Line 6 POD HD Thread

[TheUnvanquished]

So I've always owned tube amps throughout my 12 or so years of guitar playing. I'm thinking about, for the sake of reliability and the multitude of tones, buying a line 6 pod hd pro x rackmountable effects processor. I have a few super noob questions about this unit that I hope some of you guys/gals will be able to help me out with. Here they are:

1. I have a 1x12 cabinet I really like. Can I use the pod like an amp head and play through the cabinet with it?

2. People rave about fractal's axefx stuff. I've, on numerous trips to guitar center, found that the tones out of a line6 spider to be pretty convincing. How does the rackmountable pod compare? Am I going to notice a huge difference from my orange tube amp?

Any other bits of advice from experienced amp modeler/effects processor users would be appreciated a lot.

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

1. I have a 1x12 cabinet I really like. Can I use the pod like an amp head and play through the cabinet with it?

Only if you plug the pod into a power amp first, then the power amp into the cabinet. The power amp will color your tone to varying degrees from barely at all (good solid state amp) to lots (tube power -warmth, bounce, etc). The power amp can be anything from a hifi receiver to a pedal power amp like an EH magnum 44 or a mesa 50/50. or even the power section of your amp head if it has an FX loop. Bottom line: The pod cannot power a speaker cabinet by itself - it needs a power amp to amplify the signal.

2. People rave about fractal's axefx stuff. I've, on numerous trips to guitar center, found that the tones out of a line6 spider to be pretty convincing. How does the rackmountable pod compare? Am I going to notice a huge difference from my orange tube amp?

I've never had an Axe, but from other users i've been told (and also heard their Axe setups live) that running the Pod as FRFR - which means using the speaker models and power amp models into a neutral power setup like a PA - the Axe will destroy the Pod. But running the Pod into tube power and a good cabinet and using the pod mainly as a preamp (no cab or power modeling), the Pod can hang. I knew a guy that ran his Axe like this through a carvin tube power amp and our sounds were comparable from a quality standpoint. This is how i use my pod HD pro and am very happy with it - enough to put an end (mostly) to amp whoring at least!

 

[TheUnvanquished]

Gotcha about the power amp. Thanks for the help. I know this stuff is basic, but I really didn't know...

 

[VBCheeseGrater]

Gotcha about the power amp. Thanks for the help. I know this stuff is basic, but I really didn't know...

It's all good man . much better to ask than act like you know and come back posting "Hey guys, there is smoke coming from....."

 

[Pan3optic3on]

Line 6 HD500 user here.
For a little while I was adding my chorus pedal into the FX loop and running my lofi pedal between the hd500 and my poweramp to free up resources.
While I enjoyed the 'better' sounds of my preferred chorus pedal, and 'better' sounds of my lofi pedal (over what I could create) ... It really cluttered up the whole area. I had to run power to both pedals. I needed and an extra patch cord for the lofi pedal. I had to use 2 shorty cables to hook the chorus into the FX loop. The pedal would have to either sit on top of the display screen of the hd500, or stick out in front and be in the way. It took extra time to route everything when I was setting up for a show.
In the end, I went back to using the line 6 chorus and making a lofi effect for simplicity of setup, and simplicity of using the buttons on the pedal board.
YMMV
I used to have a 3 patches that were identical, except I'd have a different effect 'pedal' in each one. So instead of 3 effects 'pedals' in 1 patch, I had 1 in each patch. It worked ok aside from having to remember with patch had which effect. There is also the slight delay in patch changes that you could hear if you didn't have a pause in the song that you could change patches in... If you're talking noise gates and eqs for your tone, this wouldn't really work.

The patch change delay on effects processors has always been something that has annoyed me over the years. The PodHD was a major improvement on the others I have used but its still not perfect.

What I tend to do is stick to one patch with the effects I need and assign FS1/2/3/4 to a effects pedal or switch to the other mode to use all 8. However, switching between clean channels is where the problem comes in.

