Line 6 MM-4 Modulation Modeler

Pretty easy, four presets are cool and can save you space on your pedal board.

I was not very happy with the tone. I have many pedals so i was able to compare it side by side with most of the pedals it's trying to emulate. The phase 90 tone is nowhere close and my old Boss flanger sounds better and deeper than even the jet flanger. The chorus sounds were ok but overall i was not happy.

Seems solid.

I would not get this untit unless i was totally broke and could not afford all the single pedal units i would want. The sounds are just not full enough or deep.

It's pretty basic to use. About the same learning curve as all Line 6 pedals. If you start tweaking too much the machine gets mad (which can be fun). Manuals are available online in PDF format so you can't say you don't understand the knobs.

My main guitar is a wine red 1991 Fender Strat with EMG SA pickups running into a Tech 21 Trademark 60 amp. As stated previously, it is noisy if you start moving all the knobs at once. I found the flangers to be a bit weak for my taste. I suggest using the Jet Flanger setting on the MXR Flanger model. It sounds a lot better to me when it's set that way. I haven't found a use for the trems yet but I will. I love the Ring Mod, it's excellent for Incubus sounds. The chorus settings are the most difficult. They seem to have the largest capability for good sounds and bad sounds. I use the Tri Chorus because I find it works best with clean and distorted sounds. It's great for Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." I don't really like phasers. However, I find that the Dual Phaser inspires great reggae sounds so I decided I'd keep that setting saved. It sounds a bit like 311 at their more reggae-ish moments. I haven't found a use for everything yet but I'm an effects junkie and I'm sure at some point I will work all of these sounds into my playing.

I've depended on Line 6 before. I have the Line 6 Delay Modeler and I've never had problems with it. The only thing that could go wrong are the switches. Sometimes you have to grease them up a bit to get them going.

Line 6 has a great website so I suggest using it. I've never dealt with them personally but they seem to know what they're doing.

I play classic rock, progressive rock, psychedelic music, and the occassional bits of jazz and blues. I've been playing for about seven years. I would buy it again if it were lost or stolen. I really love the tri-chorus, and that's saying a lot because I'm not a big fan of course. I associate chorus with 80's pop metal, and that's bad. I wish they ditched the rotary drum sounds. I think the panning effects are a bit lame. I have played through other chorus pedals, trems, phasers, and flangers. This probably isn't the best of those effects, but it's great that they're all in one package. They are damn good, not great. I think the greatest invention is the mix knob. It allows a personal taste. Sometimes it's fun to have a really whacked out ring mod sound and put the mix knob really know so people hear something messed up but they can't put their finger on it. I think it definitely helps make music. I've already included some sounds into songs I've written. I'm sure in the future I'll be writing songs around sounds I've discovered with this pedal.

Easy to use as long as the manual is handy. Hard to remember what the knobs do after you've been away from the tweaking end for a bit.

Drops the signal level when engaged.

Sounds are fairly processed - close to the originals but definately synthetic...makes it really hard to find a balance between enough effect to be noticed and too much which makes the warm analog tones sound digital/synthetic.

Unit is quiet when engaged and transparent when off...

Run this with:
Modded Strats/Teles (with single coil pups) > NS2 > CS2 > PS5 > FT Clyde > BD2 > FT FD2 > Rat2 > Bixonic Expandora > Ernie Mono Volume (tuner out to TU2) > DL4 > MM4 > various backline Fender tube amps. Board is powered by a Pedalpower2 (use the Sag on the Expandora and the FD2).

No issues so far...

NA.

For the $, it's a good substitute for a rack multi-effect. Was looking for a simple "everything in one pedalboard" setup and it's working great in that role. Doing it over, I'd probably go back to a good rack multi-effect and just run a midi controller on the pedalboard. Ran a TCElectronic G-Force prior but went the fit-it-all-on-one pedalboard route for flight/travel convenience.

There are a lot of pros using the MM4 on the road and in the studio. For travel convenience, it's good. For a planned stationary/local situation, I'd still run a better rack unit.

4 stomp buttons, enough for me. Set them up and it's like having 4 stomp pedals in one box. Use the manual so you know what the knobs all do. They've included everything I need!

