Mga POD HD500 users, need ko po help nyo, just want to ask something. May nabasa lang din ako sa ibang forum (maybe international forum) about sa issues ng POD HD500. do you agree with this one mga sir?
"After being an ardent maven of this unit and doing quite a bit of research and reading to everything and anything concerning it, my end result has mixed views.
There are some serious issues w this unit that Line 6 expects users to wait, and wait in the "hopes" the suggestions and problems so many of us supply to their tech team are being taken into account or perhaps being worked on. Problem with that is Line 6 says nothing, no hint, no response to yes we know that is a problem or we can or cannot fix it. They do not offer a hint of what they are working on or planning for their next update nor how long that may be. That sort of waiting on Christmas might be exciting for the young but for us older experienced players who do not have the time to waste in the forlorn hope Santa got our letter. I have entered into a contingency plan. I just retubed my half stack w Mullards and got so into the tones I move over to my pedal board system after repeated problems and issues trying to integrate the POD into my amp rig. Let me detail some of the issues I encountered and then offer what are the better issues of the HD POD.
Problems:
1.) Biggest kill for me in trying to integrate the HD500 into the amp in and amp loop 4CM method that is typically used. In using external effect pedals I need the POD to run from its effects loop out into my pedals and then into the amp in as the 4CM calls and as things normally proceed, nothing abstract or inventive there. Problem is the effects loop level drops around 5-6db in level out of the unit, a dead kill for trying to drive any at unity level which has to happen for overdrives and such to sound right.
Various "fixes" applied and tried even some no on else came to nothing really rendered the effects loop out suitable for function.
a.) recommended adding of EQ boost right before loop out, this did not seem to bring the level up and the unit seemed to buffer the increase back down as if the effect loop circuit was designed to limit level. Why do I think this? Simple analysis really, look on the effects loop edit block, a knob to increase the effect "return" from unity to up, BUT, no adjustment on "send" to increase the loop gain, it absurdly does a decrease up to a 0db which still has the db drop. Why is this programmed into the unit, my finding, suppression of the noise floor inherent in the loop.
b.) putting a class A transparent no color clean boost right after the effect loop send to bring the level up to unity recovering the db loss to properly drive effects results in an increase of the noise floor pretty much killing the tone.
c.) Switching to "line level" on the loop helped but still below unity level. Line level is only like 3db from instrument or stomp box level. Also changes the tone dynamic coming off the POD, not a win.
d.) Imagine if you turn down the volume of your guitar and look to drive a good overdrive or gain pedal to a great sounding tone hitting the tube amp, no such animal, the reduced volume signal lowers the gain level and drive. It's what you do to clean up an aggressive drive or clipping amp.
f.) Not being able to use the loop to properly feed a chain of pedals before amp in kills the 4CM for me. Pardon me for being a snob but the internal overdrives and high gains just pale to various boutique pedals and a even well done mimic of a cheese box is no less a cheese box.
d.) Because uber high gain hides a lot of flaws and issues in the tone, LIne 6 is getting away with this loop drop because of compensating for the amp preamp level which is rendered not noticed by most users of the 4CM amp integration method. Try using better overdrive or pedals outside the pOd before the amp in fed by the POD loop and the signal cannot drive them properly. Try to boost up the loop level and you raise the noise floor, leading of course to my next issue, noise gates.
2.) Noise Gates, neither of these are transparent to the tone on the POD and once again the uber gain users are not hearing the signal change and degrade. Much less I have never liked gates for the clamping effect they cause. I never had to use a gate or an NR on my expansive pedal board rig ever before because I worked so hard to eliminate any sense of ground loop hum, power supply issues and quality cables. Use uber gain on the POD and you are forced at some point to add a noise gate to the chain. Once again noise floor.
3.) Pitch Glide: maybe a minor issue for some but for me a real pain to deal with. This is a copy of the Whammy pedal and for most result works extremely well, it might even glitch less than the real deal (not sure of the recent new version). I love the Whammy pedal for its ability to do harmonizer modes and it does a realy great 4th/5th up or down unlike typical harmonizers which require a locked in key and scale mode. Monophonic of course like the Whammy but a cool effect. Problem is trying to set the expression pedal to an in-tune accurate interval of a 4th or 5th, the pedal editor is set on a percentage of pedal range but no decimal fine adjust. You cannot set an in tune interval of a 4th or 5th. .3 to .4 is way off and just does not cut it. Set the pedal to a hard set 4th or 5th without using the expression pedal and it works beautifully, but, you have to use multiple effect blocks of the same unit if you want differing intervals.
4.) There is a noise floor problem with this digital platform, not that you cannot design clean and quiet presets, you can, but at some point you are going to run into the noise issue and choking the signal off with an overt noise gate which is altering the signal. Check out numerous user uploaded presets, turn off the gate and the noise is a waterfall jet plane of terrible hiss. That is not good enough for an experienced or notable player, it is not a fix to use an overt gate to choke off the tone to "fix" a noisy chain.
