HD500x questions

[Ashish6]

Hi,

I am thinking of getting one of these but want to understand a few things before I plunge.

1. How is the amp realism on these? Do the amp models sound close enough to their real counterparts?

 

2. Similarly how close is the modelling of the drive pedals?

 

3. I see there are no high gain Marshalls (DSL, JVM-OD1 orange, red and OD2 orange, red). They are really nice go-to amp tones.

Also, there is no Roland JC clean amp. Are there regular software updates so these models get added?

 

4. Is there any "fizz" which mars the quality of sounds you get from this unit?

 

5. Is the hardware reliable?

 

Hope a lot of experts on this forum would be able to chime in. Thanks!

[bjnette]

1 If you were mic'ing a real rig setup in a dry room and you were in the control room the amps modeling is very good.

If you are listening on headphonea it is not going to compare  to you playing the real amp in a room. 

 

2 The drive pedals aren't to bad not as impressive as the amp modelling.

 

3 There are plenty of Boutique high Amp models that won't disappoint.

 

4 There is some fizz, to me the more FX you use there seems to be a digitall wash. In no. 1 above a miced amp while you listen in a control room there can be fizz with that too depending upon mic placement.

[zaphodboy]

1. Really difficult to say as most people don't have the full compliment of amps to directly compare to. What you can say is that by tweaking parameters you can get damned close to pretty much any tone you want.

 

2. Drive pedals are good, fuzz pedals not so much (IMO)

 

3. I would refer you back to my answer to point 1 e.g. I have a patch really close to the sound of a Jazz Chorus using the Fender Twin model.

 

4. If you overdo it there is fizz with ANY digital MFX unit. That said there is less inherent fizz with POD HD than anything I have ever used. Using a bit of EQ you can dial out fizz really effectively.

 

The only other general point I would make is that the unit is extremely tweakable which is good and bad in equal measure. Good because you can get the tone you want but bad because you can tie yourself in knots if you're not careful.

[Ashish6]

Thanks for the inputs. The answers seem a little diplomatic ;)

1. It will help if I can get the realism factor for say, just these models: Fender, Marshall Plexi, Marshall JCM800 and the Rectifier.

2. I gather the drive pedals are ok, but not as close, from the above

3. Again, do they have regular firmware updates where they listen to our requests and add in more amp models at least like once in few months?

[zaphodboy]

Diplomatic? Mmmm, not sure I've ever been called that before ;)

 

1. You should be able to more or less nail the amps you listed

2. I would say drive good, fuzz iffy

3. There hasn't been a firmware update to add models for a long time now and I wouldn't hold your breath if I was you! In terms of L6 listening to user requests the wheels grind very slowly indeed. Thing is though, how many different amp models do you really need, especially given that with some tweaking you can usually get a good approximation of the tone you want? 

[BillBee]

Haaa haaa that's a good one. It is a L6 site :) 

 

Best advice is to try one if you can. Amp models and FX - YMMV dialing them in depends on your rig and ear. I've tried some awesome patches based on demos I've heard but then had to tweak them based upon my equipment/ear.

 

There are more expensive modelers but IMHO the HD series is the best bang for the $ right now.

 

-B

[Ashish6]

Thank you all, worth giving it a whirl.

[pfsmith0]

The one question the OP didn't ask is, how easy is it to use? How is the workflow? Compared to other digital MFX boards, the line6 products are WAY easier to use. Much more intuitive to me.