Line 6 POD HD Thread

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Welp, been trying to put it off, but I'm finally gonna attempt to fix one of the microswitches in my POD HD.

One of them have been VERY finnicky. Either turned on and off rapidly or didn't work at all.

I was told to try the spring-pulling method, but I tested the switch itself and it's still doing it. So, once the switches come in, it's time to break out the soldering iron.

 

[Alice AKW]

Hi~

Eclipse 8's + POD HD500

 

[Great Satan]

Here's how i'm currently using the pod hd;
I don't use IR's because i didn't much like the micro delay going to the DAW when playing, & the selection just felt like an endless black hole anyway, so i stick to stock cabs these days.

All my patches are (mostly) high-gain and i always use the Treadplate V30 57off cab (sometimes i think 67 for a subtley warmer sound, use that if the 57off isn't working for you).

Straight off the bat this cab never does sound too great, i ALWAYS put a studio eq at the very end of the chain (full vol so i can turn the amp channel down to prevent overloading any modules) and have the stu-eq set to 150hz and 1500hz. i have these both pulled all the way back to -11 (not always, sometimes i have the 150 back to about -9) but always pull back on the 1500 range.

This seems to be where the digital harshness lives in this particular cab mic selection (to me anyway) & once you dial it out, you're left with something much clearer and sweeter in the high end.
The 150hz range is where the overpowering lows live in this cab, so if it sounds overly muddy, try dialng back on this some more.
Sometimes i'll add a second studio eq and dial back on those two if -11 doesn't cut it, don't be comstrained by their limitations; if the sound needs further adjustment then do it.

Beyond that; if it sounds too bassy then i'll raise the cabinet DEP low-cut anywhere from 85-120 hz, aswell as a vintage pre block after the amp to lpf out any harsh artifacts in the treble (8.4 khz is a good spot for this) as well as an additional hpf if there's still too much low-end that needs further tightening (generally around the same setting as the cabinet DEP).

I also always use a mid-shift eq after the amp to boost the high mids if it sounds a little thin, cut them if it sounds too honky, cut the low mids if it sounds a little muddy, boost if it sounds a little cold, and bring up the lows for bass and that's pretty much it (i also use a para-eq's bass control if need any added lowend beyond that).

These are the methods which have made the pod most useable for me after about 2-3 years of messing around with it. i don't always use a TS out front but do use the vetta comp pretty much always to boost the input signal. You can also get some cool high-gain sound from low-gain amps using the vetta comp into the tube driver with the gain set 55% and up.

I have a patch for basically every amp in the thing and even though i use the same cab, it gives me a lot of variety, depending on how i choose to tweak it.

 

[meambobbo]

ok, i reworked my entire setlist (mostly) for the last time. I can't get any better than this, and even if I can, it's not worth the effort. There are a few turds still in here, but 95% of them are satisfying to my ear. I hope you fellas enjoy. Consult the rig list and legend files to see what the naming conventions mean, and try them on top of the albums they are designed to emulate where appropriate - I think they fit the mix quite well.

Directory /podhd/patches
http://www.foobazaar.com/podhd/patches/patches.zip
http://www.foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/TOTAL_MEAMBOBBO.zip

feel free to PM me with questions (or use the contact form on my site), and I hope these patches breathe new life into your Pods!!!

 

[meambobbo]

shred patches clippy:
https://soundcloud.com/meambobbo/pod-shredprog-demo

 

[meambobbo]

modern metal:

https://soundcloud.com/meambobbo/pod-modern-metal



7/8 string:

https://soundcloud.com/meambobbo/pod-7s-patches



clean:

https://soundcloud.com/meambobbo/pod-clean-patches



classic metal:

https://soundcloud.com/meambobbo/pod-classic-metal-patches



classic rock:

https://soundcloud.com/meambobbo/pod-classic-rock-patches

 

[meambobbo]

Fyi im using inout 1 guitar, input 2 same, imp 3.5M globally, with the pad switch on

 

[WesleyG]

Seems to be ignored elsewhere, so I thought I'd post here:

I'm currently running a Peavey JSX and a Boss NS-2. Was previously using a rack mounted power amp with a POD HD500. ( both into a Marshall 1960B)

I've tried a few methods of hooking up my POD, one method (4 cable) I can only do half ass, I believe, because I'm not able to get into my I/O. (Buddy took it on tour and I/O button is just lodged into the unit)

So question: To accurately do the 4 cable method, is there actually an I/O preference that should be changed, because currently it just colors the tone of the amp far too much to be usable.

