mystic38

I dunno... the DT25 is expensive, the L2T is expensive,... and the HD500x is expensive.. and as a beginning guitarist you will have huge issues trying to get a good solid tone like a tube amp..as you have no frame of past reference to compare it to.. why not get a relatively clean used tube amp of high regard and use that?.. something like a fender blues junior?.. separate gain and volume so you can have crunch at low volumes, and you can run the pod direct into it... instant great tone, and as your skill with the pod increases you will get huge gains in flexibility and tonal palette. and if you buy used, the BJr will not lose a penny no matter how long you own it

technology moves on.., and as there is nobody saying that the current equipment and techonology is perfect, then there is room for Line 6 to introduce the next version of POD..with better models, better connectivity and of course better performance. the HD series has been around for long enough that its not likely to generate sufficient additional revenue over the next few years... a new replacement POD series in 2015 however would do just that. I have limited to zero interest in ios connectivity... call it <5% compared to 100% desire for the ability to a) switch my amps gain channel on/off, or b. the ability to have cab modeling on headphone outs, but not on 1/4" outs, or c) have the metronome to be audible for practice, or d) the ability to have a small amount of space to import drum loops, or e) the looper to have midi sync, or f) the looper to have save slots, or g) the looper to have some actual length to it measured in minutes....... you know..the small, effective things that make a huge difference, rather than the glitzy items.

go find yourself that one good distortion pedal, stick it in front of the POD and be done with it :)

Orange amps.. OR80 for "old style" RV50 for rock DD50 for the metalheads

I know full well that buying anything based on youtube videos is a shortcut to unhappiness, and tbh, If I was to highlight the weakest area of effects in the Pod imo it would be the drives and distortions.... So given that the GT100 is a highly regarded unit, and knowing that the audience really doesn't care that much (we do, but they don't), if its distortion sounds that make you pop, then just add a distortion pedal in front of your rig. Also, (not saying you haven't done this but..) I would evaluate just how much time you have spent on EQ and tweaking the setups that you have.. like any piece of complicated gear it takes a lot of understanding and editing to get THE tone...

if you have the HD500 then you are really getting nothing new with the M13. If you have the M13 and are thinking of the HD500 then in a similar footprint, you get 8 simultaneous effects, the ability to turn multiple fx on/off at once (vs toe tapping) plus a headphone output, aux in for metronome or drum machine etc.. just a better piece. The only thing you lose is the immediacy of twiddling the pedals... but if you are playing songs then making presets is the way regardless. I have the M13 and the pod hd desktop + FBV Express II..

This is the issue with a product such as a guitar amp, which should have a life of 10-15yrs+ being committed to some random piece of technology.. Its a case of designing something that is trendy and cool vs something for long term practicality. Over the last 2 years Android has become the predominant mobile OS and the gap is going to increase.. but in 5 years who knows?.. something completely different could emerge. I am not suggesting that IOS should not have been supported, but if, as a manufacturer you are walking this technology path you need to be ahead of the curve in adopting technologies...

in the time before midi, the 5 pin din was used to connect tape decks to stereos.. Oh dang..now that I realize just how old I am, I am off to checkout the scooter store!...

ah..well then, put the jm4 into the FX loop of the hd500.. just make sure that this is post any FX in the HD500 patch or you will have the loop playing thru those FX.. unless that's what you want..lol

I have the POD HD, not the XT so cannot help for your specific situation, other than to say that the FBV Express II does NOT work as advertised with the POD HD..., so unless you find information that indicates someone does actually have your pod/board combo working, assume its as it is.

why not plug the hd500 outputs into the jm4 input?

Good decision, for acoustic and vocals TC is a far better choice in effects and products..

Think the title says it all.. I am wondering if anyone has knowledge of where exactly the global noise gate is located in the signal chain.. the advanced guide indicates "the global noise gate is on all the time for all your FX".. does this mean that it is pre-fx1 and also pre-fx2 and pre-fx3 and pre-fx4?...or that it is at the input.? thx

imo you should probably forget about changing presets mid song. There is a noticeable delay, and with FX tails getting shut off dead can easily sound unnatural you can : a) use a footswitch (FS) to switch on an overdrive b. use a pedal for the amp drive (gain) level c) combine a number of fx on/off into one FS.. so for example, can turn OD off, Chorus off, Distortion on, EQ on all with one FS There are plenty ways to get the effect you desire

Nope. Pedals are spec'd to at least -10dBv consumer line level. Whether they give all that signal out is a function of the pedal. A clean boost (say) that can give 20dB of clean gain is clearly up to and may even surpass consumer line level specs. In addition, FX loops are all at line level. Mostly consumer line level, but some are +4dbu pro line level...and pedals go into the loop, ergo they must be at line level. At the end of the day, I simply stated that there is a volume knob on the POD.. restricting the device output to "instrument level" could easily give a lower output than pedals and lose the ability to use clean boost as an overdrive.

