Recording POD HD500 without using USB, is it possible?

[Kroepoek]

So I've had my POD HD500 for quite a while now and have always used it for recording my guitar playing by using its USB port to send the signal directly to a DAW on my pc. However, as many of you know the USB port is not well made and consists of a few loose pins, and inevitably one of the pins inside has broken off, due to wear over time and me not being too careful with it. I don't have a warranty and I've heard from others that repairing it is not easy or cheap.

 

So currently I'm looking for a way to record my guitar without using that port. I've thought about using an audio interface but I'm not sure if this will work in combination with the POD. I could just put a mic in front of my amp too, however my amplifier is really cheap and I don't have much to spend on an expensive microphone or amp at the moment.

 

If you have any ideas for a solution please share.

[silverhead]

You can connect the POD HD anlaog outputs to the inputs of any standard audio interface with no issues.

[Kroepoek]

How should I connect the POD HD to an audio interface into a pc?

I assumed it wouldn't work because the POD is basically an audio interface itself

[silverhead]

Disconnect the POD usb cable from the pc. Connect the audio interface to the pc via usb.  Connect the POD audio outputs to the audio interface inputs rather than to speakers. You connect your speakers to the audio interface outputs. Your POD becomes simply an audio device, not an audio interface.

[Kroepoek]

I should be able to do that, thanks for the help.

[brue58ski]

Don't forget the S/PDIF digital output. You can record a dry signal that way as well. You can't using the USB.

[Kroepoek]

So I was able to borrow a simple audio interface to test out if it works and I ran into a little problem.

I had my guitar plugged into the POD and the 1/4" out connected to the audio interface. Then I plugged my headphones into the headphone port of the audio interface.

With it set up like this, I couldn't hear my guitar, I could only hear it if I recorded a track and listened to that. If I plug my headphones into the port on the POD I can hear the guitar but not my recorded tracks. 

[silverhead]

Also check your interfac device. There is sometimes a switch that controls whether or not the input signal is monitored.

[Kroepoek]

Sorry for the late reply. There is a direct monitor button on the audio interface but it doesn't seem to change anything.

My DAW (Reaper) is definitely picking up a signal from the interface, it's just that I can't hear myself playing if I put my headphones or speakers into the audio interface and I can't hear my recorded track if I plug my headphones or speakers into the POD. Also for some reason everything is much louder and more distorted when recorded via the interface. So I believe track monitoring is not the issue here, and if it is how can I change this?

[BillBee]

As you are no longer using the Pod as the interface there should be no recorded track playing through it. If the recorded sound is too loud either turn down the channel vol on the pod, the DAW or possibly the interface.

[Kroepoek]

 

as you can see in the above pic, in Reaper DAW the track must be armed for recording (red circle) and the speaker cone icon (in the pic it is still off)  must be turned on by clicking on it in order to enable and hear the monitoring..

 

if your recording is too distorted it means that the signal going into the audio interface is too big, therefore use the master volume knob control to adjust the POD output signal to an appropriate volume level,.. check the track meters, the signal shouldn't reach the red zone

 

That was the solution, thanks for the help everyone!

There is just a slight latency which is probably caused by my old pc but for the rest it works fine.