Attention Line 6 some honest feedback from a new user..pros and cons

[awesomejohn7]

Dear Line 6..

I dont know if this is the appropriate place to place this feedback but I also wanted to share it withother new users of the HD500X who may have shared my experiences.

 

First of all I am a positive person, so everything I say here is with "good intent"

I feel that Line6 is a leader in the modeling technology field, I also liked the networking and communication they had with their customers so "that is why" I pulled the trigger and purchased a HD500X 3 days ago.

 

About me: I a pro musician (electric Guitarist) who plays over 200 shows a season. I have been playing for 46 years, I am somewhat well versed with digital gear (at least not a novice) and up till this point have used rack gear, Marshall JMP1 tube preamps , marshall 20/20 stereo power amps and Digitech rack FX's.. I was very very happy with my sound and always got loads of complements from fans and peers who loved my guitar sound. 

 

Due to the constant traveling my gear was getting banged up on the road so I wanted a new lighter weight compact "good sounding" setup so I decided to pull the trigger and by an all in one modeling processor. I was going to buy an AXE FX until I surprisingly discovered that everyone who sold or used and AXFX had a very irritating chip on their shoulder and  this turned me off to that whole Fractal Audio Genre...later for that ...

 

The line 6 stuff seems more user friendly and the retail people involved were friendly and helpful so I took the plunge and bought one....  I want to give the Line 6 guys some feedback on hows it going so far so you can use this information in your future R+D and product and software designs...

 

Also anyone else (fellow Line 6 user who may also have similar views) is welcome to post on this thread as well...

 

Okay lets start...

 

Adapter::::The first thing that the customer touches when they first try out their new bought product is the "power plug" in this case (adapter)   Okay the design used is Terrible, To have the weight of the adaptor hanging over the plug prongs is an invitation to disaster. It can become dislodged easily if accidentally bumped into on a crowded stage interrupting a live performance then you have to wait to reboot the unit etc.... 

 

solution:  Use an adapter that has three segment 1) a good solid end plug that will fit snuggly into a socket and stay put... 2) a long sturdy wire cable that leads from that end plug to the actual adapter 3) and second long wire that lives the adaptor.  This is the "pro way" to do it so that it will survive tours and gigs etc... I found the present adapter and adapter system to be "kinda cheap" and unworthy of such a high end guitar processor. 

 

 

On/off switch ::::  ??????  please help me to understand why there is no on off switch on the HD500X? I once was a marketing promotions manger for a huge national distributor in Europe who sold Harman international products.  Including DOD rack gear and the DOD rack  units had no on/off switches and the customers were complaining so the retailers were retrofitting then with clicking on /off switches to the power cables of the units. Once at namm I asked the Harmon  directors "why are their no on/off switches on the DOD rack gear?"  and they said "cost reduction"... well I told them that this mindset would eventually kill the brands prestige and in the end thats what happened. I mean how much could a chinese on/off switch be? 10 cents?  Please help me to understand why there is no on/off swith on a 500 dollar flagship processor?

 

 

Ease of use and Programmability:: Okay I am not here to criticize as ı said before  I have good intent here to help out by giving you feedback that is usable in designing your new upgrades and products... so I wont go into detail about how difficult the unit is to program... "even with the editor"...  I will just give you suggestion about how to make it better...

 

suggestions: 

 

* You need and "escape" or "undo" button... you can design that into the hardware of the next generation of products but for now put one on the soft ware screen "where we can see it and don't have to dig for it".

 

* The logic used in the software design is compartmental. Which shouldn't be a problem, but there is no linear path of intuitive logic that takes a novice user from point A to Point B.   For example here are my suggestion. Have "a starting point software button that says Blank patch" .. a clean slate to begin and add things... give the user an option to start from absolute zero,  or to pick an template algorithm and add on from there. 

 

There is a lot more I would want to suggest but I dont want to seem like I am ranting.. because I am not.. I am a Line 6 owner and Line 6 user now... but I will admit that after owning the unit for 3 days I was ready to give it back to the dealer and go with another processor... but then I plugged it into my computer and played the son of plexi patch along with a jam track and really loved the tube like response of the HD software...So I decided to keep the unit and go all the way with it....

