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DeanDinosaur

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Posts posted by DeanDinosaur

  1. Well the way I see it is when you use real amp head or Pre-amp with power amp you will settle on real cab and in general once you find a cab that sound goods, it's rarely ever changed. That's how amp manufacturers end up choosing the right speaker. According to Cliff from Fractal: the tone is almost 85% from the speaker. So yes I agree pre amp model can sound great with the right power amp and cabinet and for this Speaker simulation is defeated. I personally think that's the best sound of a modeler live, but for that kind of setup a marshall JMP-1,  an ADA MP-1 or Sans amp  PSA-1 will beat any modeler senseless including AXE and Kemper. Playing in cover bands and in Churches modelers With FRFR  or Direct to FOH will work great though and that's what the manufacturers originally intended them to be used.

  2. One thing about Steve Howe using a HD 500 and a Variax.

    He does indeed use it for a brief period during his live show and it sounds okay but not nearly as good as

    his other stuff during the show.

    He uses it for convience, not because it gives him the best sound.

     

    .....

     

    If anyone is using a modeler live for anything other than convenience, then they clearly don't understand what modeling is. That applies also to  Kemper and AXe II and every modeler under the sun. 

    They all model the sound of a miced amp and they all are in reality recording devices that players use as a compromise for Live purposes. I'm not going to get into the difference between the sound of a miced amp with sm57, u87 etc etc and the sound of a real amp heard by human ear.

     

    Until a mic can model the human ear or modeling can model how  the human ear hears a real amp, even a solid state amp, is far superior to a mere interpretation of an sm57. But we all like convenience and that's why we use modeling. You don't have to spend 2k to get the sound of $500 fender amp if that's what you want, you buy the $500 amp, and guess what:  it would be superior to any modeler under the sun for the simple fact that the modeler is aiming for the sound you hear on the CD, compressed and lifeless compared to the sound of a real amp as heard by the human ear.

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  3.  

    .... I simply found it odd that after buying gear for more than half my life, this unit is the first thing I've ever owned that didn't have a simple way to turn it on and off from either the front or back panel.

     

    And this is just me... but nothing about Steve Howe's playing ever gave me goose bumps, but to each his own, ;) .

    Well you must have not bought many floor pedals or floor MultiFX because most of them don't have a power switch and it's a smart design for floor pedals not to have a power switch.

     

    I'm not a fan of Steve Howe but he's a well rounded musician and guitar player, I also I don't use "Goose bumps" as the only yard stick to measure how good the music is. ;)

  4. ......

    But I would still like someone to explain the no power button thing...I gotta know, lol.

    That's easy.

     

    1-It's actually safer for the unit to operate without a power button because when you're not using it, it's unplugged so in case there's a lightning storm you don't have to worry about unplugging it since it's already unplugged, and most surge protectors aren't 100%.

     

    2-One less additional part that can fail. Power switch is more prone to failure than the current way it works by plugging the adapter. In the current scenario the adapter has most of the risk of failure, and that's easier than having to fix a power switch and also cheaper as you don't have to take your pod to a service center.

     

    3-Based on 1 and two it seems that a power switch isn't essential; so whenever it's possible to save on cost on non essential parts, the cost savings can mean a more affordable product for the consumer. Using this approach allowed line 6 to provide an all in one solution that's so far unmatched by anything except if you're willing to spend 10 times more. An AXE II with a controller is around 4 thousand dollars! A pod HD500 for a working musician is heaven sent at 300- to 400 hundred dollars used and it actually has very comparable tones to the AXE ii and Kemper. Don't let the cork sniffers tell you any different. POD HD is good enough for Steve Howe from YES to recreate all of his sounds so it really is good enough for anyone else to get their  at a fraction of the cost. Go LINE 6.

