POD XT for high gain recording

[BabUShka]

Hello my wood worshiping friends.
I've recently bought a POD XT for direct recording, but I haven't been able to find a satisfying preset for juicy and heavy metal riffing sound with detuned 7stringer. My guitars are Epi LP with EMG 81/60 and a stock Ibanez S7320.
I've used the POD 2.0 and toneport UX2 for recording with good results for high gain. But sadly I was a bit disappointed about the XT, which I thought was supposed to be a better choice..

So.. Anyone got some good tips and advice for any good presets for the XT?

One more thing.. Is the Metal pack for XT worth the money? Could that be a good solution for my problem or should i keep tweaking? i think the stock modeling amps in the XT sounds too harsh.

Thanks!

 

[Radius_Vector]

Most digital amp modellers are harsh indeed. This thread has been done plenty of times before I guess, but for starters - you could try downloading the patches used by famous people here. Once that's done, you could start learning about EQing your guitars into shape etc. You should be set!

 

[BabUShka]

I've got no problems with using the EQ. It's just the POD XT..
I also tried to search for POD XT using the search thingy on this forum, but It wouldn't find a single thread.. "No maches for your seach" :S

EDIT: I also tried to google for patches, but I found out that it aint that easy.. And most patches requires the Metal pack bundle

 

[iceythe]

The first two things that should be on your wish list, should you keep working in the xt, is the metal and fx packs. They introduce a lot of more proprietary impulses, cabs and stomp effects that will make it easier to find a sound you look for.

The xt and newer versions have just have more possibilities and parameters to account for. Getting a good tone often requires you to know the xt like the back of your hand. Know which frequencies to cut and which to boost. The eq on the pod is crucial. It's usually best to filter out frequencies as early in the chain as possible. If you're unsure, post a clip and let users here give some insight.


But don't be limited to only the pod. There are free impulses on the net that work good with it as well. I'm using Carthasis impulses with mine with great success, though I use both metal and fx packs.

 

[BabUShka]

Awesome.. jeg vet hvem du er
Your one of the reasons why i bought the POD.. I've heard some of your demos
I just found this site: http://line6.com/customtone/search/podxt/
And downloaded some Periphery, Meshuggah, Lamb Of God and KSE presets. I'll try em out when I get home in a week time maybe..
Sure, I can record something and post here. Some constructuan critics would be lovely.

I've also decided to buy the Metal shop pack. $49 aint much money, worth trying it out!
I will try to tweak a lot more. I've had Toneport UX2 for a year or so now, and I know hat it takes time to find the sound.
I also found out that its much easier to tweak the POD if you connect it to Gearbox

 

[Prime]

There are also patches here on sevenstring. The ones on customtone are very hit and miss.

 

[thesimo]

download the patches i uploaded (they need metal pack)
but one tip i recommend is adding a little bit of the room mix into the mic, so its less direct and artificial sounding. Even a tiny bit of reverb so its barely audible but breaks up the super tight distortion a little

 

[BabUShka]

Ah, cool. I'll try it out.
The chorus actually helps a bit to remove the harsh distortion sound.
I just turn on the chorus, and set the settings on 0. Even them it gives a more wet effect without adding chorus to the sound.

First thing I'll do then I come home is ordering the Metal pack and then try tweak more

 

[thesimo]

if you want i can try and get the pod to work with my mac again, and then dump my newest patches for you to try once you get the metal pack etc

 

[BabUShka]

Thanks a lot for the offer man. First I'll get the metal pack and try it out. If i fail again, then I would love to try out some of your patches. Until then don't bother doing that for me. But again, thanks for the help!


EDIT: Still don't know how to use the "thank" function.. =p

 

[String7th]

Roll your guitar's volume back a bit. With EMGs and Pod's high-gain mod settings, it's easy to over-distort and lose your tone. Also try lowering the gain of the amps from 10 to about 7 or 6, pan 2 tracks (played twice, not copy/paste) hard right and left and see if that's a start in the right direction for you.

 

[BabUShka]

I bought the Metal pack today.. and DAAANG!
Sounds awesome. Exactly what I was looking for. The Metal pack brings POD to a completely new level.
Lookin forward to try n record some stuff with it! The Uber and P-ball sounds best imo

 

[manana]

if you really want good tones, use the podxt as a direct interface and get tse x30 and the impulses from the impulse faq sticky.

 

[String7th]

use the podxt as a direct interface and get tse x30 and the impulses

+1
I don't like Pod's cab impulses. I highly recomend Recabi.net
The best $15 add-on to any amp sim.