call the
robust M5 a compact pedal, but
it won’t dwarf the rest of the
pedals on your board and runs
from a supplied 9V DC 500mA
adaptor, which is fairly small.
Alternatively you may be able to
run it from a power distribution
unit – it worked just fine with
our Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2.
Operation is pretty
straightforward. Calling up
each program or effect is dead
easy and any tweaking can be
instantly carried out with the
soft knobs on the fly. Each
effect has its own unique set of
parameters and a visual display
that shows the black shading
advance across the horizontal
white bar as you turn the knob
up is more intuitive than
watching numerical values
increase – you do, though, also
see the numerical values for
such crucial parameters as
delay time and reverb pre-delay.
Like the M9 and M13, the M5
features a massive variety of
effects. Most are models of
either modern or vintage
stompboxes (or studio gear), but
there are also some of Line 6’s
own creations in there. The
emulations of old classics
effectively capture the essential
flavour of the originals while
the more universal items, such
as parametric EQ, offer an
added utility. What you get with
the M5 is the sense of having a
full toolbox – just about any
guitar effect you could possibly
want is available underfoot,
from the most basic overdrive
to the esoteric in the shape of
a Talk Box or g uitar synth.
Adding an expression pedal
immediately increases
versatility, not just by giving
you access to the usual treadle-
operated effects – volume, wah
(seven different models) and
Whammy-style pitch shifts –
but also in controlling any or all
of the parameters for any given
effect and creating some really
interesting transformations.
This is easily set up by holding
the toe down and setting the
parameters where you’d like
them to end up and then
holding the heel down and
setting the start points.
Elsewhere, the tap tempo and
tuner are really practical
functions for onstage use.
If you program adjacent
presets in the order you need
them, it’s very easy to switch
between them during a song by
using the M5 in preset mode
with instant preset active – one
footswitch hit will load the next
preset. Doing it that way,
though, means you’ll always
have an effect switched on. If
you want to be able to switch
between presets and bypass the
effects at different times in the
same song, you’ll need to get up
to speed on your tap dancing —
an M9 might be the better
option in these circumstances.
We see the M5 more likely
being used as a universal tool to
provide a different single effect
per song. As an example,
consider the g uitarist playing
authentic-sounding covers in
a function band who perhaps
already has a basic set-up of an
overdrive, delay and wah but
might need, in the course of a
night, fuzz, flanger, chorus,
phaser, tremolo, rotary speaker,
The Bottom Line
We like: Comprehensive
selection of effects; easy
operation; quite compact
We dislike: No USB (MIDI
interface for PC connection)
Guitarist says: All the
effects you’ll need in a single
stompbox, provided you use
them one at a time
Line 6 M5
£169
China
Modelling effects pedal
19 delays, 23 modulations,
17 distortions, 12 compressors and
EQs, 26 filters, 12 reverbs
24
Standard jack
inputs L (mono)/R, std jack outputs
L (mono)/R, MIDI in, MIDI out,
expression pedal socket,
Model select knob,
five soft knobs, on/off footswitch,
tap footswitch
Supplied 9V DC
500mA adaptor
150 (w) x 165 (d)
x 70mm (h)
1.14/2.5
Other units in the
M Series include the M9 (£349) and
M13 (£439)
Test results
harmony and envelope filter
sounds, all at separate times
(and rarely together in the
same song) – the M5 could
cover the lot.
Verdict
We all have our favourite
handpicked pedals on our
pedalboard but there are
limits, both physical and
financial, to the number of
pedals we can easily
incorporate. While there may
be a core number of pedals that
will be put to sustained use
while playing, perhaps an
overdrive to kick the sound up
a gear or a particular distortion
for solos, there will also be
some that are used less often,
maybe just for one number
during a set. If you’re playing
gigs that require several of
those one-offs, you’ll need a lot
of pedals and a big board… or
you can just add an M5 to your
core collection.
Calling up each program or eff ect is
dead easy and any tweaking can be
instantly carried out on the fl y
GIT343.rev_line6 118 5/19/11 11:23:13 AM