pods vs amps

[JDC]

random curious me just had a random thought, how close do pods sound to amps they models

had a search on google and youtube and I can't find anything, anyone on here ever had chance to compare a pod with the real thing??

like how close are they?

[MDV]

They dont.

You can get a good sound out of them if you fight it (or drop the gain right down and layer the sh!t out of it with the very lows and very highs EQ'd out if recording), but they sound like cartoonish imitations of the amps they're supposed to sound like.

And, yes, I have an XT.

[hunter]

To me pod sounds like a recording of an amp, even if played through an amp.

This also means that actually in a recording context and a complex, readily produced song you won't hear much a difference.

But I think it's more the "feel" of an amp which is missing with pods and the like, how it's spongy or pushing back and how the same chord played twice sounds different each time you hit it, because of the complexity of the analog circuits.

Actually I like playing the modeler sometimes, I think I am much quicker and smoother in my playing with the Tonelab, but the battle and effort is lacking a bit, which results in less attitude coming out of the speakers, if you know what I mean?

[Philly Q]

I think people are unduly harsh on the Pod and similar modelers - of course a £200 digital box isn't going to sound exactly like a roomful of classic amps worth thousands and thousands of £££.

I've never had the opportunity to try a Dumble Overdrive Special, a Soldano SLO 100 or a vintage Vox AC30, so I have absolutely no idea how close the Pod gets.  Does it sound good?  Yes.

[gingataff]

There are several 'guess the pod' clips on the line6 forum that might be of interest if you fancy trawling though it (personally I can't be bothered, if it sounds good that's enough for me).
I think the main point of the POD is recording, and the recorded guitar sound is completely different from the room sound. The main weakness of the POD is the cabinet simulations. These days I use my POD Xt with Guitar rig's cabinet and mic sims as I find this combination much better. I've also read a lot about people using cabinet impulses with line6 gear to make a much better recording, although the ones I've tried sound much too thin (but probably very similar to the guitar tracks you'll find on recordings).
That said If you don't have the funds or space for a stack and fancy some high gain tones a POD will certainly get you that, and give you a lot of amp sims and effects for the money.

[jt]

:D As Hunter & Phily Q have said They sound like the recorded sounds of the amps there modelled after. I`ve owned a Plexi 100 i`ve played a Soldano SLO 100, A Fender Bassman, Deluxe i own a Fender Champ. The sounds i get out of my PodXt are acurate to the sounds of these amps as you would here them on an album, but they dont sound the same in real life as it were.

If i was going to record an album for sale would i use a Pod....No.
If i`m playing Wembley Arena would i use a pod.....No
If i`m playing a local bar/pub doing a mixture of music would i use a Pod....Yes

different horses for different courses. I like my PodXt.

 :D  8)

[Philly Q]

I don't want to get all "young people today don't know how lucky they are"  :roll:   , but having grown up with things like the JHS Rockbox, the Tokai Magical Box (how wrong could a name be?) and horrible little cassette multitrackers, the Pod is like something from Outer Space.

As has already been said, it gives sounds that are "close enough" (it seems to me) for recording purposes, and its versatility is amazing.  If your only amp is a Dual Recto stack and you suddenly need a few seconds of clean Tele through a Blackface, it's one hell of a lot easier than going out and hiring the real thing!

[sgmypod]

JHS rockbox now that rings a bell...remember getting a old 4 track rackmounted one thought I had found heaven *L*, have kinda been in both worlds the basic to the modern....pods are great, they have bad points but are a good recording tool

[AngusYoung01]

They dont.

You can get a good sound out of them if you fight it (or drop the gain right down and layer the sh!t out of it with the very lows and very highs EQ'd out if recording), but they sound like cartoonish imitations of the amps they're supposed to sound like.

And, yes, I have an XT.

+1

[Nadz1lla]

My Pod is a life saver. As has been said already, of course it doesn't compare to a real amp, but for recording it's a godsend. I don't think I would be able to get as decent a sound from a live amp recording as I do with my Pod without having to hire a proper sound man to sort out my mics etc, heh.

If I could tweak the Pod a little more I'd be quite happy to do a proper album recording with it. It's cloose but not quite there yet, maybe on the next model, heh.

Oh and I use an XT Live.

Good person to ask about Pods would be lepersmeesa, all his recordings with a Pod so far in the Players forum have been top notch, I believe he uses the XT Pro.

[jt]

:D Argh the "Rock box" & what was the other one a "Rockman ?" it was the one connected to Tom Scholze from the band Boston cant remeber what it was called cost a small fortune wasn`t adjustable & made you sound like a bumble bee trapped in a jar !

Kids today dont no there born do they !   :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

 :D  8)

[Philly Q]

Yeah, the good ol' Rockman!  Def Leppard's main recording amps in the 1980s!  :lol:

The Rockbox and Magical Box were low-budget copies of the Rockman.  Well I say copies, but the Rockbox is about 3 times as big, and they sound terrible.  I still have them somewhere....

[Elliot]

I played one in a guitar show in the 80s - I thought it was the bollox then - looking back I probably could have made one in my electronics class.

[sgmypod]

I thought I'd made it when I got my first JHS 100 amp....what a piece of junk


But my boss me5 was great....not so sure about the zoom 9002 or was it 9001..looked like a portable cdplayer