Line 6 POD X3

Very difficult to use. While I do consider myself to be reasonably bright and tech-savvy, at the end of 4 months I was only able to choose the amp, cabinet and effect simulations; I could never figure out the dual amp feature (Which is the big selling feature of this particular simulator.) It took me quite a while to learn how to do these basic steps - it's definitely not as user friendly as the 1st generation PODs.

I own a POD 1.0 - it sounds great for what it is. No, it's not a real tube amp and therefore lacks some of the complexity and oomph of the real deal; but it sounds great and is really a fun tool to use around the house.

So I was really disappointed when I decided to "upgrade" to the X3. For some unknown reason the simulations sound thin and tinny. This was really noticable. Only a few simulations (the Versatone Pan-O-Flex) sounded halfway decent, but none could touch the warm, round tones of the 1.0. No about of cabinet and output switching could compensate. Compared to the POD 1.0, the sound plain sucked. (I'd compare it to the difference between AM and FM. Yes, that big of a difference.)

The only nice thing I have to say about this is that some of the auto-wah effects were pretty cool.

Line 6 should be ashamed for putting out a product that can't even compare to their efforts from 10 years ago.

I owned the POD X3 for 4 months. I sold it and kept my original POD 1.0. I could deal with the lousy interface, but the poor sound quality was just too much to bear. This is a shame as I was really looking forward to some of the new amp models and the idea of mixing 2 amps at once. I really did try every option to improve the sound quality, but it just wasn't there. I really wanted to like this piece of equipment, but no amount of rationalizing could disguise the fact that it was a dog.

A bit about me:
I use your typical guitars (Les Paul, a Hamer LP Special, Strat) plugged into your typical fender-style amps (a Deluxe Reverb ri, a 50's Champ clone) to play your typical roots, blues & garage rock. I used my POD's both as a stomp-box into my Champ (it didn't sound that good in front of the Deluxe Reverb) as well as through a pair of powered computer speakers. On the POD 1.0 I usually use the vintagey models (the Fender Champ, Deluxe, Bassman and the plexi Marshalls.) I find that the POD 1.0 is an fantastic device for playing around the house while not waking up the neighbours.

I don't particularly care for the Pod interfaces - its pretty hard to use, and even when you get really good at it, its easy to do something wrong and lose your preset or save the wrong thing. The interface is the worst thing about this unit.

MY GEAR:
I use this Pod between my ESP les paul and a Mackie desk into Pro Tools - then out of Genelec Monitors and original Yamaha NS-10s.

SOUND:
Don't listen to the criticisms - this unit SOUNDS AMAZING! The modeling is incredible - you can dial in EXACTLY the sounds you want (so long as you know what you want!) from 1960's AC-30s to Noodly Jazz to Country Twang to Garage Punk to Classic Rock to Nu-Metal. This unit is quiet and the noise gate works great on everything. NOTE: I use the 2 line outputs.

MONITORING:
IMPORTANT!!! Program your sounds through the amp/speakers/monitors that you intend to use live/for recording. This unit is SO tweakable, that you have to tailor the sounds to the exact speakers its coming out of. AVOID programming using headphones if you can (everything sounds great thru cans!)

PRESETS:
The presets are useful starting points for programming your own patches - but don't let them fool you - this unit can produce very authentic (and dirty!) amp simulations. Experiment with amp-models/speakers/mic combinations to find the ones that sound best with your guitar(s) - then program patches around them. You can get some really VINTAGE sounding tones! The bypass/room (reverb) settings are super-important to getting great sounds.

EFFECTS:
The effects are exactly what you'd expect - everything is here. The "Blue Compressor + treble" alone is worth buying this unit for. Its true that there's not much tweakability on the pedal-models, but they're really useful. I bought the $99 expression pedal, which is really great and allows you to use all the crazy pedal-controlled fx on the pedal. There are loads of perfect stereo choruses, phase, flange and delays, plus great trems and rotary Fx. There's also a bunch of insane synth effects and crazy Line 6 modulation effects that you'll never use - but that are great to have. The octave effects track pretty well - they work for a classic octave guitar effect and are utilized well in many of the presets as a subtle effect that give the patch tons of low-end.

