Line 6 Pod XT Live

Pretty easy to use if you're using the computer editing system. If you're not, its a bit tedious with the tiny screen and being a floor unit, but that said, it does well with its small screen, and even when you're editing on the unit directly its not so bad at all, particularly compared to many other units. The Line 6 edit software really does make things a breeze though and given the nature of this particular device, it really only makes the most sense to use it with a computer, though its intended for live use as well.

I'm using this with a Washburn and Yamaha guitar, both with different varieties of Seymour Duncan pickups. I'm giving this kind of a mixed review based on the different applications I've used it in. When recording direct, its pretty damn good. The amp and cabinet models are all pretty decent and some are pretty convincing. The amp models when overdriven sound great direct and are pretty tweakable overall. They probably won't make you think it was recorded on a particular piece of gear, but when the guitar gets mixed with the other instruments, its hard to tell it wasn't recorded direct, well, most of the time. Some of the models are less impressive but its subjective and a matter of taste as with anything. The distorted tube sounds are generally pretty good and the clean tube sounds are sort of flat and weak, lack punch. The sparkly clean sounds are pretty good.

The effects are generally crap, though I think that has more to do with the fact that everything is modeled on old effect stomp boxes and great care was taken to model their muddiness and general crapitude. Again, this is a question of taste and really I don't want my guitar sound to be complete indistinct just so it can sound like "insert name of classic guitarist here". Again it really depends on what you're after. Thats not to say all the effects are bad, a couple of the stomp distortions are pretty decent as are the wah effects. In fact the wah effects are really fantastic and very surprising when I first heard them. It adds a whole dimension of versatility. The mod effects are generally crap, with the exceptions being the sine chorus (which is merely OK) and the rotary effects which are infinitely usable. The tremelos are good too, but its probably hard to mess that up. Whammy effect is pretty good too. Delays, nothing remarkable though there are some real oddities included, but really I just use one or two of them and the rest I ignore. The reverbs are average at best, with the spring reverb being the best if thats really what you want. The rest are pretty basic and not inspiring. The EQ is very useful for dialing in your sound.

Keep in mind, that stuff is all decent when recording direct. As an effects unit in front of a real amp... Hmmm, not so good. The poor quality of the stomp effects become pretty apparent in front of an amp and the amp models really sound lifeless and puny. That said, I feel like the general gist of the POD stuff is for going direct either for recording or direct to the board, but the POD Live XT really implies its meant to be used in a live setting with amplifiers and in that regard, it just kind of sucks. I use an ADA MP1 and a Digitech Valve FX with my amp set up (late 60's Fender Bassman with cab) and really the POD doesn't come close to getting such a usable clear tone as that 14 year old gear.

One universally annoying thing is the fact that it makes this annoying buzzy sound even on clean sounds but apparently it can be eq'd out. Still irritating.

The thing is hands down the toughest piece of gear I've ever seen. The only reason for the score not being perfect is because the volume/wah pedal gets uncalibrated VERY easily and of all the things on the board it feels the cheapest and squeaks badly sometimes (plastic washers). Otherwise its a tank.

These days, you can almost judge a company's support based on their web presence and frankly theirs is outstanding. I found out how to calibrate the volume pedal quickly and easily through their site and the one question I had was answered quickly.

Overall its an oddity of a unit. Using it for recording direct, its outstanding, and for that alone its worth having. Using it in front of an amp? No thanks. When my GSP 21 does a better job thats bad news. Then again, it cost half what the GSP 21 cost originally, so there is that. There is also that adage that you get what you pay for, and in this case its pretty true. It won't replace a ton of amps or effects, but it does what it does ok and if you keep in mind that it won't be that end all be all replacement, then you're fine.

I did compare it to a Digitech GNX 4000 or whatever it is, and I picked this one because it was built SO much better and seemed to have a better interface. This was a shame, because I miss Digitech's good pro level equipment and the GNX 4000 seemed more like hobbyist gear at best. Then again, the POD XT Live feels the same way, just well built.

