Community: Message List - Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?

support@line6.com — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:24:09 GMT

Hi - surprised to here that you cant get the required volume out of your Atomic. I also have an 18 watt 112 which I use with a PODxt Live. Even with very loud drummers I have no problem to cut through in a small rehearsal room - very rarely do I exceed half volume on the POD.

Is the POD set on AMP or LINE? That makes a big difference to volume?

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?

support@line6.com — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:45:01 GMT

Hi guys,

i know that the topic is old but i didn't feel my problem needed a new topic...

i have had an Atomic Reactor 112-18 with a Pod XT for less than a year and never used it in rehearsal until yesterday (only played at home)...

i always had the feel that the amp was too dark and a bit muddy, but anyway the sound was pretty close to what i heard throught the headphones...

anyway when i tried it yesterday in a mid-sized garage with my drummer the thing did not cut through the drums... at FULL volume on the podxt, with a distorted JCM800 patch with the channel at full volume, we still had trouble hearing it properly...

when i set the pod output to stack poweramp it cleared out a bit but still not enough and still volume-wise was very low...

I tried to connect the pod so the input of a Peavey Classic 30 that was in the room... and it was another planet altogheter... MUCH clearer, MUCH more open sound, it would cut through the drums better and the volume was way higher, with the peavet i could set the pod output to a little less than a half, and the classic 30 volume to little less than 3 (out of 10) and still have way more volume than the AR112 with the pod at full volume...

Is there any problem with my amp? could it be that i need to change the valves or rebias it?

I know that is 18w and the other 30w, and that i also used the pre-amp section of the peavey... but shouldn't the amp be made for this? Is 18w too low in this case?

if that's the case i guess i'll buy directly a classic 30 since i like how that sounds with the pod, it colors the patches a lot, and i'll have to tweak them and set them with the amp and not in the headphones, but the difference was obvious...

any hint is HIGHLY appreciated

Alex.

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?++?

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:41:21 GMT

Jeremy_Shirland

Hey again

I checked that same area where U found the link above and using the search mode in " Community" typed in Spider Valve and Speaker"

(though You posted changing speaker(s) in a Atomic (this search came back with 137 results (from A-Z) some were about Spider Valve amps

(Head or Combo and speakers to use in combo (change to) or cab to use with a Spider Valve Head as well as sorts of other discussions on speakerrs

speaker cabs , extension speaker cabs and changing speakers in Line 6 Amps as well as Line 6 cabs and 3rd party cab changes its a long link hope it

works * if not type Spider Valve and Speaker I did not include change or type (hope the link shows up as a hyperlink)

http://line6.com/community/search.jspa?resultTypes=BLOG_POST&resultTypes=DOCUMENT&resultTypes=MESSAGE&resultTypes=BLOG&resultTypes=COMMUNITY&resultTypes=TASK&resultTypes=PROJECT&resultTypes=SOCIAL_GROUP&resultTypes=COMMENT&q=Spider+Valve+and+Speaker&peopleEnabled=true&start=0

Later

dwwave

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?+-

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:30:17 GMT

Jeremy_Shirland

Hey

Probably bored or thinking oh no not him again and a 2,000 word reply (oops)

I saw this Speaker Thread (4 pages) in the Community (on the sidebar) regarding

changing speaker in a Spider Valve (which while I am not real familiar with then

? the Bogner + Line 6 Amp (so will have amp models effects and ? cabs

of various nature and used in different genres of music (I hate labeling music)

Here is the link=

http://line6.com/community/thread/1806?tstart=0

Hope it helps or offers some ideas (Geral Weber really knows his stuff

and re: his Guitars he says they rarely come up for sale used

I don't look that ofetn but I have not seen one either

New= $1500- $2500

Peace and Hope

dwwave

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?+?

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:48:40 GMT

jerry_shirland

re:

An old topic... But did anyone try...

...replacing the speaker in the Atomic?!!

