THOR_dup2 Posted February 16, 2001 Share Posted February 16, 2001 So I'm sitting here in my practice space in North Hollywood staring at two guitar rigs. One being my Orange 2X12/Twin Combo and the other being a Line 6 rig. I'm doing my best to dial in a natural sound on the Line 6 but I just can't make it happen. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of amp modeling and and realize the practical applications of a rig such as this in a project studio or other recording situations. Amp Farm is quite an amazing tool, as is The Pod. But for live applications I'm having trouble getting the response out of this thing that a real tube amp with a couple of my favorite stomp boxes gives. I just don't have control over the dynamics of the instrument like I would with a tube amp. I'd like to take advantage of the new possibilities this technology has to offer in live situations but I'm not quite sure it's all there yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushtribute Posted February 16, 2001 Share Posted February 16, 2001 I've seen this situation several times live with people who have the flextone combos, not the heads. I think that the Pod series is fantastic for studio and direct live sound applications. The Flextones are going to have to be reworked, they lack the Punch that other amps have both Tube and Soild state in live applications. Do you all think that Line 6 should incorporate the pod into a floor pod? I think this would be a great marriage of technology. I see people buying the Digitech RP stuff and that stuff doesn't have the great sound of the POD but they do have a all-in-one floor unit with all of the expression stuff built in, line 6 should do this and get that market? Oh and build it like a tank... On a side note, the new Fender Cybertwin is AWESOME, I would like to have one of those as soon as possible. That thing can make anyone one sound half way decent. I heard it in a live situation and it was Fantastic, they are on their way to a great line of amps. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art Posted February 16, 2001 Share Posted February 16, 2001 I've had similar experiences playing thru a Line 6 Spyder amp. As you've stated, they are great for recording purposes. But for live applications, they lack the responsiveness of a good tube amp. This becomes a serious issue when you start to crank the amp up. Tube amps sound better cranked. I can't say the same for the Spyder. I don't want to sound as if I'm dissing Line 6. I own their Delay and Modulation Modelers. Although I would prefer to use the real units for recording purposes, the Line 6 boxes are a great alternative for live applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip McDonald Posted February 16, 2001 Share Posted February 16, 2001 Originally posted by THOR: tool, as is The Pod. But for live applications I'm having trouble getting the response out of this thing that a real tube amp with a couple of my favorite stomp boxes gives. I would think low frequency information is hard to get right relative to the mids/treble on a model since you have to "wait" so long to to see what the whole low frequency wave is (relative to the mids/highend). The bass response on all of the modelling stuff ruins it for me, except for quick studio work. I don't see how they can get around the paradox of low frequencies taking longer to "happen" versus how fast an algorithm can be applied properly to it. I just don't have control over the dynamics of the instrument like I would with a tube amp It helps if you run them through a pseudo-p.a. type setup instead of an amp. http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/ / "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrbreez Posted February 16, 2001 Share Posted February 16, 2001 I run a POD into the effects return of a 50 watt JCM800 Marshall combo and I get an incredible live sound. And its LOUD too. Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beagle1 Posted February 16, 2001 Share Posted February 16, 2001 <> IMHO, it's definitely not all there yet. The Line 6 stuff (not including their Amp Farm and Bass POD products...both very cool) is OK for practicing but it's like night and day when I plug into my tube gear. You're right that the dynamics (or lack thereof) in the Line 6 gear is a problem--it just doesn't respond well to how hard or soft you are playing. Also, sustained notes using the hi-gain preamp modes are very one-dimensional. You don't get the nice harmonic overtones you get with say a Marshall or Boogie. Granted, your average listener may not notice these things but it does have an effect on your playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greed2000 Posted February 21, 2001 Share Posted February 21, 2001 I'm currently playing a Johnson J-station as a preamp with my Ampeg SS140c stereo half stack. The Ampeg has lots of balls and Celestions. This rig sounds great. It took me a while to dial in the sound for playing with the band (as opposed to home playing), but after that it's been fantastic. It's versatile. I can go from chest pounding crunch, to soaring lead delay stuff, to sweet rich clean sounds. I even play my Ovation Elite through it. I have a couple of presets just for acoustic work...a little chorus, a little reverb, a little compression...very tasty Many people are critical of these modeling amps accuracy, which is cool. I appreciate their opinions. Honestly, this thing models amps that I have never heard and probably will never hear, so I can't say that it models accurately. What I can say is that I like what I hear. I wanted good tone and not so much exact replication of all amps. Since buying the J-station, I've gotten many compliments from other musicians. I also get a lot of questions as to how I get the different sounds out of my amp. The J-station is not visible when I play live. It usually is behind the amp. People are surprised when I show my "little black box". I say if you need the exact sounds of all those amps...go buy em. If your looking for good tone and versatility...look at a modeler. I've played through a lot of them (Line 6, Johnson, Fender, Yamaha, Peavey etc.) and I think there is something for most people in all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootyquake Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 I had a Line 6 combo for a couple weeks, but I had to dump it for a tube amp. I thought they were super flexible, and sounded wonderful in the studio. But they aren't amplifiers. It's more like a recording of great amps, played over a stereo. No matter how high you turn up the stereo, it never kicks out the lows and mids. This also why your stereo sounds like crap through a guitar amp. The Line 6 had that fake sound. When you play an archtop jazz box through the Line 6 and compare it with a Fender Deluxe Reverb, there's no comparison. But give it a couple years! They've been this clever thus far--I can't wait for the next round of toys they give us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrbreez Posted February 22, 2001 Share Posted February 22, 2001 Modelling gets better and better with upgrades. I got one of the first Asys 212s in 1996. I upgraded the software in 1999 and the differencs was dramatic. The difference in POD and POD version 2 is better too. If I'm playing loud I prefer to use my '73 Marshall 5O watt half stack, but in a small club I would rather use the Asys 212. They really have the power amp going full tilt down pat. You can do Hendrix style feedback tricks at a volume that was previously unavailable. Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.