simplified pods

[jonhollis]

hi - i would love to see a simplified pod. just for use in front of the amp. just fx no amps or cabs. use the knobs for key controls on the effects. I'm using a hd 500x on the front end in to my marshall - and most of the stuff in the pod is redundant - so in my presets i have taken out all amp and cab emulation. i would love to see a product that did just that - slightly cheaper and more processing power to the fx. Also an easier way doing A/B amp channel switching - at the moment I'm using the left and right channel to feed the channels and muting either one accordingly. but is seems impossible to bring that up as a foot switchable option without having a whole different patch. 

 

anyway - I'm sure half the guitarist out there probably just use this as a fx tool not a distortion/amp/cab modelling thing.

[radatats]

sounds like you should be using a M13...

[chuberto]

Have you tried putting a volume pedal into both Channel A & Channel B? Then set each to be turned on/off alternately by the same footswitch (not the expression pedal toeswitch) and set the maximum value to zero. Then pan each channel in the mixer hard left and right. That way, when you press the relevant footswitch one channel mutes whilst the other switches on. From my tests, the volume pedal doesn't use any (negligible at most) CPU but obviously will take up two FX blocks.

[lachinelli]

I used to have the same philosophy as regards to building patches the first months owning the HD500. Since I have amps, I always used effect processors with my amps for rehearsals, live or studio. The chain was only effects and I thought everything else was useless.

But I think you should change your way of thinking as regards to this. You have no idea how good amp emulations sound. I first changed mine when I decided to record my new EP by emulating everything (amp/cab/mic) instead of micing my real amp. I'm into Metal mostly, so in that way I learned how good the distortion of high gain amps is, compared to pedals in the POD or my real amp's distortion. Then I started making patches using the amps distortion.

You can make the best of the POD by using amp's emulation but disabling cab (thus mic) emulation. Send the output of the POD to the power amp in of your amp, so then you use the POD's amp EQ and sound features. Set the 1/4" output of the pod to "Line", so the signal goes preamped.

I think Line 6 has recently released a simple multi-effect processor to use along an iPad, if you're looking for something simpler, or as someone mentioned before, an M13 which is a stomp pedal modeler. I consider the HD500 a pro unit. Perhaps is not as good as or complex as an AXE FX, but definitely has all the options and features I look for to use with my live band in rehearsals, live shows or studio. Besides I also have a personal project which songs are recorded at my home studio. Believe me when I say I was against line or modeled recording (I used to love getting different tones by using different real amps and microphones), but the POD made me record my last EP completely modeled. The tool you have is that good.

[jonhollis]

hi lachinelli. i did always think when I've got this rig sussed then i might cable with some distortions from the pod - maybe to add into the tube wonderfulness of my marshall 1973X. its a steep learning curve this pod stuff!

[joel_brown]

I guess I'm on the side of guitarists that use the PODHD's amps/cabs modeling plus effects into a real Marshall amp and cab.  Albeit I insert the PODHD into the FX return, so I'm actually only using the Marshall's power amp.