So I have a new Podx3 Live

[Ambivalent]

My old PodXT live had a flimsy bass knob (in other words, I couldn't adjust the bass), and I was tired of it so I called Guitar Center to tell them I bought the warranty and I wanted a new PodXT live and they told me that they don't make new parts for them anymore or some shit, and that they will send me a check in the mail for the price of 1 PodXT live and that I could bring that in along with 50 dollars and get a new Podx3 live.

So I have this new Podx3 live and it sounds tons better, but I'm still failing on my quest for that crushing Nevermore/Arch Enemy/Meshuggah tone. Any tips? My band is supposed to be recording soon, and I want the guitar tone to be monstrous. I hear you guys getting fucking terrific tone out of these things, but I can't seem to. Some hep?

 

[006]

Well, to start, Nevermore and Arch Enemy have a "similar" style of tone...while Meshuggah has a totally different tone than either of those bands. For Meshuggah style tone, some of the best copies have been done through the Line6 Big Bottom amp model. As far as Nevermore or AE, try using the Criminal and/or Treadplate models. I don't have my XTL anymore, so I can't help you much more than that, unfortunately

~006

 

[HatewerK]

Also make sure you experiment enough with the dual amp thingy, it's even more powerful than advertised. Eg. try to put a Big Bottom + Line6 4x12" cab on amp1, and a 5150 / treadplate / angel (ENGL) + treadplate 4x12 (or line6 4x12) on amp 2, and mix according to your taste...

 

[Tommy Gun]

Those POD XT and X3 live unit are WAY too digital sounding. You are not going to accomplish a Jeff Loomis-type of tone with that thing. You might get somewhere in the vicinity of the EQ, but without a nice warm tube head, it's going to sound fake. Why do you think Loomis switched to ENGL? He records with good tube amps, and could never truly recreate his own tone live with the Line 6. I have had more than enough guitarist and even bass players bring those damned POD Floor units in and want to track with them. I gave it a try for a while the first couple of times. After that, I've just told them to cram the damn things up their asses.

 

[ahjteam]

Why do you think Loomis switched to ENGL?

After several years Marshall amps, why do you think Dave Mustaine switched to Line6?

http://line6.com/news/artist/579

 

[MetallyGuitarded]

After several years Marshall amps, why do you think Dave Mustaine switched to Line6?

http://line6.com/news/artist/579

Maybe cause he was a crack-head for years and is a born again Christian now and has no fucking idea what anything is or how it works and he's just taking the money and running with it? Maybe. Besides, Megadeth probably doesn't even have a backline of real amps anyway. They probably use POD's and in-ear monitors and FOH sound for everything. Just watch the new, extended VH-1 Behind the Music on Megadeth and it'll all come clear.

 

[Tommy Gun]

After several years Marshall amps, why do you think Dave Mustaine switched to Line6?

http://line6.com/news/artist/579

Dave still uses Marshall. Line 6 built him a Custom amp too, though. Which BTW, was built to his specs and sounds like his old Marshall rig. If he could get that tone with a POD Pro, he'd be using a POD Pro. But, he isn't. He using a Custom Built Rig. Which also runs through Marshall heads and cabs. The line 6 is basically his glorified modeling preamp/switching unit.

And to think that you will get the same high quality tone out of one of those shitty little floor models is extremely naive.

 

[Ambivalent]

Ok, so let's say I have a Pod X3 Live, and I don't have the money to buy a ENGL combo.

Also, Jeff used a Pod on the NAMM videos, and I listen to the recordings of people using Pods (Fuge86 comes to mind) that are crushing. Now, I know that there's no real substitute for a real tube amp, but these Pods are the next best thing to buying all these amps and effects.

Also, I have a VHT Pittbull head and a VHT 4x12 cab that's at my grandparents house, if you'd rather me work with that? Perhaps you could give me some options, but I get a very dry tone out of it.

 

[NickL]

I'm thinking of trading my xt live for an x3 live for the foot-switchable effects loop (use the boss 4-cable method into my 5150 and suddenly I have a good clean channel!) Plus I like a lot of solid-state cleans. Sue me.

P.S. PODs for high gain metal are OK for demos but... :zombie:

 

[Djabthrash]

Ok, so let's say I have a Pod X3 Live, and I don't have the money to buy a ENGL combo.

