Question for people who've mixed with / use Line6 PODs...

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Currently, we're recording guitars through the following chain by way of
1/4" analog connectors (except for that final step) :

Guitar => PODxt => Mackie 1402 => Gina External Box => Computer

I just learned that the PODxt can directly connect to the computer via USB.

Does either method really influence the resulting sound, or any artifacts
that might be found therein? Because I am finding that the sound we get
isn't very clear, and has a small whistling noise that we find quite
annoying. Would switching to direct USB help?

For what it's worth, the Echo Gina is a great card and the analog connectors
and wiring are all good quality and new.

I realize the best solution would be using an amp or double-tracking with
the POD and an amp... but an amp isn't an option right now for various
reasons.
 

Ryan

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"Fred Anderson" <nothanks@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<2uqtf1F2e3fieU1@uni-berlin.de>...

> I just learned that the PODxt can directly connect to the computer via USB.
>
> Does either method really influence the resulting sound, or any artifacts
> that might be found therein? Because I am finding that the sound we get
> isn't very clear, and has a small whistling noise that we find quite
> annoying. Would switching to direct USB help?

Unless I'm wrong, a POD can't deliver audio to your computer via USB.
The feature you speak of is for uploading "patches", settings
basically, from your POD to you computer for storage, or from many POD
libraries on the net to you computer to your POD. My POD 2 has a
similar feature, but it uses MIDI instead of USB. Anyway I've never
had any problems with the regular connections, I've even used to
headphone out directly to my soundcard on occasion and find it works
quite well. Long live POD!

If indeed you do find out that the xt delivers audio via USB, the only
real benefit from using such a method would be to cut back on
interference noise by keeping eveything purely digital. In other
words, if your POD recordings don't feature a lot of hiss or the
dreaded 60Hz hum, you won't get any "better" sound from a USB
connection. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

> For what it's worth, the Echo Gina is a great card and the analog connectors
> and wiring are all good quality and new.
>
> I realize the best solution would be using an amp or double-tracking with
> the POD and an amp... but an amp isn't an option right now for various
> reasons.

Why not just double track the POD with two different amp simulations
and two different guitars (if you have them)?
 
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"Fred Anderson" <nothanks@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<2uqtf1F2e3fieU1@uni-berlin.de>...
> Currently, we're recording guitars through the following chain by way of
> 1/4" analog connectors (except for that final step) :
>
> Guitar => PODxt => Mackie 1402 => Gina External Box => Computer
>
> I just learned that the PODxt can directly connect to the computer via USB.
>
> Does either method really influence the resulting sound, or any artifacts
> that might be found therein? Because I am finding that the sound we get
> isn't very clear, and has a small whistling noise that we find quite
> annoying. Would switching to direct USB help?
>
> For what it's worth, the Echo Gina is a great card and the analog connectors
> and wiring are all good quality and new.
>
> I realize the best solution would be using an amp or double-tracking with
> the POD and an amp... but an amp isn't an option right now for various
> reasons.


Sounds like you are on somewhat of a budget so it's probably not an
option for you, but with amp emulators I like to take the output and
run it through a good mic pre that has transformers. I usually use a
Calrec for this, sometimes a GR MP-2NV.

The Calrec is pretty cool because it has a transformer bypass but 90%
of the time I keep it engaged.

Your whistling sound may be some kind of impedance mismatch or
something...try running the analog outs of the POD directly into the
Gina...I don't understand the benefit of running through the Mackie
for this application, that's just more stuff in the signal path that's
not gonna help the sound.

Analogeezer
 
G

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"Fred Anderson" <nothanks@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:2uqtf1F2e3fieU1@uni-berlin.de...
> Currently, we're recording guitars through the following chain by way of
> 1/4" analog connectors (except for that final step) :
>
> Guitar => PODxt => Mackie 1402 => Gina External Box => Computer
>
> I just learned that the PODxt can directly connect to the computer via
> USB.
>
> Does either method really influence the resulting sound, or any artifacts
> that might be found therein? Because I am finding that the sound we get
> isn't very clear, and has a small whistling noise that we find quite
> annoying. Would switching to direct USB help?
>
> For what it's worth, the Echo Gina is a great card and the analog
> connectors and wiring are all good quality and new.
>
> I realize the best solution would be using an amp or double-tracking with
> the POD and an amp... but an amp isn't an option right now for various
> reasons.
>

Hi,
First off, I am assuming that the POD is set to direct studio mode?
I track with a POD XT and have used both input methods. I find it much
better to take the POD output into a pre-amp (your Mackie) and then into the
card as you've descibed. I have never had the quality issues you mention.
Have you tried taking the Mackie out of the signal chain? I would suggest
this may be the cause of your problems.

