Skip navigation
Up to Discussions in POD HD
9150 Views 15 Replies Latest reply: Apr 11, 2012 5:54 AM by TheRealZap RSS
cabir Just Startin'
cabir
69 posts since
Jan 10, 2011
Currently Being Moderated

Jan 15, 2011 8:28 AM

Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

hullo,

 

i've been following some of the threads on this forum for a few weeks now. i'm getting my Pod HD500 day after. i've been using Guitar Rig for around 3 years now. i quite like it in general, it's more like i have a love-hate relationship with it. but up until now, it's given me everything i need. i'm getting the HD to play live, since i don't want to lug my macbookpro around to gigs. i've heard demos, seen youtube videos etc and i'm quite convinced, but just wondering, how does the HD's amp modeling and effects compare to the current software amp sims that are out these days... Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3/4, Peavey ReValver MKIII, Amplitube, Overloud TH1/2, even some of the free one's like LePou's plugs..!!

 

would be great if anyone's who's used both can add something here..!

 

thanks.

 

kabir.

Tags: pod, guitar, hd, compare, rig, stuff, good, love, amplitube, revalver, th1, th2, lepou, peace, happiness
  • meambobbo Iknowathingortwo
    meambobbo
    1,702 posts since
    Dec 13, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 15, 2011 3:07 PM (in response to cabir)
    Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

    I think the software ones are better, having used some of LePou's and the Revalver demo, more in terms of versatility than tone.  In tone, they are pretty close.  The LE456 is pretty much amazing.  The plugins are more versatile, because you get the complete amps - clean channels as well as high gain, and the boost switches, etc.  The Pod only models one channel per amp with fixed options (ie a bright boost would be permanently on or off, etc), besides the standard adjustable gain/bass/mid/treble/presence controls.

     

    The best thing about the Pod, though, is that it is a floorboard and requires no extra software or hardware.  I think the Pod is the better option.  I don't feel like buying IR's and demo'ing all kinds of stuff.  Nor do I want to drag a PC and audio interface to a show (if I had shows).  I also want to be able to switch patches with my feet on the fly, rather than put down the guitar and start navigating menu's with a mouse.

     

    If you are just doing home recording; however, the only real advantage is that it might be easier to use.

    • meambobbo Iknowathingortwo
      meambobbo
      1,702 posts since
      Dec 13, 2007
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 15, 2011 5:00 PM (in response to meambobbo)
      Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

      I should also mention that having the Pod HD makes the plugins better.  You can use it to send midi signals to the computer, so you can exercise some control over the plugins.  I haven't done this myself so I don't know the extent of it, but the capability exists as far as i know.

      • cabir Just Startin'
        cabir
        69 posts since
        Jan 10, 2011
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 16, 2011 10:50 AM (in response to meambobbo)
        Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

        thanks for the inputs meambobbo. i didn't want to lug my GuitarRig setup (laptop+soundcard) so i thought the HD500 would be a good choice.. it arrives tomorrow, so i'm very excited.

        • meambobbo Iknowathingortwo
          meambobbo
          1,702 posts since
          Dec 13, 2007
          Currently Being Moderated
          Jan 16, 2011 11:00 AM (in response to cabir)
          Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

          I think you'll be impressed.  I've never used Guitar Rig, but I have heard many people say they prefer the HD tones over it, at least version 3...not sure about 4.  Some ppl prefer the HD over the Axe-FX!  Of course, I hear the most praise for LePou's stuff, which I think is warranted.

  • HarryN Just Startin'
    HarryN
    116 posts since
    Sep 4, 2009
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 16, 2011 11:03 AM (in response to cabir)
    Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

    I own Guitar Rig IV Pro, PodFarm 2.0, Revalver HP plus a bunch of free plugins such as LePou.

    I've also used Amplitube 3 quite a bit and in the past I've owned a Pocket Pod and Pod X3.

    I reckon my POD HD500 sounds better than any of them.

