pod vs. v-amp

  • Thread starter Thread starter seanr
  • Start date Start date
I guess it all depends on the type of music that you play. The Vox Tonelab is great if you play songs like, Puff The Magic Dragon, Rocky Raccon, or Turn Turn Turn. But if you want to play songs by Judas Priest, Ratt, The Scorpions, or Ozzy, then the Tonelab bites gonads. I agree that the Pod and V-Amp have crappy clean tones but for Marshall-esque distortion they kick ass.

I did a remix of the Line6 + Behringer demo without the lead wanking to give a better idea of the Rhythm guitar tones. Each of the 2 guitar tracks is only the amp and cabinet models without any FX. The tracks were not EQd or alterd after recording. The only plugin used was a limiter on the entire mix track just to make it louder. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=154414

Double: If you can get a better distortion tone [recorded the same way] with the Tonelab then please post an MP3 because I would love to hear it.
 
ocnor said:
I guess it all depends on the type of music that you play. The Vox Tonelab is great if you play songs like, Puff The Magic Dragon, Rocky Raccon, or Turn Turn Turn. But if you want to play songs by Judas Priest, Ratt, The Scorpions, or Ozzy, then the Tonelab bites gonads. I agree that the Pod and V-Amp have crappy clean tones but for Marshall-esque distortion they kick ass.

I did a remix of the Line6 + Behringer demo without the lead wanking to give a better idea of the Rhythm guitar tones. Each of the 2 guitar tracks is only the amp and cabinet models without any FX. The tracks were not EQd or alterd after recording. The only plugin used was a limiter on the entire mix track just to make it louder. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=154414

Double: If you can get a better distortion tone [recorded the same way] with the Tonelab then please post an MP3 because I would love to hear it.
Click to expand...

Very Ozzy-esque....nice tone Ocnor.
 
Here are some clips I recorded with either a V-AMP2 or a V-AMP Pro
The first track is a short clip from a recording I did of Ozz'y Perry Mason, over a backing track. The rest are just riff ideas (I record riff ideas all the time time, in case I accidentally come up with a good one..lol)






 
amra said:
Here are some clips I recorded with either a V-AMP2 or a V-AMP Pro
The first track is a short clip from a recording I did of Ozz'y Perry Mason, over a backing track. The rest are just riff ideas (I record riff ideas all the time time, in case I accidentally come up with a good one..lol)






Click to expand...
I really like the tones here also...and cool riffs.
 
OCNAR
Who would want to play songs by Judas Priest, Ratt, The Scorpions, or Ozzy, unless you are 16 to 18 years old and play a dual coil guitar made in Korea with Hot pickups and a pointed headstock to match the owners. By the way Ozzy does not play guitar, that was Randy Rhodes. If you want the real tone of a Marshall and can't afford the big rig use Marshall's DRP-1 Direct-Recording Preamp or their 9001 Tube Guitar Preamp that sounds like a real Marshall not some effect driven brittle sounding POD or V-AMP. The ToneLab has many sounds All of them better than the POD and you won't need plugins or limiters to get them. If you would like to hear some samples of what it can do; go to ToneLab Yahoo. Maybe some day if you save enough money from your paper route you can buy one too.
 
Last edited:
ocnor said:
Here is a little demo of a Line6 Guitarport and a Behringer V-Amp pro. There are 2 rhythm tracks and 2 lead tracks panned L+R. Can you tell which is which? http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=154414
Click to expand...

I'll take a stab - left one is the Guitarport while the V-Amp Pro is on the right? The right (rhythm) one seemed more metallic-sounding, kinda like an old Rat distortion pedal, but it could have been the reverb inherent to the patch.

The left (rhythm) side seemed fuller-bodied, but the sustain at the end of it seemed a bit abnormal sounding to me, so that caused me to scratch my head a bit.