    • Upvote 3
  5. Park with Black 4x12 default is a very unique rock sound that  I'm unable to find a match for  using other modelers or any speaker simulated cab/IR . A humbucker equipped guitar will drive that amp nicely, but for single coil or for more drive the tube driver  will create a marriage of true minds!

  6. The POD series is pretty good, but it's too many things for different users.  The original PODs were recording tools. Having more amps is very important for a recording tool. For those who use it live it has more than enough and with a DT50, it's probably one of the best options out there, certainly better than the AXe FX and Kemper as the POD DT50 setup  has the real thing... tubes and real tube amp sounds not simulated or modeled. But the PODs HD alone have many compromises for using them as recording tools. If you don't believe that, just look at the previous POD Xt and X3 with POD farm and you will see the major shortcomings of the HD series as recording devicesl having less amp models doesn't help either. I will not elaborate on how the Eleven Rack is a better recording tool because I doubt that anyone who owns both will even think twice on what's the better device (with more amps) for recording, and it's not the POD as close and comparable as they are.

  7. No one's asking for free updates - many of us are willing to pay for new amp models.

    ......

    That kind of thing is what turns people away and makes them look elsewhere.

    ...!

    You hit the nail on the head. I was there and gave up on new HD models so I decided to buy an Eleven Rack. That was the mother of all model Packs, cost me around 300 dollars brand new on ebay without Pro tools. Amp modeling is more realistic, but I still Keep my HD500 because I had no problems getting usable sounds.  I know  I Pi$$ off a few people  here whenever I mention the Eleven Rack, but trust me the quality of amp modeling and hardware components are clearly above the HD series. At $300 it's very close to their cost, but they make money on Pro tools.  Phantom Power for Microphone, Hi Z , input, Line in, stereo FX Loop, USB 2, Re-amping  at the software level, Solid Asio Drivers to work with any other software (I use with Cubase), Amazing stunning Reverbs and EQ , I would never trade that with an HD pro X, but anyway who cares about all of that when all you want is good amp modeling.

    • Upvote 2
  8. I'm not recording , I want to listen in real time , to monitor it... Hmm . Lets say I have a CLEAN signal coming from the POD into the DAW and I have an amplifier on a VST in the DAW ... I want to click the "Monitor" button , and I hear the CLEAN + the signal with the added amplifier into the headphones. I want to not hear that clean signal .

    As Gunpointmetal pointed out, go to line 6 devices and on the monitoring tab lower the slider all the way to the left. Now set the buffer to the lowest possible and you will get latencies of somewhere between 10 -15ms. It can be useable. Now remember if your not using your daw and the USB is connected, there will be no sound coming out of the POD unless you go back again in Line 6 devices to move the monitor slider to the right, or if you fire up your DAW and active the monitor on one of the tracks.

  9. I bought the HD500 and not the HD PRO because I think using "PRO" in the name is false advertising. The EQ in the HD pro is Not pro  and that alone disqualifies it from being PRO and where are the professional compressors or limiters that come with every audio interface at that price??The parameters in the reverb are no where near the amounts of parameters required for reverbs normally used in recording!! No control over early reflections, or tale!! How do you call that PRO???   :P

     

     

     I'm also aware of a concept called buyer beware, if you bought the HD pro for any other reason than form factor (RACK), then you didn't do your research, the extra dry out and AES/EBU I/O don't justify the price.

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  10. The only problem I see relating to this issue is unnecessary  marketing hype. 20% CPU or EXRA DSP  isn't even worth the hassle.  I can certainly understand the frustration, but if you think about it, this update was due to line 6 not being able to get the same Chip from their supplier. I honestly don/t feel that I'm missing on anything. I agree that line 6 sometimes  shoot themselves in the foot by over hyping their products.

     

    The HD line is really good regardless, but the HD X upgrade shouldn't have been over hyped. Still this is a truly phenomenal product and listening to what people are recording and getting with this  series makes it very clear that it's definitely a product that will stand on its own without the need for hype.. The line that line 6  has to draw on exaggerating and hyping their own products should be watched very carefully,  as it backfires and this thread is a prime example.  Good products with honest marketing will stand on their own and sell without all the unneeded fat and the HD doesn't need the hype. 

