Line 6 Pod XT

[fixit]

1st of all to use multieffects ..in fact all multieffects that can simulate amp models....u need to make sure ur amp is flat and clean..meaning every knob is set to zero..do the toneshaping entirely with the podxt or gnx or watever..dont touch the amp at all..that is a point to note..if ur amp got fx return input, use it to connect with ur gear..in most cases it will sound better..

i've played with podxt b4..its realli good..but it didn't make me sell my gnx2..i find that gnx2 is already good enuf for me..

i still use analog pedals too..actualli u as the owner must understand ur gear as well..i cant say that my analog is better than my digital gear in terms of sound and tone, sustain and all..they're equally good to me..u juz need to understand them and then u can make them sound the way u want..its not that hard..

if u guitarists dont start updating urself and experimenting digital fx and recording gears..u are left behind brader..in about 5-10 years from now who knows analog will be extinct..digital has many advantages over analog..

 

[ChanMin]

being updated and jumping at the latest technology is a different thing.

well ofcourse everybody has their preference. In my opinion ...a pod xt ...etc... are for people who desire alot of sounds .It is good for recording yes.. and if versatility is a very big factor the line 6 has alot to offer in one tidy package..

i used to own a pod2.0 with the floorboard etc..
i only found the cabinet simulations and amp mods... useable. great for recording no doubt. as you can get high gain sounds at low volumes.
but at gigs the pod2.0 failed me terribly... all my patches sucked at live volumes. I immediately tried to remedy by boosting the bass and mids... etc.. but i ended up with a muffled sluggish tone which i will never get again with my current set up.

i supposed i only want a few good sounds. i dun need a tweed amp , fender black face , modern high gain , rectified , insane , jazz...etc.. i just need one good general sound and my fingers will do the rest.

using pedals is more expensive. but will be cheaper if you know what you want.The sound you get is more honest and in your face.

people are still using pedals used back in the what 70s? ...80s?...

how long will your line 6 last you?... until the next upgrade or till the latest gizmo is released?

 

[fibredrive]

ah vell, all said, one man's meat is another man's poison. respect everyone's viewpoints here. thks for all the feedback. i hope our experiences and feedback have not made midnightfender more confused. hehe. everyone has a point here, so midnightfender, like i said, whatever works for you mate! anyways, enjoy ur pod xt and do some recordings and post up ya?
cheers.

 

[fibredrive]

oh yah, and another thing hor, i mean digital is cool and all, but have u ever juz wondered what they are doing in the digital realm?
aren't they trying to model analogue afterall? keke.
i mean, trying to model a JCM800, or a rectifier, or an ac30...?
i dunno man, just seems like digital technology is trying to model analogue technology. yes granted, owning each individual amp is gonna cost a bomb, and digital tech basically reduced the astronomic figures one has to fork out, but technology wise, if u claim that analogue will die out, i beg to differ. maybe visual wise, digital tech will take over, what with plasmas and lcds these days, but sound wise, i am thinking these little analogue pedals and amps will last a long long time to come.
what r ur thots? no offence to anybody ok? don't take this the wrong way. friendly discussion lai lai...
cheers all.

 

[MidnightFender]

I'm sure digital cannot fully simulate the analogue stuff now but I don't know about the future. Who knows what they will come out next.

Anyway, all I'm after is the "one-man-band". The "correct" sound is not my main aim now, just want to do some jamming at the comfort of my home. I can play anytime I like, no need to drag my gears to some expensive studio tucked at some far away corner of sg.

Not using XT to perform or anything. Thanks for all the info...

 

[ChanMin]

a simulation no matter how perfect... it will still after all be just ..a...simulation. its not real.

but owning a pod or multi effects is good in the sense you get to try alot of different types of effects ...amps...etc... its a rough guide for what the real thing sounds like...

some things like... a cranked tube amp played loud... is really hard to put into a chip...

