Best modeler (POD or similar)

[Jopop]

For metal? I'd like some FX and stuff too.. also something that will work with the four cable method. Maybe I'll go with a Pod since it has good cab emulation and they're handy to fit in your lap.

[GCDEF]

and they're handy to fit in your lap.

First time I've ever heard that as a benefit.

[Jopop]

First time I've ever heard that as a benefit.

I have a floor unit and my biggest gripe with it is that it's too big..

[Mudder1310]

Vox Tonelab.

[Elric]

Opinions vary pretty heavily. For metal, specifically, I'd say the POD XT (or the new X3 unit) with the Metal Shop pack is the obvious winner, though. For lower gain stuff, the Vox unit is very impressive... I also own Behringer and Boss modelers and do not think they sound nearly as good for heavy rock as the L6. I've played but do not own the Digitech stuff and it is very weak, IMHO. On the upside, none of them suck so bad that a good player can not make them sound good with a little added EQ. If you really do miss your 5150 you'll likely love the POD stuff, because their 5150 model is excellent.

 

Personally, I would get the POD X3 if I were searching for a metal unit today since it includes the Metal Shop pack already and has other additional features yet it only costs $100 more than the XT does new. If price is a big issue then I'd probably get a used XT. They'll probably be easy to find cheap used deals on right now since some folks may be "upgrading" to the X3.

[Nik]

Pods can do the Four Cable Method? That's news!

Boss GT-8 - the the GT-6 did it well enough for me.

[Elric]

Pods can do the Four Cable Method? That's news!

The new X3 live can but it is the only unit in the Line 6 range that can. So, if you're willing to pay you can have it all. Otherwise if the X3 Live is too expensive, I'd still recommend sacrificing the routing flexibility for sound quality in the case of the L6 versus Boss models for metal since IMHO the Boss aren't nearly as good. Digitech's GSP1101 can do 4CM, too, but it's as expensive as the X3 Live and doesn't sound as good, either.

 

IMHO, metal is L6's forte'. But, like I said, there's a lot of opinions/religion here. In fact, some people would say what's the point in worrying about it, all modelers suck.

[Jopop]

Pods can do the Four Cable Method? That's news! Boss GT-8 - the the GT-6 did it well enough for me.

 

I heard the X3 could..

 

And i just got some really decent tone out of my Zoom G7.1ut (don't laugh).. me thinks i might need to tweak more than i buy.

 

The patch is here: http://giasso.s42.eatj.com/ZooM/patch.jsp?idPatch=jL09FL I did did slight adjustments to EQ (less low mid, more harmonics) and turned the delay & reverb way down and it's just like the MOP studio tone.. I've connected it to USB using it as a sound card, and when i play along to the MOP album the tones are almost indistinguishable except that mine has a little more going on in the lower midrange (which is either due to my guitar or a characteristic of the Zoom itself, cause i can't dial it out and I'm hearing this in about every patch. It does sound good though, a little Andy Sneap-ish.. but the amp model is a recto and the studio amp was a mark series so there's a big difference there, mine isn't as "dry" on the chugs)

[Jopop]

The new X3 live can but it is the only unit in the Line 6 range that can. So, if you're willing to pay you can have it all. Otherwise if the X3 Live is too expensive, I'd still recommend sacrificing the routing flexibility for sound quality in the case of the L6 versus Boss models for metal since IMHO the Boss aren't nearly as good. Digitech's GSP1101 can do 4CM, too, but it's as expensive as the X3 Live and doesn't sound as good, either. IMHO, metal is L6's forte'. But, like I said, there's a lot of opinions/religion here. In fact, some people would say what's the point in worrying about it, all modelers suck.

I'm gonna try to get an X3 then.. but it's so damn expensive.. Maybe one will turn up used..

[Jopop]

Thread is not over yet

 

Any more inputs?

[HKSblade1]

MEH!! the X3 is 2 PODS in a Pea

I was hoping for new sounds out of it. Its just re-packaged models but with 2 channels of fizz instead of one I sent mine packing!

Adding to my reason was NO editor. How dumb to sell this when you have no pc editor for use first. Sure the intent was a holiday rush.

Same orig L-6 sound in a new box or bean. Still lacks dynamics like the Tonelab, GNX-3000. I like the GSP-1101 myself. Does take a few days to get the config modes worked out.

[Soeru]

Hey what's up Jopop.

 

I was looking for a modeler recently too to have something to hook up to a mixer or any amp and get a decent sound. I ended up buying a Sansamp GT-2 for 130$, I haven't gotten it yet but I think I'll be very pleased with it and you'd be too. Doesn't have effects though, it's just a preamp in pedal format.

 

I played a pod 2.0 once and really was not impressed at all, I'm glad I didn't end up buying one. The XT's are great if you have the bling.

[Jopop]

Hey what's up Jopop. I was looking for a modeler recently too to have something to hook up to a mixer or any amp and get a decent sound. I ended up buying a Sansamp GT-2 for 130$, I haven't gotten it yet but I think I'll be very pleased with it and you'd be too. Doesn't have effects though, it's just a preamp in pedal format. I played a pod 2.0 once and really was not impressed at all, I'm glad I didn't end up buying one. The XT's are great if you have the bling.

 

Hey! I think I'm banned from the green screen, i can't get in >

 

I have also played a POD 2.0 and didn't think it was all that great.. however I'm starting to think the limiting factor is my tweaking/playing and not the gear

I keep buying stuff but still sound the same. I need to scoop those mids out a little i guess, it's this forum's over the top policy on mids that's ruined me

 

Can you post/PM me some settings on your Fireball? I'm just not making magic with mine Although it sounds really good.. I think it might be too tight..

