Line 6 POD Pro User Manual

Pilot’s Handbook

An in-depth exploration of the revolutionary technologies and pulsing tonal pleasures that power your POD Pro, plus insider information on its optional companion Line 6 foot controllers – the Floor Board and FB4.

Electrophonic version available at www.line6.com and on accompanying CD. Revision C.

REDUCED SIZE BACK COVER FOLDOUT FOR ELECTROPHONIC PILOT'S GUIDE

POD PRO FRONT PANEL:

POWER

1

PHONES

4

AMP MODELS

6

19

18

EFFECTS

DIGITAL SYNC

MODERN CLASS A

DELAY

44.1KHZ 48 KHZ EXTERNAL

6

BLACK PANEL

BRIT CLASS A

MANUAL

MIDI

SAVE

ROTARY SPEAKER

2 X

12

DELAY/COMPRESSOR

TWEED BLUES

BRIT BLUES

FLANGER 2

4

DELAY/TREMOLO

SMALL TWEED 8

A 7

FLANGER 1 14

X

20

BRIT CLASSIC

1

DELAY/CHORUS 1

0

NOISE

TAP

LINE 6 INSANE

BRIT HI GAIN

TUNER

CHORUS 2

X

DELAY/CHORUS 2

GATE

(HOLD)

1

LINE 6 DRIVE

RECTIFIED

15

16

17

CHORUS 1

8

12 DELAY/FLANGER 1

LINE INPUT GUITAR INPUT

X

LINE 6 CRUNCH

MODERN HI GAIN

TREMOLO

X

4

DELAY/FLANGER 2

1

OFF

LINE 6 CLEAN

FUZZ BOX

COMPRESSOR

DELAY/SWELL

PRO

BYPASS

TUBE PREAMP

BASS 10 MIDDLE

TREBLE

CHANNEL

REVERB

EFFECT

OUTPUT

3

PODTHE GUITAR RECORDING & LIVE SOUND SOLUTION

(AMPS 17-32) DRIVE

VOLUME

LEVEL

TWEAK

(CAB SELECT)

9

11

12

13

5

GUITAR INPUT

INPUT CLIP

2

(HOLD TAP FOR ALTERNATE FUNCTIONS)

(DISTORTION ON/OFF)

(DELAY FEEDBACK)

(DELAY LEVEL)

(PRESENCE ON/OFF)

(BOOST ON/OFF)

(DIGITAL OUT GAIN)

(EFFECT/TAP SPEED)

SIGNAL

0

10

0

10

0

10

0

10

Hold TAP and turn the Effects knob to select Cab Models.

AMP MODELS 1-16:*

Hold TAP and turn the Amp Models

CAB MODELS:*

EFFECT SETUPS

AMP MODELS 17-32:*

knob to select Amp Models 17-32.

Amp Model

Based on:

Tap plus...

Amp Model

Based on:

Type:

Based On:

Effect

Tap

Tweak

Notes

Line 6 Clean

Line 6 21st Century Clean

(Line 6 Clean)

Line 6 Twang

Fender Deluxe and Bassman, with more tone control range

1x8

1960 Fender Tweed Champ

Bypass

n/a

n/a

Turns off the effects

Line 6 Crunch

Line 6 Thick Grindage

(Line 6 Crunch)

Line 6 Crunch #2

’68 Marshall Plexi 50 watt with more tone control range

1x12s

1952 Fender Tweed Deluxe

Compressor

n/a

Ratio

Higher settings "squeeze" your

Line 6 Drive

Line 6 Industrial Strength Overdrive

(Line 6 Drive)

Line 6 Blues

Marshall JTM-45 meets Budda Twinmaster meets Line 6

1960 Vox AC-15

volume more.

Line 6 Insane

Way too many hours of shredding

(Line 6 Insane)

Line 6 Layer

Line 6 Clean meets Psychotic Drive

1964 Fender Blackface Deluxe

Tremolo

Tremolo Speed

Depth

The tremolo was designed with the

Small Tweed

’52 Fender Deluxe

(Small Tweed)

Small Tweed #2

’60 Tweed Fender Champ

Line 6 1x12

characteristic Fender shape.