Since pedals are also line level devices stating not to use line level outputs is a bit draconian. There is absolutely zero issues in using the line level outputs. If you have a SS amp (and the OP does not), you can use the volume control to get the best s/n ratio, and if you have a tube amp, you can use the volume knob as a clean boost. Of course, if you wish to peg the volume into a SS amp then it will sound yuck, but that would also apply if you maxed the output on an OD, Dist or boost pedal.

I feel your pain. imo the Pod series are great for recording, but I have no further interest in attempting to get anything like a realistic tube amp tone & feel from my unit. I therefore use my pod HD desktop solely for FX only setups as there is no set of settings, be it through a 550W PA, studio monitors (KRK VXT8) or (expensive) 200W home stereo that did it for me. You most certainly do NOT want to get rid of the HD400 in favour of the M13. This seems like a pointless exercise to me with no benefits at all. You would lose money on the swap, you already have all the same FX blocks as the M13, but you can use more than 4 at a time (M13 does 4 plus noise gate), you can switch more than one at once (so conveniently making lead & rhythm groups of FX), and you have the pedal built in. The distortion fx are not the strength of the pod fx units, so I suggest you use the output volume or a boost to get your (guitar) amp to the verge of breakup, then the distortion can hold at a limited drive, but with extra boost will take advantage of overdriving the amp pre-amp. You could also experiment with EQ + distortion as a group or comp+eq+dist as a group.. all of which would give a one button press to switch in/out You are of course, hosed if you wish to channel switch the amp while simultaneously changing fx.. the Pod doesn't do that, thought the Boss GT10/100 does

I personally have zero interest in a fad like the Amplifi type of product... To my mind, you are coupling one type of technology that has a useable life of 20+ years (an amp) with technology that has a shelf life of 18 months.. Or, put it this way... Had these amps come out in 2006 you would use your massively popular Blackberry smartphone to download and control the Amp.... and where would you be now?... right up poopy creek. Any money you wish to put into an amp is better off going into an all tube amp...

help?.. Nobody here has the HD desktop and the FBV Express II ?..

As follow up, Just returned from GC who kindly lent me an FBV Express II to verify operation, and it operates exactly like my own unit...so its not cable, or the FBV Express.

Hi All, I have a POD HD Desktop and recently picked up an FBV Express II and looking for input from owners of this same setup about its operation. Basically, what should I expect to work and what not to work?.. as for me its certainly not working as advertised...This is what I see.. FBV Express mode = ON as discussed in the manual, ABCD Mode A,B,C,D select the preset. Display shows preset. tap lit switch controls tempo, Display dot flashes to tempo Tuner cannot be selected by holding lit switch. Display shows tuning indicator Looper controls appear to work correctly, but no LEDs light (making looper use "challenging") FBV Express = ON, FS5-8 Mode A,B,C,D can control single/multiple blocks as expected. Tap tempo and tuner cannot be activated from the Express. Display shows preset, tempo dot, and tuning display when activated from POD. Looper controls appear to work correctly, but no LEDs light. Researching possible issues, I found threads indicating that due to a bug, FBV Express mode should be disabled. So... FBV Express = OFF, ABCD Mode A,B,C,D selects preset, Display shows preset. Tap switch controls tempo, Display dot flashes to tempo Tuner CAN be selected by holding switch. Display shows tuner. Looper LEDs light, but Looper MUST be in 1/2 speed for play/stop switch to operate correctly. FBV Express = OFF, FS5-8 Mode Switch D cannot select an FX block, Yet FS8 Must be assigned to something in order for A,B,C and FS5-7 to operate correctly. If FS8 is not assigned then FS7 is not able to select a block. Looper controls operate as ABCD mode. So, as a question to users with the same setup... is this what you see or do I have a faulty POD or Express?