 

[fixit]

some do simulate accurate but some dont..i believe things will get better in the future..the thing is digital gears interconnected with analog devices resulted in a/d or d/a conversion..conversion means audio quality is affected..thats y it dont sound that good in many cases..
maybe that's y u're not happi u cant get the rite tone..

actually they have the technology for an all digital setup and u'll definitely be please with the result..y digital effects have analog input and output? because digital amps not widespread yet..they release things slowly to make money u see and have to sync with other interfacing devices for inputs and outputs..Vetta can only be used with variax to get a digital sound without any A/D conversion..rite now 1/4" jack is the standard..wait till a digital cable becomes the standard and that's when gears are all digitally interconnected..all digital means no 1/4" jack animore..if an all digital chain is made, a good digital output is achieved..and they might not make simulations animore..they will have they own branded digital gears when the time comes..i guess gears rite now that make simulations are juz money making campaign..to attract people who like such models and tone..but they sounded good too rite?

yeah..they are simulating analog sounds..but y? y go digital?
analog - annoying hums and noise, stray frequencies, line noise induced thru 1/4" jack, loss of audio quality if cable is too long in live applications..
digital totally eliminate all this..i dont agree its only visual, fibredrive..digital recording hardwares and softwares for studios beg for digital music instruments and effects too..thats y variax and gibson magic are made..dont be surprise digital amps will replace the normal amps juz like ur PC speakers so that an all digital chain can be achieved.


i take back my words that analog will become extinct..im not saying analog is not good..im using it..but i will have to change with time..u guys too..

 

[ChanMin]

some things progress with time i agree with that...
like

you have cars going green .... carbon fibre guitars.... robots...

its just that the original sounds that i heard and influenced me to pick up the guitar in the first place was those analoge humming noisy stuff. So i would forever feel compelled to sound like that. the noise and hiss is actually very very little... unless you are playing REALLY loud... even then thre are noise gates etc...

with digital everything is computerised of some sort... trust me ... in years to come.. digital brands like line 6 will still be boasting how "REAL" their latest fender twin reverb emulation patch is like or how "ORGANIC" their latest digital tubetronic ..etc...fancy "tube" related name sounds... and ts808s will still cost a BOMB... etc..
the main reason why i prefer guitars made out of wood.... a messy floor of pedals , heavy tube amps... is the same reason why i wont use a fishing rod that mechanically reels in the fish for you or buy a computerized sports car that drives you around.

advanced technology may help get the job done faster and better. but the overall experience is dampened.

more satisfying... or shiok to play thru the traditional setup. im the sort who will be excited playing through a fender twin reverb on my neighbours old fender strat... its a very different feeling.
i also enjoy chugging metal stuff on my 5150 etc... don't wanna sound like some bluesman or sumthing.

anyway people choose ,
the best guitars are hand made .And carved out of wood.

 

[penguin]

im happy with my podxt...
but sometimes i still use stompbox...depends on my mood.

if ur the only guitarist in the band try podxt in stereo...
sound yumming and its loud..

anyway in the logrun im aiming for Rocktron prophesy
it all depends what u trying to achieve really..

for home recording i think podxt is the best..

 

[fibredrive]

yeah i loved my pod xt....for awhile.

i mean, nothing like playing thru jtm45/r'fier/etc, proco rat and ts808, with noisegates and verbs/modulations thru a 4x12 greenback, mic'ed with a sm57 6 inches away off axis from the cab...and no noise. no hums, no static, no nothin.
see, that was the problem. hehehe..

yeah i know, its hard to explain, but i think chanmin kinda took the words out of my mouth.

when i sold it off and bought an amp with 1 single od/dist pedal up front, man, i was in heaven again. haha. that said, i still am using a microverb4 for modulation and chorus fx. so, am not saying digital is all that bad either. but there's always somethin too clinical abt digital that just doesn't cut it for me.
anyways, years down the road, its true, who knows what digital could produce? like u say, a signal chain that is pure digital could work wonders. we will wait and see then.

 

[fixit]

one day, those guys who only trust their traditional analog setup will lose out to other guitarists..y? for not being experimental, versatile and creative..u can say in this forum u'll be forever with ur traditional analog setup..but 100% u guys will change ur views bout digital..i cant prove it rite here rite now..time will tell

 

[brundisium]

analog set up dont mean not being experimental. There are much more pedals which are analog and used for experimental stuff. And i dont mean boss pedals or any of those that anyone mentioned here......

