Line 6 Pod XT Live

Maybe there is a difference in quality coming off the line but I find it REALLY difficult to get anymore than one note playing to sound good. If I hit two or more notes they clash and provide a mushy output. I have tweaked and twonked the full range of the unit and tried several different guitars (6 or 7). When I use ANY of my other pedals I get great clear clean sound and beautiful separation when using effects like distortion. I have spent WAY too many hours trying to make this thing sound even ok to use. Maybe I got the lemon out of many good ones. I hate it.

Can't really use it due to poor output, even worse than a broken clock.

Not as easy to use as (say) a Fender Twin...but this has a hell of a lot more flexibility than any non-modeling amp. Quite easy to use if you invest a little time in learning how it works and experimenting with it.

I've been gigging and recording with amps from Fender, Marshall, Peavey, Mesa/Boogie, you name it since the 70s. I've been gigging and recording with Line 6 since 2002. According to sound engineers, audience members, and fellow musicians, I get a great sound out of it. I had one musician--a guy who is a total tone snob, analog/tube all the way--express shock when he came up to the stage after the gig and saw my Line 6 setup. "I had no idea that Line 6 gear could sound so good."

But at the same time, I've heard lots of guys get horrible tones out of Line 6 gear. What's the difference? Here's how to dial this sucker in:

1. Listen. Turn off all the effects and just listen to the raw guitar tone. Play some simple stuff, hold notes, don't just rip scales. Get a friend to listen with you.

It's best to listen in the setting where you will be playing. Best: while you're rehearsing with your band. Second best: play along with your iPod or the radio. See how that ******** high-gain tone with scooped midrange disappears? The bass takes your low end--the hi hat and cymbals take your high end--you're left with...nothing.
Record yourself rehearsing and gigging. Ask people how it sounds. Get a wireless and walk out front while you're soundchecking.
Then, go back and tweak. Lather, rinse, repeat. Keep tweaking.

2. Tweak carefully. This thing has very powerful controls. Make small changes and listen again. This is especially true for the gain control. Unless you want to turn your guitar into an unrecognizable mess, never crank the gain to full on the high-gain models. Start out around noon, or better yet, 10:00. Go with about 20 percent less gain than you think you need, and you'll hear your tone start to come out. This is a good guideline for normal amps too. About 75 percent of crappy tone comes from using too much gain.

3. Tweak everything, Make sure you tweak the cabinet models, mike models and placement. These make a huge difference in the sound. I've settled in on 2 or 3 mike and cab combinations that work for me.

4. If you have a decent PA and sound guy, run direct for live work. This thing is made to be played that way. If you don't have a decent PA and sound guy, nothing will make your guitar sound good out front. It may sound great on stage, but that doesn't really cut it.
If you really want an "amp" on stage, get an Atomic Reactor amp. I have the 50 watt 1x12 and it's great. Great for that amp feel, feedback, etc and for filling out the first row or two in small clubs. Loud as hell. If you really need to be louder than that, you'd better be wearing earplugs, in which case, you can't hear the amp anyway so why are you worried about the tone? But still, better to run direct than mike the Atomic. Fewer variables--is the mic broken? Is it the right kind of mic? Is it placed correctly? Will it get knocked out of place during the show? etc etc.

5. Be objective. There is a certain religious fervor among musicians about tube amps. I've heard people rave about my "tube tone" only to be told that the tube amp (the Atomic) is just for monitoring and I run direct from-oh my GOD--a digital amp simulator.

Let me tell you from over three decades of experience. I've played through every legendary amp there is. I've gigged actively with an original blackface Deluxe, a plexi Marshall, a Boogie Mark III, and God knows how many other amps. I've had a basement full of vintage gear. And I've concluded: there is really nothing special about tube amps. Don't buy the hype--you don't need to use 1950s radio technology to get good tone.

People ask, does this sound like the real (say) Marshall? What does that mean? I used to have two JCM800s in my basement. They sounded radically different. Same models, made around the same time...read interviews with major players, they'll search and search for a "good" JCM800. All I can say is--the JCM800 patch sounds very, very good when dialed in.

Never had a problem with Line 6 gear in 7 years of gigging. I've had lots of problems with tube gear though, blowing up, smoldering, loose tubes, shorts, etc.

Never had a problem, so never had to deal with them.

Installed several model packs, downloaded patches without a hitch though.

I play everything from country to blues to metal to reggae to industrial noise. Whatever they're paying for.

Been playing since 1973. For money since 1976.

If it were stolen, I'd probably get the X3 Live, but I'd be very happy with another XT Live.

What I most love about this is walking into a gig with this, two guitars, and a bag over my shoulder. Load-in: 45 seconds. Setup: 3 minutes.

I had messed around with similar units, so it wasn't that hard to get into. Reading the manual is essential if you're editing patches on the unit itself; there are button combos for certain features that you just wouldn't figure out on your own, and things are all buried in menus, and you only have two knobs to navigate them with, so it can get tedious. But it isn't really difficult to understand, aside from a few menus that are a little cluttered.

Editing patches using the software interface, however, is a snap. Plug the thing in via USB after installing GearBox or Line 6 Edit, and you'll be tweaking up patches within a couple minutes. The GUI mimics the front panels of the amps and effects, so there's literally no learning curve if you already know how to dial in an amp.

I play an Ernie Ball Music Man JP6 with the stock DiMarzio pickups (modified Air Norton and Steve's Special in the neck and bridge, respectively). My rig goes guitar > PODxt Live > BBE Sonic Stomp > Tech 21 Power Engine 60 212. I've been able to get some amazing tones with this setup.

I find that the POD really excels at everything from sparkling cleans to crunchy high gain, but its shortcomings start to stand out a bit more when you're after a brutal, saturated metal distortion ?? la a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier. These sounds are possible with the POD, they just take a bit more work to dial in. You'll have to figure out how to EQ around the pronounced hiss you'll hear with most of the stock high-gain settings.

All the amp models are very usable, but I gravitated toward just a handful. I bought all of Line 6's extra model packs (they had a special, $99 for every single model they make), and most of the amp models I really like are part of the Metal Shop pack. For cleans, I use the Blackface (Fender Twin model), and for most of my distortions I use the variac'd '68 Marshall (Plexi Variac on the POD). For high gain, I love the Mississippi Criminal (Peavey 5150 model) and their ENGL and Diezel models (from the Metal Shop pack).

I use a stomp box model on just about every patch, usually the Tubescreamer and Pro Co RAT models. They're all pretty dead-on, so whatever you like in real life, you'll probably like on the POD. They have all the classics, like the Tubescreamer, RAT, Fuzz Face, Chandler Tube Driver, and lots more. Some of them are part of the FX Junkie model pack, which is included with the PODxt Live.

The other stuff I use sparingly, but what I do use always sounds great. I only use reverb on my clean patches, and I mostly just leave the knobs at their default settings except for the mix knob, and then scroll through the different flavors until I like the sound of one. The digital delay is the only delay I use, and it's fantastic. In addition to adjusting the time, number of repeats, and volume, you can also adjust the bass and treble for the repeats, which is an option I never knew I'd love until I got this unit. I also like their model of the MXR Phase 90, but that's about the extent of the effects I use. Less is more, if you ask me.

There are a couple settings that mimic rack pieces: a compressor, a noise gate, and a semi-parametric EQ. They all work well and allow for a little more flexibility in shaping your tone, but I can't really compare them to the real deal because I never used them. They've come in handy, though, and their absence would've meant a much lower rating for this category. You simply can't be without the noise gate (the POD would be too noisy on high-gain settings), and the EQ is great for punching up your tone or knocking back annoying hiss or boom.

The most important factor in getting a good sound of this (or any modeling unit, really) is running it through the right amp. Remember, this is not just an effects box; it's a modeler. It's emulating the sound of a mic'd amp, the same as you'd hear on a recording or through a PA system. If you run it in front of a regular guitar amp, you're hearing the fully modeled amp and effects chain through another amp, which might sound good, but probably not. The POD has a few different settings to tell it what you're running it through, so be sure to pick the one that matches your setup.

The best solution is to run it straight into a PA system (the equivalent of a mic'd amp through a PA), or into a keyboard amp or studio monitor. I use a Tech 21 Power Engine, which is just a power amp and speaker combo, no preamp. The POD acts as a preamp, and the amp itself doesn't color the tone from the POD. Something like this is the only way to hear your POD or other modeling unit as it was meant to sound -- and the PODxt Live sounds absolutely killer with my setup.

The casing is all steel and feels pretty sturdy. The expression pedal is squeaky, and I haven't taken the thing apart to adjust it (I don't think this should be necessary, but I hear it can be done easily). The tone control knobs are plastic, but there's a metal bar in front of them to keep you from accidentally kicking them.

The unit I got was used but in really good shape. I take it to practice and gigs with no backup, though I guess it's always smart to have a backup no matter how reliable you think your equipment is. I've experienced no issues with it after about a month of heavy use. In fact, I bought the XT version instead of the X3 precisely because it's built sturdier (the X3 is all plastic, and I heard horror stories about faulty switches and dying units).

Haven't had to deal with them, but Line 6 has a good web site with an extensive knowledge base and support forum. Reading through the discussions you'll see lots of posts by Line 6 employees, so I assume they're pretty on the ball.

I've been playing about 17 years, mostly rock. I play in various cover bands, plus I like to jam with friends or just play by myself whenever I can. For me, the PODxt Live is a perfect match. I always liked the idea of an amp with everything built in, which is why I usually bought amps with onboard effects (never had any interest in a giant rack-based rig, or a huge pedal board). They were never quite as tweakable as I'd have liked, and they were always missing a few things that I really didn't want to do without. I've owned mostly small practice amps, a couple of tube combos, but I was never as happy with any of them as I am with the POD. This thing is a tweaker's dream -- there are far more options than most people would ever use -- and the amp and effects models are mostly spot-on. If you use it correctly, you can get pretty much any sound you want with a rig that costs hundreds instead of thousands of dollars.

However, I didn't appreciate the upselling on the model packs. Purchased separately, all the additional model packs would run you another couple hundred bucks, and even if you take advantage of one of their bundles, you're still paying extra to get the most out of the unit. This just seems a little dishonest to me, kind of like selling a razor for five bucks and then charging 20 bucks a pack for blade refills. Yeah, it's several dozen amps and dozens more effects and stomp boxes in one unit for under $400 (and as low as $200 or so if you buy used), but at $399 I'd expect to get more than what comes with it.

And even after ponying up for the extra model packs, you're extremely limited in how you can use them if you own other Line 6 products. I also own a POD Studio UX2 (formerly TonePort), which comes with the POD Farm software. I love using that as a plug-in when recording, but I can only use it with the UX2. My model packs are installed on my XT Live, so unless I want to buy them again (I don't), I have to go to the trouble of transferring them from one device to the other. It's not a huge deal -- it only takes a couple minutes -- but it's pointless. I can use the model packs on both products anyway, so why put customers through that hassle? Just let us buy the packs once and use them on whatever devices we want.

But that's a beef with Line 6 and not really the PODxt Live in particular. This unit does exactly what I want it to do, it sounds great, and I'm extremely happy with it. If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably buy it again. I might be tempted to try out another modeler -- maybe the Vox ToneLab, or the units made by DigiTech, BOSS, Zoom, etc., which I hear are all good -- but I'd probably end up sticking with the POD because I already know how to use it.

I have had a Boss GT6 before and found the POD xt live seriously easy to use in comparisson. Tones are easy to dial in from scratch especially in conjuction with the "gearbox" software and editing presets is also a breeze. The manual is easy to understand - it has not been translated into english from japanese by a french student with a speech impediment, unlike most "multi-language" instruction manuals. All together a fine experience.

I play a USA 60th anniversary Srat and a PRS single cut SE, both of which sound fine through the POD. I send the POD output to the effects return on my Laney LC 30 (valve) and set the output to "combo pwramp" to get the best tone. I have also put the POD through my Fender Deluxe 90 (tranny) amp on the power amp input and got good results also with the same set-up.
I cannot pretend to have played my modest selection of guitars through any of the real Amps that are modelled on the POD, only the Laney comes close to being a representation of true valve performance and the POD seems to replicate the character of valve tone and dynamic response quite accurately.
As far as effects are concerned, I can only rate the ProCo RAT simulation as I have the real thing to test against. After setting the POD to a similar amp as my Laney and A-B-ing between the model and the real thing, there seems to be no discernable differance in tone, even the virtual RAT controls respond in a very similar fashion to the real thing apart from the fact that they do not have "crackly" pots as my original does!
There are certain effects I doubt I would ever use, my set-up before the POD was just guitar, Dunlop Wah, RAT, Laney and that was all, but to have all those Amps on tap is the whole point of this purchase and I have not been disapointed so far.

I cannot offer a response as it has not been tested in the field as yet, but it seems to be well manufactured and robust.

Website seems OK and the updates via Line 6 Monkey should keep everything in order

From what I have found so far, the POD appears to cover any base I would like to throw at it. I do not expect to use all of the features of the POD, but the features I have encountered tick all of the boxes I require. I can only compare with the Boss GT6 and find the POD so much easier to use and a far better tonal experience. The Boss sounded either thin or over the top, without too much middle ground, whereas the POD is much more subtle and controllable. I have recorded with the POD onto a digital 8 track, as well as played "live" and have found, if the POD is set up correctly some very useable and pleasant tones on offer. The on-line tone library and "guitar port" also offer some exceptional presets well worth experimenting with.
In all, an enjoyable piece of kit, with much to offer.

The XT live is pretty easy to use for the most part, and I've found the manual helpful - the biggest problem is that it doesn't really explain everything and misses out some of the XT Live's shortcomings.

I'm really happy with the sound quality, I bought this to use as a silent recording device - basically so me and a drummer(with an electric kit) could jam witout annoying the neighbours. The worst sound that comes out of it is the loud squeak the volume/wah pedal makes! That said I've had to make my own presets to get a sound I like, the presets seem pretty tacky for the most part.

Never had a problem with it (other than the squeeky pedal)

Never had to deal with them.

I really like the xt live though I have some reservations. The things I don't like are: All the effects are divided into five groups and you can only use one effect from each group. This means you can't use a two distortions in the same patch or you cant use a synth and a fuzz together or a chorus and a phaser. I would have liked each pedal to be able to have controlled any effect. I also like it to have an effects loop. You also don't seem to be able to turn the reverbs on and off. I could be wrong about these thing (I hope I am!) but because of them I've been a bit disappointed in the xt live.

Once you get into it, it's not bad at as far as set up goes, but on the fly tweeking is nearly impossible. Once you have a preset saved I would recommend using the remaining B-D banks to save various tweeks on the A. Live it kills me not to be able to reach down and take my delay, phaser, or______ (insert effect) down a bit in the mix from a lead to a rhythm section. It's all or nothing pretty much.

HUGE DEAL-- You can't use more than one effect at time!! for instance on the mod pedal, you have various settings from chorus to flange, phaser, and various (to be honest nearly useless) other fx, and you can only set one at a time, with no potential of mixing and matching at all. This was very disappointing to me, it takes the creativity out of creating, for lack of a better phrase, as far as sounds are concerned.

I play professionally, and have a guitar in hand about 40-50 hours a week. 2-5 gigs a week, plus teaching and studio session work. Guitar is literally all I do for a living. So my tone is my life, and I trust that when writing this review, there has been literally hundreds of hours over the past few months that I have put in with this pedal. I put it to the test the 2nd day I had it. I got it on a Thursday, went home, dialed it in, and played it live Friday, Sat and Sunday, with a recording session on Wednesday. I play jazz, funk, rock, soul, R&B; so I need a lot of versatility from Grant Green to Journey, to James Brown, and everywhere in between. I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deville, and have a Gretch Falcon hollowbody, American Tele, and a JV strat. All of them have the same issue through the pedal. The distortion just doesn't cut it.

I have a Variax 600 on order for the past 2 months, and I am trying to hold out for that to see if it makes a difference, but if a real strat and a real tele don't get it done, I'm not sure what will.


When practicing at the studio, things sound great. But live, I just can't get the tones I need. My boss is always telling me that my leads just aren't "cutting through" as he explains it. We use in ear monitors with a personal 16 channel mix (13 piece band) and when I solo, I can't even hear myself cutting through my own mix. And the delay and other effects seem to really muddy up the distortion instead of adding color to it.

In STUDIO-
I have used it in about 20 hour so of album recording for various projects in the past month, and again, I end up using amp farm in portools to get the sound to cut through (which is also ironically made by Line 6)

If you are a freak about tones, be advised, this is advertised to be more than it's cracked up to be.

I've had mine for 3 months, played close to 30 gigs with it, and never had a problem.

I play professionally, and have a guitar in hand about 40-50 hours a week. 2-5 gigs a week, plus teaching and studio session work. Guitar is literally all I do for a living. So my tone is my life, so please trust that when writing this review, there has been literally hundreds of hours over the past few months that I have put in with this pedal. I put it to the test the 2nd day I had it. I got it on a Thursday, went home, dialed it in (generally), and played it live Friday, Sat and Sunday, with a recording session on Wednesday. At first I was kind of blinded by the fact that I didn't have to carry my pedal in a 88-key keyboard case, and the sound seemed to be pretty cool.

I originally bought this unit, because my 4ft pedal board of hand selected effects just didn't fit on stage anymore, so I needed to downsize. From what I read this seemed to be it for me but...
-No flexibility live
-The sounds (through a tube amp at least) don't translate well on stage. I can tell that they are there, but they just don't come out of the damn box!! In a studio setting when you can sit there with protools plug ins and eqs to get what you want, I guess ti works fine.

This week I finally had to break out my Keely Modified RAT distortion pedal, and my old Lexicon MPX 110 rack unit effects processor and ahhh... I finally sounded like me again. I put it in front of the pod and had it go straight to the amp, using only the modelling, phaser and delay from the pod, but if you put the pod last in the chain, pretty much everything is going to compress from it (yes even with the compressors off).

Basically I feel like I took a really big gamble with this piece of eqiupment and kind of got burned. I had only read one review before I bought this that said the same thing I am, and thought that he was probably the one that didn't know what he was talking about, but what he said is true at least for me.

My sound is everything, and I feel like I am very shortly going to sell it and buy organic (actual stomp boxes). If you only need delay chorus, flange, phaser, and distortion, you're better off researching your fav guitarist, finding out what they use, and buy the stomps. That's my opinion at least. It's a great idea, but it just doesn't make the grade in my book. Definitely not a piece for the hardcore pros.

Read the manual!!! Easy after that.

Have to turn down the treble on almost all amp models, but I am running it into the power amp input of a m-80 combo. I love that it has given me the chance to try "amps" that I never would have plugged into. Love the Citrus-30 program. I know that the programs are probably idealized reproductions and not exact copies, but who cares as long as you get really good sounds. Even the feedback has a musical quality like a tube amp.
I use a Heritage LP copy w/PearlyGates pups;Gibson LPjr;Fernandes LP;
Fernandes Strat;Squier Strat; Fernandes Tele; Fender m-8o combo amp;
Marshall combo amp; and numerous stompboxes.

Had it less than two months with no problem.

Never used, but I really like the sound library they have.I

I play rock, blues, and some country. Been playing for about 20 years, but have never had a lot of money to put into equipment. This thing has really opened my options as far as diversity of sounds. Also my LesPaul w/Pearly Gates sounds different than my Strat, which sounds different than my Tele. The quality of each guitar comes through.
If stolen or lost I would definitly replace or upgrade to X3live.
Wish it had a bigger screen.

There's a lot of technology here, and a lot of options in terms of getting the right set-up for your circumstances. Assuming you're smart enough to get thing configured right then getting some decent tones out from the off is pretty straightforward.

They've managed to make the editing interface very intuitive considering just how much "tweakability" is on offer. Essentially, you've got standard pots for the amp controls, then a simple "select and spin" edit system for all the extras (stomps, mods, reverbs etc etc)

As many have commented the manual is a little cheesy, but that's Line 6 for you. I've used their stuff on and off for years (mainly off, as I've never been a fan before), and the general tone of the guide is just like my first ever POD 1.0 pilots handbook all those years ago.

I'm running a Variax 500 into the XTL, then direct out to a powered monitor (sadly not using the Variax digital link as the guitar's connector is stuffed).

