All About POD

[W.Kyle.C]

I don't use my podxt live, live yet because i haven't had much time at my church to set the voices to sound like they do through my headphones....But when i get the sounds to sound right I'm going to send the 1/4" out of the DI box i'm going to into my amp and send the XLR out of the DI to the snake. I might not sound great since the sounds will be set up for the PA and not my amp but i would rather sound better through the PA then my amp. As long as i can hear myself i'm fine

[fuzzball]

Holy crap that is genious! I am going to have to try that!

[fuzzball]

How about posting our favorite patches. I found one called lala hum on the line 6 site and it is excelent.

[DJLantz444]

http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=20047

 

Recorded with Strat and pod.

[fuzzball]

Just spent an hour tweeking patches and accidently hit the wrong button and lost my changes.

Sun of a...*&^%%

[fishfartz]

Originally posted by fuzzball Does anyone have a good patch for an acousitic for the song lightning crashes?

 

 

 

 

im pretty sure thats a clean electric - with either a flanger or phaser (havent heard it in a while, forget which)

[fuzzball]

I tried that but it is still missing something. I tried one that I found on line6's site but it sucks.

[strat6]

Ok so here is my understanding of the POD which has been overlooked it seems and will explain why it sounds bad in a lot of situations. I have only read the first 6 or so pages of this so if I repeat anyone then my apologies. For this example I will reference the 5150 patch on the POD and a Peavey Classic 30 Combo amp.

A specific amp sounds like that amp for a reason. Apart from things like circuit board quality and minor things like that you can narrow it down to 3 major sound shapers. (This is very basic so please forgive me, I only use it to explain an idea)

1. The preamp section. The preamp provides the compression but little power. Can power a 12 inch speaker perhaps, but not a 4X12 cab to band levels. Different solid state/tube arrangements and types etc create different compression and different tones.

2. Power section. The power section takes the preamp sound and increases the volume to run that 4X12 cab at ear-splitting volume. Also if tube it adds warmth and dynamics. Different tone also controlled by different tube arrangements and types as well.

3. Speakers. Different type, number, make, materials, and size of speakers obviously produce different sounds.

When you turn your POD to the 5150 patch the POD simulates the PREAMP, POWERAMP, and SPEAKERS of a 5150.

Through clear headphones this should sound flawless(Good ones that is)

If you plug this into a 1/4inch guitar input on a peavey classic 30 it will sound like trash. Think of it as running a cable from a real 5150 to the input of your PVC30. You just wouldn't do it.

What's happening is you have cascading preamps. The 5150 compression is already applied by the pod, then you are plugging it into the Peavey which is adding it's own compression from it's own preamp. You are compressing an already compressed sound. Like using two distortion pedals at once.

That is what causes the most tone damage, the second preamp.

If your amp has an effects loop then plug it in there. The effects loop is between the preamp and the poweramp. So you skip the first preamp. But you have to plug your guitar into the pod, not the input of your amp or else your clean signal is getting colored by the first preamp before it hits the POD. Which won't sound as horrible as Guitar > Pod > Input, but it is still adding color to the pod tone which you don't want.
Fuzz mentioned he had a preamp input. Beautiful. Every new amp should have one.

But we are still not there. Pretend the Peavey Classic 30 had all the things I am talking about ok.

Once you bypass the PVC30's pre you are still using it's power section and speaker. Which is trying to make it sound like a PVC30. This is as accurate and good as it gets for most of us. this is also why they reccommend using a PA system. There should be no coloration in a PA system(Besides your eq). So it is going to take your POD(PREAMP) and put it through a clear mixer (POWERAMP) into a set of speakers. Now you aren't using the PV's Power section, so that's not coloring your tone anymore, and you have a choice of speakers. Which is what you want. BUT if your PA is garbage then it's all a waste. Yes trying to play a 3000 dollar amp through a set of 85 year old tin cans is not going to sound good ok?

What fuzzball said about putting a tube pre after the pod is a good idea.It's basically just boosting the signal and adding warmth. If you can get a clear tube pre that won't color your sound then run that right to a high quality cab and you have your amps, all 40 million of them or w/e number. If you can get a crystal clear poweramp then that is even better.

So now I am going to buy a POD XT or XTL. If I can get a 2 button switch to switch between a JCM800 and a Mesa boogie triprec and then to a clean sound I am sold on the XT. So how does your 2 button switch work with the XT Fuzz?

Feel free to tear me apart.

-Strat6

[fuzzball]

Nice post!

First the 2 button pedal switches patches but only between the 4 patches in the particular bank for example 1a,1b,1c,1d.
If you want to switch more you need a differnet pedal.

Great point about the sounds, but you may also consider using a pre amp in if your amp has one. It also works great (in my case better than the effects loop even).

Another point is that most people that compalain about the unit never took time to mess around and tweek it to fit their setup. As with any piece of equipment it has to be adjusted to fit your gear. You had a good post thank you for sharing!

[strat6]

Anyone know if this is possible? I want the POD XTL without the expression pedal. Is there a POD XT + Footswitch combo that can mimic this? I.E. Bank up and down and assign presets to certain switches.

-Strat6

[strat6]

Fuzz,

How do the patches and banks work? I assume it's like every bank has 4 patches "A, B, C, D". If that is the case can I make A = JCM800, B = Fender superverb clean C = 5150, D = Mesa dual rec all in the same bank? This would allow me to switch between these sounds with the 2 button switch you have.

