Line6 PodHD Tone Guide

by MeAmBobbo

Last Updated 8/20/2012 - Click for details

Note: this site has recently been completely reorganized. If you are confused and looking for the old organization, see here.

Also available as printable .pdf and .doc versions

Welcome

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. If you are looking for quick tips or troubleshooting advice, I recommend you go to the quick guide or troubleshooting pages. 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.

For a more general FAQ, see this helpful link provided by Line 6.

Brief Contents

• I. Introduction
• II. Quick Guide
• III. Guitar Setup
• IV. Pod Setup
• V. Amp/Distortion Tone
• VI. Cab/Mic Tone
• VII. EQ
• VIII. Tips and Pitfalls
• IX. Troubleshooting Guide
• X. FAQ and Links
• XI. Wishlist
• XII. Change Log
• Tone Demo

• A. How I Dial in a Patch
• B. High Gain Amp Round-Up
• C. Cab/Mic Round-Up
• D. Pre-EQ'ing a Distortion Tone
• E. Distortion Effect Round-Up
• F. Gain Staging
• G. EQ Effect Round-Up
• H. Killing Fizz
• I. Mids for Metal
• J. Dual Cabs
• K. Noise Gate Usage
• L. Amp DEP's
• M. Cab DEP's
• N. Output Modes
• O. Input Settings

• A. New Strings
• B. String Gauge
• C. Action
• D. Fret Buzz
• E. Intonation
• 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
• G. Bridge
• H. Body/Fretboard/Tuners/Neck-through/etc.

• A. 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
  • vii. Output Mode Feature Chart
• B. Internal Signal Routing
• C. Running "direct" (PA/board/computer or DAW/monitors/headphones)
  • i. Simple method (no real amp)
  • ii. Using a real amp as a pre-amp
• D. 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
• E. I Tried This and It Doesn't Sound Good
• F. Dual Outputs
• G. Using Multiple Instruments
• H. Wet/Dry Output
• I. Input Settings
• J. The FX Loop
• K. The Mixer Block
• L. Effects Order/Position
• M. Gain Staging
• i. Principle
• ii. Practice

• A. Distortion Types/Overview
  • i. Frequency Chart
• B. Pre-EQ'ing
• C. Gain Staging/Layering Distortions
• D. High-Gain Amps
  • i. Park 75
  • ii. Plexi Bright
  • iii. JCM-800
  • iv. Uberschall
  • v. Dual Rectifier
  • vi. Fireball
  • vii. Elektrik
  • viii. Dual Rectifier "Pre"
• E. Distortion Effects
  • i. Tube Drive
  • ii. Screamer
  • iii. Classic Distortion
  • iv. Overdrive
  • v. Facial Fuzz
  • vi. Line 6 Distortion
  • vii. Others
• F. Power Amp DEP's
• G. Dual Amps
• H. "Full" vs. "Pre"
• I. The Elusive Pure Clean Tone
• J. Noise Gates

• A. 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. Greenbacks 4x12
  • vii. Uber 4x12
  • viii. Other cabs
  • ix. SM57 On/Off Axis
  • x. Dynamic Mics
  • xi. Condenser Mics
  • xii. Ribbon Mics
  • xiii. Using Cab/Mic Choices for EQ Purposes
• B. Cab Selection for Live Tones
• C. 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
• D. Cab DEP's
• E. E.R.

• A. Classifying the Frequency Spectrum
• B. How to EQ a Hard Rock Tone
• 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
• D. EQ'ing your Patch
• E. Fizzy Spots

Tips :-)

• A. Tone Matching
• B. Branching/Evolving Patches
• C. Setlist Tips
• D. Effect Switching/Tips
• E. Recording Tips
• F. Monitoring
• G. DSP Allocation/Advice
• H. Mesa/Boogie Mark II/IV tone
• I. Clean Boost

Pitfalls :-(

• J. Clarifying Confusing Volume Controls
• K. Clipping Guide
  • i. Input Clipping
  • ii. Signal Clipping
  • iii. Effects Clipping
  • iv. Clipping External Devices
  • v. "Digital" Clipping (Crossover Distortion) on "Full" Amp Models
• L. Bad Monitoring
  • i. Acoustic Tone
  • ii. Bad Monitors
  • iii. Bad Room
  • iv. Low Volume
• M. Wrong Output Mode
• N. Gain Staging
• O. Outside vs. Inside a Mix
• P. Using Others' Patches

• A. Too much noise
• B. Tone is fizzy
• C. Tone is harsh
• D. Tone has digital clipping
• E. Tone is muffled
• F. Distortion is muddy/fuzzy/farty
• G. Distortion is dirty/gritty
• H. Tone is thin
• I. Software Knobs move on their own
• J. I'm Getting DSP Limit Reached Errors

• A. Frequently Asked Questions
  • i. Tone
    • Is the tone better when using Input 2: Variax (or another unused input)?
    • Should I use "full" or "pre" amp models?
    • Where should I set the MASTER knob?
    • What does the Master DEP do for amps models where there was no master volume on the original?
  • ii. Output/Routing
    • Can I output dual output modes with the HD-500 or Pro?
    • Can I output W/D/W (wet/dry/wet)?
    • Can I reamp over USB?
    • Why don't I get any output from Channel B?
    • Why don't I have stereo output?
  • iii. Usage
    • How Should I Level my Patches?
    • Why can't I get a natural volume swell with the Exp. Pedal?
    • How do I use the Pitch Glide?
  • iv. Compatibility/Hardware
    • Does the Pod HD work with Gearbox?
    • Can I use HD-xxx patches on HD-yyy?
    • What is the differences between the Pod HD models?
    • Can I use a different power adapter?
    • Can I modify my Pod HD to gain more DSP power?
    • Is the variable Input Impedance feature simulating the effect via software?
  • v. Misc
    • xvii. How do I submit a feature request to Line 6?
    • xviii. Why don't your patches have enough bass?
    • xix. Do you take tone requests?
• B. Links
  • i. General
  • ii. Forums
  • iii. Pod HD Reference Material
  • iv. Guides
  • v. Patches
  • vi. Artwork

• A. Output Modes, Cabs, and IR's
• B. Amps
• C. Utilities
• D. Routing
• E. EQ's
• F. Footswitches/Controls/Midi
• G. Effects
• H. DSP Saving Features
• I. Devkit