seeking recommendations for guitar amp modeler/effects box
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Posted on Feb 24, 2004 11:10 am
TheTincanbug
sloppy dice, drinks twice
Member Since: Aug 05, 2003
No more stompboxes. I'm done. I want to move to the next level. I'm tired of these noisy things, the constant hiss in the bottom of my guitar signal.
I figger I can sell my SansAmp G2 for $70-$85 on eBay. The difference I can pay out of pocket.
I'm looking for a good, *clean*, all-around useful guitar amp modeler/effects box unit, rack-mountable not necessary. You guys who've heard my stuff know I don't rely on a lot of effects, so they're not absolutely necessary, but it'd be nice to have an arsenal that included a reverb, delay, chorus, flange, etc., along with great distortion in a variety of styles or amp sims. This would be primarily for recording line-in. I want something that has a lot to offer a good, clean jazz/blues guitar sound, and has killer distortion that doesn't sound weak. It must not speak until spoken to - I'm done with putting up with hiss. Thanks! fyi, I don't care about any weird effects like "metal", or fake-backwards guitar, or what not.
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Feb 24, 2004 11:12 am I have played with the POD and VAmp. I would first recommend the POD because of it's far superior sound quality and options, though it is quite costly. The VAmp isn't BAD sound quality by any means, just not as nice as the POD and a great deal less money. I would say to go to your local store and try them both out, then come back here and buy the one you like best from MF :-)
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 24, 2004 11:41 am Lotta PODs to choose from, I see now... which did you have in mind?
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 24, 2004 11:42 am musing to self... hell, I oughta just fix the shorted cord on my Fender Blues Deluxe 180w and sell that... but that would be like fully admitting that I'll never jam in a live band situation ever again... (sniff)
Feb 24, 2004 11:42 am I would say the desktop XT myself. I would prefer a rackmount, but it's so expensive for what you need it for. XT's beat the 2.0 for one simple reason...they have a USB connection...w00t!
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 24, 2004 11:50 am Yeah, you can download new amp models and effects, right? uh - do you have to pay for those, or are they free for POD owners? Do you then feed your sound output signal into the computer through USB? I don't have USB on my sound card - does that just go into any USB port?
lotta questions here... thanks for your time, mon
Feb 24, 2004 11:54 am Any USB port, USB is USB...I dunno about downloading new models and stuff.
Hey, another thing that might be worth checking out is the Line 6 GuitarPort service.bfast.com/bfast/c...mp;bfmtype=gear
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 24, 2004 12:03 pm Any comments on the Behringer V-Amp Pro? I notice that this is priced to sell in a lot of places. The ad I saw claimed "the quality of a PODxt, in a box that costs 1/3 as much"
That Line6 G Port - has to have a dedicated computer? hmm... I dunno. I mean, thanks for bringing up the option, but I think I've got to have at least a minimum of portability... Besides, my computer runs games & records music - I'm already stressing it out. :)
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 24, 2004 12:39 pm Can I just say, damn, the Behringer website is really lame? Is there really a need to create breakout windows with javascripting? Maybe we could take the man-hours that went into that and put them into making our server faster than a crawl, whaddaya say? jeez, point and click and wait. At least they have the product specs online.
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Feb 24, 2004 02:17 pm The Digitech RPxxx and GNX series are very nice units. They're quiet and have very good amp models and effects. If your looking to spend about $400 the Boss GT6 is incredible as is the Digitech GNX3.
Dan
GregorMember
Since: Jan 08, 2004
Feb 24, 2004 02:56 pm I have a Boss GT 5 and I love it, if you want something that is a solid performer get a POD or a GT 6.
Feb 24, 2004 07:20 pm I've been playing guitar for years now (too many!) with a Fender Strat, Epi Les Paul and various accoustics. I only EVER bought 1 amp - A Marshall 80/80..used it for years and kicks ***.
But..at Xmas, I got, from my dear wife, a Vamp2!!!!!!
Woooooo...its GRRREEEAT!
It is the hub of my guitar recording setup, no mic'ing, no messing, lots of effects and I can even run vocals thru it too (by way of a tube preamp).
It sounds every bit as good as my Marshall and thats a good amp! There are 30 amps and 15 cabs all sounding very good. The settings (presets) are pleanty and sound very good too.
You can get a great range of sounds and for the cash, it is a BARGAIN! I would wholeheartedly recommend.
You also get a variety of FX such as flanger, chorus, ping pong (cool) and a compressor (as well as about 10 others). I paid £99 (about $160 to yous lot) and its well spent cash.
I've almost finished recoring my latest tune (which I'll post) and this was all recorded with the Vamp..no amps come near my studio...! Brill.
When I post it, take a listen and see what you think. Sound quality v price v fun = GRRREEAT!
Coco.
