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This amp delivers a classic Marshall tone. By itself, it won't get you to high-gain territory; you'll need to boost the signal (such as with an overdrive pedal, distortion effect, or simple boosted EQ) heavily to get a saturated distortion from it. I don't recommend doing that - if you want more gain but a similar tone, try the JCM-800 model instead. I like this amp for medium gain tones (AC/DC), or if I want a Marshall tone but am using a distortion pedal/effect for my main source of distortion (Satriani). Compared to the JCM-800, it has a little less distortion available but it seems to be more reactive to picking dynamics. It gives you that clean-yet-distorted crunch feel.
I like to lower the amp's Bias (and Bias X which basically "locks in" my low Bias setting). This seems to make the amp sound more like a Marshall to me - a little more nasal sounding and you can get power amp distortion without it getting too gritty or splatty. I drop it between 0 and 20%. It also allows you to dial in a bit more distortion when you want to.
If I want it to stay clean, I turn down Drive first and if I need to go cleaner also Master Volume, but I generally try to keep the Master Volume higher than 50% and turn down Drive more. The power section gets you the Marshall tone. Also, the Bias setting is more responsive the higher you set Master Volume. But keep Drive above around 5-10%. Something weird happens to the tone if you go lower.
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=== Plexi Bright ===
The distortion is coming from the power section, so Bias and your EQ settings heavily affect the tone. I like to crank up presence, which gives it that real crunchy feel. Boosting treble too high makes it a little nasty. And boosting mids makes it a little too smooth for my tastes. I generally set mids and highs around the same spot, and boost presence as much or more than that. And turning up Drive all the way makes it too compressed. For the EVH tone, I like to crank the Bias.
=== JCM-800 ===
For distortion, sometimes I'll go the opposite route and turn the Master Volume down to about 35% and crank up the Drive knob. This creates a smoother distortion, but I find it has less character. I recommend using a distortion effect or EQ in front the amp, and tweaking it heavily to find your tone when dialing in the amp this way.
=== Uberschall ===
I tend to leave the DEP's alone or near 50%, with the exception of Bias X. I used to adjust Hum to about 70% which seemed to change the tone a little, but then I noticed there's this faint digital sounding tone in additional to the main guitar tone - it's most audible when doing slow bends on the higher strings. So I now leave it closer to 50%; however, you have more wiggle room as long as you keep Master around or lower than 50%. Bias X I like to turn up, which gives notes more of a blooming type sound and makes the amp more expressive. However, too much makes the tone sound a bit fake. I usually settle around 65-70%. If anything I'll reduce Sag a bit, but this will make the tone less djenty and more percussive. Bias can change the mid-range response heavily and make the tone a little more gritty at higher settings. The Master DEP alone doesn't seem to have a very strong effect on the tone, other than compressing the tone at higher settings. But in combination with the other DEP's, it acts to amplify or diminish their effect. So I treat it like a compressor, which comes in handy for tones where you don't want a heavily-saturated distortion, but you want good sustain. However, I balance the other DEP's against it, keeping them more conservative if I boost this. For a super smooth tone, I find 40-45% is good. Anything lower starts to lose tone. Anything higher introduces a bit of roughness.
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=== Dual Rectifier ===
The most control over the distortion tone comes from the Master Volume parameter. Higher settings get a dirtier distortion - a lot more bite. I tend to set it lower - around 30%. This keeps the tone nice and spongy but still with a good bit of bite. I'm still experimenting with the rest of the DEP's, but if anything I'll just set Sag lower. I like the Bias controls usually at 50% for now. To get the super-cold sounding Meshuggah tone, I change it up a little - I like Master Volume pretty high (~80%). Hum seems to change the splatty-ness of the distortion. I believe I turn it down a little sometimes to make the tone more spongy.
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=== Fireball ===
I generally like to turn up the Master Volume to the 70-100% range for my Vai tone. This really makes the amp thump, but it also makes it a little looser. If you want a tighter tone, turn it down. This amp seems the most forgiving with its DEP's. For lower Master Volume settings, reducing Bias tends to make the amp sound more real in my mind, although this does suck out some mids which you'll have to add back in. For higher Master Volume settings, Bias tends to make the amp sound a little looser and more midsy and warm at lower settings, but tighter and crisper and colder at higher settings. For the life of me, I can't seem to notice any change in the tone with the Hum control.
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=== Elektrik ===
The Presence setting is a little non-traditional. I find a value around 45% keeps the amp djenty. Higher values make the amp more crunchy like a Marshall. Otherwise, it behaves similarly to the Uber, especially the mids knob.