Basically I don't want the live but I want to be able to switch between some sounds while using the XT in a live situation. I don't want or need an expression pedal.

-Strat6

[fuzzball]

I am not 100% sure but the Behringer floor pedal might work.

[fuzzball]

Originally posted by strat6 Fuzz, How do the patches and banks work? I assume it's like every bank has 4 patches "A, B, C, D". If that is the case can I make A = JCM800, B = Fender superverb clean C = 5150, D = Mesa dual rec all in the same bank? This would allow me to switch between these sounds with the 2 button switch you have. Basically I don't want the live but I want to be able to switch between some sounds while using the XT in a live situation. I don't want or need an expression pedal. -Strat6

You have the right idea, anything can go into the bank. Each bank can hold 4 patches (each patch can have anything in it like you hoped). So you can switch from a fender tweed to a 5150 stack with the push of a button!

[strat6]

I have heard random complaints about the POD XT/XTL direct record quality? I know that this relies heavily on ones recording ability and aptitude. Can anyone with recording experience comment on this? I assume it records at 24bit/192khz as it has a 24bit effects processor.

-strat6

[Janx]

I haven't read this whole thread...it's rather long, but here's a question:

I'm thinking about getting a Pod XT Live (and maybe someday a Variax). Given that the Pod and Variax are intended to work well together, what's the idea Line6 Amp/speaker thingy that completes the chain?

The way I see it, if you've got a Pod, why buy a VettaII with all the effects you're not likely to use at the same time as the Pod's. It seems like you'd want a basic speaker/amp thingy with no effects. But it's not clear what the Line6 ideal combo would be.

Thanks,
Janx

[jmgruber]

I don't think Line6 has designed an amp to go with the XTL/Variax combo. I have currently been using a keyboard amp which you can usually find fairly inexpensive and will give you a better sound spectrum with acoustic models. I use this at home, and when I plug into the PA at the church where I play, I don't have to do very much tweaking to my patches at all.

[W.Kyle.C]

Originally posted by fuzzball Great point about the sounds, but you may also consider using a pre amp in if your amp has one. It also works great (in my case better than the effects loop even).

 

 

Couldn't you just plug the podxt straight into the "return" jack of an effects loop and it would be like a pre-amp in?

[Janx]

A co-worker of mine who knows way more than I do suggested the Atomic Reactor 112

http://www.atomicamps.com/about.pdf

It sounds like it was meant to work with any of the modeling effects pedals out there and make it happy.

I guess I'm surprised LIne6 didn't think of doing this...


Janx

[W.Kyle.C]

Originally posted by Janx A co-worker of mine who knows way more than I do suggested the Atomic Reactor 112 http://www.atomicamps.com/about.pdf It sounds like it was meant to work with any of the modeling effects pedals out there and make it happy. I guess I'm surprised LIne6 didn't think of doing this... Janx

 

 

wow! that looks awesome...i'd like to hear one of those. Unfortunately there are no dealers in VA:(

[fuzzball]

Originally posted by strat6 I have heard random complaints about the POD XT/XTL direct record quality? I know that this relies heavily on ones recording ability and aptitude. Can anyone with recording experience comment on this? I assume it records at 24bit/192khz as it has a 24bit effects processor. -strat6

 

 

It does decent direct but it lacks umph, what I do is run one channel of the pod through an amp and the other direct and mix the signals. I have been getting very good results.

[fuzzball]

The amp mentioned above was made for people that want to use things such as the pod with an amp, I have not tried them but I have heard good things about them.

As for the pre amp in, It is not the same as running through an effects loop. I find that I don't have to tweek my settings at all from direct recording to the preamp in of my amp. Now this may not be the the same for every user, but it works great for me.

[Janx]

another amp I found is the Tech 21 Power Engine 60.

It's another no-tone amp that should allow the amp-modelling to sound correctly (without biasing the signal with it's own characteristics).

I have not heard either one.

Janx

[W.Kyle.C]

ok....I know this question has been asked and answered and i thought it was pretty difinitive that the Pod sound best with a tube power amp. But know it seems that some people are saying that it sounds the best going direct to the PA. Have people changed there minds. I dont' have a power amp or i would find out for myself. I was thinking about getting something like a tube power amp or tube amp with an effects loop and plugging into the return but if the pod would sound just as good or better straight to the PA then i don't want to spend money for that. So how does it sound the best? PA, tube power amp, effects loop return of a tube amp?

[fuzzball]

Really it all depends..what amp compared to what PA? My POD sounds awsome throught the preamp in on the Peavey Bandit 112S (one of the first 80's models, and the amp is great). It also sounds good throught the effects loop, I set the pod on direct mode for both situations. The POD does not sound good through my small fender practice amp, but in all fairness I have not tweeked any patches to match up with it. I also like the POD through my PA. I just bought a Peavey Standard series 260 amp head and a 4x12 peavey cab for $50. I have to fix the amp, and once I do I will try the POD with it. I head that the amp is a very loud and powerful head so it should rock with the POD.

The answer is..it depends on what you have, test out different things and you also need to tweek the patches to fit each system.

[W.Kyle.C]

thanks for the help. All i have right now is the podxt and the PA. I was actually thinking of buying an epi valve jr head and modding it to have an effects loop so i could plug the pod into the return. I didn't know if this would just be a waste of money and time but unfortunately i dont have the money to buy a better tube amp with an effects loop or a tube power amp. I have heard good things about the epi and the price is good so i was thinking about trying that out.