Final thought, the rack version might have suited me better, but its not as feature packed out of the box as the new POD Live 3s so its kind of a why bother. If you're just using it for recording, its outstanding, but it really doesn't replace good effects gear or even stomp boxes for live performance.

My main complaint is that tiny LCD screen which is basically the only way you can edit stuff and you have two knobs for selecting/tweaking your amps,cabs,stompbox,modulation and delay. It very inconvenient when you have to make quick setting changes while playing in a live situation.

It was wise of them to put the amp controls up front though so i'll give them points for that. You never know when you need to make a few tweaks on your sound while on stage. I don't think anyone else came up with that kind of easy access to tone controls.

This thing requires some light reading to use properly it's gig ready out of the box but if you want to maximize it's potential then do your homework.

I was using a whole bunch of older digitech models before. The main difference i noticed once i final got the settings right on this thing it had a whole lot of kick and dimension than what i expected from a modeling unit. I admit it may not sound 100% completely like the original but considering i'm playing through a solidstate combo amp i think they did a pretty good job modeling.

Here is where i wont be so kind. The stomps and modulation effects were not up to my standards. I found a few useful stuff but it seems i have to download and pay extra for more effects i can see why people might have a problem with this.

So bare in mind this is an amp-modeling unit with effects on it, not a multi-effects unit with amp modeling. Modeling wise though i think this thing is the best out there.

Never had any major problems with it. I think its very cool to be able to back up your settings on your computer just in case.

Never really needed to contact them.

Like i said this is an amp-modeling unit, i don't use effects that much but eventually i'll probably pay for the effects packages. Right out of the box i'm not completely satisfied but not completely disappointed either.

Some people may argue that amp-modeling will never sound exactly like the original but it will bring you damn close. If you want the real deal then get the real deal it'll cost a whole lot more and thats just one amp.

I'm a working musician sometimes i need a whole bunch of different sounds in one gig whether in the studio or live. So you can imagine how convenient this thing is for me.

Bottom line it could be better but what were you expecting? Everything you ever needed and ever will need in a $400 price tag, get real.

If it's effects you're looking for go for the BOSS but if it's amp modeling this thing gets the job done for now.

As far as ease of use goes, if you want instant gratification its, well, just fine. If you want to tweak sounds (which is paramount to use it to its potential) it is not so "user friendly". At least not from the front panel. If you use the software however, it makes a huge difference. You really need to use the software to use this box effectively. The stock sounds are not good at all. This however does not mean that this box is unusable, quite the opposite.

As I spoke before, the stock sounds are barely usable. The all start to sound the same after a while. Similar to the original POD. You really need to be a tweakhead to get usable sounds. Once you learn how to work with this box, I personally have found that the only downfall is the digital edge on some of the distortion sounds. Now, that said...its subjective. I have used many many pedals, the BK Butler is the only one that I really swear by that is an external box. I find the XT OD/Distortions sounds.....just barely on the really good side. Once again, this is subjective. As far as i am concerned, when in the studio, you can tweak away with the sounds. When you are live, you need to preset things to taste. This is where your ears come in. Compare and listen carefully and dont be afraid to dig in. This is the ONLY way you get this box to scream back at you, and believe me...it will.

Very solid, very reliable. Pedals are build like trucks. Quite nice.

I have had no reason to contact them at all. I would not know.

Overall, for tweakheads, this is a fantastic all in one box if thats what you are alooking for. I have heard zero from any other company over the years that can even compete with this box. Some have better sounds out of the box, but this thing screams when you learn how to dig in.

I like knobs, and i'm not fond of fighting with stuff to get the sound I have in my head. I just don't have that kind of patience. I found this unit to be a real pain in the @ss to customize my sounds until I hooked it up to the computer, and man o man what a difference! Screw trying to tweek this thing right at the unit! Hook it up to your computer, and it's just as easy as turning 'real' knobs on all the amps and effects. Piece of cake. So ease of use using the PC is a big fat 10.. but ease of use using the unit itself is more like a 4.. so i'll give it a 5 overall.

