8,720
edits
Changes
m
no edit summary
This page covers how to physically connect the Pod to your gear and how to setup common settings as well as understand how they work. There's basically two operating modes for the Pod: "direct" or "live". "Direct" means you're connecting to a DAW, PA/mixing board, home stereo, or headphones, and you want the Pod to simulate a mic'ed guitar cabinet. "Live" means you intend to use an actual guitar cabinet/speaker. Note, if you are connecting to a DAW and using an external IR to simulate a mic'ed guitar cabinet, I treat that as a "live" setup, although all the physical connections are the same as a "direct" setup.
Unlike full-range speakers, guitar speakers are designed to generally have a unique (not flat) response that rolls off the low-end and high-end frequencies, typically around 120 HZ Hz and 5 kHZ kHz (see [http://celestion.com/product/1/vintage_30/ Celestion's Vintage 30 frequency response graph]). Additionally, they have certain features such as phase inaccuracy that contribute to a unique tone. They are often driven to distortion as well. Guitar cabinets are often driven to the point where the reverberations inside the cabinet and degree of air compression change the way the speaker(s) behave(s).
In contrast, most PA systems, headphones, monitors, home stereo speakers, etc. are designed to produce a relatively flat response with little distortion. Sending a guitar amp (or model) signal directly into such speakers is going to sound very harsh and buzzy. Even if you apply extreme EQ to roll-off the highs and lows, as well as accent the presence like a guitar speaker, you don't get a guitar speaker or cabinet's unique nuances.