Realistically, if you have your own sound then you should stick to the same cabinet(s) in the chain. That way you can switch between a clean amp and overdriven amp using the split stereo. I haven't tried this but I'm sure it is a possibility but at least it keeps everything in one patch. Of course running through a real speaker you wouldn't need the cabinet sims on.

As far as remembering which effect is assigned to what pedal, I tend to set the effects in line of where they they fit best in a signal chain.

For example from first to last:

Noise gate/Compressor/wah
All types of boost/overdrive/fuzz/distortions
EQ (One the PODHD the Mid-eq sits nicely here for heavy stuff)
Flanger, modulation

Chorus, Delay and Reverb always come last but that is my own personal opinion. Chorus specifically can sound stunning at the end of the chain or dirty in the front.

I used to have a EH Small clone which is by far the sweetest chorus I've used and worked great with the HD. The chorus on the HD isn't so bad but it does better on the delays and reverbs imo.

Unfortunately, the HD500 comes with it's limitations and DSP usage with the latter an improvement on the 500x.

 

[kkaramazov]

Hey guys, long time lurker here. Recently I got a Torpedo cab, a great little machine. It's definitely a huge reason why I'll be keeping my POD. It makes huge difference even bigger than a regular IR.

Here's a little test I did. If anyone's interested, I'll post some settings.

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/krasimir-karamazov/sad-but-true-quick-test[/SC]

Cheers!

 

[jeremyb]

Who all here uses the Pod HD into a power amp and cab? I just listed my 6505+ combo and EVH 5150 III 50 watt head for sale on Craigslist after weeks of A/B'ing with my HD500 as the preamp vs the real amps, as well as the 4 cable method. I've found that the Soldano model sounds very close the 5150 III sound, and running dual amps in stereo sounds really good too, so I'm looking to pick up a stereo poweramp to use instead of my real amps.

I know a quality tube poweramp like the Mesa 2:100 or 2:50 would sound the best, but something like the Rocktron Velocity would be great just to save weight and tube costs. What's everybody's experience using a solid state poweramp vs tube? Would I be disappointed in the sound without tubes if I'm used to that sound? I'm mainly a bedroom player, but would like to have a rig that can keep up with a drummer if needed.

Also, are people using the preamp only sims using a solid state poweramp? I know the Velocity has resonance and presence controls (which have been key to getting a good tone using the HD500 into my Peavey and EVH), but for a more neutral poweramp like the Matrix, I'm guessing it might sound better to use the full sim in the Pod?

Just curious to hear about anyone's experiences.

I went full FRFR with a line 6 stagesource L2T and love it, so portable and sounds great!

With a poweramp tho' I'd still be tempted to use the full amp models, the preamp ones sound a but thin IMHO

 

[cemges]

Got my hands on hd300. Now how do I make it not sound like a fart machine with my speaker from heaphone jack?

Edit: Nvm I managed it. Damn this thing sounds good. Also not having sustain cut issues with noise gat which is nice. Metal amp models, especially fireball is really good.

 

[lewis]

to be honest, having owned and used the HD Pro for a few years...nothing comes close to Tube tone. Its effects are awesome no doubt, but its amp simulation and sounds leave alot to be desired. Ive just picked up a tube preamp rack (1U) to partner with the HD Pro because its amp sounds are really bad. At least in my experience.

 

[Pan3optic3on]

to be honest, having owned and used the HD Pro for a few years...nothing comes close to Tube tone. Its effects are awesome no doubt, but its amp simulation and sounds leave alot to be desired. Ive just picked up a tube preamp rack (1U) to partner with the HD Pro because its amp sounds are really bad. At least in my experience.

A user on here Alice AKW pointed out that the POD HD is a brilliant unit if you know what you are doing. It has a lot of perimeters in every section (some I think un-nessasary and troublesome) but the main problem is that if you are new to effects units it can take a long time to figure out how to EQ it correctly.

