Skip navigation
Up to Discussions in POD Farm / POD Studio / TonePort
86 Views 10 Replies Latest reply: Jan 21, 2013 6:24 AM by Triryche RSS
anouchirvan Just Startin'
anouchirvan
38 posts since
Jan 22, 2011
Currently Being Moderated

Jan 18, 2013 5:24 AM

which POD to go live ?

Hi,

 

I'm a happy user of Line 6 UX2 interface together with all the tones and FX coming with it in the POD Farm2 package (although lots of FX among them are greys and unusable).

This is a very good solution for record & mix at home. I even can play live at home given that i can easily use my computer.

This solution only works with a PC or laptop (because FX are not in UX2 hardware but in the POD Farm soft).

 

Now I'm going live and even if I could bring my laptop and have the same configuration, it is a bit hard to switch from FX to FX with a mouse, specially in live situations.

 

What are the Line 6 products that can be used WITHOUT a computer (like pedals, preamps, etc.) and still giving me "at least" the sound options/FX I have with my POD Farm 2 ?

 

Can I somehow transfer the FX I already built in my POD Farm2 ( .l6t prest files, I think) into this new "on-stage" product, or should I build them from scratch ? (it would be really easier if I could transfer or if at least I'd have the same FX as in POD Farm2 so I can re-build my tones)

 

thanks

anouchirvan

  • Triryche Expert Line 6 User
    Triryche
    3,698 posts since
    Feb 20, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 18, 2013 7:47 AM (in response to anouchirvan)
    Re: which POD to go live ?

    The closest standalone would be the PODx3 Live.

    There are a some limitations, there are set slots for amp and effects on the X3 for each signal path where with POD Farm 2 you can put up to 10 in any order for each signal path. IF I remember correctly you can load a tone created on the X3 into PF2, but not necessarily the other way because of the increased flexibility options of PF2.

     

    Other wise you can step up to the HD series, but it was nothing to do with POD Farm, the algos are completly different (IMHO better).

  • silverhead Expert Line 6 User
    silverhead
    9,592 posts since
    Apr 1, 2009
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 18, 2013 7:19 AM (in response to anouchirvan)
    Re: which POD to go live ?

    Just to confirm Triryche's statement....... yes, any X3 Live tone file (*.l6t) can be used directly by Pod Farm 2. But because of additional routing flexibility in PF2, the reverse is not true. PF2 can create tone files that are not compatible with the X3. However, PF2 includes a feature in the SAVE procedure that allows you to specify the X3 as the 'target' device. By doing that you can SAVE the *.l6t tone file in a format compatible with the X3 - but it may not sound exactly as it did in Pod Farm 2 because it may have been modified to remove any routing incompatibilities.

    • anouchirvan Just Startin'
      anouchirvan
      38 posts since
      Jan 22, 2011
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 19, 2013 2:46 AM (in response to silverhead)
      Re: which POD to go live ?

      Thanks for your answers.

       

      I checked with a vendor and he suggested to go with POD HD.

       

      What is the difference betwenn POD HD and POD X3 ? which one is better and more close to PF2 ?

       

      I understand that I can't use the .l6t files coming from PF2 directly in POD HD/X3. but can I rebuild the tone by taking each FX (provided the same FX exist in both products) ?

       

      What do you mean by routing capabilities of PF2 ? Is this the fact that I can double up a chain of FX into two parallel chains and mix them both by choosing the dry/wet levels of each ?

      • silverhead Expert Line 6 User
        silverhead
        9,592 posts since
        Apr 1, 2009
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 19, 2013 7:50 AM (in response to anouchirvan)
        Re: which POD to go live ?

        The Pod HD uses completely different modeling algorithms than the Pod X3 and Pod Farm, which both use the same algorithms. Most people (myself included) think that the amp modeling in the Pod HD series is superior - but it is not the same as Pod Farm, and the tone files are not at all compatible. If you are looking for compatibility with Pod Farm 2, the Pod HD does not qualify.

         

        Even if you manually rebuild the X3 tones in the HD (which in most cases is not possible because the HD contaims only a small subset of the X3 amp models) the sound is very diferent because of the different underlying modeling. And, as stated before, the HD tone file is not in any way compatible with Pod Farm.

         

        PF2 allows more flexible placement of the FX in the signal chain than does the X3. For instance, in the X3 you can place both the STOMP and MOD FX in PRE position, but the STOMP will always precede the MOD in the signal chain. I believe PF2 will permit you to place the MOD before the STOMP. I also believe (but you would need to verify this) that PF2 allows more then one instance of a given FX type. For instance, you can use two STOMP-type FX models in a  PF2 preset; the X3 only allows one STOMP FX selection. For those two reasons you can't always transfer an l6t file from PF2 to the X3; the X3 can't handle certain FX selections and placement that PF2 permits.

         

        But Triryche is more experienced with Pod Farm than I am - I trust he will correct me if I have provided misinformation.

