Best way to build an POD tone

Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

I love my Podx3 live. I wonder if anyone has a specific method for building new pod tones.

Basically I've been doing the following:

1 Find an amp I like and dial in the amp knobs to my liking.
2. Add EQ.
3. Add any mods.
4. Add any stomps.
5. Add reverb

Not sure were comp would come in, or even if this is the best order to build a tone. If anyone has a better process, love to here it.

Jeff Valentine · From: Colorado Springs, USA

I used a Pod X3 for quite a while not too long ago. Are you going through any kind of preamp? Are you using in ears or an amp? If you like the sound of your amp they you don't have to use another EQ on the Pod. Most of the great sounds I got from the Pod didn't use any of the amp models. I'd just use reverb, delay, and some chorus here and there depending on what kind of tune you're playing. The parametric EQ can come in handy if you're fighting for frequencies with someone else in the band. If you know you're playing loud enough but still can't hear yourself, experiment with cutting some low frequencies with the parametric EQ. Rolling off from 125Hz and below sometimes gets you out of the way of the bass. The Pod is a good way to have one stop shopping for any effect you need. The overall quality of the different effects is pretty good, but you don't need much for the basic clean steel sound. There are quite a few others on the forum who use Pods, so I'm sure they'll chime in with their thoughts too.

-Jeff

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

I have a POD XT. I also have a friend who worked at Line 6 for a while. He came over to the house one day, and fiddled with the POD while I played my steel. After a while we both decided that the best sound for steel came from the Fender Bassman amp module, (I forget what Line 6 calls it) and the two 12 cabinet setting. That is now my default setting. We also set up a Dobro sounding patch and one with a stereo chorus. I also have Tommy Dodd's presets and sometimes use them.

As far as tweaking the reverb or tone or effects, I do that myself when I set up, using my ears as a guide, but the combination of the Bassman amp and 2 12 cabinet patches is my basic setting.

Try it and see if you like it.
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Bill McCloskey · From: Nanuet, NY

I'll check it out. Thanks Mike and Jeff

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I've been working with Pods starting about 9 years ago with the Pod 2, which I've used extensively. I got it for guitar, but found it did a very nice Deluxe Reverb emulation for steel. Still, I use it mostly for guitar now since I got a Peavey Tubefex, which I really like for clean pedal steel. I recently got a Pod XT, which I'm fiddling with now and hope will prove even more useful for steel. I definitely think the Twin Reverb model is better on the XT and newer models, and they have a mode with no amp/cab models at all - but I think I still prefer the Deluxe Reverb on the Pod 2.

In general, I have found it most useful to go into the 'deep edit' mode with the Pod on the computer, completely nix all the presets, effects, reverb, drive boosts, and so on - everything. I then start out with the non-effected amp models and cabinets and listen to all the combinations in a very organized way with a bunch of guitars and steels and sort out which amps and cabs work best with which guitars for what purpose. I think a huge part is matching the guitar/steel to an amp/cab model at a particular gain level. I start EQ flat and when I have a combination that sounds promising I try to dial in the sound - again, it depends on the guitar a lot, and for good or bad, I have quite a few.

Only after this is done do I fool around with effects, including compression and reverb. Unless we're talking about a Dick Dale reverb-drenched surf sound, a hard rockabilly slapback, or perhaps Leslie simulation for jazz comping, I don't use much - generally just a small amount of spring reverb and very light delay. If I use compression - let's say on a snappy country Tele setting - it ain't much either.

I realize all these adjustments probably don't add linearly, but I really try to do one thing at a time and hear exactly what each thing does. But it all starts with the basic sound - if it isn't there, nothing else will fix it for me.

I wind up with a bunch of banks of settings for related guitars - Fender single-coil, Gibson humbucker (rock vs. blues vs. jazz), Gretsch, lap steel, pedal steel, each with/without various appropriate effects, and pretty much stick to those settings for those guitars. It took me several months of gradual fiddling to get everything set up on my original Pod 2 back when - I may change them a bit here and there, but not much. I figure it'll take me that long to set up the XT.

The other thing is that, like doing any amp adjustments, I think it's important to test these out through a fairly clinically clean amp at an appropriate volume. I like my Nashville 112 with the Pod a lot - I think it's a good slave for a modeler. Some other amps work well too, but to me, the amp should be pretty neutral - not overly shrill, bottom-ended, or distorted - I'll EQ the amp a little bit, but it shouldn't need much.

My take.

Greg Youngman · From: Santa Ynez, California - USA

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