How'd I do? :)

Nice sound on the track, btw. :cool:

Thanks,
jawgee
 
Double said:
OCNAR
Who would want to play songs by Judas Priest, Ratt, The Scorpions, or Ozzy, unless your 16 to 18 years old and play a dual coil guitar made in Korea with Hot pickups and a pointed headstock to match the owners. By the way Ozzy does not play guitar, that was Randy Rhodes. If you want the real tone of a Marshall and can't afford the big rig use Marshall's DRP-1 Direct-Recording Preamp or their 9001 Tube Guitar Preamp that sounds like a real Marshall not some effect driven brittle sounding POD or V-AMP. The ToneLab has many sounds All of them better than the POD and you won't need plugins or limiters to get them. If you would like to hear some samples of what it can do; go to ToneLab Yahoo. Maybe some day if you save enough money from your paper route you can buy one too.
Click to expand...
What's a "dual coil guitar with hot pickups"? I play mainly Fender strats. I'm 45 years old with a 16 year old son. If you had actually read my post you would have noticed that I named off BANDS. There is no BAND named Randy Rhodes. Of course Ozzy doesn't play guitar DUH!!! If I want the real tone of a Marshall I will walk to the other side of the room and plug in my half stack. To get the right tone from a Marshall it needs to be cranked which would piss off my family. I have used a DRP-1 and a 9001 and they both sounded like dung. I have listened to those Tonelab samples and they sound like a 20 dollar distortion box. That's why I wanted to hear YOUR sound samples. We'll all be waiting with baited breath to hear your MP3 of Puff The Magic Dragon or what ever it is that you play.
 
Double said:
OCNAR
Who would want to play songs by Judas Priest, Ratt, The Scorpions, or Ozzy, unless you are 16 to 18 years old and play a dual coil guitar made in Korea with Hot pickups and a pointed headstock to match the owners. By the way Ozzy does not play guitar, that was Randy Rhodes. If you want the real tone of a Marshall and can't afford the big rig use Marshall's DRP-1 Direct-Recording Preamp or their 9001 Tube Guitar Preamp that sounds like a real Marshall not some effect driven brittle sounding POD or V-AMP. The ToneLab has many sounds All of them better than the POD and you won't need plugins or limiters to get them. If you would like to hear some samples of what it can do; go to ToneLab Yahoo. Maybe some day if you save enough money from your paper route you can buy one too.
Click to expand...

Well, I'll bite. I'm 40 years old, but I still enjoy jammin out on some good old classic metal from time to time :D Perhaps I should get a paper route ;)

I haven't tried either the POD or the Tonelab, so I can't give any kind of comparison, but I do enjoy my V-Amp Pro. I can't think of any piece of equipment which has ever given me more bang for the buck than this.
 
ocnor:
Your 16 years old with a 45 year old son. That sounds about right.
Jeff:
Jam on man, and enjoy your paper route.
 
I checked out the tonelab demos. They sound really nice (to my untrained ear anyway) but seem to lean more towards the country/blues/folk end of things, which I won't be playing a lot of. The pod xt is out of my price range so it basically comes down to the v-amp 2 or the pod 2.0. From everything you guys have said it sounds like they're pretty comperable, with the pod perhaps having a slight advantage. I'm leaning towards the pod largely because I've heard some reports of shoddy craftsmanship on the v-amp, such as the power cord breaking because you have to unplug it whenever you want to turn the thing off. However, the pod looks like it might be kind of difficult to edit your patches because it's harder to see what settings they're already at. Has anyone had a problem with that or is it pretty basic stuff? I imagine I could always use the software anyway. Thanks for everyone's input.
 
Looking at the zzounds web site, I see the V-Amp Pro is actually cheaper than the Pod 2.0. If you're looking for sturdy construction, I'd go for a nicely constructed rackmount unit over something that sits on the floor and gets stepped on (unless you need it to be on the floor for live use or whatever). Of course, if it's the Pod sound you like over the V-Amp sound then it becomes a whole different story.

The V-Amp 2 might be more cheaply constructed than the Pod - I don't know, but the Pro is a good sturdy unit. Also, the V-Amp editor (free download) is great for modifying patches, much easier than using the front panel.
 
I'd say whichever you get, use the software to tweak it. It's much easier, as JeffLancaster has pointed out. I have the POD XTL, and use the PC to tweak things. It is much easier to make changes, and save settings. I'm sure the V-Amp software is likewise, in this respect. It also allows you to keep more pre-sets than there are settings on the tool.
 
jawgee said:
I'll take a stab - left one is the Guitarport while the V-Amp Pro is on the right? The right (rhythm) one seemed more metallic-sounding, kinda like an old Rat distortion pedal, but it could have been the reverb inherent to the patch.

