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Hello, I have had my Pod HD 500x for over 2 years and I am very happy with it. I have learned many things regarding the wonderful world of tech knowledge and effects. I have always been more of a player than a gear head. So my understanding of certain effects and specs is very limited. I run my Pod through my Soldano Lucky 13 Tube Amp and it sounds great on many of my tones. I am happy with my Blues Overdrive tones and clean tones. I even have a decent classic rock AC/DC sounding patch I created using a Plexi Lead Bright Amp. My downfall in tone creation is my limited understanding of Compressors, Noisegates, EQ, and things like that. My goal is to try to create a tight sounding Metal tone. I am looking for a Lamb Of God kind of sound (obviously I don't expect to play or sound like Mark or Willy from Lamb Of God) however, that is my desired style of tone. I have a pretty plain patch created where the only thing in the chain is the Treadplate amp with a good amount of drive and basic configurations of the amp knobs. It sounds good but it's lacking good sustain and it's not very clear when I play leads. It sounds muddy and I know I can change it but I am not sure where to start. I gave up on noisegates because it clips my leads when I try to sustain. I'd rather just deal with the amp buzz than sacrifice tone. My real question is about compressors. There's the blue comp, Red comp, Vetta Juice... I have zero clue what these do and how to use them but obviously they are useful because I see many people have them in their effects chains. What do each of them do? And where do I start? I know I am a total tech dummy but I figure the only way to learn is to ask people who do know and experiment with it. I noticed there is different types of EQ's I can use too. Why is that? I normally use Global EQ but my understanding of that is limited. Also where do I put these effects in my chain? Before or after the amp? Do add extra distortion to an already overdriven amp? I've seen people add overdrives to amp models that are already overdriven. It just sounds awful when I do it. But I assume there is a good way to do it. This piece of equipment is very deep in details and I do love it however, I find myself confused a lot. I figure I can also improve some of my current tones if I learn more about EQ and compressors. One of my biggest complaints with my Marshall tone is that there is hardly any sustain of my bends. The tone just goes flat. I am using a Gibson Les Paul and Gibson SG by the way. Thanks in advance for answers. I realize there is alot to answer in my post.