I have an Ernie Ball Axis guitar going into the MM-4, then into a Pod 2.0, then into a 1970 Marshall Super Lead 100 watt head with a Marshall 4x12 cab loaded with 25 watt greenbacks. The unit has no noise with true bypass. Get the power adaptor as it eats batteries!
Some people didn't seem happy with this unit, but it doesn't sound good in an effects loop. Run your guitar into it first, then out to your rig.
The analogue chorus was the reason I bought it, sounds nice and transparent, doesn't change your tone just adds a nice fullness to it. It may not be extreme enough for those wanting that processed 80's tone (blaugh!)
The phase 90 and the MXR flanger are the other effects I use alot in this box, they sound awesome! The rest of the effects are just bonus play things to me. I love this unit for chourus, phase and flange. Very affordable considering what the real pedals cost (if you can find them). TRUE BYPASS...this is very important...a must really!

Solid steel.....

Never dealt with them, but I know people who have, they've been treated great.

I don't own a real CE-1 or a phase 90 or an MXR flanger. I'm not about to sit there A/B ing them trying to find any flaw I can in sound reproduction between this unit and the original. If you must have the sound of THAT pedal EXACTLY go out and spend alot of money and buy it! There's alot of anal retentive reviews here that bash the MM-4...I read them and tried the pedal anyway, and was VERY glad I did!
Again, try running this pedal pre-everything and let your ears decide. This pedal was exactly what I was looking for!

This pedal is not easy to use--the manual is a must. Bonus points to LINE 6 for free downloads of their manuals though (including this one). Some effects models use only 'tweek' and 'tweez', others use only 'depth' and 'rate', etc. Some might use all four. Also, the manual shows you which vintage effects were modeled and which corresponding controls on the MM-4 can be used to 'dial in' the effect parameters.

Fender Strat (DG-20 EMG setup). Guitar signal to any one of the following: '65 Fender Pro Reverb (2x12 combo), Marshall JCM900 (2x12 combo), and Marshall JTM30 combo (2x10). Sound quality itself (as far as signal/noise ratio and overall noise) is excellent. I think this is 24-bit digital. Overall sound quality is very good (most of the 'analog models' definately need more engineering to sound warmer--to my ears the 'analog flanger' and 'dimension' are the best sounding effects on here). Some of these models sound thin, but some are surprising--as in better than most digital modelers. The high points of this pedal are: A) Signal/Noise ratio....quiet pedal...try THAT with a pedalboard full of vintage analog effects....B) The fact that you don't have to carry around several HUGE 'vintage effects pedals'.....and C) These can be had for less than $175 used, if you are patient and check the auctions (EBAY,etc.)

Very reliable. Bought mine used, but never any problems.

N/A

Please note, sound is a SUBJECTIVE MATTER---use your own ears to find what is right for you and YOUR sound. That aside, here's the scoop: This pedal emulates some vintage effects well (certain chorus models, especially the Dimension, analog flanger, panning volume is also nice). The "never mentioned in these reviews" rotating speaker and horn model (settings to taste) is good for an early/mid '70s Jimmy Page freakout. Line 6 is constantly updating/improving their products, so I predict new improved versions of these modelers in the coming months. A neat company, and their amps/pods are very cool. I give a "7.5" overall rating.

Takes a little while to get cooking on this thing, im expecting to have to fiddle around with the expression pedel when I get it. Sure is a hell of lot better than having 4 to 8 stompboxes (ive had 9 at once for a breif time, its a pain in the ass) This thing gets the job done with one box.

My rig (right now) looks like this----Bad Horsie Wah--->Tech 21 XXL Distorion---> Fender Stage 100--->(effects loop) Line 6 MM4---> Boss RV-3 Reverb Delay. I use aN Epiphone Sheraton when I play Jazz and an Ibanez RG 350 DX for rock stuff. This pedal sounds really clean, not a lot of input noise (only the effect noise, which I like). The UNi Vibe kicks ass and the ring mod is nice, considering other mods ive looked have piss poor contols. Like most other reviews, I agree that the flanges are a bit weak. I think they could of scrapped one of the rotary setting for another, better flanger. Chorus, Phaser, Tremelo, all great. Lots of room to get your sound. Very compatible with the distortions I have.