Sound quality is where I'm frankly amazed. Like I said, I've used a range of Line 6 stuff in the past, from the very first incarnation of POD, to various stomp boxes, and the FloorPOD. The sounds have always been lacklustre. The XTL uses the newer Vetta modelling and the difference is amazing. I've been a died in the wool Vox Tonelab user for the last 4-5 years, and really didn't think I'd ever be swayed, but I fancied a change and wanted to see how the Variax and XTL married up.

I'm a blues/rootsy player (unlike, it seems 90% of XTL users who are into the heavier side that Line 6 is famous for). I've got a great set of fairly simply Fender and Marshall tones on tap that sound terrific and while they're not quite as "organic" feeling as the Vox tones, aren't far enough away to worry.

The great thing with the XTL is the sheer flexibility. Within a single patch I can set up a basic amp tone, a compressor for a clean boost, an overdrive pedal for a lead sound, some modulation, some delay, and a wah, and it's ALL controllable from the footswitches. One of the big limitations with the Vox was that you had to select compression/od/wah from the same "bank" so you could only use one in any given patch - no such probs here!

And if you want to get wacky, the pre-loaded FX Junkie package gives you access to a range of filthy synth sounds and mental delays to make your guitar sound like... well, not a guitar! They're fun to mess around with, but for me, I've got 2 banks of 4 presets each that give me a complete cross section from Fender Twin to full tilt Marshall, plus an acoustic option.

Still a relatively new user. There's some reliability issues on other reviews here, but at the end of the day, this is basically a hi-tech computer. If you treat it like a laptop, instead of like a brick, it should last.

Line 6 have a great website with a busy and useful user forum. I've had a couple of questions that needed a direct answer and the Customer Support Team came back within 24 hours both times.

I'm a simple player that likes simple music. The biggest thing I have to contend with is remembering that just because I can have a gazillion different sounds doesn't mean I should!

After an initial muck about with the unit I'm gradually settling on some nice, organic, amp sounds that sit well and offer me a variety of tones for different settings. The great thing is that I know if I need more, it's always there.

I've played guitar since I was 8, I'm now 36. I've gigged, recorded, and sat up late playing at home. I've used decent valve amps (still miss my Fender Hotrod Deville), and modelling options from Line 6, Vox, Korg, Digitech and Zoom.

This is the first offering from Line 6 that's really got me smiling (apart from my Variax, which I love!).

lost or stolen? Yes, I'd get another.
Anything I wish it had? To be honest, not really.
Does it help make music? Absolutely.

It has almost everything you need except combining two amp models simultaneiously.. Get the X3 for that.. This pedal is very easy to tweak, dont go by the presets, their all screwed up.. Get your EQ's and cab's sims to your liking and you'll get the sound you want

OK here's the deal, if your comparing each simulated amp model to the real amp, for example a dual treadplate (AKA dual rectifier) to a real Mesa dual rectifier its not go to sound as good.. or a Soldano SLO model model to are real Soldano SLO, its a no contest, the tube amps have more dynamics and are just better period. However, the true measure of this Pedal is the variety of tones it provides.. Suppose you have a Soldano SLO or a Bogner, Engl or what ever type of High Priced amp out there and have the urge to play metallica Master of puppets, neither of those amps are going to get you that tone since only a dual rectifier will nail that and thats where this pedal comes into play. It provides that variety and flexibility.. Try playing along to an MP3/CD of one of your favorite bands and hear how similar the tones coming out of the PODXT sound.. It nails it.. For home practice or if your a musician covering a wide range of bands, the XT is ideal.. If your a serious musician who writes originals and plays live, then you would get yourself a high priced amp head with a 4x12.. The key to the XT's sound is to turn off the cab simulations, it sounds to compressed.. Run everything direct and EQ everything to your liking..

I like to play along to Metal and I've had everysingle tube amp from a triple rectifier, Engl, 5150, Marshall Mode 4 and what I found is that I needed a pedal chain to go along with those amps in order to sound like Metallica, Killswitch, Lamb of GOD, Etc.. In addition those amps only sound great when cranked so if your practicing, the POD XT is what you want, it will dial up the exact tone your trying to emulate.. If your gigging get your self a high priced tube amp

yes its easy

it sucks the life out of your tube amp

dont know or care

??

shop around.

Easy enough to use. Good manual even if it's cutesy. Becomes a real doddle when connected by USB to Line 6 Edit on your PC. Could hardly be simpler.

I'm only writing this review because of all the cloth-eared wombats who seem to think the Boss GT-8 sounds better. I can't speak for the GT-10 but if it's in the Boss tradition then it'll be flawed in a similar way.

The XT Live is better. Much better. It's somewhat different in character from Native Instruments' Guitar Rig (which is top-notch too) but both of those make the Boss amp sims sound silly. Which they are. I'm a Roland fan in many ways but, alas, the company hasn't cracked the art of digital modelling. Not yet.

I've spent close to 30 years on a personal tone quest and I've been through everything from vintage Marshalls and Fenders to the latest Mesa Boogie Express 5:25 (a great amp, btw). I've had boutique and vintage pedals and just about every company's stab at a multieffects unit since the old Ibanez analogue ones.

I've had my second-hand XT Live for more than a year now and I must say, now that the honeymoon is over, that it's surprisingly good. The modelling is quite something. Obviously any simulation must fall short of the real thing, at least in theory, but the point is that the sims are every bit as usable as the modelled gear for most practical purposes. Not identical necessarily, but imbued with the same sonic character.

I disagree with those who say that the XT Live lacks playing feel or sounds fizzy/lifeless/synthetic. Many of the presets have problems, yes, but if you spend the time rolling your own (and simplicity is a virtue in creating patches) then you should be pleasantly surprised.

I might add that it's pointless trying to put this thing in front of a tube amp, even into the effects return jack. Sure, you can use it as a stomp/delay/mod kind of effects unit with reasonable success, but I've had only unsatisfactory experiences trying to get the amp sims to sound decent through a guitar amp.

No, this unit shines when you run it through a full-range system. I'm having good luck with a Yamaha/EV PA system and a Roland KC keyboard amp. For a snobby old tone hound like me, what I'm about to say is shocking: I'm more than idly considering getting rid of my tube amps. They're finicky to use, they have maintenance needs and they don't always sound quite the same from one month to the next. Sure, they have a certain subtle something about them that the Pod lacks; but is it worth all the hassle and inflexibility? I'm starting to think maybe not.

Does the XT Live sound as good as a real cranked tube amp? Er, yes, actually. Certainly in a noisy live situation where the tube amp is miked through the PA. In such a case, you'd be crazy to think that anybody could hear any difference worth mentioning. Even you, if your stage monitor is good enough.

Well, I dunno. Mine's been fine and it's had a fair share of abusive outings.

Never contacted Line 6 but I do think their helpful website is something that others should aspire to.

I play what is laughably called "classic rock", power pop and retro funk and soul. I've been at it for just over 30 years. My guitars include a nice Gibson LP and Fender Tele, plus oddities like the Danelectro reissue and a tasty Strat copy by Tokai.

I must say that I'm glad I picked up this used XT Live on a whim a year ago. I'd got fed up with multi units after a string of Boss disappointments and an experience with the original kidney-bean Pod that was tantalising but ultimately not quite satisfying.

This thing answers almost all of my objections to digital fakery. You, of course, may have higher standards.

When tweaking sounds, it's not overly hard to use. If you have anything with this many features, tweaking does take time, so I wouldn't worry about it. Let's say an 8.

Playing live - real easy, and flexible! I love the Pod's control layout, it feels really intuitive to me. To break it down, you have dedicated buttons for switching between banks of 4 presets each. Then, for each bank, you have a button for each of the presets (A to D.) In addition to that, you have 4 separate buttons for switching on/off the following effects within the preset: amp (the actual simulation), stomp (various stompbox simulations), mod (chorus, tremolo etc) and delay (duh). The only thing missing is a separate button for reverb, basically. In addition to these, you have the tap tempo switch which, when pressed down, activates the tuner. The expression pedal controls different things, such as the wah or the bender.

As a testament to the flexibility of having separate switches for the presets and then the effects, here's how I use the Pod: I play in a cover band with stuff ranging from tango to 50s rock to hard rock, so I need a ton of flexibility. But still, I basically only have like 4 presets that I use regularly, all in the same bank. Each of the presets gives me a basic sound, such as "Clean with reverb". Then, for each of the presets, I activate or deactivate effects based on the kind of sound I need at that moment. For the basic clean patch, for example, I can add some tremolo by pressing "Mod", analog delay by pressing "Delay" and a touch of grind by pressing "stompbox". This really gives me a lot of possibilities and combinations without having to have a separate patch for every sound!

I do still have some special single-purpose presets (think a Muse patch, and a U2 one) but mostly I get along with the aforementioned setup.

So, for playing live, ease of use gets a 10! Call it a 9 overall.

I have the Metal Pack installed. Honestly, I mostly use the stock amp sims. If you take the time to tweak, you can get some very decent sounds out of the Pod. Then again, I find it hard to re-create some sounds I need, such as a really kick-ass heavy rhythm with many layers of harmonic content, or a truly searing lead sound. But, the sounds get you 80% there compared to real tube amps etc, IMHO!

For my metal band, I use an Engl Invader head, the Pod's no match for it for brutal heavy sounds, really. But for flexibility (cover band stuff), it's basically one of the best options out there!

As for the effects, some of them are excellent, some useless (such as the bender, I think it sounds like crap.)

So, a strong 8 for the sounds, most things are definitely usable.

My setup with the Pod XT live is simple: I have a basic Washburn guitar (BT-8) that I've equipped with an LR Baggs tune-o-matic Piezo bridge, so I get a stereo output from the guitar. The magnetic pups go to the Pod and from there straight to the P.A. The piezo signal (passive) goes to a LR Baggs DI first, and from there straight to the P.A. So, the guitar, Pod and DI are all the junk I carry around. With the Piezo, I can get quite a good acoustic sound that's also easy to mix with the Pod signal. Recommended!

Had it for 3 years now. Played some 60-70 gigs in that time, mostly cover gigs where the set is usually 3 hours long, with a bunch of drunken people partying around the stage area, drinks spilling and all that... And I haven't had a single problem with the thing! It's gotten a generous pint of lager all over the controls more than once, and this has never caused problems. All the switches still work as good as they did when I first got it. The construction is rock solid. And I'm carrying it around in a really stuffed soft bag, so it's taken its share of bumps during the years!

Haven't dealt with them (see above, haven't had problems!) other than using their website for updates and buying the metal pack. Seems fine!

Been playing for something like 12 years now (I'm 27.) I'm really happy with the Pod. Nothing to add here to the previous answers really. If you're looking for flexibility and portability with good sounds, the Pod does the trick! For my cover band, the Pod's great. For the metal band, it stays on the shelf while the Engl takes the stage. If it were stolen, I'd probably buy a newer version of the Pod.

once you sit down with the pedal and figure out
how to program it ..you can get great sounds out of this pedal
manual is big but it will help
it was a little overwhelming at first

I have all the expansion packs installed

the stock settings aren't the best - don't give up though
after some tweaking you'll wish you bought one a long time ago

I use this with a Fender M80 head and Fender 412 (not the M80 one)
sometimes with my Fender Bullet or Sidekick practice amps

93 Gibson Les Paul Studio or 07 Les Paul Supreme Goldtop
1967 Gibson Les Paul SG

when I play bass I use it with a GK 400RB head
or a Ampeg svt 3 pro head or a GK 700 rb head
Ampeg 410 HLF cab or Hartke 15 cabs re loaded with Carvin 15's

2 Fender P Bass Deluxe's or a Fender Highway one Jazz bass

I can get exactly the sounds I want for guitar or bass

love the Soladano , AC 30 , Marshall , Orange , Mesa sounds

for bass I use the one that sounds like my GK

I have all the expansion packs installed
not all these come stock with the pedal

software works great - line 6 monkey - amp farm is cool so is gear box
I've used it usb and plugged into a
Presonus Firepod to record into Sonar 8pe

I've had mine for 2+ years never a problem with it
I use it for recording or practice
sometimes for shows - mostly I use my amp maybe a pedal or two
and leave this at home - I don't want someone walking off with it

I think its very dependable - I'd gig without a backup

never dealt with them
other than to get my extra expansion packs
via the line 6 monkey software - easy

I play punk rock in my bands
and I don't use it for bass live - my main instrument
the band I play guitar in rarley plays out
so its more a recording toy for me

I have the POD X3 on the way too
the kidney bean not the pedal

I love this pedal it really helps me make music
new sounds inspire me - especially good ones

this is in response the the absolutely glowing report on the POD XT live i made back in November last year.

loads of you have been checking out my youtube videos and leaving nice comments asking me if that was the POD XT LIVE i was using on them.. IT WASNT.. shortly after these videos were made and posted up on there i got one.. and it was the biggest mistake ever..


Ive since SOLD the unit, as after spending MANY MANY months trying to tweak it.. it is BASICALLY a piece of crap folks and i sold it on eBay.

They sound great for studio use, but in a live setting, forget it.. unless you have really forgiving ears, youll simply never be happy with the sound.

not bad sound quality, if youre going to record with it. for live use 0/10. no matter what i tried, my JMP-1 and even DRP-1 came MUCH closer to giving me a good direct overdrive tone.

i liked the van halen emulation, i actually thought it was quite close.. but when i used it live, it sounded crap.

i know youre supposed to "tweak" these patches for live use, so i tried that too.. AFTER two months of tweaking, one day i plugged my JMP-1 back into the mixing desk, and BANG! a good sound was back !.. i was totally DESTROYED.. lol ..

Ive used it on 3 gigs, and at first thought, yeah its ok-ish.. but throughout the evening it felt like i was playing through a 15-20 ms latencied computer.. plus there was "something" in the way of the sound. no matter what i did.. Eq, tweak settings, patch downloads, NOTHING got rid of this "hidden" frequency..

the POD XT LIVE ( and ALL PODS ) have 10,000,000 sounds in them.. but i was only after TWO. a good clean sound and a good warm overdrive sound. It disappointed.

useless.. after about 20 phone calls to the company ( on my mobile ! ) trying to get some person to person help on what the heck i was doing wrong.. forget it..

in the words of Alan Sugar .. " these products arent for looking at.. theyre for selling.. "

The Pod's are ok for studio, but please dont believe the hype.. after many hours of forum asking and searching and trying i bought one.. it is very well made, looks the business, and i am now totally gutted that it simply DOESNT cut it for live use..

it seems that businesses today spin and market almost ANYTHING to make YOU think that its what you need.. as i was playing through the POD..

more and more i was reminded of when i was a kid at those london music shows..

filled with loads of middle-aged men aimlessly walking round with their day-jobber faces on, their credit cards burning a hole in their pockets just WANTING to BUY ANYTHING that a market seller type guy says .." THIS IS IT>.... THIS IS THE ULTIMATE MULTI-EFFECT ".. the guys eyes light up at the thought of getting pure tone at wife-friendly levels...

anyways, thats my 10pence worth....

im sure theres like millions of you out there that dont believe me, its just my opinion, i think the unit looks great, but it really DOESNT deliver LIVE folks.. my 90's Marshall DRP-1 sounds better.. MILES better.. and theres no delay..

do yourself a favour, if you are going to buy a POD of any description, try one out on a gig/rehearsal FIRST.. most gear sounds great in a music shop or recording at home.. but live its a whole different ball game.


so i went from being a genuine convert to absolutely no faith in pod gear.. and it appears that im not the only one..


i think the only reason id go back to one, was if LINE 6 phoned me up and said.. " ok, heres our live room.. here is a POD Live unit.. here is a drummer, and bass player, tell us WHY you CANT get a good sound out of it.. " ..

.. id love to be proved wrong as the POD XT LIVE had it all, an onboard tuner, great idea, neat features... but just COULDNT get the sounds..

.. oh and i also googled to the ends of the earth, and quite a few people made it work for them.. Lincoln Brewster.. and a great guy on youtube called extremevideopro.. hes a great guy and he tried to help me loads...


Peace.

I traded my vox tonelab le for the pod xt live a few days ago.
I am VERY glad I made the trade. Long story short - vox = classic rock, and pod = heavy rock. I found the pod to be a lot easier to program, while still having lots of cool effects and things that will never leave you bored. This thing has some great sounds. (and a couple ****** ones, but nothing is perfect)

I am using an ibanez RG prestige guitar with the pod through a PA.
I sometimes run it just for effects through my fx loop on my mesa boogie dual rectifier. Either way, the pod sounds very clear and has little noise. I like using the jcm 800 setting for rhytm and soldano with a little bit of delay for leads.

This is my backup for my dual rectifier. The pod seems to be built like a tank, and I have had no issues with it so far.

All my line 6 products have been working great and never needed customer support.

I play mostly prog. rock/ metal and this thing does exactly what I want it to do, and I can achieve great tonez out of it. It is amazing for direct recording, and totally beats micing up a 100 watt tube amp and pissing off your neighbors all of the time. If this were lost or stolen I would probably save up for either the pod X3 or the m13.
This is a great product, and I didn't know what I was missing until I got one. It was deffinetly worth trading my vox tonelab le for. I give the pod xt live a 9 / 10. It is a great pedal board for the money, but not many products quite deserve a 10/10.. while this one comes close.

I have had this board for almost three years. I have spent hours tweaking. The manual is mandatory to understand what is in there and how to operate it. Depending on what type of rig you have, you have to tweak as this thing reacts fifferently, rig to rig.

If you are looking for straight plug and play, this type of thing is not for you.

If you want to eliminate purchasing more gear and don't mind taking the time to find what is in there, this unit will save you thousands.

Since purchasing this unit and a line 6 variax I have stopped buying gear

I play this with a line 6 variax and either a mesa 5:25 express or a peavey prowler, both tube amps.

I use it as an effects board only. The board through the effects loop and the variax straight into the amp. I find the signal gets pre amped too high (noisy) if the board goes into the front of the amp.

I have a very simple set up, I only use one bank and have each patch set up for the same gain boost (Whichever stomp box is currently in fashion for me) and delay (digital) and then have a patch each for slow tremolo, fast tremolo, chorus and flange.

I use the pedal for volume and wah as necessary

Again, give yourself time to find settings that work for you.

One caveat, a little goes a long ways. Try your pedal settings at gig level before suggesting it's crap. The pre amp gain stages take a small signal and transfer it into something else at volume so give yourself time to tweak at practice.

Never had any problems

Never had any problems

I play classic rock/blues in a four piece cover band

Been playing for 40 years and own a telecaster, wah and two boss DS 1's

If lost or stolen I would buy another one.

Through months of tweaking, I have finally figured out how to find the tone I hear in my head and have allowed it to replace years of buying and selling gear

Once you go through the manual with the XT next to you, the entire setup is very simple. Getting a perfect sound is fairly strenuous but that is because there are so many things that you can edit. It is easy to get junk sounds if you aren't careful.

The manual was helpful although a little bit unclear at times. Once you are familiar with the product you won't have a problem.

I use this for recording and live through either a fendor amp or straight into the PA system. This is great for recording because there are infinite possibilities for sounds and feels. You can edit everything from amp/cabinet to mic placement and a million other presence/filter/compression/etc... sounds. You really have to work with the specifics or you will get a really fake sounding tone.

The presets stink. They really do. Only buy this if you are willing to make the sounds you want or else you will be stuck with a bunch of sounds that you will never use. (Bohemian Rhapsody Solo effect is cool, but you can really only use it if you are playing that solo....)

The effects are great. It would be nice to have a reverb stomp and another Mod stomp in addition to what they have but that doesn't bother me.

I haven't had it for too long but it has performed perfectly in every situation I've come across.

-I play technical metal/jazz fusion but I also play Christian worship music at my church. It is perfect for both of them.

-I've used many other pedals, effects, processors, amps... this beats them all.

-It would be nice if it had more stompbox options in addition to the Amp, Stomp, Mod, and Delay. It just means you have to play with the the abcd channel presets to get more options on the same sound.

-One of the only bad things i have to say about the XT live is that all of the options can get in the way. Too many times I have found myself playing a song and thinking to myself, "this minor setting should be tweaked" 20 minutes later i'm more unhappy with the sound that before and wish that i had just left it.