Tweed Blues

’59 Fender Bassman

(Tweed Blues)

Boutique #3

Budda Twinmaster head

2x12s

1965 Fender Blackface Twin

Chorus 1

Chorus Speed

Range of

Square wave LFO, "rack" type chorus

Black Panel

’65 Fender Deluxe

(Black Panel)

Black Panel #2

’65 Blackface Fender Twin

1967 Vox AC-30

choruses

setup; subtler than Chorus 2

Modern Class A

’96 Matchless Chieftain

(Modern Class A)

Brit Class A #3

’60 Vox AC 15

1995 Matchless Chieftain

Chorus 2

Chorus Speed

Range of

Sine wave LFO, approx. 10% feedback;

Brit Class A

’63 Vox AC 30 with Top Boost

(Brit Class A)

Brit Class A #2

’60 Vox AC 30 non-Top Boost

Line 6 2x12

choruses

emulates an old Roland CE-1 for

Brit Blues

’65 Marshall JTM-45

(Brit Blues)

California Crunch #1

’85 Mesa Boogie Mark IIc+ Clean Channel

4x10s

1959 Fender Bassman

classic stomp box-type sound.

Brit Classic

’68 Marshall Plexi 50 watt

(Brit Classic)

California Crunch #2

’85 Mesa Boogie Mark IIc+ Drive Channel

Line 6 4x10

Flanger 1

Flanger Speed

Range of

Light Flange

Brit Hi Gain

’90 Marshall JCM-800

(Brit Hi Gain)

Boutique #1

Dumble Overdrive Special Clean Channel

4x12s

1996 Marshall with Vintage 30s

flangers

Rectified

’94 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Tremoverb Combo

(Rectified)

Rectified #2

’95 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Head

1978 Marshall with stock 70s

Flanger 2

Flanger Speed

Range of

Heavier flange with more feedback

Modern Hi Gain

’89 Soldano X88R Preamp

(Modern Hi Gain)

Modern Hi Gain #2

’89 Soldano SLO Super Lead Overdrive

1968 Marshall Basketweave Greenbacks

flangers

Fuzz Box

’60’s Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face

(Fuzz Box)

Boutique #2

Dumble Overdrive Special Drive Channel

Line 6 4x12

Rotary Speaker

Rotary Speed

Depth

This emulates a classic spinning

Tube Preamp

Tube-based instrument preamp

(Tube Preamp)

Jazz Clean

’87 Roland JC-120

OFF

No Cab. Try it on non-guitar signals.

speaker, a la the Leslie

			Delay	Delay Time	Delay Level	Very quick delays will have no repeats
						for better slapback
			Delay Swell	Delay Time	Swell Time	Volume swell
21	25	23	26	27
22			24
			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 tones produced using Line 6's modeling technology. Line 6's modeling technology provides the Flextone 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.

D O P

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

s

e

e

r

t

P

s

r

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

P

o

1

A

Big Rectifier with Delay & Room Reverb

BANK

B

Black Panel with Compression & Spring Reverb

C

Vox AC-30 Top Boost

D

Marshall JTM-45 with Room Reverb

2

A

Line 6 Clean with Compression

BANK

B

Line 6 Crunch with Room Reverb

C

Line 6 Drive with Delay

D

Line 6 Layer with Light Chorus & Delay

3

A

Small Tweed with Room Reverb – modeled after 1952 Fender Deluxe

BANK

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

technology.modeling6'sLineusingproducedtonesamplifiercertaindescribingofpurposethefor effectsandsoundsofvarietywideawithproducts6Lineprovidestechnologymodeling6'sLine effects.andampsclassictheseofsoundspopularmosttheofsomeaftermodeled

4BANK5BANK6BANK7BANK8BANK9BANK

D

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

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 – for direct recording of non-guitar instruments

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 – guaranteed to make you shred!

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

D 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

Rev A

The serial number can be found on the back panel of your POD Pro. Please note it here for future reference:

SERIAL NO:

WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not remove screws. No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel.

CAUTION: 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.

The lightning symbol within a triangle means “electrical caution!” It indicates the presence of information about operating voltage and potential risks of electrical shock.

The exclamation point within a triangle means “caution!” Please read the information next to all caution signs.

POD Pro Pilot’s Handbook © 2000, Line 6, Inc. Line 6, POD, POD Pro, Bass POD, Flextone, Floor Board, FB4, AX2, and Amp Farm are trademarks of Line 6, Inc. All other product trademarks are property of their respective owners.

