Line6 Podhd Tone Guide by Meambobbo
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Line6 PodHD Tone Guide by MeAmBobbo Help a bro out! I don't have enough time for any more tone requests right now, but I am glad to answer questions or give advice via email. Welcome This guide was last updated 4/26/2012 - see Change Log for details. Due to popular demand, here are the links to the printable .pdf and .doc versions. They are not updated as often as the web version, so they may be slightly out of date. This guide is not designed to be read front to back, and it is not a light read. If you are new to this guide, I suggest looking at the introduction section before proceeding. Each section is relatively-independent of the others and are linked when there are cross-references. It is best used as an on-hand reference for any given task you are attempting to accomplish with the Pod. If you are looking for quick tips or troubleshooting advice, I recommend you go straight to the cheat sheet or troubleshooting pages. Brief Contents I. Introduction II. Guitar Setup III. Hooking it up IV. Setting it up V. Dialing in a Patch VI. Amps VII. EQ VIII. Odds and Ends IX. Troubleshooting Guide X. Cheat Sheet XI. Wishlist XII. Change Log Tone Demo Less Brief Contents I. Introduction II. Guitar Setup o A. New Strings o B. String Gauge o C. Action o D. Fret Buzz o E. Intonation o F. Pickups o G. Bridge o H. Body, Fretboard, Tuners, Neck-through, etc. III. Hooking it up o A. Running "direct" (PA/board/computer or DAW/monitors/headphones) o B. Running to an amp ("live") o C. Dual Outputs o D. Understanding Output Modes o E. I Tried This and It Doesn't Sound Good IV. Setting it up o A. Clarifying Confusing Volume Controls o B. The Effects (FX) Loop o C. Input Settings o D. Clipping o E. Mixer o F. Setting up a Patch without Effect Clipping o G. Input/Output Routing o H. Myths Regarding Input/Output Settings o I. Gain Staging V. Dialing in a Patch o A. Getting the Right Distortion Tone o B. Cab and Mic Selection for Direct Tones o C. Cab Selection for Live Tones o D. Dual Cabs o E. Power Amp DEP's o F. Cab DEP's o G. E.R. o H. Fizzy Spots o I. Effects Ordering o J. Guitar in vs. outside a mix o K. Dual Amps o L. "Full" vs. "Pre" o M. The Elusive Pure Clean Tone o N. Clean Boost o O. Noise Gates VI. Amps o A. Park 75 o B. Plexi Bright o C. JCM-800 o D. Uberschall o E. Dual Rectifier o F. Fireball o G. Elektrik o H. Dual Rectifier "Pre" VII. EQ o A. Classifying the Frequency Spectrum o B. How to EQ a Hard Rock Tone o C. The Pod HD's EQ Effects o D. EQ'ing your Patch VIII. Odds and Ends o A. Setlist Tips o B. Effect Switching/Tips o C. Recording Tips o D. Monitoring o E. DSP Allocation/Advice o F. Dual Output/Path Tricks o G. Multiple Instruments/Independent Paths o H. Wet/Dry Output IX. Troubleshooting Guide o A. Too much noise o B. Tone is fizzy o C. Tone is harsh o D. Tone has digital clipping o E. Tone is muffled o F. Distortion is muddy/fuzzy/farty o G. Distortion is dirty/gritty o H. Tone is thin o I. Software Knobs move on their own X. Cheat Sheet o A. Dialing in a good Distortion tone o B. Killing Fizz o C. Mids for Metal o D. Dual Cabs (not Amps) for Highest Quality Tone o E. Fake Mesa/Boogie Mark Tones o F. Classic Distortion is Cleaner than Tube Screamer o G. Noise Gate Usage o H. EQ isn't Magic o I. Match to an Arist o J. Beware the Guitar's Acoustic Tone o K. Beware Garbage Monitors o L. Beware Room Madness o M. Using Edit for Evolutionary Tone o N. Power Amp Params o O. Output Modes XI. Wishlist o A. Output Modes, Cabs, and IR's o B. Amps o C. Utilities o D. Routing o E. EQ's o F. Footswitches/Controls o G. Miscellaneous XII. Change Log Tone Demo Full Contents I. Introduction II. Guitar Setup o A. New Strings o B. String Gauge o C. Action o D. Fret Buzz o E. Intonation o F. Pickups . i. Single-Coil vs. Humbuckers . ii. Pickup Position . iii. Signal-to-Noise Ratio . iv. Frequency Response . v. Actives vs. Passives . vi. All about Blackouts . vii. Pickup height on passives . viii. Pickup height on actives . ix. Pickup Suggestions o G. Bridge o H. Body, Fretboard, Tuners, Neck-through, etc. III. Hooking