Experiment with applying the 'universal' reverb/compression/eq effects in their various modes (pre/post chain.)

MULTIPLE CHANNELS!
The best feature of the Pod X3 is that you can send one guitar input signal, through 2 separate chains of amps/effects. This means you can emulate multi-amp set-ups and record thick layered guitars in one pass. Programming multi-channel patches takes a long time - but its worth it! The first thing I did was make a classic close-mic'd Marshall sound with a second, cleaner amp (Orange) with loads of tinny room sound. Instant authentic vintage studio sound. Tweaking the reverbs and panning the 2 chains (in Pro Tools) can give you a really big dynamic stereo picture. For $300 you can do incredible studio tricks with this unit.

If you want - you can also use this unit to process 2 instruments through separate channels - e.g. a guitar and bass into 2 separate amps of a P.A. - or a guitar and vocal. I haven't tried the XLR input, or the mic preamp models. Nice to have them though.

DISTORTION:
There's loads of distortion options on the POD X3 - and I've managed to get some very realistic amp distortion without using any of the pedal models. Lots of reviews criticize this unit for having very 'fizzy' distortion models. I know what they mean, but that's common to lots of amp/pedal distortions - these models are accurate. If you REALLY want an organic hot-tube sound - drop a couple of grand on a Mesa Boogie.

That said - the BEST distortion is an amp model on this unit - the 'Treadplate' amp, which sounds like a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier. This is an incredible model; it distorts like a creamy mesa head, but has tons of dynamics when played quietly. I'd buy this unit again in a second, for that distortion sound alone. For an record-label album project I rented 2 Triple-Rectifier heads and full stacks cranked down with a Marshall Power Brake - this thing sound exactly

I bought a refurbished model for cheap! The fire-wire connection works, but after a while the screen goes blank. I stick to the analog outputs which is easier for me anyway as I record through a Mackie board.

This glitch is possibly something that has been ironed out in the myriad of software updates available from Line 6 online. I haven't done any of the updates, as I haven't come across any other glitches.

The unit is very robust - nice metal casing and big tough buttons. I think it'd be fine in a live situation. The $99 Line 6 expression pedal plugs right in the back and allows you to scroll through patches and tune without touching the Pod unit. The pedal is super-heavy and hardcore.

N/A

After you get used to programming this thing, you can get the exact sound you want, if you have the patience and a good knowledge of audio gear. If you just want to plug in and play - you might be better with something else. That said - spending time just setting up some standard amp sounds give you tons of options, and is worth dedicating a few hours to.

The Pod X3 is everything I'll ever need for recording guitars in the studio. There's virtually no latency (even through pro tools!) If you really don't like the cab models or want more natural feel - run the unit through an amp speaker.

If it was stolen - I wouldn't even look to see what its competitors are offering - I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

For some, this unit might be a stumbling block - it is complex - but for me, this is an invaluable way of getting wildly diverse and great guitar sounds for the commercial music that I produce.

This is just a follow up to my previous review now that I've been using the X3 for several months. There are a few things I've figured out that might be useful to others who are frustrated with this product.

First of all - and maybe I'm dumb for not getting this right away - if you are using this as a preamp in front of, or in the power section of another amp, or with a power amp be sure to set the output type appropriately. The default output on the X3 uses the full studio direct emulation so if you use it infront of your amp like that it will sound really unnatural and muddy. This is in the manual but I know some people(myself included) tend to just plug the thing in and play it. If you set the output type correctly, you'll get a lot more clarity in your tones.

Also, I have found that pairing the guitar amp models with bass cabs can sound a lot better than the guitar cabs supplied in the model presets. I especially like the Class-A 2x15 bass cab model and I use it with almost all of my presets. To my ear it increases and tightens the low end and cuts down on the fizz significantly..especially on high gain models. I still agree with most people that the high gain amps on the X3 suck no matter what you do but I would suggest using the clean or medium gain models like the AC30 or Silver 12 with the above mentioned bass cab and the tube screamer stomp in front. I've gotten some really powerful metal tones like that and it makes switching to a clean sound as easy as pushing a button(also reacts better to guitar volume control).