The cabinet sims have always been an issue for many people that use them but it is a great learning tool for those wanting to learn and understand good EQing. Something that forces you to think about each aspect of the chain can't be bad thing.

I agree that the HD lacks in the tube area however considering the price you pay for a HD500 and is by no means any sort of Kemper or Axe FX but get what you pay for.

 

[lewis]

A user on here Alice AKW pointed out that the POD HD is a brilliant unit if you know what you are doing. It has a lot of perimeters in every section (some I think un-nessasary and troublesome) but the main problem is that if you are new to effects units it can take a long time to figure out how to EQ it correctly.

The cabinet sims have always been an issue for many people that use them but it is a great learning tool for those wanting to learn and understand good EQing. Something that forces you to think about each aspect of the chain can't be bad thing.

I agree that the HD lacks in the tube area however considering the price you pay for a HD500 and is by no means any sort of Kemper or Axe FX but get what you pay for.

I was never relying on the stock cabs as I bought the Torpedo CAB to partner with it and Im no novice when it comes to eq'ing the pod in both global eq parameters, and using EQ blocks inside the patch. EQing out the boxiness, the 4k fizz etc. But for example, if you compare the amp sims to the FREE Vsts, the POD falls flat to either them based on my extensive comparisons (using the same cab IR sounds).

Its odd. Yes it will do a job but there are better solutions these days and some of them are free. I feel like Im getting the best out of it now by playing to its strenghts, i.e using its awesome effects (lets face it the HDs effects are brilliant!!!!) using the Torpedo CAB for IRs, and a tube Preamp

 

[Charlez]

Just wanted to say that I recently tried my POD HD 500x with a Rocktron Velocity 300 and it sounded amazing with these settings if anybody else wants to try it out:

Combo Front
Focus: 100hz
Lows: Flat
Highs: Flat

Also tried it through the power amp section of a Jet City amp and sounded pretty good too. With these settings the weird annoying high end gets rounded out and sounds fatter overall. Sounded best with the Velocity power amp, though.

The "Reactance" knob on the Velocity 300 is great. Gives it that fatness, and in my opinion, the "amp feel" that is lacking from the POD.

 

[lewis]

Just wanted to say that I recently tried my POD HD 500x with a Rocktron Velocity 300 and it sounded amazing with these settings if anybody else wants to try it out:

Combo Front
Focus: 100hz
Lows: Flat
Highs: Flat

Also tried it through the power amp section of a Jet City amp and sounded pretty good too. With these settings the weird annoying high end gets rounded out and sounds fatter overall. Sounded best with the Velocity power amp, though.

The "Reactance" knob on the Velocity 300 is great. Gives it that fatness, and in my opinion, the "amp feel" that is lacking from the POD.

I defo agree with this /\ works great with a poweramp.

 

[Pan3optic3on]

I was never relying on the stock cabs as I bought the Torpedo CAB to partner with it and Im no novice when it comes to eq'ing the pod in both global eq parameters, and using EQ blocks inside the patch. EQing out the boxiness, the 4k fizz etc. But for example, if you compare the amp sims to the FREE Vsts, the POD falls flat to either them based on my extensive comparisons (using the same cab IR sounds).

Its odd. Yes it will do a job but there are better solutions these days and some of them are free. I feel like Im getting the best out of it now by playing to its strenghts, i.e using its awesome effects (lets face it the HDs effects are brilliant!!!!) using the Torpedo CAB for IRs, and a tube Preamp

Which free VSTs do you use? Ive tried ampitube, lepou and a few others. The catharsis impulses are the best Ive come across used with the HD but I have had trouble getting the amp sounds to sound right. Thu jsut dont seem to respond like an amp where the tube tones just sit there. The amplitube ones end up sounding to wide and just dont have the same feel as a proper effects unit.

I listened to Ola Englands Feared song featuring the apmplitube Mark IV head with the ignite screamer pedal and it sounded incredible but just couldnt get the same results.

