Is the POD XT right for me?
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Posted on Apr 11, 2007 12:05 am
Drummer519
Member Since: Apr 11, 2007
I'm putting together some gear for my home studio setup and I'm looking for an inexpensive guitar pre-amp with plenty of presets, user banks and the ability to do lots of tweaking. For now, all my guitar stuff is going to be recorded direct and I want to have as many different tones available to me as possible, for the price.
I've been checking out the Line 6 POD XT and I think it's what I'm looking for. Can some POD users let me know how they like it, what they don't like, what they would change and what they love?
Thanks!
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olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Apr 11, 2007 02:14 am My son has one and I've used it, it is indeed a very nice unit. Only down side I can think of is the lack of expression pedal and foot switches. Personally I think it's worth the extra $100 for the XT Live, though if your on a budget the XT is certainly 1 of the best. My own preference is the Boss GT6 which I own, but if I were going to buy something different it would be POD XT Live.
Dan
Apr 11, 2007 08:50 am The POD is very cool, however, depending on how much money is just burning a hole in your pocket, you may want to check out a TonePort...they have models for guitar, bass and vocal preamps and is tweakable via PC with the same software the POD is, it is very tweakable and may well give you wider functionality than the POD and cost less. It has less models per instrument then the dedicated POD's for guitar and bass, but they still have a great selection of a wide range of models to suit most any situation.
In a dollar per power value, TonePort wins in my book.
Here are the different models available www.zzounds.com/a--884907...amp;form=search
Apr 11, 2007 12:12 pm I agree with Dan, I have a Toneport and a POD XTL (had the POD first).
The main advanatages of the POD
* Stand alone, you are not relying on a PC
* Pretty easy "reamping" (recording clean and adding amps later)
* More amps and effects in base package
Toneport (assuming UX2 or KB37)
* Two inputs
* Can be used for bass, vocals, keys and guitar (includes bass amps and preamps)
* More control and options for input, level setting etc
* MIDI keyboard with KB37
A couple of minor disadvantages
* Relies on the PC, processing is done on the PC (POD is done on the box)
* Not as "solid" physically as a POD
* Requires extra money to upgrade to the level of a POD or above.
Tony
www.homemadehitshow.com
Apr 12, 2007 10:42 am I would definitely go with the TonePort UX2 over the PODxt. The TonePort "basically" gives you what the PODxt has plus the Bass and Vocal preamp features. I have both, and since I bought the TonePort, my PODxt hasn't seen the light of day. If you're going to be using this for studio use only, then the TonePort is the way to go. What you get for the cost of this puppy...$200? is AMAZING! You get so much more with the TonePort. If you want to lay down some bass tracks or vocal tracks, the presets are just a click away. The GearBox software to make your tweaks is very easy and fun to play around with. TonePort is my vote. Less money, more features. Sounds awesome!!
Apr 12, 2007 01:16 pm If you could only have one I would also vote for the Toneport but to clarify you don't get everything you get with the POD XT. The XT comes with more amps and effects (you have to pay extra on the Toneport) and the reamping capability of the XT doesn't really exist directly on the Toneport + as said, you can't operate the Toneport without a PC.
Tony
www.homemadehitshow.com
Apr 12, 2007 04:30 pm TonePort is out because I don't want to run another interface. I'm already using my M-Audio FW1814 w/Pro Tools. I'd also like the portability and the onboard effects.
Apr 12, 2007 05:42 pm See telling us about that interface would have saved a lot of time :)
So I'd definitely go with the POD XT or XTL. The XTL is $100 more but offers an expression pedal and a the FX Junkie add on pack which has a few nice things and bunch of useless ones. + it has the VDI for Variax.
I loved the XT and would have liked to keep it but I went for the XTL to power my Variax.
Tony
www.homemadehitshow.com
Apr 12, 2007 09:41 pm Ya know, I may have to consider the XTL because there may be a variax in my future. We'll have to see. I really liked the portability of the XT kidney but certain things must be sacrificed.
Apr 12, 2007 09:43 pm Variax friggin ROCKS.
Apr 12, 2007 11:23 pm Yes, I really wish they had a bean with a Variax connector. If you have any plans for a Variax then definitely get the XTL. The batteries and power cable for Variax are probably fine but I wouldn't know since I haven't used them in 18months (using the XTL you see)
Tony
www.homemadehitshow.com
Apr 13, 2007 09:38 am The battery power I have found to drain batteries rather quickly, not horribly enough to complain much, but quicker than I have hoped...the power device is just rather inconvenient sometimes...and impossible others...such as sitting on my patio with my variax and lil smokie amp...or strolling around the yard...which I am known to do often.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 16, 2007 10:40 pm I own both a POD XT fully loaded with the Floor Board which give you the pedals you need for Wah and volume. I also own the Tone Port UX-2 and love it as much as the POD. For me there is absolutely no down side at all. I have been using the POD since its very first release years ago. It was the best then and is still the best modeler out there now. Line 6 has spent years perfecting and tweaking their tones. Although I now use mainly my own tweaks. There is also an online resource for patch sharing which is part of Line 6 and the PC software called Gearbox which allows you to tweak right from the PC screen hooks you right into the sharing site and you simply click load and save the patch into your user files on the PC.