 

Then I used the Monkey software to update the unit and saw the new amp bundles and gruntingly paid the extra 99 bucks for the whole combined bundle... so I sit here looking at all these new amps (no presets included in that 100 dollar bundle which kind of let me down... wished you would have put some presets with the new amps... so I went online and bought the new patches bundle from   Glenn DeLaune that uses the new amps in the latest Line 6 update...

 

So all in all I have been just spending money and more money, looking at the absence of the on/off switch, the difficulty of the maze like software and the really flimsy power adapters and saying to myself "I should let these guys know what I think, just like I let Harman international know what I thought about the short coming of their stuff at the time" ..  

 

Well the moral of the story is that Harman was huge company that had the signal processing market pretty much sewn up until they started "cutting costs here and there and everywhere"  and along the way people got dissapointed ...  and along came the new companies that delivered innovation and better performance and these new companies took over the field... one of those new companies is Line 6... :)

 

So I would suggest that you heed the warnings and suggestion of this pro musician who just purchased your unit and was very disappointed with the lack of certain important features like a high quality adapter and an on/off switch and found your software to be "not user friendly enough and at times pretty frustrating"...

 

The only thing that saved this unit from going back to the store this morning was the sound and feel of the son of plexi patch ....  Oh ....one final suggestion you should have some "professional working man musicians" make up some "gigging banks" for the guy who wants to buy your unit and do a gig the same night... as it stands now this unit seems more catered to the bedroom guitarist which is okay buy you should make it easier for the working dude to just get up and go to a show "without having to shell out an extra 100 bucks for a software update"...

 

 

So I respectfully offer these suggestions to you dear friends at Line 6... I hope you listen to them and are still around many years from now and don't make the same cost cutting mistakes that caused so many big companies to lose their brand prestige and sales momentum.

 

warmest regards

Awesome John

Professional Musician, Guitar Designer ( owner of Grand Master Guitars)

Former Promotional Director for Marshall, Harman, Fender, St Louis Music, and 67 other international brands in the regional distribution of the Euro/Turkish Market.

[joel_brown]

A lot of people here have said the same things, over and over.  But it's always good for Line6 to hear them, again and again, until they get it right.

[cruisinon2]

I mean how much could a chinese on/off switch be? 10 cents?  Please help me to understand why there is no on/off swith on a 500 dollar flagship processor?

 

 

I doubt it would even be that much...

[Mr_Arkadin]

Many good points, all of which Line 6 are very much aware of by now. I think any new product they produce will definitely have on/off switches from this point on.

 

The PSU is a bugbear of mine, from other companies too. I bought Boss' RC-300 recently to replace my RC-50 and the RC-50's PSU was a proper Boss old-style: big with cables coming out of both ends. The new RC-300 one is very much like the Line 6 one. It's even worse with the UK adapter on (again most other company's are like this) where the PSU becomes 'inverted' so that the cable comes out of the top rather than the bottom. Why, oh why?

 

I have to question your spending logic though. You've had the HD500X three days and you've already exhausted the possibilites with the included amps? You really didn't need to buy the new amps just yet. I think it would have been a better idea to get used to thing before making that decision: I really don't think you can blame Line 6 for that.

 

As to the Axe FX crowd... yeah there's a lot of snobbery and shoulder-chippery that most sane people can do without.

 

Welcome aboard.

[bjnette]

First impressions always give insight on how something could be and are valuable I'm sure to any manufacturer of anything. Welcome aboard!

 

It is early days for you and there will be plenty to discover and get used to how it is done with your POD HD500X.

A great analogy I once read when first here near 3 years ago was if someone gave you 30 amps to try out it would take a while not too mention 99 different pedal and rack FX. 

So give yourself some time to get to grips with it all.

 

 

My advice is start with a new tone (blank patch)and just try only the  amps and see what you can get with your guitar and save those as presets for later on.

 

The amp  modeling is very good imo, definitely adequate and  editing onboard is as easy for me as is thru EDIT.

I see no reason not to get the new amps. They are unto themselves distinct like those already in the unit are each unique.

 

Do not go by presets in evaluating the unit as most are showy and frankly are for routing possibilities.

