Re: OT-SUPER LATE POST to MULTI-effects: Line6 POD X3 Live

["Art Simon" <simart@gmail.com>]

Thanks, I enjoyed the review.

I'm a line6 fan, and I've switched from the TonePort UX2 to the
GearBox Gold Plug-in. While I'm happy with the Gearbox tones, I'm even
more happy with having my tone in the plug-in, making it easy to swap
one amp model for another.

On Mon, Apr 7, 2008 at 3:34 PM, Rainer Thelonius Balthasar Straschill
<rs@moinlabs.de> wrote:
> Ok, this is it: a little more in-depth review of Line6's biggest 
>floorboard babe, the Line6 POD X3 Live.
>
>
>  CONCEPT:
>  Line6 has been known for their amp modeling know-how for a long time. 
>In fact, I believe they somehow invented it (at least to do it properly). 
>Following up on the success of their first POD, they supplied a big line 
>of products, including effects modellers (the DL4 is well known in these 
>parts), guitar amps with modelling functions and finally even 
>instruments. However, the center of their product catalogue remains the 
>POD - and it's now in generation three. Europeam retail prices for the 
>POD X3 Live are in the just below €500 region.
>
>
>  PACKAGE:
>  The "live" variant of this thing (in the first generation, there had 
>only been the stupid kidney-shaped thing and the rackmount "Pro" version) 
>is a sturdy, black device. Twelve footswitches, a heavy-duty style 
>expression pedal and a total of eight big metal knobs are the eyecatchers 
>here (together with two strange handlebars which may serve some 
>protective or rather some aesthetic function?)
>  From the more electronic interface side, this is rounded off by a 
>something like 5x3cm orange-backlit LCD, five softknobs, a four-way 
>navigator and four buttons.
>  While the footswitches, the pedal and also the metal knobs look really 
>made for eternity, the small soft knobs do much less so - definitely 
>something that may fail under heavy road use.
>  It immediately catches the eye that the metal knobs have position 
>indicators of the mechanical kind. No rotary encoders here, and what 
>disturbs me most is that the values controlled by these "jump" if you 
>turn those knobs - meaning that if you're in the midst of a quite passage 
>with a clean sound and want to edge up drive just a bit and the knob 
>happens to be at full blast, then you're instantly in death metal hell.
>
>  Connection-wise, you get the full ballbark: two inputs for guitars (or 
>basses, 1/4''), two independent pairs of outputs (1/4'' and XLR), phones, 
>aux input (1/8'' stereo), Variax guitar connection, microphone in (XLR, 
>but why no phantom power???) effects loop (mono send/stereo return), 
>SPDIF out, MIDI in and out/thru, USB and connection for the power supply 
>(which is a non-SPS one).
>  The phones output hasn't got a separate volume knob - but you can at 
>least disconnect the XLR outs from the volume knob.
>
>  All in all nice looking - except for the following:
>         * crappy looking soft knobs
>         * big knobs not rotary encoder, no snap function
>         * effects loop only with mono send
>
>
>  FUNCTIONALITY:
>  Two things jump out here, both in comparison to other products and to 
>earlier versions of the POD.
>  First, the X3 got two completely independent processing paths in 
>stereo. You can even use separate inputs and outputs for these, or do the 
>in/out configuration any way you like. Also editing and control is 
>completely independent. The only limitation here is that the effects loop 
>can only be applied to two of these processing paths (which are called 
>"Tones" here).
>  Second, the X3 offers a full complement of models (amps, cabs and 
>effects) both for guitar and bass. This is I believe a first (and 
>currently only) in class - even with Roland/Boss' latest products, you 
>still have to get two devices to have both. This is also what made me 
>choose this product over competitors.
>
>  These two items might make this the perfect companion for Warr guitar 
>players (or for players of any instrument with two outputs and huge tonal 
>range from bass to guitar register).
>
>  Each tone is built up of a sequence of processing blocks. Basically, it 
>goes like 
>Input->Gate->Wah->Stomp->(Loop->Mod->Delay->Verb->)Amp+Cab->Comp->EQ->(Loop->Mod->Delay->Verb->)Output.
> The blocks in parantheses can be placed either pre or post amp, but not 
>both at the same time in the same tone.
>  This already shows another big weakness of the X3: there is only 
>minimum flexibility in signal routing. You may not have the delay in 
>front of the mod block (unless you put the delay before and the mod after 
