Line 6 POD 2.0 User Manual [ru]

Pilot’s Handbook for version 2.0 software

An in-depth exploration of the revolutionary technologies and pulsing
tonal pleasures of POD, plus the insider info on the optional Line 6 foot
controllers: the
available on the included CD-Rom and at

Floor Board

and

FB4

. An electrophonic version is

www.line6.com

. Revision F.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.

POD, Line 6, Amp Farm, Flextone II, and Line 6 logos are all trademarks of Line 6. Pro Tools and TDM are trademarks of Digidesign. Emagic and SoundDiver are
trademarks of Emagic Software. Mackie and 1202VLZ are trademarks of Mackie. Arbiter, Fender, Marshall, Matchless, Mesa Boogie, Soldano, Vox and other
amplifier and effect models are all trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way affiliated or associated with Line 6. These trademarks of other
manufacturers are used solely for the purpose of describing certain amplifier tones modeled after some of the most popular sounds of these classic amps and effects.

"squeeze" your volume

more.

designed with the

characteristic Fender

shape.

setup; subtler than

choruses "rack" type chorus

Chorus 2

choruses 10% feedback; emulates

an old Roland CE-1 for

classic stomp box sound.

flangers

flangers more feedback.

spinning speaker, a la

the Leslie

have no repeats for

better slapback

EFFECT SETUPS

Effect Tap Tweak Notes

Bypass n/a n/a Turns off the effects

Compressor n/a Ratio Higher settings

Tremolo Tremolo Speed Depth The tremolo was

Chorus 1 Chorus Speed Range of Square wave LFO,

1

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15

8

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6

5

010

14

010 010

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L

O

TREBLE

Version 2.0

THE ULTIMATE GUITAR DIRECT BOX

POD

MIDDLE

BASS CHAN VOL

010

2122

9

12

010

MIDI

MANUAL SAVE



010

Chorus 2 Chorus Speed Range of Sine wave LFO, approx.

REVERBDRIVE

TAP

(HOLD)

GATE

NOISE

TUNER

AB

CD

6

EDITED

Flanger 1 Flanger Speed Range of Light Flange

Flanger 2 Flanger Speed Range of Heavier flange with

Rotary Speaker Rotary Speed Depth This emulates a classic

Delay Delay Time Delay Level Very quick delays will

Delay Swell Delay Time Swell Time Volume swell

2

T

U

P

N

16

20

010

)

DELAY

CAB SELECT

EFFECTS

EFFECT

DELAY/COMPRESSOR

2x12

ROTARY

TWEAK

DELAY/CHORUS 2

DELAY/CHORUS 1

DELAY/TREMOLO

4x10

17

1x12

FLANGER 2

FLANGER 1

CHORUS 2

I

DELAY/FLANGER 1

DELAY/FLANGER 2

4x12

DELAY/SWELL

F

F

O

BYPASSTUBE PREAMP

1x8

COMPRESSOR

TREMOLO

CHORUS 1

25 2627

18 19

BRIT HI GAIN

BRIT CLASSIC

BRIT BLUES

BRIT CLASS A

11

MODERN CLASS A

BLACK PANEL

TWEED BLUES

LINE 6 LAYER

SMALL TWEED

P

LEVEL

OUTPUT

RECTIFIED

MODERN HIGAIN

FUZZ BOX

LINE 6 CLEAN

LINE 6 CRUNCH

LINE 6 DRIVE

S

E

N

O

H

3

)(

AMP MODELS 17– 32
(

AMP MODELS

010

4

6U

23

28

24

*

AMP MODELS

Amp Model Based on: Volume Pedal Reverb

Line 6 Clean Line 6 21st Century Clean Pre Room

Line 6 Crunch Line 6 Thick Grindage Pre Spring

REDUCED SIZE BACK COVER FOLDOUT FOR ELECTROPHONIC PILOT'S GUIDE

Line 6 Drive Line 6 Industrial Strength Overdrive Post Room

Line 6 Layer Line 6 Clean meets Psychotic Drive Post Room

Small Tweed 1952 Fender Tweed Deluxe Pre Room

Tweed Blues 1959 Fender Bassman Pre Spring

Black Panel 1964 Blackface Fender Deluxe Pre Spring

Modern Class A 1996 Matchless Chieftain Pre Spring

Brit Class A 1960 Vox AC 15 Pre Room

Brit Blues 1964/65 Marshall JTM-45 Pre Room

Brit Classic 1968 Marshall “Plexi” Pre Room

Brit Hi Gain 1986 Marshall JCM 800 Post Room

Rectified 1994 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Post Room

Modern Hi Gain 1989 Soldano SLO Super Lead Overdrive Post Room

Fuzz 1960s Arbiter Fuzz Face Post Room

Tube Preamp Tube-based instrument preamp Post Room

(Hold Tap and turn to this position) for Amp Models 17-32:

(Line 6 Clean) Line 6 Twang Fender Deluxe and Bassman Pre Spring

(Line 6 Crunch) Line 6 Crunch #2 ’68 Marshall Plexi 50 watt Pre Room

(Line 6 Drive) Line 6 Blues Marshall JTM-45 meets Budda Twinmaster Pre Room

(Line 6 Layer) Line 6 Insane Way too many hours of shredding Post Room

(Small Tweed) Small Tweed #2 ’60 Tweed Fender Champ Pre Room

(Tweed Blues) Boutique #3 Budda Twinmaster head Pre Room

(Black Panel) Black Panel #2 ’65 Blackface Fender Twin Pre Spring

(Modern Class A) Brit Class A #3 ’60 Vox AC 15 Pre Room

(Brit Class A) Brit Class A #2 ’60 Vox AC 30 non-Top Boost Pre Room

(Brit Blues) California Crunch #1 ’85 Mesa Boogie Mark IIc+ Clean Channel Pre Spring

(Brit Classic) California Crunch #2 ’85 Mesa Boogie Mark IIc+ Drive Channel Post Spring

(Brit Hi Gain) Boutique #1 Dumble Overdrive Special Clean Channel Pre Room

(Rectified) Rectified #2 ’95 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Head Post Room

(Modern HiGain) Modern HiGain #2 ’89 Soldano SLO Super Lead Overdrive Post Room

(Fuzz Box) Boutique #2 Dumble Overdrive Special Drive Channel Post Room

(Tube Preamp) Jazz Clean 1987 Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Post Room

29

FLEXTONE: TAP LIT BUTTON FOR TAP TEMPO / HOLD LIT BUTTON FOR MANUAL

* Fender, Marshall, Vox, Budda, Dumble, Matchless, Mesa Boogie, Soldano, Roland, Arbiter, and other amplifier and effect models are all trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Line 6. These trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely for the purpose of describing certain

amplifier and effect tones produced using Line 6's modeling technology. Line 6's modeling technology provides POD with a wide variety of sounds and effects modeled after some of the most popular sounds of these classic amps. Line 6, POD, Floor Board, the Line 6 logo and the POD logo are trademarks of Line 6, Inc.

