BarkingSpiders Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Hi all, I’ve seen too many videos and read countless documents about how to connect a pod go to an amp, but… I just don’t get it. There are instructions for 4 cables, send/return fx, pre cab sim on/off etc etc. It dazzles me. look I just want to connect my pod go as if it is a pedalboard to my amp. My amp can either be a tube amp or a modeler (solid state amp) that’s it. I’ve tried a lot of combinations, but the sound just sounds bad. Should I use AMP or MAIN OUT, and feed that directly into the guitar in on my amp? What should my global settings be? Do I need to switch off the amp and cab in my signal chain? Or change amp to pre amp? Any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 On 10/13/2023 at 9:40 AM, BarkingSpiders said: Hi all, …. look I just want to connect my pod go as if it is a pedalboard to my amp. My amp can either be a tube amp or a modeler (solid state amp) that’s it. …. Sounds simple, right? It’s not. The issue is that you are using two pieces of equipment that model amps and FX - your POD Go and your physical amp. You CANNOT simply connect them and expect to get consistently good sounds without understanding what’s going on with and in each device. Sorry if the information you’ve encounter dazzles you but you need to understand it. There’s no additional information you need - study what you’ve got until you understand. In general, using both amps or both cabs at the same time in your signal chain will not sound good. You need to understand which device you want to provide the amp model. The cab is always provided by your physical amp so you should never use a cab model in your POD Go. Then arrange your POD Go preset and physical amp settings so that only one amp model is used at any time. There’s no way around that. Pretend you’re an electron following the 4CM cabling and trace the path. Understand where/when it encounters the amp and FX a modeling and how to control the path using the POD Go FX Loop. If you want a simpler setup decide whether to keep your amp OR your POD Go, and sell the other one. For instance, if you really just want to use your POD Go as a pedalboard (does that mean no amp modelling?) you bought the wrong device. Sell your POD Go and get an HX FX. Even then you will benefit from understanding 4CM to maximize its flexibility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarkingSpiders Posted October 13, 2023 Author Share Posted October 13, 2023 Thanks for you reply. I'll go study it again :) For now, could you take a look at my current setup and let me know if you spot anything that isn't correct? My current setup: Cables Cable from guitar to Pod Go Cable from AMP OUT or MAIN LEFT out to physical AMP. (I prefer MAIN because I can then use the volume knob to control master volume) Global Settings Main Out Level: Line Amp Out Source: Main Out Signal chain Disabled CAB in all presets Use PRE AMPs as opposed to AMPs for all my presets *** Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 On 10/13/2023 at 10:20 AM, BarkingSpiders said: :… Cables Cable from guitar to Pod Go Cable from AMP OUT or MAIN LEFT out to physical AMP. …. Global Settings Main Out Level: Line Amp Out Source: Main Out Signal chain Disabled CAB in all presets Use PRE AMPs as opposed to AMPs for all my presets *** So, based on the above I note: 1) The cable from the POD Go is always entering your amp’s preamp section (front input of your amp). This means that if your POD Go preset uses a preamp model your signal is passing through two preamps in series. That won’t sound good. 2) The signal entering your amp is at Line level. It should be at instrument level. Your physical amp is highly overdriven at the input. 3) You are never using a POD Go cab model. That’s correct! The 4CM method, when used properly, allows you to use EITHER a POD Go amp/preamp model OR your physical amp’s preamp section. Not both. The POD Go’s FX loop in your preset is key. When activated, do not use a POD Go preamp. When Inactive, use a POD Go preamp. Again, mentally walk yourself through your signal chain and consider how the signal is affected by active/inactive blocks in your POD Go preset. Make sure all cables in the chain are set to Instrument level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 A very important point that you haven’t mentioned: Does your physical amp have an FX Loop (Send and Return jacks)? If not you can’t use the 4CM and your options become limited and cumbersome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarkingSpiders Posted October 13, 2023 Author Share Posted October 13, 2023 Thanks a lot for your help! Going to try this. My amp at home has 2x2 jacks for send/return (two mono jacks for each). Can I just use a single channel (eg left?) for 4CM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxman55 Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 On 10/13/2023 at 5:21 PM, BarkingSpiders said: Thanks a lot for your help! Going to try this. My amp at home has 2x2 jacks for send/return (two mono jacks for each). Can I just use a single channel (eg left?) for 4CM? That wouldn't be a Vox Valvetronix AD120VT/VTX/VTH 'Blue' series amp would it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 On 10/13/2023 at 12:21 PM, BarkingSpiders said: Thanks a lot for your help! Going to try this. My amp at home has 2x2 jacks for send/return (two mono jacks for each). Can I just use a single channel (eg left?) for 4CM? Yes, use the Send/Return pair from one channel or the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarkingSpiders Posted October 19, 2023 Author Share Posted October 19, 2023 So I tried the 4 cable method, and I'm not sure I did it right, so I have some follow up questions. Here is my setup Presets * Cabs are always off * I use PREAMPs instead of AMPs * Signal chain has delay and distortion before FX Loop * PREAMP and reverb are after FX Loop 2 cable method (2CM) * Connection: MAIN OUT left -> AMP GUITAR IN * Preamps are switched off * FX Loop is off 4 cable method (4CM) * Connections: (1) POD RETURN-> AMP SEND (2) POD FX SEND -> AMP GUITAR IN (3) MAIN OUT left -> AMP FX RETURN * With a single footswitch I switch on/off the FX Loop and PREAMP POD Go Global Settings * Guitar In Pad -> Off * Main Out Level -> Instrument * Amp Source Out -> Main Out * FX Loop Level -> Instrument * Return Type -> Return Observations * Sound with 2CM is good, but I don't use any AMP/PREAMP modeling. * It's nice to have PREAMPs with 4CM for more control, though I'm still not sure if it all sounds that much better than simply 2CM with no PREAMP/AMPS. * Unfortunately there is a significant volume difference between the two setups, meaning I have to tweak presets based on whether or not I use 2CM or 4CM. * When accidentally switching off FX Loop with 4CM, the sound becomes really loud. You do not want to mistakenly do this during live performance. * Not sure if the extra cables + complexity + accidental volume screw up, outweigh the benefits of amp modeling at this point. Questions - Are all settings for 4CM correct? - Since not all amps have FX SEND/RETURN channels, I want my setup to be easily switchable between 2CM and 4CM. However the POD GO doesn't seem to feature a global setting for this. Meaning that I manually have to adjust the presets based on the situation present on the floor, right? And since switching off the FX Loop during 4CM produces a LOT of noise, this is kinda easy to screw up. - Is there some global setting that simply ALWAYS ignores the AMP/PREAMPs/CABS and FX Loop? I.e., reducing the possibility of accidentally stepping on disable FX Loop? - Is there a way to always disable CABs? I find it quite annoying that everytime I select a new AMP, automatically a CAB is selected with it, and worse: is switched on as well. Even though I switched it off before. That's it for now. Thanks for all the feedback guys! Cheers, Martijn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted October 19, 2023 Share Posted October 19, 2023 My comments refer to subsections of your post. Presets: Good that cabs are always off. You could experiment with using full amp rather than preamp but using the preamp should be fine.Personally I would put the delay after the FX Loop but that’s just a matter of preference. 2CM: Yes, turn off the amp and FX Loop. 4CM: it might help your thinking to list the 4 cables in the order of the signal flow from your guitar, like this: 1. Cable connecting guitar output to POD Go Input 2. Cable connecting the POD Go FX Send to the physical amp guitar input. 3. Cable connecting the physical amp Send to the POD Go Return 4. Cable connecting the POD Go Main output to the physical amp Return. Think about the signal flowing from guitar to speakers in that order. Note that when the POD Go FX Loop is off there is no signal passed through cable #2 and hence not through #3. That means you physical amp’s preamp section is bypassed; hence you want to use a POD Go amp/preamp that then passes through cable #4 to your physical cab. Make sure your footswitch that turns on/off the FX Loop and POD GO amp/preamp is set so that at all times one of these two is on while the other is off. Review the above signal flow to persuade yourself of the importance of this setup. Global Settings are correct. Observations: 2CM sound is good,. And you’re right - many people use the HX FX a rather than thenPOD Go if they never want to use POD Go amp modeling. Volume difference is because the levels of your amps are different (POD Go preamp vs. physical amp). You can make them the same level by adjusting on or the other amp. Just to clarify - do you mean the volume becomes really loud when you turn ON (not OFF) the FX Loop? This makes sense because suddenly you are using both amps at once. I suspect it not only gets really loud, it also sounds bad. Again, perhaps you just prefer not to use amp modelling. Nothing wrong with that - except you purchased an amp modeler. Questions: Yes all settings are correct as long as your footswitch is set to properly turn on/off the state of the POD Go FX Loop and amp/preamp. Only one of them is on at a time. There is no way to easily switch from 2CM to 4CM without having to adjust presets. Your final two questions have the same answer: No. The POD Go is primarily an amp modeler, and you can’t just turn that off by default. This gets back to what I’ve mentioned several time: you may just not want to use an amp modeler. If you can’t or don’t want to get used to it sell the POD Go and get an FX a only device like the HX FX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newf Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 By connecting to the front of the amp, via the AMP OUT jack, does the Pod GO automatically mute the Amp and Cab/IR, or do you have to manually go in an turn OFF the amp/cab/IR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 From the manual….. ”AMP OUT This unbalanced output is meant to send directly to the front of your guitar amp. By default, it reflects the same output as the MAIN outputs (except in mono), but it can be globally switched to be tapped off directly before the Cab/ IR block. This way, you can send a cab-emulated signal to your mixer (or FRFR speaker) while simultaneously sending a non-cab-emulated signal to your guitar amp.” Lots of other goodies in the manual, too….. