Alice AKW
Wolf Ninja
Thanks for the plug man! I think my patches have improved significantly though, I'll whip up a demo of my newest High gain patches today
Line 6 POD HD Thread
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Thanks for the plug man! I think my patches have improved significantly though, I'll whip up a demo of my newest High gain patches today
This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
Spaced Out Ace
Well-Known Member
Cool, you should post some updated patches then.
Alice AKW
Wolf Ninja
You can count on it~!
Alice AKW
Wolf Ninja
Here's a demo of my main rhythm patch, feedback appreciated!
[sc]https://soundcloud.com/kane-wolf/malevolence-pod-hd500-tone-demo-wip[/sc]
[sc]https://soundcloud.com/kane-wolf/malevolence-pod-hd500-tone-demo-wip[/sc]
send me the patch to my email ?
Dominoes282
Mixing Engineer
^ PM me
mnemonic
Custom User Title
Ok, goddamn, this turned out longer than I expected.
So further to Spaced Out Ace PMing me about writing something up about the PodXT/X3/PodFarm models and some basic tips, I figured I'd post it in here, since I'm sure there's literally tens of us out there who still use the XT/X3/PodFarm models, who might appreciate someone else's point of view. I've read bits and pieces scattered about the forum and the internet, but I've never seen anything comprehensive. If anyone else has other views on things I'd love to hear, it’s always nice to look at things from another perspective.
If you haven’t already, skim Line 6’s manual, it has some info on each model/effect on the unit.
http://line6.com/data/l/0a060072111...df/POD X3 Model Gallery (Rev A) - English.pdf
I had a quick skim of MeAmBobo’s podHD guide, and damn that thing goes into detail. A lot of what is written there applies to the older Pod’s, for instance setup is going to be the same, and I have had phase issues trying to use dual amps on the X3 and PodFarm, and his solutions are also what I ended up doing to combat those issues.
First off, the biggest difference between the older Pod models and the new HD stuff is that the old stuff is a lot less flexible. You only get one drive, you only get one EQ (parametric), you only get one noise gate, and you’re limited in where you can place things. Noise gate is always first in the chain, drive is always second, EQ is always after the amp. (This is the case with XT and PodFarm, and as far as I can remember it’s also the case on the X3, though it’s been some years since I last used one).
You also don’t get the deep editing parameters of the amps or cabs that you get on the HD’s. This makes them a lot less flexible, though I’ve always thought the EQ’s on Line 6 stuff is super sensitive, so there is usually plenty of tweaking room. This is kind of a double-edged sword, because you have a lot of room to get things right, but without spending time to learn what things do and how settings interact, theres a lot of room to get things wrong. One big reason why a lot of people hate Pods and say they’re too fizzy, too digital, etc is because they haven’t spent the time to get the eq right and make sure they’re using the right amp/cab/mic.
As with most things, less is more. When the PodXT’s and X3’s were more en vogue, there were a lot of people trying to add a chorus with a low mix, or add a delay with a very short repeat, trying to thicken up their tone. This is generally a bad idea, because it just adds more shit you need to tweak. Stick with just the drive/amp/cab until you fully understand how the eq works and how all the settings interact, before you start adding more EQ’s or effects; especially before you start adding more amps (dual amp). Going dual amp with two poorly-tweaked amps is just gonna double how shitty your tone is, in addition to doubling the amount of knobs you need to tweak. You’ll give yourself an aneurysm this way.
I didn’t want to dive too much into setup since the MeAmBobo guide is going to be largely the same, but your monitoring source makes a huge difference. If you’re using headphones, make sure they’re good ones. Good headphones tones very rarely translate into good tones through studio monitors/PA speakers (and vice versa) and your ears will be super sensitive to any EQ changes if you’re using headphones. I think you’re best off sticking to Studio Monitors/PA, or even better, a dedicated poweramp and guitar cab, as the cab models are where the XT/X3/PodFarm lineup really fall down (more on this later). I used to run my old XT Live through some Logitech computer speakers, and while it would sound okay, it was always really flat and boring sounding. When I switched to some MAudio BX5 monitors, the tones really came alive and sounded much better. Bigger speakers and flatter response really help. Remember that stereo systems, even very expensive ones, are usually far from FRFR.
Last general tip before I get into the specifics; Gain Structuring. I’m sure MeAmBobo’s guide went over this, but it’s worth repeating as it holds true for every amp you’ll ever use. Not all distortion is created equal. Pre-gain (from an overdrive or distortion pedal) will tighten up the distorted tone. If you are relying on the amp for most of the distortion and your drive pedal is only adding a little bit of dirt, your tone will be looser, muddier, and there will be less attack. I don’t mean to frame this as a bad thing; this may be exactly what you’re going for. If you rely on your drive pedal for the majority of the gain and your amp gain is relatively low, your tone will be tighter, brighter, with more attack, usually more clarity. Over do this though, and your tone will sound thin, digital, and overly harsh.
It’s a balancing act; remember this tip if you think your tone sounds too loose, or too tight. Changing where the distortion is coming from can drastically alter the tone. Also, if something sounds muddy, try reducing the gain.
Moving on, I’m going to detail which amp/FX/cabs I think are worth using. I’m going to be bold and say 90% of the models on the XT/X3/Podfarm are worthless. Line 6 really went for quantity over quality when they made these units. There are some gems, however. If you’re using an XT or TonePort or whatever without the model packs, all I can say is… get the model packs. FX pack is worth it for the Boost+EQ alone, and I don’t think any non-MetalShop amps are really worth a damn for metal.