P

r

e

s

e

t

s

2

D

O

P

0

.

More great sounds for your POD are at www.line6.com

A Big Rectifier with Delay & Room Reverb
B

Black Panel with Compression & Spring Reverb
C Vox AC-30 Top Boost
D Marshall JTM-45 with Room Reverb

BANK 1BANK 2BANK 3BANK 4BANK 5BANK 6BANK 7BANK 8BANK 9

A Line 6 Clean with Compression
B

Line 6 Crunch with Room Reverb
C Line 6 Drive with Delay
D Line 6 Layer with Light Chorus & Delay

A Small Tweed with Room Reverb – modeled after 1952 Fender Deluxe
B

Tweed Blues – modeled after 1959 Fender Bassman
C Black Panel with Tremolo & Spring Reverb – modeled after 1965 Fender Deluxe
D Modern Class A – modeled after 1996 Matchless Chieftain

A Brit Class A with Echo – modeled after 1963 Vox AC 30 Top Boost
B

Brit Blues – modeled after 1965 Marshall JTM-45
C Brit Classic – modeled after 1968 Marshall “Plexi”
D Brit Hi Gain – modeled after 1990 Marshall JCM 800

A Rectified – modeled after 1994 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Tremoverb
B

Modern Hi Gain with Echo & Verb – modeled after 1989 Soldano X88 Preamp
C Fuzz Box – modeled after Arbitor Fuzzface
D Tube Preamp –

A Line 6 Twang with Slapback Echo – modeled after Fender Deluxe meets Bassman
B

Line 6 Crunch #2 with Room Reverb – modeled after Plexi + more tone range
C Line 6 Blues – modeled after Marshall JTM-45 meets Budda Twinmaster
D Line 6 Insane with Echo & Verb –

for direct recording of non-guitar instruments

guaranteed to make you shred!

Fender, Marshall, Vox, Dumble, Matchless, Mesa Boogie, Roland, Soldano, Arbiter, and other

amplifier and effect models are all trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way

associated or affiliated with Line 6. These trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely

for the purpose of describing certain amplifier tones produced using Line 6's modeling technology.

Line 6's modeling technology provides Line 6 products with a wide variety of sounds and effects

A Small Tweed #2 – modeled after 1960 Fender Champ
B Boutique #3 – modeled after Budda Twinmaster
C Black Panel #2 – modeled after 1965 Blackface Fender Twin
A Brit Class A #3 with Echo – modeled after 1960 Vox AC15

A Brit Class A #2 – modeled after 1960 Vox AC 30
B

California Crunch #1 modeled after Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Clean Channel
C California Crunch #2 modeled after Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Drive Channel
D Boutique #1 with light slapback – modeled after Dumble Overdrive Special Clean

A Rectified #2 modeled after 1995 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Head
B

Modern Hi Gain #2 modeled after 1989 Soldano SLO Super Lead Overdrive
C Boutique #2 – modeled after Dumble Overdrive Special Drive

modeled after some of the most popular sounds of these classic amps and effects.

D Jazz Clean with Chorus – modeled after Roland JC 120 Jazz Chorus

Rev D

CHAPTER 1: Q

UICK START GUIDE

ANUAL

M

I

NTRODUCTION

? I DON’T N

Register and Get Great Free Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1•1

Get On-line: Line 6 Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1•2

Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1•3

Amp & Cab Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1•4

There’s Magic in the A.I.R.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1•5

Customizing your Amp Models and Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1•7

ToneTransfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1•7

CHAPTER 2: C

CHAPTER 3: G

All Purpose Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•1

S

CENARIO ONE

Mount Up: Mounting Accessories Available for POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•1

Gimme Some A.I.R.: The All Important Air Switch and How to Set It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•2

Picking The Right Inputs: Line Level Inputs Are The Ticket!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•2

Ready to Play Anywhere: The Versatile POD Works with Systems Large & Small . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•2

Boom Boxes & Small Portable Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•3

Big Time Connections: POD Setup in High-End Studios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•4

First Time’s a Charm: Simple POD Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•4

Changing History: Setting Up POD for More Versatile Processing & Later Tweaking . . . . . . . . . . . .3•4

Direct Injection: Direct Guitar Signal Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•5

Return to Sender: Setting Up POD in a Send-Return Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•5

Level Headed: Setting Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•7

Radiation Alert: Computer Monitors as a Source of Hum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•7

Pedal Power: Foot Control Options for POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•8

Not So Big Time Connections: POD Setup in Small Studios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•9

Stomp Boxes: Using Them with POD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•9

MIDI Mania: Controlling POD with MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•10

EED NO STINKING

: W

ELCOME THE

ONTROLS

ETTING SET UP

– IN THE S

& C

TUDIO

ANUAL

M

!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1•1

POD...

ONNECTIONS REFERENCE

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2•1

S

CENARIO TWO

Mount Up: Mounting Accessories Available for POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•11

Gimme Some A.I.R.: The All Important Air Switch and How to Set It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•11

POD Takes Over: Using POD as a Tone-Shaping Front End for a Guitar Amp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•12

Cabinet Tuning Modes: Correctly Tuning POD for your Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•12

POD Output Level: A Word of Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•13

Tuning Your Amplifier: Setting Up your Guitar Amplifier to Host POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•13

POD Live Hook-Up Illustrations: Pictures to Help you Get Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•14

Stomp Boxes, Live Setups, & You. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•15

Pedal Power: Foot Control Options for POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3•16

CHAPTER 4: M

– POD P

ODELED AMPS

LAYS LIVE

& C

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4•1

ABS

CHAPTER 5: POD E

Deep Editing: Where to Look for More Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5•1

POD Onboard Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5•1

Reverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5•2

Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5•2

Tremolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5•3

Chorus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5•3

Flanger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5•3

Rotary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5•4

Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5•4

Noise Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5•5

Combined Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5•6

FFECTS

CHAPTER 6: C

Using the Manual Mode Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•1

Using the Channel Program Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•1

ToneTransfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•1

POD Sounds on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6•2

Your POD Sounds Transfer to POD Pro and Flextone II Series Amplifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6•2

Swapping POD Channels with Friends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6•2

Edit Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6•3

Customizing Amp Models and Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6•4

About Customization Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6•4

Activating Customization Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6•6

Memory Reset: Returning your POD to its Factory-Programmed State of Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6•7

CHAPTER 7: T

Floor Board: The Full-Featured POD Foot Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•1

Getting Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•1

Two Modes:

Two Modes:

FB4: Simple Foot Control for POD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•9

REATING

HAT’S USING YOUR FEET

1. Channel Select Mode

Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•2

Channel Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•3

Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•3

Editing and Saving POD Channels with the Floor Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•3