Ive been playing for over 10 years now in loads of bands.. I have always been a proud JMP_1 user.. check out my videos . www.steveforward.com thats all the JMP-1 going direct to the mixing desk ..

since ive been solo everyone has been raving about how fanstastic line6 gear is..


well, to be honest i thought it was a crock of **** and never thought in a million years that they would be able to get real amp sounds in a solid-state unit..

how wrong was I ..

ive had the thing for like 4 days now, and this morning tried it out against my regular JMP-1 .. i honestly cant tell the difference and to be frank ( if you can be shirley ! ) it even sounds a little tighter and less fizzy.

when ive played in bands ive always used 1 or 2 Marshall 1978 Master Volumes with Marshalls POWER AMP INPUT mod which goes straight into the PHASE SPLITTER of the EL34's .. this then went to one cab that had Vintage 30's in and the other that had Greenback 25's in.. SUPERB tone.. AND THIS POD has beaten it .. HANDS DOWN..

Ive backed up all my patches ( all 2 of them !!! ) using gearbox no problem.. so if the unit went wrong id just get it repaired or replaced and them dump the patches straight back on..

looks well built, but will be making a case for it with plexi front to protect the dials etc.. not that it would need it..

never had to use them, im sure you could just pick up the phone and get things sorted though..

what more can i say..

ive been reading these comments on here for like 3 years and whenever im after a new piece of gear i always google review and use Harmony Central..

I really do believe that the sound is largely coming from what you, as a player, are generating.. i see so many guitarists slate new equipment when theyve only been playing a few years..

more often than not its your settings on the amp that are to blame..

the POD XT LIVE has literally saved my a*s from a lifetime of using out-dated and un-supported gear.. PERIOD..

I play almost every week, and for a living, and i cannot wait to get this out in front of people to hear..

to all the VALVE AMP enthusiasts.. i still Rave about valve amps, but .. really.. COME ON.. can you REALLY tell a difference ??

the original pods were horrendous to me.. but this thing is in a different league..

to quote a famous musician friend of mine..

" Steve has been playing through my POD XT LIVE all day and ive never heard anything quite like it.. hes now got exactly the same sound as my Vintage Marshall has but going through the PA !! "

im not a wonder-genius or world famous musician, just someone that makes their living writing and performing music on a regular basis..

my conclusion :

you are absolutely NUTS if you dont give this thing a FAIR SHAKE !! as for me, its BYE-BYE valve amps and hello direct sound leaving me to concentrate on the most important part of being a musician.. making music.

Well done Line 6.. youve cracked it.. now i have to get the X3 as well !!!

www.steveforward.com
www.youtube.com/steveforwarduk
www.myspace.com/steveforwardguitarist

well, you need to learn how to handle it... but you do the same with a guitar, its not only the hardware, its the fingers... and using the usb connect on the computer, makes it very easy.
the manual is quite simple and explains a lot how to get sounds and how the sound is working inside, so it is usefull.
I had a flash memory upgrade...

great sounding with all of my guitars.

IF I HAD TO USE ANALOGIC PEDALBOARD I WOULD NOT GET THE SOUND I GOT WITH THIS UNIT!!! I've tried!!! I would need 10 great single pedals with a good valve amp and good speakers, to get a better tone!

allways working... anytime, anywhere...

on the website, also the forum is very helpfull and there are lots of users allways helping each other

i play rock covers, jazz standards, fusion, and a lill bit of shred...
I play only from 6years, but I cant live without the PODxt Live...
PODxt live and PODx3 live are the best pedalboards I ever heard...
any boss pedalboard sounds like plastic... oh, and zoom too... and digitech... behringer isnt for music, only for crap...
only expensive rack units would give me a better sound...
this unit has tons of effects and its very stimulating to create new sounds / music... and to just get 'that tone' I was searching for...

well, you need to learn how to handle it... but you do the same with a guitar, its not only the hardware, its the fingers... and using the usb connect on the computer, makes it very easy.
the manual is quite simple and explains a lot how to get sounds and how the sound is working inside, so it is usefull.
I had a flash memory upgrade...

great sounding with all of my guitars.

IF I HAD TO USE ANALOGIC PEDALBOARD I WOULD NOT GET THE SOUND I GOT WITH THIS UNIT!!! I've tried!!! I would need 10 great single pedals with a good valve amp and good speakers, to get a better tone!

allways working... anytime, anywhere...

on the website, also the forum is very helpfull and there are lots of users allways helping each other

i play rock covers, jazz standards, fusion, and a lill bit of shred...
I play only from 6years, but I cant live without the PODxt Live...
PODxt live and PODx3 live are the best pedalboards I ever heard...
any boss pedalboard sounds like plastic... oh, and zoom too... and digitech... behringer isnt for music, only for crap...
only expensive rack units would give me a better sound...
this unit has tons of effects and its very stimulating to create new sounds / music... and to just get 'that tone' I was searching for...

When I first got it, I was a little confused on how to adjust the settings. The software that was available for the computer made it easy to start off but after a while it was easy to figure out on the fly. There was a lot of reviews on here about the pod not being user friendly, well they just need some time to figure it out. I could change just about anything in seconds.

I play in a band with some good friends of mine. When I heard my lead guitarists well tuned spider amp compared to my Marshall with no effects, Mine sounded really thin. I got this pedal, worked out a few clean channels and a few different crunch channels and our rigs sounded much better together.

The sound quality of this pedal is all in how much time you have to tweak it. There is so many settings for each effect. You will have to spend some time setting it up prior to playing a gig, and probably some more on the first couple.

Well as for reliablility, I gigged with mine for well over a year, and played in my own house almost on a daily basis with no issues other than the noisy expression pedal. Well a week ago I shut it off working fine, and just the other day turned it on to jam out and nothing. the display was blank and only three lights came on.

I checked out all of the tech and forum info on line 6 about resetting the board or getting into the safe mode. Still nothing. One forum listed a way to hold down the second botton in from the left while turning it on and well there you have it. SRAM falure. contacted a Line6 repair shop, Closest one 200 miles away, they said that they could fix it for 70 dollars an hour plus parts and shipping both ways. make me wonder if I should get the new pod3 or just get it fixed. who knows. Oh yeah there is only a one year warranty...too bad I have had it for about 2 years.

I havent tried them yet since my warranty expired. I might give them a chance since one forum said that the issue that Im having may still be under warranty. Doubt it though

This is one of the most versitle pedals that I have ever owned. If I would have had a variax I might have seen every thing that this pedal could do. I think that I will still buy another line6 product, even if I dont fix this one. The only thing that I wish it had was a second built in expression pedal similar to the long board for the spider series, not the cheap plastic expansion pedal that is offered.

This thing has so many sounds, I doubt any player will ever use them all to their sonic potential. This will provide a studio rig or live fx board to suit the tastes of any guitarist.
So simple to use, okay it may take a few weeks to get totally familiar with what's available, but once you get going, you can't stop.
The pilot's handbook is a great asset, easy to read and the images are cool. I often flick through the manual as a bed time read.lol

In the studio, the business.
I am a pro recording artist and I have used this unit constantly on the road and in the studio.
I am a strat player exclusively, and all of my axes have really come to life with this thing. Whether I'm playing vintage single coils, custom shop 69's or lace sensors with the mid boost, I have always been able to create great sounds when using the Pod XTLive.
It's only noisy owing to my vintage style guitars, I live with it because I want that vintage strat sound and noise is a part of it quite often. The unit itself is silent, no trouble. Perfect when used as a pre amp for microphones.
All of the FX are good quality sounding. They are varied and not all are to my taste, some are just for fun in my practice time.
I even use it in the studio with my Taylor 412ce. Awesome.
The amp models are what make it for me, some truly awesome options in this department.

When used live, I don't bother with the amp models (except if needing a dual amp tone) I just put it in front of the clean channel on my Fender Deville 212. The fx are great, I am a real fan of the wah pedal and much prefer it to my CryBaby.

Rock solid, I have never ever had an issue.
IMO Line6 is very good quality.

The best, their website is just surreal, no other manufacturer offers so much to download.

I am a pro and I have been releasing albums for many years now.

This machine is great. I was thinking of upgrading to the Pod X3Live but I am happy where I'm at. If it works, don't fix it.

First of all, if you can't get a pretty broad palette of usable tones out of this thing, here are a few of the possible reasons.
You're not trying.
You didn't read the manual.
You're not sure what tone you're going for.
Your ear is broken.
You're too hung up on that tube vs. digital debate.

Seriously, with all the resources available for Line6 gear, there's no excuse for not being able to get some great tones.

Editing patches couldn't be more intuitive. If you can work an amp, you're in there. That said, there are a lot of routing options available here, depending on your guitar, amp, or application. It can be complicated to really take advantage of everything if you don't read the manual.

Speaking of the manual, it's corny. It's also really clear and straightforward. I normally just dive into whatever piece of gear I'm playing with and go. With the PODxt, I had been told that it was a good idea to read the manual FIRST, otherwise I would never get it's full potential. Do yourself a favor, READ IT.

My signal path is;
Ibanez RG's - Korg DTR 1000 - Alesis 3630 - Weeping Demon wah - Boss OS2 Overdrive/Distortion - PODxt Live - BBE Sonic Stomp - Crate FXT120 (2x12 combo also feeding a 4x12 cab. Bring earplugs).

I run from the processor chain straight into the FX loop return, bypassing the amp's preamp section, and making the POD the preamp.

I don't have any issues with noise, at least not due to the POD. Any pickup hum or noise is easily filtered out either by the gate in the POD, or the Alesis.

The effects for the most part are really top shelf. Anyone who's used a multi effects unit before will know that says a LOT. There are so many models and tones available that, like I said earlier, if you can't find something, you're not trying. If anything, there's a few too many. If you're in a cover band playing vastly different styles over the course of a gig, this thing could very well cause a religious experience.

The best way I can think of to explain the tone quality is that I can take a model of a high gain amp, and get a chunky distorted to pieces tone. I can go from that to a slightly overdriven cleaner tone for chords, just by lower the guitar's volume control.

Absolutely dependable. It's built like a tank.
I gig with it regularly. Never needed a backup yet. I HAVE had to run it straight into a PA when my amp had a few issues.

Never had an issue.

I play a variety of things. I have a cover band that I play out with for fun, but my primary project is a heavy, progressive thing. Think TooL, Pink Floyd, Filter, Alice in Chains, and Dream Theater in a blender on whip. I not only manage to get all the tones I need for covers, but I've been able to get tones with this that I've been trying for YEARS to get.

If it got stolen, I'm going hunting. Then I'm going to buy a new one with the money out of the thief's wallet.

I compared it to a number of other units from Digitech, Korg, ZOOM, and the others. The only real competition was the PODx3. Since I already use a TonePort UX2 for recording, I couldn't just to have XLR inputs on my pedalboard. There just wasn't enough of an improvement over the xtLive to justify the "upgrade". Not to mention, the x3 feels like a cheap toy.

One of my favorite things about this is that I can erase EVERY preset and replace it. I can save the factory tones, download more, create new ones, and do it all without having to sit on the floor staring at a tiny screen that only shows single digits. The only thing I can think of that I would REALLY love to have in there is a talk box.

it is so easy to use that i barely had to try when i was setting up all the patches this is amazing

there are lots of pre-set artists it was awesome and very many pre-sets

ive used this without a back up in my gigs and it hasnt worn out.... amazing

never had to call!! thank god

i play metal/ hard rock ive bveen using this for about 3 months and its been great to me i would get this produst over and over again i love all the pre-sets my favorite feture is the Computer download

I must admit it was allot easier using the Pod XT than my old Digitech RP 12. But to solve the problem of getting a perfect amp tone through my amp did take awhile of thinking. I am using ESP LTD guitars with EMG pickups.

This is how I run it and I have A/B switched to compare with actual amp and it is dead on. The first thing I did was start running diffrent inputs to my amps effects loop. The amp is a ENGL Fireball halfstack. The one that had the most power was running from the "phones" jack to the "receive" jack on effects loop. Then I used the "pad" switch to cut some high noise, nothing major. Then I set the effects loop to 75%. When I started with the tone I knew one thing do not go by any know knob position, use your ears, this is most likely what people have a problem with and I am also guilty. Note: I like to run The tube screamer with every amp model that is high gain. Note: make sure to use the compression - the pod I do not think automatlly add this in the model - around 3 is good. People complain of fizziness, what I noticed is I do not run high volume, around 1.5 to 2 on volume, so when I heard what I would consider very little fizziness I unplugged everything and ran my guitar strait in the amp, it was still there. What I figured out is I am using Vintage 30 speakers and if I do not run the volume to at least 2 or 2.5 the fizziness will be there. Just need to overdrive those speakers and it went away. Note: when you run this from phones jack to one input of effects loop you cannot channel select, you just made your amp into only a power amp.

Very reliable. No problems

Never had to use them.

I am not putting anyone down for saying "hey this thing sucks and has bad tone. It took me about a year to figure this out. I do not play often and try new things allot. I hope this can help some people when running this into a amp. I am sure you are wondering if I have an Engl Fireball why would I use this? I bought it for the effects, I am very pleased they work fine in effects loop and staight into amp front panel. Before someone says "You know when I run the POD XT LIve like this I cannot channel switch my amp, I didn't worry since I got the ENGL model perfect, anyways I just goof around at home.

Really easy after a bit of trial and error. But like anything with so many features you need a few months before you are fluent with the features and how to make the most of them.

I use the POD XTLive for recording at home and as an fx unit on stage.
When recording I hook it up direct into my Yamaha AW16G 16 track machine.
The resulting sound quality is awesome. I play Fender strats exclusively and use Fender Valve amps live. The Blackface Lux amp simulator is my favourite of the 36 amp models on board. The sound is not far off the real thing IMO. When tweaked enough you can dial in some really awesome tones.

Live I put it straight into my amps front panel and turn the amp mode off. I actually love the Wah pedal function, it is chosen over my cry baby pedal. All I use live is the SINE CHORUS effect. For lead tone I use the amps overdrive channel.

This unit's tube preamp setting is fabulous for recording vocals.

No problems and I have had this unit since 2004.

Great, the website answers any questions and if you call Line6 they are really cool.

The Pod XTLive is a very horny piece of kit.
For recording direct it is wonderful. No messing about setting up pedals (which always drains your sound when several are connected with patch leads) and mics. The mic settings on the unit are good.
The amp models are good but they are not as good as the real thing.
It is a plus when you can record and get great tone at sensible volume levels and the results are consistent owing to the A.I.R settings.

Some folk have knocked the build quality. The right output socket outer ring has snapped off, luckily the socket holds jack leads tightly without it and it has not impaired the sound quality.

I find the unit sounds equally as good when you use mono by only plugging into the left output.

Many of the FX will not be to everybody's liking, I am a blues/rock and originals player. I am a Fender devotee and therefore many of the amp models and effects will never be required in my sound. The beauty of this unit is that it has something for every occasion.

The POD X3live is a very tempting idea, however I will wait for a while and see how the reviews rate it against the XTLive before I make a purchase.

Once you learn what parameters you have control over with this unit It is a fairly simple unit

Fun to see that some people like the way the amps simulations sound cause actually i don't use them I only use the Modulations/Delays/Reverbs in the FX Loop of my Peavey JSX Tube Head and it sounds fairly good for me
I don't dig at all the 'Digital' sounding amp/cab simulations
I prefer to use real Tube amp with the speakers working hard
Modulations rating: Chorus 8/Flanger 6/Phaser 7/Rotary 8
Delays rating: 8 only using Digital Delay/Tape Delay/Tube Echo
Reverbs rating:Let's forget them There not very good sounding and normally i would record without reverb and add it afterward with reverb from Cakewalk Sonar 4.0 PE
P.S. Sometimes i use the cabs simulations to change the quality of the Head/Speakers Basic tone and it does the job for me

Nver had a problem with the unit so far
So i'm crossing my fingers

Never had to contact them (good for me)

Good unit but i'm pretty sure that for Modulations-oriented effects i could find something that would still sound better Still looking I mainly play Jazz/Rock/Pop music and my influences are Pink Floyd,Led Zep,Yes,The Police,Sting,Pat Metheny,Joe Satriani
and my gear is Ibanez JS1000/Fender Strat Custom Shop/Gibson Les Paul Standard Peavey JSX Tube Head/Peavey Classic 30 Dunlop Wah 535

Very easy to use once you understand the logic of the pedal. It is as easy to use as it can be given how complex it is.

Sound is OK. I placed in between my Epiphone Elitist Les Paul and the Marshall TSL602. The sound was good coming through the amp and all effects responded well. Somehow digital on the chorus and flangers. To me, the best of it is the modeling of distortions and other effect pedals such as the filters.

Well... first it came dead on arrival. After replacing a part at the shop the pedal worked fine for 3 months, then it presented two other problems with 2 different cards. What can I say? The shop has had it more time than I had. I know electronics are set to fail eventually but not like this. This is evidence of poor quality testing. I am purchasing a Boss GT-10 because I am done with it.

Acceptable. Answered quickly and were nice.

I play rock and metal. Been playing for good 15 years now (in bands, recorded albums). I like all the options it has... I hate its quality. I wish it was well built and would not die on me, now I am traumatized. All its good characteristics are no longer relevant once the "appliance" stops working...

Unless you download the software it a not user friendly at all.. Editing patches is ok with software.. Manual wasn't that great either... I had to reset everything then had a heck of a time installing software just to upgrade to the lates firmware...

I'd rate it a 3 on ease of use... unless you download the software.. I play gigs and need to change on the fly... Line 6 really fails you there..

Fender strat into a Vox ac50

Everything sounded like you were playing through your nose... the cleans were not bad but wouldn't be my first choice

I had too many problems with it so returned it...Just didn't trust it...

The store I got it from was really good ... don't know about line 6 themselves...

I wouldn't replace it because I no longer have it...

Sounds pretty good through headphones not so great through a PA. Editing patches is very easy with the computer software they give you.

I liked this OK until I heard the Fractal Audio AXE-FX. I think Fractal Audio is more than a few steps ahead of Line 6 in the quality and tone departments. I had a feeling that Line 6 was not keeping up with the rapid changes in technology. I believe there are much better A/D converters out there and much more computing power than anything Line 6 puts into their gear which translates into MUCH, MUCH better tone. Better components are what would get these modeling rigs into the real tube amp world and get rid of the fizzyness and harshness that has kept them from being accepted by tone freaks. If Fractal Audio can do it, why can't Line 6 do it? Why would they let another company beat them at the very thing that they do best? Could it be profit margin? If you have the market cornered using cheaper parts that give you a bigger profit, why upgrade even if you could sound better? That would be a big plus for musicians but a bad business/money decision for anyone cutting corners to increase profit. Ultimately it is always a bad business decision to cut corners on quality because you start loosing market share to other companies with better products. In this day and age would you rather have a Toyota or a Ford?

It hasn't broken so far but I wouldn't use this on a gig without a backup. I have had other Line 6 equipment fail on me before. This unit isn't "built like a tank."

Used them several times and they seem pretty good to me.

One must keep in mind that in most cases you get what you pay for. That said, this is an inexpensive unit with a lot of features for the money. It doesn't sound as good as the higher end stuff from Fractal Audio but it is only around $325 street price. So if that is what you want to spend, then this is a good deal for the price. I think the problem for Line 6 from here will be that their flagship Vetta II which does cost a lot of money, IMHO is not in the same league as the Fractal Audio AXE-FX either. I think Line 6 can do better. Maybe the competion will be good for them.

