Recording - December 2011 - 14

itself was very cool and fun to play with, letting me play runs in staccato or legato phrasing with a fingertip. The nanoKONTROL2 no longer has the four Scenes (sets of control values) its predecessor had (the nanoPAD2 retains them), and has one fewer set of channel controls, 8 rather than 9, but there are three buttons per channel rather than two, for easy assignment of mute, solo, and record-arm in pretty much any DAW. The transport and cycle buttons are all still there, but there are now marker set and skip buttons and track shift buttons. That’s handy when you boot the nanoKONTROL2 into DAW mode; it then uses the Mackie Control protocol and is seen as a multichannel control surface by most DAWs. Overall, I find the changes in the nano2 series to be well thought out. They are more compatible with more software, offer more practical performance techniques and fewer ways to go wrong, and are still very affordable and easy to tote around. How can you argue with that?

Line 6 M5 Stompbox Modeler
$279; www.line6.com In our November 2008 issue I tested the M13, a new kind of guitar multieffects system from Line 6. It was designed to emulate a row of four stompboxes, each with its own LCD and controls, each running its own modeled effect. The M13 was a huge 10-pound beast, but Line 6 saw the potential of offering these effects emulations in smaller designs. The M9 offered three simultaneous stompbox models sharing a single LCD and six-knob user interface in a 3-pound package. Then came the M5, which we’re reviewing here. The M5 is the logical conclusion of the M13’s shrinkage; it’s just a bit bigger than a standard stompbox, but still sports the same LCD and knob controls as its larger siblings, offering all of their available stompbox emulation algorithms. Basically, the M5 delivers the M13’s sounds one effect at a time; if you like the idea of a pedal that can imitate a hundred or more different famous effects, but weren’t hot on the idea of a complete pedalboard taking up a lot of room, the M5 fits that niche. The M5 can save up to 24 customized effects settings in a list that can be scrolled through on the fly, and its I/O includes stereo ins and outs, an expression pedal input, and MIDI I/O. Individual effects are programmed using the LCD and six knobs whose functions change as you call up different models. There are (quoting Line 6’s website here, I didn’t count) 19 delays and echoes; 23 modulation and time-based effects like chorus, flanger, vibrato, Leslie simulator, and phaser; 17 distortion and overdrive effects; 6 compressors; 5 equalizers; 26 filter effects; 12 reverbs... oh, and a noise gate. Note that Line 6 doesn’t state that these are literal emulations of famous effects, nor are the emulations endorsed by the original makers, but in my experience the descriptions get your ears into the ballpark for what to expect when you play with the M5. Appropriately for the holidays, I found the M5 to be rather like a magic gift box that you can open, close, open again... and every time you open it there’s something different inside.

My personal favorites were the reverbs—not surprising, as I own and love the Line 6 Verbzilla pedal. The Particle Verb is a new algorithm that ranges from spacy-sweet to just plain crazy! I also liked the Barberpole Phaser, several of the Analog Delay options, and on the overdrive/distortion side of things I really dug the Line 6 Drive the most. I highly recommend adding an expression pedal, as it greatly enhances the playing experience (even as a plain volume pedal, although that turns off everything else the M5 is doing). MIDI parameter control is also available, although I didn’t test it extensively. If your effects chain is looking for something extraspecial to take your tones over the top... how about a hundred different choices? The M5 gives them all to you in one neat little package.

M-Audio MobilePre
$179; www.m-audio.com; www.avid.com M-Audio’s MobilePre (sometimes referred to as the MobilePre MkII to differentiate it from an earlier interface with the same name) is a very affordable audio interface and DAW solution for the small computer studio; it provides not only high-quality audio input and output for the solo or duo, but also comes with Avid’s Pro Tools SE software for a complete recording solution. The MobilePre is a lightweight but sturdy desktop unit offering two combination inputs for XLR mics or Hi-Z instruments, switchable individually to a pair of 1/4" TRS balanced line level inputs on the rear panel. Stereo outputs are available through 1/4" TRS balanced line level outs, and a front-panel 1/4" headphone jack.

RECORDING DECEMBER 2011

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Recording - December 2011

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