YOU SHOULD READ THESE IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS IN A SAFE PLACE

Before using your POD Pro, be sure to carefully read the applicable items of these operating instructions and the safety suggestions.

1.Obey all warnings on the POD Pro and in this Pilot’s Handbook.

2. Do not place near heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, or appliances which produce heat.

4.Guard against objects or liquids entering the enclosure.

5.Connect only to AC power outlets rated 100-120V or 230V 47-63Hz (depending on the voltage range of the unit;

refer to the back panel). Current ratings should be 400mA for the 120V range and 200mA for the 230V range.

6.Do not step on power cords. Do not place items on top of power cords so that they are pinched or leaned on. Pay particular attention to the cord at the plug end and the point where it connects to the amp.

7.Unplug your POD Pro when not in use for extended periods of time.

8.Do not perform service operations beyond those described in the POD Pro Pilot’s Handbook. In the following circumstances, repairs should be performed only by qualified service personnel:

•liquid is spilled into the unit •an object falls into the unit

•the unit does not operate normally or changes in performance in a significant way

•the fuse is blown (replace with 400mA timed fuse for 120V, and 200mA timed fuse for 230V) •the unit is dropped or the enclosure is damaged

9.Prolonged listening at high volume levels may cause irreparable hearing loss and/or damage. Always be sure to practice “safe listening.”

CHAPTER 1: QUICK START GUIDE

MANUAL? I DON’T NEED NO STINKING MANUAL! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1•1 Register and Get Great Free Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1•1 Get On-line: Line 6 Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1•2

INTRODUCTION: WELCOME THE POD...

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: CONTROLS & CONNECTIONS

Front Panel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2•1

Rear Panel Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2•10

CHAPTER 3: SETTING UP IN THE STUDIO

Live/Studio Mode Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•1 Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•1 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•2 Re-Amping and Processing Line Level and Non-Guitar Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•7 Stomp Boxes: Using Them with POD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•9 Radiation Alert: Hum Induced by Computer Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3•9

CHAPTER 4: LIVE SETUPS

Live/Studio Mode Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4•1 Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4•1 Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4•2 Cabinet Tuning Modes: Correctly Tuning POD for your Speaker Cabinets . . . . . . . . . . . 4•5 Stomp Boxes: Using Them with POD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4•6 Pedal Power: Foot Control Options for POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4•7 POD Takes Over: Using POD as a Front-End for Another Guitar Amplifier . . . . . . . . . . 4•8

CHAPTER 5: MODELED AMPS & CABS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5•1

CHAPTER 6: POD EFFECTS

Deep Editing: Where to Look for More Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•1 POD Onboard Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•1 Reverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•2 Compressor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•2 Tremolo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•3 Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•3 Flanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•3 Rotary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•4 Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•4 Noise Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•5 Combined Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6•6

CHAPTER 7: CREATING & STORING PROGRAMS

Using the Manual Mode Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•1 Using the Channel Program Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•1 ToneTransfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•1 POD Sounds on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•2 Your POD Sounds Transfer to PODs and Flextone II Series Amplifiers . . . . . . . . . . 7•2 Swapping POD Channels with Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•2 Edit Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•3 Customizing Amp Models and Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•4 Activating Customization Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7•7 Memory Reset: Returning your POD to its Factory-Programmed State of Mind . . . . . . . 7•7

CHAPTER 8: THAT’S USING YOUR FEET

Floor Board: The Full-Featured POD Foot Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•1 Getting Connected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•1 Two Modes: 1. Channel Select Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•2 Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•2 Channel Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•3 Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•3 Editing and Saving POD Channels with the Floor Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•3 Tap Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•4 Tuner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•4 Wah Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•5 Volume Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•5

Two Modes: 2. Effect On/Off Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•6 Distortion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•6

CHAPTER 8: THAT’S USING YOUR FEET continued

Drive/Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•6 EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•7 Tremolo/Chorus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•7 Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•7 Reverb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•7 Effect On/Off Setting Stored with Programmed Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•8

FB4: Simple Foot Control for POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8•9

CHAPTER 9: DEEP EDITING & MIDI CONTROL

MIDI Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•1 What’s MIDI? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•1 MIDI In/Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•1 MIDI Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•2 MIDI Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•2

MIDI Program Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•2 MIDI Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•2 MIDI Sysex Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•3

POD / POD Pro / Flextone II ToneTransfer via MIDI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•3 Transferring All Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•3 Transferring Some Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•4 Backing Up POD Programs to Other Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•5 Transferring All Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•5 Transferring Some Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•5 Emagic SoundDiver Software for Deep Editing and ToneTransfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•6 Other Things You Can Do with MIDI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•7 Changing POD Channels with MIDI Program Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•7 Tweaking POD Tones with MIDI Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•7 Full MIDI Automation of POD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•7 Step-By-Step With SoundDiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•6

SoundDiver Setup Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9•14

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

QUICK START GUIDE: “MANUAL? I DON’T NEED NO STINKING MANUAL!”