it up o A. Running "direct" (PA/board/computer or DAW/monitors/headphones) . i. Simple method (no real amp) . ii. Using a real amp as a pre-amp o B. Running to an amp ("live") . i. Amp without effects loop . ii. Pod as Effects Only after pre-amp . iii. Simple setup for amp with effects loop . iv. 4 Cable Method o C. Dual Outputs o D. Understanding Output Modes . i. Simple Guide for Settings . ii. Where Confusion Sets In . iii. Global EQ . iv. Live-Voiced Cabs . v. Cab/Mic Simulation . vi. Bass-Boost . vi. Output Mode Feature Chart o E. I Tried This and It Doesn't Sound Good IV. Setting it up o A. Clarifying Confusing Volume Controls . i. The Pad Switch . ii. The MASTER Knob . iii. Amp/Channel Volume aka VOLUME Knob . iv. Mixer Levels . v. Master D.E.P. o B. The Effects (FX) Loop o C. Input Settings o D. Clipping . i. Input Clipping . ii. Signal Clipping . iii. Effects Clipping . iv. Clipping External Devices . v. "Digital" Clipping (Crossover Distortion) on "Full" Amp Models o E. Mixer o F. Setting up a Patch without Effect Clipping o G. Input/Output Routing o H. Myths Regarding Input/Output Settings o I. Gain Staging . i. Gain Staging on Analog Amplifiers . ii. Gain Staging in Digital Devices V. Dialing in a Patch o A. Getting the Right Distortion Tone . i. Frequency Chart . ii. Using Pre-Gain EQ . iii. Overdrive Pedals . iv. Power Amp Distortion . v. Cab/Speaker Distortion . vi. Putting it all Together o B. Cab and Mic Selection for Direct Tones . i. My Favorites . ii. General Tips . iii. Hiway 4x12 . iv. Tread V-30 4x12 . v. XXL V-30 4x12 . vi. Uber 4x12 . vii. Greenbacks 4x12 . viii. Other 4x12's . ix. SM57 On/Off Axis . x. Dynamic Mics . xi. Condenser Mics . xii. Ribbon Mics . xiii. Using Cab/Mic Choices for EQ Purposes o C. Cab Selection for Live Tones o D. Dual Cabs . i. Introduction . ii. Getting the Patch Ready . iii. Phase Correction . iv. EQ'ing the Tone . v. Other Amp Settings . vi. DSP Management . vii. My Favorites . viii. Theories About IR Quality o E. Power Amp DEP's o F. Cab DEP's o G. E.R. o H. Fizzy Spots o I. Effects Ordering o J. Guitar in vs. outside a mix o K. Dual Amps o L. "Full" vs. "Pre" o M. The Elusive Pure Clean Tone o N. Clean Boost o O. Noise Gates VI. Amps o A. Park 75 o B. Plexi Bright o C. JCM-800 o D. Uberschall o E. Dual Rectifier o F. Fireball o G. Elektrik o H. Dual Rectifier "Pre" VII. EQ o A. Classifying the Frequency Spectrum o B. How to EQ a Hard Rock Tone o C. The Pod HD's EQ Effects . i. Graphic EQ . ii. Parametric EQ . iii. Studio EQ . iv. 4 Band Shift EQ . v. Mid-Focus EQ o D. EQ'ing your Patch VIII. Odds and Ends o A. Setlist Tips o B. Effect Switching/Tips o C. Recording Tips o D. Monitoring o E. DSP Allocation/Advice o F. Dual Output/Path Tricks o G. Multiple Instruments/Independent Paths o H. Wet/Dry Output IX. Troubleshooting Guide o A. Too much noise o B. Tone is fizzy o C. Tone is harsh o D. Tone has digital clipping o E. Tone is muffled o F. Distortion is muddy/fuzzy/farty o G. Distortion is dirty/gritty o H. Tone is thin o I. Software Knobs move on their own X. Cheat Sheet o A. Dialing in a good Distortion tone o B. Killing Fizz o C. Mids for Metal o D. Dual Cabs (not Amps) for Highest Quality Tone o E. Fake Mesa/Boogie Mark Tones o F. Classic Distortion is Cleaner than Tube Screamer o G. Noise Gate Usage o H. EQ isn't Magic o I. Match to an Arist o J. Beware the Guitar's Acoustic Tone o K. Beware Garbage Monitors o L. Beware Room Madness o M. Using Edit for Evolutionary Tone o N. Power Amp Params o O. Output Modes XI. Wishlist o A. Output Modes, Cabs, and IR's o B. Amps o C. Utilities o D. Routing o E. EQ's o F. Footswitches/Controls o G. Miscellaneous XII. Change Log Tone Demo I. Introduction The purpose of this guide is to provide the details Line 6 didn't provide, mostly geared towards getting high gain tones with the Pod HD 500, which can take a ton of effort to properly dial in. It also applies to the Pod HD 300, 400, Desktop, and Pro; however, there may be a few things here and there impossible to do on the 300/400 (like using multiple effects), or that don't make sense on the Desktop.