Line 6 POD Curious

[dmmi]

So I've been listening to a lot from the rate this mix forum and it seems a lot of people are using Line 6 POD.....(be it Farm, or Hardware) with really great results!

When I don't mic my amp.....I use Revalver HP with what I thought to be decent results....but man the tones I'm hearing with POD are exceptional....

So here are my questions:
1.) is it the general consensus that POD is the creme de la creme of emulators be it hardware or software....
2.) I know it could just be my mixing and/or settings for Revalver preventing me from achieving tone bliss.....but man....I've tweaked and tweaked

So.....could someone help me out on this, should I buy POD Farm?
If others have had decent results with Revalver, could they maybe help me out a bit with some settings.....or even presets?

I play old meets new metal....kindof Slayer/Kreator meets Throwdown/FFDP

I realize I should re-amp....but this is mainly to discuss the above. Thanks for your help!

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

IMHO Revalver still beats the fuck out of POD's when it comes to high gain rhythm tones. It can be nice, though. I use PODFarm when I need to play silently in the middle of the night and for rough demos, but I still haven't heard a POD tone that would have blown me away.

 

[dmmi]

Thanks....is there any way you can give me a hand with Revalver?

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

It's been ages since I last fiddled with it, but IIRC you could hardly go wrong with the Screamer in front of the 5150 model (which isn't all that surprising )

 

[dmmi]

Thats pretty close to what I use....
- Multiband gate then Greener tube OD then single triode tube then 6505+ and then the vintage 4x12 impulse. I've found I can get even better by putting TSS in front of that as well.

So is it possible I could post my exact settings (or pre-set) to compare with someone who has Revalver tuned for optimum tone?

I guess this thread has shifted from POD to Revalver.....but I'm open to any suggestions for POD as well.

 

[narcossintese]

So here are my questions:
1.) is it the general consensus that POD is the creme de la creme of emulators be it hardware or software....
2.) I know it could just be my mixing and/or settings for Revalver preventing me from achieving tone bliss.....but man....I've tweaked and tweaked

These are simulators, not emulators. The general consensus is that independent freeware amp sims plus impulses are the most realistic simulators. That said, many of the best mixes using ampsims were done with POD, but you'll probably gotta tweak just as much as with ReValver. Personally I can get better results with POD Farm than with any other form of amp sims, but that´s just me.

 

[dmmi]

Thanks man.....I've tried the freeware plugs + impulses, and honestly can't get any decent tones within the time I can get decent tones out of Revalver.

Your comment makes me want to buy POD Farm.....actually I'd probably go with the POD X3 and FBV with comes with POD Farm, then I'd have potability when I go work on the road.

 

[Trevoire520]

I think the thing about the POD is there's only a handful of models that work well.
When I tried Revalver I did think it was a much more realistic simulator than POD Farm.

Using impulses instead of the stock cab sims seems to improve the tones significantly.

 

[~BURNY~]

Owning both Revalver MKIII and Pod Farm, I much prefer Pod Farm.

I never was too happy with Revalver.
The TS acts weird, the amps have something scratchy to them and the IR engine isn't as good as SIR2 for example.
There's a lot of freeware that are more pleasing to my ears and fingers.

Pod Farm is more straight forward especially when using elements modules.
Not all pod farm models are great but I really like the Dual Treadplate and the Criminal.
You can easilly tell the older models. They suck.
The weak point is the cab simulations although Joey S. use them successfully or so I've heard.
I rely on external impulses.

There's a lot of cool additional features. The tuner is great, the noise gate is perfect for guitars, the modulations and delays are very nice and useable on a lot of sources.

I wouldn't say that Pod Farm pisses all over the good freewares, but it definitely brings something else.

 

[dmmi]

so maybe I should try to turn off the impulses in Revalver and run SIR2 after it?

The thing is I haven't had much luck with impulses, partly because I I don't understand the tweak settings.....I mean, in Revalver you load your impulse and you can adjust your Bass, Treb, Gain, and crunch.....and thats it, easy.

Maybe if some one could help me out with a signal chain and settings of some of the freeware I may have some more luck. I mean, I wouldn't use it exactly because that would be your settings......but it would be a great starting point to learn the setting??

Thanks guys!

 

[dmmi]

OK....doing more research on POD Farm......and because others have posted there are only a few useful patches in POD Should I get:
- Platinum or Regular
- Which Model of Desktop or mobile POD Should I get
- Do I need an ilok with Desktop or mobile units?
- Will it interfere with my current audio interface if the USB has to be plugged in to run POD Farm

Thanks!!

 

[Dalinkwent48@aim.com]

OK....doing more research on POD Farm......and because others have posted there are only a few useful patches in POD Should I get:
- Platinum or Regular
- Which Model of Desktop or mobile POD Should I get
- Do I need an ilok with Desktop or mobile units?
- Will it interfere with my current audio interface if the USB has to be plugged in to run POD Farm

Thanks!!

1- Depends on which sims you plan on using
2- Which line 6 interface you get depends on how many inputs you think you are gona need, They have interfaces ranging from 1 in to (i think) 8 ins.
3- If you get a line 6 interface then that is your dongle, If you just buy the software then you need and ilok
4- It shouldn't interfere with your interface, which DAW are you using?

 

[narcossintese]

Regarding the 'regular vs platinum' question, I think the platinum is great but you can get away with the regular as well. My currently favourite amp model is Spinal Puppet (my go-to for rhythmn), that´s on regular pack. Dual Treadplate (Mesa Dual Rectifier) is also a great one from the regular pack. On the Metal Pack the best ones IMO are the Bomber Uber (my go-to for leads and solos), L6 Big Bottom, L6 Purge (this one is great with impulses) and L6 Smash. I think POD is really easy to get a quick usable tone, and amazing if you 'settle for little'. If you want "the tone of your life" you better be ready to tweak.

 

[dmmi]

1- Depends on which sims you plan on using
2- Which line 6 interface you get depends on how many inputs you think you are gona need, They have interfaces ranging from 1 in to (i think) 8 ins.
3- If you get a line 6 interface then that is your dongle, If you just buy the software then you need and ilok
4- It shouldn't interfere with your interface, which DAW are you using?

Edit #2......I'm not buying a Line 6 interface.....but the Desktop or Mobile processors which range in amps and tones from very basic to the max of course.....

So regarding what narcossintese says....I could prob get away with POD Farm regular, and a POD 2.0....to have the exact same options for when I go work out of town?

 

[Dalinkwent48@aim.com]

IIRC those desktop or mobile processors are called interfaces....

 

[narcossintese]

So regarding what narcossintese says....I could prob get away with POD Farm regular, and a POD 2.0....to have the exact same options for when I go work out of town?

The POD 2.0 technology and models are different from the XT and not compatible. If you want the same options that you would get on the POD Farm you will need a PODxt or PODx3. X3 is better because it comes with all the models (like the platinum POD Farm), but if you just want the guitar models from the regular POD Farm the xt is a cheaper option.

 

[dmmi]

Perfect....thanks. I found an xt on a local classified ad website for $150 (CAD).....

That with POD Farm and Metal package puts me at $250...then just need a foot controller....thanks guys!

 

[Rex Rocker]

The only thing I can add to this thread is I think POD Farm requires a lot of tweaking partly because many of models have tricky controls, and these also happen to be the best-sounding models, IMO. The Bomber Uber, the Big Bottom, the Treadplate, the Diamond Plate all have weird interactions in the Treble and Presence knobs.