If my chances of using it that way are shot, I'm considering either trading it for a a couple pedals or getting an M13, since it is solely an effects processor.

Any tips, advice, or direction is much appreciated.

 

[Rizzo]

Fyi im using inout 1 guitar, input 2 same, imp 3.5M globally, with the pad switch on

Not anymore "variax" as input 2?

 

[meambobbo]

Not anymore "variax" as input 2?

Nope, the main reason for that was to avoid clipping EQ's I placed before the amp, but I find I rarely need to attenuate like that. If I do I put a volume pedal with a fixed ~70% position to back off the volume. The Pad switch is absolutely necessary, though.

Having Input 2 as Variax made it a real pain to try to convert the Pod patches to Kemper profiles. I often have a noise gate first in my patches which is a mono summing effect. I have to disable this when profiling, but then I'd get a different gain level hitting the amps.

If you want to continue using Input 2 Variax, that's not a problem, but you'll probably want to use more gain on the amps, or boost the volume some way before the amp (neutral studio EQ set to boost, higher output on distortion effect).

 

[blubaruboxer]

just got a pod hd500x this weekend. just did something real quick with the tones i came up with. all guitar and bass tones are from the pod. only post processing was high pass on guitar and bass tracks and my default mastering chain.

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/singularis75/01-pod-test[/SC]

 

[Thrashman]

Does the HD series have spillover yet? Haven't really had the patience to scroll through the latest 20 pages or so on my phone to find out haha!

 

[coreysMonster]

I got a POD HD500x about two weeks ago and was really disappointed with it when I first tried to use it. I was about to ship it back but decided to give it another go, and I have to say after reading up some more on how to get better tones with the thing I've decided to keep it. Haven't found that perfect tone yet, but it's getting there.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1ioolb9sxo2bdqq/ToneTest01.mp3?dl=0

 

[Rizzo]

I'm late for sure, but how do you folks find Win10 for use with the Pod? Any problems?
I've been skeptical all the time but it's about time to upgrade.

 

[Tr3vor]

I got a POD HD 500x a few weeks back, and I love it, Its pretty easy to get sounds that I like, although pretty much anything that I like is probably kinda crap to everyone else since I'm a plebeian with sound and the only thing I have to compare it to is my Vypyr VIP 1.

After watching a few youtube videos before buying, I guess all you gotta do is goof with the EQ a bit to get rid of that fizzy hissyness and it sounds great

Now I gotta start reading through this giant thread to find some tricks and stuff.

 

[guigan]

Hi Meambobo,

Recently stumbled to your POD guide. Great stuff!! loving the patches.

What is your opinion about Line 6 HELIX? Are you gonna get it?

 

[meambobbo]

Hi Meambobo,

Recently stumbled to your POD guide. Great stuff!! loving the patches.

What is your opinion about Line 6 HELIX? Are you gonna get it?

Glad you are finding it helpful. I actually have had a Kemper for about a year and a half now, and I find there's really nothing better out there IMO, at least for what I want from a piece of gear. I'm only a hobbyist guitar player, and I don't do paid demo's or gear reviews or run a blog or anything like that; so I don't have the time or money to buy gear that I just want to tinker with.

That said, the Helix appears impressive. Most of the complaints I had with the Pod HD are addressed in the Helix, and the amp modelling seems improved quite a bit. From some clips, I do hear some of the "Line 6 tone" in there, but with a well-dialed in patch, I'm sure you could fool me in a blind test. The 4 fx loops and versatile routing options are pretty awesome, although I don't think I'd really utilize those features much.

The Fractal Ax8 is also worth a look at that price range. It uses the same modeling technology as the Axe FX II, which is quite good. It doesn't have the flexibility of the Axe FX or Helix in terms of routing, parallel paths, dual amps, etc. but neither does the Kemper.

If I had to choose between Helix and Ax8, I'd go Ax8 just based on the amp model list and the reputation of Fractal's amp modeling. Also, Fractal seems better committed to releasing FW updates and improving the product, although they are continually expanding their product line and letting older models fall out of support.

Still it seems better than Line 6. The promo vids for Helix say they were working on it for like 6 years...that's around or before they even launched the Pod HD. So it seems kind of crappy to me that they put out a product that's supposed to be their flagship line only to already be working on its replacement. I felt Line 6's support for the Pod HD was a bit weak, and I thought the recent model packs, at least the metal pack, seemed weak. Why do I want to pay for Pod X3 models? Another JCM 800 and a Shiva, but no Mesa Mark, Friedman HBE, Diezel VH4, Bogner Ecstasy, Carvin Legacy, Framus Cobra, Marshall JVM, Splawn Nitro or Quickrod, ENGL Invader, Savage, RB, or Powerball?

