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Pocket Pod distortion??


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Hey everyone,

I just picked up a used Pocket Pod. I know I'm new to this device, but I'm usually able to figure these kind of things out without much trouble. So I plug my guitar and headphones in for the first time and it sounds awful. It was distorted (and not a good sounding distortion) and sounded like it has a noise gate set up to clip hard. I tried some different presets, mostly clean to see if it would go away and it doesn't. So I did a factory reset and it still sounds like crappy distortion and a noise gate that clips the sound quickly. 

Is this thing broken or am I missing something here?

Thanks!

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I’m not using anything besides a Fender Strat with stock single coil pickups  plugged directly Into the Pod. I’ve used the same guitar with a similar unit by Tascam without any issues. Tried a few different cables to rule that out as a problem. Songs I play on my iPod plugged in through the aux in input sound perfect. 

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The Aux input bypasses all of the effects so that's not really a good test. Are you using it on batteries or with the plug? Batteries don't last very long on the PocketPod. Did you try it with the Drive knob turned down? You should read the manual about the Drive control since it has several functions or watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzHQQ15AR30. That video will show you how it should sound (which is actually pretty darn good). 

 

 

 

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Yes I did try turning the drive all the way down and bypassing effects all together.  Same results. 
I initially was using batteries but thought that may be the problem so I tried a power supply. It’s not the Line 6 power supply but it is a center negative 9v so it should work. After trying everything I plugged in to my laptop, registered with Line 6 so I could update the firmware and it was a bit of a nightmare, and I’ve had a ton of computer experience. The firmware just wouldn’t load properly. I would go through each step making sure to follow exactly what it said to do but in the end it now just says ‘flash update 1.0’ when I plug it in. Then when I hit a button the display says ‘failed’ 

So I guess I need to spend another few hours getting that sorted bout before I can even try using it again. I’m running Windows 10 but the monkey app isn’t very compatible. I keep getting error messages. Or it takes me in circles. Run an update only to return to the same menu wanting to install the same update again. Did Line 6 just drop all support for updating software on this?

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I wouldn't get too hung up on the firmware. I doubt that would cause the distortion. Check out that video link I sent you and see if that helps. At least you should be able to hear what the presets should sound like.

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Well the thing is that when the firmware installation failed, it bricked my Pod. It won't do anything at all now. I turn it on and it just says "flash update 1.0" and no buttons do anything except tap. And when I hit that button it just says "failed" for a second then goes back to the flash update 1.0. I tried doing a factory reset, and nothing. I plug it into my laptop and open Line 6 Monkey and it asks me to select my device from a drop down menu and it's not even listed! This thing and all software and "support" from Line 6 website and the Monkey are so outdated it's ridiculous. I just keep going in circles and not getting anywhere with this thing. It's such an old device, it's a legacy device and I'm completely shocked Line 6 still sells this thing brand new with the awful old and outdated software they offer for it. I've searched online and found many many people have had the *exact* same problem I'm having, but they had it in 2009! Incredible it's still an issue 11 years later. I guess I wasted my money on this thing. I've run out of things to try, I'm just stuck.

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