Concentrate on your amps first.

[Charlie_Watt]

A cheap power switch is far worse than none at all!  I just use a power strip to power the pod and my powered speaker.  The power strip has a switch.  If it had a switch, I wouldn't use it anyway.

[maxnew40]

The lack of a power switch has never been an issue with me. It would be just another point of possible failure and nearly everyone has the crappy power supply unit connected to a power strip anyway.

 

-Max

[Digital_Igloo]

Dear Line 6..

I dont know if this is the appropriate place to place this feedback but I also wanted to share it withother new users of the HD500X who may have shared my experiences.

 

Thanks, awesomejohn7.  :) Keep 'em coming.

[pianoguyy]

Ease of use --- it gets easier. And isn't too hard when you consider the amount of options available, some of which aren't even available on analog pedals because they are pre-set with those options which is why we end up choosing one pedal over another. Here, you're given a blank slate and can build from scratch. 

Power button --- I don't think the rack gear needs one. The floor units do. However, that brings us to... 

Power plug --- I fixed both the problem of the button and plug, by having a case/board made, because I am also a professional musician and can't have my gear going without a case. It protects on stage and off. 

Blank Tone - While it is a good idea, I think the application on the unit would be more difficult than you think. And it is very easy to do on the EDIT software. 

 

'working man' tones can be found on customtone, or around the web. I don't know how well a one-size-fits-all patch would work. Pop sounds different than rock which sounds different than metal which sounds different than metalcore.  But... 

Being a professional, and using an untested fx unit that replaces every single piece of equipment you own is... I don't even like being backlined unless I trust the event coordinator. I had my pod for months before I took it out of my house, and I even had 'test gigs' with it before I started using it at real gigs. 

 

 

Although, admittedly, it is possible that my schedule is why it took me so long to feel comfortable with it. lol. 

Also, the autism makes me a little anal about certain things. 

 

 

 

 

** 

And I will just like to point out --- 

be careful what you wish for. Not only is this technology years old, and probably going to be replaced soon (leaving you with an unsupported and outdated piece of hardware), but you also need to consider that L6 has been bought by a 'big box' manufacturer. It is totally possible that this is the last L6 product I ever buy because of the issues I have with other gear from the parent company. 

To me, they include "bells and whistles" like bluetooth and wifi, but the actual functions that you would buy a unit for is typically 5 years behind the rest of the industry. 

 

Its like buying a phone that has gps, mp3, camera, and everything you can imagine --- but it lacks the ability to make phone calls. 

[awesomejohn7]

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome.. I sincerely appreciate the good energy and positive attitude. If this was an Axe FX forum I would have been told to go f#%k myself a long time ago. So I can see that I have chosen the right company judging ny the good vibes and solid info I have received from my first post on this forum.

 

Thank you for your suggestions.. yes.. I agree that the best way to start is just to play the amps clean and see how they feel and then take it from there..But this unit is full of patches that are just sounds and more space effects than guitar tones... I need to clean up my unit from the many needles patches and just get some work horse patches written and placed on some "bread money gig banks" :)

 

 

While I have you attention here may I please just ask you a few dumb "beginner questions" so that I can get rolling with my HD500X asap...

 

Thank you for your patience and tolerance with my newby questions..

I am sure you must get a ton of these.. just bear with me and help me out with these few points dear friends...

 

 

I need help with just a few things here..

 

A) I purchased some 3rd party patches on line from Glenn DeLaune ... they sound good... they were sent to me in a zip file..  they are full of patches each in a .5ex format .. when I click them then the HD500X.edit.exe program opens and plays them in my unit. So far so good. But How do select them all and have all them imported onto the user set lists at once?

 

b) How do I delete a patch totally to leave create empty space for more usable patches? 

 

c)  How do I undo an action to revert to where ı started?

 

d) How do I set up the pedalboard so that I have 8 buttons two rows of four switches all operating as a patch bay. I dont need effects on and off in the top row.. I need 8 good usable patches instantly available without me scrolling bank up and down.. 8 switches  each assigned to a patch.. This is how I want to use my 500HDX... and have it send midi out info to switch my outboard tube amps channels when I use the 4 cable method. 

