Line 6 POD HD300/400/500 user thread

[hellmurderer]

Hi guys! Can't find any threads regarding this multi-effects. Any users here? Let's have a discussion on it.

I'm currently seriously contemplating to buy one of these but not sure if I will regret it!! Looks really tempting but also really complicated!

 

[noobkerpal]

well im waiting for any year end sales to get my hands on a pod hd 500.

based on reviews and recommendations , the 300 and 400 is not worth getting and you are better off with a 500 , i could go into detail , but im too lazy to type it out

 

[17wil]

I feel that the HD 500 and HD 400/300 is totally different in terms of software as well as the way it is configured?
There are certain things that only the 500 have, but to each his own. Some prefer something simple, (HD 400) others prefer a full array of efx, midi and a 48 sec looper (HD 500)
Each has its benefits. I myself chose the 400 for the fact that I felt it was most suitable to me, and it was within my price range as well.
It did take me a while to tweak it to my own settings though.

 

[hellmurderer]

That is the main issue for me... I'm afraid that the learning curve is too steep that I might just get rid of it way before I even master how to use it.

Is the manual provided sufficient? Don't wanna splurge the dough into something I'm not familiar with.

 

[gjkung]

Just get it, the HD Edit software is very easy to use and it's pretty straightforward.

The sound is INCREDIBLE.

 

[17wil]

get the advanced manual from line 6 website. the one provided is just the basics of the basics. after reading through the pdf, i managed to get the basics in less than a day.

 

[carboxymoron]

I think it's one of the easier multieffects to program. Of course, there are more advanced features like parallel processing, but start simple with the "default" order of effects and tweak from there. Just treat it like tweaking individual pedals, only you have a digital interface to it.

 

[Khai HeadrusH]

Just get it, the HD Edit software is very easy to use and it's pretty straightforward.

The sound is INCREDIBLE.

Hellmurederer, before you buy, go to the web and find out more.. there's more to it than mits the eye.. especially the insufficient DSP which killed off any of my interests for it.. There's also, IMHO, the below-par efx, small-as-hell UI... Make ur research...

Peace,

MrBlade

 

[hellmurderer]

Ah, finally some negative comments. Keep it going!

MrBlade HeadrusH, care to share what DSP means? I am really new to this. Also, please elaborate on why you say the efx is below par?

Isn't all UI small for the multi efx? What would you recommend then? Thanks!

 

[17wil]

yup, do share why you feel its negative points and how it affects the usage? Something like a review of sorts. Hopefully, you've experienced it first-hand?

I feel that every multi effects has its short-comings, its good in some ways, bad in others.

 

[carboxymoron]

DSP refers to Digital Signal Processing. Basically, any digital effects from the simplest digital delay to the most complex rack effects uses some form of DSP as your guitar signal is converted from analog to digital, run through various processes, then converted back to analog output.

There can be no such thing as "insufficient DSP", though he probably meant something else.

 

[Khai HeadrusH]

Ah, finally some negative comments. Keep it going!

MrBlade HeadrusH, care to share what DSP means? I am really new to this. Also, please elaborate on why you say the efx is below par?

Isn't all UI small for the multi efx? What would you recommend then? Thanks!

DSP is Digital Signal Processing, bro. And yup, experienced it first-hand. Though it's loaded with nice ngl amp sounds which was my fav, the pod hd500 has one BIIIG FLAW - insufficient processing power... Imagine, you are trying to create a patch, loaded with a nice preamp sound, n trying to add a few efx such as chorus, harmonizer, etc but found out that you ran out of DSP space! So that means you got to reduce the amount of efx used. Using dual models on the HD is where the DSP power outage is. If you can get by with 1 amp model then everything will be fine. I f u use dual amps, ure done for.. N that's a deal-breaker, dear friend.
Every multi-efx processor I come across never had this issue, (even the last 2 PODS if I'm not mistaken..) Ahh.. the pain of first-hand experience.. bummer..
It's UI is relatively small when compared to, say, the Boss GT10. IMHO, gif me 6mths navigating its UI and I wld definitely need to start wearing specs.. hahaha...

That said, love the 500 for its metal sounds! *lips smacking*

Peace,

MrBlade

 

[Khai HeadrusH]

There are certain things that only the 500 have, but to each his own. Some prefer something simple, (HD 400) others prefer a full array of efx, midi and a 48 sec looper (HD 500)

Advertisement gimmick. 48sec looper is when u play it in slow-mo which is, imho, USELESS. In normal time, it's ONLY 24secs , if im not mistaken. Can't remember very well, u might wanna research on that.

Peace,

MrBlade

 

[carboxymoron]

Valid point about the parallel processing: if you run two amps, you most likely can't run the full set of effects on at the same time.

The half-speed looper (48 sec) is not useless, because you can set it to half-speed FIRST before starting to record and loop. If you then go back to normal speed, your loop will become one octave higher due to speeding up by 1x. You're effectively turning the slow-mo feature on its head.

