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The POD Advice Thread

#21
Offsetting the model/DI mix 4-5ms(down at the bottom of the screen if you're working on the computer) can fatten up the tone a little.

Only adjust through the rig you play through (unless you just can't help it, like me). I am constantly having to add more effect or drive to gravel up my tone when I go through our PA. It's partly due to the headphones I use, but it's always a good idea to make sure you're getting the same sound live and what you hear in the apartment.

Tape-eater is fun. I wish is was stronger.

P.
 
#23
DanielTulip said:
Patch setting, please! *on knees begging*

I tried to get some of the synth stuff to sound good, but I was never able to :(

Any advice on that?
Click to expand...

Sure. I’m no synthead though so it's not like I know what I'm doing. I just like useable bass tones that are different. These two are what I call core tones: something that I think has potential and save as is for later editing when I feel up to it. Some core tones spawn lots of final editions so the core tones themselves are often more valuable than a finished product. These I’ve played plenty solo as is and recorded some short clips.

Actually it was just the synth models not the waves I altered - which I don’t even recall how I changed. At least I think that’s what I did.

9B Mono Synth: Stomp > Harmony: 1 oct; 45% filter; 0% decay (think these are stock Harmony settings)
This is heavy metal guitar/bass/synth mix (synth doesn‘t kick in till like the open D). It’s a pretty close cop of some popular 2K era band I’ve heard that I can’t even remember their name (did a tune "I Am Cumbersome" or something like that). I’m not into metal but I play whatever fit’s the tone - so I’ve been dinking with their licks that I can recall. Seems it works better flatpicked than finger.

15D Strung Out Synth: Stomp > Synth lead: Wave 6; 50% filter; 63% decay (also stock I think).
This is a percussive bass/horn tone that I find particularly appealing using around the A (5th fret) off the E string as root (I’m actually tuned up sharp to play to tapes). That simple riff from the old 60’s tune Boston is the first thing that jumped into my head out of nowhere that fit well. Seems this tone doesn’t work well flatpicked.

Chain: 4 string Bass (acoustically bright/TI JF344’s/Bridge mounted Dark Star ran straight to jack) > podxt (latest upgrade presets) > QSC 1450 > pair of Aggie GS112’s.

Will be interesting to hear other player’s takes on them or what you guys get. I know in the recorded clips using the sound recorder in XP it throws the natural bass tone in the right ear and pod only in the left but in some playback set up in XP it plays what sounds like an equal mix of both in each ear. I know you can adjust the mix in the pod but I didn’t mess with it cause it sounded fine coming out of the cabs.

Goes without saying (unlike the V Bass that has the hex pup), synth patches in the pod are not polyphonic so there's no double stops/chording and you have to play clean with fast exhanges between strings.
 
#25
Hey guys--

This is a great thread, and sorry if I hijack it a little...:cool:

Anyone, I've been checking out Line 6's site and listening to all the bass POD products. I'm seriously thinking of using the XT Live as my pre.

Actually, I'm thinking of running my Fender basses (P, J, Roscoe Beck 4/5) into a QSC to an Avatar 212 cab. I'm in a cover band that does pop rock/Top 40 FM rock stuff.

It would be replacing an Ampeg SVT Classic rig, which BTW is GREAT, but I'm getting a little tired of hauling it around and am in the mood for a sonic change.

I'm particuary inteersted in comments regarding how well the Bass POD XT Live does on stage. I would probably do quit a bit of tweaking at home with my rig and PC before taking it out live.. I'm not a big user of effects, so I'd mainly be using it as an amp modeler

Esp. interested in comments on these amp models:

Acoustic 360

SWR

Ampeg B15

Ampeg SVT

Would appreciate any comments, and thanks in advance!!

Andy
 
#27
AndyMan said:
Hey guys--



Anyone, I've been checking out Line 6's site and listening to all the bass POD products. I'm seriously thinking of using the XT Live as my pre.

I use the Bass Pod XT(bean version) for this and it works great. I would suggest getting the bean because of the 1/4 TRS balanced outputs. The Live version has unbalanced outputs for some reason and therefore would be difficult to run this way.

I use the SVT and Mesa Boogie settings the most, but also like the Ampeg B15. When running this way, I usually don't use the cabinet emulation, but some of the amps like the Sunn with the 1812 combo sounds cool.
Click to expand...
 
#28
Oh man! This reminds me that I want to get a Berg IP310!!!!

The amp moddeling of the POD is where it really shines IMO. I've never had a problem getting a sound I want out of one of the amp/cabs. I even have an SVT/810 setting in which I use the 112 Dynamic mic. Super FAT!!!! :D

EDIT: The EQ settings on it are flat, and I have the gain cranked, with the chan volume set around 12 o'clock. The tone is very "vintage" IMO, using my jazz. A simple change of mic to the 20 Dynamic makes it nice and modern. Very compressed on it's own too, with no need to turn the LA-2A comp on.
 
#29
FWIW:

I've started condensing and organizing these tips for myself so I have them all in one place. Easy to do from the start as the thread grows, nightmare if delayed.

I personally don't want to have sift through reams of thread to locate something I think I remember somebody saying something about.

So if anybodys interested, at some point it will fall into a fixed format and can be posted in this thread somewhere so it's at least all available in one place.

Kind of interesting too cause the contributors become readily apparent: So far it's pretty much the Daniel/Slacker Show (not to minimze other contributions of course).
 
#31
AndyMan said:
...

Esp. interested in comments on these amp models...
Click to expand...

