Line 6 Pod XT Live

Very easy

Awesome!

Rock solid!!

Very Helpful!!

Besshii joss!! (Awesome!!)

I gave the Pod a 8 because it comes with very convenient software and awesome on-line community of sounds. And some of the factory presets even sound pretty good. Just plug it in, tweak a patch or download one of the hundreds (thousands?) from the Line6 web site, or using the INCLUDED software.

I also gave it an 8 because with all the ease of use, it is VERY limited in flexibility. After being married to a Boss GT-6 for 3 years, I realized just how powerful it was when I tried to get some similar FX settings out of the Pod... you just can't though. I'm a tweaker, so I need that flexibility. You can't add expression or control pedals, you can't rearrange the FX in the chain.

Only gave a rating of 5 because while the amp sims sound loads better than other simulators I've heard, the FX sound like arse.

If you want a good amp sim or acoustic sim, and some BASIC effects sounds, then the Pod is probably good for you. But most of the FX are junk. The "synth" FX are only gimmicks that break up with ANY deviation from a basic waveform (translation: if you play a very basic and steady tone, you can get a cheap "synth" sound, but if you get any harmonics, or dynamics in the note or, god forbid, a chord, the sound breaks up and goes all chaotic... it gets confused). The harmonizer is junk, the pitch shifter kinda works, but is no DigiTech Whammy pedal. There's just nothing there in the FX arsenal that I like to use.

Had it less than a year and only played a half-dozen gigs with it. If it lasts longer than my GT-6, I'll call it reliable.

N/A

It's ok for amp sounds, but the FX leave nearly everything to be desired for me.

I mostly got it because I knew it had very easy software and on-line patch library. I didn't know how limited the FX capability was.

Programming it using a computer is pretty easy, but trying to edit the settings from the unit itself is not very intuitive. The ability to sample and download patches from the Line 6 website when the Pod XT Live is plugged in is incredible. It just couldn't be any easier to get the specific sounds you're looking for. The library of patches from other users is great, and there's a search feature to find just what you're looking for.

I plug into a Fender Twin, 85 watt amp. Since the amp has no bypass input, I tried using the Pod setting for that amp. It didn't give me the sound I wanted, so I went with a "Direct Input" setting, cranked the mid way up and the treble and bass down to around 3, and got a pretty darn good sound. I play in a cover band that plays a huge variety of types of music, and I'm able to cover them all with this unit - from the Kinks to AC/DC to No Doubt to The Cure. Incredibly versitile.

No problems whatsoever after 1.5 years of ownership. Very solid unit.

Never dealt with them, but their website seemed pretty good when I needed it.

Pound for pound, this may be the best multi-effects unit for the price. You can find them new for under $300 on Ebay, but it's still worth the $400 retail price. If it were stolen, I'd get another. I used to have a Korg AX1500, which did it's job, but didn't have the flexibility I needed for life performances. The way the PodXT Live has the stomp-box peddles above the bank peddles is brilliant. It's also nice to know that if my amp goes out during a gig, I can just go directly into the PA with this unit and keep playing. It is a solid piece of equipment, and I don't worry about it dying on me on stage (although I should probably get another power adapter just in case). I got a "Gator" soft case for it at almost half of what the Line 6 bag costs - something to think about for gigging.

For a unit with this many features, the controls are relatively intuitive. You can get going almost immediately. Deep digging with require a couple of trips to the owner's manual.

You know all about the features of the Pod XT Live. Here is a little info about my experience with how to power it...

With the Line 6 Pod XT, I've found that the quality of the tone you'll get is very dependent on the amp and speaker(s) you run the signal into. Certain amplification setups seam to "fit" my Pod XT Live better than others.

I tried out the Pod XT Live at a large music store before I bought it. They had it running into a $2,500 Bose L1 PA system. It sounded horrible - thin and distant. Granted, it could have been poorly set up but I was terribly disappointed. That said, I bought one anyway because of the rave reviews. I was much happier when I got it home - eventually.

