still_fiddlin

Yeah, take it back if it's not working. Just as a counterpoint, I got my 400 in January 2011, so coming up on 3 years. I use it every week at church + practice and it's never let me down. (I also connect to both Win7-64 and Mac OSX Mtn Lion via USB.) If you got it used, go back to the seller. From what I've seen, I think a lot of the problematic POD HDs are ones that have been broken (seen some pretty scary USB port pictures!), or were perhaps faulty, and just get recycled. I would tell anyone considering one of these devices, or anything similarly complex, to bite the bullet, and go get a new one, maybe even with an extended warranty (extra year free with many credit cards or some vendors, e.g., Sweetwater).

There's been a lot of publicity about the "beta" quality of this OSX release. If you haven't upgraded and don't need to, this looks like a good one to wait out. I know I am.

I'd tell GC to give me a new one. They have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. (Details say 14 days for some recording equipment, so they might classify this device in that category, so I wouldn't wait to ask for an RA#, and just get a new one, or your money back, if you are already soured on the HD.) Googling that error code has it showing up only for Line6 devices.

That constant buzz sounds like a ground/earth problem, and the gain settings are making it very obvious. Do you hear that sound when you play through an amplifier (in the same room, using same AC outlets)?

http://line6.com/data/6/0a06434df9be5005ac8bcc52f/application/pdf/POD%20HD300%20Advanced%20Guide%20-%20English%20(%20Rev%20A%20).pdf#page9 300 factory reset link, from the advanced guide. I don't have any idea whether that will help, but if you don't get valid PnP IDs, Windows won't find the driver.

It will never work with those IDs. I'm guessing you were walked thru factory reset and these IDs persist in every port, so sure looks like that device is broken.

Look at this post on making sure the POD is an "unknown device" in Windows Device Manager. Once you have that, confirm that the Unknown Device you are looking at *is* your POD, by checking its Hardware Ids in Device Manager. Then, download the drivers and install with the POD unplugged. Reboot, then plug in the POD, and you will see "installing device driver" s/w appear. If that's not happening after a few minutes, open this file in Notepad: C:\Windows\INF\setupapi.dev.log (do not EDIT/SAVE this file - leave it alone) The last entries at the bottom of the file should show the downloaded file installation (copy of files to driver store). It will be dated when you did it, and start/end with lines that looks like this: >>> [SetupCopyOEMInf - C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\l6pod...... >>> Section start 2013/09/23 22:15:33.748 .... <<< Section end 2013/09/23 22:15:34.071 <<< [Exit status: SUCCESS] Then, the next thing should look like this, which is the Plug-and-Play driver installation sequence, caused by the discovery of the newly installed device: >>> [Device Install (Hardware initiated) - USB\VID_0E41&PID_.... >>> Section start 2013/09/23 22:16:01.706 .... <<< Section end 2013/09/23 22:16:08.843 <<< [Exit status: SUCCESS] If you see the driver install for VID_0E141&PID_ (PID = product Id depends on your POD) end in SUCCESS, then all should be good. Make sure no other software has claimed the POD for exclusive use, like a DAW, or system sounds, if configured to use the POD for input/output. I'm curious what's in the device install log for these failing systems, and whether the device is actually being seen in Device Manager.

I posted this on another thread, but with your HDx00 plugged in, in Device Manager it should look something like this: If you have an unknown device, then the driver install should work. If, however, you don't have an unknown device, find the Sound, Video and Game Controllers device that is your HD. (If there's not one, you have a problem with USB connectivity that software cannot fix. At the least, I'd start with a flash restore on the HD, but that's a different problem.) Once you have the device located, check its device properties in Device Manager (1). You should be able to confirm the Hardware Ids (2). The Plug and Play (PnP) ID that contains VID_0E41 confirms that this is the Line 6 device. Assuming there's an incorrect driver associated with the device, it's probably because the HD was plugged in *before* the Line6 drivers were installed, and another driver matched on compatible IDs (3). The best solution is to uninstall that driver, and remove it from the system (4). You may have to reboot and repeat this process several times until you have your HD appearing as an unknown device. (Keep it plugged in to the USB port through this process.) Once that happens, unplug it from your PC, and follow the instructions to install the Line6 drivers. Then, they will be the best match found when you plug the device in.