Also, I have a VHT Pittbull head and a VHT 4x12 cab that's at my grandparents house

:Smug:

 

[K Odell]

Ok, so let's say I have a Pod X3 Live, and I don't have the money to buy a ENGL combo.

Also, Jeff used a Pod on the NAMM videos, and I listen to the recordings of people using Pods (Fuge86 comes to mind) that are crushing. Now, I know that there's no real substitute for a real tube amp, but these Pods are the next best thing to buying all these amps and effects.

Also, I have a VHT Pittbull head and a VHT 4x12 cab that's at my grandparents house, if you'd rather me work with that? Perhaps you could give me some options, but I get a very dry tone out of it.

dude there is no question as to what I would go with, but since you don't dig the vht sooo much. I can say check out the big bottom model. Make sure you boost the mids a ton and cut some lows. Don't forget the tubescreamer too.

 

[Tommy Gun]

Ok, so let's say I have a Pod X3 Live, and I don't have the money to buy a ENGL combo.

Also, Jeff used a Pod on the NAMM videos, and I listen to the recordings of people using Pods (Fuge86 comes to mind) that are crushing. Now, I know that there's no real substitute for a real tube amp, but these Pods are the next best thing to buying all these amps and effects.

Also, I have a VHT Pittbull head and a VHT 4x12 cab that's at my grandparents house, if you'd rather me work with that? Perhaps you could give me some options, but I get a very dry tone out of it.

Dude... A Pitbull?!... Seriously?!... and you are fucking around with that Line 6 thing why?! ... I really want to throw my hands in the air and give up on you now... But...

That amp is a BAD MOTHER FUCKER. Go somewhere you can be really LOUD. Set everything on the amp at 12 o'clock except the Master Volume, which you want to DIME OUT! Then let it rip. You should only have to make the slightest EQ adjustments of "1 notch here/1 notch there" to get it to sound the way you want. Then you back off the Master Volume as needed.

I don't know how you have been trying to dial-in that VHT before now. But, you very well could have been making a common mistake among those who are not-so-familiar with Tube amps. A lot of people start off on Solid State amps and they get in the habit of (say, with a Peavey Bandit) Diming out the Preamp Gain, Using extreme setting on the EQ (often scooped straight to Hell), and the using the Master Volume to control for (what else?) the volume.
These same people tend to try this method out of habit when first using a Tube amp. This is WRONG. Most Tube amps DO NOT respond well to these "Solid State" settings. When using something like a 6505, a PITBULL, or a Savage 120, or whatever... You are going to get the most Gain and Drive out of those Big 'Ol Power Tubes, so crank that Master Volume UP! As for the Preamp Gain... On just about any given Tube amp, the Preamp Gain turns to mostly white noise after about 12 o'clock on the dial. So, I keep mine at 12. I also start with all my EQ at 12 o'clock. Depending on what guitar and Cabinet I am using, the farthest I'll push it away from that is Low= 11:00, Mid= 1:00, High= 2:00. Most of the time, though, everything is very close to 12:00. Trust me... TRY IT.

 

[Ambivalent]

Dude... A Pitbull?!... Seriously?!... and you are fucking around with that Line 6 thing why?! ... I really want to throw my hands in the air and give up on you now... But...

That amp is a BAD MOTHER FUCKER. Go somewhere you can be really LOUD. Set everything on the amp at 12 o'clock except the Master Volume, which you want to DIME OUT! Then let it rip. You should only have to make the slightest EQ adjustments of "1 notch here/1 notch there" to get it to sound the way you want. Then you back off the Master Volume as needed.

I don't know how you have been trying to dial-in that VHT before now. But, you very well could have been making a common mistake among those who are not-so-familiar with Tube amps. A lot of people start off on Solid State amps and they get in the habit of (say, with a Peavey Bandit) Diming out the Preamp Gain, Using extreme setting on the EQ (often scooped straight to Hell), and the using the Master Volume to control for (what else?) the volume.
These same people tend to try this method out of habit when first using a Tube amp. This is WRONG. Most Tube amps DO NOT respond well to these "Solid State" settings. When using something like a 6505, a PITBULL, or a Savage 120, or whatever... You are going to get the most Gain and Drive out of those Big 'Ol Power Tubes, so crank that Master Volume UP! As for the Preamp Gain... On just about any given Tube amp, the Preamp Gain turns to mostly white noise after about 12 o'clock on the dial. So, I keep mine at 12. I also start with all my EQ at 12 o'clock. Depending on what guitar and Cabinet I am using, the farthest I'll push it away from that is Low= 11:00, Mid= 1:00, High= 2:00. Most of the time, though, everything is very close to 12:00. Trust me... TRY IT.