First, I ran my American Fat Strat Deluxe into the Pod XT and Pod into the front of my 30w Peavey Delta Blues 1x15. When I ran the signal into the regular guitar-in jack, it sounded like *#($%@. The sound of the Pod through the three 12AX7's was shrill and thin and unsatisfying. No way was this going to work. However, when I ran the signal into the FX return instead, it sounded like a different amp. The four EL84's really warmed up the tone and brought out the unique character of the amp itself. A little tweaking of the Pod's output signal and of the amps EQ and the tone was, in my personal opinion, excellent. Some of the channels, such as the Roland Jazz Chorus and the Marshall JCM800, were particularly full. The presence was huge and the volume was astounding.

The Pod sounded very sweet running through an Epiphone Valve Jr. head into a small open-back cab with a Celestion Vintage 8. With the volume at about 11 o'clock the little Junior pumps out gobs of attitude. It's super sensitive.

I tried running the Pod through a small (130w) PA system. AHHHHHHH - it could have cut glass.

At my church I ran the Pod through the house PA (5,000 watts plus several Mackie powered 15's) and used in-ear monitors. The quality was very good (comparable to miking my amp) but didn't quit have the character and presence of running directly into the amp.

The combination that I eventually settled on for live performance is a stereo setup with the Delta Blues for main stage volume and the Valve Jr./Celestion on the second channel to open up the sound and bring out some of the stereo effects. I would think that a matching pair of DBs would sound better but that's the best I can do for now.

Even though the Pod is an amp modeler, I treat it more like a multi-effects processor and look to the amp(s) for character and ultimate sound quality.

YMMV

Never had a problem

The online support is great. As soon as you get your Pod XT Live, be sure to register online and download the Line 6 Monkey software.

As I said, you get out of it what you put into it...

Ease of use is probably not the pod xt's redeeming feature as there are numerous controls that also double up within different menu's ,turn a knob the wrong way and you have to go back a step which I found a little tedious.
Editing patches is the same deal.

I have to say that this is where I was most dissapointed ,it just sounds too processed.. there isnt the right freqency to begin with and not enough "headroom" on the range to shift the tone to something usable let alone good.The modelled valve tones break up into mushy yet thin misrepresentations of the amp that is being modelled even the lower gain amp models sound horribly thin .I think the fundemental overdrive simulation falls far short of any valve tone ive ever heard!
Ive persevered for 2 years with this thing and now thinking of getting a rackmounted sansamp instead just to get away from the intrusive frequencies of the pod xt ,sorry to go about it but what ever I do all I end up with are unblendable frequencies that cant be smoothed out in the mix ,they are there and they cant be changed .
This is where the Cab/mic simulation settings ought to be able to rectify some of my bugbears but where adjustment matters most all you are given to play around with is ON or OFF AXIS and nothing in between.
As for the FX well they are the only reason Ive kept it for so long there are FX here that will keep you amused for weeks like backwards reverb,delay,modulation combinations of all three and more . The stomp box section is also first class with most of those old classic pedals distorions, compressors, delays, you name it.

Its built like a tank .

No opinion on this.

Its well made with a multitude of functions ,exellent FX and many amp models/speaker cabs and stomp boxes but the frequencies are all wrong and cant be rectified also sounds nothing like "Valve" which is the killer blow if you like to play Metal .