Probably just my novice mixing and use of plugins.

I use the Two notes Wall of Sound plugins for bass. In all fairness they sound great with the samsamp softamp plugin. For a plugin it does capture a tube tone but I havent experimented with it enough yet.

 

[lewis]

Which free VSTs do you use? Ive tried ampitube, lepou and a few others. The catharsis impulses are the best Ive come across used with the HD but I have had trouble getting the amp sounds to sound right. Thu jsut dont seem to respond like an amp where the tube tones just sit there. The amplitube ones end up sounding to wide and just dont have the same feel as a proper effects unit.

I listened to Ola Englands Feared song featuring the apmplitube Mark IV head with the ignite screamer pedal and it sounded incredible but just couldnt get the same results.

Probably just my novice mixing and use of plugins.

I use the Two notes Wall of Sound plugins for bass. In all fairness they sound great with the samsamp softamp plugin. For a plugin it does capture a tube tone but I havent experimented with it enough yet.

I am just using the the same plugins you mention including the Wall of Sound and I own the CAB too. I genuinely find they get you closer right away to a Mic'd tube amp than the Pod Amp sims do for some reason. At least in my experience.

and yeah Ola's makes everything sound epic somehow.

 

[Pan3optic3on]

I am just using the the same plugins you mention including the Wall of Sound and I own the CAB too. I genuinely find they get you closer right away to a Mic'd tube amp than the Pod Amp sims do for some reason. At least in my experience.

and yeah Ola's makes everything sound epic somehow.

Yep, I tested the trial of the amplitube Mark IV against Olas test with the Ignite screamer and it did sound beasty, not so with other screamers. Although the Mark IV is a great amp its just not me. I prefered the Engl Powerball but the EQ on it is weird.

Coming from a background of starting off with solid state amps Marshalls there is a quality about some of them that I like. That being ultra responsive without any sage. But you do lose that richness. This is what the HD reminds me of.

 

[Rizzo]

Guys, I have an HD500.
I was thinking, if I were to buy a DI box, is there an effective routing to end up with the possibility of proper reamping? I obviously mean through the Pod itself, not anything else.

 

[Metropolis]

Just wanted to say that I recently tried my POD HD 500x with a Rocktron Velocity 300 and it sounded amazing with these settings if anybody else wants to try it out:

Combo Front
Focus: 100hz
Lows: Flat
Highs: Flat

Also tried it through the power amp section of a Jet City amp and sounded pretty good too. With these settings the weird annoying high end gets rounded out and sounds fatter overall. Sounded best with the Velocity power amp, though.

The "Reactance" knob on the Velocity 300 is great. Gives it that fatness, and in my opinion, the "amp feel" that is lacking from the POD.

Best advice I've seen here in a long time. Went to our rehearsal room, tweaked like an hour and boom. Sounded very good when using preamp models. Did you use preamps or full versions?

To be precise I used a Treadplate preamp in HD 500X, through Harley Benton GPA-400 and Engl Standard 4x12'' cab. Nice modern metal tone with guitar tuned in drop-C.

 

[Charlez]

Best advice I've seen here in a long time. Went to our rehearsal room, tweaked like an hour and boom. Sounded very good when using preamp models. Did you use preamps or full versions?

To be precise I used a Treadplate preamp in HD 500X, through Harley Benton GPA-400 and Engl Standard 4x12'' cab. Nice modern metal tone with guitar tuned in drop-C.

Awesome. Glad to hear it worked for you too. I haven't tried with the pre models yet, I used the full versions. Gotta try those pre versions too, it makes sense.

 

[Metropolis]

Awesome. Glad to hear it worked for you too. I haven't tried with the pre models yet, I used the full versions. Gotta try those pre versions too, it makes sense.

Now it had real amp feeling, with full models not so. Weird and way too compressed. Modeling pre and power amp, then stacking everything to another power amp would not sound good. It's just how it works, maybe too many gain stages or something.