Amps
I’m a metal player myself and I don’t spend much time playing anything else, so this is my opinion on good metal amp models for high gain chugga/djent/whatever. First and foremost…
Big Bottom
This is probably the most popular Line 6 model (and my favourite). I pretty much use it exclusively for metal. Supposedly based on a Mesa Triple Rectifier with a Rivera Los Lowbottom Sub. Poorly tweaked Big Bottom is pretty much the stereotypical overly scooped, overly digital fizzy Line 6 signature tone. If you’ve listened to recordings on this forum circa 2007 to 2010, you’ve heard it 1000 times before. That’s because the EQ is weird as hell, and the amp has a… unique response.
It pretty much does what it says on the tin; it has a huge bottom end. It is also very (very) scooped, and has a particularly bright and fizzy top end. There are methods to counteract the negative aspects of this, so the easiest way for me to explain is to just run through the EQ and describe what each knob does, because it isn’t always what it says it does.
GAIN:
Nothing too unusual here; it’s the gain knob. I rarely run it over half way. It isn’t a super tight amp without a boost (though you can get some good chuggy tones without a boost), but I prefer the boosted amp sound, so I run the gain at half and boost it the rest of the way with a drive pedal. Running the gain over half way will generally result in a looser and muddier gain characteristic. If you’re going for a tight, djenty tone, its best to leave it at half way or below.
BASS:
Again, fairly straightforward. Bear in mind that there is a lot of bottom end on tap. Run this too high, and you get this weird sub-bass characteristic. Like you’re running a subwoofer with your guitar. I think it sounds unnatural, so I generally don’t run it over half way, and usually much lower than that.
MIDDLE:
As I said earlier, this amp is very scooped. Naturally, it sounds best when you pump the mids. This control is pretty wide, and affects the volume a lot. If you want to turn down the mids, you’ll have to turn up the master volume to compensate. Since the amp is so scooped, I really recommend running it all the way up at 100% to get some mids back in the tone. I wouldn’t run it at under 50% unless you’re a big fan of feeling like your ears need to pop.
TREBLE:
This is the one. The most important knob on the amp. If I could rename it, I would call it the contour+fizz knob. The higher you turn it, the more scooped, fizzy and stiff the amp gets. It will sound and feel more digital. The lower you turn it, the more middy, smooth and ‘real’ feeling it gets. Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be a very compressed amp no matter what, but turning down the treble really brings some life into the amp. The amp gets slightly darker as you turn the treble down, but even at 0% treble, it doesn’t affect the high end much. It does get rid of a lot of fizz though. I recommend sweeping it around and deciding what you think.
PRESENCE:
I use this knob to control the treble/brightness. Treble controls the mids, Presence controls the treble. Simple. As I said earlier, it’s a bright amp. It’s easy to run this too high. When your ears get fatigued from listening to the same tone for too long, it’s easy to crank up the presence to try to bring some clarity to a muddy tone, but this will just make it overly bright. Around 30% to 50% it sounds fairly balanced. Extreme settings with this knob are usually not a great idea.
VOLUME:
It’s a volume knob. I haven’t noticed any simulated poweramp breakup from running it high, so just set it wherever, to balance the volume of patches. Don’t clip the output.
That’s that for Big Bottom. I have a lot to say about that amp since (1) its popular, and (2) it’s easy to get wrong, and (3) because I use it the most out of all the other models.
Mississippi Criminal
Based on the 5150. This amp is much more straightforward than the Big Bottom so I have a lot less to say about it. You can get some good metal tones from it without too much effort. Work the EQ the way you would work any other amp’s EQ.
Line 6 Chunk Chunk
I had initially dismissed this amp when I first came across it, mostly because the default settings are goddamn horrendous. Never use the Treadplate cab with this model . It’s not very tight at all, and it’s pretty muffled/dull sounding without the right settings. You’ll have to run the bass really low to get any usable tones, and the treble/presence quite high. It can be good for some chunky/chuggy metal or rock tones though. It kind of reminds me of Tool when I use it. You pretty much have to boost it to get any tightness/clarity, in my opinion. It also pairs well with bright cabs. Avoid dark sounding cabs like the plague.
Line 6 Purge
This is on the lower-gain end of the spectrum, but it’s cool for lower gain things. It’s extremely tight, but it can flub out pretty quick if you turn the gain too high. The Presence knob can add a pretty sharp attack to the tone. Mids knob has a huge range. It sounds really scooped with the mids anywhere near 50% or below. Pretty straightforward to use, otherwise.
Cali Diamond Plate
Based on a Dual Rectifier, I believe. Not really similar to the Big Bottom amp, however. It does have a big bottom end that can flub out easy, though. In my opinion, it’s also not as clear or as tight or as heavy as the Big Bottom can get. It does have a whole lot more mids on tap though, and can sound a lot more organic because of it.
It doesn’t have the same quirks with the treble knob, either. I suppose you do get some honky mids added in if you turn the treble to 0%, but that’s at expense of all the top end, so it’s not really advised. In fact, the amp sounds rather dark, so you will probably need to run treble and presence decently high.
I think there are one or two other recto models, but this is the only one that’s worth mentioning.
Angel P-Ball
Based on an Engl Powerball. I’ll keep this one short and sweet since I hate it. Others may like it, but I think its overgained, overly saturated, super compressed sounding, and muddy almost no matter what. No redeeming features in my eyes.
Bomber Uber
Based on a Bogner Ubershall. This has a stupid amount of gain on tap, so run it really low. It’s saturated sounding, and kind of mushy, reminds me of the Angel P-ball in that sense. This amp has a funny Treble control as well; run it lower for a less fizzy, more middy tone. Really opens it up. Compensate for reduction in high end with the treble knob.