QUICK START GUIDE	1 • 1
or:

“MANUAL? I DON’T NEED NO STINKING MANUAL!”

1.If you’re using your POD for recording, set the rear panel LIVE/ STUDIO switch to ‘STUDIO,’ and connect POD’s 1/4 inch or XLR outputs to your mixer or recorder inputs, or connect headphones.

2.If you’re using your POD as a preamp into a power amp and speaker cab(s), set the rear panel LIVE/STUDIO switch to ‘LIVE,’ and connect POD’s 1/4 inch outputs (not the XLRs) to your amp inputs.

3.Connect your guitar to the GUITAR INPUT JACK and set the toggle switch above the jack to ‘GUITAR INPUT.’

4.Connect the rear panel POWER and flip the front panel POWER switch to fire up. (Keep the volume down on your amp or mixer in case of audible pops at POD’s outputs during power up).

5.Select an AMP MODEL.

6.Set the CHANNEL VOLUME to max and the BASS, MID, and TREBLE to your heart’s desire. OUTPUT LEVEL sets output level. (Clever!)

7.Pick an EFFECTS setting and adjust the EFFECT TWEAK and REVERB LEVEL so you’re happy with the sound.Tap the TAP button to set the speed of the selected effect.

8.Browse the pre-programmed settings using the UP/DOWN arrows. Or press the MANUAL button for a “Manual Override” that gives you where-the-knobs-are-is-how-it-sounds operation.

9.What number 9? You’re already up and running!

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...

1 • 3

Thank you for inviting POD home with you. Whether you use your POD as a direct recording miracle, a powerhouse preamp, 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 the 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.)

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

1 • 5

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.

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 and speaker cabinet:

INTRODUCTION: WELCOME THE POD...

	1 • 6	• 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
		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

INTRODUCTION: WELCOME THE POD...

parameters. With it, you can design your own custom rig, making new

1 • 7

combinations of Amp Model and cabinet/microphone emulation, and adjusting the contribution of the “spread” of the sound as well.

And when you’re playing live using POD as a preamp, you’ll get a speciallytailored direct out with speaker simulation optimized to feed the house mix or P.A.

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

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 7 has all the details.

TONETRANSFER

With your POD, you get a constantly-expanding universe of sounds, and the ability to use those sounds with the POD series – POD Pro and the original POD – 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.

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....

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

2 • 1

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 - Left side of front panel. Flip to bring your POD to life.

2 Guitar Input - Right side of front panel. Plug your guitar in here. There is

also a line level input on the back for use when you are re-amping (processing tracks playing back from tape or disk), or when you are processing non-guitar line level sources. This is also great for the line level output from many wireless systems. Make you sure you set the...

3 Input Select Switch - Right side of front panel. This switch selects

either the front panel Guitar Input or the rear panel Line Input. Pick one.

4 Phones - Left side of front panel. Plug in your headphones here 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.

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

		5	Output - Far right knob in the “knob trench.” 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
2	• 2	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, be sure you are plugging POD’s outputs into line level, not microphone or guitar level inputs, when you have Studio Mode selected (via the rear panel switch described in the following pages). 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 has inputs that function as mic/line level inputs, start by setting the trim for those inputs to the minimum level, and set POD’s Output to max, when setting levels.

6 Manual Button - In the middle of your POD. Press this button to light it and activate “Manual” Mode. In this mode, wherever the knobs are set is what you’re hearing. Move knobs around to change sounds. Or....

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

The POD has 36 channel locations (POD is like a 36-channel amp, or an effects processor with 36 memory locations) 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 rig – 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. If you had been in Manual Mode,

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

the Manual button’s light will go 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 the physical Bass knob pointing at minimum, whereas the just-recalled 2 • 3 channel has this control set to max. To change anything, just grab the knob you

want and tweak. More on all that later.