     

    In summary, "don't believe the hype" :D . If you have followed line 6 pre announcement for their recent speakers and mixers, you will know what I'm talking about. They're very good products also but the buildup of expectations was unreal;  the whole music industry was going to change with their release, according to the pre announcement. Imagine the laughs many had when it turns out that it was going to be some speakers and mixers.

    I started to think that line 6 marketing is paying homage to WWE (wrestling federation or something similar).

     

    Line 6: You make great products, don't over hype them, it's not cool. The HD  X, isn't a new product.

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  11. For home use I've been using a pair of  Yamaha HS50m. No issue with near field or losing the sweet spot when playing guitar at all. The music room isn't that big and playing 6 feet away from the speakers they still sound good. I originally set them up for mixing at an angle toward the ears making an equilateral triangle. I thought I would have to change the positioning to play at 6 feet away or any other spot in the room but was never an issue. What I like most about them is that they are very transparent and they virtually have no added coloration or sweetness to the bass or high frequencies. Some might find them harsh but if that's the case they have adjustments to low, mid and highs to roll off either of these frequencies.

     

    They can be very loud. At 50 percent is the loudest that I keep them. Their power rating is 70 Dynamic Power, yet another term that i believe is unique to Yamaha on how they interpret it. In short it's alsoan  exaggerated measure in comparison with RMS. Two of them make 140 watts of dynamic power, I figure even if RMS is half of that , that's loud enough.  The reason I went with Yamaha over Rootkit, is that Rootkit exaggerates the bass siginficantly, I was looking for accurate verses sweet. I'm quite happy with them. I listen to various music on them and it's amazing how many major albums sound harsh and poorly mixed, but the ones that are mixed properly sound stunning with amazing details; you can almost visualize the performers in the room with you. O Well,  Yamaha owns line 6 now, so it feels better recommending a Yamaha product on  line 6 forum than another company, but that has been my honest experience and they came with three years warranty on labor and parts.

  12. Keep in mind when you're looking at specs to compare the power rating as this is where most manufacturers aren't upfront about the power capabilities of the their amps. Most important is RMS (amp) / or continuous which corresponds with continuous power rating of the speaker so if you know either one the other is the the same. Peak is usually 4 times that. Most manufacturers list peak power :rolleyes: ;  so try guessing what line 6 rating for the L2 listed at 800 watts is, is it  Peak or RMS?  Ok you guessed right it's 800 Peak which means it's in the neighborhood of 200 Watts RMS. I would confirm that with line 6 because it can still be lower or slightly higher, they did the testing and they should know.

     

    Peak power is used by some manufacturers in an attempt to "look better" in print and has very little bearing on the actual performance of an amplifier if any. 

    So be prepared to look at the user manuals before you make a purchase if you want to make an informed decision. It's a pain in the lollipop I know, but I do it because some manufacturers always try to be cute and they don't realize how annoying it is when they're not telling the truth. 

  13.  

    ... If those dry signal guitar peaks are down near -18dB, then you should be able to push the Pod HD internal signal up another ~12dB with ~6dB headroom before internal clipping, and you definitely wouldn't need the USB driver +18dB boost.  That's my guess, and it's the best answer I can give because Line 6 is not specific about the internal levels.

    People complained so much about lower level when recording so Line 6 finally gave up and  gave them the +18db boost. Most didn't realize that line 6 had it right in the beginning and there's no real need for the added decibels;  but most like to live dangerously  and watch for the zero digital mark. since most meters aren't that accurate when it gets to zero DB many will clip the recordings if running this close.  If -18db digital is 0db analog, even recording to -18db digital is adequate and in the mixing stage normalizing can bring the level up as desired without issues.