Take for example, tubes technology has been around for so long, when majority switched to digital stuff in the 80s, it still never went away, it doesnt take long for people to realise that certain digital stuff can never replace old analog stuff......although anything might be possible with the advancement of digital tech, there will still be a large group who will rather stay behind the old technology than just going with what's the latest hype in the market......

 

[ChanMin]

just an idea ah ... please dun have any violent retaliations.

what if one day... you had to play a gig... and you found out ... only one power point and its used by the amp.
pedals can use battery , but can digital stuff run on batteries?.

Analoge does not mean "old fashion" ... what i was trying to say was that ...only a lespaul thru a jcm800 with 4x12
will sound like a lespaul thru a jcm800 with 4x12s.

i cant imagine myself holding a variax thru a vetta and getting the same "HIGH" i would get by playing a lespaul thru a jcm800 thru 4x12s.
the sound may be close. But it aint real.

if digital is such a major improvement over what we have now.... why are they modelling everything after what we have now?

 

[Lifehouse]

For me the analogue vs digital is subjective. I use both. I seriously doubt that everyone here has tried digital stuff, probably you guys just heard from so and so who has heard from so and so.

Analogue, no doubt has better sound, warmth, smoothness. But affordable enough for the occasional rocker or a fledgling guitarist? Probably not. Especially when G.A.S starts to show up.

Digital, will never get a real organic tone. Close but will never nail the real thing. Cheap? Definitely. You can get good tone, but you have to tweak very hard.

 

[fibredrive]

so ultimately, it just seems to be that a state of peaceful co-existence will be the only solution!
analogue amps + analogue pedals + digital fx or digital amps + digital fx + analogue pedals etc etc.
each has its own unique sound and quality. and therefore each has its own place in different genres of music. using pure analogue pedals alone does not mean one loses out in the creative process. the creative process is not limited by gadgets but by imagination.
in the same way, the heroes of our past have created a wider sonic palate working within their limitations than ever before.
The point is, i believe, all that digital technology has been doing is trying to simulate.
till the day they actually create a new sound, the way marshall, fender and mesa have, and patent it, they will just be affordable solutions for the economically average musician. which would encompass most of us really.

 

[ChanMin]

*stand up and applauds loudly*

"well said man.... well said.."

 

[fixit]

yeah analog vs digital is subjective..

i respect each and everyone's preference..analog does not mean old fashion to me...they way i see audio is: analog for the sound and digital for control..i dunno bout u guys..dats y i like both..many guitarists are using customize racks based on this principles

well to me if one is an experimental, versatile and creative type, he would try everything..my earlier msg is for those who totally belive in analog forever and say wont change...do u know dat they oreadi have a technology for making different sound effects and tone for every string..and most importantly with digital, u can control effects parameters in realtime which is good for playing live for total control..and many more surprises that i cant list down..thats y i said those guys will lose out..all this tech makes ur music creation interesting and fun..

do u know that current digital gears use wat kind of ins and outs? if u know dat, they need to use power supply dude..in d future when all digital chain can be achieved and be used as another standard, they dont need a power supply adapter at all..meaning not even batteries becoz ur effects in a digital chain oreadi...by the way, for dat one power point prob, i have an adapter for multiconnections

y many digital gears r simulating analog sounds? told u earlier oreadi..guitarists are a traditional bunch..thats wat they find out..thats y they have to use names of those models that guitarist trust in their digital products..its all about the money making..do u tink they will forever simulating analog sounds?

i agree that the most simulations are not perfect..but in most cases also due to the tweaking part..maybe people not use to it yet..becoz the tweaking technique differ from analog..or maybe becoz of A/D D/A conversion..

but watever it is i believe things will get better for digital..

 

[creatures77]

heh..i seem to go against everybody..well heres my 2cents take

if the Holy grail tone were to be defined as "cold/clinical/digital" sounding..then no matter how hard.. analog amps would be just an emulation of the digital amp..

same goes the other way u look at it

for me..neither analog or digital makes it..both sucks..i go for the Organic tone(acoustic vs circuitboards)..hehe :twisted:

 

[MidnightFender]

Looks like i've created quite a stir...