8 Amp Models - Top 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 Cabs in Chapter 5.) We’ve arranged the Amp Models around the knob so you get (starting from the bottom) 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 designed for processing non-guitar sources (though the depraved amongst you will be able to get some tasty guitar tones there as well).

You have a selection of 32 Amp Models from this knob. 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 (as described in another page or two).

In fact, 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 coming up in Chapter 7.

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

9 Drive - Far left knob in the “knob trench.” This knob controls how hard

2 • 4 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.”

10 Tone Controls - Continuing to the right of the Drive knob... Bass, Middle, Treble. Just like a regular guitar amp, only when you change Amp Models, 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 Tap button and turn the Treble knob. The detail is in the Tap (HOLD) Functions section that begins in another couple pages or so.

11 ChannelVolume - This knob controls the relative volume level of the “channel” you are playing through. Use this to balance levels between the sounds you store in two different POD channels (say between your rhythm and lead tones). In general, you want to set the Channel Volume as high as possible to insure you’re getting the best signal-to-noise ratio performance.

12 Reverb Level - 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. Chapter 5 and Appendix A run down the details.

13 EffectTweak - This knob varies the effect you’ve chosen. Turn it up and

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

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 Tap 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 2 • 5 set the Effects knob to Bypass, Effect Tweak will, of course, not change anything.

14 Effects/Cabs - Top right knob on POD with words all round it. This knob selects which effect or combination of effects you get (once again, all the details on effects are in the POD Effects chapter). This knob also allows you to choose Cabinet Models, and mix ’n’ match them with the Amp Models. To choose a Cabinet Model, hold theTAP button and turn this knob; the available cabinets are labeled in gray around the knob. Choosing an Amp Model (via the Amp Models knob) will also automatically select an appropriate cabinet; you can customize this Amp/Cab pairing, as described in Chapter 7.

15 Tuner - Button in the middle of 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 Channel Volume 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.

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

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

2 • 6 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”.

16 Noise Gate - Another button in the middle of POD. Turns on and off the POD’s built in Noise Gate. More Noise Gate details in the POD Effects chapter.

17 Tap - And yet one more button in the middle of POD. This control sets and displays the current tempo or speed of your effects – delay, tremolo, chorus, flange, or 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 set – and displayed by the blinking of the button – 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 Tap 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 Tap setting to just the right value. See the Effects chapter, the back cover foldout, and Appendix B to learn exactly what Tap controls for each of the Effect settings.

17 Tap (HOLD) Functions - TheTap button also lets you access a second layer of POD features: Amp Models 17-32, Cab Model selection, Delay Feedback, Delay Level, Digital Out Gain, a Presence Boost, a Volume Boost, and a Drive Boost.

You can get to these functions by holding down the Tap button while tunring one of POD Pro’s knobs; this is good when you just need to make a quick tweak and

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

then get back to the regular knob functions. If you want to live on the alternate functions for a while (say while taste-testing all the Cab Models with a particular sound you’ve got going) you can latch the alternateTap functions by pressing down

theTap and Manual buttons at the same time. All the knobs will now perform 2 • 7 their secondary, gray-labeled functions until you press the Tap button again to

disable this latched mode. While you’re latched on the secondary functions, POD Pro flashes itsTap light on and off slowly to remind you the knobs are doing their secondary jobs.

Here’s the detail on each of the things you can do with the Tap (HOLD) functions:

Amp Models 17-32: Hold down, and keep holding down, theTap 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 5 describes them.

Cab Model Select (Effects Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down, the

Tap 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 5, and on the back cover foldout.

Drive Boost On/Off (Drive Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down, the

Tap 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 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 (details in Chapter 8). 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, theTap 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, theTap button as you turn the Middle knob to set Delay Level any time you’re using a

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

Delay effect. More Delay details are in the Effects Chapter.

Presence Bump On/Off (Treble Knob): Hold down, and keep holding

2 • 8 down, theTap button as you turn theTreble 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 8). 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, theTap 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 8). As you do this, the Channel B light comes on if you turn the Drive Boost on.