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newf Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 On 11/6/2023 at 12:22 PM, silverhead said: From the manual….. ”AMP OUT This unbalanced output is meant to send directly to the front of your guitar amp. By default, it reflects the same output as the MAIN outputs (except in mono), but it can be globally switched to be tapped off directly before the Cab/ IR block. This way, you can send a cab-emulated signal to your mixer (or FRFR speaker) while simultaneously sending a non-cab-emulated signal to your guitar amp.” Lots of other goodies in the manual, too….. Yep, I've read it cover to cover, but I don't understand that callout on page 7. Maybe I should have included it in my post above to help pinpoint my cofusion. The part I don't get is " By default, it reflects the same output as the MAIN outputs (except in mono), but it can be globally switched to be tapped off directly before the Cab/ IR block. " Does it mean that I have to set something in Global Settings to make the AMP OUT automatically turn OFF amp/cab/IR? I plan on using the PGW strictly for FRFR, but was wondering if I had to go back and change my presets if I was playing out and only had an amp available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxman55 Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 On 11/6/2023 at 6:09 PM, Newf said: Yep, I've read it cover to cover, but I don't understand that callout on page 7. Maybe I should have included it in my post above to help pinpoint my cofusion. The part I don't get is " By default, it reflects the same output as the MAIN outputs (except in mono), but it can be globally switched to be tapped off directly before the Cab/ IR block. " Does it mean that I have to set something in Global Settings to make the AMP OUT automatically turn OFF amp/cab/IR? I plan on using the PGW strictly for FRFR, but was wondering if I had to go back and change my presets if I was playing out and only had an amp available. Yes, its in the manual (p37) - go to global settings>ins/outs>Mainout (3rd knob along) and change it to pre cab/IR BUT people mis-understand this. Per p7 of the manual its only for when you are going to BOTH FRFR and a guitar amp ie sending different signal chains to each at the same time ie you are using Main Out to go FRFR/FOH and Amp Out to go through a guitar amp (typically through the FX loop return). But if you have FX after your Cab/IR they'll be cut-off to your amp too, so if you want those going to both, you'll need to move the Cab/IR to after the FX. Ideally you want two independent signal paths but of course Pod Go doesn't have dual routing so this is a 'half-way' house option but it's not ideal. 20. AMP OUT This unbalanced output is meant to send directly to the front of your guitar amp. By default, it reflects the same output as the MAIN outputs (except in mono), but it can be globally switched to be tapped off directly before the Cab/ IR block. This way, you can send a cab-emulated signal to your mixer (or FRFR speaker) while simultaneously sending a non-cab-emulated signal to your guitar amp. If you play through an amp only, still go through Main Out but just take the cab model off if you are going through the FX return or if you are gong through the front of the amp ie going through its pre-amp stage, you might want to turn off the amp model too & just use Pod Go for FX (that's exactly what I did at last Saturday's gig). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeinSeattle Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 SCENARIO: You want to send a few effect 'pedals' (e.g. wah, dynamics, gain) directly into the front of your amp and you need to send the rest of your signal chain to FOH SOLUTION: - Buy a TRS Male-Female-Male Y cable; use the Male connections to connect the FX Out to the FX In; use the Female connector for your TRS-TRS cable and connect to front of your amp - Place the FX Loop Block just before the amp and Cab/IR blocks - Set Global FX Loop Level to 'Instrument' - Set Global Return Type to 'Return' - Set Global Main Out Level to 'Line' NOTES: - Works for all scenarios where you want an amp as a stage monitor, including amps that don't have effects loop - Eliminates the need to mess around with a pre-amp block signal (when using Amp Out) and related issues - NEW FEATURE REQUEST (lots of folks want this): Add option to set Global Amp Out Source to 'Pre Amp' (at Instrument Level) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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