POD Go 1.30 - Update: nearly there! (26 Sep - Sweetwater v1.30 video and some info on upgrades!)

[voxman55]

Just picked up on 'The Gearpage' that @Digital_Igloo advised Pod Go 1.30 just entered internal beta testing!   So fingers crossed, whilst we don't know exactly when or what's in it, hopefully this isn't too far away now.   

[Prosit]

Thanks for the information.
I am only waiting with hope that Line 6 will be able to free one more effect block than the existing four. And I'm fine!

[voxman55]

10 hours ago, Prosit said:

Thanks for the information.
I am only waiting with hope that Line 6 will be able to free one more effect block than the existing four. And I'm fine!

 

Sadly I fear not as @Digital_Igloo has said that additional blocks, as well as connected themes of showing DSP percentage usage, and freeing up the amp/cab blocks, is not something on their 'PodGo to-do-list'.  See here: 

 

https://line6.com/support/topic/61213-voting-for-pod-go-requests-for-extra-flexibility-the-problem-with-ideascale/?tab=comments#comment-393569

 

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/line-6-pod-go.2113195/page-362#post-32405697

 

For the record I absolutely agree PodGo needs at least one additional block if not two, it needs DSP information, and it needs the ability to remove the amp model to free up DSP for greater flexibility (eg for patches where users might want to go through an amp and only need effects).   I go on record to say that on these issues I think Line 6 has got it very badly wrong, it is not listening to what its customers want, it's not adapting to competitors like Zoom and Mooer, and has not bought into the fact that its original premise for PodGo needs review and that it's now well past time to take the training wheels off because users are now much more savvy re DSP management. 

 

I had posted on this (as per above link) and tried to raise the profile of IdeaScale to get more votes on these themes as this is where Line 6 considers customer feedback because generally they don't really pay any attention to individual posts on forums eg like this one.  So, if you haven't already done so, please go into the Ideascale links in the post link above and vote for every instance (as often there are duplicates) - the more votes, the more chance we have of getting Line 6 to reconsider its position. 

 

At the end of the day we as customers can't make Line 6 do anything it doesn't want to do so Pod Go customers will just have to accept that there are some things Line 6 will consider and give us, but there are others it simply won't.  Unless Line 6 is overwhelmed for requests on these items, I can't see them ever changing their stance but I'll still try & carry on campaigning for these - I was even thinking of possibly doing a Youtube video on it to try & drum up support.  I'm sure at some stage there will be a Pod Go Mk2 that will have more processing power and flexibility but as Pod Go was only launched in winter NAMM January 2020, that's unlikely to happen for quite some time.

 

 

 

 

 

[jcnesbitt]

If I had to guess, the reasons for not adding additional blocks or showing DSP percentage are half truths.  It's important for Line 6 to gain additional market with the Pod GO, not eat into their existing Helix market.  I'm pretty sure that's exactly what these features would do.  From a business perspective, it's important to have a low barrier to entry into the Line 6 modeling ecosystem and that's where the Pod GO comes in.  Once users get proficient with it and start running into these limits, then it's time for them to upgrade to Helix.  Displaying DSP percentage would enable people to more easily work around these limits.

 

I'm ok with this.  It's a business that needs to make good business decisions and I want them to thrive so they can continue to innovate.  

[voxman55]

2 hours ago, jcnesbitt said:

If I had to guess, the reasons for not adding additional blocks or showing DSP percentage are half truths.  It's important for Line 6 to gain additional market with the Pod GO, not eat into their existing Helix market.  I'm pretty sure that's exactly what these features would do.  From a business perspective, it's important to have a low barrier to entry into the Line 6 modeling ecosystem and that's where the Pod GO comes in.  Once users get proficient with it and start running into these limits, then it's time for them to upgrade to Helix.  Displaying DSP percentage would enable people to more easily work around these limits.

 

I'm ok with this.  It's a business that needs to make good business decisions and I want them to thrive so they can continue to innovate.  

 

I certainly think there's some truth to Line 6 wanting to keep clear dividing lines in its product range, which is why any improvements to Pod Go will be after the Helix products have had their upgrades, and even then the processing power differential means these upgrades will often be 'diluted'.  Line 6 has made it clear that Pod Go is a 'Pod', and not a Helix - so whilst it benefits from Helix modelling, it is a 'poorer relation' of Helix.  But whilst there will be some customers who treat Pod Go as a 'Helix stepping stone' the vast majority of users would not want to buy a Helix Stomp, LT or floor, for the same reasons I wouldn't - and the biggest of which is 'form factor'.  For me, and I suspect most Pod Go owners:

1. Helix LT/Floor are too big and heavy, too expensive, and contain a host of things i don't need and wouldn't use
2. Whilst Helix Stomp can be used on its own, it is designed for use as part of a pedal-board. As a stand alone unit it originally had insufficient footswitches - whilst there is now a Helix Stomp XL with more floor control, it still has no built in volume/expression pedal and the screen is still too small.  
3. The full colour LCD display of Pod Go with its 'solid block' icons is appreciated even by Helix Floor users. I dislike the Helix LT/Floor displays that use 'outline graphics' & which are less clear

However, the lack of additional block(s) and DSP info (the latter is not even available in Helix Floor, but is a wanted upgrade even for Helix users as per IdeaScale) are nothing to do with product differentiation, but is, in my view, borne purely from Line 6's stubborn refusal to accept that it's original premise for Pod Go needs revision and its 'anti-DSP info' philosophy is just illogical, flawed, narrow-sighted... and plain wrong.  Just look at the Ideascale feedback on this for not only PodGo but also Helix users.  See also discussions and my supermarket story in an earlier thread here.