 

Thank you in advance for your help here.. much appreciated!

 

warmest regards

Awesome John

[Palico]

Agreed on the lack of a switch and the power plug.

 

The editor and software too me I think most people expect too much. If you got all these pedals and amps one room and started just hooking up cords and guitar how long and how much effort would it take the find the tone you are looking for? Probably a pretty good while to dial it all in and then find something what works.  I look at the patches the same way.

 

I also think there is at least one other area you missed.  Volume leveling between patches. Line 6 please next time around put at DB meter on this so I can level the volume level between one patch as the next a bit easier.

[pianoguyy]

For starters: 

Computer. EDIT. And many backups. 

I have backups of bundles, setlists, and patches. So, yes, I may have a bundle, but I have every setlist in that bundle, and then every patch in that setlist saved too.  And then, I have backups of my backups in case something happens to the original backup. 

I have, files for other units saved, plus a file for the original conversion, and then if I make any changes. 

 

The point is.... 

using a computer is always a good thing. As of right now, I have 40megabytes of patches. That doesn't include setlists and bundles and zips, or complete backups of everything. 

 

 

 

So, knowing that little tidbit... the answers are: 

 

A. First, use the drag and drop method, rather than the click-it method.

But unfortunately, you can't import multiple files at a time. You can export them in bulk, but you can't import them. BUT, once imported, you can create a setlist so that the next time you want to import them all, you can import the setlist instead. Plus, as previously mentioned, a setlist can be yet another copy of all of the files. 

 

B. There is no delete.

Using the EDIT software: You can drag a New Tone to overwrite the current tone.  Yes, I suggest saving a blank patch, setlist, and bundle. 

 

C. You can't undo a last action. But in the EDIT software, you can click receive (in the upper left corner) to revert to the last saved item on the pod. 

 

D. You can't do the 8-patch selection. You would think that it would be an option, but it is not. 

[joel_brown]

Since you're new to the PODHD here's a couple gotcha's or quirks that it has:

 

1) Set Input 1 to Guitar and Input 2 to something else - don't set it to Same.  Otherwise it doubles the input volume and sounds like crap.

2) Input Impedance - don't just use Auto.  Try lower settings to darken or reduce the brightness of the tone.  Some of use 32k or some other number than Auto.

 

I'm sure a few others can chime in with a few other things but these two helped me a bunch when I first started.

[Digital_Igloo]

...but you also need to consider that L6 has been bought by a 'big box' manufacturer. 

 

To be fair, Yamaha's been very hands off, as they've historically been with Steinberg, Bösendorfer, and Nexo. Unlike certain sketchy MI conglomerates that will remain unnamed, we've effectively been told "We love what Line 6 does. Keep doing it."

 

Aside from Variax Standard, the biggest impact thus far has been that Line 6 moved booths at Frankfurt Musikmesse, as Yamaha is our new European distributor. They've been really supportive, and are super cool people.

[cruisinon2]

To be fair, Yamaha's been very hands off, as they've historically been with Steinberg, Bösendorfer, and Nexo. Unlike certain sketchy MI conglomerates that will remain unnamed, we've effectively been told "We love what Line 6 does. Keep doing it."

 

 

So they're a giant wallet...awesome! ;)

[pianoguyy]

To be fair, Yamaha's been very hands off, 

 

And since my last setup lasted 20+ years, I have the history to backup my next line: 

I don't intend on buying a new product any time soon. From you or anyone else. 

 

(I go through more guitars than I do stripper girlfriends. But the rest of the rig remains constant.) 

 

But its good to hear, that as of today, they haven't changed things for you. 

[Dshow]

There are lots of good points you mentioned awesomejohn7 and I agree with most of them.

 

But I find 3 days is too short, even if you are a pro. I think you should spend some more time with the unit (of course this will not solve the hardware issues ;-) ). Especially with programming you own patches. The factory presets are not good - everybody says that (I don't get why they don't change that). In addition everybody has it's own tone in mind and has different gear so one single patch will sound different.

 

I only was satisfied with the HD500 when I started to dial my own tones or at least tweaking some of the costume tones.

[edstar1960]

Welcome aboard awesomejohn7!

