Line6 POD - Is it worth it ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter leedon
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Has anyone tried reamplification?

I think something people will do at times is use the pod to get a half decent tone in. Its just so convenient that it facillitates the creativity. The pod works when layered in a mix, but if the guitar is up front naked and exposed it gives itself away. So, something Ive hear that works pretty good is to run the track youve recorded back through an amp and record THAT. So record with the pod direct, then reamplify and record.
 
I have heard the POD pro but I dont think that the added features/extra $200 is worth the money!
Also I have heard from some people that there are some glitches with the pro unit that line 6 is working on fixing! Just my opinion!
 
Gainfreak said:
In my experiance, I have used software effects on a guitar tracks after it was recorded without any problems!
9 out of 10 times I prefer to use my outboard gear(because I own a lexicon pcm80) but the software
plug ins are very powerfull and they are getting better all the time!
Click to expand...

Now we're getting there - to the answer to my question.

On one hand, I can almost see an advantage to recording a track clean and then treating it in the mix, or at least to have that capability.

There are a number of reasons why I'd prefer to get my guitar sound in the mix rather than having it done with outboard gear, not the least of which is that $350 is a lot of burritos and you can't download a POD from a warez site. 8-)

I also don't need any more clutter in the studio I'm building in a small extra bedroom.

Thanks for your input. Additional comments from other users are welcome.
 
I have a room/studio (approx 130 sq ft) in the basement of my house. I have a wife, a four year old son and a two year old daughter. I have nice neighbours, as long as you don't wake them up at 1:00 am. I have a day job and am not rich.

I have owned a Marshall JCM 800 combo (50 w; 2x12) for 20 years (used to play in a band......). With the volume setting on anything less than 6 or 7, it sounds like crap. With the volume setting on anything above 2 or 3, I'd be divorced and kicked off the street.

I own a strat, les paul, couple of acoustics, mandolin, Tascam analog, PC (ntrack), blah, blah, blah. I cannot afford to buy much else.

What's my point?

I love my POD.
 
the wattage of tube amps is the major problem i guess. does anyone here think the pod sounds better or equal to a cranked tube?

so it's convenience... but then again, you go through so much trouble and pain to get a good sound and then settle for convenience on guitar... hmmm... i'm a guitarplayer, so i guess i'm just too picky.

guhlenn;)
 
After reading all the posts, I think the POD is going to be a worthwhile purchase.

The thing is, I can't play my amp loud enough to mic it (communal house, thin walls), so that's definately not an option. The POD seems like the right way to go then for direct recording. The price suits me just right, and I doubt I'll ever use it for anything other than home use.

I guess it's like anything - you'll always get some people that love it, and some that hate it. The only to find out is to try it for myself...
 
Good call. With all the discussion one way or the other, I don't think you'll find anyone who spends alot of time with it tweaking and trying out various combinations of amp models + speaker cabs (the coolest part, imo) will will think it's unuseful. It can do so many variations of tones that you will surely find some useful sounds for laying tracks with it. I'll keep mine for it's versatility, but still be on the lookout for a low powered tube amp, just to get the sound of a mic(s) on a speaker.
 
The problem that I have with Pods and all other processors is that the tone that they give you straight from the amp sounds a lot (but not quite) like the tone that you would hear on a finished recording.

Great, you say, where's the problem with that?

Well the tone on a finished recording has gone through several stages, from the amp's speaker - mic - cable - board - eq - compression or effects - final mix - mastering adds more eq - compression etc.

I find that when you send a heavily processed sound (like the Pod's) through that cycle again that the end result is lifeless and 'Plastic' sounding.

I think they are ideal for home recordings and demos, even maybe for quiet, non crucial background parts in pro recordings, but side by side a good miced amp wins every time.

They however are a great solution for a cover band to use live when a guitarist needs a wide range of tones.
 
I think almost everyone would prefer the real thing (a bunch of tube amps). The main two points here are that of cost (price of pod compared to x tubes amps) and practicality (micing/volume/recording environment etc).

I own a POD pro. There was a reference to this a few posts up. I have had no problems with mine. I suits me to have it in a rack (I can't loose it easily) as I have also got a POD floorboard so I can use it live (running it through an amp of course).
 
Anybody out ther with a nice master volume tube amp should stick the pod in their efx loop and add some gain from the amp. The results can be stunning.The signifigance here is that it can sound good at a lower level of volume doing this. Otherwise my amp has to be at that coloseum rocking tenitus inducing level to sound good. Personally I cant hang with that in this little room where I record. The pod in the effects loop, then tweak like a mad man. its almost magical at times, and at a quite reasonable volume too. The magic didnt come running it through my amps front end though.