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=== Dual Rectifier "Pre" ===
Otherwise the same rules apply as the full model, regarding boosts and EQ's. There are no DEP's to deal with.
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=== SLO Overdrive ===
I have not had much success tweaking the DEP's. I find they sound best around 50%. Boosting Master can have some effect on the midrange - sometimes I move this up to around 60-65%. But beyond that the power amp distortion is too broken up for my tastes. As usual, Sag works as expected and can be set to taste. Hum gets swirly and ugly if turned up yet reduces the richness of the distortion if turned down. Bias almost acts like a mids control.
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=== Doom ===
One thing that has been mentioned about this amp model is that it takes Distortion pedals very well. You can set the amp to provide a mild breakup, then drive it hard with a heavily distorted pedal. Or you can use a pedal with a slight breakup and drive the amp hard. Either way you get a usable tone without much tweaking. And this works across a wide variety of the distortion effects available on the Pod. So this will be my focus for the amp. I'm hoping it might deliver a better tone for some of the patches where I use a heavy pedal distortion into a slightly broken up Marshall, like my Satriani and Opeth tones.
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=== Epic ===
As for DEP's, again Master at 100% - it's the source of the distortion. I suppose you could turn this down if you wanted to use a pedal for your distortion, but this amp has so many pitfalls, I'd be scared to try to dial that in. Sag can be set to taste, but I find the amp is still tight and percussive at 50% and sounds more natural than if you set it any lower. Hum I actually turn down a little. With Master cranked, the amp can easily get into "broken power amp" tones, swirling and such. Turning down Hum a little helps prevent this, along with smart EQ settings and amounts of gain. Bias I turn down a little - this makes the tone have a bit more bite, but going too low makes it sound thin and scooped. Bias X I turn down all the way. I don't like what turning this up at all does to the tone - seems to make it sound flat and overly compressed.
== FW 2.6 Metal Pack Amps ==
My favorites here are the [[#Line 6 Drive|Line 6 Drive]], [[#Tube Drive|Tube Drive]], and [[#Screamer|Screamer]]. The Line 6 Drive seems the most versatile due to how it uses the mids parameter. It also has a natural distortion tone. I liken it most to a Boss DS-1. The Tube Drive also has a natural tone, and it is great for warming up an amp - I think of it as adding an extra tube gain stage to the amp. Its distortion tone is a bit vintage-sounding, yet I usually use it to make a vintage-sounding amp model more modern sounding. The Screamer has its classic tone, which seems to be a be a bit colder and tighter than the other options.
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=== Tube Drive ===
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This is probably my most commonly-used distortion Effect. It works well as a filter. It tends to make the tone a bit warmer and smoother. It also works well as a primary distortion, getting the kind of tone I'd expect from a Boss DS-1 or a general-purpose distortion pedal that uses a tube for distortion tone.
I use this frequently with the Marshall amps. It helps give them a bit more lower midsy warmth without losing bite. I find it can add a touch of compression, so you can preserve the distorted-yet-clean Marshall crunch while still having a thick lead tone and nice sustain. I use it in front of the Fireball to get a less djenty sound, while still still keeping the crisp high-gain tone from the amp.
I avoid turning the Treble knob too high here. Bass I often turn up fairly high, and I'll set mids even higher sometimes. But Treble can make the tone a bit harsh when cranked up.
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=== Screamer ===
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The Tube Screamer is one of the most infamous pedals of all time. Used by Stevie Ray Vaughn to God Forbid, it's a classic choice for enhancing an amp's distortion. I don't find myself ever using it as a standalone distortion, as it comes off a bit thin and harsh. But using mild Drive levels and pre-EQ'ing amps has a unique effect that is difficult to describe.
''The first thing you need to realize is that the "auto" impedance setting when this effect is first in the chain is 230 K.'' This may leave the sound a little less crisp than desirable - the actual pedal's impedance is 500 K. Try setting the input impedance manually to 1 M to get more bite in the tone. Conversely, if it's not the first effect in the chain, or you aren't using "auto" impedance, it might have too much bite for your tastes, and you might want to consider reducing your input impedance to 230 K. My suggestion is to use 1 M then use an EQ effect to roll off a little high-end before the pedal for the most authentic tone.
When dialing in this pedal for metal, the pitfall is to set Tone very high. This definitely gets the cold, presence-focused, brutal tone the pedal is known for, but it can be a bit too much and make the tone too "scratchy". If you get to that point, try backing off the Tone.