Deity’s Son
Based on a Diezel Herbert. Decent sounding amp, easy-to-tweak eq, and fairly balanced sounding. Like some other amps (5150) you can pretty much just set everything to 50% and tweak from there.
Connor 50
Honourable mention just because it has my favourite clean and light drive tones. Pretty bottom-heavy. The gain knob is interesting as it pretty much reacts like a clean amp with the gain low, but the higher you turn it, the more the amp character changes. Works really well with a boost in front, very fat sounding.
Drive Pedals
Moving on to drive pedals. Personally I use a drive with everything, my favourite being the Boost+EQ, but try out other options. Even things that you don’t think will work can sometimes surprise you. In my experience, the unit takes outboard boosts pretty well. I’ve ran a tubescreamer in front of the input with pretty good results, try it out if you have one.
Screamer
This is the default boost for most people. It colors the sound a lot, and personally I’m not a fan. I’m a big fan of real-life Tubescreamers, though the Screamer doesn’t sound much like the TS808 that it’s based on. Personally, I find the mid character very grating. Pretty harsh and overbearing, I could never get along with it. It can work decently with dull sounding amps, as the Screamer is very focused.
Cuts a lot of bass, adds mids and treble, and a gain stage. If it sounds too bright and ‘quacky,’ try turning down the tone knob, this should get rid of some harshness. As with any other Tubescreamer or variant, run the Gain high and the Drive low. Some interesting sounds can be had with high Drive settings, but it gets some nasty muddy clipping noise going on for high gain stuff.
Boost+EQ
This is my favourite boost. Much more transparent than the Screamer, and you can tweak it to do what a real-life tubescreamer does quite easily. Turn the Gain up, Bass down, Mids and Treble up. The gain staging here is important; a tubescreamer (and most other boosts) do three things to your tone to make it tight and clear.
(1) They cut bottom end, and boost mids/treble. This is important because you don’t want to overload your first gain stage (in the amp) with too much bottom end. This eats up headroom and leads to a muddy or loose tone.
(2) They add some compression.
(3) They add some clipping, and sort of act like a gain stage before the amp. If you run a boost without and amp, you’ll notice it can sound kinda nasty. This harsher input signal into the amp leads to a tighter final tone.
The final knob is the Mid Freq. knob, which is interesting. You can roll it all the way down to add some low mids to a thin sounding amp, or you can roll it up to boost upper mids to an amp that needs more attack. Use it as a peak filter to find the frequency you want to boost (put mids at 100%, then sweep the Mid Freq. knob back and forth until you find the sweet spot).
Tube Drive
This is an interesting pedal. It probably works better for low gain stuff, but can be used to get a tight high gain tone as long as you don’t go too wild on the settings. It doesn’t have a ton of volume on tap, and the drive that the ‘Tube Drive’ knob adds can be kind of twangy/clanky (which can be fun), but gets muddy and mushy really fast if you turn it too high. I think around 40% is where it turns to mush.
Try cutting Bass and boosting Treble on the pedal, with 100% gain and up to 40% on the Tube Drive. You may have to compensate for the low gain by pumping the gain up higher on the amp.
Blue Comp Treb
This is actually a compressor rather than a drive pedal, but can work like a pretty good treble booster/drive pedal. It’s based on the Boss CS1 compression sustainer with the treble boost on. It’s bright and tight, and can get twangy really fast with the Level turned past half way. I would run the Sustain at 0% just because you get some weird pumping if you have it any higher, and it still adds a lot of compression even at 0%. I’m not entirely sure if it cuts bass, or if it just boosts so much treble that it sounds like its cutting bass. You can make a humbucker sound like a single coil with a high Level setting. Very djenty due to the treble boost.
Line 6 Vetta Juice
This is a compressor with a ton of gain on tap (something like 30dB) so it can be a pretty effective clean(ish) boost. About as close to a clean boost as you can get with the available pedals though. Amt knob controls the compression ratio, from 1.5:1 to 20:1, with a fixed threshold of -40dB.
For boost purposes, keep Amt low, or at 0%. Turn the Level knob up to boost gain. This works well with an amp that is already tight enough, and you just need to add some more input gain. Maybe it gets too muddy when you put the drive knob higher, or maybe you’ve maxed out the drive on the amp and you need to add a bit more.
Unity gain is somewhere around 40% for the Level knob.
Parametric EQ
As I said earlier, the XT/X3/PodFarm modelers are much less flexible than the HD series. You only get one of these EQ’s with two peak filters (fixed Q), one high pass and one low pass. Try not to rely on it too much at first. Work with the amp’s EQ, switch cabs and mics to emphasize/minimize characteristics that you like/dislike. Only after that, start messing with the parametric EQ. Luckily you get to see the Frequency and the dB you’re boosting/cutting. I don’t rely on it too much. I used to use the low pass to kill of top end from a fizzy patch, but this just kills clarity and makes a tone sound dull. The EQ really isn’t precise enough to surgically remove problem frequencies since the Q is so wide. You’ll have to rely on post-EQ for that when you’re recording.
I mainly use the Para EQ for boosting mids when I’m using the Big Bottom amp. MeAmBobo’s PodHD guide goes over eq’s quite thoroughly, so the same frequencies apply. I tend to center a peak filter on 1.4kHz and boost a couple dB to bring a bit more upper mid clarity into the tone. Sometimes using the high pass to roll off some bottom end can get rid of boominess too (which can be a real problem with the Big Bottom).