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.

this is very easy to use. if you need to use it with your computer though, you'll need a mac. i have a pc and a mac and it works on the pc, but it's pretty shotty. they make you download line6 monkey to auto update everything and i never got that working with the pc correctly. on my mac, it works great.

but if you plan to use it as a pedal, and you don't want to use it with your computer, this is very easy to use.

i think that the sound quality is great. a lot of people have beef with the quality of the amps, but they need to understand something. they say "this amp does not sound exactly like mine" but they don't realize that even between amps that are the same model, no two sound exactly alike. so as far as i can tell, the sound it great in all the amps.

i also really like the tube screamer pedal effect. they nailed it. i don't really use the rest of the effects as much as this one, but i have tested them all and they all sound good. i like to know that they are there is i ever actually use them.

my variax jack broke, but that's cause i stepped on it with the cable plugged in. it still works, but i have to get it just right and it often stops while i am playing. i called around and i found out that to fix it would cost me between 100-130 dollars, so i was a little pissed about that.

i had to work with their customer support a great deal. i bought this unit from guitar center and when i took it home, someone had already registered it. they sold me a returned item. so to register the item (i needed to do this because line6 wold not let me use it with my computer until i did) i needed to call guitar center and get the original receipt. it was a huge pain. and after all that, it tool line6 3 days to finally get around to unregistering. i was a little annoyed. so i ended up calling them 3 or 4 times. one guy was very rude to me, basically accusing me of stealing the pod, but the rest of the people were very nice and actually helped me. so i would give them like an 8 or 9 but i knocked a few points off since that one guy was a butt-hole.

i love this thing. i use it with my variax 300 and now i can basically have any guitar sound i want. i have only been playing guitar for a few years, but i have been a drummer for a long time and i have been a recording engineer for a while as well. as far as i can tell, this thing rocks. it saves me a lot of time. is it better than the real thing? no. but who wants to spend all that money on all these amps and effects? it's a very cool tool for any guitarist. should you buy it? hell yeah. it'll change you life. and go buy a variax to go along with it. you'll never be the same. i did not give it a ten because i think that they could use a few more distortion pedals and a way to turn off the reverb from the floorboard. other than those two things, i think that this pedal is money in the bank.

The way to get results and quickly learn everything this unit can do is by connecting to your computer via USB and delving into the editing software. It is especially convenient to see everything going on all at once. If you build your set list patches this way, then it will make more sense when you need to make adjustments or create new patches when you are away form a computer.

If it wasn't for the software, I would probably rate ease-of-use at a 6.

The manual is great and really explains everything. The Line6 Monkey software makes it effortless to update the Pod's software.

A huge plus is quick access to the tuner by holding the tweak pedal for a few seconds. Other units like Vox Tonelab require pressing a button, which is exactly what you want to avoid having to do in a live situation.

I've hesitated to get a multi-effect unit for a long time because I enjoy my collection of old analog pedals so much, that I've never wanted to sacrifice their unique personalities in my music. I waited far too long.

I A/B's this unit with several vintage effect pedals...a script logo MXR phaser, Rockman Wha, vintage MXR Distortion+, to name a few, and it was spot on. (There is no direct model of the MXR Distortion but I achieved good results with a combination of the tube screamer and some of the amp models). The choruses sound spectacular, delays do everything that you would ever need a delay to do, and I was surprised to find that the wha models sounded brilliant.

It is essential to be aware of the output mode...best way to use it is to plug into the power amp of your guitar amp, bypassing your preamp. You will have an advantage if you program sounds using your rig, or run it through your computer using an amp emulation similar to what you use live or in rehearsals.

I've only had it a few weeks so I can't say. I purchased an enhanced warranty -- it is digital, after all, and a soldering gun won't save you if the CPU or RAM fails on a gig.

No need for support so far.

I play progressive rock, so there is a need for many different sounds within the same song. This unit is perfect for this scenario.

I've been playing for twenty years. In the past I have used an assortment of great pedals...TC, MXR, Boss, and the Line6 Modulation and delay pedals. My main guitar is hot-rodded Fender Strat with Seymour Duncans.

I've sold nearly all of my pedals already since I got it, and programmed many banks of sounds for my set list. If lost or stolen, I would replace it instantly, and in a few seconds restore all of the sounds to it because they are backed up to my computer.

I love the fact that I can match the variety of sounds live that I can achieve on recordings...no longer do I have to short-change the palette of sounds at my disposal live.

It would be nice to have more of my favorite models...I love phasers, and while they nail the MXR nicely, I'd love to see a Small Stone model. An intelligent harmonizer, even if at extra cost in a model-pack, would be a handy thing.

Before I got this, I came home with a Vox Tonelab. It was nice, and easier to program from the unit itself, but it had one sad limitation for me -- you can only use the MXR Phaser model before the distortion...but that famous phase sound can only be achieved after distortion ( to get that Eddie Van Halen or Jimmy Page sound). This is an important sound in many songs I play, so I had to bring back the Tonelab. I was pleasantly surprised that the PodXT surpassed the Tonelab in a number of ways...the number of models, the quality of sound (I know many argue the Tonelab sounds better, but after many hours with both, I just can't see how this could be the case). I also found that the Tonelab's tuner is not activated via pedal, as mentioned above.

If you need to perform live and have quick access to a huge variety of quality sounds, you really can't go wrong. I recommend immediately jumping into the software and creating your patches from scratch, and download some of the patches from the Line6 CustomTone site as a reference, and you'll be on your way to guitar tone paradise.

no big deal

the overall effects and amp models are ok except the distortions but the sound quality itself
i mean the output level is very bad!!!
like others said before me you cant get to a level of decibels which be descent and wont clip its annoying, i recorded with my old zoom 505
and got much higher volume with no clipping!
when i called the company which provides the pod in my country, they told me that in order to get to this volumes and puffed sound i must tweak the sound after i recorded in my cubase, worst answer i ever got!
now the distortion is a diffrent story all togather, it really suck ***, the dist is very thin and dry with no "meat" on it.

built like a tank

see above

real crap

I should preface this by saying it is geared towards current Boss GT-x users thinking of crossing over to the Line 6 Pod XT Live. That's where I was coming from when I bought an XT Live board. I was a GT6 owner looking to change things up and I wished I was aware of a few things prior to switching over.

That said, back to the XT Live. It's one of the most incredibly easy to use processors I've dealt with, and I've been a multi effects junkie since the late 80s when Digitech put out the GSP5 (remember that thing?) You plug it in, dial up the sound you're looking for, and play. Just like my POD 2.0 - it doesn't take much to get a great sound.

Manual has the usual Line 6 "Hey bud, let's party!" vibe to it. Keeps it entertaining, and very comprehensive.

As far as sound quality goes, when playing direct I'd have to say Line 6 products are the cat's meow. The amp modeling is second to none.

I use pedalboards mainly on the front end of my Tech 21 Trademark 60 as a stompbox more than an amp modeler. The Line 6's stomp boxes, mods, and delays sound killer. Reverse delay with dry mix dialed to zero is awesome. The wahs are great. The reverbs are very nice, but attn. spring reverb junkies: don't go thinking you'll get that awesome sweet tinny wet Dick Dale spring reverb sound out of this thing. Not gonna happen - It's a computer, fer cryin' out loud.

And don't waste your time messing with the "Bender" (the Whammy effect added to the latest firmware update). I noticed some irritating latency, not to mention it sounds like watery diarrhea, and that's an understatement. Two thumbs down, way down.

Although I sold it before even taking it to band practice or using at a gig, this thing felt pretty solid. I would definitely not be too worried kicking this around at a gig. Kudos to Line 6 for putting the silver guard below the "amp" knobs to keep them from being inadvertently kicked. 1) it protects them and 2) it looks cool.

N/A but I've heard they're pretty nice peeps there.

Okay. Now for the gripes (here's where you current Boss GT-x users or those on the fence as far as what to buy should pay close attention):

1) I found it extremely limiting in the tweaking department. With my GT6 I was used to being able to assign numerous effects parameters to numerous footswitches on the board with no need for external pedals/crap. With Line 6, you get Wah, Volume, 1 "tweak", end of story.

2) Don't be fooled by "UP TO 9 EFFECTS AT ONCE!" Amp Sim, Compressor, Reverb, "Stomp", Delay, Mod, Wah, Volume, EQ. There's your 9 effects - so you can't really pick and choose all that much.

You can only use ONE effect from the "stomp" category at a time which I found to be extremely limiting. For example, if I dialed in a nice brutal distortion under the "stomp" category and wanted to try putting a synth effect over that? No can do, because the synth effects are in the pedal's "stomp" category and you can only use 1 stomp effect per patch, so that kinda sucks the big fat one for those who want to try and push this box above and beyond. Dare I say it doesn't give you enough tweaking?

That said, I've already sold my XT Live and am getting a GT8 which is what I should have done from the get-go. It's only $45 more. I've read a lot of great things about the XT Live and would have to agree with many of them. This would be a wonderful pedal for someone just getting into the awesome world of multi-effects and modeling, or for someone who just needs it for a few sounds. After living with the flexability of the GT pedals for so many years, trying to incorporate this pedal into my rig made me feel very claustrophobic in a creative sense.

It takes some time reading through the manual, however, once you get the hang of it, it's straight forward and easy to change and store your customised tones.

So far it is the best unit I've ever owned. I do not have an extensive experience with different amps but the ones simulated do sound pretty good to me. The default effects, chorus, delay, reverb etc. are very good, may not convince the true tone "connossieurs" but, honestly, who can tell the difference in a live gig situation?
I'm a disciple of Steve Morse and I can emulate his tone very closely to my satisfaction.

Very reliable and sturdy.

I play Rock and Metal and this unit delivers all I need.
I've been playing for 20 years, the "perfect distortion" had been my holy grail for years and the Pod XT Live is my final stop.
I love the flexibility of placing the volume pedal before or after the other effects.
One thing I'd like to share, especially to people who don't like the sound of it - have patience and spend time tweaking the different combinations and parameters; there is a setting to please everyone.
Also, what sounds good alone doesn't sound good with the band and vice versa. Those who think the lead tones are mushy or way too dirty, it's a matter of re-educating the ears - listen to the master players such as Steve Morse, his lead tone is very "raw" but this is the tone that cuts through in a live situation and that's what made Marshall a legend. That nice distortion with lots of compression you get from pedals is more than likely to disappear or to be drowned by other instruments in a live gig.

Easy to Use

Sound Quality is good

Solid Cunstruction, except Volume / Wah pedal squeaked. I needed to dissasemble it to install a few metal washers and grease it.

Line 6 has overlooked simple things such as the availablity of a seperate expression pedal. If you are using the wah, sometimes you need to adjust the volume, and this can't be done after you switch over to Wah. Also, there is NO ACOUSTIC SIMULATOR PEDAL. Line 6 wants to sell Variax guitars, so they leave this effect off the unit. This sucks badly for those who now need to have an occasional Acoustic sound. Roland and Zoom products take care of this need with their pedal boards, why not LINE 6?????

I have a question for anyone that might know. I lost one of the screw in jacks on the rear panel of my xt live. It looks like a hollow threaded bolt that receives the 1/4" guitar input jack. It's not actually part of the electrical connection, just support for the cable that is inserted. Does anyone know what this piece is called, or where I might get one? (besides the floor model at guitar center, lol)I have my e-mail below if anyone knows, thanks...

good product, great sound

very dependable, but input jack loosened up and fell off.

good product

This is a follow up to a previous post. I've found that while the XTL is easy to use in performance, as far as changing presets & whatnot, it is kinda difficult to get a good sound out of it. I've had to spend a lot of hours tweaking and re-tweaking sounds that I've initially programmed, because it sounds totally different on stage than it does in a controlled environment. This may seem like a "duh", and that's how I've felt as well. When I've programmed a sound using the software through headphones, it sounded and felt completely different no matter which amp/power amp/combo that I used, no matter which "A.I.R." settting I'd used. That said, it's still a good processor for live use; I've just had to find a reasonable medium between the unit itself and whichever amplification I was using at any given point.

This category depends on what you use. No doubt, there is a stellar sound through headphones, even with the factory overload presets. Once you get into the post amp EQ settings, and the cab/mic/A.I.R. settings, it sounds even better. But, when you try to use these tweaks in a live environment, don't find out the hard way like I did. Set up separate presets for studio, amp, power cab & studio settings before you take this thing anywhere. Granted, you can only do this when you have these various means at your disposal, and I am lucky enough to have this, but beware. Everything in every setting and every room sounds different. So, it can sound good, if you put the time and effort into making it sound good.

One gripe I do have is with the audio input. It is kinda flimsy, and the jack needed to be replaced. It's covered under warranty repair, but I have to act fast, because since I use it so much, I have to get it done for home recording and practicing purposes. Other than that minor point, it will last as long as it is taken care of properly. I regularly use it with a backup, which is my amp. I feel confident that as long as I have my amp, I can do without it.

Without a doubt, Line 6 is doing what they are supposed to do with the upgrade situation. Just with the free software interface, there are enough upgrades to keep me happy, particularly with the "Bender" effect; I've been waiting for a pitch bender for a long time ...

I play a mixture of blues, fusion, jazz and progressive. I throw all of these textures into whatever genre I'm playing. It has enough sounds to cover all of these different fields, and allows me to experiment live on the gig through the expression pedal tweaks. It's a good sounding unit, which allows me to more or less nail the sounds that I'm looking for, and except for the cab/power amp settings, it's relatively easy to dial in a good sound on the gig.

I've just learned that Line 6 has come up with a Vetta-style version of this, which would allow for two completely separate signal chains; separate amp, effect and cab/mic paths. That's gonna be really cool, and I'll probably spring for it. I like this Line 6 stuff, and I'll probably keep using it until I can afford what I really want; a TC Electronic G System with two vintage class A combo amps. After all, all the Line 6 stuff is just a substitution till you can get the real deal, right?

Last version I used was 3.0.

I used it with tube amps and direct and it was great. If you mess with the cab models you can find the tone for any of the amp models.

Never failed on me once.

I dealt with them for some Varix issues before and they were great.

I play metal and hard rock... nothing to complain about.

I checked the Line 6 website to hear their new stuff,they follow the same route as boss and their GT models:they pack more and more features in those all-in-one boxes but the basic amp model are still as crappy as ever,just listen!
Those guys at Line6 and Boss seem to be stuck as far as digital amp modelling is concerned and we've heard the same sounds for nearly 10 years now.For proof,Line6 have even started putting real valves in their new range of amps...that's hilarious!
Sorry line6 but you won't impress me by putting 400 amp and cab models and as many pedal fx in a box!I'd rather have 3 or 4 amp models that sound alive instead!
It's a real shame because the idea of amp modelling just great.

These toys are bloody expensive!
Get a valve amp or a tubeman plus a few real pedals instead and start making music with it.

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!!!!!!!!!

My review is for those users who have, or plan on using the XTL with a Variax guitar. Opinions as far as the tones are concerned have been beatin to the ground.
The XTL allows you to plug the Variax directly into it with their special RJ45 cable. It then supplies the power for the Variax and you can have each patch switch to the guitar model you want on the Variax. The XTL also allows you to use the 'Work Bench' software at no additional cost to customize the guitar models and tunings.
All-in-all this would be great except for one serious omission by Line6... they didn't provide the switchable output on the XTL like they did on the Variax foot switch. What this means is that if you want to switch to an Acoustic guitar, it's going into the same amp or channel that's set up for...well, not acoustic! I can't express how disappointing this is if you plan on using the combo live, which is what they made it for in the first place, hence the name extension "LIVE"! Only way around this is to put the Variax switch in the signal chain and do the old "Stomp Box shuffle". What a shame!

This to me is such stupid omission on Line6's part that a rating of what would be a 10 is no more than a 5!

Let's face it, although we get into personal tastes between who's amp modeler sounds better, the reality is that they are good for getting different tones that one amp can't do. They are good going to disc or tape or listening to in headphones. In a live setting, the actual sound and feel is squashed and creates a very unnatural response from your guitar in relation to how it feels when you play. I would compare it to listening to a recording on the radio and then through your cd player on a high end stereo system. The first is compressed, with no punch or dynamics that no matter how you EQ it, it only sounds so good. The latter providing punch and dynamics that makes you feel every note and vibration that the producer intended. To make my point, they both sound good, but when compared... no comparison!

My unit has a problem with one channel cutting in and out. Also, the pedal is stiff and squeeky. Line6 says it has to be disassembled to free up the pedal. Appears this is a common issue from what I've found. Other than that, it's built like a tank.

I've always gotten through within a reasonable amount of time and they have been helpful. Much better than some of the companies I've had to deal with.

From the omission of the switchable output, I have to give a low score on this unit. People wondering about the XTL and Variax combo need to be aware of this serious flaw before spending the near 2 grand for what they think is amp/guitar modeled nirvana.

very easy to get a good sound - pretty easy to get a bad one too:)
I found the hardware interface non intuitive but when the penny drops it drops instantly = line 6 edit and gearbox (both free downloads from www.line6 .com) are fantastic gui interfaces that make editing a breeze. Line 6 edit is more geared towards the XTL and lets you see everything on one page and edit some things like variax models and tap tempo/pedal tweak functions that gearbox doesnt - but gearbox looks really nice and has very helpful prompts that explain what each edit function does.
The manual is great - quite big but well written - more than just a list of functions like others companies = its has lots of background information that gets you excited about the product.
mine is upgraded (firmware and drivers) via the line 6 monkey software (again free from line 6 website)

when fully upgraded with latest updates and all model packs you have about 90 amps from the past 60 years available - pretty mch any amp tone you'll ever need. It has less effects than some pedals but the effects on offer are very good quality and modelled after a lot of real world units. Ive a/b'd them against the real things and they sound very convincing. I use it mainly for DI recording into my PC and i think of all the units ive owned (a lot!) it sounds the best when recorded and exported to CD, very fat and warm sounding - not digital at all = the A.I.R function is NOT a gimmmick = you can really get a mic'd amp feel - the amp tone and the cabinet and mic modelling is the best thing about this because its the foundation of everything - you can use plug ins in your DAW or external stompboxes if you want but the feel of a mic'd amp is represented here and that is just incredible to me.

I also love the 'what are you connected to' and vibe functions that let you configure the pedal to any amp through the instrument input or the fx loop - its very flexible. Ive used it on my MArshall MG10CD practice amp and it sounded fantastic whereas any other pedal i tried made it sound like a buzzy littel 10 watt solid state amp.

its the most solid unit ive ever owned

line 6 give out a number of free pieces of software and models - the line 6 monkey application keeps you uptdodate and tells you if there's anything new available. Gearbox is a great GUI editor/librarian and recording interface with other functions such as a metronome/guitarport online/MP3 player with tempo control (so you can slow the track down but keep the same pitch for learning fast parts etc..). Line 6 edit is a fantastic all on onscreen editor/librarian and if you have the XTL you can download and use Line 6 workbench for free to let you edit and manage your variax tones = all of this is free software and of high quality. The Line 6 forum has been recently changed and geared towards support from customers = its still a cool place to hang out but also a great place to get a quick repsonse to a technical query. Line 6 know how to look after their customers.

ive owned a lot of other pedals (VOX tonelab SE, Digitech RP100, RPX400, GNX3000, RP350, Behringer V-amp Pro, Boss GT8) and i resisted this one for some reason - but i wish id got it in the first place and save myself all that cash! i can gig with it and record with it and have complete confidence in the results. I have the bass expansion packs so its a very detailed bass processor aswell - and coupled with my variax i can power the onboard circuitry of the guitar/program specific guitar settings into each patch and use line 6 workbench variax editing software for free.

i could go into detail that amp x on pedal y sounded more realistic or effect a on pedal b had was more interesting or pedal z had more effects but overall the pod xt live nocks them all dead = its sooo flexible - i dont mind missing out on one or two unique selling points of other units as a trade off for the sheer quality/flexibility and scope of application this unit offers = it is the most fully realised pedal out there and sounds amazing = even if i think a rival pedal might be better at a specific sound it just seems woefully handicapped in comparison to the swiss army knife of tone that this unit offers.

If you could only have one rig for the rest of your life then the POD XT Live and a variax HAS to be the unit of choice = nothing else competes - its one thing being able to get the amp sound you want - but imagine being able to get the guitar tone aswell and then tying them together to be brought up with one foot pedal depression! so you get a duoverb for the Peter Green sound - but then go into workbench and wire your paf pickups out of phase on the les paul model = set the tweak function on the expression pedal to reverb mix and off you go playing fleetwood mac's black magic woman = fantastic.

Its also worth mentioning that the combination of the XTL and a variax guitar doubles the number of guitar models available. If you had the variax and bought the workbench software you could overwrite all the factory presets on the guitar. However the factory presets are never forgotten by the guitar and the XT Live is still able to 'pull them up' even if you have over written them all = how'd you like 90 amps and about 60 guitar tones?

This is a post-review of my previous one,I have since bought another Vox tonelab S.E and oh'boy the difference is astounding! my first one (before the xt-live came out) was faulty and went back.It destroy's the impression I had about the sound of the xt, the chorus.delay.o/d sounds are in a class that digi-modeling can't get close to so my L6 is banned from live work.

see above!

Alway's worked and reliable,will keep for emergency use.

Excellent!

As a gigging all-rounder I need ease of use,great sound and reliability, the VOX S.E. simply destroy's the xt on all these, every patch on it has A/B so you can have a lead sound apart from the normal,giving 8 per bank,plus two expression pedals instesd of the one on xt.