The left (rhythm) side seemed fuller-bodied, but the sustain at the end of it seemed a bit abnormal sounding to me, so that caused me to scratch my head a bit.

How'd I do? :)

Nice sound on the track, btw. :cool:

Thanks,
jawgee
Click to expand...
Actually it's the other way around. The V-Amp Pro is on the left and the Guitarport is on the right. My guitar strings were pretty dead when I recorded the tracks so that accounts for the lack of sustain. I believe that both units have their strengths and compliment each other well.
 
I want to add a vote to the POD.


A few weeks ago I was searching for a good distortion to have at home or that I can bring anywhere with me.

My choices where a V-Amp and the POD. I had the guy hook up a Les Paul and then I had him bring me a pair of head phones.

I'm not kidding when I say that it only took me one chord strum on the V-Amp to go the other route and get the POD.

With the POD, I guess it felt like some of the soul was there. I guess that's the "harmonic break up" that was mentioned. Like I said, I couldn't tell you whats under that hood, but the POD really does make it alot more flexible and stronger to add guitars to any mix.

I personally didn't find that the V-Amp brought any of that. Just this characteristic thin resonant hiss I suppose is associated with all the cheap digital distortion I've heard.

But of course, your ears will dictate as always.
 
LeeRosario said:
I
I'm not kidding when I say that it only took me one chord strum on the V-Amp to go the other route and get the POD.
Click to expand...


That's because the V-Amp Pro doesn't really come to life with the presets. Once you get in and start editing your own patches I'd actualy say it was better for tone per dollar.

Here's one I have in the clinic right now trying to mimmic the sound of a Gibson Les Paul through a Fender Twin Reverb.....with a beat up old strat copy and a V-Amp Pro...

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=187739
 
It has always been the exact opposite to me. Every high gain recording I have heard using a POD has always sounded thin and fizzy. I have a friend that has an XT, and he gets some good classic rock tones, and the medium/low gain tones on the POD are pretty nice. But the distorted tone just doesn't have the chunky gain, the balls that the V-AMP Pro has. The POD recording posted up the board is a good example of that. For the kind of metal that requires thin, shrill distortion, it works. But if you are into the heavy, mega gain distortion like Black Label Society or other low heavy stuff, the POD just doesn't do that as well. It all depends on what sound you are looking for.



LeeRosario said:
I want to add a vote to the POD.


A few weeks ago I was searching for a good distortion to have at home or that I can bring anywhere with me.

My choices where a V-Amp and the POD. I had the guy hook up a Les Paul and then I had him bring me a pair of head phones.

I'm not kidding when I say that it only took me one chord strum on the V-Amp to go the other route and get the POD.

With the POD, I guess it felt like some of the soul was there. I guess that's the "harmonic break up" that was mentioned. Like I said, I couldn't tell you whats under that hood, but the POD really does make it alot more flexible and stronger to add guitars to any mix.

I personally didn't find that the V-Amp brought any of that. Just this characteristic thin resonant hiss I suppose is associated with all the cheap digital distortion I've heard.

But of course, your ears will dictate as always.
Click to expand...
 
amra said:
It has always been the exact opposite to me. Every high gain recording I have heard using a POD has always sounded thin and fizzy. I have a friend that has an XT, and he gets some good classic rock tones, and the medium/low gain tones on the POD are pretty nice. But the distorted tone just doesn't have the chunky gain, the balls that the V-AMP Pro has. The POD recording posted up the board is a good example of that. For the kind of metal that requires thin, shrill distortion, it works. But if you are into the heavy, mega gain distortion like Black Label Society or other low heavy stuff, the POD just doesn't do that as well. It all depends on what sound you are looking for.
Click to expand...
I found to get the good low end stuff with the POD, the amp pack with the Big Bottom, and a few other amps works. The stock stuff seems to take a lot of tweaking, at least for me. And even with the add ons, I still reduce the drive a bit, and have to tweak the sounds a bit with their knobs. I think they add too much drive on the stock setups.
 
amra said:
It has always been the exact opposite to me. Every high gain recording I have heard using a POD has always sounded thin and fizzy. I have a friend that has an XT, and he gets some good classic rock tones, and the medium/low gain tones on the POD are pretty nice. But the distorted tone just doesn't have the chunky gain, the balls that the V-AMP Pro has. The POD recording posted up the board is a good example of that. For the kind of metal that requires thin, shrill distortion, it works. But if you are into the heavy, mega gain distortion like Black Label Society or other low heavy stuff, the POD just doesn't do that as well. It all depends on what sound you are looking for.
Click to expand...


