Among the many products from Line 6, one of the most emblematic is undoubtedly the POD, a small preamp with built-in effects and models of the most important amplifiers. As always when we talk about advances in technology, it seems like a real miracle to discover gear like this, especially for those of us who lived through the days when getting hold of a simple distortion or delay pedal was already a luxury. Some time ago, Line 6 surprised us again with the second installment of its POD line, in this case the POD XT.
Here the technology is more advanced than in earlier models. Just as the first POD seemed to be a small kidney-shaped shell with a Flextone amplifier inside, something similar is going on here with respect to Vetta amps and technology.
The number of additions and improvements in the new POD compared with its predecessor is considerable. We get a large number of amps, cabinets, effects, classic pedal models, and an output called A.I.R. II (short for Acoustically Integrated Recording). One of the most notable differences between the POD XT and the POD 2.0 is USB support as a digital audio input and output.
Live and in the studio
In my personal opinion, the POD XT is above all an eminently practical piece of gear. I describe it that way for a number of reasons. The main one is that it has served me excellently both in live situations and for studio recording. Then there is something very important for my work: it's easy to transport, with its small size and light weight, since I often, to my regret, have to carry too many instruments with me: a couple of electric guitars, an acoustic, a classical, a guitar synth, and so on. In short, on more than one occasion it has made my job much easier. On the other hand, I understand that not everyone will find the sound of their life in a unit like this, but at the same time it's well worth digging deep into the possibilities that this and similar gear offers us, because, as I said before, it is often surprising how much new technology can do for us.
A dilemma I constantly face when recording is whether to record direct or with a microphone. Almost always the latter wins out. A Shure SM 57 at the edge of the cone is still my preferred choice for now. Still, when I've had to record direct with the POD XT, I've been quite satisfied, though not before spending several hours testing, listening back to the recorded material and checking how it blended with the rest of the tracks. With careful editing, the result can be as good for you as it has been for me on more than one occasion. In the following lines, I'll explain what the POD XT is and we'll look at its different features in a little more depth.
Features
The PODXT is equipped with 24-bit A/D and D/A converters and 32-bit floating-point processing. Connections are made via 1/4-inch jacks, balanced at +4dB or unbalanced at -10dBV. It also has MIDI In, Out/Thru, a USB port for digital input and output, and a headphone output.
The unit's controls are very intuitive and are all on the main panel. On the display we have 5 effect on/off buttons that turn all the effects on and off. A double press on each button lets you edit each setting.
First, there are the compression and noise gate effects, which give very effective results. Then there is a section called Stomp, which houses the pedals and distortion effects. There are 10 classic pedals with a wide range of sounds. In another window we find the modulation effects: chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo and so on. We can also access the delay section, which contains models of tape echoes, ping-pongs, stereo delays, digital delays, etc. The last window holds the Cab / AIR function, where you can mix and match speaker and microphone models.
Then there is the reverb function, with a substantial improvement over its predecessor, both in editing options and in sound quality. There are different reverb types to choose from, from vintage to more modern ones.
Amp models
As you will see below, the list of emulated amplifiers is considerable. Besides 12 presets from Line 6 itself, we have:
- Budda 2001 Twinmaster
- Fender 1953 Deluxe
- Fender 1958 Bassman
- Fender 1961 Champ
- Fender 1964 Deluxe Reverb
- Fender 1965 Twin Reverb
- Gretsch 1960 6156
- Hiwatt 1973 Custom 100
- Marshall 1966 JTM-45
- Marshall 1968 Super Lead
- Marshall 1968 Jump Channel
- Marshall 1968 Variac Plexi
- Marshall 1987 JCM 800
- Marshall 1996 JMP-1
- Matchless 199
6 Chieftain - Matchless 1993 DC-30
- Mesa Boogie 2001 Dual Rectifier
- Mesa Boogie Mark IIc+
- Roland Jazz Chorus 120
- Soldano 1993 SLO-100
- Supro 1960s S6616
- Vox 1961 AC-15
- Vox 1967 AC-30TB
- Tube Preamp
Many of them bear a truly surprising resemblance to the original, but, as sometimes happens, we may like some sounds more for their own color than for how closely they match the emulated amp. The Mesa Boogie, the Matchless and the Soldano stand out for me, though I confess that may be because they're the ones I use most.
The effects
The list of effects deserves a mention of its own, or rather a page of its own. Here is the list.
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In total, 50 effects, many of them based on classics such as the CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, Tube Screamer, ProCo Rat, Octavia, or the CS-1 Compressor/Sustainer. The routing is completely flexible, and we can mix and match up to 6 of these effects at once. The quality of these effects is generally very good and occasionally excellent, as is the case, in my opinion, with some of the delays and the choruses.
Cabinet, speaker and microphone emulation
There are a total of 24 models of the most important cabinets and speaker enclosures. At the same time, we can choose among different microphone models: the Shure SM-57, Sennheiser MD-421 and Neumann U-67. The possibilities that open up when you get into these parameters are very broad, since once you've selected one speaker and mic or another, the tone changes completely. In general, for the sounds I've used, I find a couple of speaker emulations to be the warmest and to give the best results, both live and in the studio. For me they are the Marshall Basketweave Greenbacks and the Line 6 2x12. Anyway, here is the list of cabinets.
- - 6x9 Supro S6616
- - 1x8 1961 Fender Tweed Champ
- - 1x10 Gibson
- - 1x10 Gretsch 6156
- - 1x12 Line 6
- - 1x12 1953 Fender Tweed Deluxe
- - 1x12 1964 Fender Blackface Deluxe
- - 1x12 1960 Vox AC-15
- - 1x15 1962 Supro Thunderbolt
- - 2x2 Fender Mini Twin
- - 2x12 Line 6
- - 2x12 1965 Fender Blackface Twin
- - 2x12 1995 Matchless Chieftain
- - 2x12 Roland JC-120
- - 2x12 1967 Vox AC-30
- - 2x12 1967 Silvertone Twin Twelve
- - 4x10 Line 6
- - 4x10 1959 Fender Bassman
- - 4x12 Line 6
- - 4x12 1967 Marshall Basketweave Greenbacks
- - 4x12 1968 Marshall Basketweave Greenbacks
- - 4x12 1978 Marshall with stock 70s
- - 4x12 1996 Marshall with Vintage 30s
- - 4x12 Mesa Boogie
Conclusion
The POD XT strikes me as a unit worth considering for every kind of guitarist; its versatility is obvious. I think it can be used in the widest range of contexts, from modern rock to the most classic jazz. In its favor, as I said at the start of the article, is convenience: its size and weight are truly light for the number of sounds and functions it offers. It integrates fantastically into the home studio, since we can also edit all the parameters from the computer itself. That way you can see all the functions in a single window. Personally I always prefer to edit from the computer because it's much simpler. You can also download presets other than the factory ones from the Line 6 website, and many guitarists even upload their own selection of effects to share them.
The POD has become so widespread that many musicians, saxophonists, pianists, trumpeters and so on, run their signal through it. Sometimes they're after a good classic effect, and other times they alter the sound in an outlandish but interesting way (I know a pianist who distorts the piano sound, with spectacular results). Given all of the above, my verdict on this unit is very high, and it matches that of a great many guitarist friends of mine.
