The Steel Guitar Forum

I recently obtained a Line 6 Pod XT and I am having trouble getting a good sound from it. Is there anyone out there that is using one of these that could give me a setting for this unit, that I could start with, that is good for the steel guitar. I just cant seem to even get close to what sounds good.

Thanks
Bob

You need some of the sounds that have been created by some of the forumites for steel. If you just get an XT and plug your steel in, it won't work for you.

You will have to edit the existing sounds and save them.

What kind of amp are you using? I use a Nashville 400 or 1000.
I have great sound by using the Blackface Lux amp model. Use no cabinet and let your amp's speaker work. Also, turn your highs and presence to zero. Fine tune the mids and lows.

I am using two Nashville 400's. I am plugging the pod into the line input of the amps. only. I am not using the guitar input of the amps.

I mainly use my POD XT for effects only - no amp or speaker modeling. I have on occasion used the POD XT direct to the board for recording and it's worked out very good.

There are some POD XT programs that I use on my web site that can be downloaded and then installed on your POD XT using either the free Line 6 Edit or the free Gearbox program.

www.gulfcoaststeelguitar.com

You should first download and install the Line 6 "Monkey" program and the applicable operating system drivers for the POD XT. Install the drivers and then when it directs you, connect the POD via USB cable to the PC. Then install the Monkey program and it will recognize your POD XT. It will also list any firmware updates for the POD XT and allow you to download and install them (you will need to register with the Line 6 site). You can also download and install the Gearbox program via the Line 6 Monkey.

Both the Line 6 Monkey and the Gearbox programs have options to save your entire POD XT programs configuration, in case, for example, you lose your user programs you can restore them from the PC.

I don't know what difference it makes, but I believe my POD XT manual recommends for guitar the setting for going into the front of a guitar amp.

I only use my POD for reverb and effects, and I go into the front of a Dual Showman Reverb. Others have said they had good tone with the tube preamp model, or one of the Fender amp models. On the POD, turn the all the volume knobs all the way up (volume, gain, channel), and set the overall volume with the amp. With all the POD tone controls and the amp tone controls, you can get lost. Probably best to set the amp controls flat, and get the tone you like with the POD amp model tone controls. That will get you closer to the tone of the amp being modeled.

For practicing with headphones, I use the Fender Twin model and the 15" speaker model, going into a small mixer. That gives way better steel sound than going from the steel straight in to the mixer.

Bob;
I echo the previous posts.
I own a X3L and found that the "clean" patches (San Diego) works best. "Steel Bendies" which is a factory patch, is the closest. I use my X3L for effects as well.

I am plugging the pod into the line input of the amps. only. I am not using the guitar input of the amps.

That's definitely killing your tone. The PodXT is NOT a great preamp, it's an effects/amp emulation unit. It needs to run into the front of your amp for best tone; if you were simply using time-based effects you could run it in an effects loop, but you've taken half your amp(s) out of the equation by using the line-in.

As mentioned, there are a bunch of patches forum members have worked out. However, I've found that ALL of them work fine for recording direct but lack something used live with an amp. Some of the "punch" just seems to go away, both with solid-state and tube amps. I was using mine on a stand next to my guitar, but after 6 months of weak-sounding tone I set it up for computer-recording only and went back to effects pedals, with far better results. I've never found a "Swiss Army Knife" tone unit that worked, except when built as PART of a guitar amp - like Line 6's Spider and Vetta series and the second-iteration Cyber Twin and Cyber Deluxe.

Regardless - and again I think this was mentioned before - the stock presets are essentially 100% useless. They all are "all flash and no cash", meant to show off the capabilities but just not practical for real-world use. You HAVE to "dumb them down" and use far more subtle settings.

When I do use my POD XT direct to the board for recording, I use my Line 6 clean preamp program, that also has EQ's set to approprimate the Peavey "Paramid" mid EQ settings, and it sounds nearly identical to my Nashville 1000 or 112.

In general many people find that the Pod XT lacks dynamics for a great pedal steel sound. If you have a decent budget you may want to check an amazing unit

http://www.fractalaudio.com/


Really tough to make a POD sound like a Webb.....

I have no problem with mine. But then I use the POD only when I'm practising with a headset or recording direct into the computer. If I want a good clean tone I use the 'Blackface Lux' setting. For overdriven tones I prefer the 'Plexi' or 'Plexi Jump Lead' settings.

Bob,
I use my XT as a direct preamp into an ART-2 with a pair of 4ohm PV black widows. Have never had a problem, also like the sound/tone that I get. I have also run it into the preamp in on my NV400, didn't sound as good as the setup i have now, but sounded ok. Sounds better between the guitar, and amp on the 400 setup.

Bill

PS...check your email

the post that mentions turning your amp presence and treble down to 0 is the problem with many digital processors....too much treble (the treble with tribbles)..............(the trouble with trebles?)

i've got a cool cheap zoom guitar processor that i use sometimes....it's got some cool effects...but you lose some warmth!

Chris--I acknowledge your tribbles. (nobody knows the tribbles I've seen).....

But I disagree with the treble & presence at zero thing. Yes, the top end can get brittle and needs controlling but zeroing them out will lose any & all sparkle. I use the XT all the time. Primarily in the front end of a combo or head amp. For clean I most prefer the Bassman and Twin models. I boost the signal with the global compressor---sometimes with some compression but mostly with some gain.
It took some learning but I can now dial in a good sound from scratch in 10 seconds. Some day I'll find something I like better but I remain a big fan of the XT.

I just finished recording a demo using the POD XT direct to the board. You can check it out here if you like.

http://www.myspace.com/cwagar

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I am going to try plugging it into the front end of the amp. By the way BGrado you sound great. If I could get a sound like that I would be very satisfied. This is probably the most asked question on the forum but what unit could I use to give me a decent sound without spending a bundle. AGAIN thanks for the help.
Bob