I have to admit when I first plugged this thing in, I was pretty disappointed. The stock sounds, you'd think would be great ones to really show off what this thing can do. Well, the stock sounds sucked and they sucked hard. I hooked it up to the PC using the Gearbox software and found a bunch of 'default' tones that just plain out rocked.. awesome sounds. Using the software, just pick the amp you want to use, pick the cabinet, pick your effects and there you have it. Sure, if you were to A/B the 'virtual' rig with the 'real' thing you might only be 98% of the way there.. but that's way closer than I was getting with just one amp and a dozen effects boxes.

Built like a rock.. not had any problems. Another reviewer said something about the plastic power input jack breaking off.. that's what that little plastic loop thing is for by the power input jack.. it's designed to act like a strain relief, so if the power cord gets yanked (like if you trip over the cord) it doesn't yank on the jack itself.

I haven't had to deal with 'em, and I bought this used, so I don't know.

Again.. I wasn't really impressed with this thing at first.. but once I hooked it up to the computer using the Gearbox software, I really unlocked the potential of this thing. I play in a cover tune bar band, and between my strat, my les paul, and this box, I can handle whatever kind of tones I need. I don't even bring my amp to gigs anymore.. just run this baby right into the board. Provided your board doesn't suck and you've got a real PA (a Fender Passport isn't a real PA, by the way) you should have no problem. Quite honestly, this gadget is the best gear investment i've made to date.

Review of this unit after 2 years of use and having just sold it on, fairly easy to use once you've got to grips with the manual and what does what.....simple one box solution for just about everything you need. Well built and mine was 100% reliable.

This is where it gets more difficult....great unit for recording on Sonar and in the studio, interfaces well, has good sounds and nice stereo....but it has proved to be a disappointment when gigging live with the band....doesn't do the job in my opinion....becomes anonymous and disappears into the general sound.....not strong enough to stamp its authority on your sound and make you stand out...tried but gave up and sold it on.....seems to be a problem with a lot of the multi effects units....I've changed to a Carl Martin Quattro...only does about 20% of the Line 6's armourey but way ahead for live use at volume.

Was 100% reliable.

They get back to you eventually.

All singing, all dancing box of tricks that is a bit of a toy if you're into live performances really....pity because it has a feel good factor and is convenient but in the final analysis for me it couldn't cut it after 2 years of trying.

If you've used rack-mounted multi-effects units, it's not difficult to navigate around the XT Live. Editing patches is easy and the manual is excellent. Despite all this, it's rather challenging to get really good sounds out of it, simply because there are SO many parameters to adjust. You choose your amp model, effects, speaker cabinet, even the simulated mic type and position, and every one of those parameters is tweakable and has a major effect on the sound. Whether it's good or bad depends on your point of view. If you're a tweaker, you'll love it. If you like to plug and play, find something else.

I run it straight into the PA. The speaker simulators are good, and it does sound like an amp...just not a very good one. It feels rather cold and distant at all times, and I don't feel "connected" to the unit like I do with an amp. I like the clean tones better than the distorted ones, and can get a nice clean strat tone by using the Hiwatt or Blackface models plus a little compression, chorus, and delay. The distorted tones are pretty harsh and trebly sounding. You can dial this out with the EQ, but then it sounds muddy.

Do NOT expect to plug into this thing and feel like you're playing through a JCM800 or Blackface, or even a decent Mesa. While it does do some reasonable approximations of those tones, it's completely lacking in the feel, the the complexity, the overtones, and more than anything, the dynamics of those amps. Tube amps clean up when you turn down your guitar volume, and get more dynamic and punchy when you turn it up. The XT Live just gets quieter or louder. It's not expressive like a good amp is.

The effects are generally pretty cool and are on par with other effects units in this price range. Don't bother comparing it to an Eventide, but in the Digitech/Boss/Korg league the XT Live compares well.

It's bulletproof, and I gig without a backup all the time. The only issue I've had is that the wah pedal tends to lose about 50% of its sweep range, so that in the fully depressed position it's only halfway through the frequency sweep. There's a fix for this on Line 6's website and it's easy, but I've had to do it several times over a two-year period with this unit.