Well then there must be something wrong with this Pittbull. I brought it to my house today and I took it to my back room and cranked everything to 12, then adjusted everything accordingly. I couldn't get barely anything out of it, not even when I turned the gain all the way up. Maybe there's something wrong, because it sounds like I have bad amp. Somethings could be blown out but I can't find any "Crushing tone" out of it. It sounds like a cheap shit amp (and trust me, this thing WASN'T CHEAP ) The only reason why I haven't sold it yet is because people keep telling me that VHT Pittbull's are one of the best amps for metal out there. So I'm almost certain somethings wrong, maybe I should make a video just so you can see what's going on. I keep hoping that one day it will sound like I actually spent all that money of a good amp.

 

[Joematthews]

errr... yeah. post a video, and we will tell you whether its screwed. If it is, get it repaired and it will piss all over the pod if you know how to place a mic.

Joe

 

[Tommy Gun]

Well then there must be something wrong with this Pittbull. I brought it to my house today and I took it to my back room and cranked everything to 12, then adjusted everything accordingly. I couldn't get barely anything out of it, not even when I turned the gain all the way up. Maybe there's something wrong, because it sounds like I have bad amp. Somethings could be blown out but I can't find any "Crushing tone" out of it. It sounds like a cheap shit amp (and trust me, this thing WASN'T CHEAP ) The only reason why I haven't sold it yet is because people keep telling me that VHT Pittbull's are one of the best amps for metal out there. So I'm almost certain somethings wrong, maybe I should make a video just so you can see what's going on. I keep hoping that one day it will sound like I actually spent all that money of a good amp.

Yeah, post a Video man. What does it sound like it's missing? Not enough Gain? Not enough power? Too muddy? Keep us posted.

 

[Ambivalent]

oshi

Thoughts? (not on my playing D: )

Also, youtube makes my videos go out of sync. :*(

Yeah, post a Video man. What does it sound like it's missing? Not enough Gain? Not enough power? Too muddy? Keep us posted.

All of the above.

 

[JBroll]

Okay, so the POD doesn't have enough gain, and the VHT doesn't have enough gain (since it doesn't bring the signal up much)... have you checked the guitars and cables and such?

Jeff

 

[Tommy Gun]

DUDE... Get that thing fixed!
Yeah, seriously, that Pitbull needs a repair job. It honestly sounds like you're running off no preamp gain at all, and that Master is at like 7 o'clock. Get that thing to a good shop, or to wherever you bought it, if the warranty is still good. That thing should be taking your head off.

However, Jeff has a good point...
Have you checked the POD and the Pitbull with a completely different guitar and cables?

 

[colonel kurtz]

Also, I have a VHT Pittbull head and a VHT 4x12 cab that's at my grandparents house, if you'd rather me work with that? Perhaps you could give me some options, but I get a very dry tone out of it.

...i'll take it off of your hands for you...

edit: in all seriousness, there's some serious shit wrong with that beast. i've stood in the front row for both isis and suicidal tendencies in the last year, and their VHT's sounded fucking awesome...the fact that you didn't completely overload and distort the mic in a webcam tells me that something's way wrong. as for what the problem could be, don't ask me...i have a broken tube amp that's been in twice for repair and still won't work, so i obviously don't know what the hell i'm doing with them!

 

[Ambivalent]

DUDE... Get that thing fixed!
Yeah, seriously, that Pitbull needs a repair job. It honestly sounds like you're running off no preamp gain at all, and that Master is at like 7 o'clock. Get that thing to a good shop, or to wherever you bought it, if the warranty is still good. That thing should be taking your head off.

However, Jeff has a good point...
Have you checked the POD and the Pitbull with a completely different guitar and cables?

Alright, I try to get some new cables soon. But let's say it's not the cables, what would you say the problem was just from listening? Can you tell just from listening? I took it in a couple weeks ago because I was dissatisfied and the store owner said nothing was wrong with it, was he just fucking with me?