We know the Atomic is really a nice ported Cab with a tube amp in it (still a nice value). Most high-powered speakers (200-watt in this case) are going to suppress the natural highs. The speaker is sorta like a PA or bass speaker. Not a "bad" pure guitar speaker, but not a great one either. Maybe trying something like a Wizard, Red Fang, or Celestion Lead 80 would help thigs a bit.

I bet 2 Atomics with a Red Fang/Wizard combination would knock anyone's socks off:)

I take it that You have two single speaker Atomics? or one 2 speaker combo ?

Either way, I do not think that experimenting changing the speaker(or speakers) is wrong. You are unsatisfied with the sound and feel its the speaker(s)

Other than Celestion I am unfamiliar with Red Fanf Or Wizard speakers , You may want to check Gerald Webers web site (as he builds amplifiersfor sale, has amp building clinics and ? sells kits as well. He is also a Guitar Manufaturer , I do not have the web address but use his name in a search engine and his site or sites will come up. I am unsure if You are using Pod's and what type ( I have a Podxt with 3 model packs (except bass expansion, but the update through Line 6 awhile back added Guitar amps from Pod 2.0 (a Dumble (great!) and another, plus 3 or 4 bass amplifiers and microphone preamps (unless I get a Bass Guitar I will not add that pack) The speaker choice can be complex as You have so many amplfier models to select from

as well as cabinets and effects . A speaker that will handle all A-Z and do it well will be tricky, but if you have particular amplifiers or styles of music that you play then that will help narrow it down , Guitar amp kits come with usually a choice of speakers and there are great books on amplifiers (some deeper than others that get down to the scematics and tubes, rectifier (if there is one) and speakers utilized ( look up on line Vintage Amplifiers

and there are huge sites that must have taken months to put together let alone research (Vox amps, Fender amps, Mesa Boogie, Hi-Watt, Watkins

(which made and makes guitar, bass, accordian and ? amps and also solid state amps versus tube/valve amps and hybrd amps (example the Vox Valvetronix for one) and see if the same brands of speakers are used, the size, the materials they are made of etc are the same or different based on

the technology of the amplifiers. I have a 15 watt solid state Vox Pathfinder (non Reverb model but has gain on/off and tremelo) and it has a 8" Vox Bulldog (with a Blue Back) the amp is half open in the back and it roars (and with a external cab (will shut down the internal speaker) the manual says

it will drive a 4x12 and givess the ohm's of the cab if you went that route (I have not)

I have heard that from some that the Podx3's sound different (and the descriptions vary on what is different) than a Podxt (I like the dual rig ability and the use of simultaneous effects .. but I am happy with the podxt and have $$ in it as bought new and $99 dollars for buy two and get one free model packs so I added classic and metal amps and the FX Junkie effect pack as well and it was well worth it, I had Pod 2.0 that I sold for $199.99 about

6 weeks prior to Line 6 dropping the price on the Pod 2.0 (new) from $299.99 to $199.99 (felt bad but I had no idea) I also use a Vox Tonelab (desktop unit that was discontinued ? why, it sounds great in the atomic (? as it helps having the 12X7 tube or tubes in it) and a Roger Linn III (updated from a version II (by buying the two chip upgrade kit and opening the unit up and with a included chip remover changing out two tubes (and ading a new face plate to match the new settings (some where different) it was well worth it and sounds compltely different. It went from being sometimes used to a go to for sounds that are normal to the outer limits (I do not use the drums though as I am concerned about the speaker in The Atomic) I have a Korg Pad-Kontrol that helps out there via USB (the software that came with the Pad Kontrol was fabulous as well

Korg Abelton Live Lite 4 (I am at version 7 now and no cost for updates and add ons) Reason Adapted by Propellerhead ( not my favorite but I do mess with it) its (to me complicated) Sample Tank 2 Korg edition by IK Media , UVI Korg Edition and MDE-X (effects from Korg Legacy Collection by Korg (I also have M-Audio's Version of abelton Lite and keep it updated as well (all are licensed as well) I picked up (free) Tracktion 1 (by luck) by Mackie while surfing online (They were giving it away (licensed and a full edition no limitations etc) when they were introducing Version 2

