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LINE 6 FLOOR POD (Guitar Processor) - NOW WITH CONCLUSIONS!


Anderton

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Cool! A Pro Review where I get to play a lot of guitar :)

 

One nice thing about this format is that it's adaptable. For example, with software, often times screen shots are very important. In this case, though, I think sound examples are going to be vital. But first, as is my tradition with hardware Pro Reviews, I like to snap a bunch of pictures and take the thing apart, to judge the build quality. I actually found quite a few surprises there, so do take a look at the pix.

 

As is also traditional with Pro Reviews, we don't spend too much time on specs because they're already on Line 6's web site, and given that you must be online if you're reading this, you can hop on over here and get the rundown from Line 6 on what they feel the Floor POD is all about. Over the next few weeks, we'll find out if we agree or not!

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Click on the attachment to see an overall view of the Floor POD. We'll have close-ups with details later.

 

The heft is basically heavy enough so it's not going to creep around a lot on stage, but not so heavy that it's a hassle to carry. The case is made of high-impact plastic, while the bottom plate is metal. Note that this is a live box only: There's no USB, no MIDI, or way that I can see to connect to a computer. I also didn't see any sockets where you can update any chips, so presumably, you won't be downloading updates and drivers or changing what the box does over time.

 

Given the price -- $279.99 list, meaning you can often find it for under $200 in the US -- it seems the intent of the Floor POD is to bring POD technology to gigging musicians at a reasonable price. The next step up the live performance chain would be a PODxt with a footswitch, and of course, it's computer-friendly if that's important to you.

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I'm a big fan of expression pedals, so I like something that makes a reasonably big target and doesn't feel flimsy. Click on the attachment to see a close-up of the pedal.

 

I tested working it from the right edge, wondering if it would tip the unit over or at least tilt. Surprisingly, it didn't. You can also just tap on the top or bottom for a quick change without causing instability with the box itself.

 

So my next thought was given how much I use a pedal, how easy would it be to replace or clean the pot? So I took the unit apart, and...

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...surprise! There is no pot. Instead, there's a sensor so basically, the only moving part in the pedal assembly is the pedal itself. It's attached to a pretty sturdy shaft in what appears to be a metal bushing, so it will probably be able to withstand even my excessive pedal use.

 

Click on the attachement to see the pedal mechanism, it appeals to my inner geek. The whatever-it-is-that-triggers-the-sensor (a magnet, perhaps?) is the round thing just below, and to the right, of the circuit board. Presumably it interacts with something on the circuit board as it gets closer or further away.

 

But something else that really caught my eye is the ribbon connector termination, which is covered in something that resembles hot glue or silicone seal. One would think the solder connections would be sufficient, but with that seal, the ribbon cable isn't going anywhere...it's also sealed at the main circuit board end.

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Click on the attachment to a main view of the insides. It's fairly standard, with a few exceptions we'll cover in subsequent posts. Note the heavily shielded input jack in the lower right; I didn't expect that extent of shielding. Just above it and to the right is where the ribbon cable mentioned in the previous post terminates.
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As the pedal seemed pretty sturdy, I next turned my attention to the footswitches -- another "thingie with moving parts" that has been known to invite trouble.

 

I don't know how long they're supposed to last, but them seem reasonably sturdy. But I guess someone at Line 6 also said "Hey, what if these suckers fail?" because they're basically field-replaceable. The footswitch parts themselves are on a separate circuit board that connects with a ribbon cable -- this time without the seal; click on the attachment to see what I'm talking about. With a Phillips head screwdriver and a new board, I bet I could replace the footswitch assembly in under 10 minutes max, including reassembly.

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Here's another nice little detail: There are studs that extend downward from the front panel to the metal bottom panel, thus providing an extra measure of reinforcement for those with heavy feet. Click on the attachment to see the rectangular studs toward the center of the picture.

 

The more I look at this, the more I appreciate some of the little touches that went into the construction. There are more, but they'll have to wait until later -- it looks like it's about to snow, and I need to go out and some foot just in case. I'll be back later with more observations on construction, and more pictures.

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Here's something else that strikes me as very cool: A "klutz bar" that protects the knobs and display from klutzy feet. Click on the attachment to see it; the "klutz bar" runs across the top of the picture.

 

At first I thought this was a handle, and it does actually provide a convenient way to pick up the unit. But as I hit the footswitches, and the bar kept my foot from hitting the rest of the box, its true meaning was revealed :)

 

By the way, I don't know if someone from Line 6 is monitoring this thread, but if it has an official name other than "klutz bar," let me know.

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Click on the attachment to see another example of attention to detail. There are two inductors between the metal standoff (and props for using metal instead of plastic, FYI)) and the red capacitor. These are supported by their leads, which are soldered to the board, but like the footswitch ribbon cable, there's some kind of silicon sealant or whatever to anchor them to the board. This seems like a considerate touch in a box of this price.
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There's a mystery white ribbon cable header on the board; click on the attachment to see it. My assumption is that it's used for automated testing, but maybe there's some kind of expansion option planned for the future...could someone from Line 6 possibly comment on this? Or is it a situation where if you tell me, you have to kill me?

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Yes, I admit I'm a geek, and I like looking at the insides of gear because it gives you some insight into the gestalt behind the product. If lots of corners have been cut, you wonder if maybe the thing won't last as long, or if they cut corners on the software as well. It also matters to me whether something is easy to service or not. The footswitch assembly here is a case in point.