Cabs & Mics
Moving on to cabs and mics, one of the most important parts, I guess I might as well cover it last. This is where Line 6 kind of falls over; their cab models have never really been very good. If you can use external impulses, or a poweramp and guitar cab, I would go that route. If not, you just have to work with what you have.
Just a quick overview of mics, the general consensus is that the condenser mic isn’t really worth a damn for metal rhythm (though I’ve heard some people like it for lead tones). SM57 on-axis is rather buzzy sounding and lacks bottom, though is clear sounding. This can pair well with certain amps/cabs. The SM57 off-axis has a bigger bottom end, neutral(ish)mids, and a rolled off top end. It is currently my favourite mic, it seems to pair decently enough with pretty much everything. The MD421 Dynamic can be fizzy, rolls off a lot of bottom end, but has clear mids. It can sound harsh and thin with some cabs (like the V30 cab).
Cabs worth mentioning:
Line 6 2x12
This cab is pretty flat response, which can be good. Sometimes a bit dull sounding.
Line 6 4x12
This cab is more mid heavy and honky than the Line 6 2x12, and has a fizzier top end. I don’t like the 421 mic with this cab, 57 off-axis works better.
Brit Celest T75
Based on a Marshall 1960 with Celestion G12T-75 speakers. Mild scoop in the mids, big bottom end, balanced high end. It has its own character, you either like it or you don’t. Has kind of a twangy characteristic I used to hate, but now it’s my favourite cab. It pairs particularly well with the SM57 off-axis mic.
Brit Celest V30
Based on a Marshall 1960 loaded with Celestion Vintage 30’s. Not a lot of bottom end here, mostly mids and upper mids, and some fizzy top end. I used to use the V30 cab and 421 Dynamic mic a lot, though this leads to a bright and fizzy tone with not much bottom end. If you’re running through boomy speakers, this may work well for you though.
Treadplate
Based on a Mesa oversized 412 with Vintage 30’s. Don’t let the description fool you though, it is literally the polar opposite of the Brit Celest V30 cab. The Treadplate is a very dark, wooly, boomy sounding cab. If you have a very bright amp, it can pair well in theory. I’ve always found it’s just too dull and distant sounding to work well for me.
Green 25’s & Green 20’s
Based on cabs loaded with Celestion Greenbacks. They’re similar cab models. Mid focused with a rolled off top end. They can sound pretty cool for some death metal or black metal sounds.
A note on the Room mic. It’s worth adding a bit of room mic if you’re using headphones, just so the tone doesn’t sound so stuffy and direct. If you’re using headphones, I’d also recommend the small room reverb or medium hall reverb, just to add some ‘roominess’ to the tone. Cranking the tone up on the reverb can be a neat trick to add some top end attack to the tone as well, though this can lead to things getting jumbled and messy sounding if the decay or mix is too high. Quick decay, low mix. Easier to get wrong than it is to get right. Keep Pre Delay at 0% or close to it if you’re using it just to add some room to the tone.
My personal favourite patch is built in a very similar way to the way Acle Kahney from Tesseract, and the guys from Vildhjarta make their patches. Big Bottom with pumped mids, lowered treble and gain no more than half way. Boost+EQ adding gain, cutting bass, boosting mids and treble. T75 cab with SM57 off-axis.
I think that covers the basics.
So further to Spaced Out Ace PMing me about writing something up about the PodXT/X3/PodFarm models and some basic tips, I figured I'd post it in here, since I'm sure there's literally tens of us out there who still use the XT/X3/PodFarm models, who might appreciate someone else's point of view. I've read bits and pieces scattered about the forum and the internet, but I've never seen anything comprehensive. If anyone else has other views on things I'd love to hear, it’s always nice to look at things from another perspective.
If you haven’t already, skim Line 6’s manual, it has some info on each model/effect on the unit.
http://line6.com/data/l/0a060072111...df/POD X3 Model Gallery (Rev A) - English.pdf
I had a quick skim of MeAmBobo’s podHD guide, and damn that thing goes into detail. A lot of what is written there applies to the older Pod’s, for instance setup is going to be the same, and I have had phase issues trying to use dual amps on the X3 and PodFarm, and his solutions are also what I ended up doing to combat those issues.
First off, the biggest difference between the older Pod models and the new HD stuff is that the old stuff is a lot less flexible. You only get one drive, you only get one EQ (parametric), you only get one noise gate, and you’re limited in where you can place things. Noise gate is always first in the chain, drive is always second, EQ is always after the amp. (This is the case with XT and PodFarm, and as far as I can remember it’s also the case on the X3, though it’s been some years since I last used one).
You also don’t get the deep editing parameters of the amps or cabs that you get on the HD’s. This makes them a lot less flexible, though I’ve always thought the EQ’s on Line 6 stuff is super sensitive, so there is usually plenty of tweaking room. This is kind of a double-edged sword, because you have a lot of room to get things right, but without spending time to learn what things do and how settings interact, theres a lot of room to get things wrong. One big reason why a lot of people hate Pods and say they’re too fizzy, too digital, etc is because they haven’t spent the time to get the eq right and make sure they’re using the right amp/cab/mic.
As with most things, less is more. When the PodXT’s and X3’s were more en vogue, there were a lot of people trying to add a chorus with a low mix, or add a delay with a very short repeat, trying to thicken up their tone. This is generally a bad idea, because it just adds more shit you need to tweak. Stick with just the drive/amp/cab until you fully understand how the eq works and how all the settings interact, before you start adding more EQ’s or effects; especially before you start adding more amps (dual amp). Going dual amp with two poorly-tweaked amps is just gonna double how shitty your tone is, in addition to doubling the amount of knobs you need to tweak. You’ll give yourself an aneurysm this way.
