Line 6 Pod Go

Voxman · May 2020

jellybelly said:

Whichever it is, could we talk about the Pod Go in a more general sense again? I keep getting excited that someone's got some interesting take on it or has one and is reviewing it against a regular LT or Stomp or something else.

Anything but the groundhog day-like discussion regarding the minutiae of how it switches patches.

Go for it @jellybelly !

But perhaps most importantly it looks like it could be at least another month or two until Pod Go is readily available in the UK. As at today Thomann are indicating 5-7 weeks, Andertons are (supposedly) expecting a delivery on 29th June. Gear4Music are indicating 3rd June but that seems mega optimistic. Peach Guitars and Amazon are not showing any expected dates.

jellybelly · May 2020

Ha gauntlet accepted @Voxman!

I'll be interested to see if dual cabinets are included, my perusal of the manual suggests not - I imagine they're dsp hungry?

So far that's the only thing that I really enjoyed on the LT that this won't have, amp modelling wise. I found almost always it sounded best with the impedance fixed at max as in the HX products too.

The cosmos echo and legendary drive would be missed though! The former is becoming a fast favourite on my HX FX...

Voxman · May 2020

jellybelly said:

Ha gauntlet accepted @Voxman!

I'll be interested to see if dual cabinets are included, my perusal of the manual suggests not - I imagine they're dsp hungry?

So far that's the only thing that I really enjoyed on the LT that this won't have, amp modelling wise. I found almost always it sounded best with the impedance fixed at max as in the HX products too.

The cosmos echo and legendary drive would be missed though! The former is becoming a fast favourite on my HX FX...

I don't think it has a dual cabs facility. Based on the fixed blocks you can only have one cab and because the cabs are linked to an amp model (although you can select any cab with any amp) and you can only have one amp model, I think that's it. Personally I have no problem with that because you can load in IR's too, to give you more cab flexibility.

I honestly would have considered the Helix LT - but weighing in at 12.45lbs and around 12.5" x 21" it's just too big and heavy and I really want and need something that's a lot smaller and lighter than my Tonelab SE (13.67lbs, 27" x 9.6"). The Pod Go would be just perfect from that perspective (14.1”w x 9.1”d x 3.5”h; 5.2lbs).

bloodandtears · May 2020

Price is my deterrent for an LT. Too expensive for a pub floor.

No dual Cabs on the pod go.

bloodandtears · May 2020

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/line-6-pod-go.2113195/page-181#post-30558130

Flogging the dead horse..

Digital_Igloo · May 2020

Voxman said:

Digital_Igloo said:
If I had a better idea of what you're specifically trying to accomplish, I might be able to suggest how to set things up. Not what workflow you prefer, but how do you actually perform?

Very valid and sensible question @Digital_Igloo so here goes.

Let's say I'm doing a 20 to 30 set. For some songs snap shot would be brilliant because it would allow me to switch tones within the same patch, not only by switching on or off multiple fx but also change parameters, all with a single foot switch. For playing Brighton Rock, Ramble on etc snap shots would be brilliant.

But for other numbers I might just want to keep it simple e.g. kick in a boost or distortion or wah, when all I need is stomp box mode for more freedom where I won't have had to set up a snapshot. For example we might decide to lengthen a number like Jumping Jack Flash or Roadhouse Blues and on the spur I might want to throw in some wah or turn off a distortion for a quieter section before kicking in the distortion pedal again. I then need to switch to another patch for the next number. So I'd need to toggle between stomp and snap shot and patch mode.

The whole idea would be to make the best use of what Pod Go can do. For me it's that functionality that makes Pod Go stand out. Something like the Mooer GE300 may have more processing power with 15 blocks, and tone capture, but it's the comparative simplicity and immediacy of Pod Go with its snapshots and Helix quality amp and fx modeling that appeals to me.

If my loathing of the 2 foot switches at once thing seems out of proportion, it's because I've had bad experiences with this at gigs.

So, thoughts?

I'm not a fan of pressing two switches either, which is why if we ever utilize it, it never engages anything that changes one's sonics.

In your personal case, I would set Global Settings > Switches/Pedals > Snapshot Mode to "Toggle." You only have to press Up/Down together once. (POD Go will even remember that you were in Snapshot mode.) So:

Press MODE (one switch) to toggle between Stomp and Snapshot modes
Press either Up *or* Down (one switch) to view/queue preset banks; selecting a preset (one switch) instantly returns to Snapshot mode

100% optional, but you could also set Stomp mode to "4 Switches", which would give you preset queue access (again, from a single switch) from within Stomp mode. Or if you typically play songs in a set order, you could set Up/Down Switches to "Presets", at which point a single press of Up or Down would instantly select the next or previous preset, without a preset queue.