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=== Classic Distortion ===
One thing I like about this effect is that it gets pretty much 100% clean at 0% Drive. This can make it more ideal than the Screamer, which cannot get as clean, for certain scenarios where you want the Screamer filter tone, but you don't want the scratchy high-end, like a soft lead tone.
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=== Overdrive ===
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This is basically a fuzzier version of the Tube Drive. The break-up is looser and a bit more raucous. I don't really have any purpose where I use this as a filter, but I do use it as a standalone distortion for a fuzz tone. I find I have to give it a little pre-EQ bass boost to get it as dark and fuzzy as I want it. I don't really have anything else to say about it.
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=== Facial Fuzz ===
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I'm not really into fuzz tones, but I do use this occasionally, particularly for a Hendrix or Eric Johnson tone. I find the key is to mix it with some Marshall amp distortion and give it medium gain. It mostly affects the break-up and looseness of the feel to your playing, while the amp distortion provides the real distortion flavor. I don't find it does much when used solely as a filter, and it's too crazy for my tastes when used as a standalone distortion. I also perform some EQ after the distortion to trim off some of the nasty low and high-end this thing produces, otherwise I get a muddy and gritty amp tone.
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=== Line 6 Distortion ===
The difficult thing is finding a good amp to pair this with. I've had good results with some of the Marshalls, but you have to give them a little pre-amp Drive or the tone is weird - it almost gets a little fuzzy like the amp is struggling to work properly. Other good options are the Fender Blackfaces or the Divided by 13. The main thing to watch out for is excessive bass and treble. It's almost best to start with mids at 100% and everything else at 0% and work towards a natural-sounding tone. You're likely only going to be able to get so far, then use EQ effects to really shape things into a natural tone.
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=== Line 6 Drive ===
I mostly use it as a filter (0% Drive), but it seems like I get the best tone when I attenuate my signal before this effect with a Volume effect, to make sure it's not distorting or even compressing at all. It does work well as a standalone (high Drive) distortion, and I also occasionally use it to add a slight bit of distortion and run it into amp distortion to get a nastier tone with a little buzz.
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=== Others ===
The Buzzsaw and Color Drive seem to just add some dirt into the tone - definitely not my thing.
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== Power Amp D.E.P.'s ==
The best approach to these is to treat them like you would on a real amp. You'd likely spend most of your time finding the sweet spot for the master volume. Next you'd likely tweak the bias. Sag, hum, and bias excursion would be more complicated modifications to the amp that probably won't help the tone, other than the slight variation in such parameters you'd get from using different tubes.
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=== Master ===
For the high-gain models, the default 50% sounds about where I like it. I may tweak a little this way or that way to make the tone a little edgier or smoother, but I generally don't go far. The Treadplate becomes rather harsh at higher settings, while the Fireball and Uber tend to compress and get a little more life in the midrange, at the expense of high-end richness and smoothness. I like to turn up the power section to around 65% on the J-800 usually, which offers a more aggressive distortion than its preamp.
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=== Sag ===
Some distortion effects introduce their own kind of sag to the tone, so you actually want to reduce the Sag DEP to compensate. Too much sag or thickness to a tone can make it sound artificial - like a solid state pedal that claims to give you teh brootz tonez. But not enough Sag and your palm mutes will sound more like an overdriven clean-channel crunch tone than a thick djent tone.
=== Hum ===
If you do choose to boost this, pay attention to your Master DEP setting. You will have to balance the two or you'll end up with a tone that hums and swirls and sounds like an out-of-tune radio. You can tell you've got too far when this control noticeably increases the amount of humming when you're not playing (provided you don't have a noise gate that is muting it).
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=== Bias ===
For some of the more vintage amp models that exhibit crossover distortion, turning this up can reduce or eliminate the crossover distortion; however, it will have a significant impact on tone. I prefer to reduce the Master DEP and boost Bias X.
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=== Bias X ===
I most often leave this alone, or turn it up to get the vowel-y bloom effect I just mentioned. Just be careful. While at first it can generate some compression and a slight change in the distortion character, which as this transitions over time gets the "bloom" effect, going too far can make the entire tone change, in a way I feel is bad. Certain frequencies are not reproduced well, and the tone seems more noisy and dull. I find I like 65-70% and that's with a power section not being pushed very hard. The most I'll ever do is 80%, and that's when I've got the Master DEP set low, like 20%. Beyond that is the tone graveyard.