At last I have it. God's very own amp modelling multi-effects pedalboard. Or at least that's what Line6 would have you believe. Getting a good sound out of the Line6 is a subjective business. Some people are going to love the presets and others will want to build all their sounds from scratch.

The computer interface is a Godsend for the latter category of user, as it eliminates all that tedious mucking about with dials and switching between displays on the tiny LCD panel. The manual is lovely, it reminds me of the good old days when people actually wrote manuals and didn't try to fob you off with 4 page leaflets poorly translated from some obscure (i.e. not English) language. It's even bound, instead of just glued together, which may seem like a tiny cosmetic detail but combined with the obvious effort that's gone into the writing style, these little details make you actually want to read the manual - even before you get started.

Download the Line6 Monkey (such a great name - could Line6 actually be a guitar gear manufacturer with some personality??) and it'll keep you up to date with firmware and software revisions. Maybe some people will find things a little overwhelming, or even daunting, but this depends.

I am an IT consultant by profession - constantly engaging with people over ways to improve useability - and as such I find doing everything through a laptop to be much more useable than fiddling with knobs directly. On the other hand, a sound engineer used to working with studio gear might lament the fact that the direct editing process is so tedious, with the LCD so small for a floor based device. (although with an impressive resolution!)

In resolution, I would submit that anyone not yet comfortable with digital technology in music is either old enough to have bought original versions of the kit emulated by the Line6 or in need of a brief computer course. I will be rating its useability according to how its target audience will find it, with a 9. I can see a few ways in which to improve the UI, but they're minor points.

This is as close as you're going to get to the real thing without spending at least ??10,000. (that's with finding a few bargains along the way too) The amp modelling is the hilight but the effects are much richer, warmer and more organic sounding than any other effects unit I have used. It certainly knocks my old Korg AX1500G for six and then some.

I expected to keep using the Korg for U2 sounds for a while, since I spent ages perfecting my settings, but within a day I was able to find that crisp decaying tone and even access a better range of delays. I once owned an EH delux memory man and in terms of the sounds I find to be useful, the PXT has them all.

I play an 80s Fender Jap Strat - will hopefully have a Variax 600 soon - and plug directly into the PA.

Right now it's new, so I'm treating it with reverence - but I feel I could probably dropkick it around a car park and still play the gig afterwards. Unlike my old Korg, which was also metal, there are no easily identified weak spots. The dials and switches all feel as solid as the steel case.

If a race of super intelligent mice evolved, they might modify the PXT case into a fearsome land juggernaught... Beware! Thank God I have my old Korg as backup, to twat the killer mice on the head with.

Online support, community support, upgrade support, technical support... Although I've never bought a Ferarri, or a Lear Jet, (which I imagine might have slightly better support on the grounds that not only has the customer spent a lot of money, but also that they are more likely to be heads of state, organised criminals, or oil barons with private armies and therefore not the best people to leave on hold) I've never owned anything with better support.

I play in a church worship band - which means that not only do we play a vast array of styles but also that we rotate musicians and singers to the extent that the same song can't always be played in the same style. One week I might accompany a grand piano, the next week be supported by a keyboard and violin but have no drums! I might just as easily find myself being in a 3-piece and relied upon for both chords and melody. There is no better answer to the situation than the POD XT Live. If I could somehow integrate an espresso machine into the casing without spoiling the look or impacting the portability, it would give me everything I need on a Sunday morning.

As the cure for cancer, the answer to world peace, or the ultimate guitar rig that every professional band should immediately replace all its amps, cabs, effects and groupies with - it 'aint a ten - As an amp modeller it loses out only to Line6 amps like the Vetta II - but as an all-in-one guitar to PA solution, which is its true calling... Even 8 out of 10 ubermouse tank designers can't argue with full marks.

A supremely easy to edit unit,sounds grat out-of the box. manual easy to follow.The big plus for this one is the up-grade ability,just go on line and re-energise your pedal with all the latest software.

I use this into my bose L1 pa which is direcly catered for in the output section. Most of the sounds/amps are usable although some of the effects dont suite all of them,you have to try out a lot of combinations.I got it mainly co's I play Custom Variax guitars as I need the instant model switch facility this gives,go from a 12 string,to accoustic ,to les-paul in three foot sw. movements! bliss!

It has worked nightly for 3 years now,I have a niggle that my clean patch seems to drop volume compared to the adjacent one's and even though I re-load it , it keeps changing, also a design error for me is the single pedal vol/wah system, when you kick-in the wah, you go right to max vol. which gets a bit hairy.

Max-respect for L6 u/k. alway's top service and help from them, like I said up-grade is a doddle.

I am one of the musical-juke box solo guy's who beaver away keeping the holiday makers and club-customers happy with all their fav.music.As the main criterion is versatility and quick access to sounds ,the xt-live/vax combo is untouchable.Ok, it aint valves,but unless you put them side by side you dont know this, and most of the clients woud'nt know anyway! they just want a good sound to get drunk to! sad? maybe but only other muso's seem to get anal about this,and there are more of them than us guy's.

Compared to other similair units (Boss GT-X & VOX Tonelab) this is very intuitive. ???Double tapping??? the stomp/amp/mod/delay pedal to edit it is great for editing on the fly. The way in which Line 6 have laid out the display works well for such a small screen they have made good use available space and flicking around the amp models etc is a doddle.

The thing that I love (which is not unique to the XTL) is the manual amp ???knobs???. Need a bit more gain? Pull back on the mids? Just twist the dials no deep editing required. I recently had a jam at a friends studio and he was amazed at how quickly I could shape my tone mid jam/song without dropping a beat.

When I first received it I was a bit sceptical and after playing around with it for a while felt that I could not get ???that sound??? that gives me the warm fuzzy feeling I was looking for. ???but all that changed???once I got it hook up to the computer and the interweb it opened up an entirely new world!!!! I have to say that I respond better to graphical interfaces and the Gearbox just blew me away/ I now find that I can easily sit for hours (slight exaggeration) flicking through options to tweak my sound (were as before I grew tired and impatient after a few minutes editing the unit directly)

This unit truly comes into its own once connected to a pc for editing or general maintenance ??? I cannot iterate this enough.

Well,, using Gearbox will get you pretty damn close to your favourite artists??? tones (Search for the artist and download tone of specific song to your XTL) and the rest would be up to your playing. I have a Gibson LP Studio and a Fender Strat (mod???ed - DiMarzio Virtual Vintage on neck and bridge). They can both deliver amazing tones from warm blues to tear your face off overdrive without that thin digitized crackle that is usually synonymise with these type of units. I recently played a gig abroad and brought only my fender and pod with me. During the soundcheck the engineer was amazed at the tone I was getting going straight into PA (and to be honest so was I!!!!) After the gig a good few folks commented on the sound which off course got me all fired up??????

I have never been a fan of OD and Distortion stomp boxes and cannot say I like these models (whether or not they replicate the origionals I do not know), I usually overdrive the amp models to get the distorted tones I use with great success!!! Now modelling a overdriven JCM with a 4x10 cab will only sound truly authentic when listen to it on the same scale???play it through a 1x12 combo amp will obviously not give the desired effect??? stick it through an phat PA in a decent size venue and it will shine pretty authentic I can tell you???
I am also extremely happy with the Wah (which I use extensively) the rest ??? Chorus, delays, compressors, phasers, flangers,octaves are all rich and vibrant???.i am sure there will be some audiophiles who will disagree but personally I cannot fault them.

I have had this unit for a yr now and have been using a Peavey powered wedge monitor, not ideal I know but is just for rehersal purposes,, for gigs I have been going straight to PA,, luckily up till now the PA???s that I have been using have been great, my fear would be that one day you stumble across a gig with a cr@p PA ??? so I am now investing in a Tech 21 power engine 60 (possibly the 212) which IMHO is the perfect partner to the XTL.

At one stage I used to be a purest and believed that all of these digital processors were a load of pants (and they probably were) I had my gear stolen some 6 yrs ago) and tried to replace them with a GT-5 and got very despondent very quickly. I sold the gt5 vowing never to get a unit like this again,,, until I plug in to a Native Intruments Guitar Rig setup on the pc and heard how far the technology had come in terms of tone (I literally sat for days in front of a pc with headphones ??? until I was kicked out!! :) .. this got me interested in digital modelling again???..

Blind faith! :) I have been using it for gigs without back so...... Iwill give it a 10 and pray that I am not mistaken

never dealt with them,

Line 6 monkey is excellent for upgrades etc I will upgrade firmware, patches , new model packs.....

again this unit shines with a PC

I play in styles similair to Pearl Jam, PJ Harvey, Elbow, SRV, and this unit easily matches these and more. Have been playing for around 11 yrs. I this unit were lost or stolen there is no doubt that I would replace it (although maybe with the pro rack mount model)??? everything about the unit feels right.. its reminds me of the NORD keyboards (obviously ??? colour) but also for its depth and quality of sound,,

My favourite feature is the volume/wah on/off switch??? lame maybe,, but up until recently these type of units never had this and you would need a separate patch to switch from one to the other?????? The only thing I wish it had is a balance xlr output???.

I had not been too active for a while on the guitar until I bought this unit. I now play everyday, gig, write, record and love it??? having a great tone goes a long way.

takes some getting used to but manageable. the pc based software that comes with it is great! i would recomend setting all your presets before a gig because it takes a while but its worth it.

sound quality... Freakin' awesome!!! Dude this fucker just rocks wanna sound like page? You got it Korn You got it blues the same any thing from classical to shred! I absolutly love it! i'm just saving up for a full stack and it don't matter what kind crate marshall peavey ect. because you can run straight in on the fx return bypassing the amps pre-amp altogather and use the xtl as your pre-amp PURE GENIUS!!! GOD I LOVE THIS THING!!!!!! screw boss or digitech line 6 whips their ass!!!!!!!

probably wouldnt spill liquids on it (as any electronic device would you emerse your head in a pool ... dont think so!) but she's built like a fucking tank all steel. I personaly wouldnt use a back up mainly cause i ain't rich (400.00$ a pop ain't cheap) but yea its dependable will probably outlast my les paul or my amp!!!!

upgrades on model packs is the easiest thing just a internet connection and a credit card. of course you have to download line6 monkey but thats free! never had to deal with customer support so dunno about that.

i play all styles and this sucker accomodates them all. i've played 18 years now and wish to GOD they had something like this when i had my high school band. i used a fender m-80 chorous and a D.O.D. Super American Metal pedal. If it were stolen i'd kick somebodys damn ass. I LOVE THIS PROCCESSOR. I wish it had a full stack to go with it But oh yes... it will be min ... it will be mine. This is the most awesome pedal i've ever had Right on Line6 There are no products to compare it to. unless you wanted to drop about 100 grand on buying the amps this bitch models

Have had my Pod XT Live for a little more than three months now, am past the honeymoon stage, and can honestly say it is the finest piece of amp/modeling/effects gear on the market today. I did a lot of research on this unit before I laid out the $400 (plus $40 for the carrying bag..Yikes!) to bring it home and have not been disappointed in my decision. If you want to know about all the buttons, foot pedal, and knobs on the unit go to the Line6 website to learn about these features (too many to list here).

The one thing from my research that I can't figure out is why some of the reviewers here are complaining about the USB/software interface....this system's USB connection is about as easy as it gets and the Line6 Monkey software does a good job of reviewing your computer, figuring out what needs to be installed, and getting you through the setup/update process. The Gear software, which is the actual software interface for the Pod, is pretty well done (only has some minor issues). For what its worth, I own a computer software development company and am pretty picky about my electronics and judgemental on poorly designed software and interfaces. Line6 does not have any real issues in this department.

The instructions for this board say to BE CRITICAL, as nothing is perfect. Well they are right and the only real problem I have with the Pod XT Live is the on-unit display...it is way to small for a floor unit. It is hard to read unless you bend down or take a knee in front of the unit....neither of which I want to do with a guitar in hand. Also the on-board editing is marginal (screen again is too small for this) and would recommend using a computer for editing functions (works great!). If Line6 wants a detailed op ed on how to make a FUNCTIONAL editing system for a floor unit, they can give me a call....not enough room here to write it out.

I have to give a 9 here because I don't own all of the amps modeled in the Pod XT Live (40+ !!! and you can buy more) to compare against and some of the stanard presets from the factory are useless or just plain obnoxious (you can, and will, over-write them). Other than that, this thing flat rocks, blues, funks, metals, or anything else you want it to. It outputs in mono or STEREO!!! Can be used direct to an amplifier, through an effects loop, or direct in to a PA system. Sounds great through a good set of headphones (has a plug in for this as well). Have not used the MIDI or Variax options on the unit, so can't comment on these.

Have had no problems with my unit so far. Don't gig but would not hesitate to use the Pod XT Live if I did. If you take care of electronics they normally will give faithful service for years. If you don't, then you have no grounds to come on to a review site and start complaining. Also, a handful of reviewers need to grow up and deal with the occational factory lemon that makes it to the streets. This happens with all products, sorry you were the lucky one this time (it has happended to all of us at one time), so get a replacement and don't trash an otherwise quality unit.

Sent an email to Line6 tech support and got a timely response. Line6 had a Windows Vista version of their drivers and software posted within 3 days of Vista's release!!!! Goog job Line6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall the Pod XT Live is a definite 10!! It has some issues, but so does everything in life. There is nothing else on the market that comes close to this unit's capabilities and sound at any price. I play whatever suits me at the time (blues, classic rock, etc.) and I play for me (not in a band). The Pod XT Live gives me the versatility to play whatever I am in the mood for (how great is that?!).

My rig is as follows: Pod XT Live output to two Epiphone Valve Junior heads (5 watt class A tube amps - $99 each!!) output to an Epiphone Triggerman 4x12 STEREO speaker cabinet. Yes this a completely STEREO rig and put the whole thing together for roughly $800!!! It sounds great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you can put together a better sounding and more versatile rig than this for the money, let me know. If my Pod XT Live were stolen, I would have another one by the end of the day. I honestly can afford to buy pretty much any equipment I want (have worked hard to be able to so) but who needs to spend thousands when you have the rig above and can produce just about any sound imaginable. Play a MIM 60th Annv Strat (great guitar!) and have a SG on order.

The last processor i owned was a digitech 2101...ancient After figuruing out the software the product was very easy to use the buzz coming out of the usb is becasue pc and other electrical equipment in your house its feed off of it especially if you got a halogen lamp.The thing i like about line6 is that they saty current w/ the progression w/pc's.Theyre comiing out w/ x64 compatible software.My only bitch is that the module packs are $$$$$$$$$.the best thing though you can download custom tones from line6 for free.

i was amazed especially at the seemless patching .the jcm800 sound is worth it alone.The delays are real fun and their noise gate does a real good job.I wont buy a electric guitar w/o pickups so the variax is out of the question.

built like a tank

awesome.i left my number w/them and they called me back in 10min!!cant beat that w/o losing your spot.

HELL YA!!!

Unfortunately Line 6 Pod XT Live isn't easy to use if you want to get the most out of it. First of all, connecting it by the USB cable to the PC was a pain. Monkey (the software that Line 6 recommends to install in order to make it work on PC/Mac via USB port) isn't included in a CD, so you need to download it. After going through lots of trouble with logging in to the software I faced a new challenge: The USB sounded crap (very weirdly noisy/distorted with fuzz) when playing-back/recording. I don't honestly know what the reason is, but it seems MANY people have this problem. I threw the USB cable out and I am now beginning to record via the "phone" output (and that cost me an extra ??5 for a Mini-Jack to Jack stereo cable). Lame!

Gotta say I'm impressed with the sounds. Probably the most versatile floor effects processor on the planet (to date). I've tried a BOSS GT-8 of a band mate of mine, and that sounds very digital to the point that I preferred BOSS GT-6 (the older model!). Digitech GNX series are OK, but comparing the features, sound and price to PODxt Live, PODxt bests GNX. KORG delivers lots of features, but the sounds aren't as real as PODxt's. Also I tried Vox ToneLab SE, which was the best after PODxt, with lower price but the settings were a bit dodgy and it was extremely hard to get the desired sound out of it.

In terms of recording straight through PC/PA, this unit has a great number of amp model types, which are close enough to the original to be recorded without any doubt that it may sound too digital. The effects are very adjustable and easy to customize.

I love this peace when it comes to sound. The only problem I've had so far is the USB, and unfortunately that is a big problem.

I've used it one a gig through my Orange Rockreverb stack. I prefer to use it with a solid-state amp rather than a valve one, but meh...

Line 6? Unfortunately they didn't help me with the USB problem at all. They told me to post it on their forums, but the funny thing is they no longer let people register to their forums!

I've been playing for at least 12 years now. I play rock, blues, some jazz...basically everything. I own a PRS Singlecut and a Fender American Series HSS Stratocaster, and I run them through Orange and vintage Cornford stacks.

I'm very sad that I can't get the most of this amazing piece of gear (because of the USB issue). The item itself is a monster and it is something that I'm very dependent on in my gigs. It sounds great and in terms of features, kicks anything in the world!

After having this thing for a couple of weeks, I've found that the "real world" applications for the Pod XTL is myriad, and finding the right tone for the right job is not as easy as one would think. The software definitely makes things a LOT easier, because editing directly on the XTL is a pure pain in the ass. How long can you sit on the floor with your axe sitting awkwardly in your lap while hitting buttons & knobs, tweaking the pedal, adjusting the pedal calibration, finding the right room/mic combination, etc.? Or, even with the XTL sitting on a desk or table, doing the same thing? Sitting in front of my Mac, with the Editor/Librarian & Gear Box is much more comfortable, and offers a graphic representation of what you're doing. My 19" wide screen LCD monitor is heaven compared to the pathetic excuse of an editing window on the XTL. Bottom line; if you get this, have a computer ready to execute ALL of the deep editing capabilities of the XTL. If you rely upon the microscopic window on the XTL, you WILL be disappointed, & send it back, & thereby missing out on the wonderful world of real time computer editing & GUI based tone tweaking, which is by far the strongest suit of the XTL package. If you don't know a lot about effects routing & placement, the XTL is a great learning tool for finding out how effects work, what sounds best, & why things are the way they are in a virtual studio environment. So, for this category, I'm giving it a "5", because not everyone is on the same level when it comes to computer editing with effects parameters, & the XTL right out of the box by itself is somewhat difficult to work with, in my opinion.

No, I don't have a fleet of amps to compare the tones in the XTL to the real deal. I don't know anyone who does; in fact, I've never HEARD of anyone who has all of the different amp/effect/mic/speaker/EQ/ models that this thing has, all in one place, all at the same time, hooked up & ready to do the fight club with comparisons. So, for all of the reviewers who say, "I have an original (insert your amp here), and it sounds nothing like it." Well, that's because A) you're listening with a biased opinion, B) you don't have post-amp EQ to play with, & C) you're looking for a reason not to like it. But I HAVE had the tremendous fortune & opportunity to PLAY through a great number of the models the XTL represents, & I can honestly say that it sounds good....no, GREAT! The response is the same, the tweakability blows the originals away, & the sound is fantastic. Yeah, I was skeptical...I said, "Man, that's just EQ that they're using...no big deal." But it's really much more than that...I've sat this thing side by side with an original '58 Tweed Bassman, and adjusted all of the parameters to be dead flat...no post amp mids, no presence, with a 4x10 tweed cab model, & listened, listened, & listened some more. What I came back with was my credit card, & I sprung for the bag, too. Now, I would have to do a lot of traveling to find all of the amps this thing offers to find the originals, & in many of the cases, I wouldn't be able to find them....nobody within the range of a tank of gas from my house actually has an original Matchless Chieftan or a Soldano SLO-100, & if they did, they sure as hell wouldn't let me into their house for a couple of days to compare. So, from that one real world toe to toe test, I thought about the Transitive Axiom of Equality, and deduced that if the Bassman model sounds good, and I like the Marshall model to begin with, then I'll be able to stomach the rest of them...understatement of the year so far.....and that's just talking about the amp models!

The effect models? Well, I did own quite a few...the Tube Screamer, the Big Muff Pi, the Dyna Comp, the MXR Phaser, the Deluxe Memory Man....the list goes on. Suffice to say, I honestly cannot see why any serious guitarist who is a tweak freak would not want this! You can do so much more with the effects than the original models can do...and place them in the order that you want...(within reasonable parameters...why would you want to place distortion as the last link in the chain anyway? You should have either stomp boxes or a plug in for that!) So, yeah...the effects sound that good.