I didn’t want to dive too much into setup since the MeAmBobo guide is going to be largely the same, but your monitoring source makes a huge difference. If you’re using headphones, make sure they’re good ones. Good headphones tones very rarely translate into good tones through studio monitors/PA speakers (and vice versa) and your ears will be super sensitive to any EQ changes if you’re using headphones. I think you’re best off sticking to Studio Monitors/PA, or even better, a dedicated poweramp and guitar cab, as the cab models are where the XT/X3/PodFarm lineup really fall down (more on this later). I used to run my old XT Live through some Logitech computer speakers, and while it would sound okay, it was always really flat and boring sounding. When I switched to some MAudio BX5 monitors, the tones really came alive and sounded much better. Bigger speakers and flatter response really help. Remember that stereo systems, even very expensive ones, are usually far from FRFR.
Last general tip before I get into the specifics; Gain Structuring. I’m sure MeAmBobo’s guide went over this, but it’s worth repeating as it holds true for every amp you’ll ever use. Not all distortion is created equal. Pre-gain (from an overdrive or distortion pedal) will tighten up the distorted tone. If you are relying on the amp for most of the distortion and your drive pedal is only adding a little bit of dirt, your tone will be looser, muddier, and there will be less attack. I don’t mean to frame this as a bad thing; this may be exactly what you’re going for. If you rely on your drive pedal for the majority of the gain and your amp gain is relatively low, your tone will be tighter, brighter, with more attack, usually more clarity. Over do this though, and your tone will sound thin, digital, and overly harsh.
It’s a balancing act; remember this tip if you think your tone sounds too loose, or too tight. Changing where the distortion is coming from can drastically alter the tone. Also, if something sounds muddy, try reducing the gain.
Moving on, I’m going to detail which amp/FX/cabs I think are worth using. I’m going to be bold and say 90% of the models on the XT/X3/Podfarm are worthless. Line 6 really went for quantity over quality when they made these units. There are some gems, however. If you’re using an XT or TonePort or whatever without the model packs, all I can say is… get the model packs. FX pack is worth it for the Boost+EQ alone, and I don’t think any non-MetalShop amps are really worth a damn for metal.
Amps
I’m a metal player myself and I don’t spend much time playing anything else, so this is my opinion on good metal amp models for high gain chugga/djent/whatever. First and foremost…
Big Bottom
This is probably the most popular Line 6 model (and my favourite). I pretty much use it exclusively for metal. Supposedly based on a Mesa Triple Rectifier with a Rivera Los Lowbottom Sub. Poorly tweaked Big Bottom is pretty much the stereotypical overly scooped, overly digital fizzy Line 6 signature tone. If you’ve listened to recordings on this forum circa 2007 to 2010, you’ve heard it 1000 times before. That’s because the EQ is weird as hell, and the amp has a… unique response.
It pretty much does what it says on the tin; it has a huge bottom end. It is also very (very) scooped, and has a particularly bright and fizzy top end. There are methods to counteract the negative aspects of this, so the easiest way for me to explain is to just run through the EQ and describe what each knob does, because it isn’t always what it says it does.
GAIN:
Nothing too unusual here; it’s the gain knob. I rarely run it over half way. It isn’t a super tight amp without a boost (though you can get some good chuggy tones without a boost), but I prefer the boosted amp sound, so I run the gain at half and boost it the rest of the way with a drive pedal. Running the gain over half way will generally result in a looser and muddier gain characteristic. If you’re going for a tight, djenty tone, its best to leave it at half way or below.
BASS:
Again, fairly straightforward. Bear in mind that there is a lot of bottom end on tap. Run this too high, and you get this weird sub-bass characteristic. Like you’re running a subwoofer with your guitar. I think it sounds unnatural, so I generally don’t run it over half way, and usually much lower than that.
MIDDLE:
As I said earlier, this amp is very scooped. Naturally, it sounds best when you pump the mids. This control is pretty wide, and affects the volume a lot. If you want to turn down the mids, you’ll have to turn up the master volume to compensate. Since the amp is so scooped, I really recommend running it all the way up at 100% to get some mids back in the tone. I wouldn’t run it at under 50% unless you’re a big fan of feeling like your ears need to pop.
TREBLE:
This is the one. The most important knob on the amp. If I could rename it, I would call it the contour+fizz knob. The higher you turn it, the more scooped, fizzy and stiff the amp gets. It will sound and feel more digital. The lower you turn it, the more middy, smooth and ‘real’ feeling it gets. Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be a very compressed amp no matter what, but turning down the treble really brings some life into the amp. The amp gets slightly darker as you turn the treble down, but even at 0% treble, it doesn’t affect the high end much. It does get rid of a lot of fizz though. I recommend sweeping it around and deciding what you think.
PRESENCE:
I use this knob to control the treble/brightness. Treble controls the mids, Presence controls the treble. Simple. As I said earlier, it’s a bright amp. It’s easy to run this too high. When your ears get fatigued from listening to the same tone for too long, it’s easy to crank up the presence to try to bring some clarity to a muddy tone, but this will just make it overly bright. Around 30% to 50% it sounds fairly balanced. Extreme settings with this knob are usually not a great idea.
VOLUME:
It’s a volume knob. I haven’t noticed any simulated poweramp breakup from running it high, so just set it wherever, to balance the volume of patches. Don’t clip the output.
That’s that for Big Bottom. I have a lot to say about that amp since (1) its popular, and (2) it’s easy to get wrong, and (3) because I use it the most out of all the other models.
