SiCantwell

Good thread. This is 4 amp, looks like it would work. $16.64 from Amazon, free 2-day shipping with Prime. 9V 3A 4A 5A AC DC Adapter 27W 36W 45W Switching Power Supply (9V4A-USCABLE) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0771LX649/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_tai_oVZTCbWW8VMFB

Thanks, y'all. I'm going to try jvrock84's suggestion, makes sense.

I want the tap tempo to generally stay at 120 beats per minute for all patches. If I stomp the tap tempo button during a song (say, to sync my delay with the beat), I want the rest of the patches to stay at 120 bpm, and I want that patch to revert to 120 bpm when I unplug the Pod and plug it back in. Right now I in the System Settings I have Tempo Sync set to "Global" and the Tempo set to 120 bpm. Are those the correct settings for what I outlined above, trying to keep all patches at 120 bpm every time I turn the unit on?

The Helix has more amp models and probably a lot more DSP, but I'm not sure what makes it 3 times as good as the 500X. There are more outputs, so I guess it's more flexible. I'm happy with the 500X and couldnt afford $1,500 anyway. I have a wife too!

Power supply is $40 from Sweetwater. I bought one just to have a spare. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PODHDPwr

Kind of off the subject, but has anybody ever tried tuning your A to 432 instead of 440? Supposedly music sounds better and makes you feel better with that tuning, something to do with the music of the spheres or something. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/music_theory/432hz_crazy_theory_or_crazy_fact.html I haven't tried it. It's hard enough to get everybody in my band in tune using standard tuning!

LOL! I do that when they say "turn it down." I reach over and fiddle with the volume knob, leave it where it was and resolve to play more delicately, at least for a while. I upgraded from a 500 to a 500X and I can't say I noticed a tonal difference, but it makes me feel good that someone else did.

I play the HD500X through a 15-watt Fender Blues Junior or a 100-watt Twin. I put the Pod before the amp, 4-cable is too much trouble and might induce hum. I keep that master volume about halfway up so I'll have headroom in case I want more volume. It's a lot of work to get the patch volume consistent but it's worth it. Sounds great through my amps and these Pods are good units to gig with. Take the time, you'll be glad you did.

I do it. I plug my Strat or Les Paul Studio into the 500X and then directly into the Fender Twin or Blues Junior for practice and for gigs. I wanted to replace a heavy and balky pedal board of 20-plus stomp boxes. I break all the "rules." I used Direct Out because it sounds better to my ears, and I use a few of the amp models because they provide better distortion tones than some of the effects. Love the Bogner with drive around 35 or 40 percent! It sounds great with my band and is easy to set up and break down. I have 15 or 20 patches that I use regularly, mostly switching between 4 or 5 of them during a gig. The biggest challenge will be setting the volume levels so they'll sound consistent between patches while playing loud with other instruments. Go for it.

As an iPad user, I'm reassured that they're placing their bet on IOS, but with the Surface and Android devices gaining traction, they're shutting out a lot of potential customers who aren't Apple fans. I'd rather create my own tone than simply download and play someone else's, but then I've never been one who wants to sound "just like" this guitarist or that. Looks more like a toy than a serious gigging machine, but it's probably fun to mess around with.

That sounds cool, I think I'll try that. I use it for tremolo depth and shape, going from a gentle trem to a square-shaped off-on sound. I also use it for speed of the phaser (listen to Jerry Garcia's solo in "Candy Man"). Whammy down is fun, but I also increase the amp volume as it dives so the sound doesn't get lost.

From: http://line6.com/press/releases/1520 <<CALABASAS, CA – 20.Dec 2013 - Yamaha Corporation and Line 6, Inc. today announced a definitive agreement for Yamaha to acquire Line 6, a leading manufacturer of innovative solutions for musicians. The acquisition expands Yamaha’s portfolio of modeling guitar processing products as well as pro-audio equipment, and offers new and exciting opportunities for accelerated growth for both companies. (snip) Under the terms of the agreement, Yamaha will operate Line 6 as a wholly owned subsidiary to fully realize the compelling opportunities for the two brands with Line 6’s operations continuing as before and its management team remaining in place.>> So, any implications for us? Will Line 6 maintain their high standards as a member of the Yamaha family? Any advantages for Line 6? Limitations? Think they'll give me a free guitar to go with my Pod HD500X?