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

i've read that the pod's DSP is actually quite high compared to similar products available in the market right now. the only down side (which can be a plus point, depending if you look at glass half-full / half-emtpy crap) is that the alglorithms for the effects in the HD are too zai already, such that they require waay more processing power than previous gen pods and other floor units.

so plus point is, damn realisitc amp emulation, high quality effects but downside is, you can't load too many of these unlike previous pods as you'll hit the dsp ceiling.

i've always relied on dual amps since pod x3 days and now i'm getting used to the dsp thing. my patches are usually quite simple, with 2 amps, 2 delays, one reverb, one compressor. sometimes i remove one delay for the smart harmoniser. i make do with dual amps like that cause i don't play around with 8 delays / reverbs. for more lushious patches, i usually just scale down to one amp but separate the left and right channels by 50ms by a digital delay and an EQ to recreate the dual track feel. it's almost like dual amps cause of the EQ.

i've had 1st hand experience with the gt-10, zoom g2.1 and ax3000. they all sound great, but none responds like a tube amp like the pod hd. for the price of around $700, the pod hd 500 is a steal.

wait till you get hooked in this modelling gear thingy and you'll be talking about 11rack and axefx rack units, $1.2k and $3k plus stuff.

you can get more info about pod hd here http://www.thegearpage.net/board/forumdisplay.php?f=53
but you needa filter through a whole lot of information cause it's shared space with axefx and 11r users

 

[Khai HeadrusH]

=MadWerewolfBoy

Ur setup's simple enuff.. But for us who want Noise Gate, Wah, Post-Eq in the mix, not to mention Harmonizer, chorus, etc.. most definitely ur UI is gonna say, 'Insufficient DSP'... Arrghh..

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

i used to add a noise gate to every patch i create, but with my g30 now, it's quite silent even on the highest gain setting on the line 6 electrik model, i've freed up that space and now it's usually just a simple compressor or a drive pedal infront of the amp.

i'm practical, so i haven't found a situation where i'd used a wah pedal or an auto wah with the smart harmoniser. in fact, i've only used the smart harmoniser for a bohemian rhapsody cover and small parts of some solos. with the smart harmoniser out of the way, you could pretty much almost include a drive pedal, a pre and post amp model with cab, 1 to 2 modulation pedals, an eq pedal, a digital delay pedal and a plate reverb.

people who can't live with the DSP ceiling are usually people who're creating ambience and experimental patches or people who're using the pod hd for direct studio recording and need dual amps with twice the number of effects. for the rest of us, if we're hitting the DSP ceiling, it's either there's an alternative way to create a similar sounding patch or there're more than required effects in the patch (ie the patch sounds like crap)

if you're trying to put all the effects you're gonna use for the entire song in one patch (ie turn on and off individual blocks of effects during verses, chorus, solos and bridges), you're almost using the pod hd wrongly.

that being said, one of the more irritating problems of the pod hd is that there is no spillover when changing patches so your timing has to be very accurate when stepping on the footswitches when changing patches. it still cuts the reverb and delays though and can be quite obvious when you need to end a solo and start immediately on rhythm.

 

[rwakkitty]

DSP is Digital Signal Processing, bro. And yup, experienced it first-hand. Though it's loaded with nice ngl amp sounds which was my fav, the pod hd500 has one BIIIG FLAW - insufficient processing power... Imagine, you are trying to create a patch, loaded with a nice preamp sound, n trying to add a few efx such as chorus, harmonizer, etc but found out that you ran out of DSP space!

You do realise that compared to the previous Pods, there's been quite a significant jump in the quality of the sounds. You're not buying an AxeFX II, so you'd have to give the Pod HD some credit in terms of what they are offering at the prices of the Pods.

Also I think that Line 6 has clearly stated that there is a limit on the number of FX you can lump on top on the amp model. If you're using the Dual Tone feature, you need to realise that you're practically dividing the processing power in half because each FX has to be modeled for each of the amps.

Anyways, I need to ask, when you tried the Pod HD, did it seem like the high gain amps like the Fireball and the Dual Rect seem fuzzy? I tried a Fireball 60 and a Dual Rect, but when I compare the sound to what I hear on the Pod HD (especially on the vids online), it seems that the models sound fuzzy, fizzy and muddy. The immediate pick attack sounds fine, but the sustain that I hear seems very fuzzy and muddy, its like Line 6 slapped a fuzz on the sustain of their high gain amps. Did it seem that way to you?

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

it used to be like this on the default settings of the pod hd back in the previous firmware versions. a quick work around during that time was to use just the pre-amp models for the high gain amps because the default settings for the post amp models in the full models were not quite right.

as of the latest 1.31 patch, we can now dial away (or add) the fuzzy flubby thing on high gain amps because line 6 included 7 more controls to the post amp stage, such as bias and sag etc.

 

[rwakkitty]

Ohhh, nice.

So does that mean you can actually replicate the rectifier sag for the Dual Rect model? That was one aspect I always found that Line 6 could never really model well.