>the amp), and you also can't have the compressor after the EQ - or, more 
>importantly, the EQ before the stomp box for some tone shaping before the 
>spectrum hits a distortion pedal.
>
>  The sheer number of independent processing blocks really screams 
>powerful here - but what it has to offer in power, it lacks in 
>flexibility. It's some like a 1000bhp car without steering to that 
>respect.
>
>
>  MODELS:
>  I personally always liked the Line6 amp models much better than those 
>of any other modeling thing builder, period. And that hasn't changed. New 
>is that there are really tons of those. A total of 42 amp (divided into 
>guitar, bass, and preamp sections), which can be freely combined with 24 
>cabinet models (in guitar and bass section). A pity that you have a 
>choice of four microphones each for guitar and bass cabs, but can't mix 
>those (e.g. mike a guitar cabinet with an EV RE20 mike).
>  Like I said before, those amp models are - great. They work equally 
>well for clean and super-meltdown sounds and, more importantly, anything 
>in between. Playing with those will have you experiment for hours, only 
>that in comparison to earlier incarnations of the POD the number of 
>models has vastly increased, AND now you can have two sounds at the same 
>time (meaning your experimentation time to the power of two).
>
>  The effects models are an assortment of their models mainly from the 
>DL4, MM4 and DM4 modelers, plus some reverbs from the Vetta amps, Wahs 
>from the Vetta, plus some new creations. What is really strange, however, 
>is that some extremely important effects have been left out for no 
>obvious reason - in the case of the delay effects, the dynamic delay 
>model (ducking delay).
>  There's only one compressor (except for those available in the "stomp" 
>section), but I don't care. I know that LA-2A model from the Bass POD 
>which I used to own and it's wonderful.
>
>  With that focus (and also centre of expertise) on guitarist/stompbox 
>stuff come some big limitations. First, I still have to find a convincing 
>reverb effect in this unit, which sounds good and has more controls than 
>"predelay", "decay", "tone" and "mix". Second, there is not a single 
>pitch shifter effect in the whole unit. There's not even a whammy bar. My 
>cheap Zoom G2 has both.
>
>  Another thing I noticed is that the documentation doesn't go on as 
>deeply about the different models as it used to. Again referring to the 
>Bass POD, there was about half a page for each bass amp and cabinet 
>model. Now, there's like four lines of fine print per amp model, and only 
>a table of available cabinet models without any description.
>
>
>  COMPUTER AND MIDI INTEGRATION:
>  MIDI support is nearly nonexistent. You can react to program changes 
>and can also send them. They don't even mention that in detail in the 
>documentation. There's no possibility to control parameters via MIDI or 
>to send or receive MIDI clock.
>
>  For the computer connection, we get a USB2.0 interface which is used to 
>interface with the editor software "Monkey" and also act as a direct 
>eight-channel audio input. Pity only that there are no drivers for 64-bit 
>Windows systems, no are there any concrete plans for that. A big letdown.
>
>
>  PLAYING IT:
>  It's got sooo many flaws - and yet, it's great fun to play it, and even 
>to edit sounds on it. It's a huuge amount of fun to just create tones, to 
>discover the beauty in the sound of your guitar, to combine guitar and 
>bass amps for some outstanding sound...
>
>
>  SUMMARY:
>  There are so many flaws in this unit I don't even remember all of them. 
>Whimpy soft knobs, stupid concept for the big knobs, no phantom power on 
>the mic in, no separate volume knob for the phones, completely inadequate 
>routing structure, important effect models missing, lame reverbs, no x64 
>drivers, no stereo send for effects loop, crappy power supply...yet 
>judging it for what is in the centre of it, it deserves nothing but 
>praise: its amp modeling is outstanding (and better sounding than 
>anything I have heard, including both all kinds of expensive plugins and 
>other hardware solutions). So if you just try to see it as a combined POD 
>and Bass POD and see the other functions as some added gimmick, you may 
>be happy with it. However, if you're looking for a guitar floorboard with 
>great multi-effects capabilities, go look somewhere else (note of the 
>editor: where? G-system?)
>
>
>         Rainer
>
>



-- 
Art Simon
simart@null.net
art.simon.tripod.com
myspace [dot] com/artsimon