     

    Now Guitar Rig is very good indeed, and you can dial in great sounding tones very quickly. But I've sometimes found I can get a better tone out of PodFarm but it requires more time and effort - some of the amps really sound rubbish until you really get them dialed in. On the whole GR being a better quick and easy to use program. Where Guitar Rig does let the player down is in the number of effects. I think the number (and more importantly variety) of of drives is pretty poor - and worse are the delays and reverbs. There's no analog delay for example and no plate reverb.

     

    POD HD is brilliant in terms of effects. I may not have bought one if I'd not owned an M13 and knew how good the effects were in terms of quality and variety. I sold the M13 once I'd bought the HD as I can do the same things with both. And while I still use Guitar Rig occasionally I have recorded the POD HD on my PC and to me it really does sound better.

     

    But just in terms of FX the POD HD 500 blows Guitar Rig away, and even Amplitube (which has lots of FX) isn't as good thanks to the modelling on the POD being better.

     

    I'm certainly no Line6 fanboy, I can't afford to buy gear that isn't very good. And I reckon the POD HD was well worth the money. Let me put it this way, I'm not likely to be buying Guitar Rig V. And if you think Line6 is poor at responding to customers you should see how poor Native Instruments is.

    • cabir Just Startin'
      cabir
      69 posts since
      Jan 10, 2011
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 16, 2011 8:15 PM (in response to HarryN)
      Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

      hey harry,

       

      thanks for the comments. i've tried the other amp sims, but i guess GR has been my comfort zone, so i haven't gone far enough to make good tones out of any of them. as i said before, i have a love-hate relationship with GR, somedays it's everything i ever wanted, somedays it's just not sounding right. which is fine. i know this happens for everything. my idea of getting the HD500 was not to out-do GR, or find a permanent solution, i needed to buy a footcontroller (Rig Kontrol) to play live, which was costing close to the HD, and then i did some googling and found that users are actually comparing the HD to the AXEFX, that got me quite excited. and it also doubles up as a foot controller for GR. like you, i can't afford to buy gear every now and then, a purchase in this category was very much required to take my music to the next level (which is gigging), and i'm quite certain i've made a good choice. frankly, i don't think the HD (or any other unit including the axefx) sounds stunning by itself, it's all in the hands.

       

      GR, yeah sure. the reverbs suck. i'd say the delays are just about ok. nothing steller. the modelling is good in places, and quite crappy in some. and that's the whole point, my mac is also my music production station, and i don't wanna make it's the live horse, or then i'll need another one soon enough, and they're (bloody) expensive, but also excellent to work on. so i'd like to leave it home and be happier with something that's a floor unit. a friend of mine used a zoom g1x to record and play live. it sounds beautiful. i'm quite sure the HD can pull off a lot more..  NI customer support is non-existent, i've been on the GR forum for a long time, they're just never there.

       

       

      lets see..!

      • atson67 Just Startin'
        atson67
        3 posts since
        Jul 7, 2009
        Currently Being Moderated
        Sep 18, 2011 2:53 AM (in response to cabir)
        Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

        I A/B 'd Revalver HP and POD HD 500. My conclusion: There is no B.

        The amptones in Revalver - though only Peavey Models (and 4 years old) are miles ahead

        of the POD HD simulations concerning dynamics, tone and feel. I was testing with ONYX board/interface and quality monitors.

  • DeanDinosaur Iknowathingortwo
    DeanDinosaur
    443 posts since
    Jul 30, 2009
    Currently Being Moderated
    Sep 18, 2011 1:55 PM (in response to cabir)
    Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

    I've tried every plugin outhere, including Revalver, guitar Rig, Amplitube, Amp Farm but in critical listening the POD HD beats every single one of them Hands down. If you can't hear it very well just use a pair of headphones and you will notice that the HD has a few extra dimensions to the sound. Sure people respond differently to different frequencies and each plugin maker has their own signature sound (Predominant Frequncies), but under critical listening, the POD HD is definitly a newer generation modeling compared with old generation modeling including POD XT, X3, and all the plugins outhere. 