I honestly haven't recorded for years with a live amp and don't miss it at all.
Apr 17, 2007 02:42 am Not much more to add to what everyone else has said. IMO, you can't go wrong with the POD. I've got the POD 2.0 and I love it. There are alot guitar purist that rag on the POD, but to me it hangs in the mix just as well or close to the real thing. You can make recording as hard or easy as you want, and the POD makes recording great electric guitar arrangements easy compared to recording the real deal.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 17, 2007 10:38 pm Indeed, as Karyn stated it is as close to the real thing as you can get. And after using it here since its birth I have learned how to get it so close all, not most but all my guitar god buddies can't really tell the difference once I'm done mixing.
So my advice is indeed the PODxt with the floor board when you can afford it. In time and with a little effort you will have it sitting in mixes as if it were the real thing.
Apr 18, 2007 02:32 am Now that you mention guitar god buddies, Noize, I have a friend that would fall into that category. He actually demos guitar effects for digitech so I guess he should be pretty good. I don't know many guitar players that make 30+K a year. He use to haul his marshall stack to every gig and was a real purist about it. He is now totally converted to pod and other units. He loves them.
I'm really tired of gear snobs saying what they can hear or not hear when it comes to this stuff and when you say "it sounds the same to me" they treat you like you're a uninformed moron. Guitar snobs bore me. Just lay down the tracks and make music already. Enough already with these micing techniques that take hours to set up.
Apr 18, 2007 08:58 am Quote:
I'm really tired of gear snobs saying what they can hear or not hear when it comes to this stuff and when you say "it sounds the same to me" they treat you like you're a uninformed moron.
Amen, scream it from the mountain tops, sista!
My setup consists of pretty much three tones, clean, dirty and sorta, kinda dirty...with just a few effects for texture making any one different from the other. I'd rather be making product then sitting there fiddling with knobs and crap...until it comes to mixdown...then it's time to fiddle.
People that get too wrapped up in themselves, I have also found really don't give a crap how it sits in the context of the rest of the band as well...
Apr 18, 2007 11:01 am How about we share some of these tones :)
My fav was the homerecording.com/bbs (a god awful forum if I ever found one). A rather obvious switcheroo. The guy posts a variax/XT recording and a genuine strat/marshall recording. Asks for comments, everyone bashes the variax/xt one, then, rather obviously, he reveals that they were actually switched. All the a-hole experts disappeared with only one or two honorable one's owning up to actually not being able to tell the difference.
If you are told it's POD and you think you're an expert then your mind works differently and you hear things that may also be in the genuine tone but you're just biased.
Once again, lets share those tones Mr Dan.
Tony
www.homemadehitshow.com
Apr 18, 2007 11:11 am Share mine?
Hell, easy, pick the rectifier head turn the gain up to eleven, there ya go! That's my dirty tone. Clean, pick a Fender head and leave the gain down...sorta dirty, add the greenback cab emulation and turn the gain to 5. :-) Regardless of tone I always tend to lean toward those greenback 20's (or whatever Line 6 calls 'em)...I forget it exactly. But one of them rocks and one of them...ummm, doesn't. Isn't one called Greenback 20 and one called Greenback 25 or something like that?
I am no rocket surgeon...I just like it clean or dirty, I am a simple man, no frills here...
disillusionment with homerecording dot com's bbs is what made me start my own, talk about a bunch of friggin gear snobs...jeezuz. There are guys here with a sound blaster and an SM57 that make better sounding tunes then some of those snobs.
"It ain't the wand, it's the magic in it"...or some stupid thing like that... LOL
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 19, 2007 09:16 pm Tony, that is something I have planned to do for awhile now but haven't had the time. I'm hoping to start organizing my library in the near future and will gladly upload em to the studio site for download. But it will be a little while.
Apr 20, 2007 12:25 pm Ya know, I had a "preset sharing" feature here a long time ago in the HRC Pro area to upload profiles/presets for softsynths, effects, or anything...it was never used...I mean NEVER...I just recently deleted the files and database during spring cleaning...I thought something like that would be well received here...I was wrong...at least in the pro area...
If I had any reason at all to believe it would be used I'd add it again, maybe to the whole site, but history has proved otherwise to me.
Apr 20, 2007 01:24 pm I know what you mean. Maybe all you need is a single dedicated sticky thread. I just find it interesting, I am no tone master (just the master Tone) so just getting some sounds from others is fun.
Tony
www.homemadehitshow.com