 

Anyway, for this last picture, I noticed two regulators: a 7805 5-volter for the digital electronics, and a 7808, which I presume is for the analog electronics. What's clever here, and why I bothered taking the picture (click on the attachment to see it, is that the 7805 is the one that's lying down, with the metal standoff going through the case. The standoff is acting as a heat sink that conducts heat to the metal plate, so here you have a situation where the designers were able to save bucks by not including a heat sink, yet still provide a way to dissipate the heat. Yeah, I'm a sucker for stuff like that...someone put some thought into this.

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It would be interesting to do a mini-shootout between the FloorPOD and Digitech RP250 and Zoom G2.1u. The Digitech and Zoom seem to have way more amp, cabinet and effects models plus USB capability for less money. I know the RP250 has editing software, can't recall if the Zoom does, but because they have USB they both make good guitar to computer interfaces. To it's credit the FloorPOD seems to have more knobs for easier tweaking.

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I'm sorry to disappoint, but there's not a clever name for the chrome handle. We simply call it the "handlebar." It is the same physical part that appears on the PODxt Live and as you suggest, it was created to prevent kicking the knobs during performance. The industrial designer for PODxt Live and Floor POD is an ex-Marine and he wanted to capture the vibe of a military field radio transmitter when designing that solution for protecting the knobs.

 

Thanks,

Mark McCrite

Product Manager

Floor POD

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The industrial designer for PODxt Live and Floor POD is an ex-Marine and he wanted to capture the vibe of a military field radio transmitter when designing that solution for protecting the knobs.

 

Hello Mark, welcome to the review. Please feel free to insert any little tidbits like that, I'm a trivia fan!

 

BTW, any insights on the "mystery connector" I mentioned a few posts back?

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They "mystery connector" you mention was used during development to connect the unit to our in-house development system. All of our beta testers were local and as we would release new code for the unit, each tester would bring the unit to Line 6 HQ and we'd update them via that connector.

 

Thanks,

Mark

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Let’s plug in and crank up. POD fans will recognize much of the Floor POD, starting with the Direct/Amp A.I.R. switch. Amp mode is intended for when you’re plugging the POD into an amp, whereas Direct is for recording or going direct into a mixer or PA. It’s not like Amp removes the cabinet; there is still the “vibe” of different amps, even with Amp engaged. Direct sounds more like it emulates the high frequency rolloff of a typical speaker cabinet, as well as gives some of the “air” that comes from miking an amp.

 

I decided to use Direct, as I wanted to feed into a host sequencer so I could record some audio clips. The volume seemed a little low for recording at first, but there’s a master volume trimpot on the back panel which can take the output pretty much anywhere – from low enough to feed a guitar amp, to high enough to drive a line-level computer interface. Good.

 

The manual seems intimidating until you realize it’s one of those multi-language deals, and really, there are only nine pages you need to read (there are also a couple pages of boilerplate to keep lawyers and the government happy, but I sincerely doubt you were going to play with your Floor POD in a bathtub during a lightning storm anyway…right?).

 

Even if you never read manuals, c’mon, it’s only nine pages, it’s written in a friendly style, and the type isn’t even small – so read it. There are some hidden features that aren’t intuitively obvious unless you do. For example, there’s a section on how to calibrate the footpedal. It’s simple to do, but you’re not going to know how to do this, let alone that you even need to, unless you read the manual.

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There are 12 models, but click on the attachment to see the amp model selector knob. It appears that there are only six positions, but this isn't a switch; it's a continuously variable control. As you turn the knob and go through each position (Clean, Class A, Classic, Hi Gain, Treadplate, and Insane), the LED associated with each model illuminates - first red, then green. Each represents a significant variation on the main sound.

 

For example, the "red" Class A recalls the sound of a Vox AC 30, whereas the "green" Class A is more of a boutique sound based on a Budda Twinmaster head. Another example: The "red" Insane option is the original Line 6 super-overdriven sound, whereas the "green" version is inspired by the Soldano X88R.

 

Because I read the manual :), I noticed that Presets 61-64 are blank presets, which are ideal for creating sounds from scratch. I figure that's probably the best way to hear each model by itself, so excuse me for a bit while I do some recording.

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Here's the deal on these examples: I recorded them straight, with the default preset, and varied only the amp model. There was no other processing. I played to a drum loop, which I kept in the mix to give a sense of context. All of the amp tracks were normalized, and I tried to play each example as consistently as possible so you could make valid comparisons -- although I changed my playing a tiny bit for some of the models if it seemed to fit the model better.

 

These were all recorded in Sonar, the brought into Wavelab and batch processed to MP3. I added about 1.5dB of limiting so that the clips could make it through the MP3 data compression a little more intact. Each clip is saved in mono for two reasons: I could use 64kbps and have the same quality as 128kbps in stereo but twice the sample length (each example is about 12 seconds long), and the amp models are inherently mono; the reason the Floor POD has stereo outputs is for the stereo effects.

 

I suggest that after downloading these you bring them into a digital audio editor or multitrack host so you can compare them easily. Also, please note: If the download has a .PHP extension, change it to .MP3 so your player (iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc.) can recognize it.

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