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There are several things to consider when selecting a cab/mic combinations for your patches. ''Your main considerations should be the general tone and feel of the cab/mic and whether frequencies are plain noisy or missing.''

=== Ignore General Frequency Response... ===

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While the most obvious thing is frequency response, simple things like too much bass, mids, or high-end can easily be filtered out using EQ (and/or some of the Cab DEP's). To some degree, that is important - other than a few general EQ tweaks, you're probably not going to EQ out all the differences between one cab/mic and another. But unless the frequency response you want is extreme and can only get there with a certain cab/mic, such considerations should take a backseat to tonal nuances or deal-breaking imperfections.

=== ...Unless Frequencies are Missing ===

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''If frequencies are missing, trying to dial them back in will end up amplifying noise, which will kill your tone.'' If a cab is deficient in some frequencies to the point where they are noticeably absent, it's probably not going to work out. There are some Cab DEP treatments I cover below that may help, but if they do not, swallow any sentiments you have towards that cab/mic and move on - you're going to be happier with another one.

=== Response or Noise? ===

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It's easy to confuse a strong frequency response with noise at first glance. You can tell the difference by playing different notes and chords up and down the neck and seeing if the tone remains stagnant, always sounding the same. If so, that's noise. If it's just a small frequency range, you may be able to dial it down with a Parametric EQ. That's what I occasionally do for fizzy spots. But before doing that...

=== Using Res. Level to improve SNR ===

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On the other hand, if a cab is deficient in lower frequencies and not punchy enough, you may be able to balance it out by increasing the Thump or reducing the Res. Level Cab DEP. Keep in mind that reducing Res. Level may make the tone a bit rougher - you may be able to dial this out when dealing with [[Line 6 Pod HD Amp/Distortion Tone|amp/distortion tone]], but maybe not. However, as mentioned above, deficient frequencies are often a deal-breaker. Trying to dial them in results in a noisy tone.

===Taming the Low End===

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If a cab simply has too much low-end, you can dial this down using the amp's bass knob, the Thump Cab DEP, the Low Cut Cab DEP, or using an EQ effect. A lot of people have said the Pod HD's cabs are too dark. Not the main ones I use - they aren't dark enough! But in any case, if a cab is too dark, that's easily taken care of with EQ. ''I don't find I have as much trouble with the low end as I do with mids and treble. The low-end is rarely noisy, and doesn't require the same attention to detail on the Cab DEP's as the mids and highs.'' Just EQ it out using the 4 controls I mentioned, usually using a combination of them to get the exact frequency response you want.

=== Tonal Nuances ===

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But keep in mind that just because one mic doesn't sound good with one cab doesn't mean it will sound bad with every cab. Some sound a lot different. For instance, I think the 409 Dynamic mic sounds really vintage-y with most cabs, but it sounds really heavy and modern with the XXL cab. ''It helps not to think of the cab and mic simulation as separate processes - think of each combination as its own unique entity.'' This is actually probably how the Pod HD technically performs cab + mic simulation - each cab/mic combination loads a distinct IR file.

=== Dual Cabs ===

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Further below, I recommend running a dual cab setup. The EQ advice contained above and below does not pertain to a [[#Dual Cabs 2|dual cab setup]], where you are generally picking two cab/mic combinations that complement each other and lead to a fuller response from the get go. Dual cabs are not for the faint of heart, or those wanting to run numerous or expensive effects. ''If you just want an awesome amp tone and are willing to spend a bit more time on your patches, I recommend you jump right into [[#Dual Cabs 2|dual cabs]]''.

===Using Cab/Mic Choices for EQ Purposes===

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As a final note, if you have run out of effects blocks and can't get the EQ you want, you may want to sacrifice the tonal nuances of the cab/mic you've picked and use a cab/mic that gets you that EQ. It's a trade-off you have to make sometimes.

== Cab Selection for Direct Tones ==

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I also have different favorite mic/cab combinations for my [[#Dual Cabs 2|dual cab]] patches, as seen below.

=== General Tips ===

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But sometimes you want a cab's unique tone, and that means I may need to boost the high-end. I like to use the Studio EQ to do so - it uses wide boosts and it has an 8 kHz selection, that allows it to focus higher than the Parametric EQ. Another good option is the Parametric EQ. Although the frequency selection only goes up to about 5 kHz, it has a high shelf that can make a nice even boost to the highs. If this ends up putting too much crackle in the ultra-high end, again, a Mid-Focus EQ is best to roll that off.