 

I agree with you about the fragile power supply - I have raised an ideascale request asking for it to be made tour grade robust - ideally as a 3 piece unit like a laptop power adaptor.

 

The power switch doesn't bother me - I just use a power strip with a switch.

 

As for ESCAPE or UNDO - well I don't think it needs one - as long as you don't SAVE your changes to the unit then the original setting is still there ready for you to reload by pressing the patch footswitch again or If you are in HD500 EDIT just re-receive the patch from the unit.  Patch restored.

 

As for a clean slate template - the easiest thing to do is save the USER 4 setlist as it is from the factory - which is just an entire setlist of blank patches - save it as BLANK SETLIST. Then save just one of the blank patches as BLANK PATCH.   Next backup everything on your HD500X as FACTORY RESET BACKUP BUNDLE. Then you can load in your BLANK SETLIST to each of the SETLIST memory locations to completely clear the unit down. Then save that as BLANK BUNDLE so you can use it to reset your entire unit if you want to start with a complete blank slate.

 

You can use the HD500X in ABCD or FS5-8 mode - it 's a choice in the SETUP MENU.  ABCD is the default that allows bottom 4 switches (ABCD) to choose patches within same bank., and top 4 switches to be assigned to switch fx on/off within currently selected patch.  FS5-8, allows all 8 switches to be assigned to control fx on/off within currently selected patch (so it behaves like a fixed pedal board - but a pedal board that gives you 16x4 pedal boards within each set list!   Although it doesn't allow you to configure it to have each of the 8 fs go directly to a new patch - I have never found that to be a problem as how often do you need 8 different patches within one song? Plenty of time between songs to hit the up/down bank and then a patch select button - plus you then still get another 4 buttons for each patch to control fx on/off which gives a ton of flexibility for live use.

 

My advice is to start simple with mono patches just with an amp and build up a few base level patches like that for particular sounds. Then get to know what each of the DEP parameters do and how best to tweak them for your sound/style.  Once you have the nuances of each amp down - then add fx as needed - again one at a time so you can hear exactly what difference they make to the sound.

 

Also - make sure you understand the routing options - the input/output and the paths A and B - and how it all works together as it is very easy to get confused and produce horrible sounding patches just because of bad routing choices.    There is a very detailed thread by perapera on the subject of routing schematics.

 

Plenty of very good helpful and knowledgeable people on these boards who will gladly help you out.

 

Hope this info helps! 

 

Good luck!  And welcome once again!

 

:)

[JTSC777]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Please post some more thoughts after about 3 months with the HD500.Three days is kind of a short amount of time but hey we live in a short term thinking kind of world.If you really want to pull your hair out dive down the Roland VG/GR guitar synthesizer hole lol!

I have found my HD500 to be a pretty good gigging tool. Lots of great folks to help you here.

 

Good Luck!

[pianoguyy]

The factory presets are not good - everybody says that (I don't get why they don't change that). 

 

I view them as demonstration pieces, not keepers. 

No different than a demo button on a $15,000 keyboard. 

 

How else do you know what the unit is capable of, unless there is some sort of preset that shows off weird and unusual capabilities. 

[cruisinon2]

The factory presets are not good - everybody says that (I don't get why they don't change that). In addition everybody has it's own tone in mind and has different gear so one single patch will sound different.

 

 

 

You answered your own question. They can re-work the presets from now till Doomsday and it won't matter. What they sound like to whomever crafts them ain't what they're gonna sound like in your hands, or mine, or anyone else's. Just because you stick me behind the wheel of Jeff Gordon's car, doesn't mean I can drive like that...

[Charlie_Watt]

I disagree.  Good presets would sound ok to almost anyone.  Not great but they could be tweaked to your taste and to your equipment.  Most of the factory presets are not up to those standards.  Compare them to the new Variax presets.  Those are much better to start with - not way overdone.  And I would not mind at all driving Jeff Gordon's car.  (not like him of course but it would handle better than most)

[cruisinon2]

I disagree.  Good presets would sound ok to almost anyone.  Not great but they could be tweaked to your taste and to your equipment.  Most of the factory presets are not up to those standards.  Compare them to the new Variax presets.  Those are much better to start with - not way overdone.  And I would not mind at all driving Jeff Gordon's car.  (not like him of course but it would handle better than most)

 

Fair enough. I did not bother with the new presets, and I don't intend to. I kept everything when I installed the new firmware. It's taken me more than a year to get to where I am with the POD, and I'm quite happy with the results. No point in rocking the boat, deleting set-lists and re-installing bundles. This stuff has enough quirks as it is...