Tap Tempo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•4

Tuner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•4

Wah Pedal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•5

Volume Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•5

2. Effect On/Off Mode

Distortion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•6

Drive/Boost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•6

EQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•7

Tremolo/Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•7

Delay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•7

Reverb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•7

Effect On/Off Setting Stored with Programmed Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•8

TORING PROGRAMS

& S

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7•6

CHAPTER 8: D

MIDI Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•1

What’s MIDI?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•1

MIDI In/Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•1

MIDI Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•2

MIDI Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•2

Emagic SoundDiver Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•4

POD / POD Pro / Flextone II ToneTransfer via MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•5

Transferring All Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•5

Transferring Some Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•5

Backing Up POD Programs to Other Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•7

Transferring All Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•7

Transferring Some Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•7

Other Things You Can Do with MIDI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•8

Changing POD Channels with MIDI Program Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•8

Tweaking POD Tones with MIDI Controllers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•8

Full MIDI Automation of POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•8

Step-By-Step With SoundDiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•10

SoundDiver Setup Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•15

APPENDIX

A: Amp Models & Associated Parameters
B: Effect Parameters: Tapping, Tweaking & More
C: MIDI Program Changes
D: MIDI Controls
E: Line 6 Contact: Customer Service & Other Line 6 Products
F: Warranty Info & Instructions for Obtaining Factory Service

EEP EDITING

MIDI Program Changes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•2

MIDI Controllers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•2

MIDI Sysex Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•3

& MIDI C

ONTROL

Q

UICK START GUIDE

:

“M

ANUAL

DON’T NEED NO STINKING MANUAL

? I

!”

Q

UICK

“M

ANUAL

1. Turn the POD O

2. Plug the POD L
mixer’s input, or plug the left output into your guitar amplifier’s
input. Or connect headphones to the PHONES jack on your POD.

2. If you’re plugged into a guitar amp, set A.I.R. switch to ‘AMP.’
Otherwise, set it to ‘DIRECT.’

3. Plug the power adapter into the POD P
plug the other end into an AC wall socket.

4. Connect your guitar to the POD I

5. Flip the P

6. Select an A

7. Set the C
heart’s desire. O

8. Pick an E
T
BUTTON to set the speed of the selected effect.

9. Browse pre-programmed settings using the UP/DOWN arrows.
You can press the M
gives you where-the-knobs-are-is-how-it-sounds operation.

10. What number 10? You’re already up and running!

S

TART

DON’T NEED NO STINKING MANUAL

? I

UTPUT LEVEL

EFT

switch near the POD power connector to fire up.

OWER

MP MODEL

HAN VOL

UTPUT LEVEL

FFECTS

WEAK

so you’re happy with the sound. Tap the TAP TEMPO

setting and adjust the R

G

UIDE

or:

control all the way down to zero.

and R

to max and the B

IGHT OUTPUTS

NPUT JACK

.

sets the output level (duh).

ANUAL button for a “Manual Override” that

into your recorder or

OWER CONNECTOR

.

, MID, and T

ASS

EVERB LEVEL

REBLE

and E

, then

to your

FFECTS

1 • 1

!”

But wait, before you go any further, flip to the inside back cover of this manual and
notice that it folds out. The idea is to have this handy pictorial reference always
opened out while you’re thumbing through the manual. If you photocopy the back
of it, you’ll have a handy template for making a note of your favorite POD

settings. Now then, before you run off....

REGISTER AND GET GREAT FREE STUFF!

Included in this manual is a handy, postage-paid card for you to send back to us to
register your purchase, and let us know a little about yourself. It is

very important

QUICK START GUIDE: GET ON-LINE

1 • 2

that you fill that registration card out right now, and send it to us in the mail or
jump on the internet and register at the Line 6 Support Center – www.line6.com.

How come? Well, for one thing, it gets you all set up for warranty service should
you ever have a problem with your POD. (Warranty info is at the end of this
manual.) It also ensures that we will be able to contact you if new software
versions or other enhancements are offered – cutting edge technology and all that.

GET ON-LINE

Here at Line 6, our mission is to bring powerful new technologies to musicians. As
part of that mission, we focus great effort on making the Internet a valuable
resource for every one of our customers. You may already have surfed the Line 6
site at http://www.line6.com when you were considering your purchase, and
found all the information already there on Line 6 products and technologies.

The Line 6 web site is one of the most effective ways for us to bring you what you
need. Through the Internet, we can give you instant access to all kinds of great,
free stuff to make you and your POD ever more powerful. Like easy email access to
our product support experts, handy tips & tricks, electronic versions of this and
other documentation, the latest news of what’s happening with Line 6 and the

products we make for you, and....

Line 6 ToneTransfer and Discussion Forums: Visit the web site, and you’ll
find a powerful way to connect to other POD and Flextone II users. Swap sounds,

get and give advice, and generally hang out and get POD-a-licious, all from the
privacy of your own comfy computer chair!

Already on the Internet? Great! Visit us often and check out the late-breaking
news and the other resources there. Not on the Internet yet? This may be the time
to make the big jump, and thereby ensure that you will get all the great resources
we can offer for you and your POD.

INTRODUCTION: WELCOME THE POD...

INTRODUCTION

WELCOME THE POD...

Thank you for inviting POD home with you. Whether you use your POD as a
direct recording miracle, a stomp box on steroids, for practice, or as a creative
digital signal processing tool – and heck, why should it be just one? – we think
you’ll agree that POD is about the most amazing thing to happen to electric guitar
since – well, since the guitar amplifier itself. POD mines the tonal heritage of the
past forty years of guitar amplifier design and matches it up with the kind of digital
signal processing magic that will still be ahead of its time in the next century.

How does POD help you create a guitar tone that is out of this world, and then get
that tone wherever you need it? Easy! It’s…

MODELING

Modeling: just what is it, and why is it so important? (By the way, you sent in that
registration card or did it on the web, right? OK, just checking.)

1 • 3

Tubes, we can all agree, are the heart and soul of every legendary guitar amp and
are responsible for the warm, harmonic-rich tone quality of those amps. Solid state
devices (transistors) are simply unable to duplicate tube warmth and performance.
And “hybrids” – a tube in a circuit along with a bunch of transistors – are really a
vain attempt at warming up a transistor-based tone. They fall short in any
comparison to a 100% tube circuit. So that’s it – tubes or nothin’, right? Well, not

any more....

You see, the engineers at Line 6, being an adventurous lot, and totally pumped
about this whole guitar tone thing as well, decided to stock up on the coffee, bust
out the engineering equipment, and get down to learning everything there is to
know about tubes. Riding high on the caffeine wave, they began a three-year
project to analyze and map out exactly how different types of tubes respond under
various conditions typical of guitar amplifier design. How tubes process an input

INTRODUCTION: WELCOME THE POD...