I still would never use Line6 stuff live. I've never heard any of their amp modeling products sound good except for the Spider Valve Amps. But with the X3 is possible to get decent tones for informal recording if you take time to work with it and think outside the box a bit.

Easy to use, has a lot of cool features and includes bass models as well.

In theory, this is a great product. If you're making a demo or need to come up with some crazy guitar or bass sound without getting out a thousand effects pedals it's a way to go. But this thing does NOT produce "good" guitar tone.
These pods will pass for some things, but if you're doing a real record with a lot of guitars on it, this is definitely NOT going to suffice.
What's wrong with the sound?
1. There's no "meat." It sounds very thin and scratchy, no matter how many times you screw with the knobs, the preamp or the mixing channel.
2. There's no character. It sounds like a virtual recording of a guitar. There's no actual guitar coming through - it's all just digital crap. For instance, a fender stratocaster in neck position and a les paul in bridge position don't sound much different except for a difference in output, sustain (not that it really has much sustain anyway), and annoying scratchiness with distortion (more of that w/ the LP bridge, of course).
3. It's got no real sustain, no feedback and no natural harmonics which are among the most important things a listener responds to when hearing a recorded electric guitar.
4. It doesn't have any responsiveness to the player. The first time you hear EVH or Slash or whoever, there's something magical about it. That magic is the subtle, skillful execution that comes with years and years of developing an individual musical style and becoming comfortable with the tone that they've built from the ground up. 80% of the subtleties that make a player's tone and sound great simply do not translate through a pod, in my opinion.

Always worked fine.

This is a cool product and there's a big place for it in the market. I have one in the studio and always will.
But if you're a guitar player by trade and want a small set up that will make a big noise in the studio, i recommend you get a fender pro junior, a sennheiser e609 and a keeley modified DS-1 if you use distortion. Play with different guitars, pickups, tubes and pedals. You don't have to rumble your house down to the ground or buy a JCM800 100W stack to get a great live sound in the studio. Best of all, you won't sound like a pod!

This is a hugely frustrating product from an interface standpoint. While it's easy to control certain aspects of the Pod X3, many times pressing a button in error can bring you to a place you didn't want to go. The buttons must be pressed in a certain order to call up features, and unfortunately the manual isn't particularly well written. The fact that the X3 has a "dual tone" feature only compounds this, as many times I would shut off the 2nd tone, only to rotate a knob and have it pop back up on screen. This is anything but an intuitive interface.

If you want to sound like every pop punk or dropped D metal band out there today, this is the rig for you. Thin, compressed, noisy sound is what the X3 excels at. If you're looking to get any kind of warm sound out of this rig, forget it. I listened both on headphones ($600 Sennheisers) and thru Mackie studio monitors, and it was horrendous on both. If this is truly a "studio standard" piece of gear, now I know why so many modern rock records sound the same, like crap.

Had it three days and I'm returning it to Guitar Center, so no opinion.

Perhaps I'm spoiled by the great tube amps and analog gear I've heard over the years, but to me, there is absolutely NO soul in the X3. I get the appeal of this thing, it's easy to sound like everyone else just by buying it and using the presets. But the sound it makes is kind of like CDs compared to Vinyl. Guess I'm more of a tubes and analog kind of guy, the X3 is way too much money for the bad interface and shrill sound you have to deal with

the pod x3 is not the most obvious tool to understand, it has a learning curve, physically and sonically, then again, if yoy are using GEARBOX or PODFARM, forget learning the pod cuz u can drag and drop pretty much anything.

if u already have previous experience with such modellers, i had a ZOOM miini box of shit with LED, theni get behringer VAMP2 ok box with led, then podx3 so i was all ready for it, just he details on tweaking and routing i had to work out, 2 days max learning time. sonically 6+ months, and now i dont even use the CAB sims they give u, i realized if i used IMPULSE RESPONSES thru a vst host when i have my pod linked to my pc via USB, i can get much more dynamic "realistic" yes i dared say it, amd generally fuller more organic tone, turns out the AMP MODELS are FINE, its the CAB system with the "ROOM" aka reverb that makes them sound MUSH MUSH MUSH!!! but anyone with PODx3 and a pc NEEDS to try IMPULSE RESPONSES before bashing the pod.