  14. I keep my Pod HD 500x mixer block set panned center and set at 0. Does this mean all my presets are clipping? I didn't think they were based on what I hear but I'm no expert.

     

    I use the XLR outputs into a Tascam USB mixer for direct recording and I have to turn up the Input Trim on the two channels the Pod's XLR's are plugged into quite a bit just to get the meters on the Tascam mixer to rise up to 50%. (Not sure if the meters that far 'downstream' are telling me anything about clipping in the Pod's signal chain...)

    In my HD500 (not the X), the xlr outputs are mic level meanwhile  the 1/4" unbalanced are line level (there's a switch to select line level or amp) so the Tascam meters are right. I doubt that they changed this in 500X. You're better off using the SPDIF if the TASCAM has it, if not,  the unbalanced outs at line level and the best option would be using the POD's USB recording for guitar tracks. The only reason I would dismiss the XLR for recording because at MIC level, the sound quality will depend  a lot on the quality of the MIC pre in the tascam that will be doing all the heavy lifting. I'm not saying it's bad, but if the digital signal remains digital using the SPDIF or USB recording, you will undoubtedly get the cleanest recording. Regarding recording, my advice is  (in your DAW or TASCAM ) not to use the Zero DB as a reference for clipping -12db to -6db range is more than adequate and will insure no clipping. Even going down as low as -16db digital would be adequate,

  15.  

    So now what?  I am going to go back through my patches and see what I might have been missing just by needlessly panning in the mixer.  Unless there is a specific reason to completely separate the two Paths I may be better off with  0 setting in all cases.  Especially for single amp patches...

     

    Any other ideas?  Are there other needless things we do out of habit that really do nothing to enhance our tone?

    You haven't been missing anything! The two signal paths are the same as  two stereo tracks in a real world mixer or a DAW with unity gain at Zero. If both are centered and each is outputting zero decibels, there will be clipping. If you had a vocal track and guitar track, panning is used to achieve an overall sound by listening and it's no different when mixing two guitar tracks. Once you're done mixing two guitar tracks to get a sound you're after, you don't go back and say let me go and see how each one sound separately to see if it would be sound better in the center or if you're losing something.  Another example would be humbucker pickups, the best humbucker pickups don't necessarily have good sounding single coil when split into single coil, as a matter of fact they rarely ever do.

     

    To simplify matters, in many of my patches, I mute one of the mixers (path B) and use Path A dead centered (I think this would have been a better default setting) but whenever I use dual path I make sure the output are connected to an audio interface or external mixer to monitor the signal to avoid clipping. 

  16. Since you're not considering the line 6 speakers, my advice is to get a Keyboard amp. What many don't realize is that all keyboard amps are designed to be FRFR (their level of success at that is no different than those who market their powered speakers as FRFR). They're usually very rugged and very hard to blow the large speakers if you go with anything with .10' to 15" (and tweeters).  The beauty of this setup is: it's  a portable PA, you can have Electric guitar, drums, bass, acoustic , vocals etc. They're also expandable if you should ever need to expand;  If the amp has stereo link than you can get another one and it will be true stereo. Anything from Roland usually will last you a life time. 

    • Upvote 2
  17. Thank you for the response, but I don't see how the 4 cable method can help with the issue I'm having.

    -When you to a bundle all patches are saved including all set lists

    The reason I suggested this is because most players who use it with amp use the 4 cable method. 

    There are other things that might help when you set your output mode which is probably the most significant setting to the overall sound:

     

     

    this is from the  manual page 2-8:

     

    "Combo Front& Stack Front: For connecting into the front input of a typical 
    combo amp or amp head + external cab, respectively. When choosing either of
    these Modes, you’ll see the following additional options for further tone shaping:
    • Lows (Knob 2):Attenuates the low frequencies.
    • Focus (Knob 3):Increases the overall midrange.
    • Highs (Knob 4):Attenuates the high frequencies"
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