The POD XT Live comes out of the box with several good sounds ready to go. why isn't it perfect? Because no product is capable of pleasing everybody 100% of the time. While it is not easy to alter settings from the POD's smallish screen, Line 6 has given us two options for changing settings and creating new patches from scratch: Gearbox and Line 6 edit. Both apps have pros and cons according to preference and both get the job done. Gearbox offers a more graphical interface and added benefits such as guitarport online for articles and lessons. Line 6 edit offers deep editing options to tweak all the arcane settings that scare off new users. Like I said, both apps have their place. The manual is very good at describing the rudiments of the machine in a humorously written, easy to understand format that won't scare away the newbies. More information can be had in online tutorials. A comprehensive manual for this box would occupy the space consumed by war and peace and add to teh price IMHO: again a good balance. Another thing that Line 6 did very well was to develop and offer Line 6 monkey; a small setup program for keeping all of the unit's software and even it's firmware up-to-date. A drawback is that not having an internet connection somewhat limits all of the POD's upgrade and maintenance capabilities. You must have internet in order to perform updates and//or upgrades; otherwise, it might be possible to order a CD upgrade, but this reviewer is not sure.

This machine is awesome in its ability to reproduce sounds of many custom setups used by popular players. My favorite setting out of the box is the JC-800 patch that emulates a Marshall JCM 800 head; it's a gret starting point for many 80's rock and metal sounds including the Van Halen brown sound. I play this unist with several guitars including vintage Kramer, Fender, Jackson, Charvel and Ibanez axes. All sound great and have their characteristic sound that can be unaltered or completely changed by the POD. The unit can be noisy, but in most cases it's faithful reproduction of the modelled sound 9i.e.: Amp hum, flanger sweep, etc...) The POD Xt Live sounds bext with a full range setup; A mistake most players unfailiar with Line 6's products make is to plug intot eh front end of an amp which gives them a muddy sound after the amp adds it's own coloration to the desired sound. Direct to the PA bpard and out through the mains, tuned by a good sound person is defintiely the way to go live. Dirsect into the recording console is perfect for capturing tracks in the studio. Run the POD through your effects loop but understand that in this mude, you will lose a lot of your amp's controls, still if you must mike an amp and don't like the modelled mic'ed cabs, it's the way to go.

I've had this piece of equipment for about a month, and bought it with the intention of recording. I did, however buy it based equally on my independant research and the opinions of experienced musicians and fellow players. They swear by the POD XT Live and rarely have need for a backup unit. More commonly a player I know switches back to amps on stage due to inexperienced sound board operators.

I have not had to personally deal with Line 6's support team. One innovation available for internet users is Line 6 monkey. As previously mentioned it tests the computer for compatibilty, checks the POD for all software versions and even updates the firmware for you and all you have to do is click the button to proceed. In addition, it also backs up your POD's entire collection of patches in a "bundle" to hard drive, restores the bundle as needed, and allows the user to pick patches out of other bundles to add to his/her own collection. Line 6 offers a large array of sounds and models out of the box and further enhancements are available online in the form of model packs (you get the effects junkie pack free with the XT Live). You can purchase the Metal Shop and Collector Classics model packs as well as a new Bass Model pack and have L6 Monkey install them for you, no sweat.

I've been playing all kinds of guitars and music for years with a preference for hard rock and love the configurability the POD Xt LIVE offers me. I've had this for a month, had been wanting it for somewhat longer and tried it against newer modelling processors such as the Digitech RP 350 and GNX4. The XT Live has no superior for what it does and that is to offer reasonably accurate amp, effects, and cabinet models. The other unit has some nice tones and unique features, but sacrificed some of the centrral options in order to compete with the POD. If I lost this unit, I would defintiely replace it with the same model and would probably look to upgrade within the line 6 model range. I have some pretty good tube amps and while nothing can replace them ever, it's nice to have a fairly accurate modeller at a tenth of the weight and already set up for recording. The unit itself is big and sturdy without being over-engineered. It offered plenty of on-board adjustments with approipriate knobs and buttons. The screen is smallish, but also doesn't overpoer the device on a darkened stage. Marker lights let the player know which patch is active in a given bank, yet the tap to set the delay repeat button can be maddening as it flashes constantly. This unit can inspire you to make music and just play new and differnet things for hours, or it can help you find what you're looking for and get you playing that favorite player's sound in a relatively short time. You can literally chose an amp, add your efffects, modulation, delay and verb, and you have many choices of each category! An upgrade pathway aside from computer/internet connectivity would be nice for the small group of tech holdouts. Maybe line 6 should offer updates on flash memory cards for things like model packs that simultaneously upgrade firmnware, other software versions, etc... For me, the more I can change at my computer and the less I have to hunch over the small display, the better.