Voxman · May 2020

bloodandtears said:

Price is my deterrent for an LT. Too expensive for a pub floor.

No dual Cabs on the pod go.

I hear you @bloodandtears and at £799 (double the price of Pod Go) its certainly more than I'd wish to spend too. Quite frankly in a pub environment I sincerely doubt that the punters would tell/care about any difference between the Helix LT and my old Vox Tonelab SE. Interestingly I was chatting with a pro sound engineer from Germany a couple of days ago on You-tube about MFX units and was surprised when he said:

"the Tonelabs [TLSE/LE] STILL eclipse even the Fractal Audio realm of realistic delivery of professionally simulated amplification by virtue of excellent amp modelling and ingenious 'dummy load' output compression... Although most of the Impulse Responses on both units suck, 40% of them fluked an excellent capture, which is why many professionals favour these units for live work and even recording today..."

bloodandtears · May 2020

I don't recall ever being so keen on the release of a product before. Certainly not part of the pre-release hype.

It's been a long wait since namm.

Voxman · May 2020

Thanks @Digital_Igloo ;; thats very helpful and sounds promising. But if you're saying you can toggle between snapshot and stomp mode why do both the manual and cheat sheet say you can only toggle between patch and stomp mode? It's very confusing and sounds like the manual is wrong and under-selling Pod Gos capabilities!

jellybelly · May 2020

Voxman said:

bloodandtears said:

Price is my deterrent for an LT. Too expensive for a pub floor.

No dual Cabs on the pod go.

I hear you @bloodandtears and at £799 (double the price of Pod Go) its certainly more than I'd wish to spend too. Quite frankly in a pub environment I sincerely doubt that the punters would tell/care about any difference between the Helix LT and my old Vox Tonelab SE. Interestingly I was chatting with a pro sound engineer from Germany a couple of days ago on You-tube about MFX units and was surprised when he said:

"the Tonelabs [TLSE/LE] STILL eclipse even the Fractal Audio realm of realistic delivery of professionally simulated amplification by virtue of excellent amp modelling and ingenious 'dummy load' output compression... Although most of the Impulse Responses on both units suck, 40% of them fluked an excellent capture, which is why many professionals favour these units for live work and even recording today..."

The LT is a bit big - I looked inside the one I had , you could totally saw off the expression pedal and rewire the couple of jacks that would get taken too, most of the right hand side is just the mechanism for the treadle.

The screen was awesome though - totally made it easy to navigate and get into. I have a brand new HX FX now but would trade scribble strips for a display like the LT and GO.

The LT is a very good proposition for £550ish used, not sure how I'd cope with it on a pub floor but then I gigged a Pedaltrain Jr rig worth about £1k for years and everything that was on it is still going strong? The LT wouldn't be much less manageable.

Voxman · May 2020

jellybelly said:

The LT is a bit big - I looked inside the one I had , you could totally saw off the expression pedal and rewire the couple of jacks that would get taken too, most of the right hand side is just the mechanism for the treadle.
The screen was awesome though - totally made it easy to navigate and get into. I have a brand new HX FX now but would trade scribble strips for a display like the LT and GO.

The LT is a very good proposition for £550ish used, not sure how I'd cope with it on a pub floor but then I gigged a Pedaltrain Jr rig worth about £1k for years and everything that was on it is still going strong? The LT wouldn't be much less manageable.

I've watched some vids of the LT and no question that it's a superb chunk of kit - screen is excellent as you say, and the touch capacitance switches are brilliant. DSP power is awesome - I think you can have 4 amps with it plus a ton of effects which is incredible, especially if you want to use different amps and cabs in snapshots and you're into gain stacking with multiple overdrive and distortion pedals. But the danger is you'll end up spending your life learning how it works and designing patches rather than just enjoy playing.

Pod Go is very stripped down by comparison hence why it's a 'Pod' not a 'Helix'. With a trend to lighter more portable units (hence Pod Go) I'd lay good money that in the not too distant future Line 6 will bring out a smaller & lighter incarnation of Helix to bridge the gap between Helix LT and Pod Go - perhaps a Pod Go 'Plus' or a Helix Ultralite or a HelixPod. In fact I bet they're working on it now - one thing line 6 can never be accused of is resting on their laurels...they're not market leaders for nothing! At the moment I feel it's a bit like the 3 bears - LT is too big, a bit too pricey and too complex, Pod Go is great but perhaps not quite enough - but the HelixUltralite is just right!