1 • 4

signal, how the signal is colored and shaped, at what point it begins to distort, the
quality and characteristic of the distortion – complicated stuff, but all analyzable
as electronic data. A guitar pickup output, after all, is an electronic signal, and
tubes are really just a complex form of signal processing.

The Line 6 engineers also directed their caffeine-enhanced attention to a study of
guitar speaker cabinets, and the important part they play in communicating great
guitar tone.

Having sussed it all out, the Line 6 engineers were then able to apply their digital
expertise to develop software which simulates the signal processing of tubes and
other electronics, as well as the speaker cabinets, entirely within the digital
domain. Cool, huh?

This revolutionary DSP (digital signal processing) software-based modeling
technology gives Line 6 the power to create super silicon-based life forms like
POD: a tonally mind-blowing, multi-FX packed, shiny red wonder box with

ultimate flexibility for creating awesome guitar tone....

AMP & CAB MODELS

This modeling know-how allowed Line 6 to create software Amp and Cab Models
modeled after a collection of amplifiers and speaker cabinets recognized by
guitarists the world over as true “tone classics.” We got these amps and cabs
together, cranked ’em up, and had a look at the electronic data generated by the
tubes, transformers, capacitors, plate and grid voltages, tone control curves – and
the whole mess of components and elements unique to each amplifier design. This
research led to the creation of Line 6’s software Amp and Cab Models. These
models were tweaked up through careful, scientific A/B comparisons to the gear
that inspired them, with an ear open for the effects of different volume levels and
settings of the originals’ tone and gain controls. The gain and equalization
characteristics of the modeled amps were carefully measured so that changes to
amp knobs on the models would mirror the effects of these changes on the
originals as closely as possible. We’re talkin’ major attention to detail here. Tone
control center frequencies, slopes, and cut/boost range were painstakingly
analyzed, and we also carefully attended to the effect of presence switches, “bright”
channels, and other model-specific factors. Not only that, but since these old amps
have highly interactive circuits, we paid careful attention to the way that the

INTRODUCTION: WELCOME THE POD...

setting of one knob changes the way that another knob on the amp behaves. All
in an effort to make our Amp and Cab Models as much like the amps and cabs we
modeled as possible.

The resulting Amp and Cab Models are the foundation of POD. Now, then – here
are a couple of things we want to be completely crystal clear on:

1. The Line 6 modeling process is a patented, 100% digital software-based

technology exclusive to Line 6.

2. Line 6 Modeling is not sampling, nor is it solid state; no special guitar,

pickup, or cabling is needed.

THERE’S MAGIC IN THE A.I.R.

POD delivers its modeling tones through another innovation: Line 6's A.I.R.
direct recording output. The A.I.R. (acoustically integrated recording) technology
is the result of intensive research and careful study of the tonal characteristics
produced by the interaction of amplifiers, cabinets, speakers, microphones and the
recording room during the recording process.

The direct output of many preamps, amplifiers and direct box-style amp
replacements available today offer some limited form of cabinet simulation or
speaker emulation. Those that happen to be more than simple high end roll offs
have little or no control options. These cabinet simulations cannot reproduce the
markedly different tones of different cabinets which arise from the choice of
speakers, wood, and other design elements. They also fail to reproduce the
significant tonal contribution of microphone selection and placement, and do
nothing to reproduce the subtle ambience of the recording space.

1 • 5

The result is the familiar dissatisfaction with direct recording products – even
those that deliver a reasonably usable basic tone fail to reproduce the “life” of the
guitar sound, and destroy the proper feel in the process. It is as if your guitar strings
became heavier and less responsive, like they just went up a couple of gauges when
you plugged into your direct box. And your sound lost its life.

POD's combination of Amp Models and A.I.R. technology provides superior
direct tones by recreating all the elements contributing to a great recorded guitar
sound, and giving you that tone with the same feel as playing through a real amp

INTRODUCTION: WELCOME THE POD...

1 • 6

and speaker cabinet:

• The effect of the guitar amplifier electronics is emulated by the Amp Model you
choose. Each model was developed from extensive study of a classic amplifier
treasured as a tone classic.

• In a guitar amp, once the guitar signal passes through the electronics, it is output
to one or more speakers in a speaker cabinet. The specific design of the speakers,
how many there are, and how they are arranged contributes significantly to your
guitar tone, as does the construction and resulting tone of the wood box itself. A
Marshall head driving a single 12-inch speaker in an open-back cabinet, for
instance, will sound dramatically different from the same head driving a 4x12
closed-back cabinet. Line 6 has carefully constructed virtual software speaker
cabinets that emulate the contribution made by real speaker cabinets to great
guitar sound.

• Once the sound makes it out of the speaker cabinet, the next important link in
the recording system is the microphone that receives that sound. Guitar
recordists select different microphones, and arrange them in different
placements, to get particular sounds. A microphone pointing directly into the
cone of a speaker will hear something different than one positioned off-axis.
Line 6 carefully analyzed the coloring that standard microphones add to the
guitar sound, as well as the effects of different mic placement techniques, and
developed a set of cabinet simulations that give you the tone of great speaker
cabinet and microphone combinations.

• The guitar amp, cabinet, and microphone don't just sit in empty space. The
room that they are in contributes importantly to the guitar sound you will
record. Reverb can be used to capture the basic character of the space,
simulating the effect of the sound reflecting off the room's walls, floors and
ceiling. But there are other subtle details that have more to do with the “spread”
of the sound as it passes through the air between the speaker and microphone.
This final component is the key to the sense that the listener is in one position
in the room, and the guitar sound is in another position, and that the two are
separated by a mass of air that sound spreads through to reach the listener.

All of these important sound-shaping components are accounted for in Line 6's
POD. Turn the Amp Model knob to call up the amplifier emulation you want.
POD automatically matches that amplifier with an appropriate cabinet and
microphone setup, and gives you the sound of that setup coming through the air of
a recording space. You can add reverb to taste, and start recording incredible mic'd

INTRODUCTION: WELCOME THE POD...

up sound. The included SoundDiver MIDI-control software lets you use a
Macintosh or Windows computer to do “deep editing” of these and other POD
parameters. With it, you can design your own custom rig, making new
combinations of Amp Model and cabinet/microphone emulation, and adjusting
the contribution of the “spread” of the sound as well.

The A.I.R. direct recording output is exclusive to Line 6. In combination with
Line 6's Amp Models, it is the key to POD's phenomenally satisfying direct
recording sound.

CUSTOMIZING YOUR AMP MODELS AND EFFECTS

New with version 2.0 software, you can customize the settings for each of POD’s
Amp Models and Effects. This way, when you pull up an Amp Model or Effect via
their knobs, you’ll get your very own favorite setting for that amp or effect,
without having to do a lot of knob twiddling. Chapter 6 has all the details.

