Iv. Clipping external devices

If you send too hot of a signal out the Effects Loop or analog outputs (XLR, 1/4"), you can clip external devices. If you find you are clipping an external device, try flipping the line/amp switch on the device to amp or reducing the Master knob. Generally, I use "line"; line-level effects should be able to handle such. Also, it is the preferred setting if you are running into a real amp's effects loop return (also known as power amp in). Also, you can configure the Pod's FX Loop send/receive levels if that's where you're sending too much juice.

With my patch volumes, I can't run the Master knob at full blast into my Spider Valve Mk I combo, or I get a nasty distorted sound. I find I have to turn it down to about 60-70% to dial that out. Switching to "amp" with Master knob at 100% produces less volume, so I prefer to still use "line" but turn down my Master knob.

If you are running into the front guitar input of an amp, you should set line/amp to amp and be very careful of how high you set the Master knob.

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v. "Digital Clipping" (Crossover Distortion) on "Full" Amp Models

Line 6 modeled the crossover distortion produced by the power section of some class AB tube amps when pushed. This is a particularly-nasty sound that resembles digital clipping. This was notorious with the Blackface Twin and Deluxe models, but it also applies to the Vox amps.

The simplest way to get rid of this is to reduce the Drive on the amp (or turning down the "gain" on a Studio EQ before the amp or change the input settings or pad switch - anything to attenuate the signal hitting the amp's power section). You can also clean them up by using the deep-editing parameters (DEP's). Set Bias/Bias X closer to 100%, and/or turn down Master DEP. Another idea is to find the frequencies that are really pushing the amp into that nasty distortion, and dial them back before the amp using EQ effects, or even using the EQ knobs on the amp itself. For instance, if tones with a lot of presence really bring out a lot of crossover distortion, dial the presence back on or before the amp. To make up for lost presence, use an EQ effect after the amp to dial it back in.

For more on this topic see the elusive clean tone section.

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M. Bad Monitoring

Below are some common issues people have with monitoring, preventing them from dialing in patches that sound best across a wide variety of locations and gear.

I. Acoustic Tone

Use headphones or re-amp to find your tone, especially if you are trying to dial in tone at lower volumes (which is generally a bad idea). The acoustic tone from your electric guitar will mislead you as to what your recorded/amplified tone actually sounds like. Using the HD's looper pre-position is a great way to dial in a tone. Or you can record a dry guitar, output it to a mp3 player, then play the clip on repeat from your mp3 player into your Pod. I use a 1/8" male to 1/8" male cable into a 1/8" female to 1/4" male converter into the guitar input of the Pod. You may need to adjust the gain, because your mp3 player's output level may vary from your guitar, but that's a simple adjustment. It's a good process that works.

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Ii. Bad Monitors

Similarly, take note of the crappiness of whatever monitoring device you are using. If you are using headphones with low bass response, and you dial in your tones so they sound full-range on those headphones, your tones will probably sound dark as can be on other speakers. The best you can do is match how another artist sounds through those same headphones. Don't tweak from memory, especially when you have monitors that clearly do not have a flat response.

Ultimately, the best thing you can do is buy excellent monitors. But this doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune. I use M-Audio BX8a's, which can be found for dirt cheap on Ebay. They're not exactly professional monitors, but I make it work. Conversely, you can spend lots of money on monitors that sound great but aren't necessarily a flat response, which prevents patches you dial in on them sounding good on other systems. Read lots of reviews with emphasis on a flat response. Also, if they have voicing options, try to set them up as described in the manual to neutralize any room colorations.

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Iii. Bad Room

Also watch out for bass traps and other madness in the location you are tweaking. I was going crazy thinking the Pod just had crazy issues with the 120 HZ frequency spot, as all my low B notes had a lot more bass than any other notes. I blamed the Pod and was setting up all my patches to suck out bass in that range, then my patches sounded like crap in other settings. I blamed my monitors. Only recently did I figure out it's my room. I've limited myself to mastering my patches using good headphones, or by walking around the room to listen at different places. The tone has drastically less bass across the room.

Ideally, the best way around this is to treat your room. Do some research on this. You don't want to cover every inch of your walls and ceiling with foam wedges - the room will sound "dead". Foam wedges probably aren't even cost effective, but they are easier to put up than buying rigid insulation and building frames and fabric covers.

Your main goals should be to eliminate bass nodes and ringing. Most foam bass traps aren't actual bass traps, but they are thick foam and will absorb more bass than other foam wedges. Just keep in mind they will also absorb other frequencies as well. Prevent ringing by arranging your dampeners off-center from each other to prevent sound from reflecting back and forth on parallel walls. If you have hard, flat, parallel ceilings and floors, at least put a rug down on the floor.

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Iv. Low Volume

Every rookie guitarist makes the mistake of dialing in his patches at bedroom level, only to get to practice (or worse a gig) and discover that his tone makes his amp very unhappy or is way too harsh. This is in part due to the frequency response amps and speakers expect - very bass or treble-heavy tones may cause them to distort. But it also has to do with how the human ear perceives loudness differently over frequency and sound pressure levels. See this Wikipedia entry on the subject.

In those diagrams you'll notice two main things - the exponential curve on the left-hand side from 20 HZ - ~400 HZ and the smaller dip centered around 3-4 kHZ. The curve on the left means you'll have to dial in more and more bass at lower and lower volumes to have it sound the same as at higher volumes. So if you tweak at low volumes, getting a nice thick bass in the tone, at louder volumes the bass will overwhelm the tone, likely causing your amp or speakers to distort. The dip at 3-4 kHZ means at lower volumes, you'll dial in too little in that range compared to the 5-8 kHZ treble. When you turn the volume up, you have not enough mids and too much treble.

Thus, good tones at high volumes often sound wimpy at lower volumes - they don't seem to have enough bass and warmth, and can sound a little cold. Also, they tend to emphasize more mids, especially the upper mids/lower treble around 3 kHZ, which can make them sound tinny and thin.

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Date: 2016-01-03; view: 642