As for the best solution you've mentioned, I've tried the very thing and
didn't like it one little bit. Better to double track just using the POD,
but subtily changing the tone by editing the patch. I found that using
exactly the same patch and guitar setup introduced phaseing.

Hope this helps.

M.
 
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"Ryan" <inkexit@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:dea39397.0411030957.f0bef23@posting.google.com...
> "Fred Anderson" <nothanks@nospam.com> wrote in message
> news:<2uqtf1F2e3fieU1@uni-berlin.de>...
>
>> I just learned that the PODxt can directly connect to the computer via
>> USB.
>>
>> Does either method really influence the resulting sound, or any artifacts
>> that might be found therein? Because I am finding that the sound we get
>> isn't very clear, and has a small whistling noise that we find quite
>> annoying. Would switching to direct USB help?
>
> Unless I'm wrong, a POD can't deliver audio to your computer via USB.
> The feature you speak of is for uploading "patches", settings
> basically, from your POD to you computer for storage, or from many POD
> libraries on the net to you computer to your POD. My POD 2 has a
> similar feature, but it uses MIDI instead of USB. Anyway I've never
> had any problems with the regular connections, I've even used to
> headphone out directly to my soundcard on occasion and find it works
> quite well. Long live POD!
>
> If indeed you do find out that the xt delivers audio via USB, the only
> real benefit from using such a method would be to cut back on
> interference noise by keeping eveything purely digital. In other
> words, if your POD recordings don't feature a lot of hiss or the
> dreaded 60Hz hum, you won't get any "better" sound from a USB
> connection. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
>
>> For what it's worth, the Echo Gina is a great card and the analog
>> connectors
>> and wiring are all good quality and new.
>>
>> I realize the best solution would be using an amp or double-tracking with
>> the POD and an amp... but an amp isn't an option right now for various
>> reasons.
>
> Why not just double track the POD with two different amp simulations
> and two different guitars (if you have them)?

Hi Ryan,

The latest PODs do allow direct recording via USB, but as I said in my
earlier post, I really found it a PITA.

M.
 

Mike

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Apr 1, 2004
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Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

"Fred Anderson" <nothanks@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<2uqtf1F2e3fieU1@uni-berlin.de>...
> Currently, we're recording guitars through the following chain by way of
> 1/4" analog connectors (except for that final step) :
>
> Guitar => PODxt => Mackie 1402 => Gina External Box => Computer
>
> I just learned that the PODxt can directly connect to the computer via USB.
>
> Does either method really influence the resulting sound, or any artifacts
> that might be found therein? Because I am finding that the sound we get
> isn't very clear, and has a small whistling noise that we find quite
> annoying. Would switching to direct USB help?
>
> For what it's worth, the Echo Gina is a great card and the analog connectors
> and wiring are all good quality and new.
>
> I realize the best solution would be using an amp or double-tracking with
> the POD and an amp... but an amp isn't an option right now for various
> reasons.


What kind of guitar are you using? I would take the mackie out of the
chain. Go direct into the sound card. I do think there is sometimes
an impedance matching problem with these things and that might cause
the whistling problem.

I have found a few things to be true from having used guitar in a box
processors for direct recording. First off, never use the presets.
Those are made to wow you or sound good in head phones or maybe
through and amp, but not in a mix.

Take every effect whatever out of the chain and first build your tone.
IE how much gain, what distortion, any eq. Once you get that sounding
good then maybe you could adds some of the other effects IE chorus or
flange or whatever. Leave the reverb off until final mix.

Secondly the single coil pickup guitars don't sound good through
these. They get some nasty unfiltered harmonics which sounds to me as
what you are describing as this whistling sound. If you can use a
guitar with humbucking pickups or send it to an amp and out a speaker
and mic it.

Hope that helps

Mike http://www.mmeproductions.com