using a pod with sonar - best results

[wfaraoni]

I know that some of you must have the answer to this.
when recording using a pod 2.3 to Sonar 2.2, which gives the best result for you for a clean type guitar sound? Do you have any tricks? Let me know what you've discovered.

Here is what I have found. If I use the direct (not air) output using the 1/4 outs, like the manual says it sounds nothing (tonewise) like the patch when played back in sonar. But I made a cable to hook to the headphone jack which splits to 2 inputs and it seems that this is a much better result and sounds much more like the patch I am playing sounds in the phones.

The overall result still does not sound like what I hear in the headphones however. Even when played back through the same headphones. It seems that there is a problem with it thinning out. So it must have something to do with the my sonar settings as well. Any ideas appreciated.

Bill

 

[guitar ed]

Hi, Bill. I am a fellow PODster. I have the 2.0 version, but things shouldn't be all that different. Are you using input monitoring when you record? If so, are you recording with any effects on? What about playback? Are you running your headphones directly out of your soundcard, or are you running through a mixer?

If your signal is going directly in and directly out, I can't understand why you would not get the same sound that you hear straight from the POD. I never noticed any difference in my recorded sound weather it was clean or dirty. It's always exactly the same coming out as it was going in.

What soundcard do you have? Is there some kind of mixer that comes with the soundcard that you might have tweaked? It sounds like you've decreased the bass somewhere before your outputs, and that could be causing your sound to be thinner.

I'm just throwing things out at you, so let us know how it's going.

ed

 

[James Argo]

...Guitar Ed has anything I want to ask, Bill

And we also need to know your audio bitrate / sampling rate setting in SONAR.

Options --> Audio

Hints : The higher the value (eg. 24/96) the closest the sound to it's original source. Anyway, most people are happy enough with 16/44


Jaymz

 

[wfaraoni]

Actually Im using a SB audigy at the SPDIF inputs after going through analog/digital conversion on a roland mmp-2 processor and thats the cleanest sound which I get. If I go into the line in on the audigy or on my midiman delta 2496, it sounds worse. If I go through my preamp Yamaha emx5000 its worse yet.
I dont think that I can change anything other than output on the audigy and have tried that at several different settings.

Basically as I said earlier , if I take phones directly to the pod phone jack I get some wonderful crisp yet punchy sounds out. But if I input it into my puter It gets dull and thinner. I also tried the 2496 at 24/96 analog and its a little cleaner but theres a lot of loss. The best Ive been able to achieve so far is the spdif input through the audigy. Too bad theres some kind of conflict with all the souncard stuff which stops the spdif from working from the mmp-2 to the midiman 2496.

As you probably know, I have really bad ears , so if I can hear this difference its pretty bad.

I can run the phones directly out of my audigy since I have a live drive bay or use my yamaha mixer which is fed by the 2496. I am not using effects for recording out of the pod. I do not use input monitoring in sonar. but I can hear the input sound into the audigy through the livedrive bays phone jack at all times.

Any ideas are appreciated

Peace
Bill

 

[guitar ed]

Man, that's weird. I run my POD's left and right outputs into a little 6-channel mixer, with the EQ section set flat, and from there, it just runs right into my soundcard's line in jack. The sound I get coming out on playback is identical to what I hear while I'm recording. I don't use input monitoring, either, but I do hear the sound through my speakers.

When you say you tried going into the Audigy line in, was that after you went through the Roland? I would try just taking all the outboard stuff out of the signal path, run your POD outputs straight into the Audigy line in, and see if that sounds any better.

The POD is the 'ultimate direct box', so in my opinion, you shouldn't need to doctor it up with outboard gear. I've been reading about the MMP-2, and it sounds like a slick little gizmo. Keep tryin', dude!!

ed

 

[moskus]

Basically as I said earlier , if I take phones directly to the pod phone jack I get some wonderful crisp yet punchy sounds out.

Just a hunch: Are you connectiong the Line Out or Headphones out when you connect it to the analog in on your soundcards?

And does the same thing happen with other equipment?

 

[wfaraoni]

Just a hunch: Are you connectiong the Line Out or Headphones out when you connect it to the analog in on your soundcards?

And does the same thing happen with other equipment?

MOSKUS: Ive tried both but it seems that the headphones out is definitely much better than the line out is. Ive got an ax2 amp which I used the headphone/line out and it too was not what Id hear if I plugged phones right into the amp.

Guitar ed: quote::"Man, that's weird. I run my POD's left and right outputs into a little 6-channel mixer, with the EQ section set flat, and from there, it just runs right into my soundcard's line in jack. The sound I get coming out on playback is identical to what I hear while I'm recording. I don't use input monitoring, either, but I do hear the sound through my speakers."

Ah, but what I need to know is whether the sound which you are recording is as good as you get out of your headphone jack?
Out of the pods headphone jack I can adjust it until I think , wow thats a great full sound, with headphones plugged into the pod. Then I take that into my soundcard and it sound like crap, comparitively! what I get into my soundcard is what I get out, or close enough, but its not what I originally was going for and getting especially the bass , which sounds muffled.

Im beginning to suspect that the 1/4 inch cables resistance, Im using may be the culprit since others are satisfied with what they are getting. They are 15 foot guitar cables. I'll have to try some shorter better cables. I may have to post some of the results for comparison purposes.

If I could get what I hear in headphones jack of the pod recorded Id be very, very pleased.

Peace
Bill

 

[Pedullist]

I have no idea what could be the cause of your problem, but as a recent owner of two Pods (guitar and bass) I'm very interested to know how I can upgrade my Pod 2.0 to 2.3!

Could you please enlighten me, wfaraoni?

 

[wfaraoni]

Peddulist; I got mine as a 2.3 and the guy I bought it off included chips for 2.1 and 2.2. I guess you had to buy an upgrade kit or something from line 6. The line 6 website would surely be the place to ask that question.

Peace
Bill