TONETRANSFER

With your POD, you get a constantly-expanding universe of sounds, and the
ability to use those sounds with POD, POD Pro, or the Flextone II series
amplifiers. Visit our ToneTransfer Web Library at www.line6.com, or one of the
many other sources popping up for sound exchange. The sounds you collect
transfer seamlessly between POD, POD Pro and Flextone II series amps, so
wherever you go, all your sounds can make the trip.

1 • 7

AND AWAY WE GO....

So, now that you know what’s in store, it’s time to experience POD for yourself.
Grab your favorite axe, plug in to POD, and flip back to the handy Quick Start
Guide on the first page of this chapter if you haven’t already been through that.

Then, press ahead to the POD Grand Tour....

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

If you haven’t already done so, turn to the inside back cover of this manual and
notice that it folds out. Ooh, pretty pictures! The idea is to have this essential
pictorial reference always opened out while you’re thumbing through the manual.
And if you photocopy the back of it, you’ll have a handy template for making a
note of your favorite settings. The boxed numbers that pop up throughout the
manual correspond to the numbers on the foldout’s illustrations.

1

Power Switch - Right edge of POD. Flip this to bring your POD to life.

2

Input - Bottom right side of POD illustration. Plug your guitar in here. (You

techies will want to know this is a mono, unbalanced connection).

Phones - Bottom left side of POD illustration. Plug in your headphones here

3

for silent practicing. Volume’s set by the Output Level knob. The headphone
amplifier is designed to provide hot signals for a variety of headphones. As a result,
you can get very loud output from this connector. Be sure to set levels carefully so
you don’t blow your head off when listening to your POD through your phones.

2 • 1

4

Output Level - Far left knob on the POD illustration. Controls the

overall output level of POD. Also sets the headphone level. This setting is not
saved when you store settings into one of the POD’s memory locations. Changing
the Output Level does not change your tone. So you can get the tone you want at
any volume level.

POD will give the best signal-to-noise ratio performance when you have the
Output Level control at max. With the Output Level control turned down low, you
may get extra hiss that obviously ain’t what you want. In order to allow you to set
the Output Level as high as possible with recording, mixing, and other studio gear,

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

be sure you are plugging POD’s outputs into line level, not microphone or

guitar level inputs. Line level inputs should allow you to turn POD’s Output Level
up all the way (or close to it) and thereby get the best sound possible. If your gear

2 • 2

has inputs that function as mic/line level inputs, try to set the trim for those inputs
to the minimum level, and POD’s Output Level to maximum, when setting levels.

5

Left & Right Output - Top left of POD illustration. These are

balanced 1/4" TRS connectors, and ready to rock with pro +4 dBu balanced
equipment. They will also work happily with unbalanced -10 dBV equipment and
standard guitar cables. If you are running POD mono, use the Left output. (POD is
smart; if it sees that only the left output and no headphones are connected, it will
switch to mono, summing the effects processing properly so you hear things like the
Rotary Speaker emulation correctly in mono. If you have headphones connected,
POD will always run stereo.)

6

A.I.R. Mode - Between Left and Right Outputs. We discussed the

benefits of POD’s A.I.R. output in the first chapter of this handbook. When you’re
setting up with POD, here’s the thing to know: if you’re plugging your POD into
a guitar amplifier to use POD as a “front end” to change the amp’s tone, flip the
A.I.R. Mode switch to AMP, and set your amp for a clean tone. This defeats the
speaker-microphone-room tone simulation of the A.I.R. processing. If you’re using
POD in almost any other setup (plugging direct into a mixer, recorder, PA, power
amplifier, etc.) you want the DIRECT position of this A.I.R. switch. When running
into an amp, be sure NOT to plug in headphones, as they will override the A.I.R.
switch position and turn A.I.R. on so that things sound right in the headphones,
but wrong on your amp. See Chapter 3 to learn how to tune POD for your setup.

7

Foot Pedal Connector - Top of POD illustration. Looks like a

telephone connector on steroids. This is where you connect the optional Line 6
Floor Board or FB4 foot controllers.

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

8

MIDI In & Out - Top right of POD illustration. Connect POD to your

MIDI equipment to select channel memories (via Program Change messages) or
automate POD settings (via controllers and/or Sysex). Emagic SoundDiver
software is included on the POD Tools CD for sound editing/storage on a
computer. The POD MIDI OUT connects to another device’s MIDI IN; its MIDI
IN goes to another device’s MIDI OUT. Please also see Chapter 9, Deep Editing
and MIDI Control, to setup your MIDI gear with POD and find out what MIDI
can do for POD and you.

Manual Button - In the middle of the POD. Press this button to light it

9

and activate Manual Mode. In this mode, wherever the knobs are set is what you’re

hearing. Move knobs around to change sounds. Or....

Channel Up/Down Buttons - To the left of the Manual button.

10

The POD has 36 channel locations (POD is like a 36-channel amp) that store a
huge variety of complete amp-and-effect selections pre-programmed by the tone
mavens at Line 6 to rock your world. They are arranged in nine banks of four
channels each. (The four are called A, B, C, and D.) You can think of each bank as
a sort of virtual four-channel guitar amp – and you’ll find that the same layout is
used on the optional Line 6 foot controllers for POD (the Floor Board and FB4)
which are discussed later in their own chapter. You access POD channels by
pressing the Up and Down buttons. Tap either button to move to the next
channel in the bank; press and hold down either Up or Down button to jump from
bank to bank. The Manual button’s light goes off to let you know you’re not in
Manual – the “where-the-knobs-are-is-how-POD-sounds” – Mode anymore. When
recalling a channel, its settings will not be reflected by the present knob positions –
like you may have left the Bass knob at minimum whereas the just-recalled channel
has this control set to max. To change anything, just grab the knob you want and
tweak. More on all that later.

2 • 3

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

11

Amp Models - Bottom left knob on the POD with words all round it. When

you spin this knob, it’s essentially like changing what electronic “circuitry” is
running inside POD to make your amp sound. (Also see Modeled Amps and

2 • 4

Cabs in Chapter 4.) We’ve arranged the Amp Models around the knob so you get

Line 6’s four custom sounds first. From there, the models go clockwise from
“cleanest” (Small Tweed) to “dirtiest” (Fuzz Box). And then we finish up with the

Tube Preamp for processing non-guitar sources.

New with Version 2.0 software, you have a selection of 32 Amp Models from this
knob (earlier versions could access only 16). To access models 17-32, hold down
the TAP button and turn the Amp Models knob.

When you choose an Amp Model, a Cabinet Model is also loaded automatically.
For instance, when you choose the Brit Hi Gain model (based on the classic
Marshall JCM 800 head), a Cabinet Model based on a Marshall 4x12 will be loaded
with it. You can choose a different cabinet via the Effects/Cab knob (below).

