Glad I bought the V-AMP and not the POD.

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Mistral

RyosaMusic
last week I got paid so I was excited about rushing out and buying a POD right away. However, being a common sense kind of guy, I decided I'd better have a backup plan. I remembered reading about the V-AMP on harmony central and looked it up again and was reassured quickly by its comprehensive features, great looks, reviews, and most of all of course, its sound. I had hoped to get the version 2, apparently the POD 2 and it were neck and neck from the reviews I read. I went around town and much to my chagrine I didn't see one POD. There's really only one dealer that even usually has Line6 stuff and they said it was on order. closest thing I saw was the Digitech Genesis-1. played it and it was "ok" but so flimsy looking. I felt that I would go home dissappointed as I had feared. I hate ordering stuff over the net and waiting. besides that I don't even have a credit card. BUT, the last store we decided to try, I looked in the counter and my eyes lit up as I laid eyes on the V-Amp. only version 1 unfortunately but hey, with a simple chip order (anyone know where I can get it btw, please reply if so) I will be upgraded. IMO, even this thing slays the POD. I agree with the reviews when they say that the V-Amp has a much more authentic warm sound whereas the POD sounds cold and digital. In addition, someone I know with the POD can't even get the same slick tone I am getting with exactly the same settings I instructed him to use, or any variation of them. He said "not even close". He always sounds muddy and digital. The V-Amp also has so many features, at least the same amount, for less money, hell, I even use this thing's tube preamp with some reverb and compression for my vocals now. which sounds SICK. Lastly, it looks soo much better than the POD it's not even funny. I'll take blue over red any day, and the LED displays and controls are so well laid out and pleasing to the eye, it makes a very professional touch to my home studio setup. So, there's my little review.
 
You may not like the Pod sounds, but it NAILS the models. Like few people can, I actually had some of the amps right next to the Pod and got to compare them. I was firmly against ANY modeling when I went in to record my album a major studio. I own nice tube amops, and was convinced I would never buy anything but tube amps for my lifetime. I had a Pod Pro right next to a Matchless Chieftan, a Vox AC-30, a Fender Bassman, and a Marshall (I forgot which head it was). The Pod tones just nailed the amp tones dead on, I was so suprised. I found out why so many people are using them on their albums, and went ahead and used it extensively on mine. To be fair, in this unit (and in mine I bought when I finished my recording) all the factory presets were removed and replaced with custom settings.

Anyways, just had to share MY review, and the timing was perfect.

H2H
 
that's cool. my goal isn't to dog the POD, and I'm more adept at getting good tones out of gear than many, so who knows, I may have got a good sound with it had I bought it instead by some twist of fate. but I notice you say the POD PRO, which is a different unit altogether (rackmount). I suspect they put a little more effort into making it quality.. I'll take a shot in the dark and also guess that it has 24 bit converters, just like the V-Amp. But the V-Amp is very inexpensive. Fortunately, Behringer did the smart thing and cut the cost in departments where it is not so important. Like instead of being very rugged aluminum construction, it is hard plastic. Still fairly well built, just might not stand up to being dropped alot. Soundwise, it's superb. The regular POD, only has 16 bit sound.
 
I agree the V-amp has some great sounds. But it has one problem that makes it almost unusable in many situations. IT'S AS NOISY AS SHIT!!! I just couldn't believe the hiss. You can get away with it in the studio by keeping the master level down if you've got a busy mix, but my guitarist also wants to use it live, and that's where it really sucked!
 
ha.. that is a load of bullshit. first of all it is meant for recording in the first place, and in that situation there is NO noise involved whatsoever. second, I have played it now through 2 different amps, in a "live" situation. I jammed with my drummer. While using the same settings as you would in a direct recording situation translate poorly to most amp situations, with 5 minutes of tweaking I had it sounding just fine over the amp.

It is all about knowing the gear, which I suspect neither you or this friend of yours did. The V-AMP has a number of settings that either contribute to noise or take away from it.

