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Will the PODHD500x be a wise investment?


PatMustard
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Hi all, 

 

Brand new to the forum and have read a few posts and realised there is a LOT of info here and even MORE things that I do not understand.

 

I need some advice before I decide on whether I can get the HD500x to do what I require - it should definitely do it, but can I make it do so?

 

I currently play in a rock duo to backing tracks. Me on guitar, plus a singer.  I currently plug guitar into Boss GT-100 (boo hiss :angry: ) straight into the desk (Dynacord) - and to Dynacord PA speakers.  This is the set up without an amp that I need advice on.

 

The problem? The distortion sounds on the Boss. I have heard the POD sounds on youtube ( but never live) and have been blown away. They are incredible compared to the Boss ones. However, these videos are usually DIRECT recordings rather than into the set up I have.

 

So my question is this: How difficult is it to get (download/copy other people's settings/do my own/ whatever) those professional sounding tones through a PA? 

 

As I have not heard or seen any examples, but have read on the net that people do use them, I am not asking if it can be played direct through a PA, but more how difficult is it to get these brilliant sounds that are available to work on my system if I were to buy the POD?

 

Sorry to ramble on, but I was trying to preempt people asking for verification of certain points.

 

So, should I buy one?

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Expect to spend a fair amount of time researching and tweaking to get the sound you like. Downloading other people's patches to hear what they're like is easy but the sound you get may be different because 1) you have a different guitar than them and 2) you have different speakers than them. That being said, people usually use the Direct/Studio output into PA speakers (as well as to record Youtube videos), so if you like what you hear on youtube then you've got about half the problem solved. But again, expect to spend some time to get it right for you. The learning curve isn't all that high (compared to Boss) but you will still need some patience.

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In my experience PODs sound great when connected to an external amp or PA.

They sould terrible when their signal is routed straight into a computer and no external cabs are being used.

 

So yeah, it's a more or less wise investment. If I had the ressources, I would save up for an Axe FX ultra/II/xl.

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Thank you both for your replies. 

 

pfsmith0 - where's the best place for me to start researching? I am a novice on understanding and therefore changing 'muddy' 'boomy' 'grainy' etc noises. I guess that's EQ experience. Would be grateful of some direction if you know where to look?

 

Miguel - Thank you. I don't think there's that much of a sound difference between Ax FX and the POD. Certainly not enough to justify the price difference. But it's all subjective. 

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I know full well that buying anything based on youtube videos is a shortcut to unhappiness, and tbh,  If I was to highlight the weakest area of effects in the Pod imo it would be the drives and distortions....

 

So given that the GT100 is a highly regarded unit, and knowing that the audience really doesn't care that much (we do, but they don't), if its distortion sounds that make you pop, then just add a distortion pedal in front of your rig.

 

Also, (not saying you haven't done this but..) I would evaluate just how much time you have spent on EQ and tweaking the setups that you have.. like any piece of complicated gear it takes a lot of understanding and editing to get THE tone...

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Thank you again - glad I signed up, you all seem a nice helpful bunch. :)

 

mystic - surprised to hear you say that regarding distortion sounds for the POD. Not heard a great distorted sound from Boss at all, but heard plenty of POD ones. Hmm. Having said that, you maybe correct about EQ - I did state my lack of competence on those matters earlier, ALTHOUGH I haven't heard anyone else get the same quality sounds out of a BOSS as from a POD. Clean/chorus etc - yes. Distorted rock/metal - no.

 

Rlblues - Thank you also. When you say, ' Download the quick guide, read it, and make sure you are connected properly for your particular setup and understand the ins and outs.' That's the vital info I will need. Does this come with the unit?

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all the advice here is great but I suggest you take your backing tracks to a store that sells the HD500 and plug into the CD/MP3 jack and give it a test drive through a pair of monitors right there in the store.  Nothing beats a hands on experience.  Of course you won't be able to dial everything in but you will get a feel for it and something may just jump right out at you.  The built in patches aren't great but don't judge it on them alone.  Hopefully they will give you time to play with it.

 

As far as an "investment"?  perhaps not the best choice of words.  It is a tool, nothing more.  Unfortunately it won't grow in value as it ages and there is no way to know if something better will be released the day after we buy it...

 

BUT... I love mine and it does what I need it to do on a regular basis...

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Again thank you all. I will have a go and be back. 

 

I don't know why I chose the word 'investment', and although most people answered the questions I posed in my post, rather than the title question, I apologise sincerely for any misunderstanding. I know that electronic items generally depreciate rapidly in monetary value as technology advances, so I had hoped that in the looser definition of the word my meaning would have been clear. 

 

Consider my wrist to be well and truly slapped.  :(

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all the advice here is great but I suggest you take your backing tracks to a store that sells the HD500 and plug into the CD/MP3 jack and give it a test drive through a pair of monitors right there in the store.  Nothing beats a hands on experience.  Of course you won't be able to dial everything in but you will get a feel for it and something may just jump right out at you.  The built in patches aren't great but don't judge it on them alone.  Hopefully they will give you time to play with it.

