Great 2x12 Cab for Pod Hd500x

[Johnson1274]

Hi guys and gals! I have a Pod hd500x and I'm looking to lighten up my live gear. Before I was using an engl powerball and engl 4x12 and had the pod as effects, but the music that we play requires me to switch a bunch and with channel selecting on the amp and effect switching on the pod it got really crazy sometimes. So now I'm using the pod as pretty much my main tone (amp sim, cab sim, effects, etc.). I've since gotten rid of the engl as it was redundant to have the head, and the cab is a pain to lug around. So my question is does anyone have some recommendations for cabinets? If possible I wanna have a 2x12 with some power. Thanks!

[cruisinon2]

Hi guys and gals! I have a Pod hd500x and I'm looking to lighten up my live gear. Before I was using an engl powerball and engl 4x12 and had the pod as effects, but the music that we play requires me to switch a bunch and with channel selecting on the amp and effect switching on the pod it got really crazy sometimes. So now I'm using the pod as pretty much my main tone (amp sim, cab sim, effects, etc.). I've since gotten rid of the engl as it was redundant to have the head, and the cab is a pain to lug around. So my question is does anyone have some recommendations for cabinets? If possible I wanna have a 2x12 with some power. Thanks!

Matrix and Mission Engineering make powered FRFR 2x12 guitar cabinets...the Alto TS212's are also popular, but none of those are "traditional" guitar 2x12's...depends on what you're really after, and budget of course. The Alto's are more reasonably priced, the others start to get a bit expensive.

 

Imho, FRFR is the way to go, but if you really want a traditional 2x12 cab, you're gonna need a power amp, for which there are a million options, too.

[Johnson1274]

I forgot to mention that i am using a power amp, I use it purely for volume and running it into a cabinet. I have a 4x12 but the reason i said "power" 2x12 was in regards to wattage. Sorry, I'm horrible at explaining lol

[cruisinon2]

I forgot to mention that i am using a power amp, I use it purely for volume and running it into a cabinet. I have a 4x12 but the reason i said "power" 2x12 was in regards to wattage. Sorry, I'm horrible at explaining lol

Ok, if you're not looking to go FRFR and you already have a power amp, then you can get any 2x12 that floats your boat...BUT, anything you choose is gonna color the tone one way or the other. That's fine, unless you're also running The POD straight to the PA...in that scenario, the tone you'll be hearing on stage will be very different from what's going to the FOH. Makes dialing in tones difficult, as the two sources will sound SIGNIFICANTLY different.

[Johnson1274]

Ok, if you're not looking to go FRFR and you already have a power amp, then you can get any 2x12 that floats your boat...BUT, anything you choose is gonna color the tone one way or the other. That's fine, unless you're also running The POD straight to the PA...in that scenario, the tone you'll be hearing on stage will be very different from what's going to the FOH. Makes dialing in tones difficult, as the two sources will sound SIGNIFICANTLY different.

[Johnson1274]

Ya i won't be running into PA I've tried it at practice and i definitely see what you mean by differences. I wanted something along the lines of a Bugera vintage but i open to suggestions

[pianoguyy]

Maybe you misunderstood what he meant.... 

 

You are going to hear differences unless you make it so that you don't hear differences. The best way to not hear differences is to go FRFR, which will give you the "same" sound as what is coming out of the pa. Oh, and run direct to the pa - don't try putting a mic on your cab, lol. That defeats the purpose.

[Johnson1274]

Maybe you misunderstood what he meant....

 

You are going to hear differences unless you make it so that you don't hear differences. The best way to not hear differences is to go FRFR, which will give you the "same" sound as what is coming out of the pa. Oh, and run direct to the pa - don't try putting a mic on your cab, lol. That defeats the purpose.

Oh ok, so could you give me a diagram ( like "guitar -> amp head -> cab") but for the FRFR and PA Setup? Never tried direct before lol I'm so new to this part of the game haha

[cruisinon2]

Oh ok, so could you give me a diagram ( like "guitar -> amp head -> cab") but for the FRFR and PA Setup? Never tried direct before lol I'm so new to this part of the game haha

The whole point of gear like this, with onboard amp, cab, and mic sims, is to allow you to show up to a gig with nothing but a guitar and the POD. No need to mic a cabinet on stage if you've got virtual ones at your feet. If it's a venue that already has stage monitors, great...you're done. Run the POD straight to the board, and have the sound guy give you enough guitar in the monitors so you (and the rest of the band) can hear yourself.