  • cactuseskimo Just Startin'
    cactuseskimo
    66 posts since
    Apr 27, 2006
    Currently Being Moderated
    Sep 19, 2011 5:05 AM (in response to cabir)
    Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

    I think it's definitely in the same league, and trust me, there is no other solution I would rather use live than the POD HD500. However, when recording, I find that although in the same league, there is a little bit of dimension or dare I say "tube-behavior" lacking when compared to RVMKIII or Amplitube 3. Anyway, it's not big enough of a difference to worry about, especially in a live situation. Again, I find them all fairly comparable, but give the edge to the software for recording.

  • unclejason Just Startin'
    unclejason
    49 posts since
    Oct 13, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Apr 10, 2012 1:50 PM (in response to cabir)
    Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

    This is an old thread I found doing a Google search but I wanted to chime in here. I've used the LePou Legion amp with Recabinet and got some killer tones. The amp sounds more 'real' and feels real. I've had my HD500 for about 2 months now and I do like it (trying to decide between the Tread and Fireball which one I wanna use for the project I'm working on), but when go back and listen to my mixes, I lean more towards the mix recorded with Legion and Recab.

     

    The draw backs to Legion (and plugins in general) is they eat up a lot of CPU usage. I'm running a dual core laptop with 4GB of RAM and about 3 tracks of Legion/Recab is all my system can handle. The other draw back, specifically the Legion amp, it's very noisey and it's difficult to get a balance using a noise gate to where the notes smooth out without noise or without cutting off all together.

     

    What would be just completely awesome? If Line 6 reached out to LePou and hired him to re-create his amps for the HD!

    • meambobbo Iknowathingortwo
      meambobbo
      1,702 posts since
      Dec 13, 2007
      Currently Being Moderated
      Apr 10, 2012 2:30 PM (in response to unclejason)
      Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

      One way to avoid the plug-in CPU cost although kind of a pain is to output that track to a different track and record the audio.  now you can disable the plugin on the original track and replace it.  you don't have to throw away the original either, if you want to tweak it later, but you do have to re-record it.

    • TheRealZap Expert Line 6 User
      TheRealZap
      11,829 posts since
      Dec 22, 2006
      Currently Being Moderated
      Apr 10, 2012 2:33 PM (in response to unclejason)
      Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

      also with laptops, things tend to be a bit greener, rather than performance oriented...

      a solid state hard drive will work wonders for overall perfomance....

      i know it doesn't seem cpu related directly... but the cpu is waiting for the spinup etc... so it can make a difference.

      just generalizing a bit.... for laptop users...

      • unclejason Just Startin'
        unclejason
        49 posts since
        Oct 13, 2007
        Currently Being Moderated
        Apr 10, 2012 3:54 PM (in response to TheRealZap)
        Re: Pod HD vs. Software Amp Sims

        I've disabled a lot of programs that automitcally start up and run in the background and that helped my performance, but yeah, whenever I get ready to upgrade I'm definitely going to get a desktop.

         

        meambobbo, I've thought of something similar before; dumping the recorded track to a WAV file then deleted that track and integrating the WAV file in a new track. Too much hassle though!

         

        I do like my HD500, although there have been some times of frustration, but that's with any new product, especially music gear. When I had my XT Live I was an avid Treadplate player but with the HD I'm leaning more towards the ENGL Fireball model. It seems to be a little tighter than the Tread (I've used the Tread with different cabs; Tread, XXL, and Hiway cabs). But I really like the ENGL with the XXL cab, using the 421 mic (darker tone!) for one panned rhythm and the 57 off axis for the other rhythm. There's still something missing but it's getting close to the Legion tones I had created using Legion and Recabinet (not saying it's better but I had dialed in a really nice metal tone I liked so I'm trying to get that with the HD now). I like darker tones and for the music I'm writing, I'm wanting something between Evergrey's 'Torn' album and Mercenary's '11 Dreams' album. I'm getting close but haven't quite found that balance between the gain being enough vs too much. Well, I went off on a rabbit trail here...I'm pretty good at that!

More Like This

  • Retrieving data ...

Bookmarked By (0)