P.S. I do like my Vamp!!!!!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Feb 24, 2004 08:34 pm TCbug, the Behringer site is set up that way as it caters to 13 differant languages. I hate naving that site as well but once your used to it it aint half bad.
And I will second the POD but as well the V-Amp is a nice alternative. I have played with them all now and those are my top two choices for the money.
Oh ya, and the DL for new amp models is free to most anybody that is registered in their little club.
Feb 25, 2004 12:10 am i'd say POD, all the way. i'd get an XT portable (not a rack mount). and if money is a real concern, you can find good deals on these at ebay.
why not a rack mount: i had the choice. i guy i knew was selling his rackmount pod for the price of a new 'portable' pod 2.0. i thought about it for 2 days. i weighed the benefits. the only benefit i could see was some kind of special output on the back...i dont even remember what it was, but it was studio-grade and was supposed to make the sound sound better. then i realized: i've never been a sound purist. i don't even notice the little things that real audiophile types pick up on. they just don't register with me. i knew that i wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the models, and that the rackmount would be heavier. i also knew that i had no rack to mount it in. i thought about that nicely shaped, red, chunky, solid portable pod, how easy it would be to toss it in my backpack and head to practice. then i went and made the right choice. for me.
you can download hundreds of user-created patches, all for free. the biggest repository for those seems to be a site calle 'malhavoc's world' (do a google search, keyword malhavoc). all styles are covered. many of the patches are emulations of famous rigs, and bands' sounds, and songs' tones. i havent used many of the presets, though occasionally i will start with one as a base, then go and tweak it. an example is the foo fighters guitar sound from 'everlong.' thats a pretty unique tone, so i checked out a guitar world user patch that i found free at malhavoc's site. that one was nearly dead-on.
the pod is also ideal for blues. it's got several classic blues amp imitations in there. i know a real bluesman from the okeefenokee swamp who uses the pod for all his live gigs. i don't play blues, but i've got a couple of bluesy tones in my POD, and i have to say, the pod almost makes me wish i played the blues. you can set the thing to respond closely to what a real blues rig would do. volume varying with your attack level, higher distortion the louder you play, etc. some pretty hot tones.
effects in my 2.0 include: reverbs, wah, choruses, flangers, delays, compressor, tremolo, and combinations of the above. the 2.0 has a bunch of cabinet emulations which you can attach to any of the amps in the device. the xt goes one better: it has the cabinets and also has 3 different mic options. and you can, i think, tweak those too, to set the distance from the "cone."
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 25, 2004 06:16 am Can anyone tell me, in their opinion, if the V-amp Pro a lower quality item than its competitors? And why you say that? The two things I'm concerned about the most are the noise it generates and the quality of the processed sound. Thanks for all your input, guys... The berry's looking pretty good, though the POD certainly has its numerous good points.
Feb 25, 2004 06:24 am As I recall the Vamp only has (or had, maybe has changed) a 32kHz sample rate, which is not even CD quality.
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 25, 2004 08:02 am Ah... I had the same startling revelation early on in my product comparison, but it turns out that that's the cheaper V-Amp, not the V-Amp Pro that I'm looking at. Here's the product page, fyi:
www.behringer.com/02_prod...FTOKEN=96243831
The V-Amp Pro is 24 bit and 96khz, and even has an s/pdif connector.
Feb 25, 2004 10:52 pm may i be the odd ball here. you say [quote]
No more stompboxes. I'm done. I want to move to the next level. I'm tired of these noisy things, the constant hiss in the bottom of my guitar signal.[/quote]
That would be because you are using cables with high contact resistance, or you may be miss setting your stompboxes?? ive never had trouble with a pedal after playing around with it for a few hours. they just cant be crappy pedals with lo quality parts. pods are ok for demo stuff. dont know any one who takes them seriously for major releases. if they do... they are obviously lazy. not saying you are by any means. these items were created for the novice not having time for tone bore. but who does these days you know? sheesh.
I know it may sound immature but i def feel like these products were made to cut out the art that is the engineer. i invested in a pod xt pro a few months ago. i took it back. thats just me tho. good luck.
olddogMember
Since: Jul 02, 2003
Feb 25, 2004 11:44 pm I don't think it's as simple as that Kenndal. Pods, GT6's, J-Stations, etc, give you a much wider range of sounds, in a more convienient form and for the cost of 2 or 3 stomp box's. They can be used with amps or standalone, keep your signal in digital realm for DI work if you so chose.
I fail to see how simply cutting out the need to mic a cabinet cuts out the engineer, whose job it is, is to get the best sound possible regardless of what you use to get that sound. Or that it makes one lazy to use an amp sim/effects proccessor in place of stomp box's.