First is the drive boost function. Many of the factory presets for the V-Amp have this setting on by default. if you don't know about it and try to dick around with the knobs, you will probably end up with a very shitty sound for most things you try. Simultaneously click Bank Up & Bank Down. Then click B. Make sure it is set to 0. That means your drive boost is now off.
Next, click E, and turn the noise gate up to about oh, 11 or 12. Now you should have just about nonexistent background noise.
Third, Choose the right speaker emulation for the job. Chances are that running one of the 'muddier' sounding cab sims through an already muddy amp will have horrible results. Use as little coloration on the amp as possible since the V-Amp has its own EQ controls. If you need extra tweakage, THEN mess with the amp. Have the gain on the amp *completely* off, master at full, and adjust the volume to preference. This will ensure you have a clean signal path after the V-Amp. Finally, switch between the headphone output and the line output to see what sounds better. Personally, I always use the headphone outs. If he took all of the above into account already, then I suspect his amp just plain sucks, and if he didn't, well that's just incompetence, plain and simple.
 
v-amp

Mistral,

Let them trash the v-amp all they want. I have two of the new v-amp2. For the money, they are far and away the best buy out there for sims in just about any price range. I use both in the studio and live and have no trouble either. A lot of people have this thing about behringer. Basicaly, they think it is shit. Their loss, our gain.

I also use a mx3242x behringer board in my studio. After using a mackie 1604vlz pro for about a year I found the new b and have had NO problems with it. I got rid of my mackie and won't go back. Behringer is kicking a lot of ass out there and people just can't believe that equipment in that price range can be any good. Let them waste their money on 300.00 pods, 1,000.00 mackie's and so on. I'll use my behringer stuff and come out with every bit as good a sound as them. I record to a akai dps16. I'll use the money I saved on better mics and more behringer outboard gear.

Rock on

Boardman
 
Re: v-amp

boardman said:
...and people just can't believe that equipment in that price range can be any good...
Click to expand...
That's because it isn't! ;)

Bruce
 
I'll use my behringer stuff and come out with every bit as good a sound as them.

boardman-

I have a song posted in the MP3 mixing clinic using my Pod and my Mackie 1604VLZ. Do you have your music somewhere we can hear it? It would be nice to have a comparison to back up your statements.

H2H
 
Got one, love it! No noise on mine, you must be blasting the sucker, keep the volume at around 3/4 and you should be fine. I've heard horror stories about Behringer stuff, but so far I own a mixer a mic and the V-amp with their logo and had had no problems with any of them. Very satisfied with the products, and my wallet is very happy. I got a couple of new mics with the dough I saved when I bouth the V-amp over the POD.
 
What the digitech Chopped liver. For my money I would have got that. Besides the GNX3 is going to be the end all hot pedel as soon as it ships.
 
First of all, I just got back on since the server went down or I would have replied sooner. If you all read my last post and then read all the replies since, I think I have made my point.

But I will reply to some of the posts. First, there is blue bear. Now if we were in PRO RECORDING I would agree, but we're not. I have been to your web site and seen your studio. I have even talked to you on the phone. What you have is not what I call a home recording studio. So the equipment that you use is not what most people here are going to have and if it is, they need to change the name of this site.

Next is H2H. No I don't have any mp3 on the web that were recorded with my equipment. And if I did, it wouldn't be fair to either songs. MP3's over the net suck unless you have a really good connection. And I don't need to compare with anyone. I've owned both and I know what they sound like.

Lucho, I think you must have read my previous post. If not please read it. It might say newbie after your name, but it's obvious to me that you know what your doing when it comes to spending your money wisely in a HOME RECORDING studio.

darrin, digitech makes great pedels. However, the v-amp is really not a pedel in the true sence.

So, in the end, it's what ever you like, how much money you want to spend, what sounds good to you and so on and so on............................................

Peace
 
well, this sure heated up overnight. as for songs done with the behringer, I am working on a few right now and I'd be glad to post them when I'm done.
 
mistral,

I told you, it's the B word.

Personally, I think it is rather funny. LOL..............................
 
well I've been here a while and noticed there are a few people against them.. as for Blue Bear Sound I've heard from him a few times now and the input is always condescending, so I take it with a grain of salt. I wonder if all guys in Ontario with bigger studios act like they're the only ones who "know what's up". I know one guy who runs a studio here and he basically has his head up his ass. Knows a few things and has done a few records and acts like he is some champ. One of those fun Mac elitists too. Not that I have anything against Macs. Not trying to judge you BBB but that's just my experience that you're critical about everything.

