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Line 6 bass pod xt

Bought a Line 6 Bass Pod XT recently, wanted to check it out for myself after hearing lots about it. I have a demo of Ampeg SVX which I rate highly.
My intitial reaction with the POD is that it doesn't sit in the mix quite as nicely as Ampeg does. This is after EQin with Blue Tubes.
Before I take it back though I'm wondering if there is something I'm overlooking with the POD. Any opinions/advice would be appreciated.

Dell Inspiron 5160 p4 2.8, EMU 1616M, Vox Tonelab, Cubase SE, Nomad Factory Blue Tubes.
 
Before you take it back I would suggest going through to manual mode and starting from scratch. The presets aren't very good. Also, I turn off cab modelling on every amp, I find the cabinet models don't voice very well with an actual cabinet. They are ok on headphones however. I run my XT into the fx return on my Genz Benz GBE 600, using it as a preamp. I find this is the best way to hook up. It has a lot of settings and you need to be patient and work with it a little. I like mine a lot, but it took a few hours to get the tones I wanted out of it. Hope this helps a little.
 
Really? I love my POD xt Live. I greatly prefer it to my old Ampeg SVP-Pro.

+1 on the manual mode. Turn off the cab modelling (and mic modelling) unless you're running direct or using headphones. If you're going into a cab (at least on the xt Live), there is a seperate output labled "Line" that automatically bypasses the Amp, Cab, and Mic modelling. The "Model" output is designed for running into a PA (or for recording). You can also manually bypass each part of the chain if you want to. Since I use the POD as a preamp (straight into my Ampeg SVP-1600 power amp, similar to what Matt in Jerzey does), not just for effects, I use the "Model" output live, and then run the "Line" output to the house.

By your signature, I'm guessing you mostly planned to use your POD for recording. I'd highly recommend giving it some time before returning/selling it. The POD is a dream come true for tone-tweakers - the built-in patches are okay, but it took me at least two weeks to really get 3 or 4 settings that I *love* and preferred over my Ampeg preamp and effects pedals. +1 on patience!

Hope this helps,

Dave