joel_brown

The only amp model I've had success with for both clean and dirty is the Angel (ENGL).

Make sure you turn off all cab and mic modeling in the PODHD. Use Studio/Direct output. Watch your output volume from the PODHD to the EPSI, it can be easily overdriven.

What you're doing is what people do in real life. Seeing that Line6 tried to capture real life results in their product it makes sense to do the same thing. This is why quite a few people would mod their Plexi amp to give them more gain at the front end - such as Van Halen. Supposedly he did the cascaded input mod for more gain in the front, biased the power amp tubes very hot, then used a variac to reduce the A/C voltage to the amp down to 90v and, of course, ran it wide open.

This whole thread started with me trying to get the PODHD to sound like a tube amp. With the help of everyone here and a couple local friends, I think it's close enough that it would be hard pressed to tell the difference. Thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions.

New version of video with updated audio. Hopefully this works much better.

ok I'll redo the audio and make the first 2 clips mono in both speakers.

What did the third sample sound like ? Were the left and right channels equal in volume ? I tried to keep everything simple. Left channel for first clip, right channel for second clip, last clip is stereo and uses both channels. There some bleed between channels cause it's live.

I re-checked the volume difference you mentioned and don't see it or hear it. The meters are pretty even. You may have a channel going bad.

Here's the video comparing a Laney GH50L to my PODHD into the FX Return of a JCM900. I tried to make them a close as I could. The PODHD is just being used as a pre-amp using the Angel Pre (ENGL) model. No cabinet or mic modeling. It's recorded through Marshall 1936 cabs with an SM57 mic into Cubase. No effects or pedals. At the end of the video it demonstrates the stereo effect the PODHD gives me using 2 JCM900s and 1936 cabs and a touch of delay and reverb. Everything is live, mistakes and all. Plus a couple cheezy guitar riffs at the end. This video does not show how to make a great recording by any means. Hopefully the recording is good enough to show the PODHD can sound very very close to a tube amp. When I first backed to backed the two amps it wasn't even close. <video deleted - will repost with updated audio>

Here's something that recently helped me a ton. A friend loaned me his Laney GH50L amp. I really liked the tone and thought if I could use that as a baseline I could dial in my tone to it. This helped more than anything I've ever done. Just having a separate amp/cab I could A/B too and hear the differences. Even the tone I posted here sounded like it has a blanket over it compared to what I've been able to dial in now. Nothing special other than twisting Bass, Mid, Treble, and Presence. Which I changed Bass to 5, Mid and Treble to 4, and Presence to 7. This will be different for different speakers. But should work on most Celestions. I'll be posting a video soon showing the comparison.

I think he deleted himself when he plugged his PODHD into the edit software.

Since you're doing recording you could try some plugins that give you better IRs. Then just turn off the cab model in the PODHD to disable it's IR. This will give a noticeable improvement in tone. The PODHD does really well considering the built in IRs (Impulse Response) it has but it's not quite what high end modelers or plugins can do. Or keep tweaking your tone until you find what you want. It's there, other people have done it. It's just not easy. Here's a link to a high gain tone using only the Pre version of the amp and no cab (IR) modeling. http://www.childrenofthegraveband.com/HiGainStereoPreAmp.hbe

I'm sorry but I can't understand what you're trying to say.

What can you expect from someone who can only play one note at time and can't handle more than 4 strings. How many bass players does it take to screw in a light bulb ? One, but the guitar player had to show him how.

How about just running everything through the FX return of the Marshall.

Helix $1499 Helix LT $999 PODHD 500X $499 Used PODHD 500 or PODHD Desktops $200 to $350 Very interesting video about Helix LT and Bass

I have a Bipolar patch on my HD. The only thing in the effects chain is an expression pedal. I know, very dry joke.

I have a Jackson USA Soloist with a Gibson TI bridge pickup and Bardin Middle and Neck pickups.

I think someone needs a Snickers bar...

Set the input on the Harley Benton cab to mono and plug into either input - don't run two cables and plug into both - just one. The Ironheart cab, just plug into the Input NOT the Link. Just ignore pianoguyy. He is a lollipop sometimes. But helpful other times. This time he was a lollipop.

I resisted. My friend came over and helped me dial in the PODHD and it's the best it's ever sounded. Here's a link to the patch he did up for me. http://www.childrenofthegraveband.com/HiGainStereoPreAmp.hbe My rig is a pair of JCM900 Marshalls into a 4x12 and 2x12 cab running in stereo. I have the PODHD setup for Studio Direct going to the FX Return of the Marshalls and Input Impedance set to 32k. Basically this patch is for a tube amp going into guitar cabs. If you try to use it for an FRFR system or direct to a P.A. it won't work. Thanks to everyone for their responses and help. I knew it had to be in there, I just needed some help getting that last little bit I needed.

I just got lucky to have a friend who has bought everything under the Sun, is a very good guitar player, and happened to be coming up that weekend to visit for the first time in several years. He had some interesting comments about the Helix versus AXE - he's owned both plus the Kemper and PODHD too. He said the AXE and Helix sound the same on everything from clean to gain tones. The difference was the AXE was easier and quicker to build a patch. Basically the defaults in the AXE were better. On the PODHD, his comments were "It's really good and is close enough. By the time you get it in the mix, especially live, it's hard to tell the difference". He also said you need a top quality FRFR speaker system or a tube amp and cab - like I use. He's seen too many people who have a $4k guitar and PODHD then buy some $150 monitor to run it through and wonder why it sounds like crap.

When I made my remark about "Keeping me from going to the dark side" it was in reference to going to a real amp and not using the PODHD anymore. Nobody here has ever watched Star Wars ?

Made some good progress yesterday in tweaking the PODHD into my JCM900s. My friend came by and helped me out quite a bit. First thing he did was turn off the cabinet modeling and crank up the gain. Then tweaked the Bass, Mid, Treble, and Presence controls. He set it up using two Angel pre amps and tweaked them both slightly different. One with more mids and the other with more gain. Then we used a tiny bit of Parametric EQ just to get rid of some feedback. I'm playing a gig this Friday, we'll see how it does. It's definitely the best it's ever sounded. Hopefully this will keep me from returning to the dark side...lol Thanks everyone for your suggestions and tips.

These are some great suggestions. I plan on spending some serious time tomorrow trying to dial it in. A good friend of mine who has owned a lot of high end amps and modelers is also coming by to help me too. He's had amps such as Two Rock, Metroplis, Friedman plus modelers such as PODHD, AXE, and Kemper. He thinks I should be able to get it close enough that it would be hard to tell them apart.