Bass Pod XT Live

[Aldena]

I recently got a Line 6 Bass Pod XT Live for a birthday gift. Probably not something I would buy for myself, but it would a shame to return it.

 

I read the booklet at least 3 times thru so far, and have used it twice at rehearsal. Im in a cover band, so the idea of creating sounds similar to the actual recordings was intriguing. Beside the assortments of overdrives, delays, choruses, etc., there's a DI output in addition to the modelled output, and the ability to blend the DI with the Model output.

 

I tried connecting the output to the effects loop return on my Mesa Walkabout, as suggested, but the master volume doesn't do anything, so there's not enough volume. It sounded better in the effects return, but I'm stuck using the normal input. Could it be that the master volume is in front of the effect loop in my amp?

 

Using the pod, I no longer have "my" sound. This might be good or bad, but's it is weird getting used to the difference. Some of the preset patches are pretty neat, for example, the "All Right Now" setting is pretty dang close to the song, and sounds great during the guitar solo part, playing down low on the open A and E. I usually play that part on octive higher, it justs sounds better for me. I found a good overdriven channel for "Free Ride", but my buds thought the first notes sounded like big farts.

 

The jurys still out on whether I will use this all the time, there's still a lot to learn, even if it's easy to use. I think a more experienced player would be able to tell if the modeled amps and cabinets were accurate sounding.

 

Any users out there with some advice?

[SteveC]

I think the Pod XT is a nice unit. I've had a couple. I've tried to like them, but I always end up selling them and going back to a single preamp.

 

One thing that makes it easier to set up patches is an editor program and using your computer. It just goes much faster and is way easier.

 

The thing for me is I always end up using one or two preamps, a cab or two and a couple effects. for me it's easier to have individual units - especially as I tend to change my mind a lot.

[Funkee1]

I love mine, but it took me 3 months to dial in the sounds I wanted, and even now, I only use 3 patches.

[Big Daddy from Motown]

From your post I can't figure out quite what the problem is. I use my bass Pod to record and also for headphine practicing at home. It's a great unit,100 times better sounding than SABD.

I don't use any of the effects, and I seldom use it as part of my live rig but that's just because I'm already carrying to much stuff on one nighters.

 

The amp and cabinet emulations are interesting but just a starting point for creating good sounding rigs.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

Originally posted by SteveC:

especially as I tend to change my mind a lot.

really? hadn't noticed...

 

robb.

[PhilMan99]

I like my Bass PODxt. A few thoughts:

* It may work better to plug into the effects-loop, bypassing your preamp (although I don't).

* There is both a "master volume" for all patches and an "individual volume" for each patch on the BOD.

* The BOD also has a setting to select between "instrument-level" (-10dB) and "line-level" (+4dB).

* Due to the way the human ear works, having drastically different frequency-response at different volumes, you'll likely need separate patches for "high volume / live" and "low volume / studio".

* I think the modeling is great (amp/cabinet/mic), but I find only a couple of effects useful (chorus, compressor & SansAmp).

* You may care to nose-around the line6.com support/forums section. If you upgrade to the latest firmware/software, there's a nice program called "edit" that makes programming the BOD much nicer, assuming you have a PC handy.

 

Note: The names I used above differ from the terminology in the BOD manual; I don't have my BOD here.

[Big Daddy from Motown]

Whats hard about twisting a knob and pushing the save button?

[wade_g]

I've always wondered what bass Line6 used when 'tweaking' their presets. I'm sure it would be easier to make a model of an amp, or cabinet, or DI. But when you try to model the sound of the song "All Right Now", someone has to play it on a bass and compare it to the album, right? Were they playing a P-bass or a MM? Since I have a Warwick thumb, wouldn't I have to tweak the preset to sounds exactly like the album? Am I way off base here? Too many questions?

 

Maybe in the next version Line6 could have an 'bass setup' section where you can select what kind of bass you use, and then modify the presets accordingly.

[alexclaber]

If I were you, I'd either set up a patch that sounds like your Mesa, or create a completely clean fat patch and plug into the Mesa's front end, so you have a basic starting point of 'your sound' to work from.

 

I'm not a great fan of presets - better to tweak from a consistent starting point to get the sound you want, that way you'll really understand what's going on and using the unit to its full potential should become more intuitive.

 

I wouldn't use the cabinet modelling unless you're going into a very accurate sounding rig or straight into a PA system or desk. And i'd be wary of using the amp modelling if you're running through the Mesa's preamp.

 

Also, I think you'll do your head in trying to emulate the tone of every bassist you're covering, you'll struggle to aurally lock in to your sound on stage, and you may drive the sound engineer mad! Better to group similar bass sounds together and create a generic sound to cover each group. For instance, one dirty rock tone, one deep reggae tone, one old skool finger-funk tone, one bridge pickup funk tone, one modern slap tone, etc.

 

Remember that you've still got a lot of control in how you play your bass, so within each colour of tone you should be able to get many different shades without messing with the POD.

 

Alex

[Aldena]

Originally posted by PhilMan99:

I like my Bass PODxt. A few thoughts:

* It may work better to plug into the effects-loop, bypassing your preamp (although I don't).

* There is both a "master volume" for all patches and an "individual volume" for each patch on the BOD.

* The BOD also has a setting to select between "instrument-level" (-10dB) and "line-level" (+4dB).

* You may care to nose-around the line6.com support/forums section. If you upgrade to the latest firmware/software, there's a nice program called "edit" that makes programming the BOD much nicer, assuming you have a PC handy.

I think the problem with plugging into the effects loop was the line/amp setting on the output. It was still on the amp setting and not driving the amp hard enough.

 

I visited the Line 6 site, the forum is still a little low on posting counts, with quite a few of the "I just got a new POD and don't know how to use it" posts.

 

So far, I've only used the preset patches, and tweaked the volume settings to even things out. I think my reference to 'All Right Now', which is a delivered preset, is that it comes close to capturing the original vibe, instead of sounding like an Ampeg SVT with a 810 cab.

 

Alex, good idea. Go for generic sounds. As far as the modeling goes, every preset patch is modeled. I have a lot to learn!

 

Found another cool patch called "The Fish". I'm guessing this is reference to Chris Squire, and with the treble boosted on my J bass, it's a fun, grinding sound, although probably not useful in my group situation.

[Fred TBP]

Adding to all of the above, I'd advise blending the POD FX with your natural bass/preamp sound. Sometimes the FX will blur your tone so that the audience can't really make you out. I'm sure your Mesa has a simple knob that'll handle that.

 

Also keep some notes on your custom patch settings. Occasionally a POD will freak out and need to be factory-reset (it's in the manual) but doing that will lose your saved work. I went a little overboard one week and built an Excel spreadsheet to cover all the settings, but you could do this with their templates as well.