Mississippi Criminal
Based on the 5150. This amp is much more straightforward than the Big Bottom so I have a lot less to say about it. You can get some good metal tones from it without too much effort. Work the EQ the way you would work any other amp’s EQ.
Line 6 Chunk Chunk
I had initially dismissed this amp when I first came across it, mostly because the default settings are goddamn horrendous. Never use the Treadplate cab with this model . It’s not very tight at all, and it’s pretty muffled/dull sounding without the right settings. You’ll have to run the bass really low to get any usable tones, and the treble/presence quite high. It can be good for some chunky/chuggy metal or rock tones though. It kind of reminds me of Tool when I use it. You pretty much have to boost it to get any tightness/clarity, in my opinion. It also pairs well with bright cabs. Avoid dark sounding cabs like the plague.
Line 6 Purge
This is on the lower-gain end of the spectrum, but it’s cool for lower gain things. It’s extremely tight, but it can flub out pretty quick if you turn the gain too high. The Presence knob can add a pretty sharp attack to the tone. Mids knob has a huge range. It sounds really scooped with the mids anywhere near 50% or below. Pretty straightforward to use, otherwise.
Cali Diamond Plate
Based on a Dual Rectifier, I believe. Not really similar to the Big Bottom amp, however. It does have a big bottom end that can flub out easy, though. In my opinion, it’s also not as clear or as tight or as heavy as the Big Bottom can get. It does have a whole lot more mids on tap though, and can sound a lot more organic because of it.
It doesn’t have the same quirks with the treble knob, either. I suppose you do get some honky mids added in if you turn the treble to 0%, but that’s at expense of all the top end, so it’s not really advised. In fact, the amp sounds rather dark, so you will probably need to run treble and presence decently high.
I think there are one or two other recto models, but this is the only one that’s worth mentioning.
Angel P-Ball
Based on an Engl Powerball. I’ll keep this one short and sweet since I hate it. Others may like it, but I think its overgained, overly saturated, super compressed sounding, and muddy almost no matter what. No redeeming features in my eyes.
Bomber Uber
Based on a Bogner Ubershall. This has a stupid amount of gain on tap, so run it really low. It’s saturated sounding, and kind of mushy, reminds me of the Angel P-ball in that sense. This amp has a funny Treble control as well; run it lower for a less fizzy, more middy tone. Really opens it up. Compensate for reduction in high end with the treble knob.
Deity’s Son
Based on a Diezel Herbert. Decent sounding amp, easy-to-tweak eq, and fairly balanced sounding. Like some other amps (5150) you can pretty much just set everything to 50% and tweak from there.
Connor 50
Honourable mention just because it has my favourite clean and light drive tones. Pretty bottom-heavy. The gain knob is interesting as it pretty much reacts like a clean amp with the gain low, but the higher you turn it, the more the amp character changes. Works really well with a boost in front, very fat sounding.
Drive Pedals
Moving on to drive pedals. Personally I use a drive with everything, my favourite being the Boost+EQ, but try out other options. Even things that you don’t think will work can sometimes surprise you. In my experience, the unit takes outboard boosts pretty well. I’ve ran a tubescreamer in front of the input with pretty good results, try it out if you have one.
Screamer
This is the default boost for most people. It colors the sound a lot, and personally I’m not a fan. I’m a big fan of real-life Tubescreamers, though the Screamer doesn’t sound much like the TS808 that it’s based on. Personally, I find the mid character very grating. Pretty harsh and overbearing, I could never get along with it. It can work decently with dull sounding amps, as the Screamer is very focused.
Cuts a lot of bass, adds mids and treble, and a gain stage. If it sounds too bright and ‘quacky,’ try turning down the tone knob, this should get rid of some harshness. As with any other Tubescreamer or variant, run the Gain high and the Drive low. Some interesting sounds can be had with high Drive settings, but it gets some nasty muddy clipping noise going on for high gain stuff.
Boost+EQ
This is my favourite boost. Much more transparent than the Screamer, and you can tweak it to do what a real-life tubescreamer does quite easily. Turn the Gain up, Bass down, Mids and Treble up. The gain staging here is important; a tubescreamer (and most other boosts) do three things to your tone to make it tight and clear.
(1) They cut bottom end, and boost mids/treble. This is important because you don’t want to overload your first gain stage (in the amp) with too much bottom end. This eats up headroom and leads to a muddy or loose tone.
(2) They add some compression.
(3) They add some clipping, and sort of act like a gain stage before the amp. If you run a boost without and amp, you’ll notice it can sound kinda nasty. This harsher input signal into the amp leads to a tighter final tone.
The final knob is the Mid Freq. knob, which is interesting. You can roll it all the way down to add some low mids to a thin sounding amp, or you can roll it up to boost upper mids to an amp that needs more attack. Use it as a peak filter to find the frequency you want to boost (put mids at 100%, then sweep the Mid Freq. knob back and forth until you find the sweet spot).
Tube Drive
This is an interesting pedal. It probably works better for low gain stuff, but can be used to get a tight high gain tone as long as you don’t go too wild on the settings. It doesn’t have a ton of volume on tap, and the drive that the ‘Tube Drive’ knob adds can be kind of twangy/clanky (which can be fun), but gets muddy and mushy really fast if you turn it too high. I think around 40% is where it turns to mush.
Try cutting Bass and boosting Treble on the pedal, with 100% gain and up to 40% on the Tube Drive. You may have to compensate for the low gain by pumping the gain up higher on the amp.
