Hi

I have a friend who has a Bugera V22 and he used my HD500 directly into the power amp section via the FX Return.  It sounded really good.

Method 1

The POD HD Desktop (bean) is similar to the HD500.  Personally I would use the POD HD as follows (2Cable Method or 2CM):

Guitar > POD HD In

POD HD Out > Bugera FX Return

The Bugera's Master volume control doesn't have any control over the amp's output level so you would need to use the POD HD's MASTER control to control the volume.

Set the POD HD output mode to Combo Pwr Amp.  You may find as I do that turning Cab modelling OFF in the POD HD works well with a combo amp, but you may find that sometimes you like Cab modelling ON

I generally use PRE amp models rather than FULL amp models when feeding the power amp section of a valve amp.

Method 2

If you just want to use the bean for FX there is no officially supported way of being able to use the four cable method (4CM) whereby some of the POD HD's FX can be placed between the guitar and the front input of your amp and others can be placed in the amp's FX loop.  You can do this easily with a unit like the POD HD500 or X3 Live because they have an FX Loop included.  However my fellow L6 Expert Spaceatl HAS come up with a way of using the POD HD bean in a 4CM type configuration by using the stereo signal path in series rather than in parallel as would be the norm.

I'm sure he will put me right if I have this wrong (I have the bean and an HD500 so have no need really to use Space's method so haven't actually tried it).  Because you're using your amp's pre-amp, you don't need or more likely wouldn't want the bean to provide any amp modelling.

Usually you'd probably place distortion FX, overdrives and Wah in front of the amp if you were using traditional stomp boxes, and the 'cleaner' FX like chorus, phaser, delay, reverb in the amp's FX loop.  This is essentially what the 4CM allows you to do

OK in the POD HD set up a patch with a double signal path.

Assign input 1 to GUITAR and assign input 2 to Mic

Do not use any amp modelling at all

In signal chain 1 (top row and LEFT) place the following FX to give you an example:  Noise Gate > Wah > Screamer.

In signal chain 2 (bottom row and RIGHT) place the following FX: Analogue Chorus > Digital Delay > Plate Reverb

In the POD HD's mixer block pan channel 1 hard LEFT and pan channel 2 hard RIGHT

Set the amp's output mode to one of the following: Studio/Direct, Combo Pwr Amp or Stack Pwr Amp as with no amp or cab modelling in play these will all sound the same

Just to recap, we're going to place the FX in channel 1 between your guitar and the amp's front input and the FX in channel 2 in the amp's FX loop

You will need a special adpter to convert 1/4" jack to XLR male

Plug your guitar into the POD HD guitar input

Plug the LEFT output from the POD HD into the guitar amp's front input using a standard instrument cable

Plug the amp's FX send into the POD HD mic input using a special cable or adapter which effectively consists of a 1/4" jack at one end and an XLR male plug at the other (with pins 1 and 3 linked to make it an unbalanced cable).

Plug the POD HD  RIGHT output into the amp's FX Return

You will need to adjust the Mic trim pot.

I think that's pretty much how Space does it.

Nick