I'm ticked at Line 6, but maybe I'm just whining!!!

[studiogenocide]

Line 6 promised so much, and yet it has delivered so little to my studio, and I am just ticked. As an engineer and totally non-lead gtr player, I needed a solution that I could dial in to get instant tone with minimal tweaking- and the UX2 promised that. Now, before I go on my rant, know that everyone is not a cab enthusiast. Sure, I know all the big names in amps, but to tell you what speakers, tube brand, and circuitry these things use, I cannot. i depend on others for that info- and in this case I depended on Line 6 for this. I do not have time to dial through 2000 presets to find the tones I need. I should be able to dial in "Brad Paisley" or "Keith Urban" and get, at the very least, CLOSE or AROUND the area I'm looking for. I do not have that option with the UX2: what they are calling "state of the art technology" And yes, I am obviously a country man.

My questions are:
1.) Does anyone else find this flaw in Line 6?
2.) Have you had better luck with another brand or product, and if so, what?
3.) What the hell am I doing wrong?

Help me achieve a solution to my problem, without buying an AC30.

 

[director.gtr]

I feel your pain with how many options there are. I have a pod x3 live and if you're wanting a specific persons tone, it takes pure dedication to dial it in. I do know that there are many youtube vids showing how people have made tones to match a bands tone but thats there own interpretation. I don't know if they were only for my pedal, or if there are other forums like it, but I found a forum/website that had hundreds and hundreds of tones that people made and i just copied them into my pedal. I don't know anything about the UX2 but I'd look into that rout. Makes things easier.

That would be amazing if you could dial in 'Brad' or 'Keith's' sound. I think that other than finding someone who already made the tone, youll have to research what they use and try to copy it using the functions you have.

Line 6 is not for a simple mind

 

[Aldwyn]

I voted "dumbass", not because I think you are a dumbass, but because my real choice isnt in the poll.

I like Line6 for what they are to me: A company that makes boxes that give decent amp simulation (with that said, I hate their amps!).

I use a POD XT in my studio so I dont have to go out and buy a boat load of amps. And while I do own a boat load of guitars, I still have a Variax for occasional studio use. I love both tools!

But I tend not to say to myself "I want to sound like Keith Urban". Rather, I might say to myself, "I want to get that British Invasion sound, or the old country tone from the 50s. Knowing what those guys played in the day (or today!) helps, because you can typically dial in those amp sims and tweak as neede to get the tone.

So for Keith Urban, for example, dial up the Matchless DC30... if you dont have that, I'd guess a close match (no pun intended) might be a Vox with a little bit of boost on mid and a little less on the high end.

 

[studiogenocide]

Thanks for the replies folks- a good friend told me that the AC30 plug is what we're hearing in most modern country anymore- and I've learned the black deluxe is my go to for pedal steel- but there are so many other tones I have yet to harness, mainly because I spend so much time doing other things- and believe me when I say I would love to have the time to know these amps inside and out.

What about amplitube? Anyone try this one? They have a promo for the Fender version now on esoundz.com for $99- but I don't want to have to purchase a bunch of separate equipment to make it work- and furthermore, if I just need to get the XT or X3, I would rather spend that money there and sell my UX2... Hmmm, decisions.

So you like your XT and X3 aldwyn and director- maybe I should have done a little more research before I purchased. There seems to be more user contributed tones for these that match my needs...

 

[ranjam]

I won't vote, but I'll preach to you regardless. If you put in a 'Brad Paisley' patch, you've dated the software. Is Keith Urban even as popular as he used to be?
Some guitar players, like a Hendrix, are iconic. Those names can be put in, and be cool to many, many people buying the product. But how does Line 6 know if Joe Blow from Kokomo is a flash in the pan or a genuine deity who will be influencing kids for years to come? They don't. What if they had picked Johnny Hilland? Or Red Voelkert? Names I know, but who else?
No, the best thing to do is read Guitar Player and know Brad is a gear whore, using some $$$$$ boo-teek amps and guitars. You can't get that sound with a Twin Reverb. Plus he uses a whack of Keeley modified Boss pedals. How do you simulate that? I suppose there is a close algorithm. But then, to be always current, they'd call it 'Modern Country' or something similar, and you'd never know who they exactly are refering to. And sometimes, players change their brand loyalty. If I want to see names listed alphabetically, I'll get a phone book. That's why the UX2 has a GUI; when I remember seeing the Guitar Player pictures of so-and-so's rig, it all comes back. And I get it close. That's all you can do with a $200 interface.