Never had to deal with them directly, but the website and knowledge base are very helpful, and software updates and model pack installations are easy and painless.

I've been playing for 20 years, 4 years professionally. I play hard rock, blues, U2-influcenced alternative, and worship music. The XT Live is great for what it is - a $300 modeling multi effects unit. To say that it actually gets close to the amps it models - a JCM800, an AC30, a Blackface, etc - is ludicrous. The XT Live's strengths are price, portability, and reliability, not sound. It's great to be able to show up to a gig with just this thing and not have to lug amps back and forth. However, in sonic terms it is not even close to replacing my tube amps and boutique pedals.

Very easy, takes some time to get the perfect mesh with your individual amp. Obviously it will sound like crap if you run it into an amp that isn't moderately clean.

Fender 65 Reverb Reissue. Not noisy at all via the clean channel.

NO. The chassis is very rugged, however the power input jack is made of plastic and snapped off very easily. I don't gig with it, I've moved it across my room once, very gently. I am very gentle on my gear. The plastic jack simply snapped... rendering the device useless.

Haven't dealt with them.

I think ease of use is one of the strong points of this unit. When not playing live, patch editing is very easy using the editing software and the USB interface. In live use, patch editing via controls on the POD is reasonably strightforward, although I think it is best to prepare patches ahead of time. Playing live, I like the fact that the POD has the typical switches for changing patches, but also includes switches to individually turn off the amp, stomp, modulation, or delay models within the curent patch. I give this a 9 instead of a 10 because I think the small text on the orange display can be a little diffcult to read. It would also have been nice if there were a footswitch that would allow the reverb to be turned on an off within a patch.

I use this for playing live. My gear: Diezel VH4 amp,PRS custom 24 and Les Paul Standard guitars. My amp is midi controlled and covers all the gain tones I need, so I only use the POD in the serial loop of the amp for effects and as a midi controler for channel switching.

I use the POD mainly because it is a single box that does many things, and I would otherwise have to replace it with several pedals or a rack setup. It acts as my delay, reverb, chorus, rotary speaker sim, clean boost, eq, volume pedal, and amp channel switcher.


While the box does all of these things and many others, I think it only does a few things acceptably well. Most of the effects models are low quality and are not useful. I find most of the delays harsh and sprinkled with digital artifacts among the repeats... I only use the Analog Delay model, which is passable but not stellar. Similar with the modulation effects, I use the Sine Chorus model, which works pretty well, but many of the other included models are harsh or are just gimmicky sounds I would never use. In the stomp box section, I only use the Boost+EQ model, which I engage when I need a slight volume boost for a patch. This works well. I don't use the fuzz/overdrive/distortion or compressor models. All of the synth models and octaver models are terrible with poor pitch tracking and cannot be used except for fooling around. In the reverb section, many types are offered, but again, all of these have a harsh quality... the echoes do not smoothly blend together, there is an audible, unpleasant metallic breakup in the sound.

I really don't feel that any of the delays, modulations, or reverbs have a very natural sound, although I have managed to find one or two of each that are useable.

I have had this unit nearly two years and I've spent considerable time trying different settings, levels, and configurations (in parallel loop, running stereo into two amps, etc.). In the end, I have found just enough decent sounds to make this unit worth it for the convenience.

If you want professional quality effects, look elsewhere. If you want convenience at a very reasonable cost, try one out.

I also want to include a quick note about the amp models. When I first got this, I had hoped that the amps models might hold up well enough that I could use them through a clean power amp, because that would provide a great arsenal of tones. Unfortunately, as one who has owned a Marshall DSL 100, and now the Diezel, I can tell you that the models of those amps are no match for the real thing. While they're "reminiscent" of the actual amps, they lack the body, warmth, complexity and feel, at least in a live setting. I had to abandon all of the amp modelling.