I think just Version I is fine (it was a down load) from Mackie ) I think they re at Version 3 but its either being DC'D or on its way out (I could be wrong) I have sen very low prices for version 2 and 3)

I use primarly Apples Garageband (which alot of people think is a toy DAW) but once Yu learn the ins and outs there are so deeper cababilities to the program (I am using Version 2 (from Ilife 05) Version 3 added ssomething with vocals I thinks and Version 5 a visable stage and a visible set up of amp of choice, cabs and efects chain and microphone placement. I hope to get a new Imac some day as I am unning Panther OSX 10.3.9

and after Panther is Tiger 10.4, Leopard 10.5 ans Snow Leopard 10.6 and the processsor speeds since switching to Intel have gone past 3.0+ and dual core, ram (up to 16GB or ? more) and even a 2TB har drive , I would really like to get Logic Studio 9 (its $499.99 but it used to be over $1,000

their is a Logic Express for $199.99 or $299.99 and You can buy a update package to equal the Full Logic Studio 9 (and without a $ penalty either (which is rare) where you buy a light edition (though Logic Express does not seem that light) then pay the differeance to get the remaing parts to =

Logic Studio 9 (** Just be careful if You use a educational discount and buy The Logic Express , that version (Educational Store on line) I read many many reviews where You can not buy the Logic upgrade to = Logic Studio 9 (why I have no idea) but the Express versions used to be $499.99

so Apple made a great program with improvements at 50% less huh...I have only used Mac's at home though we have one PC Tower and Monitor

and I used PC's at work but I have never used a PC based DAW. I started on a Tascam Porta 2 4 track cassette and still have it (and before that

a dual cassete recorder with microphones, until one night (I had a old upright piano (a 1923 Waltham from Milwaukee WI , paid $50.00 at a wharehouse when buyin g some furniture (a friend has a friend who stock piled stuff and bought and sold and we decided to remove the front board off the piano (to see the hammers hit the strings and better recording (and thought we could do it without removing the top panel (with a Marantz receive

a dual cassette and a turntable and they all crashed to the floor and were toast(except the speakers which were floor based, bummmer

After that I used a old Radio Shack preamp and Am-FM and speakers and a Boombox that recorded (live and learn)

Sorry for rambling

I would check out Geral Webers site

Peace

dwwave

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:16:56 GMT

An old topic... But did anyone try...

...replacing the speaker in the Atomic?!!

I bet 2 Atomics with a Red Fang/Wizard combination would knock anyone's socks off:)

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?

support@line6.com — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:28:08 GMT

I've done TONS of experimenting with the X3 Live going into many different types of amps and pa configurations.

My high level summary is you can most always get good tones by tweaking, but some guitar amps are more difficult to work with than others.

The results you get are not always logical either, you can be really surprised. Example, one of the very best tones I have heard is plugging into an old 1953 Gibson BR-6F 10watt amp, using the Combo Front Mode and leaving the cab sims on .. It sounds amazing and all tones work. This amp has 0 eq knobs, only one knob for volume.

EVERY amp sounds different and requires it's own set of tweaks. There is no ONE univeral setting that will work for everything, forget it.

Once you lock in on one amp, you can generally tweak all of your patches to work well with it. It takes time and effort. I've found that it's much better to use a tube amp for output .. skipping the preamp is fine, but getting those tubes in the output chain really seems to help a lot .. especially as you get louder and louder on stage.

Another great result has been plugging into an tube fx loop return on a silverface Bassman 50 tube amp (mod'd with the fx loop).

Seems to be that the less eq "coloring" from the amp, the better. The more eq coloring you use from the amp, the more tweaking you need to do on the pod.

