Sorry Axe guys but I think the Pod kicked the Axe in the ass

[Diezels]

Look, Im no Axe fan..I think the lowend IS thin and does not properly model the thickness of tubes and thats why its real big among people who like that lowend Pedal sound..So, I think its sounds pretty good but I think its overhyped by people who like a certain guitar sound.

but to say Pod kicks its ass is a bit premature dont you think? As it sits now there are too few amp models and options on the Pod to really stray far away from the sounds they picked for you. So just for practical purposes lets say the Dual Rectifier is much closer to the real amp than AXE---but you want something slightly different---you can do that. I dont see many options on the Pod.

But a point in Line6's favor seems to be greatly overlooked. With Fractal you need to buy that insanely overpriced rack unit, then a poweramp, then a cab. But Line6 has that DT50 which adapts its poweramp and speakers. So if we're talking live rig...well

Personally, Im talking for me, modelers purpose is quick, quiet recording or playing at home or in the studio. You need a specialized sound--you got it. So its direct sound is paramount. I dont buy this--"you gotta hear it person" BS. Sorry, but no one in the world hears your amp "in person" that means anything. Amps are mic'd live and Albums are heard through various speakers. So "modeling", to me, is it self contained direct sound.

Last thing is this "feel" idea everyone keeps pushing. While not a single person has been able to accurately describe what it is. Here's the deal...you cant feel sound. So this thing is being described all wrong. What is happening is simply dynamic range--nothing more. Modelers have a clipping point and real amps dont. So total dynamic range needed to be reduced. A fender blooms so big from lowest plucked note to loudest strum that an accurate model would exceed the 32float bits available. So you needed to use creative compression to lower the amplitude of the loudest notes. Your not feeling anything..your hearing it and it causes you to play a little bit different. Yet, the majority of all albums, in which you love the playing, were recorded in the control room through studio monitors, with dynamic range greatly reduced. So much for the feel argument. IMO..its masturbation and unimportant to your audience.

So the thing people fail to realize is that a fender needs to hit the compressor or limiter in the live or studio mix to fit with everything else. In fact, many modern CD's have a total dynamic range difference of 3db. 3db people. So all that wonderful stuff is never heard by anyone who counts.

 

[jlbaxe]

You stand in front of a 4x12 and tell me you cant "Feel" it

 

[degenaro]

Look, Im no Axe fan..I think the lowend IS thin and does not properly model the thickness of tubes and thats why its real big among people who like that lowend Pedal sound..So, I think its sounds pretty good but I think its overhyped by people who like a certain guitar sound.

but to say Pod kicks its ass is a bit premature dont you think? As it sits now there are too few amp models and options on the Pod to really stray far away from the sounds they picked for you. So just for practical purposes lets say the Dual Rectifier is much closer to the real amp than AXE---but you want something slightly different---you can do that. I dont see many options on the Pod.

But a point in Line6's favor seems to be greatly overlooked. With Fractal you need to buy that insanely overpriced rack unit, then a poweramp, then a cab. But Line6 has that DT50 which adapts its poweramp and speakers. So if we're talking live rig...well

Personally, Im talking for me, modelers purpose is quick, quiet recording or playing at home or in the studio. You need a specialized sound--you got it. So its direct sound is paramount. I dont buy this--"you gotta hear it person" BS. Sorry, but no one in the world hears your amp "in person" that means anything. Amps are mic'd live and Albums are heard through various speakers. So "modeling", to me, is it self contained direct sound.

Last thing is this "feel" idea everyone keeps pushing. While not a single person has been able to accurately describe what it is. Here's the deal...you cant feel sound. So this thing is being described all wrong. What is happening is simply dynamic range--nothing more. Modelers have a clipping point and real amps dont. So total dynamic range needed to be reduced. A fender blooms so big from lowest plucked note to loudest strum that an accurate model would exceed the 32float bits available. So you needed to use creative compression to lower the amplitude of the loudest notes. Your not feeling anything..your hearing it and it causes you to play a little bit different. Yet, the majority of all albums, in which you love the playing, were recorded in the control room through studio monitors, with dynamic range greatly reduced. So much for the feel argument. IMO..its masturbation and unimportant to your audience.

So the thing people fail to realize is that a fender needs to hit the compressor or limiter in the live or studio mix to fit with everything else. In fact, many modern CD's have a total dynamic range difference of 3db. 3db people. So all that wonderful stuff is never heard by anyone who counts.

Where do you get those ideas about dynamic range from?
Show me one guitar oriented CD that prior to mastering has less than 3dB difference in dynamic range.
As for feel and control room...there still is a specific way the whole player-instrument-amp-speaker-mix-board-monitor-ear loop interacts, that by no means negates "feel".
Also when folks are referring to feel it's not dynamic range but rather the ADSR...especially the attack part, and more specifically the slew rate of it.

As for Fender and the inability to capture it in "mere" 32 bit floating point...not true. As a matter of fact tube clip as well, that is what your THD rating is for. And where your output rating comes from.

 

[robertkoa]

Shit, can the new POD HD500 be used as a MIDI controller for my VH4? Can I run it in the loop as an FX unit only? It might make a cheaper alternative to a G System or something. Could also run it through my amp's power section...

Anybody know?

I don't see why not, I used to use my old Podxt live to control the Framus Cobra that way. I think the 500 is the only one with full midi I/O however. And yes, you can turn the amp modeling off and use only fx, they are supposed to be the same quality as their M9 and M13 stompbox modelers.

POD XTs can be great direct boxes when you run a really good guitar tube preamp into them this way ( Amp Modeling "OFF" ) and use the EFX AND Cab Impulses for direct recording ( sounds like the tube pre NOT a POD ).

Wondering if on the new ones( HD ) they made the Cab Impulses better or just used the old ones ? I probably don't care about the amp modeling ............but I'll bet you guys would be surprised at how good a Triaxis or ADA Mp1 etc. can sound thru one as above.

 

[ampjunkie]

I went to my buddie's gig last night. He uses an Axe FX and his other guitarist uses the POD X3.

On stage, they sound equal. And quite good, actually. Face it there ain't many places anymore where you can really open up a tube amp.

I wouldn't draw many conclusions from that comparison video. It sounds like 2 different approaches to EQ.

I tried the POD HD300 yesterday at GC. It wasn't a good demo setting, but one thing I can say: the Axe FX had great tone out of the box. This POD HD300 did not. The only thing I know for certain, is that the POD HDs record VERY well. In terms of tube emulation, in the room, the Axe slaughtered the POD HD.

As I noted above though, on stage, and on tape/disk, the differences are negligible.

The Axe FX CPU/chip/processor is far superior to the HD .... one would think, all other things being equal, that the Axe would still win, in every department, over the POD. I think alot of people were hoping that at $500, it would equal or beat the Axe FX. I don't think so. But depending on your needs, the POD could do very well for you.