The unit is in a sturdy metal chassis with all metal parts. When mine was six months old, the numeric display that shows the patch number went bad and the mainboard was replaced (under warranty). Additionally, the built expression pedal began squeaking as if the bearings in it had gone bad, and the tech who did the warranty service on it for the mainboard also said there was a service bulletin on this issue, and repaired that problem as well. Aside from these issue, the unit has fared well during transport to many practices and gigs.

I like the software that Line 6 provides. I also had a reasonably easy time finding an authorized service center when mine needed to be repaired.

In a nutshell, for my application (live use as an effects box), it works ok... I found a few effects that are useable, but honestly if I could find an equally convenient way to get better effects (even if it cost more), I would stop using this unit.

The XT Live is very easy to program, as the amp controls are right there to grab and adjust--very important if you are playing live and need to make quick adjustments. I've used the software editing, which is very cool and a lot of fun... but most of the time I use the controls right on the XT Live to change my effect settings. Line 6 was very smart in how they set up the XT Live interface, it makes it so easy to program. The manual is helpful and a quick read, but it doesn't take long to get the hang of programming. I have connected to Line 6's site using Monkey to get the latest drivers, etc., which all worked perfectly on my Windows XP Pro machine. Nothing to dislike in this category, it is very easy to use.

I read a ton of reviews on the XT Live and the biggest gripe was the "fizz" on high gain amp models, and the "sterile" sounding clean amps. I also found some info in the Line 6 user groups which has made a difference to me... Take the 5.5 to 6k frequency and notch it out, using the EQ parameter... and then bring the treble and presence up to a point where you like it, and it doesn't "fizz". This approach has worked for me. On clean settings, I find that the tube compression helps "warm" things a bit, to get rid of the "sterile" issue, and I set the output to "line" as well as use "Direct/Recording" as my setting. By the way, I run in stereo into two Tech 21 Power Engine 60's. I used a Tech 21 Tri AC, which is also very good, but I was doing the pedal dancing thing with multiple pedals. The POD eliminated 90% of my pedal dance moves, with relatively the same result, sound wise. I have an old ESP strat (400 series) with EMG S's, and this guitar really sounds great with the XT Live. The delays, reverbs, etc. are all good... except I'm still searching for a good chorus patch--which I believe is in there somewhere. I'd give this rating a 10 if it weren't for a better modulation effect offering... so it gets a 9.

I've used it at home and live for the last five months. It hasn't failed me once and the controls, volume/wah seem very sturdy. I don't carry a backup as I'm confident in the XT Live. For as long as I've had it, it has always worked perfectly.

I have never dealt with Line 6, but I am blown away by the website resources. CustomTone.com has free patches that you can download and easily import into the XT Live with a USB cable, which is a good way to get started in programming the XT Live. As well, the user group posting are very helpful.

I read a ton about the XT Live, Vox ToneLab and Boss GT8. From my findings in reading about these units, the Vox has the most tubelike amp models, but is weaker on effects... and the Boss has the best effects, but is weaker on the amp models. In choosing, the XT Live is a mix of both "good to great" amps and "good to great" effects. For me, it has been an excellent choice... easy to program and tweak, works well with my Tech 21 Power Engines, very reliable, and at $400, it is a great value. I highly recommend the XT Live.

I'm offering a respectful comment for all in relation to the observations from 'roy' who is no doubt having a genuine difficulty with his XT live(he Submitted 11/14/2007 at 05:21pm ) I am very surprised at the comments-roy please don't think i'm dissing you at all-quite the reverse-you have a piece of kit which sounds like its letting you down but my experience of the podxt live is very different. Can I carefully suggest you check your 'output mode' settings, as if this is not done the PodXT Live can sound very odd indeed-also the amp/line switch on the rear panel (if you are going into a pa system type config with the switch set to 'amp' it will not sound right. Plus there are some compressor settings that can really suck out volume/gain etc if not checked-it may be that this was not your doing but someone may have played with the unit at the shop/supplier, or wherever. Or your unit may be faulty-I have shaken people's fillings with my PodXT output. I recommend you don't give up.