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Pod Hd500 And Frfr Question


ddewees
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I have a few questions regarding POD HD500. This is my second HD500, having owned one previously. I know this topic has discussed in multiple threads. Some I have read others I may have missed. My new HD500 is in transit so I haven’t been able to sit down and relearn all the ins and outs yet.

 

I currently have a Tech 21 Power Engine. However I am looking closely at powered monitor FRFR options. The PE is ok but recent research confirms my past results: building patches on the PE then trying to go direct does not always yield accurate sounds. While the PE is relatively lightweight and can sound like an amp, I really don’t want to take an extra piece of gear to church if don’t have to. With this venue and sound team, I don’t need to.

 

I am trying to identify the best solution for monitoring of the POD HD at home while creating patches. My primary use will be at church in worship band playing Hillsong and other contemporary songs. Here’s how I see myself using the HD500 at home:

  1. Prepare patches for church wanting them to sound good in the PA and monitor mix with minimal tweaking on the fly. No need to take an extra amp as stage monitors and sound team are very gifted and reliable. IEMs are an option in the future too.
  2. Practice songs at home to prepare for church – I may be running direct into an audio interface to mac but at times will want to play thru the FRFR at home at moderate volume to tweak and just for fun sometimes
  3. Practice and play other songs from rock, country and jazz in a similar fashion to #2
  4. There may be a time in the future where I would us the powered monitor on stage at a jam session or other musical settings such as solo acoustic guitar or even bass

 

I am considering selling off the PE60 and a Crate Acoustic amp to fund the majority of this purchase.

 

Has anyone been successful in using the PE60 to set up patches that work in a direct PA setting? Is it possible to play thru the PE60 in combo / power amp mode then switch to direct mode when plugged into a PA and have the patches sound the same? I was setting up patches in studio/direct mode on the PE60. However, into the PA it sounded very digital and sterile.

 

I’m looking for opinions on powered monitors that fit into a $200 to $500 range. I realize that a $200 Behringer model will not sound as good as a $700 to $800 QSC K8 or K10.  I do see a lot of options in my price range. Will these powered monitors be transparent enough to get me in the ball park matching what I will hear in the PA?  Will I need to adjust or compensate for differences between the powered monitor at home and the actual PA at church? Is that any different than the PE60?

 

I could get time at church on the PA to adjust and tweak but I want to make that time as efficient as possible.

 

Other questions/considerations:

When connecting the HD500 to a computer is there a difference between a USB hub and direct into computer? I have a Macbook bought in 2011.

XLR out of POD or ¼†out of POD? Do I need to be consistent between home with powered monitor and church going direct to make sure patches will sound the same?

 

I appreciate any insights and/or direction to other threads that discuss this topic.

 

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I think you are wise to consider FRFR studio monitors in your home if you want to get your patches to sound as close to possible to how they sound at your church. I don't think there's a huge difference in the quality of sound that different studio monitors will deliver within a competitive price range (as long as they are truly FRFR). I think the most important factor is the size of the speaker. The bigger the better (certainly no less than 5" I recommend), but your budget will be your guide here.

 

The reason that speaker size is so important is that this has a great impact on the maximum loudness that can be achieved without distortion. And listening at loud levels  is important when building your patches because louder volumes inevitably affect the sound/tonality. That's a reality of the human ear independent of equipment. The louder you can listen to your patches at home thru FRFR while constructing them, the closer they will sound to the way they will in your church. But still, you will need some tweaking time at church to adjust for volume and venue differences.

 

Since you are mainly in the one venue, your church, it might be worthwhile maintaining two setlists of patches - one for church and one for home. I think you might start with a fair bit of time for yourself in the church tweaking your patches to taste. Then take them home and figure out what adjustments will make them sound good thru your FRFR monitors. Then, when building new patches at home, after getting them to sound good at home, you can reverse the adjustments to get a good starting point for your associated church patches. This should minimize future tweaking time during setup at church.

