zaphodboy

Boosting your mids will definitely help you cut through the mix, most likely at a lower volume. I swapped my Marshall tube amp for a L3m (to finish the whole dream rig thing) and I have found it WAY sweeter. I cut through the mix better and the tone is more transparent to my ears. I probably didn't need the extra power the L3 delivers though- it's insanely loud- an L2 would have done the job.

I tried a set up like this, amp models off and using Fx only because I had the same issues with distortion and I have to say it worked really well. The only downside is that you inevitably lose some versatility as you only have your physical amp tone. In the end I bit the bullet and did the whole dream rig thing and have never looked back.

Most of my patches use 'electric guitar' mode on my L3. To my ears electric guitar mode sounds less brittle and fuller than using p.a. mode. So the answer to you question is yes, there is a noticeable improvement in sound quality by going through an L2 rather than a regular p.a. (all IMHO of course!!). That's not to say you won't use p.a. and acoustic guitar modes as well because you can get some awesome tones using the L2 configured this way too. You'll love it!!

I've had a JTV-HD500-L3 dream rig for 6 months now. The sonic palette and usability I can get from this rig a absolutely ample for me. I'm not sure adding another 200 amps would make much if any difference. What would make a difference is MORE PRACTICE!!

That should about do it for cables. The 'official' Line 6 version of the VDI works well but doesn't really look or feel like a guitar lead. I have been thinking of trying a VDI made by the guy Silverhead mentioned above. I opted to buy a cheap DMX cable off Ebay for £6 delivered for the L6 link connection and it works perfectly but I'm guessing that at £30+ the Line 6 version may be a bit more durable.

. Run a DMX cable between the Pod and the L2 using L6 link. This way you can switch speaker modes per patch depending whether you want electric or acoustic tones. You cannot save the speaker modes via HD edit though. To get the Pod to change modes dial in your tone as normal using HD edit, manually switch to the required mode on the Stagesource speaker the hit save on the Pod, not HD edit. If you save via HD edit the speaker mode will default to PA mode. Hope that helps, good luck

I run basically the same rig as you except I have the L3m. Having played around with the various settings quite a bit this is the advice I would give (for what it's worth) Pod in studio/direct mode, switch set to line Run a DMX cable between the Pod and the L3 using L6 link. This way you can switch speaker modes per patch depending whether you want electric or acoustic tones. You cannot save the speaker modes via HD edit though. To get the Pod to change modes dial in your tone as normal using HD edit, manually switch to the required mode on the Stagesource speaker the hit save on the Pod, not HD edit. If you save via HD edit the speaker mode will default to PA mode. In theory if you are running 'electric guitar mode' on your L2 you should use the PRE amp models, bypassing the Pods speaker emulation (your L2 is already doing that). Conversely if you are in PA mode you should use full amp models for exactly the opposite reason. In practice I have found that there is no right or wrong way... some PRE models sound great in PA mode and some full models are awesome in electric guitar mode. It's whatever sounds best to you! I have my acoustic tones with no amp through the Pod, a little tube compression and reverb and the L3 set to 'acoustic guitar' mode. Set like this I find the rig to give a really transparent sound. I have had compliments about my tone (if not my playing!!) from musos in the audience and sound guys, so it can't be too far off. Good luck, hope you find tone Nirvana!

I use it to record vocals via USB into Cubase. Unlike the guitar presets on the HD 500 I find the vocal presets to be really useful.

My first JTV was a lemon. I sent it back, got a replacement and have never looked back.

Long shot, but if you know anyone else with a JTV you could try their battery to see if the same thing happens. If it does it indicates there could be something wrong with the guitar itself.

Hi xray If you unplug your lead from the JTV when not in use and turn the volume to zero during set breaks that should considerably extend the battery life. My JTV 59 battery is a couple of years old now and I still get pretty much the full 12 hours by doing this. Good luck!

+1 to that. An FRFR speaker like the L2 (m or t) will probably serve you better at 'bedroom volumes'. You won't get a true tube sound out of a DT25 in such an enclosed space without your ears starting to bleed! I believe the DT has a low volume setting but my understanding of that is the tube sound is being modelled anyway. I run an HD500 into an L3m both live and at low volumes and it works equally well in both situations. Radatats is right- if you are running through a DT and monitor speakers you will have to run a set of patches for each set up separately......which is a pain in the proverbial.

No worries. I still dip into the foobazaar site from time to time. Hope it works out.

I ran my HD500 into a Marshall tube amp for years and was never quite happy with the sound. Earlier this year I took a deep breath and replaced the Marshall with an L6 L3m (FRFR, similar to the Alto you are considering). With a little tweaking the result was way better to my ears and I find that I can now use more of the models successfully. The whole thing sounds more transparent and less muddy. What you are considering is a full range, flat response rig which to me sounds great. A word of caution though: some p.a. speakers are more full range, flat response than others. I went for the L6 Stagesource speakers because they are very flat and also with your HD500x you'll be able to control the smart speaker modes available on the L6 speakers to give you a little more versatility. Just connect them via L6 link with a decent DMX cable. The other thing I would add is that even though I was familiar with other multi fx units my HD500 took me MONTHS to get to grips with so I would stick with it- it can be a steep learning curve. If you haven't already done so check out this web site http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/ It is really well written and pointed me in the right direction. Good luck!

Have you tried just dragging the patches from your POD within HD edit to your patches folder?

Could you rebalance the levels using the mixing block?

Again, I'm not sure what the L6 official settings are supposed to be but I have mine set with the POD in 'studio/direct' and the L3 in 'electric guitar' mode. To my ears this gets rid of all the nastiness.

No, but I had to return the first one because it kept cutting out so this is my 2nd unit. I have had this for 6 months now and fingers crossed it hasn't missed a beat.

I use a DMX cable for the L6 link which works perfectly for me. I have the official Line 6 VDI cable for the pod to variax connection. Length wise it's fine and it works perfectly well but it doesn't look or feel like a guitar lead. I had a look on Ebay a few months ago to see if anyone was producing anything better but at the time there wasn't.

I use a DMX cable to run from my HD500 to an L3m. First I turn on the pod, let it boot then turn on the speaker. I don't know if there is an 'official' order to boot them but this works first time, every time for me. Good luck.

I play a JTV through an HD500 into an L3m. You can definitely get the volume low enough and it's INSANELY loud at gigs. Depending on what sort of volume you need at gig levels you may well be just fine with the L2. It's lighter and more portable.

Try plugging the power cable into the POD whilst holding down the left directional button. This does a kind of hard global reset. It won't delete any patches but you'll want to check your other global settings to make sure they are how you like them. Hope that helps.

I assign one of the foot switches so it kicks in a studio EQ after the amp with +5db boost and a tube screamer before the amp for a little extra drive. If you don't want the drive you can leave out the screamer for a clean boost.

Why not both? Maybe some kind of flush fitting usb dongle for existing users and built in to subsequent PODs.

+1 to that