Digital_Igloo · May 2020

Voxman said:

Thanks @Digital_Igloo ;; thats very helpful and sounds promising. But if you're saying you can toggle between snapshot and stomp mode why do both the manual and cheat sheet say you can only toggle between patch and stomp mode? It's very confusing and sounds like the manual is wrong and under-selling Pod Gos capabilities!

Yeah, maybe the manual could be clearer, but there are really only technically two modes—Stomp and Preset. Snapshot mode is a subset of Preset mode; that is, it's never accessed independently from Preset mode.

Voxman · May 2020

Digital_Igloo said:

Voxman said:

Thanks @Digital_Igloo ;; thats very helpful and sounds promising. But if you're saying you can toggle between snapshot and stomp mode why do both the manual and cheat sheet say you can only toggle between patch and stomp mode? It's very confusing and sounds like the manual is wrong and under-selling Pod Gos capabilities!

Yeah, maybe the manual could be clearer, but there are really only technically two modes—Stomp and Preset. Snapshot mode is a subset of Preset mode; that is, it's never accessed independently from Preset mode.

Thanks @Digital_Igloo - I think that one sentence was the 'missing link' ie snapshot being a subset of preset mode and I now get it.

bloodandtears · May 2020

Voxman said:

Digital_Igloo said:

Voxman said:

Thanks @Digital_Igloo ;; thats very helpful and sounds promising. But if you're saying you can toggle between snapshot and stomp mode why do both the manual and cheat sheet say you can only toggle between patch and stomp mode? It's very confusing and sounds like the manual is wrong and under-selling Pod Gos capabilities!

Yeah, maybe the manual could be clearer, but there are really only technically two modes—Stomp and Preset. Snapshot mode is a subset of Preset mode; that is, it's never accessed independently from Preset mode.

Thanks @Digital_Igloo - I think that one sentence was the 'missing link' ie snapshot being a subset of preset mode and I now get it.

Yippee :-)

I can't wait to get one.. it's hard to watch the US guys tinker and banter... lol

one thing that i have seen mentioned a couple of time is the unit freezing and needing power cycling; hope that's nothing too serious and can be resolved.

Lev · May 2020

@Voxman I'm not sure if this helps with your use case. It seems you can setup a snapshot to discard any changes . I assume you could create a snapshot with 4 stomps set to off and use it like a stompbox mode switching stomps on and off without saving as part of the preset.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZZsOeiKeTk

Voxman · May 2020

Thanks @Lev - but I think that's one of the most confusing Pod Go vids I've seen. But it did show that you can detune to Eb which is great!

I think I have to play with it to better understand it and what he's doing.

Digital_Igloo · May 2020

Wanna get up and running with POD Go quick? Watch these four videos (no talking heads, no intros, no "like and subscribe!") and in just over six minutes TOTAL, you'll be an expert.

thumpingrug · May 2020

Digital_Igloo said:

Wanna get up and running with POD Go quick? Watch these four videos (no talking heads, no intros, no "like and subscribe!") and in just over six minutes TOTAL, you'll be an expert.

Great videos. I am very keen to get hands on. Any update on when shipments might arrive in the UK?

Voxman · May 2020

thumpingrug said:

Digital_Igloo said:

Wanna get up and running with POD Go quick? Watch these four videos (no talking heads, no intros, no "like and subscribe!") and in just over six minutes TOTAL, you'll be an expert.

Great videos. I am very keen to get hands on. Any update on when shipments might arrive in the UK?

Really good quick start reference videos; short, punchy & to the point. I really like that you can save templates to save time - that's a really useful feature. The more I see how easy Pod Go is to use, the more I'm inclined to accept the compromise of its DSP processing limitations.

UK delivery dates keeps getting pushed back....looks like end of June at the moment, but I'm guessing supplies will likely be limited even when they do start filtering through. I'd still like to see some independent video reviews/comparisons with other mfx, and see feedback from users after the initial honeymoon period. But I will likely buy one as soon as these are available provided I can get a good offering e.g. I do like the Bax offering of 120 day trial period, free returns and 3 year warranty.

elusivelight · May 2020

Been following this thread with interest, I don't gif any more and had been thinking of getting the HX Stomp to do a bit of recording with. Watched a fairly zany German guy do comparison videos last night and think the POD Go might be just what I need. Of I had the cash I'd probably just go straight for the Helix LT but that's just not an option for me.

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