Pods and other modelers

[Shadowdog]

I am a guitar player looking to start putting together my digitial studio. Though about using Presonus Firepod or an M-Audio or MOTU inter face to go to a computer. I play mostly metal, but will record all kinds of styles. Just wondering what you all think of the Line 6 Pods or Boss GT 8 or such units for getting a good sound to the computer. i will probably mic sometimes too, but do a lot of late night playing.

 

[Hard2Hear]

My collective thought on the POD. I think they're great for songwriting and tone searching and great for silent practicing. It's a valuable tool for me when I am creating music to find general sounds and parts without having to have a room full of equipment to take with me.

H2H

 

[Shadowdog]

I have been listening to soundbytes and have not came across anything that impresses me, at least for my style of music. From the ones I heard i still like the sound of my 5150 with a mic. Maybe i will just build a soundproof booth to stick my cab in.

 

[Hard2Hear]

Oh, you play a V thru a 5150. Yeah you pretty much only need one thing so it wouldn't be as valuable to you.

It's a better tool for pop/rock, country, and top40 stuff. IMO.

H2H

 

[Purge]

I use the GT-6 and I've had some good results going direct. Trying to get a great metal distortion sound is tricky, though. Be prepared to do a lot of tweaking only to find that your ears and your computer are hearing two very different things. But I'm in your exact situation--I record pretty late at night in a small upper story apartment. Works great for noise-free recording.

 

[taintedeity]

I have the pod I think its great for recording. Line6 distortion is pretty heavy too. I have the Boss GT6 peddle too and its terrible for running direct into the pc.. I usually run my peddle into the pod into the pc to get the right sound.

 

[Echelon]

I have the Pod Pro and the Pod Pro XT, I use them both very very regularly in the studio and love them. They give surprisingly different tones, which is really nice.

 

[aaroncomp]

I have the PodXT and use it exclusively for all electric guitar parts (including bass). What type of metal tones are you seeking? If you haven't already, take a browse over at Line 6's bbs http://line6.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi Always a good place to find samples and ask before you purchase. Btw, have you heard samples with the new Metal Model Packs installed on the Podxt? They're a must if you seek metal on the XT - quite impressive, imo. Oh, and if you're visiting their bbs for the first time, ignore any of the Delusionalists (sure, that name will work ) and their "fizz" conspiracies.

 

[BroKenSticKs]

I cant stand pods myself or most other distortion pedals. mmmmm frying transisters i like the seymour duncan tweak pedal though. u can hear it on there website www.seymourduncan.com just go to the video section. the pod is great for practice but theres nothing that compares to the sound of tubes turned up IMHO

 

[justapicker]

Check out the VOX Tonelab simulator. For my ears anyways it's head and shoulders above everything else out there right now. There are tubes used in its circuitry so it feels like playing a real amp.

 

[Shadowdog]

i checked out the Vox sounds on Musicians Friend, it probably is the best sounding I've heard so far. Thanks

 

[Shadowdog]

oooo, I also checked out the metal pack for the POD, sounds good too, no for the next question. why would I pay $700 for the pro version and not jsut get the podxt and buy the metal pack. Would the benefit be to have the INs for recording. I would be using a Firepod (I think that is what I will get).

Are there different "packs" for the Voxx too?

 

[Mind Riot]

oooo, I also checked out the metal pack for the POD, sounds good too, no for the next question. why would I pay $700 for the pro version and not jsut get the podxt and buy the metal pack. Would the benefit be to have the INs for recording. I would be using a Firepod (I think that is what I will get).

Are there different "packs" for the Voxx too?

The only difference between the PODxt and the PODxt Pro are the connections. The models, firmware, sounds and all that are the same. But with the bean PODxt you get to record out of the 1/4" outputs or the USB port only. With the PODxt Pro, you get all kinds of digital connectivity. Myself, I'm a bean user. Never needed anything other than the 1/4" outs.

No, there's no upgrade packs for the Vox or the Behringer stuff. Line 6 is the only company that has upgrades like that. I've heard good things about the Vox and personally I think all of the current crop of modelers are quite capable, but I prefer the PODxt. It's done everything I've asked it to do very, very well.

The cool thing about the model packs is that you can try them for a month and return them and get your money back if you don't like them. I'm one of the rare people that returned it, most people love them. I tried the Metal Shop pack and after extensive tweaking and testing I couldn't get anything in it to sound as good as the stock Soldano SLO model. Man, that model rules. But it's just a matter of taste, most love the metal shop pack. I'll probably get all the packs somewhere down the line just to have them but no rush.

 

[Mind Riot]

Oh, and if you're visiting their bbs for the first time, ignore any of the Delusionalists (sure, that name will work ) and their "fizz" conspiracies.

Oh, man that whole fizz deal is so freaking stupid. And it just rages on and on. I'm registered there under the same name as here and I've posted some thoughts on it but the die hards won't budge. It seems to me that there's a big group of fifteen year old metalheads that largely populate that board and they're all asking "Hey, why can't I have the drive on the Recto model set at 80% and have it be clear as a bell with no fizz? Something must be wrong with this thing!" I get the strong feeling that most of the people who complain about the 'fizz' have never dealt with recording a real amp.