Thing is solid. I bought it used and it looks kinda nicked up, but thisthing looks like a friggin tank. Im sure ill have it for a while and I never buy backups.

All my buds who have Line 6 stuff love it and have never needed the support. My friends looking to buy a Vetta he's so impressed!

Good stuff. If youre tired of a seperate bof for all of your mods, sell em get this bad boy. But keep your flanger!

Initially, this seems very intuitive. 4 switches, 6 knobs. You simply twist the left knob to select which effect you want to use and dial in the settings with the rest of the knobs.

But...you need to spend some time with this thing, really learn what the Tweak and Tweez knobs do depending on which effect you're using, and then you'll find the really great sounds. Once you find them, saving them is a snap--hold down a switch, the light blinks, its saved.

Because its not as intuitive as most modulation pedals with 1 or 2 knobs, and because the manual is written in this snappy, annoying, gloating style, I give it a 7.

Here's where my review differs from most: I'm playing a Deagan Electravibe [a vibraphone with pickups drilled into each bar; its got a 3 octave range the same as the high end of a guitar]. I think my vibes are a great benchmark for the sound of a pedal, because the frequency range of the vibrating bar is far higher than that of a guitar string.

I only use this effect. My chain is E-Vibe-->MM4--Roland KC-300 keyboard amp. (Or 2 of them, or a PA if I'm running in stereo). The MM4 is on a waist-high stand so I can twist knobs and such while playing (I don't always need both hands).

I've been searching for months for effects that ENHANCE the sound of my vibes rather than change it completely. I've gone through a slew of vintage and analog effects, searching for the right tones. I don't really care how "exactly" these sounds mimic their vintage ancestors, I care how good they sound overall. If you're looking for an exact match and won't be happy unless you find it, then just buy the original and get a noise gate.

To respond to a common complaint found in other reviews here, namely, that many effects sound alike, all I have to say is that modulation itself is nothing more than variation in pitch and/or volume. But if you take the time to really explore how all the knobs really affect the sound, there is a staggering amount of possible variation.

I'll break it down by effect grouping:

Trems: The shining star of the box, no doubt. There are 2 very versatile and full tremolos, with a broad range of possibilities. If you find one you like, save it, because small changes in the knob position make a big change in sound. One of the most useable effects in the unit. They can be a subtle fill, they can shimmer, and the peak follower option (lounder=faster speed) can make things interesting.

Phasers: There are 3. Very nice, each of them giving you a nice range of subtle to crazy. I'd say that the MXR Phase 90 model does the best job of copying its original of any of these models. The trems and the Phase 90 are worth the price of the box...IMHO.

Rotary and Leslie: They're good, not amazing. I actually really prefer the sound of the Vibratone (rotary drum) to the Leslie model (rotary drum and horn). It seems not to suck away as much of my original sound. For the Leslie, I was able to find some nice sounds, but it really takes some trial and error to find the right settings on those knobs, and its not really amazing enough that you'll want to save it in a sound bank, so those settings won't stick around. I really wanted to love the Leslie, but I didn't. The Vibratone is sweet.

Choruses (Chori?): I'm not sure why some people have said that these aren't lush enough. I think they're downright amazing. Very full, and when run in stereo, I can't say enough, especially about the Tri Chorus and Dimension D. Before buying this, I was all about the CE-1 model, but the others blow it away, especially in stereo. If you have the means, really, run in stereo and take advantage of this pedal's real strength.

Pitch Vibrato: Its a very nice vibrato, but compared to the tremolo quality, its a little bit standard sounding. A nice range of pitch variation in the depth knob, though.

Ring Modulator: Its kind of fun...I use it to impress someone with a cool sound or in spacey parts of a jam. If you fiddle with the knobs while playing, its far more interesting, but that isn't really an option for a guitar player.

All in all, the trems, choruses, and the Phase 90 make this pedal worth it. On top of that, you get some real quality other sounds (like the Vibratone), some crazy effects for occasional use, not to mention True Bypass, noiseless operation, portability, and stereo option. Well, well worth it.