Blue Comp Treb
This is actually a compressor rather than a drive pedal, but can work like a pretty good treble booster/drive pedal. It’s based on the Boss CS1 compression sustainer with the treble boost on. It’s bright and tight, and can get twangy really fast with the Level turned past half way. I would run the Sustain at 0% just because you get some weird pumping if you have it any higher, and it still adds a lot of compression even at 0%. I’m not entirely sure if it cuts bass, or if it just boosts so much treble that it sounds like its cutting bass. You can make a humbucker sound like a single coil with a high Level setting. Very djenty due to the treble boost.
Line 6 Vetta Juice
This is a compressor with a ton of gain on tap (something like 30dB) so it can be a pretty effective clean(ish) boost. About as close to a clean boost as you can get with the available pedals though. Amt knob controls the compression ratio, from 1.5:1 to 20:1, with a fixed threshold of -40dB.
For boost purposes, keep Amt low, or at 0%. Turn the Level knob up to boost gain. This works well with an amp that is already tight enough, and you just need to add some more input gain. Maybe it gets too muddy when you put the drive knob higher, or maybe you’ve maxed out the drive on the amp and you need to add a bit more.
Unity gain is somewhere around 40% for the Level knob.
Parametric EQ
As I said earlier, the XT/X3/PodFarm modelers are much less flexible than the HD series. You only get one of these EQ’s with two peak filters (fixed Q), one high pass and one low pass. Try not to rely on it too much at first. Work with the amp’s EQ, switch cabs and mics to emphasize/minimize characteristics that you like/dislike. Only after that, start messing with the parametric EQ. Luckily you get to see the Frequency and the dB you’re boosting/cutting. I don’t rely on it too much. I used to use the low pass to kill of top end from a fizzy patch, but this just kills clarity and makes a tone sound dull. The EQ really isn’t precise enough to surgically remove problem frequencies since the Q is so wide. You’ll have to rely on post-EQ for that when you’re recording.
I mainly use the Para EQ for boosting mids when I’m using the Big Bottom amp. MeAmBobo’s PodHD guide goes over eq’s quite thoroughly, so the same frequencies apply. I tend to center a peak filter on 1.4kHz and boost a couple dB to bring a bit more upper mid clarity into the tone. Sometimes using the high pass to roll off some bottom end can get rid of boominess too (which can be a real problem with the Big Bottom).
Cabs & Mics
Moving on to cabs and mics, one of the most important parts, I guess I might as well cover it last. This is where Line 6 kind of falls over; their cab models have never really been very good. If you can use external impulses, or a poweramp and guitar cab, I would go that route. If not, you just have to work with what you have.
Just a quick overview of mics, the general consensus is that the condenser mic isn’t really worth a damn for metal rhythm (though I’ve heard some people like it for lead tones). SM57 on-axis is rather buzzy sounding and lacks bottom, though is clear sounding. This can pair well with certain amps/cabs. The SM57 off-axis has a bigger bottom end, neutral(ish)mids, and a rolled off top end. It is currently my favourite mic, it seems to pair decently enough with pretty much everything. The MD421 Dynamic can be fizzy, rolls off a lot of bottom end, but has clear mids. It can sound harsh and thin with some cabs (like the V30 cab).
Cabs worth mentioning:
Line 6 2x12
This cab is pretty flat response, which can be good. Sometimes a bit dull sounding.
Line 6 4x12
This cab is more mid heavy and honky than the Line 6 2x12, and has a fizzier top end. I don’t like the 421 mic with this cab, 57 off-axis works better.
Brit Celest T75
Based on a Marshall 1960 with Celestion G12T-75 speakers. Mild scoop in the mids, big bottom end, balanced high end. It has its own character, you either like it or you don’t. Has kind of a twangy characteristic I used to hate, but now it’s my favourite cab. It pairs particularly well with the SM57 off-axis mic.
Brit Celest V30
Based on a Marshall 1960 loaded with Celestion Vintage 30’s. Not a lot of bottom end here, mostly mids and upper mids, and some fizzy top end. I used to use the V30 cab and 421 Dynamic mic a lot, though this leads to a bright and fizzy tone with not much bottom end. If you’re running through boomy speakers, this may work well for you though.
Treadplate
Based on a Mesa oversized 412 with Vintage 30’s. Don’t let the description fool you though, it is literally the polar opposite of the Brit Celest V30 cab. The Treadplate is a very dark, wooly, boomy sounding cab. If you have a very bright amp, it can pair well in theory. I’ve always found it’s just too dull and distant sounding to work well for me.
Green 25’s & Green 20’s
Based on cabs loaded with Celestion Greenbacks. They’re similar cab models. Mid focused with a rolled off top end. They can sound pretty cool for some death metal or black metal sounds.
A note on the Room mic. It’s worth adding a bit of room mic if you’re using headphones, just so the tone doesn’t sound so stuffy and direct. If you’re using headphones, I’d also recommend the small room reverb or medium hall reverb, just to add some ‘roominess’ to the tone. Cranking the tone up on the reverb can be a neat trick to add some top end attack to the tone as well, though this can lead to things getting jumbled and messy sounding if the decay or mix is too high. Quick decay, low mix. Easier to get wrong than it is to get right. Keep Pre Delay at 0% or close to it if you’re using it just to add some room to the tone.
My personal favourite patch is built in a very similar way to the way Acle Kahney from Tesseract, and the guys from Vildhjarta make their patches. Big Bottom with pumped mids, lowered treble and gain no more than half way. Boost+EQ adding gain, cutting bass, boosting mids and treble. T75 cab with SM57 off-axis.
I think that covers the basics.