A good engineer imo knows how to bring out the best in gear, no matter how inexpensive or different or new it may be. What is ridiculous are the hardware purists who say "if it's not this or this, it is worthless".. I started doing this just over 3 years ago, after tasting a "real studio" a couple of times. I had an AMD 266 with 96 mb RAM, and started cranking out the tunes. Learned the applications, plugins, and limited equipment I had inside and out. Eventually I got a better computer and better software, and I now have a 12 channel console mixer.. But anyways in the process of learning with limited equipment, I became innovative, and put together a drum triggering system using a couple of mikes and objects around the home, I have a kick pedal now so I use that, then for hi-hats I brought in my friend's spare and mic that to avoid that drum machine feel on the brass. I process my "drumming" through a software plugin which replaces the hits with multisamples. Just like a real triggering unit costing hundreds of dollars would. I have a Marshall with a 4x12 cabinet which I used for a long time to record guitars, in conjunction with revalver. That gets really inconvenient over time, although it worked great. Now that I have the V-Amp, I have a solid, professional tone. Yes BlueBear, professional. Pros use the thing, it sounds just like the real amps according to basically 99% of the people who I've heard review it, and crystal clear tone to boot, I'm sure its 24 bit quality doesn't hurt there. There's not much you can argue to that. And I agree with Boardman, people can trash talk all they want. But, I wasn't going to let people dog it without making it clear in return that they obviously didn't know what they were doing. I don't know if Behringer makes bad mixers or bad processors or whatever it is people here are moaning about, but they know their guitar stuff.
 
I own a POD, and I love the little bugger... but, Bruce is right.
Nothing beats the sound of a mic'd amp.

If you have a decent amp, an SM57, and a decent cable... it's safe to say that it's gonna sound better than the POD or V-Amp.

I use my POD constantly, though... because it's convenient.
Putting an SM57 in front of an amp isn't expensive or technically challenging.
The POD has just made me lazy, that's all.
 
Buck and Bruce are right, nothing beats dual micing on a tech 21 amp. Maybe the GNX3 its badass.
 
I'll jump on the Buck and Bruce train too...

As Rip at ProRec put it: "a guitar sound just isn't right until you're moving cardboard." There's something about actually moving air that no direct tone can match, IMO.

That said, I LOVE my POD and use it all the time when I'm writing and need to lay tracks quickly. However, when I'm recording keepers, I'd say I use the POD about 1/3 of the time, mostly when I need tones that I don't have the real amps for, or for novelty effects.

Incedentally, the coolest organ sounds I've ever gotten have been through the POD, with the "tube" amp setting and the "rotary speaker" effect.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
I think it's so amusing that people may dismiss a product simply because of the brand name on it....and I'm talking ALL BRANDS people have a beef with....not just Beringer......

In the city where I'm from, the local "big boy pro" studio is known for pumping out CD's for almost EVERY band in a 200 mile radius. They have $10,000 more than me invested in gear, but they DO do good work.

But if that $10,000 were so improtant, how come 2 bands have recently decided to have me mix and master their projects that were originally recording in this other studio?

I'm not bragging because there are damn sure A LOT of you out there who could blow my stuff away I'm sure. Just making a point that a pricetag means jack shit to me if it sounds good.....
 
Agreed... to a point.

We (meaning us) have become used to technology that constantly gives us more for less. Every year the price of computers drops, while the quality rises - sometimes dramatically. Same with most consumer electronics. Same w/ many musical products. Mostly computer-based music products, like keyboards and effects processors. Microphones for another, I would argue.

However, this is not true of all things - guitars and amps being two. In fact, I would put most real instruments in this category. The cost of components for those products are not dropping. The cost of skilled manufacture isn't either. When you buy a cheaper guitar, you are getting a guitar made with cheaper components/wood and less skilled labor.

The thing I find funny is that people made the argument that the POD was wonderful, regardless of it's paltry price tag of $300, when it first came out. Now people argue that the JSation and Berringer are the real bargain, and the POD is outrageously expensive. :rolleyes: They may be right, too. This is one type of music product where I can agree that we should be getting more for less as time goes on. I still think its funny.

But the real question is: could my POD ever make me give up my Rivera? Not in a million - trillion - billion years.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
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