=== Hiway 4x12 ===

For DEP's, I like to turn the Res. Level down quite a bit in general (25%), making the tone quite crispy and clear and I boost Thump to add a bit of punch.

=== Tread V-30 4x12 ===

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I find this cab is best around 40% Res. Level - that's where the resonance starts squishing the speaker but before it starts making the upper mids overly prominent. Thump can definitely stand to be turned up - I go all the way to 85%.

=== XXL V-30 4x12 ===

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I actually like to turn up the Res. Level on this cab to about 60% when I use it by itself. This seems to give the mids and presence a healthy boost, partially evening out the frequency response of the cabinet. As expected you probably want to turn Thump down a tad, but don't go too much or things will start to sound weird. When I use it in a dual cab patch, I'll turn Res. Level down to clean up the tone, but it makes things darker, but that's ok since I'm pairing it with a brighter cab.

=== Greenbacks 4x12 ===

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I have really come to enjoy the Greenbacks 4x12 for a few of my tones, mostly Satriani and EVH. It has some buzzy quality to it, which might not work for heavier music. But it works for a slightly-nasal traditional rock tone, with nice midrange. It might get you a good 80's metal tone. It sounds good paired with the SM57 off axis mic though. For some reason this cab seems to have more highs with the SM57 off axis than on axis.

=== Uber 4x12 ===

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It's highly valuable for dual cab tones - a perfect complement for the Treadplate 4x12's brightness to fill in some punch and warmth. Also when mic'ed with a 57 gets that raucous T75 tone, but has a more modern sound than the Brit-T75 4x12.

=== Brit-T75 4x12 ===

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Very nasal and vintage-sounding. I find I prefer the Uber for a more modern T75 sound. I occasionally use this cab for classic rock tones, but you're going to need some EQ treatment. The lower mids can be a bit boomy and it's a bit muffled in the high end. I very rarely use this cab because of how noisy it is and how difficult it is to dial-in, but it does have that pure T75 sound if that's what you want.

=== Other cabs ===

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For clean tones, I like the Fender 2x12 and the Celest 12-H the best.

== Cab Selection for Live Tones ==

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If you still have no luck, try using Studio/Direct output mode with a cab/mic simulation. Even though this is not how the Pod was designed to be set up, as long as you like the tone you get, you should use it. Your only other option at this point would be to replace your speaker(s) (given the issue isn't due to how you set up a patch).

== Mic Selection ==

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For dual cab tones, I always use a 57 on axis on one of the cabs to get a nice clean upper midrange and treble response. None of the other mics come close for these frequencies.

=== Dynamic Mics ===

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I sparingly use the 409 for dual cabs - it can fill in some punch and warmth pretty well, but in general I find other mics below do it better.

=== Condenser Mics ===

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I tend to like the 67 and sometimes the 87 for dual cab tones. They add punch and warmth nicely and "fill in" the tone. Just watch out for some buzzy high end creeping in - you may have to dial down the treble on the amp using this.

=== Ribbon Mics ===

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The 121 is great for dual cab tones, filling in a lot of midrange and punch, but not really putting out a bunch of nasty high-end like the dynamics and sometimes even the condensers. The 4038 is more difficult to blend in due to its raucous high-end, but it can be made to work.

== Dual Cabs ==

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Every cab/mic will have some frequency range that sounds fake, washed out, or muffled. Luckily, I don't believe these are always in the same spot. ''This means that you can combine complementary cab/mic's to get what sounds like one great cab.''

=== Getting the Patch Ready ===

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When you first setup your patch, the results might not be as pretty as you'd like. I've actually found that many combinations sound bad at first but can be fixed. This leads me to the next section on phase correction, but first I'd like to say that I prefer to use cab/mic combinations that do not require phase correction, or only require using a single EQ effect to do so. If you find the section below too confusing or know in advance that you won't have an extra EQ or 2 to spare on phase correction, just use [[#Favorite Combinations|the combinations below]] as a cheat sheet - it lists combinations that don't require any phase correction, or it lists which cab needs to be delayed and by how much. Or demo examples in [http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/dualCabs.h5s this setlist].