Spaced Out Ace
Well-Known Member
Still reading through your write up on the X3 Live, but I disagree that 90% of the models etc. are useless and that it's not as versatile. I typically use the para EQ and especially Glenn DeLaune's trick, which are basically low and high pass EQing to get rid of some muddy low end and some fizzy high end. Btw, I'm not arguing or whatever with you, I'm just stating that the para EQ is a lot more useful than on the HD500. I think the EQs on the HD500 are annoying to work with and would prefer a simple para EQ. But that's probably just me.
As for gain and mids, I generally crank the mids, adjust the volume, and typically set the gain between 20-50%.then I put the bass, highs and presence at 50% and adjust starting with the bass until it's tight, the highs give a nice response and then adjust the presence until the amp model has the proper distortion characteristics.
That said, I'm sure it's very dependent on the pickups you use, especially if you're using passive or active.
As for gain and mids, I generally crank the mids, adjust the volume, and typically set the gain between 20-50%.then I put the bass, highs and presence at 50% and adjust starting with the bass until it's tight, the highs give a nice response and then adjust the presence until the amp model has the proper distortion characteristics.
That said, I'm sure it's very dependent on the pickups you use, especially if you're using passive or active.
Spaced Out Ace
Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention, but I felt like the Connor 50 and the Diezel-ish amps were the best, as well as some of the Line 6 custom amps and the Solo 100 is nice as well.
gunslingerjh
Headless Mofo
Cover/Tonetest of Bulb's Carvin soundclip
[SC]https://soundcloud.com/julienhauspie/bulb-riff-covertonetest[/SC]
[SC]https://soundcloud.com/julienhauspie/bulb-riff-covertonetest[/SC]
WhiteWalls
Well-Known Member
Well, the best way would be to record via S/PDIF (it's all digital, so you skip two D/A A/D conversions), but not all interfaces have that. I always use XLR otherwise, but the difference in signal quality compared to jack will probably be very small, and it's more about the amount of noise rather than the sound itself.
JoshuaKaroshi
Karoshi
mnemonic. Here, take ALL the brownie points!
ZeroS1gnol
Well-Known Member
Yesterday something rather disturbing happened during band rehearsal and it wasn't the first time; when I switched patches, the sound got cut out followed by an extremely loud 'whoomp'. Had to cut out volume and switch patches to get it to stop. After that everything was normal again.
First I experienced this was when two amps, some fx and my pod were connected to an extension cord, so I blamed the cord. Now it was just my GT800FX and the Pod connected to another extension cord.
Ive been searching the internet for users who experienced the same and found some people blaming ground loops for the cause, however there isn't an answer to be found from a Line6 employee, so it's everyone's best guess what is causing it. I wonder wether anyone here has experienced the same issue and perhaps has found a cure for it. It'd be awful if something like it would happen on stage or blow out a speaker on my cabs.
First I experienced this was when two amps, some fx and my pod were connected to an extension cord, so I blamed the cord. Now it was just my GT800FX and the Pod connected to another extension cord.
Ive been searching the internet for users who experienced the same and found some people blaming ground loops for the cause, however there isn't an answer to be found from a Line6 employee, so it's everyone's best guess what is causing it. I wonder wether anyone here has experienced the same issue and perhaps has found a cure for it. It'd be awful if something like it would happen on stage or blow out a speaker on my cabs.
Spaced Out Ace
Well-Known Member
Did you update the firmware? Just a guess.
Blasphemer
Bird Law expert
Ok, guys, question here - So, I'm trying to use the left and right outputs from the HD500 seperately - one with an amp tone, and the other a clean DI. I can't seem to make this happen.
I have 2 XLRs running into inputs 1 and 2 on my interface, and for some reason, I'm only getting signal on the input that has the amp simulation on it (I've tried switching the cables around, and that just made the input getting signal move from 1 to 2)
I've heard that the router on the POD is kind of derpy. Anybody have any idea why I can't seem to get 2 independent channels?
I have 2 XLRs running into inputs 1 and 2 on my interface, and for some reason, I'm only getting signal on the input that has the amp simulation on it (I've tried switching the cables around, and that just made the input getting signal move from 1 to 2)
I've heard that the router on the POD is kind of derpy. Anybody have any idea why I can't seem to get 2 independent channels?
Ocara-Jacob
SSO Recluse
Make sure that the channels are panned to opposite ends of the spectrum. Also, use the mixer to turn up the volume of the dry channel.
oceanmachinery
Member
There's a guy near me selling a Pod HD Desktop (bean) for $200 and it looks like it's in excellent condition. I'm wondering if it's worth it to pull the trigger and upgrade. A little backstory: I live in an apartment and I'm no longer in a band, meaning I have no place to play loud amps. To practice at home I've been plugging straight into my interface and using various free TSE and LePou plugins/IRs and I'm pretty satisfied with the sounds I can get. I even used all software amps for my (previous) band's album. Is it worth it anyway to go for the HD, especially at such a good price? I've been writing some new music at home to put on a little self-released EP or album or whatever. I have nowhere near enough money to begin thinking about an Axe FX or even a new HD Pro X. Any advice is appreciated.
Spaced Out Ace
Well-Known Member
You need a pedal that'll allow it to run both sides... use a noise gate. I'll post a bit from MeAmBobbo's guide that explains it better in just a second.
Spaced Out Ace
Well-Known Member
Meh, I can't find it right now. Basically you gotta use a gate or something like the Screamer, because, for whatever reason, it otherwise won't use the B path.
EDIT: Put your noise gate here...
EDIT: Put your noise gate here...