I just bought this a month ago with the cheapo Variax 300. You have to edit the presets big time and read the manual if you want to get this unit to sound right. It`s a bit of a learning curve, but it`s worth the effort when you dial it in to your liking. The manual is decent.

First, I`m using this with a MosValve poweramp with the Pod plugged straight in. When set to the poweramp setting, the thing kicks ass considering I only paid $700 for the guitar and preamp. I read a few reviews where people couldn`t get this to sound right, and I don`t understand that. With all due respect, this unit can cover all the bases that my 10+ tube amps used to, and I`ve gone through the best from Bogner, Two Rock, Fuchs, Fargen, Electroplex, you name it I`ve probably had it over the years. I`ve been playin since 67. The cabs I`m usin are Trutone Custom 1X12`s with Celestion Classic Lead 80`s. As long as the cab simulators are off and it`s set to poweramp, it delivers the goods. I can get it to slight crunch like one of my Deluxes, or go into controlable feedback like my Two Rocks or Fuchs. That piece of junk lookin Variax nails some serious sounding different guitars and can be changed and powered with this pedal, and it don`t play too bad neither. I`m gonna sell all my tube amps, put some big bucks in the bank, and buy another Harley. The only tube unit I`ll keep is my Wreck clone I built. Yep, I like this cheap shit that much, no BS. I can even dial a tone like my old Ubershall for new music. Don`t know what else to say except try it and spend some time and make sure you set it right and use some good quality speaker cabs.

Don`t know about how road worthy it is, haven`t had it long enough.

Line 6 is pretty cool. I had one of the 1st AXSYS212 when they 1st came out years ago and they were helpful when I had a question.

I`ve been playin too damn long and I`m sick of the amp merry go round, so this should cure me for a while since you can always change the settings. I bought this on a crap shot and seem to have won. A great buy for the $$$.

How anyone could complain about the programming of the Pod XT Live I'll never understand. Hit "Edit", scroll to the effect or amp you want to edit and edit the individual settings of everything just like on a regular stomp box setup. If you can't use this then you can't use effects pedals period!

I gave this a 10 for one very simple reason......it deserves it! After comparing it to several Boss, Digitech and even the coveted Vox tonelab the Pod Xt Live kills them all. I've always been a user of classic effects including many of the models in the Pod. After a side by side comparison to several "real" effects (Tubescreamer, Big Muff, Dynacomp, Distortion +, just to name a few) and they are surprisingly realistic. The Big Muff was very close in tone and response to my original Russian Muff. As you back off the volume it cleans up nicely. It retains that big muff roar even with the gain down to near zero just like the real thing. Amazing! The tubescreamer is probably the only one that I thought was a little off. Not quite as midrangey as the real thing....but close enough for most ears.

All metal housing and built like a tank. I don't foresee any issues.

Never had to use it....no idea.

I've been playing for about 15 years or so with about 10 years of professional playing under my belt. I play mostly rock with some metal, 80's rock, and blues thrown in. Over the years I've gathered some prized gear and some real special gems. I needed to consolidate for easy setup and tear down in studio and live settings. Pod XT Live does this and more. It's not just about have good sounds, it's about having true authentic sounds that give the feel of playing through a real stack with some real effects.

This is my second review of the Pod XTL. I've had it for well over a year, and this is just to keep things up to date. I've had plenty of time to work with this and I still find it difficult to use. The only way to really get it to sound good is to go online and get the software and tweak it on a computer. If you really had to change something live you'd be screwed trying to do it on the little screen going through the menues. Not good in a "live" situation. They might want to reconsider the Live part of the name.