 

As far as an "investment"?  perhaps not the best choice of words.  It is a tool, nothing more.  Unfortunately it won't grow in value as it ages and there is no way to know if something better will be released the day after we buy it...

 

BUT... I love mine and it does what I need it do do on a regular basis...

  ;)

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It IS an investment: Time, money, and effort are all invested in it to accomplish what you want.  No wrist slap needed.  It's like everything else, you get out what you put in.  If I didn't have one and was looking at what's out there, I would have bought it again.  Price/performance it's unbeatable.

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It took me three years of tweaking in my spare LOL! time to get my Boss GT10/GR55 units to be useable direct through a PA system.I was gigging my HD500 in about three weeks after getting it.The Boss/Roland units are great.Excellent build quality/nice effects/decent amp models and you can drop them onto a concrete floor from 6 feet and they will still work. But when it comes to ease of use/great amp models and just plain fun the HD is tough to beat. I am having more enjoyment and have increased the amount of entertainment value I am giving the folks who come to see me since I got my HD500. Keep the Boss and buy the HD500X.Use the HD for gigging while you work on your Boss unit.Having two or three of these modellers is what I do .HD500 for my regular female fronted rock band/GR55 for my jazz and duo gigs/GT10-GR55 together for my occasional high profile gigs as an extra man in a 10 piece showband.I don't have one but your duo sounds like it could use both a variax and an HD500X.

 

Good Luck and Have Fun!

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Miguel - Thank you. I don't think there's that much of a sound difference between Ax FX and the POD. Certainly not enough to justify the price difference. But it's all subjective. 

The Axe FX has more effects. The amps sound more real. There are also more amp models. More and better cabs. You can use your own cabs. You can use the tone match feature to get any tone you want straight out of a recording. You can reamp easily. You can download the tones your heroes are using.

 

You can't do any of this with the POD. That's the way it is.d

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It's a wonderful investment. Just getting to hear and compare all of those cool amps and speaker combinations is worth a lot. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to go through the System Setup first. If you are going to use it live and expect to use the Volume Pedal included... don't. Just go ahead and get a stand alone, low impedance stereo volume pedal and put it between your unit and the amp. If you are going to use it like a stomp box you will need a high impedance pedal. It just depends on the usage. The reason is the unit does not update pedal position when you change patches and makes it useless for live play without the stand alone volume pedal. Then you can just make all of your patches the same volume and they will all be the right volume when you switch patches. I disagree about the AXE FX sounding better. It sounds like you have toilet paper tubes over your ears compared to the 500X:) The Line 6 is more natural sounding.

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As others have stated, I believe it is an investment depending on what you do with it. If you plan to make money with it, it's an investment. If it's just a hobby I suppose it's debatable. Maybe just an investment in your hobby.

 

A little off topic maybe...

 

One thing I find interesting, that probably many on this forum can relate to, is a person's age and today's digital processors. I'm old enough to remember a time before any internet, and playing Scott Adam's adventure games on cartridges or cassette tapes (yea, information used to be stored on audio cassette tapes) on a TI99/4A computer. I remember paying hundreds of dollars for an hour's worth of studio time (failed endeavor) and having to hall hundreds of pounds of equipment to gigs. Today you can have an entire studio with a laptop and a single guitar processor, and set up a gig with only one or two trips to the car without breaking your back. If only I had what's available today 20 or 30 years ago. So I think people of around that age have a different perspective on music than younger people. Older people have more of a sense baked into them that the music comes from them rather than a device. Younger people, I think, tend to think that if a guitar processor sounds really good, their guitar chops are automagically really good too. And there's probably a lot of this class of person. I'd bet that any of today's world class guitar players could make any guitar sound good through any amplification. But that's today's world and perhaps a negative effect of technology on societies that like to make music. I apologize for any offense (none intended) to younger people. It's all good. :D

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I think what I am asking is if you have invested enough effort into learning, tweaking and adjusting the GT100 that you are sure that it isn't for you, and also that a simple fix like a pedal isn't an easy way to get you where you want to go..

 

There are also a number of things you would lose in a move from the GT100 to the hd500 should you choose to do so... make sure you are willing to give them up :)

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TI99 !!!! My brother still has his sitting in a box somewhere.

 

I think playing an instrument is an investment if it brings you or others any sense of satisfaction. Not having to lug heavy stuff is a win too. However, from a financial perspective having played with my HD500 out several times it has easily paid for itself umpteen times over...so I *guess* it is an investment.

 

Basically, I view pedal boards and guitars as tools. The HD500's are excellent tools, for both professional and personal means. As I have said in other posts, the real investment is in your craft...being the best guitarist you care to be by practicing, listening to others, becoming proficient regardless of your pedal board, string gauge, and color strap you use...the other stuff (pedal boards, stomp boxes, guitars) is just icing on the cake...a great or even competent player makes everything sound good.

 

I am an old dog too...so this stuff is all great to me. I think the HD500 is great. The "X" must be better it has 20% more processing power. :P

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