 

If it's a smaller PA without monitors, then you need something for stage volume. Now you could use a traditional 2x12 cab and power amp for that, BUT...passive guitar cabinets and PA speakers have VERY different frequency responses. If you run the POD into both at the same time, you're going to hear two very different tones. Get one sounding "just right", and it's a virtual certainty that the other is gonna sound like baked a$$. Obviously, this makes creating patches next to impossible, because if you're dialing in your tones listening through your 2x12, you never know what that same patch will sound like through the PA, and vice versa. The only way to avoid this is to have whatever you're using for stage volume be the same type of speaker, with a similar frequency response, as the PA...ie, some sort of FRFR solution. This way you're hearing the same tone that's going out front. Otherwise, all bets are off.

 

I've since retired my POD for a Helix, but I did exactly as described above for years with the POD. Straight to the PA, with either my L2T as a floor monitor, or depending on the place, just using whatever wedges were already there. It's the simplest rig I've ever had, and it can't really get any simpler...

 

As for the routing, there's nothing magical about it. The output of your choice running to the PA (typically one of the XLRs), and another to whatever you're using as a monitor.

[Johnson1274]

The whole point of gear like this, with onboard amp, cab, and mic sims, is to allow you to show up to a gig with nothing but a guitar and the POD. No need to mic a cabinet on stage if you've got virtual ones at your feet. If it's a venue that already has stage monitors, great...you're done. Run the POD straight to the board, and have the sound guy give you enough guitar in the monitors so you (and the rest of the band) can hear yourself.

 

If it's a smaller PA without monitors, then you need something for stage volume. Now you could use a traditional 2x12 cab and power amp for that, BUT...passive guitar cabinets and PA speakers have VERY different frequency responses. If you run the POD into both at the same time, you're going to hear two very different tones. Get one sounding "just right", and it's a virtual certainty that the other is gonna sound like baked a$$. Obviously, this makes creating patches next to impossible, because if you're dialing in your tones listening through your 2x12, you never know what that same patch will sound like through the PA, and vice versa. The only way to avoid this is to have whatever you're using for stage volume be the same type of speaker, with a similar frequency response, as the PA...ie, some sort of FRFR solution. This way you're hearing the same tone that's going out front. Otherwise, all bets are off.

 

I've since retired my POD for a Helix, but I did exactly as described above for years with the POD. Straight to the PA, with either my L2T as a floor monitor, or depending on the place, just using whatever wedges were already there. It's the simplest rig I've ever had, and it can't really get any simpler...

 

As for the routing, there's nothing magical about it. The output of your choice running to the PA (typically one of the XLRs), and another to whatever you're using as a monitor.

Thanks for the info man! i have a show in a couple of weeks and I'm gonna try this method. Hopefully everything goes smoothly lol

[pianoguyy]

Prior to buying a modeler, here's what we did; 

We bought an amp/cab/speaker combination that we liked to get the sound we liked. Each component helped create tone. Change the amp, tone changes. Change the cab, the tone changes. Change the speaker, tone changes. Every piece creates tone. 

And then what happens - you go to a show or into a studio, and they place a mic in front of your speaker to run it through different speakers.

But here's the catch - the mic adds another level of tone changing. Whether it is because of the mic that was used or the angle it was used, it is adding something to your tone. What you hear in your bedroom is not what comes out on the disc, or what you hear on stage is not what you hear in the crowd. 

 

But now there is modeling. It simulates everything, including the mic that is used to get it to the recorder or pa. 

That is why you should run these things direct. The last thing you want to do is run this into another amp/cab/speaker combination because it will add an entire new set of tone layers. 

Plus, in actual tone creation - a Fender model will never sound like a Fender if ran through a Marshall. Nor will a Fender model sound like a Fender if ran though a Fender. Fender on top of Fender does not equal Fender. And, of course, if your model includes the hiss and other various "uglies" of a real amp, and you then run it through another amp that provides hiss, you have hiss on top of hiss.

That's where FRFR comes in.

They have no personality. What you put into it is what you get out of it. If you put a Fender model into it, you get a Fender out of it. 

But again, you don't want to mic it because the mic is going to add a new level of tone. Besides, the mic has already been simulated. 

 

=================

Specifically to the Pod; 

You have two sets of output. You have the 1/4" and the XLR. 

When creating tone, the one thing you need to watch out for is the fact that the 1/4" will sum to mono but the XLR always remain left/right. 

So, if you are using an FRFR to create tone or monitor yourself, while using the XLR to go direct to the PA - you may hear a difference in tone. That is not because things are different, it is because the left and right are coming out differently. In addition to the obvious (stereo effects), a left and right that come out of the same speaker can cause phase issues. 
 

You should use two personal monitoring systems, not one. One left. One right. That way your XLR will be the same thing. 

I mean, if you want to use a dummy plug that tricks the unit into thinking you are using left and right, that is ok too. But the point is L+R is not the same as L&R.