[brue58ski]

<p>I hate the power supply. My solution was to</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1) Buy an extension cord. The one I have holds the power supply very securely.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2) But an elbow adapter for the direct connection. If you do this make sure you get one that is 2.5mm NOT 2mm or 2.1mm. like the Line 6 documents say. I spent $20 finding this out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here's elbow I got.</p>
<p> </p>

 

<p>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L74PGI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1</p>

[ppiluk]

The power supply is something I haven't even thought about but now that you mention it its a great point!

[Meiannatee]

My advice is start with a new tone (blank patch)and just try only the  amps and see what you can get with your guitar and save those as presets for later on.

 

The amp  modeling is very good imo, definitely adequate and  editing onboard is as easy for me as is thru EDIT.

I see no reason not to get the new amps. They are unto themselves distinct like those already in the unit are each unique.

 

Do not go by presets in evaluating the unit as most are showy and frankly are for routing possibilities.

Concentrate on your amps first.

Good points, and here’s how I’ve been trying out the amps.

 

1) Make your own “blank†preset. Mine’s not completely blank. I have a hard gate as the first FX, and a very gentle room reverb as the last (you may need a reverb if your room is very dry or you are using headphones). Rename the preset (BLANK, EMPTY, anything you like) and save.

 

2) Copy your “blank†preset to an empty slot. On PC it’s Ctrl+drag. Add an amp and cab of choice, do a rough adjustment on their parameters. Usually I like to reduce the Master DEP to under 60% to remove “cross-over distortionâ€, as some forum members here have pointed out.

 

3) Add a mid focus EQ. I set my high-pass to around 10-20% to remove boominess, and low-pass to around 70-85% to cut fizz. Other EQs like the parametric works too, but at this stage, the mid focus is faster to work with.

 

4) Level the patch. As for me, I use my “blank patch†as a reference, to get roughly consistent loudness. Because of this, my patches are usually quieter than Customtone ones, but it works for me. Note that some effects, like the EQs, can digitally clip if you send too hot a signal into them.

 

5) Save. Copy this patch to another slot, change the amp and/or cab, roughly dial in amp, cab and mid focus EQ. Save and repeat.

 

This way you can quickly come up with a handful of your favorite amp-cab combinations. Now, you can fine-tune them if you wish, then back-up on the computer! Using these as templates, copy them and add your desired toppings.

 

This is just my way of doing it. Beats starting from scratch every time. I’m sure others here have different ways of doing it that works for them.

 

(Additional note: I put a hardgate/noisegate at the front because I'm using the settings Input 1: Guitar, Input 2: Variax. The gate sums the left and right channels to mono)

[USAFHonorGuard]

I use a Ferman Power uint to protect my investment and the added noise reduction it gives for clean constant power to my Amps and Pod500x. That I just got today. I went right out to Harbor Freight and bought Foot Switch 2-Step Latching on/off for it. it is Model # 96618 it has a heave duty cord to plug into the outlet thick power cord that is just about 6' long. $13.00 it's plastic may not last long if you gig alot and it gets banged around but I don't know that yet. My point isThanks for your post I agree NOT 1 of my last floor 3 pods has ever had a problem with the on/off switch failing so why not add one. http://www.harborfreight.com/power-maintained-foot-switch-96618.html

[cruisinon2]

I use a Ferman Power uint to protect my investment and the added noise reduction it gives for clean constant power to my Amps and Pod500x. That I just got today. I went right out to Harbor Freight and bought Foot Switch 2-Step Latching on/off for it. it is Model # 96618 it has a heave duty cord to plug into the outlet thick power cord that is just about 6' long. $13.00 it's plastic may not last long if you gig alot and it gets banged around but I don't know that yet. My point isThanks for your post I agree NOT 1 of my last floor 3 pods has ever had a problem with the on/off switch failing so why not add one. http://www.harborfreight.com/power-maintained-foot-switch-96618.html

 

Forget PODs (of which I've had 3)...of the countless pieces of gear I've owned over the years, I've yet to have a single power switch on anything crap out. I wouldn't smack them with a hammer, but that aside, I really don't think they're all that fragile.