Digital Out Gain (Reverb Knob): This control allows you to add extra gain at your POD’s digital output. This is useful when you are recording with clean or other low level tones. For instance, if you have the Drive knob set low and your tone controls turned low as well, you may find that you aren’t able to get your digital out level near peak even with the Channel Volume knob at max. This is because you aren’t getting the gain contribution of the Drive control, and the gain boosts of the tone controls. We’ve provided you with extra gain in the digital domain to compensate for this, so that you can get a hot digital output from your POD with this sound. To do this, hold down, and keep holding down, theTap button as you turn the Reverb knob to set the volume level at POD’s digital outputs. Turning this knob to max adds an extra 12dB of gain at the digital out to help you get fulllevel digital output with clean or lower volume sounds. Turning this control to minimum adds no extra gain to the digital output. Please note that when you add extra gain here, it IS possible that you could clip the digital output if you are using a high gain sound, so be sure to monitor the digital output signal as you are recording to insure everything’s hunky dory.

Effect Speed (Effect Tweak Knob): Hold down, and keep holding down, the

Tap button as you turn the Effect Tweak knob to fine tune the current Effect’s speed. More Effect details are in the Effects Chapter.

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

18 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 7: Creating & Storing Sounds. But you’re probably impatient, so here are the basics:

2 • 9

When you are using one of the pre-programmed POD sounds, POD’s single-digit 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 that single-digit display. This is a reminder to you that you have tweaked the memorized channel, and that you should save it if you want the memory to remember the tweak. To save your changes, press the Save button 21. The button will start to flash. Press the Up

and Down 10 buttons and you will see that you are switching through 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 8 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.

If you decide you don’t want to store the sound after you’ve started that Save button a-flashin’, press the Tap, 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

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your own taste, so your customized version of the amp or effect comes up instantly when you turn Amp Models or Effects. See Chapter 7 for the details on that.

2 • 10

19 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.

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Here’s the part where we go behind-the-scenes of your POD Pro. Looking at the rear panel, we’ll start from the left side:

Line Level Input & Output - The two jacks illustrated below. These 1/4" connectors carry line level signals into and out of your POD, and run signals that are unbalanced at -10 dBV level. If you want to use the Line Level Input, be sure

to set the front panel switch 3 to the Line Input position.

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So what can you do with these jacks? Lots of stuff:

Re-Amping – One of the things that made the original POD a valued tone

2 • 11

tool was its value in re-amping of guitar tracks. Say somebody has already recorded some guitar tracks, and you are now mixing them. If the guitars seem to need a bit more edge, or some other tone shaping, you can run your outputs from your tape or disk tracks into the POD and make magic. Don’t forget to set the front panel Input Select switch 3 to the Line Input position.

Hardware Amp Farm – Line 6’s Amp Farm software is sort of like a software POD that runs on a Pro Tools system. One of the things that Amp Farm lets you do is record un-processed guitar to disk, while hearing it processed non-destructively by the Amp Farm plug-in software. You hear the sound of the amp simulation as you track, but you haven’t committed it to the recording. (This is much like the way you would handle reverb when recording a vocal; you record naked vocal to the track, while using reverb as you monitor the post-tape/disk signal or a separate feed off the signal before it goes to the track.) The line level in/out on your POD Pro let you do this. Plug the Unprocessed Guitar Out into your recorder, and plug the output of that track into the Line Level Input (or feed the line level input via an effect send that gets signal from the recorded track). Now you can hear your POD processing as you track, but you haven’t committed your guitar tone choice to tape. That means you can change from a modeled Marshall to a modeled Boogie during the mix stage, once you see how your tracks are fitting together. Or you can change Cab Models or any other aspect of your sound. Don’t forget to set the front panel Input Select switch 3 to the Line Input position.

Non-Guitar Processing – Another thing people like to do with both POD and Amp Farm is process everything else but guitars. Drums, vocals, keyboards, entire mixes – you name it, people are using Line 6 modeling

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products to process it. The line level input on your POD Pro helps you make the connections to these signals. Don’t forget to set the front panel Input Select switch 3 to the Line Input position.

2 • 12

Tuner Output – Want to use a stage tuner with your POD? The

Unprocessed Direct Out is a perfect signal source.

Wireless Guitar Connection – Many wireless guitar systems have a line level output. You can plug it into the POD Pro rear panel Line Level Input, and you’re ready to rock. Don’t forget to set the front panel Input Select switch 3 to the Line Input position.

Stereo Effect Loop - POD Pro’s Stereo Effect Send and Return are preMaster Volume. When it comes to cabling, there are important things to know:

Use The Right Cable! While hooking up your effect send/return, be sure to use a stereo cable to connect them to other devices. If you are connecting to a device with separate left and right inputs or outputs, you’ll want to use a standard “insert” cable, which gives you a single stereo quarter inch connector for the POD

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Pro end, and two mono quarter inch connectors for the two ins or outs of your other device.

