This is my first recording with the new POD XT

[GONZO-X]

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=2302&alid=-1

it's called "Pod-1"

i used nowhere radio, so i could burn a 160 kbps mp3....... sounds a 'little' bit better than standard 128.........

This is my first recording with the new POD XT.

it's not a song, per se....

simply, a means to experiment with the different sounds and effects.

i laid down 4 back to back section "grooves" with the drum machine, then tracked a bass part (through the pod) and 2 to 3 guitar parts (in stereo) to each section....

now of course, this is a 160 kbps mp3, so it's not going to sound as good as a wav off of a cd.....

but it should show some of the POD versatility.....

The drums were recorded dry......

The bass was recorded through the pod using a "tube amp" model, and no speaker model...
basically, a tube direct.....

All guitars were recorded using the same electric, my custom strat hybrid with the seymore duncan lil 59 in the bridge, and the bill lawrence singles in the middle and neck positions......

all effects are directly from the pod. the guitars were all recorded direct and dry, with no eq til mixdown.....
so the idea was, to give a fair approximation of what the guitars sound like coming right off the pod.......

this mix was done to showcase the sounds of the pod....... not to mix a tune....

i'll give more details on the amp models used per track, speaker models per track, microphone models (yes, microphone) per track, effects per track........ later.

 

[charger]

I have a Pod xt too. What's the most interesting to me is that everyone's samples I listen to sound so different, which says a lot about the verstatility of the unit.

I really dig the lead tone that you use in the section that starts around 3:00. That's a very good sound, and some really good playing too. Overall, some nice textures and tones... you're clearly enjoying getting to know your xt.

 

[eyeslikefire]

Whoa, sounds great man.

Been meaning to get me an XT for a while now.
Time to check ebay.

 

[GONZO-X]

thanks for the comments!

there is some added brightness to the recording......the brightness may be coming from my over zealous application of "enhancer" when i was mixing/mastering.......
the sound coming out of the speakers was sparkly, and bright, and very authentic.....
but after going into the vs in mt1 mode, then getting bounced down, then getting bounced one final time to a stereo pair, then getting mastered, i lost some high end clarity, and tried to put it back at mastering.....
my bad.

this is so different sounding than the 2.0.........

charger
i had only spent about 6 total hours with the thing when i recorded this.......
since, i've gone back and really started tweaking, and in fact, there's nothing left of the original parameters on any of these memory settings! LOL

i liked the blackface reverb, the marshall plexi-variac, and the soldano sims the best.....
there is a mark 2c model in there, i just haven't tweaked it enough to know whether i'd use it or not.....

the solo, at the end, is the soldano SLO-100 model, with the british 4x12 with 25w greenbacks, and the 57 on axis mic model, with about 20% room ............


eyeslikefire-
i do like a lot of the tones, i wouldn't use this thing as a replacement for a real head-cab/real mic, but for augmenting, i think it's totally worth it.

 

[Kelly5150]

Nice recording and guitar work, dude...
I get my POD XT later today, cant wait...

I also listened to "Take it all"
Sounded good.. very cool song...

 

[Major Tom]

Sounds cool - great playing, mixing, writing, etc. !
What's the word about the XT's innnards - one kid at GC told me that it's the same "engine" as the old POD, just enhanced features, tweakability, in other words - new software... any official word from Line 6 ? Do you think the "core" XT sound quality/realism is a major improvement over POD 2.0 ? Or just more capabilities to find the sound you want?

One other question - do you ( or anyone ) find the enhanced "tweakability" distracting? Seems like the more parameters available to change, the more time I spend tweaking, and the less I am able to just accept the sound/tone for what it is, like a real amp - you set the eq a little, turn up to the volume and it is what it is; there aren't 53 speaker cabs, 19 mic models, 167 mic positions, etc, etc to screw with so you just go ahead and play or get pissed and turn it off. Like the Genesis from Digitech. you set parameters til your blue in the face, and now you can blend another amp model into the equation, and start the process over...I have the J-Station, and have spent way too much time trying different combinations of amps and cabs, some just seem so exaggerated to me. I would like for someone to come out with a modeler that has 10 or 20 or whatever amp models that really sound good out of the box - without the endless variety of parameters to adjust.

 

[charger]

The xt does not use the same innards as the Pod. It uses the same innards (chip and amp models) as the Vetta.

I think it sounds far more realistic than any other amp modeler I have heard. However, tweaking is a big part of it, and the more you get to know it, the better it gets. The best thing to get if you want an amp that sounds like it should right out of the box is a to buy a Fender or a Marshall or Boogie. I still haven't heard and amp modeler that sounds perfect out of the box, but the xt sounds amazing once you start to dig in and figure it out.

 

[GT]

GONZO,

Man that Pod sounds cool.

I Just gotta say your playing is stellar.

You've been practicing, when you were supposed to be eating, haven't you?

Now I listen again.

Great work, and demo!!

GT

 

[mixmkr]

I think I enjoyed the soloing more than the sounds...which were great, btw.

 

[Nosferous]

Nice recording and guitar work, dude...
I get my POD XT later today, cant wait...

I also listened to "Take it all"
Sounded good.. very cool song...