In fact, with Version 2.0 software, all amp-related settings are automatically loaded
when you turn the Amp Models knob. Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, Cab, Reverb
type, etc. will all be determined by the Amp Model you choose – giving you a
ready-to-rock sound with the turn of just this one knob. Once you get familiar with
POD, you can change these Amp-associated settings to customize the settings of
each of the Amp Models to fit your tastes. Note that when you’re in Manual Mode

then Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Channel Volume are set by the knob positions instead
of being automatically set with the amp selection. Complete details are in Chapter 6.

12

Drive - Knob to the left of the button panel. This knob controls how hard

you’re driving the input of the chosen Amp Model. Like the input volume control
on a non-master volume guitar amp, higher settings give you more “dirt.”

13

Tone Controls - Following the arc of knobs up and to the right. Bass,

Middle, Treble. Just like a regular guitar amp, only when you change Amp Models,

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

the response and interactivity of the controls changes, too – to act like the tone
controls of the original amp that inspired the Amp Model you’ve selected. POD
also has a Presence bump that can be switched on and off when you hold the Ta p
button and turn the Treble knob. The detail is in the Tap (HOLD) Functions
section that begins in another couple pages or so.

Chan Vol - This knob controls the relative volume level of the “channel”

14

you are playing through. Use this to balance levels between the sounds you store in
two different POD channels (say between your backing and lead tones). In general,
you want to set the Chan Vol as high as possible to insure you’re getting the best
signal-to-noise ratio performance.

15

Reverb - How much reverb do you want today? Spin this knob to set the

Reverb level. Two flavors of reverb live inside POD; a model of a spring reverb,
and a room reverb tone. Which you get depends on which Amp Model you select.
Generally speaking, if the amp that inspired a given Amp Model had a spring
reverb, that’s what you’ll get. If the amp didn’t have a reverb (like the 1968
Marshall “Plexi” which inspired the Brit Classic model), you’ll get the room. The
back cover foldout, Chapter 4, and Appendix A run down the details.

2 • 5

16

Effect Tweak - This knob varies the effect you’ve chosen. Turn it up and

the effect will go deeper, louder, faster, longer or just plain more. The speed of the
effects (delay, tremolo, chorus, flanger, rotary speaker simulation) is set by the Ta p
switch (coming up in a page or two). For all the inside poop, look at the back cover
foldout, Appendix B for Effect Parameters, and the POD Effects chapter. If you
set the Effects knob to Bypass, Effect Tweak will, of course, not change anything.

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

17

Effects/Cabs - This knob selects which effect or combination of effects

you get (once again, all the details on effects are in the POD Effects chapter).
New with Version 2.0 software, this knob also allows you to choose Cabinet

2 • 6

Models, and mix ’n’ match them with the Amp Models. To choose a Cabinet
Model, hold the TA P button and turn this knob; the available cabinets are labeled
in gray around the knob. Choosing an Amp Model will automatically select an
appropriate cabinet; you can customize this Amp/Cab pairing, as described in
Chapter 6.

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Tuner - Button in the middle of the POD. Press that puppy and – shazam!

Instant digital chromatic tuner. All POD’s Amp Model and effects processing are
bypassed so you can hear those questionably-tuned strings clearly, should you
choose to do so. Play a note on your guitar and POD will show you what it is on
that handy single-character display; all notes are displayed as naturals or flats, so
you’ll see A instead of G . Play that string you’re trying to tune again, spin its
tuning key so it goes sharp and flat, and two little red arrows below the Tuner
button will give you a light show. The idea is that the left pointing arrow will light
if you’re sharp. The right pointing arrow will light if you’re flat. And both arrows
will light at the same time when you’ve got it just right. Give any one of POD’s
buttons a push and the tuner disappears just as swiftly as it came and you’re right
back to normal POD operation.

Tuner Volume - You can adjust the tuning volume of your POD by turning the
Chan Vol knob while the tuner is active (this doesn’t affect the volume of your

not-in-tuner-mode POD sound). Alternatively, if you have a Floor Board
connected, the volume pedal will control the tuner volume, too.

Tuner Reference - Want a different reference than A=440Hz? When you’re in
the tuner mode, turn the Middle knob on POD while watching the display. Hey,
it changes! You can set the reference frequency anywhere from 436-445 Hz. This
setting is stored so you don’t have to reset it every time you turn on POD if you
decide you want to be different (or if that piano in your rehearsal room has
decided to be different). Since there’s only one digit in the POD display, all we
display is the last number, so if you set the tuner to reference 441 Hz, you’ll see “1”.

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

19

Noise Gate - Turns on and off the POD’s built in Noise Gate. More

Noise Gate details in the POD Effects chapter.

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Tap - This control sets and displays the current tempo or speed of delay or

tremolo/chorus/flange/rotary speaker. To use the Tap control, just tap the button at
the tempo you want. For Chorus and Flange effects, the speed is actually displayed
by the blinking of the button and set at twice the speed of the effect so you don’t have
to count to 23 between taps if you want to set up a really slow chorus. And for
Tremolo the tapped tempo is displayed and set at half the speed of the Tremolo
effect, so you can get fast tremolo settings even if you can’t tap as fast as Bruce Lee.
You can also simply hold the Ta p button and turn the Effect Tweak knob to
change the speed or tempo of your effects. This is especially useful if you are trying
to nudge your Ta p setting to just the right value. See the Effects chapter, the back
cover foldout, and Appendix B for Effect Parameters to learn exactly what Ta p
controls for each of the Effect settings.

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Tap (HOLD) Functions - The Tap button also lets you access a

second layer of POD features: Amp Models 17-32, Cab Model selection, Delay
Feedback, Delay Level, Reverb Decay Time, a Presence Boost, a Volume Boost, and
a Drive Boost. Here’s the detail:

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Amp Models 17-32: Hold down, and keep holding down, the Ta p button as

you turn the Amp Models knob to select Amp Models 17-32. Appendix A lists
these Amp Models and details about them. Chapter 4 describes them.

Cab Model Select (Effects Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down, the
Ta p button as you turn the Effects knob to select Cab Models. The cab models
are labeled in gray. You’ll find a list of the Cab Models at the end of Chapter 4.

Drive Boost On/Off (Drive Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down, the
Ta p button as you turn the Drive knob up past twelve o’clock, and you get the

kind of extra ‘dirt’ that you’d expect from a Distortion pedal with the distortion

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

control set low and the output control set high. It boosts your guitar signal before
it reaches the Amp Model, so that you hit the model harder and get a dirtier
sound. This is just the same as kicking on the Distortion at the Floor Board

2 • 8

(details in Chapter 7). As you do this, the Channel A light comes on if you turn
the Distortion on.