[Neemo]

The heavy weight of amp modelling & FX:

http://www.fractalaudio.com/

[HKSblade1]

The heavy weight of amp modelling & FX: http://www.fractalaudio.com/ __________________

[Jopop]

The heavy weight of amp modelling & FX: http://www.fractalaudio.com/

8 years waiting time And i heard it's not that amazing for high gain anyway..

[Randy Van Sykes]

8 years waiting time And i heard it's not that amazing for high gain anyway..

High gain? Go with the Line6 I'd say.
The tonelab is better at the tube amp sag/feel thing, but metal players don't usually like or need that feel....they want tight.

[HKSblade1]

used Prophesy or Voodu Valve is cool option.

[Jopop]

High gain? Go with the Line6 I'd say. The tonelab is better at the tube amp sag/feel thing, but metal players don't usually like or need that feel....they want tight.

It can't emulate sag?
I feel my Fireball is too tight.. So the PodXT would be useless then?

[HKSblade1]

try one out and see. some things about my POD I like and others I absolutely hate about it. Fizz is one of them, but I don't and won't use the POD for anything but writing stuff and quiet jamz.

If I want a guitar amp track, I get a sm57, guitar, and an amp.

Some songs I only want one track of guitar. If my POD isn't double tracked it sounds like Sh!t. But any track doubled sounds better even with a Marshall MG!

[Randy Van Sykes]

It can't emulate sag? I feel my Fireball is too tight.. So the PodXT would be useless then?

I just hear that a lot of guys that try the tonelab say it can't do high gain..I don't agree, but I like some sag.

[Elric]

It can't emulate sag? I feel my Fireball is too tight.. So the PodXT would be useless then?

 

Turning up the built in post amp compressor a bit actually makes it feel a lot more "natural" in this regard. This is a pretty good old timer POD XT trick. I usually set it some where between 3 and 1 o'clock (knob turns counterclockwise) for that purpose. Give that a try if you demo one and find it too tight. Also, the amp models vary in feel some from one to the next, as you'd expect. If you have a unit with the Metal pack, try the Cornford Mk50 amp model: that amp is by far one of the most organic pod models.

[Jopop]

Turning up the built in post amp compressor a bit actually makes it feel a lot more "natural" in this regard. This is a pretty good old timer POD XT trick. I usually set it some where between 3 and 1 o'clock (knob turns counterclockwise) for that purpose. Give that a try if you demo one and find it too tight. Also, the amp models vary in feel some from one to the next, as you'd expect. If you have a unit with the Metal pack, try the Cornford Mk50 amp model that amp is by far one of the most organic pod models.

I just bought one i think, with the metal pack. If i don't like it I'll sell it again for roughly the same i bought it for, no big deal.

Is there a webpage that explains some of these "tricks"? There's gotta be more and other tips and pointers for dialing in a good tone is also welcome.. of course.

[Jopop]

Is it possible to assign a stompbox in front of an amp sim on the podxt? I.e. can i have this:

 

TS808 Model->5150 Model?

[Elric]

I just bought one i think, with the metal pack. If i don't like it I'll sell it again for roughly the same i bought it for, no big deal. Is there a webpage that explains some of these "tricks"? There's gotta be more and other tips and pointers for dialing in a good tone is also welcome.. of course.

 

Other common tweaks:

• Turning down the model amp gain and then "boosting" it with the Tube Screamer model using low gain but boosted level and tone control to taste. This works great... similar to a real amp. This also works with a real tube screamer pedal or other boost like a Bad Monkey, SD-1, etc, in front of the actual POD.

• A variation of the above, if you have the FX pack try the Chandler Tube Driver model instead of the Screamer, this model sounds really tubey but be aware that it is more of a pain to get the settings correct on it. Apparently it was fickle in real life, too.

• Some people find the character of the upper end of the POD XT's presence harsh for some settings/models. If you find a setting you like but want to contour just the high-end don't forget the parametric post-eq. A common setting is a tweaked low pass filter: A slight bump @ around 4-5kHz followed by a roll-off with the high shelf band (band 4), steeply dropping off the extreme high frequencies.

• Try oddball cab/amp/cab combos: Like, say, Rectifier into 1x15 cab model with 421 mic. These can yield surprisingly cool results.

• If you're not using any modulation effect on your patch try setting the sine chorus for a very low frequency and low to mid depth/mix settings. Some folks say this effect pleasantly "rounds out" the tone on certain patches. You can use the Leslie/Rotating speaker models similarly, too, for variation.

• Using the Stereo Delay with ~20ms delay, and 45% or so on the mix control to create a subtle doubling sound that makes things sound HUGE through a stereo rig.

• Make sure you understand the output modes the device has and don't be afraid to experiment with non-intuitive combinations. Not having this setup right really confuses people, some to the point where they think the device is broken or unusable.

• Some people liked the POD2's 100Hz bump in the frequency response for low end "warmth" or rumble. You can add this with the low-mid band on the parametric EQ if that's your sound.

• Think about your gain settings. A lot of people do psychotic things with amp models that they wouldn't do with a real amplifier head like diming the gain on a 5150 or Triple Rectifier right off the bat.

• If you're going to vary the volume in your playing a lot: Learn about the Fletcher Munson effect: it screws with patch based units in general much more so than a regular amp where people tend to just turn a knob. (Line 6 has an article on their WWW called "How to Get Loud" about it).