Bivouac wrote on Fri, 28 July 2006 02:38 |
I bought a POD XT when it first came out because I was going away to college and didn't think my 100w Marshall would be very well accepted (yup!). Well, I suppose I ended up playing more acoustic guitar back then (easier to pick up girls that way...) and the POD XT got put away until we needed some vocal effects on our practice PA. So it got a little use there, but I've never used it on a recording that I've cared about before...
Well, in my new band, the logistics are such that I'm not able to carry any of my amps back with me home. So I've been finishing up a new batch of demos for the band and my POD is my only means of recording the remaining guitar parts. It's not a lot of fun...
Sure, it still sounds like "guitar"; it just doesn't have a soul. It's pretty, and slick, and fills space, but it's not like a 57 up against the grill of a real amp in a real room--no personality. How is it that anyone can appreciate these things except for a last resort or a practice tool?
I find myself having to double everything I record with the POD just to give it some "imperfection". Anyone have any other tips?
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I have both the POD and PODxt... and I must say I like the sounds I can get out of the original POD much better than the xt. As someone else mentioned, however, it's only going to sound as good as the person tweaking it's ears.
I hear what you are saying about having to layer parts, but to me, that's the beauty of the POD. One of my favorite recipies is one track of "Bassman" panned about 75% left, one track of "Bluesbreaker" 75% right, and one track of "Twin" dead center. A little breakup on the panned amps, and some reverb on the Twin, and if you duplicate your performance reasonably well, you'll end up with a great sounding track... just mix to taste.
I think there are two main problems that seem to frustrate alot of people concerning the POD. First off, I think alot of people actually expect it to sound just like all of their favorite amps. In this, it does fall short. What it does do, however, is give you a generic "Marshall-esque" or "Fender-ish" canvas on which to build your sound. One needs to delve into all of the many options to get the sound you are after. The cabinet and mic simulations are better used as a sort of "EQ" or "Character" control. You'd be amazed at how much changing the cabinet and/or mic settings can change the sound. If the POD were marketed as what it is, a signal processor, as opposed to an "Amp Simulator" it probably wouldnt sell that well, but it would lead less people astray. Do the "Amps" "Mics" and "Cabinets" sound exactly like the product they claim to be "simulating"? Sort of... most of the time, but the POD is better used as a sound shaping tool than a "Vox in a box".
The other problem is most people tend to set the gain about 30% higher than it needs to be. It's a strange instinctual behavior that it takes guitar players years to overcome with "real" amps... but the learning curve seems to start all over again once the POD is out of the box. Turn down the gain (unless you are playing metal), and I promise the sound will improve.
The POD, like a "real" tube amp is just a tool, like any other instrument or amplifier or piece of gear.