Delay Repeats (Bass Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down, the Ta p
button as you turn the Bass knob to set Delay Repeats any time you’re using a
Delay effect. More Delay details are in the Effects Chapter.

Delay Level (Middle Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down, the Ta p
button as you turn the Middle knob to set Delay Level any time you’re using a
Delay effect. More Delay details are in the Effects Chapter.

Presence Bump On/Off (Treble Knob): Hold down, and keep holding
down, the Ta p button as you turn the Treble knob up past twelve o’clock, and you

get a Presence boost, brightening your tone. Same as the EQ boost on the Floor
Board (details in Chapter 7). As you do this, the Channel C light comes on if
you turn the Presence “circuit” on.

Volume Boost On/Off (Chan Vol Knob): Hold down, and keep holding
down, the Ta p button as you turn the Chan Vol knob up past twelve o’clock, and

a Volume Boost kicks in. This boosts volume without extra ‘dirt’ – like for a lead
boost. This is the same as kicking on Drive/Boost at the Floor Board (details in
Chapter 7). As you do this, the Channel B light comes on if you turn the Drive
Boost on.

Reverb Decay Time (Reverb Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down,
the Ta p button as you turn the Reverb knob to set Reverb Decay Time (the
apparent “size” of the Reverb). More Reverb details are in the Effects Chapter.

Effect Speed (Effect Tweak Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down, the
Ta p button as you turn the Effect Tweak knob to fine tune the current Effect’s
speed. More Effect details are in the Effects Chapter.

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

2 • 9

Hold the TAP button to access these features

21

Save - When you want to store your own tweaked up sounds in your POD,

this button is the key. Exactly how it works is detailed in Chapter 6: Creating &
Storing Sounds. But you’re probably impatient, so here are the basics:

When you are using one of the pre-programmed POD sounds, the POD’s single­digit number display will be lit, telling which bank you are in – 1 thru 9 – and one
of the channel letters – A thru D – will be lit also. If you turn one of POD’s knobs,
you’ll notice the word “EDITED” will be lit to the left of the POD single-digit
display. This is a reminder to you that you have tweaked the memorized channel,

CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

and that you should save it if you want the memory to remember the tweak. To save
your changes, press the Save button . The button will start to flash. Press the

Up and Down buttons and you will see that you are switching through

2 • 10

memory locations A, B, C, and D in each of POD’s nine numbered banks. Pick
one to store your sound in, and press that Save button a second time. The button’s
light will stop flashing, and the sound is stored at the location you chose, replacing
the sound that was stored there before. Doesn’t get much simpler than that. After
the sound is stored, you can bring it back any old time by simply pressing the Up
and Down buttons to call up the location where you stored it. (See Chapter 7 to
learn how to do all this with your feet on the Floor Board).

If you aren’t using one of the pre-programmed POD sounds – you’re in Manual
mode, and you’re just getting the sound of where the knobs are set – you can store
that state into a memory location the same way. Press Save, use the Up and Down
buttons to choose a place to save to, and press Save again.

You may want to audition the memorized POD “preset” sounds before you start
saving anything. Note the ones you can live without as locations you can save over.

21

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If you decide you don’t want to store the sound after you’ve started saving, press
the Ta p , Manual, Tuner, Noise Gate, or MIDI button to cancel the save. (The
save will also be canceled if you don’t press any buttons for 5 seconds after having
pressed Save.)

The Save button also lets you customize any of the Amp Models and Effects to
your own taste, so your customized version of the amp or effect comes up instantly
when you turn Amp Models or Effects. See Chapter 6 for the details on that.

22

MIDI - This button is used to set POD’s MIDI channel and dump sounds

via MIDI. Details are in the Deep Editing & MIDI Control chapter.

GETTING SET UP: SCENARIO ONE – IN THE STUDIO

GETTING SET UP

The numbers in black boxes below refer to the back cover foldout’s POD illustration.

ALL PURPOSE BASICS

Plug POD’s power supply into the wall, and connect it to the power input on the
right edge
If you want to listen to POD with headphones, plug them into the Phones
jack. If you’re gonna be PODding in a recording studio, you’ll want to check out
Scenario One below.

If you’re using POD for practice or live gigs, flip forward a few pages and read up on

Scenario Two.

of your POD. Plug the output of your guitar to the POD Input .

1

3

3 • 1

2

SCENARIO ONE – IN THE STUDIO

If you’re going to be using your POD in a recording situation, here’s what you need to
know to get set up:

Mount Up

When you’re looking for the perfect spot to put your POD, you’ll want to know
about the optional POD mic stand / amp top adaptor you can get from Line 6 – it’s
described on the POD Tools CD-Rom and the Line 6 web site (where it can also
be purchased). We know this is a shameless plug to get you to buy more gear, but

what the heck – you just may want some! And a POD carry case....

GETTING SET UP: SCENARIO ONE – IN THE STUDIO

Gimme Some A.I.R.

If you’re plugging POD’s output into anything other than a guitar amplifier’s input,

3 • 2

flip the

DSP is active, and you are getting a virtual version of the speaker-cabinet-air­microphone experience that’s so good you may never use a regular guitar amplifier
and microphone set up again. The POD 1/4" TRS outputs are versatile, merrily
sending their magic tones into +4dBu balanced, or -10dBu unbalanced inputs.
Quality cables are obviously recommended for best performance.

A.I.R. switch to its DIRECT position. In this mode, the A.I.R.

6

Pick the Right Inputs

If you’re hooking your POD up to a recorder, mixer, or other equipment, be sure
you are plugging its outputs into line level inputs on your other gear, as opposed to
microphone level or guitar level inputs. This will insure that you get the best
signal-to-noise ratio (lots of juicy guitar tone, not too much hiss) with POD. Some
equipment uses the same physical inputs for mic & line level sources, allowing you
to trim low level signals (like mics) up to a high level at the inputs. If you are
plugging your POD into one of these inputs, try setting the trim to minimum, and
twisting POD’s Output Level and Chan Vol knobs up to maximum. If your
equipment has a couple of open line-level only inputs, you’ll probably get better
performance by plugging into these, rather than the wide-ranging mic-to-line level
trimmed inputs.

Ready To Play Anywhere

POD makes friends easily. It’s right at home next to a multiple hundred thousand
dollar, bajillion input SSL console, and will just as happily do its thing with your
portable cassette recorder. Here’s how to hook up, starting from the simple stuff
and working our way up the recording system food chain:

GETTING SET UP: SCENARIO ONE – IN THE STUDIO

BOOM BOXES & SMALL PORTABLE STUDIOS

Connect the output of the POD to the input of your system. Ideally, you want
to connect both right and left outputs to your gear and run stereo. Make sure the
A.I.R. switch is set to DIRECT, plug your guitar into the guitar input, and
away you go. Set your POD Output Level
signal feeding into your gear, but not so loud that it’s overdriving your system and
distorting. Try turning the Amp Model knob to POD Clean, set POD’s
Drive to the 9 or 10 o’clock position, and Chan Vol to Max. Now play
with the POD Output Level knob and any input volume control on your system
so you can get the maximum sound level out of your POD without going so far
that you overdrive the input and cause unwanted distortion. If you’ve got some
headphones handy, you can plug them into the POD headphone output to make
sure that it sounds the same as what you hear through your system. Before you
strap the phones on your ears, be careful that the headphones aren’t too loud,
since their level is set by the Output Level, too.