no setup
just old cheap guitars squier strat i customed with standard upgrade crap and a danelectro 59 dano which i love its gritty ratty vibe.
and a peavey bass.
thru AT-30 headphones very decent.

another factor in sound quality is wat exactly ur playing thru.
pod thru an amp, personally unless its the power amp section with FULL RANGE speakers, its not worth it ull have pod coloring amp, and speakers coloring pod.

thru full range flat response (powered) speakers, the thing will shine with the right EQ'ing, eliminating the extreme low and high freq's with the EQ is a MUST, i use a standard setting for ALL tones amps wtv, massive cut at 50hz and massive cut at 6.8-7.5khz, because in theory anything higher or lower than those FREQ's can not techinically be reproduced by an amp, but the pod will and the noise u get is FIZZZ city, but apply that EQ to any tone and watch the magic.

thru headphones its great, recording is where it shines, especially now with PODFARM and REAMPING.

punch for punch it kills any modelling software out today, the only one that can like stand next to its fire would be REVALVER and only for routing and a few amp models, and not to mention the RIR, and the noisegate they have is topshelf.
amplitube and guitar rig aint got nothing on pod

had it a year never failed on me, did all the updates got all the software, its been in hockey bags strapped onto a dog\mule i use when im on foot, i try to use the software as much as possible in order to keep wear and tear to a minimum

i regularly visit the forums when i need help
if someone from teh company isnt available thers thousands of podders willing to stretch an oar out.

i use the pod for many sounds and styles
for cleans the marshall major and the hiwatt dr201 bass amps are stuning
i use the bass amps sometimes to get a thicker sound, paired with GUITAR CAB IRs
grit, a nice orange head thru a bassman 4x10 IR, or teh Vibroverb or Gretsch 6156
logain, def the matchless and budda and dual showman with chandler drive
midgain, the jcm800, silver jubilee, and mark IIc+
higain, UBERSCHALL with V30 impulse presence 0 is BRUTALITY defined, JCM900, not a huge fan of the mesas but the dualrecto can be sweet for rhythms and the vh4 lead all kill.

- With the X3 its easy to get a good sound. I found editing the patches to be very easy - but I really needed to double-check the manual to make sure that I was getting to the effects/saving effect chains properly. I was able to get amazing tones out of the x3 in the studio with my producer's x3 and i ran out and got one right away for playing live.

- I'm using a custom Telecaster, a Stratocaster from the early 90s and an ES 335 as my "go to" workhorse guitars. The great thing about the X3 is that i don't need any amps/cabinets - i travel a lot and the x3 is easy to carry on planes/cars - takes less than 3 minutes to setup - all i have to do is tune up (with the onboard tuner) and its show time! The x3 hasn't proven itself to be noisy yet. The patches are okay - but then again - i usually tweak stuff!! I can get darker sounds (e.g. the Cure, Children of Bodom), typical classic rock sounds (e.g. Clapton, Van Halen) and some sounds that are undefineable (the pitch controls are awesome). A lot of people might complain about not being able to use the effects - but i think it depends on your experience with digital equipment. The VOX amp sounds are great on the x3. I highly recommend the x3 for both studio and playing live.

I depend on it 100% and have used it in concerts all over Canada and the US - I use it without a backup. Its a lot more convenient than the "pedal board" from hell i used to carry with me - its less to carry and is effortless to set up. The fact that it has an XLR out has been our soundman's greatest luxury - we don't have to set it up with a DI. The body is very rugged and is tour ready.

I haven't had to deal with Line 6 for the x3 yet - but i have had questions about other Line 6 products and they were always professional and accurate with their advice (e.g. the Line 6 FBV Express Foot Controller for the SPider II amp had some inaccuracies in the manual and they helped me set it up properly over the phone). I would expect the same if the x3 had problems and i needed help.