FWIW:

I've read reams on the Pod and there's no complaints about the amp/cab models. The complaint is about the L6 presets EQ'ing. Most guys with the real rigs have commented then when the pod is eq'd the same way it's at worse very convincing, some say even better. I know I had a Poly V (pod jazz 1x15 model) and it sounded gooded enough to me.
 
#32
DanielTulip said:
Oh man! This reminds me that I want to get a Berg IP310...
Click to expand...

Yeh I think we all wouldn't mind a Berg IP in the arsenal, we just don't want to pay for it! :D

Although personally I prefer a modular setup along the lines of a Focus and UL110 maybe - what 24 lbs. or somethng like that. To me plug/unplug and play is a plus over something canned. Of course with a pod you don't need the Berg A? :D
 
#33
I think the thing to do - what I did - was set a blank slate and go from there. 1A was the Tube Preamp, flat EQ, no effects. I made 3 copies and that was A. Then I would start to experiment. Same thing with all the amp models I used.

That's where it was nice to have the computer editor so you could just copy/cut/paste with ease.

I think of the presets as a "demo" on the Pod. My best luck was startign from scratch an dbuilding my own stuff.
 
#34
luknfur said:
FWIW:

I've read reams on the Pod and there's no complaints about the amp/cab models. The complaint is about the L6 presets EQ'ing. Most guys with the real rigs have commented then when the pod is eq'd the same way it's at worse very convincing, some say even better. I know I had a Poly V (pod jazz 1x15 model) and it sounded gooded enough to me.
Click to expand...

Thats just it - they sound convincing and good enough. People who want/expect an exact sound are missing the point. And even if it's close, that's usually good enough. If nothing else, you get a lot of nice, usable tones.

I may be talking myself into one again. The "super-flat" setting on my Roland Cube is just that. The Pod would probably sound nice through it - and our PA. Hmm.......
 
#35
I have found that my PODxt works great as a preamp to switch from my Kydd to my ModulusQ6. Moreover, using the Kydd with the Sub Dub setting creates some killer hip-hop and dance tones.
The one thing I wish I could do though is have one output with the speaker emulator to send to the board and the other be like the line out on a head to send to my on stage rig with the my cab. I can't imagine this was an oversight. Does anyone know how to do this?
 
#37
+1 on changing the microphone models. I usually set the "room" level to 0%. I actually think the pod sounds the best when just running it through PA style cabs or flat cabs, otherwise it usually sounds muddy through an amp unless you switch the cab models off.

I've played a number of gigs without an amp and just through monitors (12 inch JBL sound factors). It's great when you're on a cramped club stage. I get enough lows off the mains/subs to satisfy me and the clairty from the monitor. Then again I own and operate the PA so I'm guaranteed to the mix I want in the monitor sitting in front of me.

A caveat to this type of set up is that I've been very fortunate in the last couple of years to play with drummers and guitar players who aren't volume freaks. Some of the guitarists have used modelers and gone direct or they've used small 30 watt amps with a single 12 in them miced up.

I did have a problem with one guy actually used a flextone III that sounded muddy and he kept turning it up saying that he couldn't hear himself. I finally convinced him to change the cab model to a different one and that clean things up quite a bit and also that if the audience was hearing his amp over the PA then we had an uncontrolled mix that would be hard to turn up or down the band as a whole.

I know this may not seem like advice for the POD, but I feel that this info is important in the sucessful operation of a pod without using an amp.
 
#39
I remembered another tip for using the POD as a practice tool VIA the USB cable that isn't explained very well in the manual. I remember that when I first received my POD XT I was frustrated from the fact that I couldn't plug the USB into my PC and jam along to my favorite MP3 player. What I did find out is that if you change a few settings on the PC you can pipe the sound from PC into the POD with a USB cable and practice along using headphones plugged into the POD.

Here's how you do it.
  1. Make sure you have the latest USB drivers for the POD and that it is turned on
  2. Make sure all of your audio programs are closed
  3. goto control panel -> Sounds and Audio Devices -> Audio Tab
  4. Select Bass Pod XT from the default playback device drop down
  5. Make Sure USE ONLY DEFAULT DEVICE is unchecked on the same tab
  6. Press OK
  7. Plug headphones into your POD, fire up your favorite MP3 player, and start jamming.

When you turn off your POD, the audio should default back to your sound card, you may have to exit the audio programs and restart them for this to be effective. You also shouldn't have to repeat the above steps the next time you want to use your pod to practice. Just plug in the USB and turn it on.
 
#40
Hey Guys:

I've had a BOD XT for a few years now. It's cool, and there's alot of potential there. One thing that is really annoying is the lack of volume continuity between patches. If you look on the line6 forum everyone will tell you that you need to normalize the volume between tracks.

Correct me if I'm wrong experts, but you should use the output knob to do this or else you will screw up the patches, as the volume control affects the sound of the patch. Oh wait, the output isn't stored with the patches? Dammit, maybe you all can clarify.

I hadn't used it for a while but got it out recently when we moved to a new practice studio -- I wanted to try just dealing with the PA and not moving my amp around. That's where the amp patches sound good -- in an "uncolored" amp/PA speaker combination.

They don't sound good in my Ampeg B248 UNLESS I plug the POD into the power amp in. As others have mentioned, plugging it into the preamp of your amp may make is sound bad unless you use the "bypass" and just do effects. I would like to set up some patches with effects and bypass for this purpose.

What do you all do when using with an amp? I have recently bought an Eden WT800/CAB from my brother -- it's not fixed yet so I haven't heard it but I've been told they have "tone for days" so certainly when I want that tone I would bypass any POD amp/cab models.

Lastly, would any of you who have normalized your patches care to share them?

Thanks,

Col. Monk
 

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