Recording with POD

H

hollywoodending

New member
Ok, so I am looking to record guitar directly to my computer with the help of Line 6 pods. I can either get a POD 2.0, a POD xt, or the POD xt pro.

Which do you think is the best one for direct recording?

I've heard that the originl pod 2.0 has a more realistic sound, but that the podxts are great for recording. Which would you prefer? And is it really worth the 300+ more dollars to get a PODxt pro over a pod xt?

Thanks for your help!

I am also considering a vox tonelab or a v-amp pro. What do you think?
 
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put any of the pods through a p.a. speaker and mic it up. wasnt too fond of the demos on the tonelab site. for recording anyway.
 
I don't have a good amp, so I use a POD xtl.....works good for me. Takes some tweaking to make more realistic sounds, but not too bad.
 
The XT, XT Pro, and XT Live all have the same "brain." The Live version is combined into a floor unit to control live, at extra cost. The Pro version, well, makes it a rackmount unit and gives you XLR outputs (anything else I'm forgetting?) for like $300 more.

The original POD (and it's 2.0 version) has its pros, but all-in-all it doesn't compare to the XT.
 
I own a v amp2 and think it's great for the price. From the samples i've heard of the pods, the v amps sound just as good (better distortion I think). I would get the vamp pro like you stated though. The vamp2 is built really cheap. The inputs look like they can go at any time, at least on mine. And I take great care of it, I hardly even move it. It just sits on my desk.
 
I'm not a huge fan of guitar amp simulation but the best amp sim box i've heard so far is the pod xt. It will not give you that magical tube amp tone but it does a respectable enough job at simulation for silent playing, recording scratch tracks, or as mentioned, if you can't afford a nice tube amp that you really want.

As far as amp sims go, the pod xt does clean, mild to heavy overdrive, and hi gain metal sounds equally well in my opinion. Just about any of the available amp simulator boxes can do decent hi gain sounds but most are terrible in the natural overdrive sounds like you would hear thru old marshall and fender amps. I have'nt tried the vox tonelab or the pod xt pro but I've been told that the xt and xt pro only differ in the housing and routing options.
 
I like the clean sounds on my vamp2. But I havent really heard the cleans on the pod xt. I don't think the difference between the vamp and the pod are that drastic. Not enough the spend three times the price on the pod xt.
 
Does anyone know how the Vox ToneLab matches up against the PODs? Based on the reviews I've read, it appears that most people prefer the tonelab after they have used it.

Ideally, I want to buy a Pod Pro, but they don't make them anymore so I can't find one anywhere. If I can't find one, I think I'm going to go with the tonelab...

If anyone knows where I can purchase a brand new pod pro (not xt) hook me up!!
 
hollywoodending said:
Does anyone know how the Vox ToneLab matches up against the PODs? Based on the reviews I've read, it appears that most people prefer the tonelab after they have used it.

Ideally, I want to buy a Pod Pro, but they don't make them anymore so I can't find one anywhere. If I can't find one, I think I'm going to go with the tonelab...

If anyone knows where I can purchase a brand new pod pro (not xt) hook me up!!
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It's all subjective...forget others opinions on the sound, make your own.

Just get the Vox then later on you could add a V-amp for only $100. I found the V-Amp's and POD's pretty close. Certainly close enough I could not justify the extra jack for the POD. Although I'm running a V-Amp pro which is about $70 more than the standard unit. But I wanted to use the S/PDIF on the Pro model.
 
Pod XT is the best in my opiinion. POD 2.0 is out of date, Pod Pro is too expensive and much larger without offering much benefit.

POD XT is a great size and very flexible.

The one advantage, I think, of the pro is that you can record both a clean and amped/effected signal at the same time allowing for reamping later.

Also keep the Toneport in mind if you're mainly interested in recording.
 
I have the XT and think it's fine. I had a 2.0 but enjoy my XT much more. The XY Live is pretty much the same (maybe a bit more memory?) but you'll pay more because it's a floor unit. The Pro is much the same as the XT but rackmount. It depends on whether you plan to play live with it. If I were still playing live, I'd probably would have gone for the XT Live. But for home recording, the XT works good for me. Haven't tried the Vox so I can't comment other than it has a good rep.
 
I'd go with the XT as it is the best bang for your buck with a USB out.


I have the Pod Pro (for the S/PDif out, before usb) the xt and the xt Live.

They do require a little tweakery but it is possible to get some nice sound down with out too much hassle !
 
I've a pod 2.0 I liked it for a while, but have little use for it now. Its ok at high drive levels, but for a crunchy rock breakup... i doubt you can get that from any amp sim. The clean tones leave a lot to be desired as well. I'd say its a great tool for a beginner or someone on a major budget constraint, but even a cheap tube amp (I use a blues jr for practice and recording) imo is better than an amp sim that does lots of sounds crappily. You can always throw a pedal in front of the amp for extra drive etc.

My two pennies say to look at all your options before you get set on getting an amp sim. Espically because some of those versions aren't cheap by any means. I'm pretty sure the xt live goes for around 500. The only real use I have for my pod anymore is quiet headphone practice and extra heavy distortion.
 
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