12

6

5

2

so that you’re getting plenty of

4

11

14

3 • 3

GETTING SET UP: SCENARIO ONE – IN THE STUDIO

BIG TIME CONNECTIONS

With bigger setups including a mixer and a multi-track recorder, or with new
fangled setups like computer-based and stand-alone Digital Audio Workstations,
you’ve got a couple choices. If you’re a MIDI computer user, you’ll also want to

3 • 4

check out the Deep Editing & MIDI Control chapter to learn about the
complete MIDI control available with the POD, including the SoundDiver editor/
librarian program that’s included on the POD Tools CD.

First Time’s a Charm

Make sure the POD A.I.R. switch is set to DIRECT. The “normal” thing to do
is plug your guitar into POD, and then connect your POD’s +4 dBu stereo TRS 1/4"
left and right outputs to the inputs of your system (the POD outputs are also
perfectly happy connecting to -10 dBV and unbalanced equipment). POD will
process your guitar as you play, and you can print that processing to tape (or disk) as
you make your tracks. For most situations, you may find this is perfect.

6

Changing History

But there is another option that can give you the exciting ability to go back in time
and change your amp and effect settings weeks after you’ve recorded your guitar
tracks, bringing you flexibility and creative control during mixdown that you could
never get with a traditional guitar amplification system. It’s like this: the simple
setup just described in the preceding paragraph is basically like taking a reverb,
running your vocal mic’s preamp into it, and printing the reverb-processed sound to
your recorder’s track. Now you’ve got that vocal performance, with that reverb
setting, on tape (or disk). The more often used studio setup is to record the vocal to
your recorder’s track dry, using an effect send on your mixer’s tape return channel to
send the vocal to the reverb to audition the effect processing as you record your
track. Then, when it’s time to mix, you can make final decisions about the verb to
insure that it’s fitting in with the rest of your tracks. You can use a completely
different verb if you want to, or no verb at all – all your possibilities are open. You
can use POD like this – in an effect send/return set up – and get great advantages of
flexibility for your guitar tracks. Here’s how this configuration works, plus other
hook-up details:

GETTING SET UP: SCENARIO ONE – IN THE STUDIO

Direct Injection

First thing to do to play the send/return game is get your guitar to deliver a direct
input to your recorder or mixer, or the input of your computer-based audio system.

How about just plugging the guitar’s output into a mixer channel? Guitar pickups
like to feed into a high impedance load – at least 300 KOhms impedance;
1 MOhm is ideal for the best results. Most mixer inputs are relatively low
impedance, and therefore don’t deliver ideal guitar tone; you will tend to get a
darker, “squashed” sound if you plug the guitar in directly. To avoid this, we
recommend buffering your guitar’s signal before the mixer with a quality DI box or
tonally “transparent” instrument preamp. Look for a unit that delivers clean,
uncolored sound. Steer clear of amp simulators. You can use a guitar preamp, as
long as it is clean, with a flat frequency response – no tone shaping.

With that said, you can sometimes get acceptable results plugging direct into a
line level mixer channel if you have a guitar with hot, active pickups (since the
active electronics’ output can have relatively low impedance). For instance, we’ve
sometimes plugged a guitar right into a channel on a Mackie 1202 VLZ, cranked
up the trim, and gotten acceptable results. Don’t try to plug into a microphone
level mixer input if you’ve got active pickups, because the extremely low
impedance of mic inputs will load the active circuitry down too much.

3 • 5

Return to Sender

Next, we’re gonna look at how you’d connect your POD to a send and a return
from your system. Which you don’t have to do, but it gives the flexibility we talked
about in the ‘Changing History’ section a page or two back.

Configure things the way you would with a reverb: you want to be able to track
your guitar unprocessed, and audition the POD processing as you are playing or
tracking. So, for instance, if you have a mixer with direct outputs from some or all
of its channels, along with a separate tape or disk recorder, you’ll do something
like this:

GETTING SET UP: SCENARIO ONE – IN THE STUDIO

3 • 6

Return To Sender Illustration

Hooking up POD to a mixer send/return

Plug the guitar into your DI. Plug the DI into a mixer channel with a direct out.
Set the trim on your channel so your input levels look good. Plug the direct output
from the mixer channel into one of your recorder’s track inputs, and set the
recorder to monitor the input to that track. Connect the recorder’s track output to
another mixer channel input that has a direct output. Plug that direct output into
your POD’s input, and plug the POD outputs into one of your mixer’s stereo

GETTING SET UP: SCENARIO ONE – IN THE STUDIO

channel inputs. Make sure the POD A.I.R. switch is set to DIRECT.
You should be all ready to play your guitar and hear it POD-processed, and lay
down a track on your recorder. Then you can play back the track and switch amps,
effects, whatever – welcome to the digital software revolution! And for an even
more revolutionary experience, be sure to check out the MIDI Mania section
below, plus the Deep Editing & MIDI Control chapter to learn how to
automate it all. By the way: don’t monitor the pre-POD and post-POD guitar
signals at the same time, as you’ll get comb filtering that will mess up your sound.
(Scary, huh?)

6

Level Headed

When setting levels in any of the above scenarios, watch carefully for the CLIP
indicator to light on your POD (it’s just under the Up and Down buttons).
This lets you know you’re clipping the POD input and so you need to turn down
the signal you’re feeding it. You should also be sure you don’t send too little level to
POD. As with any audio device, this will result in poor performance.

10

Radiation Alert

You’re also likely to find, especially if you are using a guitar with single coil
pickups, that it is quite easy to pick up some serious noise from any computer
monitor you might have in your studio. CRT displays are, after all, just special
purpose ray guns that shoot photons at you all day long. Your guitar pickups
receive and amplify the electro-magnetic fields that your display radiates, and you
hear this in your audio signal as buzz and hum. Moving farther from the CRT, and
turning your guitar so it does not directly face the computer’s display, will
minimize this problem. But if you find yourself in a tight studio setup, needing to
lay down some quick tracks, and being pestered by CRT-induced buzz, you may
find it helpful to do as we have sometimes done: set up your track to record and
start your pre-roll; reach up and flick your computer monitor’s power switch off;
record your guitar part; stop your recording, flick the monitor back on, and check
out the buzz-free playback.

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