how can i get my pod to sound better?

[Incognito Man]

i have a pod x3 and the stock presets sound like hell so i went to the line 6 site and grabbed their software and downloaded a ton of user made presets and they all sould like hell too.

is it possable to get a pod to sound good at all? i have read that you can get different impulses for it and i have heard of something called thx, what are these things? this is my first pod so i am a pod/line 6 noob.

 

[Sloan]

endless tweaking?
i never had good results with a pod, but hell i can't get any fucking guitar related shit to sound half good.

 

[prostetnic]

Step 1: Sell POD
Step 2: Get decent interface
Step 3: TSE 808 + LePou Plugins + Cab Sim in DAW
Step 4: Amp sim heaven

also, google your s**t and browse the forum, there are all the faq's you need.

 

[DestroyTheColossus]

It sounds like the problem your having is just downloading any preset. You have to make sure you get presets made with TACT.

 

[Trevoire520]

Downloading presets isn't going to work unless you have the exact same guitar and player as the person who made the preset. And that's assuming they knew anything about dialling in a decent tone anyway!

My favourite amps on the POD are the Diamondplate and the Criminal. Big Bottom is pretty good too.

Use a screamer in front of the amp to tighten it up and mess around with settings until it sounds good.

 

[joshwheelermusic]

1 pick + two hands + years of practice = the best pod tone you could ever imagine.

 

[cyril_v]

unless you have the same guitar set-up as the person who made the set-up, it's more than likely going to sound shitty or at least not what you're expecting. I've made presets with the X3 that I was happy with when I have one guitar, but then if I try it with another guitar it sounds like ass. Best results will be had by starting from scratch most of the time, just pick an amp that you like the sound of and a cab doesn't sound too shitty, then tweak to tastes and be sure to hp/lp. You can also get better results by using impulses as opposed to the stock ones that are supplied by the X3.

Presets for the most part I've come to realize are pretty pointless unless you've made them yourself.
/2c.

 

[iambillylange]

yep you pretty much have to have the tubescreamer in the chain....also +1 on the different guitar set-up
i have emg's and the other guitar player in my band has a jb and the difference between the two is astronomical....so much so i dont even use my presets on him

just takes some time and some tweaking....personally i always use the treadplate cab - 0 room - and most of the time the condenser mic...and roll off the gain a bit

 

[ahjteam]

tone is 80% in the fingers and 10% in the gear you use. The rest 10% is from your settings.

 

[Harley Barley]

experiment, A LOT.

 

[DanLights]

Yeah just start from scratch and carve your own tone, it is possible to get great sounding tones from a pod X3 but as many people said it also depends hugely on your playing techinque, and yup presets suck most of the time. You COULD try getting a preset and tweaking it to your taste but I would prefer to just start from scratch

 

[Wolfeman]

Yep I agree, needs teh TACT

 

[xFkx]

tone is 80% in the fingers and 10% in the gear you use. The rest 10% is from your settings.

Oh yeah, I love this one.

Always reminds me of slippermans answer to this which was, give someone a tele and a twin reverb, and make them have the same tone as they had, but with a LP and a dual recto.

 

[kev]

High Pass/Low Pass matters much more with simulators it seems.

 

[TheDriller]

^ Yup,

you absolutely must Lo-Pass to get rid of the demented fizzy shit that sims tend to produce way high up in the spectrum

 

[Incognito Man]

thanks guys, what is tact and how do i get different impluses into the unit?

 

[Trevoire520]

You'd use the pod without it's cab simulator on and use a cabinet impulse in your DAW.

Ignore those going on about tact. It's a long standing joke in the forum.

Another thing to think about when you're getting in your tone. Tweak your tone in with drums and bass playing at the same time. This means the tone you get will work well in a mix. Tones that sound good on their own often suck in the mix.

 

[xTomx]

Nobody tell him about the secret forum where we have the real presets which are all amazing.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Nobody tell him about the secret forum where we have the real presets which are all amazing.

I wouldn't doubt this. I used to hang on the Lamb of God forums and they always had a secondary "secret" forum that only a certain select people were invited to ..... kinda fucked up actually.

Also - about this "tact"....I know it's a joke, but what is it referring to?

 

[shredder10]

I've ben struggling with pods for a while now...and srsly, the won't sound like anything REAL out there.
The only way i've got decent results, is layering and quad tracking
And after that, some serious post Eq, Comp, Valve/tape saturation...

So, PODs blow.