Maybe you're using this setup because I suggested it somewhere else, and, please, feel free to try something else. BUT, if it sounds good, and you can set patches at home that work live, then I wouldn't spend too much time contemplating this aspect of your setup. Instead, I'd spend my time getting some recordings of the mix, either direct from the board or just live, and make sure the patches you have do sound the way you want, fit well in the band mix, etc. If the recordings tell you that you're not getting the sound from the POD to the PA the way you think it should be, then it might be time to revisit that bit of linkage, but otherwise, it's probably not the best investment of time. Just my $.02. If you are using the headphone out to drive speakers, it's going into a much lower impedance load than it's designed for. That is why it sounds loud. It's also hard on that little headphone amp!

Master on my HD400 is a physical pot, set about 12:00. That works fine with my higher impedance phones. No idea what number that might equate to on the 500s. The board settings seem to handle the level (line through the DI). No idea what it is though.

The Line/Instrument setting on the DI is what many other DIs have as a PAD (e.g., -20dB). If the PA is able to accept a balanced line input, then the switch setting is fine. You'd notice obvious clipping if your output was overdriving the PA inputs. Keeping the patch levels consistent will make the sound guys happy, and keep them from moving your gain/fader settings around wildly. I don't pay a lot of attention to the actual setting, but try to use my ears. I've found that's one of the harder things to do with headphone monitoring, and have gone back and recorded the signal from the DI through an interface to confirm. Maybe it's just taking off the headphones and listening to a recording (with different phones or monitors), but I find it helps set levels and EQ. I don't change the volume levels between home and church, though. Of course, if the master is all you change, and it sounds Ok at the gig, that's the only thing that matters in the end!

I have a 400, so a bit more limited, but also don't have quite the obsession over patches. I have 4 patches that I change only slightly. They are a Deluxe, Twin, AC30 and Park, with similar drive level settings, but generally increasing levels of OD/distortion, though it's pretty subtle. I also have a patch based off that Atlantis preset that I've tweaked to be more organ-like for swells, and have experimented with a pretty cranked Dr Z setting I'm just warming up to. Each patch has different modulations on FX2, and different delay settings, though all are set for tap tempo. If I need dotted-eighth, I just tap it. We either get 4 clicks from the drummer, or there's a keyboard thing the WL does to manage the transition if we run them together. In either case, more than enough time to set a delay tempo. If I make changes, it's the night before, and I'll possibly change the on/off state of the FX for the first song that uses a patch, e.g., if I want delay on right away in the first song, I'll make sure it's on in the patch, and vice versa. I rarely use the edit software, except to back up the patches after I've made some modification that I decide I want to keep, like changed the FX2 effect. The UI is just too darn tiny to spend any time with! We go direct and have Avioms, though I mix my own monitor mix now on an H6 (a recent change - tired of fighting bad gain settings overdriving Aviom - other thread link). It gives me a more accurate feel since I'm hearing what goes to the house before it gets there, plus lets me record at the same time. I do keep a spreadsheet of the couple hundred songs we have with the patch (or patches) I've decided are the best fit. Sometimes I change my mind in practice, but that gets me started, especially for those songs that only come up once or twice a year.

For those of us w/o a 500X, we can't load them in our editor. I believe this is basic stuff, like amp model, effects selection. You might play around with the drive level on the amp, assuming it has one (old HD400 so not familiar with your controls).

I'd add a lot of "tube screamer" or "rat" type distortion, and play around with EQ, plus a bit of delay. It's too clean (not thin), in general, for live use, IMO, and it could use a bit of thickening for a small combo. It would be helpful to know what your patch settings are. There are a lot of good amp models on these HD systems, but you need to develop your ear to figure out "how to get from here to there." Use your ears.

Well, probably a cable or connector, like another post. I have just come back from practice, plugged in my HD400, and set it to be the output device, and listened to iTunes in the headphones plugged in to my HD400. Here's the GB, Audio-Midii settings, and volume level on the HD400. Have you checked that you have the latest drivers?

When you play something in GB, with the POD as output device, does the sound come through headphones that are plugged in to the POD? That's the easiest way to check that it's working as a "soundcard" in that sense. If you want it to act as the "global" output device, you change that setting in System Preferences. That will make even iTunes play through it. If you stop hearing iTunes output through the Mac phones/speakers, then it's probably going to the POD. If you're not hearing anything from the speakers, but are from the POD's Phones output, it's probably the speakers, the cables, or the level is not high enough to drive the speakers. Do they support an unbalanced line-level input? If they do, switch to the 1/4" output on the POD and connect to the speakers that way to test whether it's the XLR connection that's causing a problem for you. (You can test the XLR output itself by sending that to a mixer or separate interface.)