== Dual Amps ==
There is one exception to this rule, which is if your second amp is actually "amp disabled". ''This uses no DSP whatsoever. And it'll give you a clean tone, which you can use to reinforce your distorted tone.'' You want to pan both mixer channels to center and set the clean tone so it is just barely audible. You want it to really just add a little attack because a heavily distorted tone can lose some attack. Most of the time, I don't use this setup; however, because it is difficult to get right and I don't find it really delivers a much better tone. It's easier to screw up than get right. If you do use this approach, ''try adding some compression and EQ'' to the channel with no amp; so you don't get too much attack or bright clean tone.
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== "Full" vs. "Pre" ==
People on the forums have argued a lot about which versions you "should" use for any particular setup. For instance, I've often seen posts saying that if you are running the Pod to a real amp, you should use the "pre" version, because otherwise you're getting the power amp emulation plus power amp distortion from your real amp. Likewise, if you run "direct", you "should" use the "full" model, otherwise you're not getting any power amp in the sound. They argue that you want one power amp coloration, not zero or two.
This is logical, yet I disagree nonetheless. The power amp emulation has a rather profound effect on the way the Pod's amp models sound, even if you turn down the "Master Volume" DEP or set the bias colder. Your real amp is unlikely to replicate how that amp model's power section sounds on the Pod. You might not be cranking your amp to the point where it's getting power amp distortion, even at gig levels - many power sections are designed to have lots of headroom and remain transparent. And even if your amp's power section does get pushed into overdrive, it may still sound good with the "full" model on the Pod. Just because you're running two power amp colorations doesn't mean it will necessarily sound worse.
Finally, if your real power amp does distort at volume levels you will be playing at, take note to make patches that distort it in a desirable way. As noted [[Dialing_in_Distortion_Tone|on the Dialing in Distortion page]], the EQ of the tone you send to your amp will greatly affect the way it breaks up. If you use too much bass, the power amp distortion may make the tone muddier than you like. Your gear is limiting you. You'll have to brighten up your patches to compensate or get new gear or play at lower volumes.
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== The Elusive Pure Clean Tone ==
The PodHD doesn't offer any pure clean amp models (yet? as of 7/18 there is a Soldano SLO Clean model available for the 300/400 that may fit this bill), like a Roland Jazz Chorus. This doesn't mean getting a pure clean tone is impossible though.
''If you are not using Input 2: Variax (null), I suggest you start with that adjustment.'' One of its benefits is a lower signal level, which allows clean tones to instantly be a little cleaner. But there are [[Line_6_Pod_HD_Setup#Input_2|other benefits]].
* My input impedance is on auto. My input settings are input 1: guitar, input 2: same. Pad switch is turned off.
* Test guitar is EBMM JPM. Tested bridge pickup for dialing out crossover distortion by strumming as hard as I can. Tested tone using single notes and chords all over the neck for bridge, neck, and coil-tapped bridge+neck pickups.
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== Noise Gates ==
For general advice, see [[Noise Gate]]. Notes below apply strictly to the Pod HD's gate offerings.
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=== Noise Gate vs. Hard Gate ===
The Noise Gate uses less DSP than the Hard Gate; however, so sometimes it's the Noise Gate or nothing, and I use it with lower settings then.
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=== Open/Close Thresholds ===
While you can fake the above technique with a single threshold gate by turning up the Decay parameter, it's more favorable to set Decay lower and use two tresholds. It sounds better, and you'll get the expected gate behavior when you're playing quick staccato notes or sustaining notes.
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=== Hold ===
Where I find Hold is useful if you are using a longer Decay time. If you are playing a staccato part, the fade-out of the noise between notes is very noticeable, compared to if the noise were to remain at a constant level. Setting a hold time is basically taking a little time to make sure the gate should really be closing.
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=== Decay ===
For a spacious lead tone, where any decay is going to be buried by reverb or delay, I like to turn Decay a bit off 0 such as 100-200ms - so there's not an obvious sound when the gate kicks on. For super tight rhythms, I like it at 0; but this means I have to be careful about my muting and exactly where I set the Threshold(s).
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=== Placement in the Chain ===
See [[Effects Ordering/Position]].
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=== Dialing it in ===
If I can get away with setting Decay to 0 ms, I'll do that, but if the gate kicking on creates an unnatural tone, I'm going to either need to use two gates, or introduce a little Decay. I set it just barely off 0, at like 20 ms. The slight decay prevents an unnatural cut-off sound, but it's not long enough so that you hear noise fade out after staccato notes. If it's not tight enough, we'll have to use two gates.
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=== Dual Gates ===