[FlyingsCool]

I disagree.  Good presets would sound ok to almost anyone.  Not great but they could be tweaked to your taste and to your equipment.  Most of the factory presets are not up to those standards.  Compare them to the new Variax presets.  Those are much better to start with - not way overdone.  And I would not mind at all driving Jeff Gordon's car.  (not like him of course but it would handle better than most)

 

Is that true that a good preset will sound good from one person to the next?  Perhaps using Variax gear, but change the guitar from Les Paul to a Strat, and then go further with custom pickups, and most likely one preset will sound completely different from one person to the next.

 

Not to mention the differences between what one person thinks sounds good to another's....

[cruisinon2]

Is that true that a good preset will sound good from one person to the next? Perhaps using Variax gear, but change the guitar from Les Paul to a Strat, and then go further with custom pickups, and most likely one preset will sound completely different from one person to the next.

 

Not to mention the differences between what one person thinks sounds good to another's....

You got it...and the guitar is just one variable. Patches can't just be swapped like baseball cards and be expected to yield identical results. It would be nice, and I'd be thrilled beyond description if I woke up tomorrow in a universe that was that orderly, but it ain't happening. Too many variables.

[Mainframemac]

One major thing I have to say about the HD500x is "Learning Curve" Seriously this thing is DEEP! I had a really hard time dealing with the 500X until I discovered "pedalboard mode" this mode turns the 500X into something i can understand, you get a "normal" pedal board to use adding all the effects and you can also keep the same foot switch numbers for similar effects when you make your own tones. 

 

I have a couple of things for you that might help you enjoy the 500x

 

1. Get over the power switch or devise a work around, (this was difficult for me I can't wrap my head around not having an on and off switch!) I sometimes put my finger near the power plug and imagine I am turning it off????? 

 

2. Stop spending money and spend time building your own tones, (READ THE MANUAL!) keep in mind you can put in the effects you desire, this thing has them, the sounds you can create with this are almost endless, you have to start building your own tones to really get to know your way around. Use the Edit software and drag and drop, it takes a while for the L6 "language" to sink in but once it does you will have no problem.

 

3. Watch all the youtube videos you can, and read as much of this forum you can also, there are some "Genius" caliber folks on here you would never normally have access to.They are always willing to help you out of a jam.

 

4. Keep in mind if you are trying to accomplish something with the 500x and can't quite seem to pull it off it is YOU not the board LOL keep digging, searching, asking and dig some more until you "get it" some examples are setting up an extra expression pedal for volume and wah, Global EQ, and my favorite, Variax "forced" settings I LOVE these, I play in a Praise band/orchestra and my leader likes to jump from one song to the next almost instantly and it is nice to have a failsafe for my tunings/tones/guitar settings all wrapped into a push of a button for an intro I am required to do.

 

5. No matter what anyone tells you the 500X is a high end piece, the better the PA system you play through the better you will sound! My friend just told me yesterday he saw Kelly Clarkson's guitar player was using the 500X and 2 L2's for monitors on stage. My point to this is if the big guys use it it must be good. I have a Lincoln Breuster tone I use very week I can't imagine living without.

 

6. Use a PA to get your tones down, they will sound better when you play out than if you use an amp, (unless you haul that same amp every gig an mike it)

 

7. Did I mention the power switch? Oh yeah

 

Enjoy! and welcome to the forum

 

 

Here is a power foot switch you can try,

 

 http://www.amazon.com/Linemaster-T-91-SC3A-Treadlite-Electrical-Momentary/dp/B005GRDZO0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1395053762&sr=8-6&keywords=power+foot+switch

[pianoguyy]

 

5. No matter what anyone tells you the 500X is a high end piece, 

 

Well, let's not go crazy. 

I use a HD500. It replaced every piece of gear that went between my guitar and the pa. I do not intend on replacing it anytime soon. 