Well, mine is working - I just updated drivers (see post about distortion on USB). Are you saying nothing works, and you can't select the HD400 as the input/output device in GarageBand or whatever you are using to record with? I don't use my monitors with the POD - cables are too short to reach the floor, and they're plugged in to my desktop interface. Also, not that I can find any specs on any of these products, but I'm pretty sure the POD's balanced XLR output is more of a mic level output, vs. line level for the unbalanced 1/4" ones. My monitors are expecting a line level (balanced) input.

I unloaded the current drivers and downloaded the most recent ones from Line6 (says they support 10.9). Then, I spent some time with that Audio Midi Setup app buried down in Applications->Utilities, setting input and output levels. I don't hear the distortion I had before, but it's still a tiny bit different in the phones (plugged into the POD) when I fire up Logic with the HD as the interface, vs. completely unplugged from the MacBook. But, that's not really new. I could live with it, but like I said, I either use it analog, or if I want to play with guitar sounds in recorded tracks, use what Logic brings and plug in through a straight interface. I know the HD is supposed to be 48KHz native, but I could not set the value to anything other than 44.1 in the Audio-Midi Setup app, so that didn't get me anywhere.

Mine worked fine a couple months ago so don't give up yet. I'll plug mine in tonight and see if anything shakes loose. The only thing I've changed has been software on the MacBook so it's not something with the hardware, I'm guessing, anyway.

I heard the same thing the other day with my 400! I wrote it off to something that changed after my OSX upgrade a couple months back (forced by Logic X) and figured I'd work on it another day. I either use analog to match/double something from a live recording (analog) or use the DAW built in and record guitar dry. But it sounds like I'm not the only one... I saw an update from apple this week I think so may give it another shot this weekend. Maybe we need new drivers from Line 6 for latest OSX revs? In the meantime I will see if I can try sample rate suggestion. Thanks.

Probably not on the drawing board, but I've got a request for this model: make it better for live use (better than the 500X, even, IMO). Add processing power and change the AMP pedal to FX"0" so I can have 2 overdrive/distortion or, my preference, compression + od/distortion capability. Maybe even make it a reverb on/off control, too. For anyone that wants to bypass the AMP, make it a switch. I just don't see that as being something to change in a live situation, where the floor switches are really needed. Oh, and use better paint/decals/whatever so the labels hold up better. As it is, the 400 is just about perfect for live use where you've only got a few different settings and effects, and where, honestly, the finest level of tonal perfection is wasted. "Close enough is good enough," and less time tweaking. But, the lack of compression *and* distortion together is a gap, and the one thing that has me staring at the used 500 market. But, I'd buy a 400X before one of those if it had patch compatibility with the 400. Oh, and how about a MONO switch for XLR out. That seems to come up all too frequently here. As it is, I don't see the distinction between the 300/400 making sense. Keep the 300 at a bit lower price to combat competition at the $200+ price point, but make the 400 something slightly different. My $.02, anyway.

In the past, the official "line" has been that they do not support headphones with less than 200 ohms. Many people use lower impedance phones, but they will be loud, and don't ask for help if you have any problems. I use a Beyerdynamic DT770 250 ohm pair. I like them, but some argue their accuracy. I'm a little disappointed in their durability, given the $200 price tag, since the cable connection at the phones has broken after about 2 years. (Duct tape to the rescue.) I've used lots of other phones though and haven't broken my HD400 with them, FWIW.

Windows? (If you are using a MacBook, I'll suggest GarageBand.) On Windows, are you connected to a USB port that is attached to the first level USB hub? This shows the connection on my system, where you can see there is a 2nd hub at the same level as my HD400. If you are one more hub removed, that can introduce problems. Also, use Device Manager confirm the driver is the latest.

Are you hearing the noises in the POD headphone out when it's set to be both the input and output device for your recording app?

I assume the HD500X phones out is very loud? Assuming it is, I'd try a different power amp and see if it works, or go direct to the PA for a check. Try a different line input to the amp and see if it works Ok. Try a different cable. The usual stuff. Isolate and test.