Dan
Feb 26, 2004 01:24 am kendall, that's a lame attitude. there are plenty of pro players--bands you've heard of--where the players have even done away with thier stage rigs and plug the pod straight into the PA. you know they believe in it if theyre willing to do that. no amps? crazy! and there are a cartload of albums that have employed the device. its very likely there'll be a POD handy in any major studio.
even trent reznor uses a pod on stage:
www.guitarworld.com/gearr...einchnails.html
"On stage, Reznor chimes in on Gibson Les Paul Standard and ESP Les Paul models through Line 6 POD. All guitars are direct-injected into the house P.A.—a necessity given Nine Inch Nails’ ultra-violent stage show. "We used to have mikes on cabinets," says Lohner. "But they’d get kicked around and you’d go two songs not knowing your guitar wasn’t being heard in the house."
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 26, 2004 06:02 am There's only room for one guy in my recording closet... I couldn't pack an engineer in there. :) Seriously though, the last thing I'm worried about is cutting the engineer out of the process. All I want is for it to sound good. I don't care if it's miked, line-in, or whatever. And ruling out good tools based solely on principles is self-limiting.
Besides, I can give the SansAmp any setting, and it wouldn't reduce the signal to noise ratio that's a product of how the electronics are wired. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong in wanting to move to the next level.
Feb 26, 2004 06:52 am Stomp boxes are much better than they were years ago, but are still noisier than well built rack units or pedalboards. I see a pod somewhere in the racks of MANY bands that I see both local and national, they are VERY common and usable live and in the studio. Also, they can do many things at once. STomp boxes are not inherently noisy by themselves, what makes them noisy is the fact you need 10 of them chained up to do hald of what a POD, VAmp or JStation can do. THAT is where the noise gets nasty.
These digital units like the pod also make it quicker to dial in sounds with this cool little feature called a "preset", haven't seen many stomp boxes like that.
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 26, 2004 07:32 am My SansAmp actually adds a lot of noise when you turn on heavy distortion. I agree that most pedals aren't a real problem until you try to chain them, but there's a lot of hiss coming out under my guitar. For an example, listen to any song I've got posted that's got a distorted guitar lead in it - you can hear the hiss double when the lead comes in.
tonyd1970The fat one always watches us.Member
Since: Nov 08, 2002
Feb 26, 2004 08:45 am zoom 505 II- lots of preset things, fairly easy to change presets for that "perfect" sound. Very clean. Works great out of the box. round 50 bucks. I just looked in the gear bag- think ill do a write up on it as its not mentioned.
its what i use on all my electric stuff and some acoustic. on the worlds greatest song, that was my electric going through it.
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 26, 2004 09:40 am I used to have a zoom... actually, I still do - it's just dead. I can't remember what unit it was. Not the clip-on, the amp-top version. It worked well back in my garage band days, but it took too long to switch effects (there was a noticable delay after hitting the footswitch) and there was a little too much hiss for recording purposes. They've probably improved in the last 10 years though (one would hope, at least :).
Thanks for the info.
GregorMember
Since: Jan 08, 2004
Feb 26, 2004 10:07 am pods are ok for demo stuff. dont know any one who takes them seriously for major releases. if they do... they are obviously lazy.
Whoa, people are lazy because they want consistant tone when recording? Recording guitars is a crap shoot using mics, mind you I still like doing it but if you have say an extended recording session over 3 or 4 days getting guitar sounds it's hard to get good consistant tones as the mic stands when set up in a personal recording studio is subject to movement (due to unforseen things and people), even a little will throw your recording off and your not likely to get that sound again. With these units it makes things a little easier and you can get more work done as you spend less time with the mics (even though working with mics is really fun it sometimes is too time consuming and frustrating, and we get enough frustration from trying to get good drum sounds from a drum set that's bigger than your house).
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 26, 2004 10:44 am btw, Kendall... technology does have a habit of - or at least a goal of - making life easier for those who use it. I record line-in on everything I do, as much as possible. This isn't because I'm a big lazy-*** who doesn't appreciate good sound. It's because every single time I record, the baby is sleeping in the next room, and I don't have the option of miking my amp.
Not everybody who records does so in a commercial studio, and not everyone who strives for a good sound out of their home studio can take advantage of every single known method of making their sound the best it can be. I have a day job and a family, and writing and recording music is my passion. I get very little time, and an even smaller space in which to do it. If I feel that doing something a certain way will improve my sound and make my life easier, one could argue that I'd be quite the fool not to take advantage of it.
I can appreciate the sound quality boost that proper miking brings to the table, but I'm not sitting at that table. I'm in the closet, trying not to wake the baby. :)
tonyd1970The fat one always watches us.Member
Since: Nov 08, 2002
Feb 26, 2004 11:57 am see if grab bag was up to date last year i could'a got more for less db..........i wish you hadnt shown the compare link. i really wish you hadnt........
and yes i am lazy- but i cant mic up a cabinet for that great sound when wife is in bed. or watching tv, or home for that matter. but i can plug in my zoom and play electric guitar till the wee hours....... no muss no fuss.