 

[Aldwyn]

Johnny Hiland? Who's that??

I would LOVE to play like him! He's a super nice guy, too, and shyer then I would have thought. I took this shot at the 2008 Experience PRS. He played a great set, as always.

ANYWAY, back to the subject of the thread...

I also use Guitar Rig through Sonar. I like Guitar Rig a lot as well (though it can be a resource hog)... very flexible, with an easy interface.

 

[director.gtr]

If you're thinking about switching over to a pod, I would suggest the x3 because of it's duel pedal string options. There is a new one out called POD HD500 but I don't own it nor know much about it or its options. There are 2 lower cost versions in the HD series also you could look into- can't recall the model names.

Ranjam had a very good point. Any big artist has big $$$$$$ so they have gear that we normal folks just can't replicate. I would say that Line 6 gives us the best chance at achieving the sounds we want in a $500 all in one pedal- even if it's difficult to figure out.

 

[studiogenocide]

I do understand what you are saying and you are absolutely right- let me clarify my Brad Paisley comment: Line 6 endorses him or did endorse at one point, so I would think they would have patches customized to his taste- it just seems, especially for endorsement purposes, there would be a library of his tones for, at the very least, his most popular songs. I do understand the Hendrix and SRV equation however...

I think I am going to pick up the Fender amplitube promo on esoundz. It does have some tones I am very interested in, and some I'll never use- obviously.

This goes to show that although its music and recording, you can go really deep into the different realms- and its a matter of time and patience- thanks for the input guys- I always come to this forum because the frank (and sometimes brutal) honesty is something I have come to appreciate!

 

[ranjam]

I like all the UX2 or Amplitube guitar sims. I really do. Heck, I like crunchdude. They all have usable sounds, and whether any is the 'best' is missing the point. They all help you get a 'decent' sound at midnight and not wake the baby. Now if I was a professional studio owner charging $$$$$ an hour, I would certainly not have software getting my guitar tones. I'd be charging an extra $$$ an hour to bring in those boo-teek amps that I stick my $$$$ mics on. How many Guitar Player interviews have I read where anyone from a Derek Trucks to a Joe Perry to a Luther Dickinson to a whoever gets asked 'How did you get that tone on XXXX?' And their answer is 'Oh, the producer brought in this funky old XXXX amplifier and it was amazing!' Now how many answered 'Oh, that's Pod Farm!'?
This is all great software for the low budget player who is interested in getting very decent tones at home, in his untreated bedroom, and avoid expensive mics or room treatment. I doubt it was ever meant to help sell millions of records.

 

[Wireneck]

They are doing what they do best, being good salesmen. I am not trying to call you out but no single tool is going to be a miracle box and automatically have every pre-set you need right from the get go. It just isn't possible. If this were the case, all the other amp companies/engineers etc....would be out of business.

 

[Farview]

Just because something is supposed to do a lot of things doesn't keep you from having to learn how to use it. Line 6 gives you the tool to create thousands of different guitar tones, it's up to you to learn what it takes to get the guitar tone you want and to set that up in the POD.

Quite frankly, if you don't have time to go through the presets to find the one you might use, you should really get another hobby. Making music is all about searching out tones, notes, chord progressions, etc... and constantly spending time trying to get better at what you do.

If you just want to strap on an instrument, hit a button and be Keith Urban, it just doesn't work that way. I'm sure Keith Urban spent time trying different guitars, amps, pedals, etc... before he came up with his thing. What makes you think it should be any easier for you?

 

[studiogenocide]

Quite frankly, if you don't have time to go through the presets to find the one you might use, you should really get another hobby. Making music is all about searching out tones, notes, chord progressions, etc...