[rustinpeace117]

I use the Go 95% of the time I play guitar now. I don't need more processing or blocks, as I do simple setups like OD > amp > IR > delay/reverb. If I wanted something more complex, I'd buy a different unit, but I dont need anything more complex. 

I want more amps:
5153 50w blue channel
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Cameron Atomica
Sunn Model T

Give me more world class tones, and keep things simple. 

A total revamp of the stock cabs across all the platforms would be nice, but IRs kinda solve that problem anyways.

Power amp options - the ability to switch power tube type, or mixing power amps from different models? OR a generic 6L6/EL34 power amp sim.

[grdGo33]

Yeah my favourite amps and effects turn out to cost a lot of DSP anyhow, so realistically, unlocking blocks if there is DSP left over would be cool, but would likely not make anyone go "Wow, a 5th block?!  Forget the Stomp/Helix I'm going with Go!!!".  Go is way more limited... 

 

Guess it's just frustrating knowing there's still DSP power available, and not being able to use it because someone decided that you should not be able to use it.  Like if Dell decided that you would only be able to use 60% of the CPU or memory of the computer it sold you.  I mean the CPU/memory can do it right?  Ah ok you don't want to 'cannibalize' the sales of your more expensive computers?  Or that you could only run 4 programs at one time.   Want more programs?  Buy our more expensive computer.  LOL

[GettinThere]

The ability to label multiple bypasses/controls would be a decent trade off to having an additional block.  If I could tweak 5 different amp/cab/EQ settings and assign it to a footswitch labeled LEAD or DRIVE rather than MULTIPLE, I could bypass a distortion/OD block altogether.

 

And labeling Snapshots would also be great.

[Scheol]

I do not think that cannibalizing is a very good argument, though I believe Line6 run with it. Many costumers may buy this device because they can't afford the bigger units. I'd be baffled if people buy a Helix because of missing blocks. Most costumers will never buy a Helix, because the POD Go was exactly what they could afford in first place. Even if they gave us all the amp models and blocks, you still don't have MIDI, parallel routing, Variax support etc. These features are going to convince folks into buying a LT or full Helix. It's not the blocks.

[voxman55]

2 hours ago, GettinThere said:

The ability to label multiple bypasses/controls would be a decent trade off to having an additional block.  If I could tweak 5 different amp/cab/EQ settings and assign it to a footswitch labeled LEAD or DRIVE rather than MULTIPLE, I could bypass a distortion/OD block altogether.

 

And labeling Snapshots would also be great.

 

These are expected in 1.30

[voxman55]

2 hours ago, Scheol said:

I do not think that cannibalizing is a very good argument, though I believe Line6 run with it. Many costumers may buy this device because they can't afford the bigger units. I'd be baffled if people buy a Helix because of missing blocks. Most costumers will never buy a Helix, because the POD Go was exactly what they could afford in first place. Even if they gave us all the amp models and blocks, you still don't have MIDI, parallel routing, Variax support etc. These features are going to convince folks into buying a LT or full Helix. It's not the blocks.

 

Agreed, those that need those features will go Helix LT/Floor, those that don't wont.

[voxman55]

I think we're a month or so on now from going into Beta testing for v1.30, so fingers crossed we're not too far off v1.30 being released (unless of course Line 6 have found some bugs that need fixing). 

[voxman55]

Update from Digital Igloo on the Gear Page board:

 

(Voxman55) Any hints DI as to how near we are to v1.30?

 

"Hopefully not too much longer now; I've been approving web copy and stuff. Some new bugs popped up this week."

[voxman55]

Still not officially launched but must be imminent now as Sweetwater seems to have 'jumped the gun' here.  Not a full list of upgrades but the following is gleaned from the video (Update 27/09/21 - looks like the vid was pulled, sorry!):

 

New amp & cab: Mandarin Rocker (Orange Rockerverb MkIII dirty channel) & Mandarin 4x12 EM Cabinet

New effects: Ratatouille distortion, Retro-reel modulation (Line 6 reel-2-reel), Euclidian delay (mathematical delay), dynamic hall reverb, hot spring reverb

New features: ability to rename models/effects, customisable colour stomp switches, snapshot naming, external footswitch and volume control enhancements (no clear details here yet)

 

 

 

[voxman55]

Looks like Line 6 asked Sweetwater to pull the vid. They probably had an advanced beta version but as Line 6 found some bugs this has delayed the official roll out. Hopefully shouldn't be too long now.

[SiCantwell]

It's here now!!