Feb 26, 2004 12:29 pm I'll take recording direct over miking any day of the week, whether it involves not waking up my kids or wife or not. I just simply prefer it. Many times the people that knock direct recording are the same people that, ironically, are too damn lazy to learn how to use the gear to do it with. The lazy pendulum can swing both ways.
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Feb 26, 2004 12:50 pm y'know, the line-in recording won't pick it up if you have an attack of bodily functions in the middle of your solo, either
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Feb 26, 2004 01:22 pm If you have an emission that's audible over a guitar cabinet, then you could be in teh Guiness book of world records :D
Even though the purists will argue till their death about the superiority of micing a guitar cabinet, I've been VERY impressed with the quality I've heard from the new generation of direct recording devices.
Feb 26, 2004 02:36 pm haha thats some pickup!
my life changed with the pod. i would never go back to miking amps unless i was in a studio situation or had a nice garage as a rehearsal space like we did with our last band. miking rocks if you can do it, but i'm just as happy never doing it again. i never seem to have a 'real' amp, and i don't like lugging them around anyway, not at all. i guess that DOES make me lazy. but i dont care. the convenience!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Feb 26, 2004 05:10 pm As would I , I shall never be rid of my POD. I dont think I will even sell it when I upgrade to the XT. I love recording direct, as well as having the preset factor. Now I will tell kendall directly, I use my POD as if it were a real amp. I scrounge fer every inch of tone I can get from it. And I love doing it. I have the same attitude with my synths, I cant just leave a preset be, I gotta twist them knobs, or flip a mouse or whatever. I know tons of guys who love tweaking their amp sims.
Nuf said, try again.
drayburnEmerson's Transparent EyeballMember
Since: Jan 19, 2004
Feb 26, 2004 05:39 pm I wasn't really a believer in modeling technology until a friend lent me the Pod 2.0 for some recording. He never got it back.
el musicoFreeleance Producer/Engineer/GtrMember
Since: Aug 11, 2002
Feb 27, 2004 11:14 am ok. i have a line6 POD Pro (rackmount) and use it live with the floorboard controller and in the studio. I would recommend it for those who need a versatile unit for achieving tones you couldn't normally like diff. cabs, heads, etc... and if you like the tones you get then it will easily go with you for your live shows. it has plenty of features for both live and studio use and it has an unprocessed out for reamping, which is a great feature. if you don't like the tone you tracked with just run the unprocessed signal (that you recorded as well) back through the amp and dial in the tone later.
As far as alternatives, you could look at the v-amp series but along with its small price tag you get smaller features. The POD XT's are too expensive in my opinion, esp. when you can get a POD Pro for about half used. As far as software alternatives you have Amp Farm from line6, which is the same thing but software. you also have Amplitube which i also use.
Bottom line: I won't be using this live anymore but I will not sell my POD Pro anytime soon, and though it can be used live (and mine has) the "chunk" obviously doesn't measure up to the tone monsters like the Mesa-Boogie Triple Rect head, Triaxis or others like VHT or Bogner... but it's a good buy for any studio. System of a Down used the kidney bean styled POD on their first album so it isn't a bad buy, just doesn't fit everyone's tastes.
el musicoFreeleance Producer/Engineer/GtrMember
Since: Aug 11, 2002
Feb 27, 2004 11:19 am also, the POD Pro is great when you mic an existing setup and need to add that certain 'something' to your tone. what i mean is mic your live rig and split the signal to the line6, thus recording your miked rig and the direct signal and mix accordingly. good stuff.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Feb 27, 2004 05:20 pm Oh ya, thanx el musico. I completely forgotr about the FloorBoard. I use mine almost all the time, except when I have pretty straight forward patch up and dont need the wah or volume.
EdvoMember
Since: Feb 18, 2004
Feb 28, 2004 06:11 pm I use Johnson J-Station, it has digital out and amp/cabinet simulations are great. Also I used cheap Zoom 506 for bass guitar, amp simulation is also good in my opinion.
Mar 01, 2004 09:53 pm Hi all--I've been reading your threads for the last few weeks,thought I'd jump in here. I tried out the POD and J-station and ended up getting the zoom GFX-707 cause it was half the money(of course,after that the J-station got marked down to $149),one thing that I do is hook up one or two stompboxes ahead of the zoom and take advantage of the noise reduction,which makes a big difference trying to record strats or anything else with single coils. I've also picked up an RP-100 for more straight into the amp type tones,and while these don't have the range of the higher end stuff ,they get the job done and keep the neighbors off my back(they should just be glad I didn't live here when I had my Plexy!)