I couldn't disagree any more on this comment. And it isn't a hobby. My weakest link in this business is my lack of knowledge on guitar amplifiers and obviously the modeling software/hardware. The folks that know how to play always bring their favorite amp and we mic it and we get good results- but we are obviously limited- and that is what I am trying to break. I will spend more time learning the software- the same way I spent time learning how to (everything else in my setup). And although I do ask a lot of questions, please don't misunderstand this to mean I am brand new at this thing- I've ben hitting the red button for going on 11 years now... with great results.

 

[Farview]

Sorry, for some reason I got the impression that you were a guitar player that was too lazy to find his own guitar tone.

The rest of what I said still stands. Line 6 gives you the tools to make just about any sort of guitar sound you need, it's up to you to know what sort of thing goes into making that sound.

 

[studiogenocide]

That's alright farview- I don't mind admitting I am a non-lead guitar playin freak! And as I said before, I am definitely gonna do some research on what these guys are using. Sounds like a night shift priority

 

[stevieb]

As far back as the mid-90's (and probably well before) there have been user forums for most any piece of gear that you can invent patches for- I recall seeing ones for my ancient, creaky ol' Digitech RP-7, and that one you gotta manually input the patch into it. The forums usually include ratings of patches, too- so it should be a walk in the park to find a good "BP" patch for your amp, no?

 

[Farview]

The trick to using any of these things is to know what type of distortion you are looking for. Even clean sounds generally have a little distortion to them. Knowing how much of what sort of distortion you are looking for will send you in the direction of the type of amp to try.

One thing that makes the pod much more usable is the use of a comp/sustainer pedal (real or simulated). Some of the sims get too fuzzy sounding by the time there is enough compression or sustain. So putting a comp/sustainer pedal in front allows you to get the right amount of sustain while also having the right amount of distortion.

Some real amps kind of do this by themselves, but sims tend to have a hard time emulating this. So that is a work around.

 

[Lt. Bob]

Just because something is supposed to do a lot of things doesn't keep you from having to learn how to use it. Line 6 gives you the tool to create thousands of different guitar tones, it's up to you to learn what it takes to get the guitar tone you want and to set that up in the POD.

Quite frankly, if you don't have time to go through the presets to find the one you might use, you should really get another hobby. Making music is all about searching out tones, notes, chord progressions, etc... and constantly spending time trying to get better at what you do.

If you just want to strap on an instrument, hit a button and be Keith Urban, it just doesn't work that way. I'm sure Keith Urban spent time trying different guitars, amps, pedals, etc... before he came up with his thing. What makes you think it should be any easier for you?

^^^^^ this ^^^^^^^

the thing is .... you could play thru keith Urbans actual rig and you still would need to tweak it to get it to sound like him.
Good rigs react to the players picking style and simply wouldn't sound the same way for you as they do for another player.

You can buy anything you want ( and I consider Line 6 the worst of the amps sims I've tried BTW) but you have to learn to dial it in.

 

[Aldwyn]

The LT makes a good point. I can pick up a crappy guitar and make it sound like the crappy guitar that it is... but some players pick up a crappy guitar, and you'd think it was a custom job, because they can make ANYTHING sound good thanks to their playing style and skill.

 

[ocnor]

^^^^^ this ^^^^^^^

the thing is .... you could play thru keith Urbans actual rig and you still would need to tweak it to get it to sound like him.
Good rigs react to the players picking style and simply wouldn't sound the same way for you as they do for another player.

You can buy anything you want ( and I consider Line 6 the worst of the amps sims I've tried BTW) but you have to learn to dial it in.

^^^^^this^^^^^

I voted "Line 6 sucks, and you are whining" because it does and you are.

 

[studiogenocide]

Ha Ha- you guys are funny- if I had thin skin I wouldn't have posted the options I did for the poll!
Well, again, it looks like I have my work cut out for me. But I still want to know what modeling software/hardware you like and for what reason. I am liking what I hear from the Amplitube Fender, and I understand Amplitube is a good solid program...

And FYI- its okay for me to whine once in a while. My TASCAM DAW burned up the other day, which has left me powerless. This could very well be the root of my frustration (and here I am taking it out on Line 6)! We'll find out just how good TASCAM'S warranty is. It has two weeks left!!!