Note: If you use a mono cable, you will only get one side of the signal on the send, and

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when using a mono cable for the return, the returned signal will only be fed to one of your POD Pro’s outputs (the left one).

And Note: You probably won’t want to use stomp box-type effects in this loop, as they aren’t usually designed to take line level signals. Most likely you’ll want to plug your guitar straight into the stomp box, and then go from the stomp box to POD Pro’s front panel guitar input.

Live/Studio Mode, XLR & 1/4 inch Outputs - One of the

powerful features of your POD Pro is its Live/Studio Mode and associated XLR and 1/4 inch connections. We’ve designed these to give you the most versatile guitar

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tool possible, whether you’re going to be in the studio or on stage, recording direct- to-disk, or pumping a stadium full of sound through a wall of 4x12 cabs.

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Studio Mode – Flick the Live/Studio switch to the Studio position, and you get a pair of XLR balanced +4dBu outputs, as well as a pair of 1/4 inch unbalanced -10dBV connections. Both carry the same signal – including the A.I.R. processing for speaker/mic/room emulation – and you can use whichever connections are most appropriate for interfacing with your recording gear.

Live Mode – Move the Live/Studio switch to the Live position, and you get independent signals on the 1/4 inch and XLR outputs:

•The 1/4 inch connections are now carrying your signal – without speaker/ mic/room simulation – to your on-stage power amp and cabinets. This lets you drive your backline for a wall of stadium filling sound, or a more modest power amp/cab setup for your personal on-stage pleasure.

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• The XLR jacks have been magically transformed into a pair of mic level outputs with ground lift, suitable for plugging into the typical on-stage mic snake to feed your direct signal to the house mix or P.A. This signal’s

specially-tuned speaker simulation gives you perfect sound without having 2 • 15 to hassel with mics on your speaker cabinets – plus the signal bleed and

other challenges that come with them. Remember this signal is mic level, so you’ll want to connect it to a mic level (not line level) input on the house mixer or P.A.

Digital Outputs and Clock - Your POD includes connections for both AES/EBU and S/PDIF format 24 bit digital output. Use these to track your POD direct to your digital input recording system (note that the loop does not affect the digital outputs).

The External Digital Clock In connector receives a clock signal from your digital mixer or recorder, synchronizing POD’s digital output to your system. POD’s

front panel Digital Sync 20 switch determines its output sample rate (44.1KHz or 48KHz), and whether it will sync its output to the external clock source (in that case, the sample rate syncs to the sample rate of the incoming digital clock).

Please see your digital mixer/recorder documentation for information on configuring its digital clock. The Line 6 technical support crew, though they may be friendly, talented, and always eager to please, won’t be able to instruct you on how to configure your entire studio worth of new digital recording equipment, and tell you why your digital audio program conflicts with your financial management software. Nevertheless, we don’t want you floundering around in there all by yourself, so here are a couple handy tips that should allow you to incorporate your POD in an already-configured studio:

Generally, you’re gonna have one of two situations:

•Situation Number Uno – If your digital recorder/mixer has a clock output

– like on a Digidesign Pro Tools 888, a MOTU 2408, a Yamaha 02R digital

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		mixer, etc. – you will want to make it the clock master (generally called
		something like “Internal Sync”), and set POD’s Digital Sync switch		to
			20
		External. POD will then derive its sample rate from your recorder/mixer,
2	• 16	and output a digital signal perfectly synced to the rest of your system.

•Situation Number Dos – If your system doesn’t have a clock output – like a Digidesign Audiomedia, Digi 001, Digital Audio Labs Card D, etc. – you’ll set POD’s Digital Sync switch 20 to 44.1 or 48 (not External), and set your recorder to sync to its digital input (which is coming from POD).

MIDI In & Out - 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 accompanying CD for sound editing/storage on a computer, as well as ToneTransfer access to the sounds from the Line 6 Web Library or other sources. 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.

Pedal Connector - Looks like a telephone connector on steroids. This is where you connect the optional Line 6 Floor Board or FB4 foot controllers. Chapter 8 hips you to the wonders of these foot controllers, and the tremendously positive impact they can have on your life.