When I got the xtl I wanted something that I could use in the studio and live. I thought that this would be a good solution to this problem. Here's my issue and it might be for other people. I run a class A tube amp that I use the distortion on so it gets pretty loud. You need to have your amp a performance level to tweak your effects levels correctly, and this can get hairy finding the right volume without clipping on your pod. I don't own a laptop so I can't take it to the practice space to tweak there. I'm not the only one with issue other people have written into the line 6 site stating the volume problems because they set thier volume at "practice" level then when they play live all the volume gets sucked out. Thier responce was tweak at performance level and make another identical patch that you play at practice level. That and there's nothing like setting at your computer tweaking virtual pedals trying to get things to sound right. My point is that you shouldn't have use your computer to get the right sounds, even if the software is free it's still a pain in the ass. You can get good sounds out of it once you find the magic solution. Just know that no matter what they tell you. a modeled amp never sounds as good as the real thing. Do what sounds good to don't rely on what they say it's supposed to be.

I do gig with it, and I will keep it around. It will be my back up. Right now I'm getting back the pedals that I traded to get this. It's a slow process but I figure it's good to have in a studio situation, and I've heard horror stories about some places going ampless, and only using pods for shows. At least mine will be programed for my stuff. I've never had a problem with it. The only part I've really worried would wear out is the button underneath the volume/wah pedal, it's a little white piece of plastic. I covered mine with a little bit of tape to prevent any damage.

I had e-mailed them once, and I don't remeber what it was for. I did get a responce from them in the time they promised, but the answer was canned. I needed more specific info and they didn't provide it.

I play mostly rock, but I do blues, alt rock, some light country, jazz, and even some metal. I play professionally(meaing when I play I get paid), and my day job is an audio engineer. My gear has to be versitile which is why I got it in the first place. I have too much equipment to list so I'm not going to bother. I do own some of the pedals they claim to model and the real thing sounds so much better, but that's not to say you won't fimd some interesting things in it. It could use a bit of a design change as well. I find myself stepping on two buttons at the same time. I'm not tall, but I do have wide feet, and I find I have to step lightly to hit just the one button. They either need to space it out more, or use a different button type, like ones mostly used on midi boards. If it were stolen I'd claim it on my insurance and get something else.

Well to get e really good tone out of it you need a lot of time on tweaking. The use of this unit is really easy and especially using the guitar port software to edit the sounds. For the ease of use it should be a ten but compared to the tremendous amount of time on tweaking to get good tones I give it a five.

This review is to all who might get a little too excited about what they read here. I own a POD XTL so Iknow what I`m talking about. You get good sounds of the POD XTL especially on recording. In a live situation to my ears this unit sucks. Any tube amp sounds better.

I know about the endless discussions that a lot people think the Pod sounds just like a real tube amp. No it doesn`t. I suggest to spent more time on playing and working your ears and one day even these people will here that there is a good difference beteween the Pod and a real tube amp.

But compared to its price value and flexebillity the Pod sounds good (not great!!!) but only for a recording situation. If you have good ears so and know what a tube amp sounds and feels like you won`t really be satisfied with the POD XTL (or any other Pod).

Can`t tell I have my Pod XTL for three month and I`m selling it again. A lot of sounds don`t work if none of them gives yo agreat tone. One awesome tone is more important to me than 200 good tones.

Their homepage is well done and a good idea (discussions forums and so on). But never tried the customer support.

A good recording unit which has a good price value level. In a live situation it is not a good choice (if you want a good natural and transparent sounding tone that fits right in a band mix)--> no matter if you play the Pod in front of an amp or use active pa speaker systems. I`m glad I don`t need to gig with it cause even a small and cheap tube amp like a Marshall DSL 401 does a much better job (and is even good in a recording situation without using a microphone).

My advice just look at well known artist and what they play on stage. We all know if advertisments are done I use this and that in the studio and what was really used are two different stories. If they play live you can see what they really count on........ that is TUBE AMP!!!!!!!!!