Right on!
I reciever my POD XT today, trying to update the USB audio driver, that's my only problem with it. There's some nice presets in this thing, but I can't wait to start conjuring up my own little mixtures and making my own pre-sets.

So far so good, only have had 3 hours messing with it. It arrived while I was at work.

 

[GONZO-X]

thanks for all the replies.......!

kellly 5150-

good luck with it, keep in mind, there's a lot to tweak, and i just didn't really like many of the presets, so give it some time.....
really, turn off all the bullshit, and get down to just amp and cab...... there's enough to tweak there, to last a month......
also, spend a lot of time messing with the "room" setting, in the cab parameters.......
it really changes the feel of the different cab and mic models......

Major Tom-
if you could design an amp modeler, that only had 10 good sounds, but they were killer....

you'd only find 10 guitarists that agreed that those sounds were killer!
LOL

i hear you dude!
the new sounds are based on the Vetta amp, and that's a brand new product. These are totally new amp models, so i would imagine that the actual hardware is very similar, but it's really all about the software........

i personally like all the tweak options, cuz what i look for in sounds is always, almost always in the cracks......
there are a few presets that i liked, and a little tweaking dialed em in.... but the ones that i'm after, i still haven't found.... and maybe wont......time will tell.

charger-
i do think it does the amp modeler thing the best, especially with the addition of the better cab models, and the mic modeler.....
but when i put on the mesa mark2c model, and a/b it against my mesa mark2b head through a 1x12 cab, there's no comparison. it's not even close.
so, i've gotten past the point where i want an actual fender blackface sound...... i just use what's there, to get the best sound i can find, and whatever it happens to be, fine.
but it'll never displace a real tube amp and cab, pumping at volume....

GT-
thanks for the comps, i really wasn't thinking about the playing much, just trying to see what happens when the sounds from this thing go down onto the hard drive.......
and you know, what i found out is, it does change....
and it seems, that because it's line out stuff, it changes more, than a miced sound.....
it's more touchy to software compression and eq'ing and all that.... so i've got to re-think, and re-learn, how to record for this thing.......

Mixmkr-
thanks for listening, that solo sound is definitely a keeper..... it's more meaty than any of the other sounds, including all the marshall and mesa sounds.....

nosferous-
glad to hear you're getting one too.... just remember to spend the time tweaking, cuz it is powerful enough for you to find a signature tone, but it has so many options, and i just don't think there's any other way than to try every one of them, to find out where your sound is..........

for example, try the soldano amp through the 6x9 speaker........

LOL

 

[charger]

for example, try the soldano amp through the 6x9 speaker........

Or try the blackface 1x12 cab on anything. I like that cabinet on everything I've tried it with.

 

[Nosferous]

Yeah, I'm deffinately one of those people that would like to have everything not at it's default. I'm still messing with amp combinations, and effects with different amps.

When my finger heels and I can play without feeling like ripping the cut open again and getting blood all over my guitar, and my midi cable adapter I'll be tweaking like mad!

but there are some nice pre-sets in there to just jam around to, or make strange, creepy songs. and their [line6] online support is great, got back to me on an issue in less than two hours.

 

[Kelly5150]

So far I love it.. its got some great presets.. what I really like is the real time knobs, it sure beats the menu scrolling on my Boss VF-1...
It shows you where the original settings are/were for reference... and the effects are awesome...
I haven't even scratched the surface on this bad boy....

Du Hast!!...

 

[HepMeSumbody]

I just sold my POD 2.0 and got the XT. Big learning curve is part of the price for all the new additional options, like the killer effects! Once I get a couple dozen favorites saved I oughta be able to play a lot more and tweak a lot less. So far, all I miss is the Dumble model.

BTW, anyone out there who's shopping for a new one might try Rik's Music in Tennessee (no this isn't a plug) - I found the best price there, and free shipping.

www.riksmusic.com

 

[Kelly5150]

I just sold my POD 2.0 and got the XT. Big learning curve is part of the price for all the new additional options, like the killer effects! Once I get a couple dozen favorites saved I oughta be able to play a lot more and tweak a lot less. So far, all I miss is the Dumble model.

BTW, anyone out there who's shopping for a new one might try Rik's Music in Tennessee (no this isn't a plug) - I found the best price there, and free shipping.

www.riksmusic.com

So how much is a PodXT from Riks?.. They want you to fill out too much shit to get a price quote....

 

[GONZO-X]

I BOUGHT MINE FOR $349

AND NO TAX.

I found a price on the net, with free shipping, no tax, and took it to guitar center, and they matched the price.

 

[HepMeSumbody]

Yeah, that's the price I got at Rik's, too. You can probably get a lot of folks to match it, especially this week, when a lot of small-business owners are trying to come up with money for Unca Sam. Try your local businessman first - give him a chance to compete - might be a better situation if you need service, too.

 

[Kelly5150]

where were you guys last week when I ordered mine from American Musical supply?...

Guess I didn't shop around enough, I kinda bought on impulse, which isn't like me... guess the three easy payments of $133.00 on my card drew me in....

Oh well... wonder if I can get them to knock off some money if I tell em I'll send it back?....LOL

 

[HepMeSumbody]

Hey, it's worth a try...but AMS isn't Circuit City. Don't let it bug you too much, though, or you'll REALLY bum when Line 6 offers a $100 rebate this summer.