I have been playing for over 20 years; I'm a recording as well as a touring musician. I play everything from punk to metal to classic rock and the x3 has proven itself no matter what type of music i need to play. I own a studio and have several amps/cabinets that i still do use - but most of the time the x3 can get the guitar sound i want without a lot of the hassle. If it was stolen - i would definitely get another one. I know it sounds weird but I'm totally happy with this unit - I have reviewed other units (Alesis, Behringer, BOSS, VOX, Digitech, etc.) and have field tested them both in the studio and touring and I've found that the x3 beats them all in most categories. The only thing that i wish it had was a second pedal like the VOX SE - but thats the only negative thing that comes to mind. Oh ya - I wish it had a Digitech Whammy pedal setting - I have to insert my guitar into the whammy then the x3. I highly recommend this to any guitarist who is looking for an "all in one" device that is portable, easy to setup and gets the job done. You do need to refer to the manual - but the learning curve is not very steep when it comes to using this advice.

since im already a line6 users, owning the Pod XT, im got used to the pod x3 very quickly. although for non experienced people it might be abit hard at the beginning.

a BIG disappointment on this category.
I still own the previous version - the Pod XT, and it sounds MUCH tighter, that's why I havent sold it and I plan to sell the X3!
I play distortion-based music mostly, but also like good clean tone.
the X3 does a good job with the clean, but the distortion SUX.
what I really dont get is - why do the SAME presets from the XT sound like pure sh** on the X3? I dont find any logical explanation to that, except line6 totally destroyed the modelling.
I also tried building my presets from scratch, but gave up after a couple of minutes as it sounds WAY too fizzy and digital.

I'm using a 1997 PRS Custom 24 guitar, so I demand quite a lot from the pod, and the X3 doesnt quite cut it.
The XT though sounded HOT!

check out one of my tunes to hear the pod XT:
www.myspace.com/taladlermusic

in conclusion - X3 sounds awful comparing to the XT, except for some clean tones - which sound pretty decent.

I dont gig. seems very reliable though. I use it only for home recordings.

was never in touch with any customer support.
no need for that, luckily.

the sound is awful - that's why im giving it a 2.
i'd expect to plug the x3 in - and be stunned by the new models - since i previously owned a XT, but all i got was a big fizz and digital sound.

I've been using mine for a little over a week now and this is the first time I've ever owned a processor like this so I'm not exactly a master of this sort of thing. So to me this thing is kind of a middle rating in terms of ease of use: Not super easy to figure out at first but you get used to it after a while. Don't skip the instructions with this thing because it isn't exactly intuitive.

Since there are tons of options on this thing i can see how some people might get caught up in finding "the" tone and end up unceasingly sorting through the huge list of choices on the X3. I would definately recommend having a plan before hand. Know in your mind exactly what you want to achieve with it and just go for that. My personal aim was to set up just 3 or 4 user presets for direct home recording: a clean, pushed clean and a medium/high gain overdrive. This only really requires finding the right amp model, stomp(if applicable), and EQ settings.

The manual is very helpful and editing patches is not that hard once you know your way around the system.

As I mentioned, I bought this for direct home recording on my PC and my Mac. But I've also been using it in front of my little 15 solid state practice amp and with headphones to practice. It definately sounds best coming out of the amp's speaker. The headphones are not as good and I definately hear the muddiness and phizz that other's have complained about with this set up.

As for recording, the sound quality is kind of in between the other two. But I am also taking into account the fact that my PC speakers are crap and I probably don't have the best sound card either.

I have found that most of the high gain amp models are not so good. To me they sound not so much like the amps they are emulating but rather like those amps sound once they're on someone's album and have been compressed and processed in the mix. There is definately a lack of high end character on most of them and a muddiness to the low end in most cases (especially with a 7 string guitar). The EQ knobs are basically useless because they don't have a realistic effect on the tonal parameters like they would on the actual amp. You can't really effect the general character of each model with them.