Nothing gets a 10, people give 9's to classic pedals, so this is an 8.

Very sturdy housing, though the paint seems like it chips a little easily. I would definitely gig without a backup for the pedal, though I'd have batteries on hand in case the power supply craps out. It attaches to the box in a somewhat dinky manner.

Never needed them. I hate the way they write the manual, though.

I played with it and gigged it for about a year before I finally gave up. I had high hopes because the chorus and leslie sounds in my Line 6 AX2 were the best simulations I have heard yet. Unfortunately the amp sounds in the AX 2 are a tad thin compared to vintage or boutique tube amps, so I needed a stereo modulater to use with the tube amps. Unfortunately, the sound is not good. Kind of processed sounding even at the most subtle settings. I spent some time tweaking the best chorus sound I could get and played it for my guitar teacher and he put his finger on it. He said "it kind of sounds phony". He was right and I sold it. I wish I could give some chorus advice but I still haven't food a good one. I'll try the Fulltone next. Maybe....

Make sure that your nuts are tight on the switches because taking it apart kind of sucks.

Well, I bought it in Hollywood at Guitar center for $149 and sold it on ebay for $199 so I guess Line 6 enjoys a pretty good reputation. I'll give it a 6 for resale value.

Once reading over the manual it is not too hard to understand. Just like anything else in life that will benefit you it takes a little time. Programing your presets are pretty simple too. The only draw back is that you only get 4 presets at a time to program.

I think the sound quality of my unit is great! My main set up is Charvel strat with single coil pickups and a Les Paul deluxe(small dimarzio pickups) with a Yamaha G-100 amp 2x10's. I am also using a Peavey Renown 2x12 amp. The unit is very quite and as some say there is a volume drop when using this, I have experienced no volume loss. But I do get a "pop" when switching the unit on. The effects are very versatile in there own right. I love the rotary type effects and flange, they all sound great to me. The Uni-Vibe is a little weird but I cant really judge that sound because I've never used a real one before. But I have gotten " Trower,Hendrix and some 70's Santana " sound out of this very cool Modulater.

Very dependable. Just make sure you have an adapter. It will eat your batteries in no time. You will need no backup.

Never needed to call them.

My musical style is Contemperary Christian w/jazz-rock influence. The MM4 is useful in all styles of music. I've been playing for thirtysix years and have been through some vintage pedals and this one comes very close to the ones that I've used including the "Maestro Phaser,Morley Pro Phaser,MXR Flanger,and the Electro Harmonix CloneTheory". If this unit was stolen I would try some the the other units on the market but would probably buy another MM4. I like the durablity of it and the ease of use without taking up a lot of floor or rack space. The MM4 out weighs the other units I've tried. I may just buy the expression pedal to better operate it.

ehh........ hard to get good sounds of by tweaking, mainly because the unit is somewhat flawed.

amps - marshalls
guitars - fenders and gibsons
other pedals - boss SD1, EH Electric Mistress, Dano Chicken Salad Vibe, Crybaby 535Q
Lexicon JamMan

I used this unit both infront of the amp as well as in the loop. In front, it didnt do that much, you could hear something going on, but it didnt sound good. I mainly bought it for uvibe, trem, and flange sounds. I was disappointed. I even bought the expression pedal hoping to improve things. It didnt.
In the loop, the sound of the effect is more present, but the volume loss is silly.
I sold it. I really wanted to like it, but I just could not.

seems well built.

I play a lot of styles, I like my vibes, flanges, and trems. This unit is a great idea, however, that idea gets lost somewhere between the thought and the hardware. I guess I co8uld say, that I like my modulations mostly in front of the amp. This thing had such a weak effect presence, that I ended up tweaking rather than playing. Even after adjusting mix ratios, depths, etc... I still couldnt make it happen. It worked ok in the loop, but volume loss was way too much. I think it says alot when a $20 dano chicken salad vibe does the uvibe thing better than this things modeled vibe.
Like I said, I wanted to like it, but it was really missing something, which was, good sounding effects.