The cab/mic/room combinations? Tell you what...call a sound engineer. Tell him/her that you want to have all of these different components at your disposal to play with at your leisure for as long as you want, with all of the combinations/variables/parameters that the XTL has, & then document & record all of your findings...finding your wallet yet? Feeling a little lean? Did the engineer say, "Okay, no problem. And I'll do it for free."? I thought so....

Getting the sound of David Gilmour's tone in "Comfortably Numb" is a rush...nailing the sound of "Purple Haze" is a feeling that every electric guitarist should experience (!) at least once in their lives...being able to craft a sound from scratch using all the industry standard amps/effects/cabs/mics & whatnot is a GOD GIVEN RIGHT of every guitarist. Period. The XTL gives you that, and then some...in spades....upside your grille...& it doesn't care, it just does.

The thing about the XTL is, the models react the way that they're supposed to. Keep that in mind. So, if you're looking for a screaming, scooped mid, in your face, thrash metal tone, DON'T use the Tweed Champ into a 2x12 Blackface cab with a Fuzz Face model. Common sense, huh? On the other hand, if you're looking for the tone that Eric Clapton had during the Cream Reunion concert, don't pick the Line 6 Insane model to start with.

Any piece of gear is only as reliable as you treat it. If you leave it out in the rain, there's a slight chance that it might not work the way it should. If you let someone spill beer on it, you might run into problems. If you carry it around outside, leave it in the back of your car while taking the whole band to the gig in the backseat, & leave it to the elements, well, you might have some issues. If you treat it with care, (hey, it's a computer, people!) stay on top of the updates, get a carrying case for it, & treat it with the same respect that you would if you actually owned all of the models it carries, you will have no problems. Once again, common sense. 400 bucks ain't cheap, but neither is the multiples of thousands of dollars it would cost to have all of the models that it carries.

I play out with a Mesa Boogie DC3 combo. That's my backup. The effects are really nice, but not necessary. No delay & chorus? No reverb & flanger? No ring modulator & compressor? No problem. I've played without all of them long before the XTL came around, & I have no qualms about going direct into a good amp! I'd be just as happy playing through that if it failed for any reason, & still kick ass on the gig, really dig in & come up with some filthy rude shit! The real question should be; How much confidence do you have in your playing if you didn't have it?

I'm a firm believer that you are your own first line of defense in case of failure. That applies to everything, not just guitar gear. If you know it inside and out, understand it to the best of your ability, and are working with it daily, if something goes wrong, you should be able to fix it. I know how to erase all of the presets & restore it to factory direct settings. I know how to backup all of my own settings to my Mac. I know how to burn those settings to a disk & store it online so I don't have to carry the disk with me. I know how to store the settings on my Zen V mp3 player, so I can carry the backup with me at all times. So, if it didn't work right out of the box, I would've taken it back. If I run into something later on down the line, I restore it from my multiple backups. So, I've never dealt with customer support, because there really isn't anything they could do in case of failure, short of sending me a new one if something happened that I couldn't fix myself. I registered online, filled out the warranty card & sent it in, & got a Protection Program from my dealer. So, I have no worries. I'm giving myself a 10!

I play whatever my muse drives me to play, whether it's hard rock, blues, R & B, a smidgen of Metal, country licks, reggae riddims, some Johann Sebation or Wolfgang Amadeus, Debussy, Brother Ray, J Sco or shooting some Pat Meth, I don't think about a "style", but more or less an "attitude". I like the XTL because it allows me the freedom to really play what I want...I can hear the sound in my head, & I can come up with it with the XTL. That's a pretty bold statement, I know, but that's the truth. Unless you know the possibilities that happen by themselves just by being able to realize the sound in your head, you're not down. Purely by accident, I've been able to do things that I normally wouldn't think of...it truly inspires artistic inspiration! The last time I felt that was when I got my Mesa DC3...and that's just one amp with 4 really good sounds! That doesn't suck by any means! My next step is to get some type of MIDI switcher to really explore all of the possibilites with channel switching on the amp & tailoring sounds for the XTL on each channel...right now, I'm just using it with my Mac & into the DC3 on as dead neutral setting as I can get. Just imagine being able to switch between channels on an amp, taking the A.I.R. on or off, with the right mic/room placement, with different effects combinations of all the above for each preset, with different amp models! All I can say is....DAMN! Line 6 has really hit a home run with this one. After the XTL is loaded up with all of the model packs available online with a mouse click, it's the same arsenal as a Vetta II, except for dual pedal control & the ability to blend two amps at once...that doesn't suck either! So, my brethren, get it. That's all I can say. Even if you LOVE your current setup....get it. If nothing else (other than 400 bucks) just get it so you have the opportunity to really see how having so many tools at your fingertips & being able to see a GUI interface on your computer screen of what you're doing....get it. Stop wasting time on the Internet trying to decide if you should or shouldn't get it.....just get it. You'll like it if you approach it as being a computer that takes binary code and makes wonderful tones with a LOT of work, without getting a divorce because you mortgaged the house 5 times to get all of the gear you get with a fully loaded Pod XT Live. Hey, you don't need to own a piece of gear for years before you realize that you have a gem. I'm off to play my guitar now....

Getting a good sound: Some are easy and others take some time. I am a little disapointed that the sounds are not as good as the guitar port sounds in may cases right out of the box. If you listen to the 1968 Jump Lead Patch on the guitar port you WILL be impressed. It is about as beautiful brown sound as you can get. I am still in awe. It took me many many many tries to come close on the XTL and it still isnt quite what it should be
Editing patches is great on this thing. Really is. I just wish the models were a bit better quaility to start with. You really have to mess with them and in many cases in totally different ways than you would think to get the sound you want.
The manual? What manual...lol. It does everything thru your computer. I really dig that. Backups and all. Excellent interface.
I bought this about a year ago. I started using it in front of my stack because I needed many different sounds. I does that well. I have since switched over to a mini PA where I can place my four little PA speaker around the stage area for better coverage. This is the balls no doubt. The other guys really like it. They can hear me well and it makes the stage a livlier place for it.

Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Yes but it is very hard to get the brown sound. You must be patient as you can.
Who are they? STP, Hendrix, SRV, Aerosmith, Me!
Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? The Sine Chorus is my favorite. Widens everything up without killing it.
Very bad? Where is the damn Jump Lead sound Line 6 put in the guitarport? Where is it? It needs to be there more than ANY other sound they have.
What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with? A mini PA after going thru speaker emulators and split to the snake.
Is it noisy? On some. Nothing compared to my Marshall on 11!
On what settings? Some amp models and some distortion pedals.
Are the effects weak or do they always sound great? I really dig them for the most part. Rotary drum? Awesome dude!
What amp are you using it with? Mini PA I say.

I have been gigging with this thing. Had beer spilled on it. I do have a gear box it goes in that I pack carefully which I am sure it helps. I has been great so far. We play one to four gig weekends a month and practice twice a week. I use my guitarport for personal practicing and recording.

n/a

What style of music do you play? Hard Rock
Is this a good match? Yes indeed.
How long have you been playing? 25 years.
What other gear do you own? 1967 Marshall 50w head. Fender Twin reverb. A few other amps. I use Gibson guitars.
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? I would get another guitar port and run two with an A/B swith. The tone are better. Did I mention the 1968 Jump Lead sound on the guitarport? It is the nuts hands down.
What do you love about it? That I can press ONE pedal and get a whole different sound. It is dramatic when applied correctly.
What do you hate? Takes a while to find that nice sound that isnt too little or too much. It really does take time and an ear.
What is your favorite feature? Size, PC interface, effects are all good. It is a rugged thing too.
Did you compare it to other products? I have not owned any other modelers. I first bought the $99 guitar port and was impressed witht the sounds so I gave this a try.
Why did you choose this one? See above.
Anything you wish it had? A caleless connection. I am so sick of cables at gigs. Let's get wireless for everthing. Lights too.
Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way? It is a great tool if you need to make a lot of different sounds. You just cant do that with one amp on the fly like you can with this thing. I think I have our song list accuratley duplicated in the guitar sound area. Quite a challenge with our list if you listen to the songs.
Anything else you'd like to share? Our website is http://www.tripwire.ws there are some live recordings on there (all hand held camcorder so far). And our song list. Gives you and idea of what it has to do.

Not too hard if you know what kind of equipment your favorite band plays, but you got to have a good amp too, you know.

I like it, because it sounds better then the crap load of stomp boxes I was using before for the simple reason that the Wah, Gain, FX, Modulation, gates and sustains work together well without noise and that Wah pedal is like seamless you can???t hear it come on or off but you can make nice embellishment to your distortion.

If you can dial in a good distrotion with paramters and estended paramters such as amp modeling on your head phones or cheap amp, then is does sound real good on a real amp like my JCM TSL 2000.

Seems rather rugged to me, but I have heard that the LCD can go out, I hope mine doesn't.

I play Heavy Metal such as the most modern of Judas Priest, but active pickups really help too, because the whole chain adds up. I've been play for about 18 years, I would get another one if it got ripped off, the synergy of it's internal functions are clean and quiet without noise, I heard about it and I relized I had to consolidate my stomp boxes into something better. The only thing I don't like is the lag between switching programs. I use a touch of this and a dash of that in order to produce some wicked distortion. For me it???s better to set separate programs for different distortions on the patch pedals but often it???s better to change the layer of modulations from the first row of pedal switches because there can be a slight delay between program patches if you are changing while playing...

.. Like I said I just wanted wicked and clean distortion with good sustain and sweet layers of harmonical response and sustain sygenerstically with my half stack, I???m not into the special effects and program sharing, because I prefer to play the guitar rather then be a special effects technician like that that dude from U2.

I'm submitting a review only to advise folks that my unit died within a week of purchase. I spoke with a Line 6 service tech who relayed that he'd seen the issue before and my only recourse was to send the unit back to Musician's Friend for a new one.

So, did I get some lone "lemon"? I doubt it from the history that I read.

What good is a piece of gear, for a working pro, if you can't depend on it?

Danny, the service tech I spoke with, was polite and helped as much as possible over the phone.

This failure left me in a total bind on a "direct to board" gig that I had for this weekend. Line 6 knew this and offered no help. I feel like they should have overnighted me a new unit, as a show of good faith and customer concern.

It sounded good for the period of time that it worked, BUT a piece of gear is no good, for a working pro, if you can't depend on it. I will never depend on a piece of Line 6 gear.

Very easy to use. You can make patches right on the unit, or hook it up via USB and use the software Line 6 provides. It's all pretty self explanatory, just make sure to read the manual--there are some esoteric, hidden features that can be VERY important (like turning off the amp/cab modeller if you're using it in front of an amp).

The one I bought came with the FX Junkie pack, and I have the Classics Collection and Metal Shop expansions. They are all sound really good and there is wiiiide array of stuff to choose from. There are a few effects that are pretty weak and I think were just thrown in there to increase the size of the features list, but the important ones are very good. The XT Live sounds best when it is sent directly to the mixer, but I have coaxed some good sounds out of it by sending it to an amp (some major tweaking is required though...consult the manual for the details). As solely an effects box, it is very nice too.

The only things that don't sound good are the wah effects. In my opinion, they are very weak and don't even come close to the wahs they are modelled after. In later versions, Line 6 did release a sort of quasi-Whammy effect but it is very strange and does not compare at all to the real Whammy (and it does not incorporate the pedal).

Also, don't plan on recording to your computer over the USB interface, it sounds like garbage.

It has a tube pre-amp modeller for recording vocals or other instruments that sounds pretty good, but I don't think it compares to a real, professional tube pre-amp.

I've had it since it came out (I think I got it in 2003?) and it's solid as a rock. It's stupid to use at a gig without a backup, as with anything else, but I seriously doubt it would die in the middle of a gig. I've thrown it around, dropped it, spilled beer on it...nothing seems to affect it. I've only had it totally stop working once or twice (when I was tweaking patches over USB) and flipping the switch off and on fixed it.

Never had to get support. Line 6 has released numerous upgrades for this since I bought it and they've all been painless. The software integrates nicely with it, too. It is somewhat annoying when they try to push their software like RiffWorks down my throat, but it is bearable. They recently released a plug-in version of GearBox (the patch editing software) that I was very interested in buying until I saw the price tag (almost as much as the POD itself)...greedy bastards.

The expansion packs aren't cheap...if I remember correctly, Classics Collection and Metal Shop were $50 or $60, and the Bass expansion is $100.

I play all kinds of styles of music (blues, metal, country, jazz, rock, etc.) and this thing has really nice sounds for all of them. I do wish they would stop being so preachy about tube amps and model more solid state amps (Randall!!!). Not everyone wants the vintage Fender sound, you guys. And fix the damned wahs.

Anyway, this is a wonderful value for just about anyone. Even if you have a bunch of effects already, this thing is very cheap for what it gives you--why not add to the arsenal?

It does need pickup modellers like the GNX4 has. Hopefully they'll just release a POD XT 2 Live soon or something that will blow away the rest of them--they've been sitting on the POD XT for a long while now. It would also be very nice if it was more flexible and modular...as it is, you can only use one stomp effect at a time, one modulator at a time, etc. (unless you chuck out $250 for the GearBox plugin and route it through a DAW). A simple modular environment where I could build a setup from scratch (with multiple stomps/modulators/etc.) would be ENORMOUSLY useful and powerful and I'd gladly pay more than what I paid for the POD XT Live for such features. READ THIS LINE 6!!!

A Whammy model would be very nice too.

Negatives and wishes aside, this thing rocks, is extremely diverse, and is absolutely incredible for those people who cover a wide array of genres.

I've had no problems getting this up and running. It's easy to tweak on the floor board itself, and even easier with the downloadable software. Manual is top notch to get you started, and while there are a lot of choices, don't confuse that with complexity. This is one of the easiest units I've ever used, and everything is laid out in a fasion to get you going quickly.

The thing that struck me the most was going through the different stomp boxes, and it actually models the noises and intricacies that the originals have. Not just the sound, but the little bit of static, line noise, and feedback each unit naturally outputs. This is not meant to go into an Amp, although I've had good luck with some acoustic amps I've tried. Direct to P.A. or recording device, and this thing is golden. I was astonished how much changing the virtual microphone placement makes a difference. Amp and Cabinet models are very close, and its shocking how responsive everything is to my playing.

If you do try to plug this into an amp, try using the effects loop. Had good luck that way with my Marshall solid state combo amp. I doubt this thing would sound good through a tube amp.

Only rating this an 8 for now, seeing I haven't used it much outside of recording, and going for a few jam sessions. Seems very solid. I heard complaints about the expression pedal in previous reviews, but I think newer revisions of this unit fix the problem. Unit is solid, the footswitches seem like a hard rubber rather than plastic, but I could be wrong. I will take this out live soon when the band is gigging again. It feels like I can depend on it, but only experience knows.

Haven't had to deal with customer support yet. A good sign. Web site is excellent.

I can't say enough about this product. I've been playing over 20 years now, and I wish I had something like this back when I started. It's a virtual guitar toolbox. I understand many people will be hard pressed to give up a nice tube amp, and rightly so. But this gives such a variety, and very little loss of quality or expression from the original amps and effects that are modelled. I have been against digital effects for a long time, I have countless Digitech and Zoom crap sitting in a pile that never gets used except for maybe a sound or two. I have changed my opinion now of whats possible with digital processing. I'm sold.

I mostly play metal, but have been in Southern Rock and blues bands in the past. I've tried Clapton, Metallica, Panteral, Slipknot, GnR, Aerosmith, and even Lynrd Skynrd on this, and have been able to come up with satisfying tones for them all.

If you are sick of lugging around and amp, and aren't afraid to sit with this for a few hours, give it a spin, and try it different ways. So far, sounds great through a P.A., Headphones and through my Recording interface with Powered monitors. Be sure to try the clean amp models, and fool around with some of the stomp boxes with them, some really amazing tones can be found. I do not recommend this if you can't give up your tube amp, but you can tweak this to work with a solid state amp through the effects loop. I for one would rather put more money towards the P.A. system, effectly helping the whole band.

One last thing. The software and online services are truly cool. It helps me creatively. This unit is so expansive, that you can go through the whole community of tone makers, and find original and useful stuff for years.

I purchased this used and it came with the manual. IMO it is a breeze to get a good sounds out of this and I got up and running in about an hour which isn't bad for a unit like this. Editing patches wasn't too bad and like most people with computer esperience, I just winged it and if I made a mistake, I didn't save anything and exited. The manual is easy to read/understand and there si plenty of help on the web if needed. My unit has the latest firmware and I was helped by a real person at Line6 when upgrading. This may take some learning for some but its no more complicated than programming a Ground control managed rig or a Bradshaw type effects/rack control unit. (it's probably easier actually so why would anyone complain!? )

I have been playing for 30 years and can get pretty close to the sounds I have in my head and in my rigs. My rigs vary from Mesa MK3, JC120, 1973 Marshall Super Lead , 1960's Ampeg Gemini VI and a little carvin combo with rack stuff for color. The effects are good enough for gigs and recording but are they world class Lexicons? Nah but I'll bet most of you reading this can't tell the difference anyway or haven't owned any of the gear in this little thing. I'm especially fond of the SLO100 and JCM800 for rock solo sounds and the JC for clean. ( also the blackface is real nice) One of the reviewers said most people can't/don't own the gear needed to get a good live guitar sound for recordings and I'd agree; this nails it. I play a Valley arts with EMG's, 1973 Strat with EMG's, 1980's Ibanez Artist and they sound great through this. I play it through a cheap little tranny amp ( dean Markley) for rehearsals since its nice and lite to carry. When I was gigging 5-6 nites a week in different places every nite and doing 2-3 weddings/casuals on the weekends, I wish I had this stuff. you walk in , plug in and the sound is there; no miking, no direct boxes, just nice solid tone. Would I use this for my solo gigs where I need a different sound? My unique sound built from years of playing? no. Ultimately the sound should be in your fingers and heart and not in some silly preset to sound like whoever is hot at the time.
I use this for recording and practice and its great.
I never use this to try and sound like anybody other than me.

seems dependable, hasn't broken yet.

Line6 was great to deal with and I haven't had any problems. Lots of info on the website and plenty of college kids with time on their hands to submit great patches as starting points.

I play/write instrumental rock and vocal rock stuff. Have gigged for years playing pop/rock/country/jazz , you name it. I also use this thing pretty heavily at the home studio since I 1) don't have an unliited budget for mics and pre's. 2) don't have a perfect live room and 3) often record at nite when the kids are home from school and don't want to wake them. ;-)
You have to have your own voice with any piece of gear/rig you use.
There's a video on youtube of Steve Lukather doing a session/overdubs in what looks like a home studio and I'd swear he's using a POD something but you you know what? He still sounds like Luke because his tone and voice are in his fingers, the gear just helps it along. Work for your own voice and tone and don't try to be anyone else. This is just a tool but a great one.

You need to first realize that I, myself, do not own a POD XT live but have used them before in a few places I have played when I borrowed a friend's POD XT live. I had no problems when I used POD XT live. It switched easily and flawlessly between the patches I wanted but I never messed with the details of the patches so I can't rate this section.

This unit had an astounding phaser (or at least I thought so, your opinion may differ). All the distortions seemed as if you could mess around with them and you could get any tone you wanted. Also, something that I haven't seen posted in any reviews is that THERE ARE MORE OPTIONS!!! You can buy the thing straight stock but there are SOOO many more options. The standard unti is just that: standard. There are 3 upgrade packages available for about $50 a pop but they sound SO good! There are packs that include extra effects, and I'm not an expert, but there are 2 other packages but I don't know what's on them. However, I DO know that with these upgrades, your tone can match almost anybody's tone!!! There are extra amps and cabs available, as well as distortions. Just seek and you shall find!

As mentioned, I dont own one myself, so I don't have an opinion.

As mentioned, I dont own one myself, so I don't have an opinion.

I play metal, rock, and Christian, from contemporary to rock and metal. This unit is great for everything I played. Its the most versatile multi-effects I have ever seen of heard of. I wanting to buy one SOOO bad but I don't have the money right now and I'm hoping to sell all my effects and use the money to purchase this so if any one is interested in buying a Line 6 DM4, Danelectro Danecho, or a Zoom 506II bass modeler, contact me at www.4blantns@bellsouth.net

Very easy if you are downloading from customtone website. However, I found it tedious to tweak good tones on my own. There are too many options and too few combinations that really nail the right tone.