I guess I'm a little bitter on Line 6 after the Pod HD experience. It seems like they could have made it great, but they simply didn't bother. That last firmware update really sealed it for me. NOW they're introducing global eq, and they never fixed the eq's and various other stuff using % instead of real units, and they never added IR support. And after this long they're gonna make us pay for last generation models? The least they could have done was add a latency parameter for each channel, so you can phase align any two cab/mic combinations (why are they out of phase to begin with?)

You see my point - I didn't feel appreciated as a customer. Kemper is a night and day story. The freaking owner of the company (and the rest of the team) discusses features with his customers on the forum. The complaints are prioritized and innovative solutions are developed. There's no Kemper II taking away resources - they made the original with plenty of breathing room to add such features over years.

That said, I want Line 6 to improve and succeed, as well as all companies and platforms. The more variety and higher quality and lower priced gear we have available, the better.

/rant

 

[lewis]

Glad you are finding it helpful. I actually have had a Kemper for about a year and a half now, and I find there's really nothing better out there IMO, at least for what I want from a piece of gear. I'm only a hobbyist guitar player, and I don't do paid demo's or gear reviews or run a blog or anything like that; so I don't have the time or money to buy gear that I just want to tinker with.

That said, the Helix appears impressive. Most of the complaints I had with the Pod HD are addressed in the Helix, and the amp modelling seems improved quite a bit. From some clips, I do hear some of the "Line 6 tone" in there, but with a well-dialed in patch, I'm sure you could fool me in a blind test. The 4 fx loops and versatile routing options are pretty awesome, although I don't think I'd really utilize those features much.

The Fractal Ax8 is also worth a look at that price range. It uses the same modeling technology as the Axe FX II, which is quite good. It doesn't have the flexibility of the Axe FX or Helix in terms of routing, parallel paths, dual amps, etc. but neither does the Kemper.

If I had to choose between Helix and Ax8, I'd go Ax8 just based on the amp model list and the reputation of Fractal's amp modeling. Also, Fractal seems better committed to releasing FW updates and improving the product, although they are continually expanding their product line and letting older models fall out of support.

Still it seems better than Line 6. The promo vids for Helix say they were working on it for like 6 years...that's around or before they even launched the Pod HD. So it seems kind of crappy to me that they put out a product that's supposed to be their flagship line only to already be working on its replacement. I felt Line 6's support for the Pod HD was a bit weak, and I thought the recent model packs, at least the metal pack, seemed weak. Why do I want to pay for Pod X3 models? Another JCM 800 and a Shiva, but no Mesa Mark, Friedman HBE, Diezel VH4, Bogner Ecstasy, Carvin Legacy, Framus Cobra, Marshall JVM, Splawn Nitro or Quickrod, ENGL Invader, Savage, RB, or Powerball?

I guess I'm a little bitter on Line 6 after the Pod HD experience. It seems like they could have made it great, but they simply didn't bother. That last firmware update really sealed it for me. NOW they're introducing global eq, and they never fixed the eq's and various other stuff using % instead of real units, and they never added IR support. And after this long they're gonna make us pay for last generation models? The least they could have done was add a latency parameter for each channel, so you can phase align any two cab/mic combinations (why are they out of phase to begin with?)

You see my point - I didn't feel appreciated as a customer. Kemper is a night and day story. The freaking owner of the company (and the rest of the team) discusses features with his customers on the forum. The complaints are prioritized and innovative solutions are developed. There's no Kemper II taking away resources - they made the original with plenty of breathing room to add such features over years.

That said, I want Line 6 to improve and succeed, as well as all companies and platforms. The more variety and higher quality and lower priced gear we have available, the better.

/rant

Nail.On.The.Head

/Thread...... haha

 

[-JR-]

So Line 6 has the model packs on sale for 30% off through 1/1/16. Would you guys that bought the metal pack say it's worth it?

 

[lewis]

So Line 6 has the model packs on sale for 30% off through 1/1/16. Would you guys that bought the metal pack say it's worth it?

tbh....after buying em, no not for me. The 5150 sounds really odd. Like way toooo much boom/low end/mud. The Soldano is cool for a solo amp but I cant get useable rhythm tones with it. And in the end after buying the pack.... I still went back to using the Engl and the line 6 rectifier models. I am on an 8 string mind you. Your Application could be different.

Ive heard the Bass pack is good though. Really, they should be free these packs.