As a direct box the pod is kind of just okay. The yamaha dg and sansamp psa do sound better I think.
 
Since I am considering the POD I have found this thread very useful.

What about the Korg AX1000G? Does anyone have experience with that one?

I have used one for a year. Got it cheap. I am not sure about the sound quality so feel free to tell me it's crap, if you like. I haven't got much to compare with, except my old Zoom 9002 which I happily used for 10 years.

The AX1000G has both amp and speaker simulation. It is easy to use, and it seems to me that you have more control of details of settings than with the POD. A great advantage is that you can name patches. If you do some experimenting you can store it as "TINCAN" for a twangy sound or "FLUTE" or "CLAPTON" etc. This makes it much easier to remember than just a number when 3 months later you've forgotten what you tried to achieve.

Comparing to sound examples from the net, I don't think the POD sounds so much better. I can't even hear the POD sound better than my
old Zoom 9002 (which has no amp or speaker simulation) when I compare the samples to my own playing through the computer.

... But I have never tried the POD in real life, so I may be wrong.

TBuur
 
Umm...the POD is much more capable than any of the samples at dthraco.com ... you probably figured that out after listening to the very first sample.

I still stand by my position that the POD can't take the place of a real rig by any means...but it's certainly capable of more than a few lo-fi recordings of metallica riffs and very poor blues jams.

Slackmaster 2000
 
> Anybody out ther with a nice master volume tube amp should stick the pod in their
> efx loop and add some gain from the amp.

Would you have any sound examples of this? I've been thinking of buying a small tube amp just for that purpose. If you plug the POD output into the fx loop return, you could bypass the amp's preamp I would think and get straight to the power tube section. A small 5 watter like the Crate VC508 might sound pretty good mic'd up this way , with the POD supplying the variety and the amp's dimed power amp section.
 
You sure you guys aren't being a little to picky.

Remember; "Try not to try to hard, it's just a lovely ride"

James Taylor
 
Reality Check

Slack,

My, my we're critical. The POD & it's low price tag isn't meant to take the place of any high dollar rig. I just think it's the HYPE coming from the self-glorifying Line 6 web site & all the BS advertisement. And too, we all have different ears, ideas & influences. You get what you pay for but MAYBE not what you anticipate when you listen the HYPE; "You know what I meeean, ya ya-e-ya".

And that dtraco plays like a sack of shit. The tone is good but get someone better to play the riffs (his site was praised by Line 6...hmmm). By the way, I've gone on about the GT-3 but I'm gonna buy the POD for a trial run & keep if it's good. AMS has some ''not in the orignal pckage'' deals for $309.95 & free shipping plus the 45 day/100% money back.

Reality Check: corrective confronting of reality, in order to counteract one's expectations, prejudices, or the like.
 
GT said:
You sure you guys aren't being a little to picky.
Click to expand...

LOL... calling a guitarist picky... :D it's what we do! moan about tone we do not have and want or never want and dispise...

and Roel uhm i might have missed something here but why would you bypass a tube pre in favour of the pod simulator? i can understand the idea of putting a pod in the fx loop but...

guhlenn;)
 
Hmmm,
Well, It would be quite easy for me to record some demo clips of various ways I use the pod to show that it can get good tones weather direct or with an amp. The thing is I dont have a web site so itll still take me a few days to whip up some corny ass geocities shit to post it on. Sometimes I'm busy or lazy so it may take a while, dont hold your breath. I will do it though, and it will hopefully be a better representation than that site.

Heres a simple take on the pod:
-If you work around its weaknesses there are good tones. If your doing walls of guitars in your face the pod alone wont cut it, it needs reinforcements. If your doing heavy metal the pod alone especially s/pdifed will be generic city. If the pods you only real option find some cheap way to FUCK UP its sound. FUCK UP YOUR POD!!!!!

-Regardless of playing skill its easier to get a mediocre to average tone than a really good one from the pod.

-The pod works best when layered with other sounnds in a mix, when combined with other preamps and tube distortion effects, or tube amps.

- really as a guitarist I feel it falls short. To me theres a simple beuty of a twin reverb or cranked plexi that this thing cant touch. What the pod is best at is giving you the tone used by session guitarists on britney spears and n'sync albums(I own all of them;)). Thats right if you want to join the generic pop touring circuit its line 6 all the way.
 
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