Exactly, it's always a choice thing when it comes to distortion. Like sometimes I have to bite my tounge if I'm producing a rock band that *loves* it's shitty distortion. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Cause that shitty distortion may be what people love about them in the first place!

So I always try to be as objective as possible.
 
My God! You guys can't discuss the relative merits of amp modelers without slinging mud over your choice of material! OK Ocnar, I'll admit that I'm more likely to play "Puff the Magic Dragon" than Judas Priest, and I daresay I would *look* better doing Peter, Paul, and Mary, than Def Leppard or Slayer. I look like hell in a bare midriff. It is valid to assess all the sounds that a modeler can produce. I wouldn't doubt that there are issues specific to country, or the Beatles, or whatever.

I have almost no personal use for a big, dirty, metal guitar sound, and the distortion options of any of these boxes, to me, is more related to Chuck Berry or Jefferson Airplane. Say, for instance, you play The Who, as I often do. For "Tommy", you need 99 and 44/100th's percent pure clean, for "Live at Leeds", you need classic cranked up tube amp, for "Who's Next", you need a really compressed distorted guitar sound.

I use a Pod Pro 2.0 and a Vamp II. I use the Pod in the studio, and *never* direct. It goes either to a power amp and a cab, or to powered reference monitors. Then it gets mic'd up, to move air. The Vamp-2, I use on stage, (it's a solo act). It's convenient to have preset digital volume with footswitching, so I can get the right volume going into the PA, relative to the vocals, without messing with the volume on the axe, or a volume pedal. Look, ma, no guitar amp. I have 3 preset banks for the Les Paul, 3 for the Telecaster, and 3 for the Casino. I agree that for heavy guitar, the Pod has more options, and it likes double coil pickups. If I'm trying to play old Beatles, I can get exactly the sound I want from the Casino and the Vamp-2.

The Vamp is more intuitive in certain ways. The one thing I really like abouit it, is when you bring up a preset, it shows you what amp model, EQ, and FX are being used to get the sound, which is very useful for dialing up and tweaking sounds. On my CD "Reunion", we did one cut that is a satire of Deep Purple, somewhere around "Machine Head", and I needed a nasty distorted model for Chris Woitach, the Jazz master, and primo session guy, to do some shredding.

I used the Pod model of a Soldano VLO superlead, and we got exactly what we needed for the session. We sent the line out to a Carver PM125 power amp, then to a 1X12 Marshall cab with a Celestion vintage 30, and mic'd it with a Shure SM-7. The one thing I have never gotten about modelers is why people don't send the signal to amps and speakers, and mic them up. It sounds so much more like the amps in question, especially if the amp and speaker combo are real clean. Aside from the power amp/cab combo, and mic'ing reference monitors, I also use a Fender PD250 Passport portable PA, which works rather well. If you view it as a 250 watt PA, it may be a wuss. When you consider it as a 250 watt acoustic guitar amp with dual cabs, it has balls! It's an excellent place to send the signal from the Pod or the Vamp. Incidentally, I bought my Vamp-2 used, in *perfect* condition, on a Guitar Center "the list" sale, for $25, and it's a very useful stage box. Playing acoustic and electric solo, I switch from acoustic to electric and back again several times during the show, and I need both clean and vintage distortion sounds.

And you know, I did a show the other day for a kid's birthday party, and they made me play "Puff the Magic Dragon" for money. Not one of them asked for Judas Priest. You gotta do what you gotta do.-Richie
 
ocnor said:
Actually it's the other way around. The V-Amp Pro is on the left and the Guitarport is on the right. My guitar strings were pretty dead when I recorded the tracks so that accounts for the lack of sustain. I believe that both units have their strengths and compliment each other well.
Click to expand...

Ahh, oh well. I had a 50-50 shot. :D Very impressed by the V-Amp Pro sound! I'm glad I'm still planning on getting one. Not sure whether to keep my POD 2.0 or not. Need the cash for other upgrades (possibly to a POD XT).

Thanks,
jawgee
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top