I like Dimension with Switch 1, adding Switch 4 sometimes.

Hard to say, but generally boosting the mids and backing off a tad on the drive helps some. Or maybe trash the whole patch and try again. I usually have some sound in mind, and there's more than one way to get there -- different FX, different amps, etc. I've been strugging with a "crunchy" patch forever -- somewhere between clean and Van Halen. I've settled on a Bogner with gain around 45%, bass and mid higher than the treble, and presence down around 35%. I'll see at practice tomorrow night whether I hit paydirt.

Good news! I too gave up a big, complicated pedalboard for the 500. Love the sound, and love the easier setup and breakdown.

I try to get them as close to what I want as I can in my living room, then tweak on the fly during full-volume practice with the band, or occasionally during gigs. Sometimes a patch that sounds killer at home is weak, thin, too echoey, whatever with the band. Then it's back to the drawing board. But the number of good patches will grow over time. Good thing I like tinkering around with amps and effects.

It's important to back up your patches on the PC using the edit software, Which reminds me: I haven't done that in a while!

Really, the Pod is less transparent than the M13? That would make a difference. I think the Pod has all of the FX as an M13, plus an expression pedal. So for the same price, it seemed like a no-brainier to go with the Pod, even without the amp sims.

I break all the rules. I use Studio Direct into a Fender Blues Jr. or a Fender 100-watt Twin. I use the amp sims and play with the settings, cabs and mics. Some sound harsh and some give me sweet distortions. I love many of the effects, but it takes work to dial in the right chorus, tremolo or phaser. I like to leave some headroom, so I set my Pod master volume somewhere around 12 or 1 o'clock, 11 o'clock for practice sometimes. I run the amp volume at 3 on the Twin, just shy of halfway up on the Junior. Play around with it and see what sounds pleasing to you at home. Then take it to band practice or a gig and relearn how to set it up at higher volume and with other instruments playing. I love the HD500X and I sure appreciate it's simplicity compared to a heavy pedal board of about 20 stomp boxes, my old rig.

If you don't use your FX loop, run a cable from the Out to the In, then assign the FX loop to a FS. You can raise the dB on the FX return to get a clean boost. Or use the Studio EQ, or the Midrange EQ, with the gain set at your desired level.

This is an interesting thread. I have my HD500X organized like my old Korg AX300G from 1999: Bank 1, my basic sounds. I'm here most of the night. A. Clean, no amp, just a little delay. I try to match the volumes of all my patches to this one. B. Clean but louder and brighter. C. Gibtone crunch, a nice bluesy tone I use a lot. D. Distorted. I just loaded a Van Halen tone I adapted from CustomTones here. Bank 2, features various effects. A. Rotary drum. B. Bias tremolo, with the expression pedal determining the depth of the trem. C. Phaser. D. Univibe. (I never had one of these, and I like it a lot. Then I have a bunch of sounds, almost all homemade, for various songs or sounds. I play a couple of songs that have distinct sections and I create two adjoining patches for those, but mostly I play a single patch per song. As for effects, I follow a standard pattern: 1. A clean boost or distortion for leads. 2. A mod effect, often a chorus (I like Dimension set on switch 1). 3. The delay, or sometimes a second mod. 4. Switches on whatever is on the Expression pedal, usually a wah. I never use the second expression pedal setting because I'm not smart enough to remember what it would be, and I control volume in other ways instead of a volume pedal. I loves me some Pod!!!

You can get a clean boost by using the Studio EQ, and also by connecting your FX send and return with a short cable and boosting the decibels of the return.

Thanks!

What settings do y'all use for Noise Gate? it seems like 50 and 50 seem to dampen my tone and attack when I'm in my living room. I'm not sure I even need it when I'm playing out because when the drummer starts up, nobody hears my amp hum. I understand what Threshold probably does, but what does Decay do? Do I even need it?

Distortions mean your tone spreads across more frequencies, I believe, and some of them can get masked by a bass guitar or bass drum, cymbals, snares, etc. That's one reason it sounds different in a band setting than at home. Cutting back on the drive or distortion can focus your guitar tone and help you cut through when playing with a loud band. I love loud!