        • anouchirvan Just Startin'
          anouchirvan
          38 posts since
          Jan 22, 2011
          Currently Being Moderated
          Jan 20, 2013 1:37 AM (in response to silverhead)
          Re: which POD to go live ?

          Thank you very much for all this info!

           

          I understand that X3 is closer to my PF2 sounds even if my .l6t tones can't be re-used as is and I have to rebuild my tones which is not guaranteed to find the exact same tones.

           

          Now, given that I have to rebuild my tones (more or less successfully) in X3, I wonder if I should go with HD and rework my sounds from scratch entirely.

          The reason (I may be wrong) is that HD seems to be the latest line of products from Line6, and I'm afraid I'll have the same problem in the future with X3 if it is abandoned.

          Which one (X3 or HD) would you choose if you had to begin with Line 6 (without considering to rebuild any previous tone you had) ?

          Actually going HD or X3 for me depends on the answer to a number of questions (without considering to rebuild my tones in PF2):

          - Is HD more superior than X3

          - Pros and cons of HD and X3

          - Are HD and X3, two different lines of products, or is HD a successor of X3

          - If none of X3 or HD brings me new possibilities relative to what I now have (PF2), I should maybe re-think to bring my laptop for venues and use the tones I'm already satisfied with ? The only reason to go X3/HD for me is the ease of use in live situation. Would it not be possible with some tricks to load different tones in PF2 (in live) with minimum use of mouse and/or laptop's keyboard ?

           

          Many thanks for your advices

          anouchirvan

          • silverhead Expert Line 6 User
            silverhead
            9,592 posts since
            Apr 1, 2009
            Currently Being Moderated
            Jan 20, 2013 5:40 AM (in response to anouchirvan)
            Re: which POD to go live ?

            The HD amp simulations are much better than the X3. If your main goal is better tones for live performance, rather than Pod Farm compatibility, I would definitely go with the Pod HD. I have both and haven't really used my X3 since the Pod arrived.

  • Triryche Expert Line 6 User
    Triryche
    3,698 posts since
    Feb 20, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 21, 2013 6:18 AM (in response to anouchirvan)
    Re: which POD to go live ?

    +1 to silverhead.

     

    Yes, you can put upto 10 effects in any position for each signal chain.in PF2, even of the same type and/or the exact same one, so for dual tone that is a total of 20. One thing you can not do is put more than one guitar or bass amp in the same chain of put something between an amp and cab.

     

    Even though there are less amp sims in the HD series compared to the X3, you can really pull out same amazing tones. The HD500, Pro and Desk Top have D.E.P. (deep editing parameters) for amps and cabs (not sure if the 300/400) have them).

     

    btw, the X3 series is already considered a legacy product.

    • TheRealZap Expert Line 6 User
      TheRealZap
      11,829 posts since
      Dec 22, 2006
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 20, 2013 7:16 AM (in response to Triryche)
      Re: which POD to go live ?

      300/400 have amp DEPs but not cab DEP's

      • anouchirvan Just Startin'
        anouchirvan
        38 posts since
        Jan 22, 2011
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 20, 2013 11:10 PM (in response to TheRealZap)
        Re: which POD to go live ?

        Thank you again for these valuable advices.

         

        X3, as you said is no more sold it is legacy.

         

        I was comparing different POD HD (http://line6.com/podhd/multi-effects/compare.html):

         

        The 500 does "dual tone processing". Is this something like PF2 where I can double up the chain of FX ?

         

        Also among what 500 has and others don't is the XLR Mic+preamp input. So I think I could do as with my UX2 in terms of input/output, although all are tagged usable as "USB Audio Interface". Is that mean that the 500 model is actually a USB sound card if connected to a PC with USB ?

         

        I had some experience using modeling/FX pedal although not Line 6, in the past. It was a Korg Toneworks AK-1000. This was not so bad but had 2 main problems:

        - hum and noise when connected to my Fender amp's main guitar input

        - not really practical to find/tune tones and change them

         

        For the noise/hum problem, I'm wondering if I have to connect the pedal's output NOT to amp's main guitar input, but to the amp's line-in ?

         

        For the practical aspect, I must say I'm used to find and tune tones in my PC with a mouse (PF2) which is easier than on a hardware. The only problem is then switching between previously stored tones in live situations. Is there not a way to control the software via a simple hardware switch somehow connected to the PC ?

        • Triryche Expert Line 6 User
          Triryche
          3,698 posts since
          Feb 20, 2007
          Currently Being Moderated
          Jan 21, 2013 6:24 AM (in response to anouchirvan)
          Re: which POD to go live ?

          The HD 500 is suited for live situations as a stanfdalone as you can change tones on the fly with the foot switches.

           

          Yes the HD 500 has 2 signal paths.

           

          Yes, you can use any of the HD's as a USB audio interface, you can also edit your tones with a computer using the HD Edit program.

More Like This

  • Retrieving data ...

Bookmarked By (0)

Legend

  • Correct Answers - 5 points
  • Helpful Answers - 3 points