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Yep interesting issue and as always Siliverhead gives sound advice...

 

I also own a PE I use it in Studio direct mode which you would think was incorrect given that its a power amp combo. But I have never been able to get it to sound right with power amp mode - it sounds to harsh, so went back to Studio Direct. I think the PE speaker seems to have a much bigger range than a standard guitar amp which is why it can work Ok with studio direct. Don't le me put you off trying combo power amp though I've seen several heated disucssions on other forums about this very issue, but I digress...

 

If I am at a small gig I do use the XLR out from the PE into the PA. I never thought that micing up the PE a good idea since Studio Direct has all the mic reflection etc etc built in. By micing up your adding all that in again. Yep the tweaters in the PA speakers do alter the sound  but I compensate on the board - I think it sounds OK if I'm honest not perfect but good enough for the crapy accoutics in the smaller venues. Really I am using the PA in this instance to give me better spread of sound rather than being the main noise provider.

 

One of the big limitations of the HD500 over the 400 and 300 is that it only has one output mode. On the other models you can split the output mode. Hence with the other models you could have power amp combo into the PE and Studio Direct to PA at the same time.

 

OK however if I plug directly into the PA at larger venues I have do have seperate patches which I am afraid to add were developed by standing in front of the PA. Using FRFR monitors at home was only a starting point but as silverhead says you need to adjust for the actual venue. I always think that direct to the board offers by far the most convience but for the maximum amount of work since you really do need the full kit to get the sound right.

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I'm a church player myself, and my HD500 purchase happened a few months ago specifically because we went to a silent stage and I needed to make sure I had something that sounded great for that.  At home, I make my patches using my KRK studio monitors.  I've been getting fantastic results using those. 

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There's some info on this thread that can be useful for you.
My reference monitors, the ones I use at home, are the Alesis M1 Active ('99).
They're not the eigth wonder, but I know how they sound, so they work for me.
And the monitor wedges I'm using live are a pair of these:

http://www.thomann.de/es/the_box_ma120_mk_ii.htm

They were really cheap, and sincerely, I wasn't expecting them to sound as good as they do.
If I were playing bigger venues, I would probably like to have regular guitar speakers behind me, 

but for most places, specially indoors, I'm much more comfortable with wedge monitors. 
They face me, and they project the sound towards my ears, not towards my back or my as$,

so I get to use just the volume I need, without deafening the crowd, the band or myself. 

That also contributes to making the sound guy love working with me... or so he says

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Everyone, thank you for all the answers. I will proceed cautiously and experiment with a few different options when shopping for an FRFR monitor. Likewise, I'll spend the time to really experiment with shaping a building my patches. I'm not scheduled to play at church again to late May. If I don't my patches ready I can just use the house amp (roland cube 40xl) and my M9. 

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I build patches and play through two 10 in. Alto FRFR active speakers in stereo at home -church and anywhere else. Inexpensive and loud with pretty good fidelity. I always test all my tones at volume and wont use them at worship or elsewhere until I do.I also use an older Roland KC300 with a 400 watt eminence delta driver and upgraded tweeter in it for smaller rooms. Either way I turn up to regular playing volume and make adjustments. Good Luck with your worship assignment!

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This may not  be optimal for you but  for FRFR output onstage I use a Behirnger Keyboard amp for one side of the HD (as a monitor) output and then send the other side directly to the board.

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I picked up an Alto TS110a to use at home. I also upgraded my audio interface to a Focusrite Safire 2i2. I am working with a few amps (Park 75, AC30 and DrZ) building patches with some variations.I am scheduled to play at church next weekend. I will have Weds evening for rehearsal to try out my patches. 

 

I am using the Lincoln Brewster Park 75 patches as a baseline sound.

 

I am trying to crank up the volume at home to see if I notice changes. 

 

I plan on doing some recording this weekend to compare  the patches I have built so far.

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