BDDI v Pod X3 Live

[BassWombat]

A BDDI, and more recently a progammable BDDI, has been at the heart of my set-up for a while, but I've been thinking about the Pod X3 Live. I do a bit of recording at home with both bass and guitar and obviously the Pod should do the trick there. It's more in a live set-up that I'm wondering how the two compare.

I have generally used a basic warm tube sound, a grittier overdriven sound and the slap set-up the manual advises on the BDDI, but I would have thought I should be able to get similar sounds out of the X3 - with the bonus of having the bells and whistles for recording and mucking around at home. I've also used a Tri-Ac for the bass and guitar in recording and I figure I could sell it and the BDDIp to cover a chunk of the X3 cost.

I'd appreciate any thoughts anyone might have.

Cheers

Edit: I should add that I use the BDDI into a Focus SA power amp and would use the X3 as a pre-amp the same way.

[kirkm24]

Well according to the Line 6 website, they now include a Sansamp Bass Driver effect model with the X3 so maybe that gives you the best of both worlds. I'm not a multi-effect guy but the X3 looks cool.

[BassWombat]

Thanks for that - I still find the "emulating an emulation pedal" thing a bit weird. I would have thought I'd be trying to recreate the sounds I got from the BDDI from the SVT model for example, rather than just going to a BDDI patch!

I've done a bit more research on the Line 6 forum and it does sound like it could do the job for me... time to pull the pin for an early Christmas pedal!

[luknfur]

No comparison, the BDDI is basically variation of one sound. Even the original pod had the sans emulation - title tube preamp in recall. Had 'em all and the x3 processor apparently has been upgraded significantly as the stock bass presets are much more useable and higher quality. Helps to have a hi fi rig reproduce what the pod puts out (Recording that wouldn't matter) and the x3 lives have a glitch (search other x3 posts) that needs attention - unless l6 has already addressed it.

[jgparm]

I had the X3 Live for a few weeks and brought it back. I thought the bass presets were decent, and it was sort of fun to noodle around with the guitar effects (though I didn't have much luck with the distortions). I did a few test recordings and they worked out fine, too. All in all, it was a fun multifx.

My original intent was to run my bass into one channel and my vocal mic into the other, then run XLR out into my band's PA. Unfortunately, the mic trim was glitchy and I couldn't count on consistent levels from practice to practice. I wasn't about to try to gig with that issue looming, so I brought it back and used the money to buy a some dedicated pedals (Boss TU-2 and as it turns out, a Sansamp BDDI). With the money I had left over, I bought an incredible used Trace Elliot Twin Valve Combo. And though I don't have the variety of sounds I had with the X3 Live, I'm really excited about those sounds I do have, and I'm confident that my gear will perform consistently from practice to practice and gig to gig.

In summary, I liked the X3 Live, and would be glad to have one around, but it didn't work for me as a primary preamp/fx unit. Best of luck with your decision.