Line6 PodFarm vs. Real Amps

[AbleGiant]

I find that real amps sound totally different in the room, but then when I record them, I can't tell the difference between a real one and a PodFarm emulated one. Am I missing something?

 

[mjbphotos]

It's all in the recording technique - placement of the mic(s), how much room sound you are picking up, how you have the amp sound adjusted ....

 

[Ronan]

To me they sound very different, so I would say you are missing something. Others might not agree.

 

[ido1957]

I've used a POD to record certain clean parts that sound okay. I prefer micing my amp. It doesn't sound the same. If it doesn't sound crappy then you should go with it if you like it. If you've tried both and prefer the farm then you've answered the question already. This has been debated to death and I'm sure it always will be... Please yourself first...

 

[SourIce]

I use podfarm/DI for all of my clean tones as I find working with computer effects quite a bit nicer than working with them on my amp. I just like how I can more easily setup stereo delays, etc.

It only takes one podfarm clean tone to sound as full as two or 3 clean tracks... But it's all really in the music. One time podfarm just couldn't cut it for an 80's ish clean ballad so I ended up doing two tracks with humbuckers and two with single coils through my real amp, and podfarm could never emulate that sound no matter how many tracks or tones I used.

So all in all I'd say it depends on your genre of music/what the song calls for. Every song has different needs, if you think one sounds better it probably does so go for it.

 

[AbleGiant]

I used podfarm for all the tracks here: tunes

More for the fact that recording an amp say at 10 is non optimal in the house.

 

[Ronan]

More for the fact that recording an amp say at 10 is non optimal in the house.

But recording an amp at 1 or 2 usually is an option in a house.

 

[kcearl]

Hey an amp v modeling thread...we have had one of those in day.....

 

[leaningpine]

Yeah, It's been debated to death. There have been a/b comparisons done using line 6 amps vs the actual models. Some people can hear the difference, some can't. I like goofing off with mics and plug in's. I like Line 6 amps and have grown to like the line 6 gearbox plug in I've been using lately but there are certain parameters you can't get from using a plug in. The sound of your room, the way you place the mic, the sound of the aged speaker in the amp....

 

[Re-tox_stl]

Tubes > solid state/emulators. Hands down

 

[RAMI]

podfarm just couldn't cut it for an 80's ish clean ballad

So maybe it's not so bad after all.

 

[diggy_dude]

I could always hear the fizzly release sound when notes decayed using an emulator at modest monitoring levels. I presume this has been addressed in newer models.

 

[Atom Bomb]

My vote goes towards whatever the user is comfortable with.

I think this has been discussed to death.

 

[Sonixx]

I find that real amps sound totally different in the room, but then when I record them, I can't tell the difference between a real one and a PodFarm emulated one. Am I missing something?

My bet is you're missing how to mic the amp, dial the amp or something closely related...

 

[leaningpine]

Yeah, you can also turn your volume down on your guitar and get a clean sound now vs before, turning down your volume and still having the same distorted sound or having the sound break up.

 

[phriq]

https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener...itable-allternative-owning-crappy-amp-319859/

Check out that thread. The topic was on Guitar Rig 4 vs amps, but the concept is the exact same.

 

[I Got Riffs]

Unless I missed it, I'm surprised that nobody brought up re-amping. If you have a decent setup to allow you the options, you can use Podfarm to record both your processed tone as well as a dry tone. Then if you change your mind about which method sounds better, you can route the dry tone through a real amp and record that without retracking your performance. Probably common knowledge, but I thought I'd mention it just because of how convinient and cool it is - one of those things to show musicians that don't even know the basics of recording - makes you look like a pro.

 

[mjbphotos]

It's also a good alternative if you have a crappy amp! For myself, I can't haul the old Bandmaster out every time I want to record a track, and my little Fender practice amp does not cut it for variability of sounds (nor do I have the f/x pedals).
This song has 3 guitar tracks, all done with PodFarm (the only thing added in the recorder was reverb):
YOUTUBE SONG