Tones downloaded from customtone.com sound great when my pod xt live is run through my PC speakers. But once I plug the pod xt live into my Roland Cube 60 amplifier, the tone gets "coloured".

Seems to be sturdy enough to take considerable weight and stomping.

However, my pod xt live malfunctioned after my PC was switched off while I was still updating a patch. I sent it to technical support to have the whole circuit board replaced.

I subscribed to the free trial for guitarport online which allowed me to follow guitar lessons through my pod xt live plugged into the PC's usb port. Once I gave my credit card number which was required for the free trial, Line 6 billed me without my consent. My request for refund was answered from an email account that bounced back all my emails. I had no time to play hide and seek with Line 6 and gave up my trying to pursue for refund.

I have sold away the pod xt live. The POD XT Live seemed to sound better through my PC speakers instead of the amplifier set to clean neutral.

I give this a 5 because it is not for the faint of heart. It's a computer. You have to read the manual, dig in, try things, really get to know the unit. But there are treasures to be found if you'll search.

Here's the deal, the XTL has a couple of different uses and if used properly can sound amazing. It can also sound mediocre to terrible if used in the wrong applicaion. I see primarily four different applications for the XTL and I'll discuss each in brief:

Recording device: Really good. Few of us own the mics, amp, or room to compete with the XTL. And if mixed properly, you can't tell the difference.

Training/practice device: Connect it to your computer using a USB cable and purchase Gearbox. The online lessons go me going again. This is terrific, cheap lessons. Highly recommend.

Live amp modeler: This, IMHO, is the weakest link for the XTL (or any modeling device). A modeler has yet to compete with and amp for live sound. The guitar to amp interaction is missing. There's nothing like the real thing baby. I do understand that there are some rooms where you just can't run much of an amp (particularly in a church environment). In those cases the XLT is the best alternative to a real amp.

Effects processor for a live rig: This is what I find to be really cool about the XTL. You can turn off the amp modeling and use it as a pedal board for your amp. Tuner, volume, wah, compressor, eq, distortion, modulation, delay, reverb all in one convenient box and much cheaper than buying all those pedals. I formerly was running a full pedal board which included a DL2 and an MM2 (which are great). The XLT takes up just a bit more space than these two, is cheaper than the DL2 and MM2 combined, and includes so much more. I run my favorite overdrive (Barber Direct Drive) and fuzz (Keeley FuzzHead) in front of the XTL, then into my amp (Fargen Bordeaux) and that is my rig. The effects are top notch. Some are rarely needed (i.e. reverse delay) but you have them for that rare moment.

I've had no problems and I gig weekly. I do take care of my stuff though.

I haven't contacted them yet but their web site is trememdous. Very helpful info.

I play a bit of everything in the rock genre but lean toward old school sounds. I've played for over 35 years (yikes!) and have owned lots of high end gear. The XTL isn't for everyone and if you really want to lug around a huge pedal board then go for it. The XTL is clean and simple for me. My band loves my sound. Practice is thru the XTL into my computer. Save's my ears daily. I really love it.

Well, this is certainly no one knob stompbox, but having said that it is still relavitly easy to get good tone out of it. I was never one to use these multi effect modeling units, but it did not take me too long to figure it out. I would imagine that if you have some experience with those type of units it would make it much easier to navigate. Plus it comes with a book. Granted nearly every guitar player I know is more of a plug and play kind of guy, but its not hard to read, not overly techinical and it offers a lot of interesting information on the amp and tone models they put into their units.

Overall this is hands down the best amp modeler you can use live. But having said that let me explain a few of the quirks of the unit. Maybe its just my guitars, but most of the presets seemed to come in a lot hotter and more distorted (not necessarily in a bad way just more gain) that they should have. For example the Where The Streets Have No Name which is supposed to sounds like the Edge's wonderful clean and layered delay driven guitar had a tendency to distort. More than likely it is because all but one of my guitars have humbuckers on them and they all tend toward the higher gain end of the spectrum. I don't own a Variax, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that owning that guitar would solve this problem. I also found that taking a moment to tweak the EQ to my guitar took care of the high gain problem.

The second thing I noticed about this unit and probably only becuase I use an Aviom in ear monitor is that the simulated amp hum on the tube models cuts out when there is no signal from your guitar. Every tube amp I've ever heard has a small amount of hum that is constantly present. This was only noticable when I muted the strings with my hand and probably only noticable if you have headphones on.

I've not had the priveldge of owning most of the gear they model on the unit, but the sound quality is fantastic. I cannot comment on how accurate they have been in recreating the specific models, but if the song models are any indication the rest of the unit is almost dead on accurate. The range of tones and effects that you have available to you is huge making this thing very versatile.

This thing is for the most part very well built. They even put a metal bar on it to keep you foot from accidentally kicking the knobs at the top. The switches, though I have not had problems yet, seem like they could eventually go out. I don't know why they chose to make them plastic, but they have held out so far. The only thing I've had any trouble with at all is the volume pedal. Mine is terribly squeaky and stiff. I could probably fix this myself if I had some silicone or grease or something, but its not so much of a hinderance that I've felt the need to get it worked on.

Never dealt directly with Line 6.

I use this at my church and have my own set up of individual pedals and an amp I gig with. Its a great option in a church type setting. The sound guy doesn't have to deal with any amp noise and as long as your monitors are good levels are hardly ever a problem.

Not so easy to use directly without editing sofware. Need to scroll couple of times to find the right setting on the small screen. I have had it for 2 years and still need computer to create my own sound. Fortunately there are tons of usable sound in the customtone site.

Very easy to find a good and usable sound for any amp model. Tones of awesome model from the model pack. However, not so responsive in the change of picking dynamic, especially for blues music. The Wah effect sound like shit and make any amp model sound similar. I think overall the effect part is weak as compared to the Amp Model, unless you want to have a unique sound which might not be really usable for contemporary music.

Volume level is low when recording dry through its USB port, I checked with the customer support, they said it was purposely setup that way for successful re-amping. So unless you are still going to use POD XT's effect after recording, better not use the USB port for recording dry guitar.

Have had in for 2 years. Never used it in a gig, but dropped it once and it still works. The steel body can easily get hor after about 30 minutes. But it's not broken yet or anything. So I think it's pretty reliable.

All my questions at the website are answerred timely. I think the customer support is great and the web site is excellent and informative. The device software is updated regularly and new models are added. Very committed product support.

I play wide range of music, from blues, jazz, rock and pop. This device can perform for any style of music. I have played for 20 years and still improving my skills and sense in music. People can say I'm a tone freak since I have collected many amps and effects (I have BOSS GT8, Vox Tonelab, Zoom G2, Guitar Rig and amplitube plugins, Yamaha Magicstomps, All Behringer Pedals, etc). But I'm gonna keep my POD XT since it's a multipurpose usable effect for any situation.

As far as multi efects pedals go, its about as simple as it gets with the menus being easily accessed from the unit itself. Using your PC to tweak is a complete bonus. The manual was well written and easy to use. This thing has enough inputs and outputs to make it fit into any setup or purpose.

I play a Strat and PRS Singlecut into a 1970 Fender Twin that's been modded to blackface specs. On the acoustic side, I plug a Taylor 614-CE into an SWR California Blonde. I've been a weekend gigging musician since the early 80's. I guess I'm just becoming an old fart cause I could never really get sounds that I was completely comfortable with. I sold a pedalboard of Boss pedals to get this and just never found the mojo that I was looking for in the XT Live. It sounded thinner and although I couldn't quite put my finger on it, I can only sum it up as a real "processed" sound. It did however do some great things with my acoustic but that wasn't really the goal. This thing is infinitely tweakable and probably for that reason, I had a lot of difficulty getting "consistant" sounds from it. One day it would serve up the holy grail of tone....the next I'd be scrambling to get any barely passable tone.

Where this unit shines is if you plug it into the PA. I did that on a few occasions when presented with small stages and it worked quite nicely..plus I left my amps at home. I've since sold the unit and went back to a simple configuration of a Tonebone Classic and BBE Opto Stomp straight into the Twin and I'm back in my glory again.

My lesson? Too many sounds distract me from my music. Keep it simple.

This thing is built like a tank!!

This would be an amazing tool for someone requiring a diverse sound for live and recording. I was patient and spent 6 months playing with it, tried it through a number of amp and guitar configurations and never really clicked with it. I could get it to sound good but I just couldn't get the consistancy that I need for live playing. The ultimate setup would be the XT Live plugged into a Mesa Boogie 50/50.

Still for me, why use a pedal to get the sound of a legendary amp like the Twin when I have the real thing sitting there already. All in all though, if I was a 20 year old kid, I'd own one.

Once you get the hang of it it's very easy to use. As others have said *read the manual*!!!! To be honest you don't have to read it cover to cover there are a few key chapters that are all you need to know unless you're using a particular effect.

Editing patches is very easy, especially with the Line6 Edit software. Word of advice: use the computer resources available to you with this unit, Line6 provides some very nice software... and you can use the PodXT Live to record to your computer via USB! (Need separate recording software but there are freeware programs available, "audacity" is one).

I'm running version 3.0 of the firmware, it includes some additional patches (nice ones!) and some other effects. If you get a unit used make sure the seller transfers the license to you (get a Line6 account on their website) so you can get the software and upgrades (via their Line6 Monkey program) etc...

Rated 7 because it does take some time to learn, but once you get the gist you're off and running.

It is possible to get very close to your favorite artists' tones. Especially with the Line6 "customtone" website, search for an artist or a song, download the tone and then use Line6 edit software to get it on your unit. Note that a lot of these tones are garbage. I'd say about 20% are good... but the sound quality of a patch depends a LOT on what kind of gear you're running it into. For me I like Van Halen, SRV and Gilmour tones.

Best distortions are the JCM800, Soldano and Line 6 high gain (another Soldano model that comes with the upgrade to 3.0 firmware, a very good model, don't hesitate to upgrade!) I like the Fender based cleans but the Roland Jazz model suits me best for my band, cuts through a bit more.

The modulation effects are the long pole in the tent. Some are quite good though. The best chorus is the Square Chorus (sounds terrible out of the box, back off the Depth and you're in lush chorus heaven!) Sine chorus is good too, but sounds a bit flangery for my tastes. The Jet Flange effect is lousy, doesn't do the jet whoosh at all, but the Expo Flange does it nicely. The tube driver stomp is really good. Delays are very good.

I'm using a Gibson Les Paul studio delux from the mid 80's and a Wolfgang Special.

This unit is not noisy at all. It has a noise gate that works great if you need it.

I'm running it into the front of a Peavey Classic 50 head, no effects loop on my C50 so I can't attest to how it sounds directly into the power stage, sounds VERY good into the front of it though. I turn the cabinet modeling off on my distortion patches, otherwise it gets muddy. WHy model V30's when you're driving V30's? I'm driving 2 2x12 cabs, one with V30's and one with G12H30's, sounds wonderful!

Important tip! Use the "Tone Correction" controls if you're using one of the "front" settings. Makes a huge difference! Use your ears, don't go by what you'll find online for different amps. I found some settings for a Peavey Classic amp and it made my XTL sound thin, harsh and lousy. I adjusted things a bit (brought up the lows, cut the highs) and it sounds MUCH better! Tone Correction is your friend, don't ignore those settings!

I'm giving this a 10 for sound quality. It takes a lot of work to get outstanding tones out of the XT live but it can be done and it's well worth the effort. I've been told I've never sounded better when playing the XT Live.

Very dependable. My backup is my Classic 50 (and likewise the PodXT live into the PA if the C50 croaks).

The pedal does get squeaky... but I don't use it that much and it's not that big a deal.

Outstanding software support. Upgrades are very easy.

My main gripe with them is that I can't seem to register for their forums... every name I choose is taken, bizzare. 9 for that.

Been playing over 25 years, mainly classic rock cover bands. If it were lost or stolen I'd get another one right away, download the patches I've backed up on the computer into the new one and I'm good to go with all my tones!

I chose the XT Live because while recording I had real problems miking the C50 and getting good tones... it was environment more than anything I think (flourescent lights, bad acoustics in the recording space) and I was really depressed. Came back the following week to rerecord all the crap I laid down and decided to use our bassist's POD 2.0, and I was blown away, sounded great so I got the XTL for recording AND live purposes. Haven't recorded with it yet but have played out quite a bit with it.

In closing, this unit is a tweaker's paradise! Lots to mess with when getting your tones together... Unfortunately that means it's purgatory if you're looking for great tone in 2 minutes or less, you probably won't get it. This unit takes time to get to know and tweak, there are a LOT of parameters, maybe too many.

very easy to use, if you spend the half hour and read teh manual. its great for live use.

this is a great sounding piece of equipment. it is not going to sound exactly like your amp you paid 3 grand for, but it'll get pretty close. the effects sound great. it will sound great if you crate your own presets (the ones that are built in are terrible). once you tweak and spend some real time with it, you can get a pro sound.

i also use a variax and cat5 input on the floorboard stopped working

this thing is very good. you need to know how to tweak it though, because the factory presets are no good, but i made some decent ones myself. this pedal would have been worth it just for the effects. i was really impressed with the copy the tube screamer.

Fairly easy to navigate. It helps to have owned/used a Pod 2.0 previously. This is not a busy unit at all and reading the "to the point" manual, you should be up and running in no time. Tweeking a little later on.

I do not try to sound "just" like anyone else but I suspose this unit should sufice if one wanted it to. The distortions are very rich and numerous. They sound good. I use a vintage fender tele custom and an import tele with humbucker at the neck. The effects are anything but week, use them sparingly. I have many tube amps but am currently playing through a Fender Hot Rod Deville twin twelve model. This unit is new, and I will update this review after gigging a year or so.

Based on past experience with the Pod 2.0 I think it will prove dependable. Backup? if it cratered, I dont mind short cabling to my amp.

Never dealt with Line Six
This unit does not upgrade.

Its not easy to get a good sound at first. You definitly need to read the entire manual and read up on the forums to completely understand what it does, but its not rocket science either. Once you get the hang of it its fairly simple and fast. Its very straight forward. The manual is very friendly.
The factory presets SUCK. Dont get discoureged when you try them and remember you have to adapt the POD to you not the other way around.
The custom tone site and the Line6 Edit Software complement the operation of the POD in a HUGE way.

The CustomTone site helps you get any sound from any guitarrist out there. I play rock in the styles of U2, Stone Temple Pilots, a little Zep and i get pretty close to those sounds and the sounds i hear in my head. Its an extremely versatile device.
I use it with a couple of Tech21 PowerEngine60's which i absolutely love and really complement the POD and its stereo capabilities.
Some effects tend to sound a little digital to my taste but nothing that cant be compensated with the right mix and with EQ. The strenght of this machine is the amp emulations not the effects.
I run it with a Fender Srat 76 with EMG's and Parker Nitefly SA.

Ive had my share of Line6 equipment, Ive owned the original Flextone, the Flextone II Plus, POD 1.0, POD 2.0 and now the XTlive. I had problems with both Flextones, they both had blown fuses, internal leaks and burnt amps but ive NEVER had any problems with any of the PODs, the are built like a tank. I gig without a backup but if i could afford it i would buy another one just in case.

When i had problems with the Flextone amps, the guys are line6 were very reliable. They answered all my emails and really got on the ball with getting my amp repaired. They even repaired it after the warranty ran out. Thats awesome.

I've been playing for 10 years semi-pro. Like i said i play rock and this allows me to sound like any gutiarrist I want at any volume. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if it were missing. There are some things i would change, for example the delay and reverb cutoff when you change patches, but nothing is perfect.

I am not a "tech head", so for me to be able to use a processor like this, it must be fairly easy to use. Unit was bought brand new from Guitar Center. I'm not sure it has the newest software update, but I'm happy the way it is.
Editing patches is fairly simple and straight ahead. There are so many things you can change, but that doesn't mean you have to completely re-program the thing. I started with the basic patches and changed or added the things I wanted. Very simple to do and simple to save.
The manual is very easy and very helpful. I can't stress enough that you really need to take the time to READ THE MANUAL!
The unit is really pretty easy to get along with!

I have app. 15 guitars, from Fender & G&L to Carvin and Epiphone. I have yet to find one of my guitars that doesn't sound good thru this unit. As with any processor, there will always be some effects that aren't/won't be usable. There are some on here that I will never use, but that's just me! I don't try to sound "like" any particular artist, tho, I will try to get a similar sound if the song calls for it. The effects that I use, all sound very good. Having several different types of the same kind of effect really allows you to be selective.
I run the xtLive thru my Power Amp Inputs on the back of my Peavey Bandit 1x12 amps. I run 2 amps for stereo operation. If you've never tried this, you're really missing how good this unit can sound! Have also tried this direct into a P.A. system and it sounds incredible! The only way I don't care for the sound is running into the front of my amps.
You need to make sure the unit is set up to run into the type of amp/speakers that you are using, otherwise, you'll be disappointed in the sound. Again, READ THE MANUAL!

Since new, I'm saving my opinion until I've had a chance to use it for a while.

So far, never had to deal with them directly. I will say the website is the best I've ever seen from a manufacturer! Free upgrades and downloads and the ability to purchase upgrades and modlepacks online.

I play in a cover band, and we play everything from classic country to classic rock! You can get from crystal clean to the heaviest crunch out of this thing. I've been a gigging musician for 35+ years, so I have an idea of what works and what doesn't; what sounds good and what sounds bad! Usually have used DigiTech products in the past, so this was quite a change. My first POD experience was with the PODxt Bass POD. Tried the Guitar PODxt, but found the xtLive was really a better deal! Also own a used POD 2.0 which I think sounds very good for what it is.
I'm so pleased with the unit, I would like to see the rest of the band get PODs and stop using amps altogether! Spend some extra money on add'l. P.A. gear and just use the POD's!
Would I replace? You bet! I've used both tube and solid state amps, so I have no preference there. This thing just sounds great, to my ears.
It's probably not for everyone, but I find it works very well for me. The biggest points I'd like to make are: READ THE MANUAL and spend some time actually "tweaking" the presets. Just changing the a.i.r. setting or from one cab model to another REALLY makes a big difference. Also make sure the unit is set to what amps/speakers you're using, as this makes a HUGE difference in the sound you get!

Well, I got this pedal as I have tried every F/X unit that the planet has to offer. I first heard it (and was completely stunned) after my other guitar player used it a wahile back with a Vintage Carvin 100w tube head through the return jack and a 19xx Marshall 4 x 12 using a PRS McCarty. Gee....I dunno what Jeremy did to get a crap sound out of his...may some tech lessons or tips on reading a manual?...because, I now own one that I plug into a vintage Rivera Knuckehead 100 (return jack) on a vintage Marshall tweed 4 x 12 and this unit simply kicks ass. I use a Jackson Phil Collen, A Custom Fender Texas Fat Strat and a '82 Gibson Les Paul. Different guitars sound, of course, different using one patch so I made up 3 different patches and it sounds just great. If you don't have the patience, knowledge or time to tweak this unit...

Awesome...I absolutely have NO PROBLEMS live, or whatever...with this unit.

New

Never had to use 'em

NOTHING beats this pedal. Live or otherwise.

Once u get used of the product it's very easy to use. You might nead to read the manual sometime to find out all small more hidden stuff, or use the usb cable and program it with the edit program which give you a really good overview. the manual is also very esay to read.

When i used it first i puted into the power amp of my laney HCM65R, and it sounded great, but when I came to the rehearsel room where they had other amps, it sounded different, so it started to use the PA, which dsounded goos, I've got a Peavey PA at home so the ounds were teh same everywhere, and for recordingi put it straight into the mixingboard. But teh most important thing of all is TWEAK to get the right sound, sometimes it can take some time to get the sound exactly right, and one day you can love a patch an a other day you can hate it. Now i use it at home , in practice room live and inteh studio and in my opinion the sound is very good, always the same sound as you programmed it. It maby doesn't sound as good as real tube amps, but theres no tube amp which is as versitail as a POD XTL.

After a few days the wah pedal started to squeel en hard to use, so I brought it back and after a little bit of oil it worked great again andi haven't ha dany problem since then.