The output eq settings on the pod can make a huge difference. (highs, mids, lows changes)

I've also found that using much less "gain" than you would think on your patches can make a huge difference. Crank the output volume though to get a good strong signal going out of the pod (signal to noise ratio improvement)

The pod's amp eq settings can make a huge difference with subtle changes (small tweaks work)

The TONE knobs on the pod's fx's make a huge difference. (esp on the distortions, just like in real life)

Mic's and Cabs make a huge difference.

Turning off the cabs works very well if you already have some good speakers in your amp.

Turing off the amps on the pod (set to No Amp and crank the volumes) works really well and gives you an M13 so to speak .. works great on old Marshall Heads especially.

Start with just the amp models first, don't get a bunch of mod, delays, reverbs in the loop to start with. Get the amp sounding great, then add the fx.

As for PA's .. some sound absolutely great .. wow .. and some don't. It really boils down to the quality of your PA system. The PodX3 sounds great .. it is NOT the problem if you have a crappy sound through your PA (unless of course you have crappy sounding patches created). You do need to tweak your X3 depending on the PA. One size does not fit all. The PA speakers and monitors make a huge difference.Your soundman needs to know what you expect your sounds to sound like! Otherwise, they just tweak away at eq's on their own. A good soundman goes a loooooonnnng way. Your best bet is to stick with one system and get to know it well, then you can set it and forget it so to speak. (only volume changes required) tell your sound man NOT to add reverbs, delays, compressors, etc to your sound.

Headphones: I have not been able to find any good sounds with headphones of any type plugged into the X3. No comparison to the sound through a good PA, not even close. I hate the headphones out on the x3. I have also not found any good headphone sound out of a mixing board. I don't think that it's possible to get good headphone sounds.

Recording = Perfect .. easy .. wonderful, amazing ... great tones everywhere ... asio dry tones are a must , copy em, open the pod farm, choose whatever you want, add layers and layers .. too easy and cool .. wow

OK . I hope this can be helpful to some of the new owners. Cheers I think the X3 sounds amazing . and for recording .. Perfect

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?

support@line6.com — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:35:23 GMT

albertjog,

a belated Thank You

dwwave

not sure why lines are through the first three lines (sorry)

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?

support@line6.com — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:03:00 GMT

Nice article.

Re: Not so happy with my Atomic Reactor... what's wrong?

support@line6.com — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:02:44 GMT

Not sure why you are unhappy, could be a personal sense of what you expected versus what you have, I bought my Atomic ( 18 watt 1x12) when you could still buy them from online gear shops (I bought mine from Sam Ash ) and then bought another dock and template (one from Sam Ash and one from AMS, and later bought the individual temlate for non docking modelers from BAL , I really dig mine, I have a Podxt (3 model packs) a desk top model of the Vox Tone Lab (each has their own dock and template) and I have run a Roger Linn Adrennalinn II (now a III afer the 2 chip update and face plate change(though I do not use the drums while in the Atomic) I use some presets and created my own and often just tweak away, I use a Variax 500

among other guitars and occasionaly add a pedal in line (Boss Slicer Or EH Stereo Memory Man wiwth Hazari) visa versa I also record direct in to my Mac and A Daw and by pass the amp, just to mix things up, I mic using a Shure SM57 and to me I could not be more happy, I would like to get the higher wattage one (with dual speakers) but they are always back logged and for home use the 18 watts is just fine and more than loud enough.

I checked in to other items recently (Tech 21 Power Engine but see no reason to buy one, maybe if I was rich and could fill a room full of amps etc

I might ry others, I sld a Flextone III XL and the Atomic(with either The PodXt or Vox Tonelab (IMO) blow that amp away, every amp change required a volume turn down to way low as they were all modeled/ enetered at such various and odd (to me) sound levels it drove me bats but my bad for not trying it out more, but hey if its not for you there are folks looking for the Atomics so sell it and find the one for you, I will never spend 2 grand for Fractal product thats for sure ... Peace

dwwave