=== Phase Correction ===

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I have done some pretty thorough research on this, and am continuing to update it. The link below is a spreadsheet with a matrix of every possible combination of cab/mic with another, for the Tread V-30, Hiway, XXL, Greenbacks, Uber, Brit, and Blackbacks 4x12 cabs with all available mics with the delay in samples @96 kHz required to make them in-phase. It contains tabs/sheets on how to use it, a list of relatively tone-transparent effects with the amount of delay they introduce, and the combination of effects necessary to get any particular amount of delay.

==== [http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/CabsDelayTimes_V3.xlsx Cab Latency Correction Matrix as Excel spreadsheet]/[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsSFadRSa9zYdG1kc1J2b1ZvRFVlUVIydXRMVVoyZnc&usp=sharing as Google Cloud spreadsheet]/[http://www.foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/tripGuitar_cab_delay.pdf as pdf] ====

The tone might be too trebly for your taste. Don't worry about that - we're going to EQ later. You want the tone that sounds the least filtered/phasy/dead and the most like a single amp tone. Sometimes increasing the delay between the cabs reduces the frequency cancellation in the high-end but adds more ambiance to the tone. I don't like this - I want to reduce the delay between the cabs to as close as I can get to 0. You can use E.R. and the Cab DEP Decay to add slight ambiance and thicken up the tone.

=== EQ'ing the tone ===

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Keep in mind that the Cab DEP's will also affect final EQ. Sometimes they can be slightly tweaked for EQ purposes without changing the tone too much. But more extreme changes will affect the tone. So primarily use them for that purpose.

=== Other Settings ===

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For Cab DEP's, I usually leave them pretty much at 50%, or I end up turning Res. Level up or down a bit (especially for the Tread V-30 and XXL cabs). This may smooth the tone a bit or make it a touch crispier. Sometimes I boost Decay to get a smoother, thicker tone. Thump can give you even more control over the low-end, but between the EQ controls, mix between the cabs, and if using a Mid-Focus EQ, you probably won't find much improvement here. You can vary these between the two cabs, but I find the tone sounds more consistent if you keep them closer, especially in regards to Decay. Low Cut usually isn't necessary if I have a Mid-Focus EQ in the patch; but if not, use it to trim excess bass. Generally, I follow my advice on how to use these as if they were a single cab, but I'm much less extreme with how I change Res. Level.

=== E.R. Settings ===

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So I often use 0 - 4% E.R. on my bright cab and ~5 - 15% E.R. on my dark cab. This works for both rhythms and leads.

=== DSP Management ===

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If you can't fit the mod effect you wanted, there may be enough DSP for an alternative. I find the Dimension can substitute for a Chorus or Flanger without consuming too much DSP. See [[Line 6 Pod HD Tips and Pitfalls#DSP Allocation/Advice|Tips and Pitfalls]] for more DSP advice.

=== Favorite Combinations ===

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== Cab D.E.P.'s ==

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=== Low Cut ===

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Or if I'm combining the Treadplate and Hiway cabs, I'll use this on the Treadplate around 300-400 Hz to prevent any of the Treadplate's low-end from interfering with the Hiway. And I'll use low Treble/Presence settings on the amp driving the Hiway, so that its highs don't interfere with the Treadplate's. Just like mixing instruments, I want each to have its own space and peak ranges, but still blend together seamlessly.

=== Res. Level ===

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This control is yet another means to alter the nature of the distortion tone you are getting. If you find pre-EQ'ing your amp (or some other distortion stage) can't get you exactly where you want to go, this is a good place to experiment. I've had tones that worked for rhythm but were too harsh for lead or weren't giving me the right compression that were vastly improved by manipulating this control. For instance, if I lowered this control, I'd get a more bright and less compressed tone. Then I could add a bit more compression and use less treble before the amp. Overall I had the same average amount of compression, but I got more consistency between rhythms and leads. And the highs I had were less gritty and harsh for leads but still crisp and crunchy for rhythms.

=== Thump ===

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I found this control worked better for adding punch to the tone than the bass control on the amp. The bass control seems to boost more ultra-low-end making the tone boomy. I think many people would turn up the bass, then use this control to try to dial out boominess, but I find the opposite approach works better, being conservative with bass and adding punch using this control.

=== Decay ===

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Basically sets how long the resonance persists (at least I imagine). This is kind of like the decay setting on a reverb. Too short gives a tone that sounds too thin. Too long gives a tone that sounds fake or weird. I generally like to boost this a little if I want to thicken up my tone, but going higher than 70% I find things start getting weird. I generally stay between 50-70%.

== E.R. ==

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