5.) Most of the internal overdrives or high gains are buzz fest of bad tone, everything I dislike about any overdrive or gain pedal is manifest in the effect models. Why they did not opt to just model less units and better ones is a mystery, as that is how they approached the amp models. Give me a good copy of a KLON or any boutique level drive, for get the cheese. A fine example is the Metal Zone mimic, anyone who has this pedal knows it has a complex stacked 4 band EQ tone stack to control it, if you think that is properly rendered in just tone controls then you must think a really terrible sounding Zone pedal is great. Noise reduction, gates really, how about model a Hush or their combined NR, an ISP Decimator, anything more transparent to the tone, or, perhaps work to cull the noise floor of this platform.
6.) It is great to be able to use a dual chain or dual amps in various combinations, but one is faced with two choices on the POD before you run out of DSP ability. Either use an array of effects or 2 amps, not both. Set up some great sounding amp renderings w some needed EQ tweaks and you have no DSP for effects. Need some external pedals? There comes the effects loop problem again.
7.) The POD has three inputs, guitar, aux, and vairax input. It is designed to have a dual signal input for 2 chains (HD500) so you can select "guitar" in and "same" which makes the other side match the guitar in, but a simple A/B of this shows the signal level goes way up and the "same" global choice is once again noisier. I found the best result was split feed the "guitar" and "aux" jacks, level was more unity and noise level as low as it can get. They constantly recommend "same" while users call for selecting an unused input for less noise.
Now that being said, that are the upsides of the POD.
1) The amp models are really good from clean to uber gain. It is all about tweaking them and understanding how to make the unit work to its potential. I find the biggest issue of the POD amp models is what you run them into makes all the difference. I used a fullrange stereo power amp into a split wired 4x12 guita cab and believe me my amps sounded like the real deal and in some cases better than the amp itself. You are kidding yourself if you think your little low wattage small speaker amp is going to reproduce a great ENGL, MESA, BOGNER or Marshall tone. It is all what you run the unit into.
2.) Apart from the overdrives and gain pedals buzz fest, the wahs are great, using a quality Mission expression pedal and turning down the wah output to like 85-90% they all sound great and react just like all wahs to amps and gain levels, some work best w different models. Several modulation effects are really good, the delays are all usable, and the reverbs as well. Most Eqs could be improved quite a bit but work enough to fix things when you need them. Again instead of novel copies just give me a huge multi band graphic or a parametric of several bands and all is fine. Some compression models are OK
but I use an external Wampler which they cannot touch.
3.) Buying this for a multiprocessor effect collage and pedalboard, not a good idea really. Some modulations, delays and reverbs are fine but others, not so much. This puppy excels in amp model mimics but getting them to potential is not the "plug and play" simple you might be lead to assume.
4.)Great recording tool and mad scientist play lab. The interaction of amps, cabs and mics are very realistic and if properly recorded it is doubtful one could tell the result from using all manner of amps and mics. Makes that whole world a little simpler, and much less cost. Great recording tool. Pedalboard, not so much. I currently have down graded my pOD into my amp loop just for some modulation, delay and reverb uses. Working very well at that level but I am not piping the amp models into my amp loop in bypassing my amp's preamp. For one thing I have an amazing amp and it sounds outstanding using its own preamp and voices. If I want to use the models in the POD I switch it over to my power amp rig and let it fly. I find effects pedals work well in front of the POD and the push against the models very amp like in response, but mind the levels into the digital platform. Using the POD effects loop, a no go at this point and if you are using it on the typical 4CM thing your signal into the amp is 5-6db off unity, merely compensating amp preamp levels might get the tone up usable but you cannot drive pedals off the POD to the amp in.
So bottom line do not by this for just effects. Not bad for delays, reverbs and a few modulations for $500 but boutique pedals, of course costing a lot more, will kill this unit. My amp loop chain is missing at this point so I am using the POD to compensate but not using it in the typical 4Cm amp integration mode, that might be working for some, but it has limitations they may just not be seeing at the level they are using it.
AMP models are superior and well beyond anyone claiming they lack, it is all what you do with them and what you run them into. If you want the depth power and punch of an uber amp or a the vibrant clean of a Fender or little custom amp running it mono into a little amp w low watts or a small speaker is not going to do it. Great recording tool. For live and pedal board rig use, there are issues. If you have a great amp running the models into your power amp in mono is a waste of a good amp, give the POD a fullrange stereo power amp and let it manifest the power and range of the amps it mimics. I prefer a guitar cab split wired as little monitor speakers are not going to carry the fullrange and power of a big amp.
Too much of the marketing of the POD is of course a lot of myth and lore at newbie players still looking for a simple "plug in and play' that "sounds like" their fav player or tune. This unit has some fine attributes and tones but it is how you use it and if you are willing to read some manuals and info on how to use it. Doesn't work for me on the popular 4CM thing for 2 reasons, kills my already great sounding amp and the effects loop loop level cannot properly drive external pedals.
I am not saying do not buy it but do not expect it to be what it is not."
Source:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-many-guitars-so-little-time/758241-critical-follow-up-pod-hd500.htmlHope makatulong po kayo sa question ko. hope naintindihan nyo mga sir. salamat!