Overall rating, a very good machine if you know how to use it

Straight Forward. Banks like other Multi Effects, Switches do what they say they do. I Started Editing right away and found it easy to dial in what I was looking for. Saving is easy...you hit save, name it, Save again and it saves. The menu even allows you to save in another patch so you don't lose your previous setting for experimental purposes or whatever.

Starting off, my first impression of this was at SamAsh, where i compared it to the Zoom("whatever has 2 12AX7 in the thing")I don't see what in the world people are talking about when it comes to comparing the two.

The Sales guy(s) kept pushing the Zoom on me...I gave it a chance, and when I heard the Difference of the POD XT Live, they were like, well you have to scratch all of the Presets and play with it to get the sounds you want. It turns out the POD XTLive sounds better out of the box, even to them. And is Easier to Use, For example: Why Waste a footswitch to activate the WAH, why not activate it like every other WAH. Plus I wouldn't ever go directly out of the ZOOM to FOH, The POD I would.

The PODXT Live is "NICE". AND BELIEVE ME "I"M NOT ENDORSING LINE6". I hated the POD when it came out. Uneasy to get to my Effects that I want to tweak easily. This in my opinion can do whatever i need it to do, in any genre of Music, and YES, even Metal. Also Keep in Mind, you're trying to cram as much usable thing into a Floor Unit under $500.00. NO COMPLAINTS HERE. In all reality, no matter what you pay or play through, use your ears, not other people's opinions to decide for you.

Haven't had it long...so only time will tell. Seems Rugged Enough, Don't Pick it Up by the chrome bar though. It's for looks people. (the Inspector sticker on the floor unit was "Hand Signed", i was impressed with that)

Haven't had to use these guys. ( I usually don't enjoy ever having to use any Customer Service )

Great Piece of gear, for a good price considering what all you can do.

editing is a breeze......i didn't care for hte presets, but then i hardly ever do.

the manual is easy to read, and does a good job of explaining things, even thought the unit is very easy to program without it. having the guitarport software so you can edit on your pc screen is a godsend, it makes the whole process so easy, and actually kind of fun.

i just upgraded to the latest update (3.0).....it added some new amps(an amazing new soldano model, a nice vox, a really nice orange amp), new stompboxes, wah pedal models and the ability to run bass pd xt model packs if you need to do so.

i also have the Tone Collector model pack installed, which has some great amps models in it.

I love this thing, i really do. i've had it for almost a year now, and i have very few gripes. you can get just about any sound you want from it (especially with the available model pack upgrades), and it comes dang close to sounding like the best amps around.

i play all styles, heavy to country to worship music to blues. i have over 10 guitars, from ibanez shredders to tele's and les pauls. i've been playing for 17 years, so i think i have a decent grasp on what a good guitar sound is.

alot of people complain about how it sounds going into their amp.......this is an AMP MODELER, it's not meant to add to your amps sound. the only way to really hear the beuty of this thing is either into a power amp/cab, tech 21 power engine(my set-up that I LOVE), or into your amps effects return/power amp in where you can totally bypass the preamp section of your amp. if you put it on the front end of any amp you aren't going to hear it shine, and probably won't be as pleased with your sound. this would also explain the noise some complain about, because of course an amp sim plus stomp boxes on the front end of an amp is going to be very noisy. if you set it up right.....it's almost noiseless.

one thing i would recommend is experimenting with different cabs with the amps. there were amps that i wasn't crazy about at first, that really shine in a different cab. sure, this may not be exactly how that amp was set up for the sim, but it's all about what your ears like.

my only gripe would be that i wish you could set up the stomp boxes however you wanted. having only one stomp, one mod, one delay is a little limiting. i wouldn't mind being able to have a screamer and a compressor in the same chain. but that's a small gripe.

i've traveled all over the country with it, paked it in luggage, banged it around on stage, it's never let me down.

never needed them, but the web site is very useful.

it does everything i want, sounds great with any guitar i use, fits any music i play. i love it, and i'd buy another one tonight if it got stolen or lost.

getting a good sound outta this is hard... cause everything sounds bad... patch editing is easy enough without reading if u know ur multi effects stuff...

manual really sucks...
version 3.01 really does not change things a lot

yuck... everything sucks... i play mostly metal.. megadeth, sonata arctica, trivium, maiden and stuff... and... nothing sounds close....
it just sounds fake.... even the presets... ej cliffs of dover tone... haha...

noisy? yes... very... when the gain is turned up
every single effect is useless...

just dump this... i had this for 1 day and i got rid of it.. sound is terrible... very very fake... i been playing for years... and i swear this is pure shit.... i pluged a ibanez rg 560 and a washburn with emgs into this... and it sucks...

dont get fooled by the website... remember to test first!... even thru mixers it still sucks..

for the price, get a gt-8/6 or a vox.... heck... even the zoom is better...

The manual is written in a casual way I suppose to be entertaining and without being too dry.
Editing is straight forward, you cannot put all of the effects in any order but you can specify to put them before the preamp or after. This affects the overall sound and response quite a bit.
I had no problem upgrading to the latest driver.
This unit is so easy to program I started editing patches before reading the user manual.

I don't really care to match my sound with favorites as I am not into playing a lot of cover tunes. My tastes are pretty broad and I believe a lot of the sounds can be achieved very close to the recorded sound. This unit will not be able to get multilayered harmony, it does have 3 or 4 pitch shifters, but they carry distortion 'tails' with them. I can't get a clean synth sound even with unity gain low.
The delays are ok as are the modulation effects.
I don't think the tubescreamer really sounds accurate.
I have tried this into a PA ..it's a little strident, into the front of a combo ...it gets a little gritty, and into a return loop on the back of an amp so that the amps preamp is out of the equation, this setup is proably the best sound.
Overall, in the sound department the XT Live is 7. It could be a 8-9 if they updated the octave effect.
I would not buy this unit for effects, it is an amp modeler more than an effects unit. If effects are your thing, you will be better off with pedals or rackmount units in the send/retun loop. Boss makes a GT series that has more variations of effects.
As a side note, I tried every combination of connection, I used the send/return, the return only, the front of a PA and the front of a combo using the appropriate output settings of the XT Live, I also tried the incorrect settings....the ones they recommend are better.

If I giged with this, which I doubt I would, I would definately get a case for it. I would rather gig with some analog effects and use this as a backup, because I have used analog effects night after night on gigs with a lot of banging around, and they have never let me down. Also, there is the sound of a good tube amp, be it a Fender, Boogie, Marshall, whatever and having the amps preamp blast away can't be put into words. When you plug into the effects return, you give up the use of your amps preamp.
The rotary encoders scare me, I don't know how strong they are. A side hit on a knob by someone stumbling around onstage would probably damage this thing.

They replied via email to a suggestion, they're response was indifferent. You may as well go to the Line6 webpage and get your info about updates there.

I would say this would be good for all types of music, except for the twangy country styles where effects are hardly used anyway, it may be overkill for blues in general, for blues you drive the amp into breakup with an overdrive you don't usually use a heavy metal insane distortion, for spacey rock it may be ok, variety band this may be good, as long as you like heavier distortions, overall it's a fun unit to play.
Don't expect the amp sims to sound exactly like the amps they are trying to emulate, because they are not going to sound like a Soldano on 10, or a 68 Fender blackface on the verge of breakup with a TS9 driving the preamp. Those that know and love that sound will know what I'm talking about.

Editing is simple enough. Not the greatest editor. Sounds are kind of fizzy. Even when I try the air, speaker settings and all that. I took it to guitar center and told the guy to get a good sound for my amp. They couldn't do it either. Then they asked me to try the Boss. Then the GNX3000 which they said sucked. Well, turns out it was better!

the manual is chummy! Like a salesmen would talk to you using the latest cool references. Some like that I guess.

Sounds are limited. A couple tones I like but I don't seem to get the big high/utopia feeling that all these users get from it.

The effex are good, like the Boss. Boss effex are better though. modeling is garbage. Amps. First I tried my JCM800.. it sucked out the JCM tone bad. Then I tried my Carvin Belair. A little better but still fizzy fizzy. The noise gate is good, but you better keep it on. If not, it's noisy as all getgo.

seems reliable. didn't use it much since the amp sounded bad with it.

I called and emailed their guys. Push here.. press 2, press 3. Finally said I 'll email them. I had an answer after 4days. I talked to others in the forum and they were not the nicest of crowds. One, maybe two had suggestions on what settings to use. Others had suggestions of where I can put my post!

Play all varieties. i was looking for a versitile multieffects. This one fell short. I returned it for the GNX3000 which works much better. The display on the POD XTL is a joke. You can't see it well from the floor at all. The GNX characters are bigger, brighter. You can see them pretty easy.

For me after all the hail PODS, I tried it and it fell short after a couple weeks of working with it. That fizz is brutal. it's not bad for metal heads, but I play all kinds of music. POD seems to aim elsewhere.

Sounds don't take too terribly long to tweak, provided you are familiar with L6's gear. Models and effects are greatly improved from POD2.0. Editing patches seems to be an intuitive process. I think the manual could go into greater detail. Have since upgraded to 3.14, and it was an excellent (and FREE) move! Four more amp models, improved sound quality, and 7 wahs!

Mimics tones as well as any processor I've ever heard. I almost feel like there are too many options (models, fx, etc...). Perhaps if Line6 had trimmed a few of the more ridiculous and useless effects, they could have improved sound quality even further. I'm using a very versatile (2HB w/ 5-way switching) AS Strat and a Samson Airline wireless going into the unit. Live, the main outs L&R go to two hard panned channels in the board, and the TRS HP out goes to a BBE Sonic Max 362, TRS'ing into the stereo FX return of my old Flextone II, with extension cab. So I get true stereo effects to the board and onstage. My only complaint about noise is that I lose a small bit of gain clamping down the gate SO hard on the highest gain models. Very pleased with the transparency of almost all of the effects. Some of the distortion pedals are too middy for my tastes, though. I like a very warm, rich tone, with lots of mids. That's where the volume and definition are, kids! So don't tune down to P flat and scoop all the mids out! You will then be eaten alive by the cymbals and bass guitar...

I've relied on this pedal night after night for a year and a half. Only two times have I had to open the pedal to tighten or realign things. And it has not exactly been treated with kid gloves! Not that I'd throw it off a roof.... but it's taken a fair share of abuse and I'm not a bit scared to gig an hour away from home without a back up. Certainly is easy to just plug into the board and just listen through the monitors.

Called Line 6 a week ago with the wah pedal not activating. I ABHORR automated customer service lines! Press 1 for english, 2 for Spanish, 8 for Swahili... blah blah blah. Just let me talk to a damn tech! When the tech called me back 3 hours later, he was very friendly and helpful. Turns out the metal contact to the PC board was kicked out of place. I realigned it myself (probably invalidating my warranty), and it works fine now. I did not want to send this thing across country for 3 or 4 weeks to have it repaired, particularly when it was something so simple to fix.

I play and noodle with all kinds of rock. The pedal is extremely versatile, and I highly recommend it. I've played for 14 years, and wanted a Vetta so bad when it came out. I'm really glad I only had to pay $399 for this instead of 2 grand for the Vetta with FBV board!
If it were stolen or lost, I'd replace it in 2 hours (closest Guitar Center). All in all, this is a fantastic pedal and a great value! The routing options alone are worth the price of admission, even if it sounded terrible. Which it most certainly does not. An awesome piece at a great value. GO BUY ONE! And I don't even work for Line 6!

I found this unit easy to use.I have had the GT6 and a few others and this is very nice :)

You can set this up to run direct to the sound board, into the front of your amp or through the effects loop to bypass amp channel coloring! Line6 also realized that the sound of an amp most people hear is done through a microphone...so they added mic's as well!

Over all sound? I can not tell the difference because I do not have all of these amps. And, even if I did, they would not sound the same. Take the Big Muff Pi pedal...they used surplus parts to build these pedals. Line6 found the one that they like the best and modeled it. I use the Marshall JCM800 amp model alot...this amp will sound different depending on the age of your tubes and one other big factor...this one is based on a tube distortion yet Marshall also made a diode distortion version! So if you think you can put this unit beside the real thing and hear the same thing??? NO! it won't happen. Then again you can probally grab 2 JCM800's and not hear the same thing. The point is either the crowd is going to love you or not. This pedal does a gret job.

I have had no issues with it. My only concern is the power adapter. It has a 90 degree angle and is difficult to remove...might end up breaking it off some day.

I emailed the support team twice before buying this unit. I had a responce the same day on both questions.

I play all styles of music. I play in a church that likes a variety of sounds and music. Blues to metal and beyond. What ever works. What I like most? Unlike ALL the other multi units Line6 made one GREAT improvement. They did not just make channel memories and thats it, they made it like a real set up. If I want to play my '53 Fender Tweed, with an Ibanez Tube Screamer Pedal, a Boss Delay a Rotory Drum, and a Vox Wah pedal..I can do that...and turn each effect on and off as I need WITHOUT chaning memory locations! ALL of the others would need multiple memory locations for that. Not with Line6, you use the effect pedals just like they were really in front of you.

And if you have a Variax Guitar you can program your guitar models through the PODxt Live just like you can through the Vetta Amps. Beautiful.

This unit also works with www.guitarport.com. For a low price you have access to many songs. Originall masters had guitar parts removed and made ready for you to play along with the real band recordings!!! How cool is that! And original guitarists helped out with the site as well. Tabs, lessons and more.

I would replace this unit in an instant!

I used it at a gig the day I bought it. All I did was find a few patches I liked and copy them so I had them all in a row ready to switch between them. Now I've been using it a while I find that I mostly tweak the effects on a patch rather than messing with the basic tones. I find about half of the preset tones interesting but not really useable, much like the Digitech RP-1 which I replaced with this Pod. The ones that I do use regularly are just great.

The manual is good, quite musingly written and tells you all you need to know. I've upgraded it a few times with new patches from the Line6 site and sore all my sounds on my home PC every so often.

I use a Les Paul, The sound is good on headphones and I have completely stopped using my Marshall Valvestate for gigs. I'm now just plugging into two DI boxes and going straight into the PA everywhere I play. On the upside, no amp to cart around, and recording through the desk is cool because there is plenty of guitar in the mix. On the downside, you rely on the monitors to get a good sound onstage, which varies accoding to the guy on the desk.

I'm trying for a kind of Public Image type sound, very trebly and overdriven. I find I can get quite a few variations on it using the Pod. The best effects for me are the tremolo and the reverbs. The wah wah is very good too.

The only trouble I've had is once or twice where I've stepped on the wrong pedal, perhaps meaning to change effect and I have accidently changed patch altogether. To get to the fx you have to reach over the patch pedals and that can be awkward during a performance. It can be embarrassing if you suddenly turn ino a medieval minstrel during a bit of complex math-rock for example.

If the Pod wasn't woking fo some reason I'd probably habve to cancel the gig. But it's given me no reason to feel nervous abou it - seems very reliable.

My experience of the web site/patch updates etc. is good. Obviously anyone who has a life outside playing with their fx pedals wants to minimise the amount of time spent maintaining it, so i don't go there all that often.

I play post-punk, discoish stuff with a edgy, cutting guitar sound. I am really glad I got the Pod XT Live and I can't imagine going back to an amp at all. I have already recommended it to all the guitarists I know who are performing on stage. I used to have a Digitech RP-1, Digitech Whammy pedal, Jim Dunlop wah wah and a load of Boss pedals and the fact of just having one nice-looking unit sitting there doing it all is a big win for me. I just think it is very unfair that they charge so much more for it in the UK than the States, but that's life.

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it? Very easy. It is less easy to always get the sound I *want* out of it.

How about Editing patches? The software from Line 6 is easy enough even for me to use ... but it would be nice it there was a Wizard of some sort.

How is the manual for it (if there is one)? The unit is so easy to use that I have not even opened the manual.

Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded? I ugraded the firmware yesterday from Line 6's web site.

What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with? I am using Strat copies that I built with a variety of single coil pickups. I use with and without amps, and when I use with amps, I have a Roland JC-120 and another set up based on the Crate Powerblock used with speaker cabinets I built with 8" (yes, 8"!) speakers.

Is it noisy? On what settings? Some of the settings I find very noisy, but morst of them are fine.

Are the effects weak or do they always sound great? The effects themselves are wide ranging, and I find them more than adequate.

What amp are you using it with? I use with and without amps, and when I use with amps, I have a Roland JC-120 and another set up based on the Crate Powerblock.

Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they? Yes, SRV and Clapton.

Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad? I would have liked a broader variety of preset reverbs to simulate different room sizes for situations where I am doing direct (without amp) use for recording.

Can you depend on it? Yes. I've had an unusual behavior from the headphones (lost the right channel after switching to a new tone), but powering the unit off and back on (the "Microsoft re-boot solution") solved the problem and it has not happened again.

Tes, *but* I have twoof these so that both the upper and lower pickup sets (independently wired and controlled) on my Strat doubleneck can always have both sets available and at the ready.

If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they? I've never had to deal with customer support ... it works well.

Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired? The only upgrade I needed was firmware, available from their web site.

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match? I play a variety of Blues, Jazz, Pop, Rock, R&B and Country. It is versital and easy to use for all of these.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own? I've been playing over 40 years and I have more gear than I could list here.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? I would buy it again.

what do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature? I love the versatility. I hate the absence of a simple single bypass switch. My favorite feature is the ability to load patches that other people have spent hours creating.

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one? I compared it to several other products including the Boss products at Guitar Center.

Anything you wish it had? Yes, a single "bypass" switch.

Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way? I find it very helpful to start a mood, or a 'flavor' of sound.

Anything else you'd like to share? I wish I'd been able to get one of these this cheap from ebay sooner.

I have owned the Pod XT Live for about four months and I've put countless hours into it. First of all the presets offered when you buy it are not usable as is, they all need major tweeking, their individual volumes aren't even compatible with one another, much less are the E.Q.s setting, need to spend a LOT of time here...Editing is just o.k. for me, not yet able to acces on line editing, but that might be my problem...manual is well presented...a little too hip for my taste, but good....Overall not very easy to get a good live playable dependable soiund, especially a clean picking sound.

I use Fender Strats and Gibson Les Paul plugged through a Fender Amp. Noisy at high gain, but I can live with that, most units are noisy at a high level, some offer better noise gates, but choke your sound so badly, I'd rather get a bit of noise...As far as the effects, the worst ones are the compressors, impossible to get decent sustain and attack without clipping the output, this is very dissapointing for me as I play a lot of country gigs, and I have yet to be able to get a decent clean country picking sound(much like Brad Paisley's) out of this box.(And I know he uses different gear than I do, I don't necessarily mean his tone, but at least the compression, re.:attack and sustain.)...Dirt sounds are o.k. though, the "Eruption sound" preset offered isn't far off, but then again, try hanging a note, you won't hear it for very long, again, lack of sustain....I basically played for years through a Roland GP 8, and with all of its flaws, I can hold a note longer than anyone using the XT Live, without effort!!!!Oh yeah, and I can't find a better compressor than in my GP 8, its just unreliable now, and very noisy and old, I needed a change , but I'm not going to keep my XT Live very long, I will change again.

I have played one night with it, and as soon as I started to bring my level up to the rest of the band's stage volume, that's when the CRAP really came out!!!I am trying to get in touch with other owners and give this box one last chance, by getting suggestions for settings, sounds and tips...Will carry backup gear until satisfied or until I get rid of it, which ever comes first.

I have e-mailed company my concerns about clean sound and sustain, mentioned that I had difficulty accessing on line editing and downloading sounds, asked for help in this area, they returned e-mail sending me back to the same sites I could'nt access, and since I could'nt reply to them within a day or two, they considered my problem solved!?!?! Rating 3 cause at least they returned e-mail, but did not solve problem at all, I felt like I was being brushed off...

I've been playing for over 20 years, toured the country with major recording artists, was a redcording artist myself, have won songwriting awards, had a top ten hit on national countdown (#3), I don't think I'm the best out there, but I do know what I'm talking about. I play country gigs, and rock gigs (70s to today's stuff), have recorded in country, rock, blues, jazz, folk, bluegrass, and other styles...I would not refer this product to anyone, unless somebody can lead me to a good sound. I think the marketing behind this was so good, I bought it too quickly, and thought I would be able to achieve desired sound with all of the stomp boxes offered, that's my problem, Line 6 has done its job, they got my money, but not my vote!!!