But calling it a 'high end piece' is taking it a bit too far. 

 

It is certainly not the Wal-Mart quality that people have become accustomed to in their products. Yes, I just said that we have lowered our own expectations to the point of thinking average is great. But calling it high end is just laughable. 

[Mainframemac]

I stand by my words, don't care what anyone else thinks LOL haven't gone crazy I think the 500x is a high end piece I guess it depends on the ability one has to understand the product. That to me is the laughable part.

[panaman]

input settings:

there is no right or wrong but since guitar-same is the default setting, it shouldnt be discarded as wrong. 

same goes for setting both pans to center.

 

routing:

just recently with new findings on stereo thru vs. true stereo effects the schematics had to be redrawn.

5 years into the product and still nobody understands the routing fully.

 

sounds different depending on equipment:

why is it then that Glenn sells patches and they probably do sound great for all?

 

customtone: (and factory presets)

there are some weak ones. some mediocre, some great and a few surprises. something like 5000 tones on customtone.

thank you all for sharing. new tones can really bring new ideas and new ways of playing. tweak a little, add your favorite effect (cave? particle verb? or just pitch).

 

power switch:

wouldnt make much sense on the unit when the wart is always on. would still ne a nice feature. better to have the power supply inside the unit and a power switch.

 

get a exp2 pedal

get a 2nd pedal to complement the pods effects or add the ones that the pod doesnt have or doesnt emulate that great.

[Anse]

I appreciate your input.As a veteran music retail pro myself, your insights hit home.I have not had great success with communication on these forums (note my rating in the "red"),because I dare question the so-called "Experts" and "Gurus".I too,decided to use this equipment despite misgivings,and appreciate your input.

[Anse]

input settings:

there is no right or wrong but since guitar-same is the default setting, it shouldnt be discarded as wrong. 

same goes for setting both pans to center.

 

routing:

just recently with new findings on stereo thru vs. true stereo effects the schematics had to be redrawn.

5 years into the product and still nobody understands the routing fully.

 

sounds different depending on equipment:

why is it then that Glenn sells patches and they probably do sound great for all?

 

customtone: (and factory presets)

there are some weak ones. some mediocre, some great and a few surprises. something like 5000 tones on customtone.

thank you all for sharing. new tones can really bring new ideas and new ways of playing. tweak a little, add your favorite effect (cave? particle verb? or just pitch).

 

power switch:

wouldnt make much sense on the unit when the wart is always on. would still ne a nice feature. better to have the power supply inside the unit and a power switch.

 

get a exp2 pedal

get a 2nd pedal to complement the pods effects or add the ones that the pod doesnt have or doesnt emulate that great.

I agree with all! Re: Power switch,some folks go on and on without addressing the root problem-the power adapter which is not designed for stage use or any wear and tear at all.

[Digital_Igloo]

But calling it high end is just laughable. 

 

Laughable's a bit strong, considering PODs are used on major label records and arena tours every day. "High end" is even more of a meaningless term than "professional."

 

One of my favorite bands still uses an overloaded Yamaha 4-track cassette for guitar distortion. Use what sounds good to your ear; punt the naysayers.

[cruisinon2]

 

 

One of my favorite bands still uses an overloaded Yamaha 4-track cassette for guitar distortion.

 

I'll bite...who? Or is it some closely guarded secret? ;)

[Digital_Igloo]

I'll bite...who? Or is it some closely guarded secret? ;)

 

Nope. Medicine. Of course, their guitar tone is... not for everyone.

 

I should probably let Ben tell the story, but he played The Jesus and Mary Chain's "Never Understand" for another sound designer, which was met with "They mixed it like that on purpose?!"

 

Luckily for you guys, I don't include too many guitar tones like that for POD.

[ppiluk]

Calling the POD HD500x a high end device is a matter of opinion. Some will say it is and some will say its not.

 

 

Personally, I consider it to be a Pro level device that is very well built. Does that make it a high end device? To some. For me I can say its the best out of the 5 or 6 Multi-Pedals that I have tried. In many cases, its a far superior product. I have tried Multi-Pedals from Boss, Digitech and Zoom and I have had the greatest level of success from my POD HD500.