I was much more satisfied with the clean and low gain tones because they seem to react to tweaking more than the high gain models. I was actually able to get the best higher gain overdrive using either the clean models or the medium gain ones (like the JCM 800) with the gain knob rolled back, with a stomp driver in front for drive and sustain, and the EQ set up to boost and cut the frequencies I wanted. I used the duel tone option to set one tone for the lower spectrum and the other for the higher spectrum. Blending (panning)the two tones correctly is very important too if you want to get enough clarity in the sound. This set up gives me a good solid tone that can then be layers in multiple tracks while recording to get it really heavy without sacrificing clarity by adding too much gain.

The noise gate works very well also. Just need to remember to have it set up on both channels if using the duel tone feature.

As for the effects, I haven't really gotten around to actually using them in my playing or recording but from just playing around with the factory presets they seem to be really good.

I've heard some horror stories on here but so far mine hasn't had any problems.

I've been playing for 14 years and this is the first direct recording equipment I've bought. I think Line6 generally tries to appeal to the modern metal crowd with these things but, like I said above, most of the more metal sounding amp models on the X3 don't sound that good. I play metal myself but not the kind that utilizes guitar tones drenched in gain with non-existant mids. I prefer a more classic hard rock voicing with the reactivity and tightness of modern metal and I think the X3 can attain that to a moderate degree. The tone I've managed to get from it is a decent dry tone for recording and practicing. That tone can then be layered with additional tracks, re-amped and re-recorded with an actual amp and mic and/or re-equalized in the mixing process (or any combination of these) to acheive a tone that can be considered "good". The great thing about recording is that you have these kind of options so you don't need to be 100% in love with the initial dry tones that go into the recording program.

I have used other Line6 gear for live applications in the past and not like it at all. I am convinced that recording applications are what line6 does best. My favorite feature on this is the duel tone feature because it literally doubles the possiblities with the unit. The effects are great too from what I've seen and it definately makes recording much easier for me. Though as I said before, I am not really happy with the high gain options on this amp. It seems odd to me that they would include so many unusable tones in this thing. They should've stuck with just a few good quality ones. Overall I'd say this is an adequate tool for what I use it for.

This is the latest, greatest from our friends at Line 6....I found it easy to get a DECENT tone from the presets....the dual amp feature is pretty nice, aparently there were some issues with the firmware, but thats been dealt with, and now the editing software is available...although a little confusing with the dual amp editing, pretty easy overall to navigate

( First of all keep in mind i have been researching and trying out all of the most current modelers...ie.G9,TLLE, POD series,Digitech GNX ...etc...)I ran this through a monitor system and it sounded pretty good.....It seems Line 6 caters to the heavier spectrum of guitar tones...i found some really brutal hi-gain tones from the triple recto, 5150 and Bogner uber/xtasy patches...and some pretty nice presets ala "spirit" bundle....but truth be told, with the exception of a above par jc-120 patch, i didnt feel there were not alot of usable clean tones or even light or medium break-up tones to be had....i spent a good amount tweaking over a few weeks time and ultimately decided that it just lacked any real substance in the pre-amp dept....now the effects were excellent and plentiful...as usually the case with the POD series...but most of the modelers out there have good effects...its usually the preamp models that set them apart, at least in my mind...and even though they've adressed the FIZZ issue....theres still plenty O' fizz to be had by the X3, It also lacks any real responsiveness...

the first one i bought crapped out after one (day the unit froze up and couldnt be reset...) to give it a real chance i exchanged it for another ..after reading posts in the line 6 foruums, i gather that these things arent made so well....but the second one had no malfunctioning issues...

the line 6 knowledge base/boards are really helpful, you can find friendly folks there to help you ...i havent had to deal with a rep directly ...but i understand that this is a strong aspect of Line 6

I prefer cleaner, lighter breakup and mid-drive tones for the most part....i record alot of soundtrack stuff..so the heavier tones are usable for me. The plethora of effects is great, but overall i just feel like the PODs fail to let your own identity through...they lack responsiveness, touch, dynamics ...I was hoping to like this thing, since i spent a good couple of weeks dialing in tones, but i took it back and bought a BOSS GT-10, which may not have as brutal of hi-gain tones, but outclasses the POD when it comes to "natural_sounding" preamp models...
not to mention hangs with the POD when it comes to effects...Did I mention it also has a whammy function and a 38 sec phrase sampler?