Line 6 POD X3 Family User Manual

POD X3 Family

Pilot’s Handbook

Manuel de pilotage

Pilotenhandbuch Pilotenhandboek

Manual del Piloto

An in-depth exploration of the advanced technologies and

pulsing tonal pleasures of POD X3, POD X3 Live & POD X3 Pro.

40-00-0120 Electrophonic Limited Edition available @ www.line6.com/manuals Rev F

Important Safety Instructions

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC

SHOCK DO NOT OPEN

WARNING : TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO

USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

WARNING : TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK,

DO NOT EXPOSE THE APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

NOTICE: 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 ﬂash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufﬁcient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric to persons.

The exclamation point, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operation maintenance (servicing) instruction in literature accompanying the appliance.

The serial number can be found on the bottom or back of your POD X3, POD X3 Live or POD X3 Pro. It’s the number that begins with “(21)”. Please note it here for future reference:

SERIAL NO:

You should read these Important Safety Instructions

Keep these instructions in a safe place

• Read these instructions.

• Keep these instructions.

• Heed all warnings.

• Follow all instructions.

• Do not use this apparatus near water.

• Clean only with dry cloth.

• Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

• Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampliers

that produce heat.

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

included power supply).

• Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one

and the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

• Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the

point where they exit from the apparatus.

• Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manufacturer.

• Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table specied by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

• Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

• Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any

way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

• The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and that no objects lled with liquids, such as vases,

shall be placed on the apparatus.

• WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.

• The appliance coupler is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.

• Prolonged listening at high volume levels may cause irreparable hearing loss and/or damage. Always be sure to

practice “safe listening.”

• Service is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as:

• power-supply cord or plug is damaged.

• liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus.

• the unit has been exposed to rain or moisture.

• the unit is dropped or the enclosure is damaged.

• the unit does not operate normally or changes in performance in a signicant way.

Please Note:

Line 6, POD, POD X3, POD X3 Live, POD X3 Pro. PODxt, Vetta, FBV, FBV Shortboard, FBV Express, and FBV4 are trademarks of Line 6, Inc. All other product names, trademarks, and artists’ names are the property of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or afﬁliated with Line 6. Product names, images, and artists’ names are used solely to identify the products whose tones and sounds were studied during Line 6’s sound model development for this product. The use of these products, trademarks, images, and artists’ names does not imply any cooperation or endorsement.

Co n t r o l s & Co n n e C t i o n s

Tone Path Home Page Big User Home Page

(available for User Presets only)

Edit Page

POD X3

Controls & Connections

1•1

1. Display – the LCD (liquid crystal display) is your window into the power of POD X3. You’ll see (2)

types of “pages” in the display:

Home Page – the “Tone Path” Home Page shows you all the digital processing “blocks” that are working to deliver your great tone. For User Presets, you can also switch to a “Big User” Home Page,

which shows you the bank and channel number where the preset is stored. The tone names that are loaded in the current preset, and the bank and channel number where the preset is stored are also

displayed. You can get to the Home Page at any time by pressing the Home button. You can toggle between the two Home Pages by repeatedly pressing the Home button.

Edit Page

– shows you all parameters available to tweak for a processing block or setup page.

Controls & Connections

2. Select Knob – turning this knob will do different things depending on what page you’re on.

Home Page – turn to select presets. Edit Page – turn to pick a different Model. This works for the Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay, Reverb, and

Wah edit pages.

You can also press this knob to store your own tweaked-up sounds in POD X3. Just press, choose what to

store and where to store it, and press the button again to complete the Save.

3. Home / Hold for Commands – press to return to the Home Page. For User Presets, press

repeatedly to toggle between the Tone Path Home Page and the Big User Home Page. Press and hold for

1•2

2 seconds to enter the Commands page.

4. Inputs – press to enter the Inputs setup page to conﬁgure which inputs you’re using.

5. 4-way Nav – pressing this will do different things depending on what page you’re on.

Home Page – press Up, Down, Left, and Right to navigate to a processing block. Edit Page – press Up and Down to move through each row of parameters available. You can also press

Left and Right to move to the previous or next edit page.

6. On/Off – press to turn the selected processing block on or off (the blocks are on when the buttons

are lit and the block on the Home Page is solid). Double-press to enter the processing block’s Edit page,

where you can ﬁne-tune the parameters for that block. Press the

return to the Home Page.

7. Outputs / Hold for System – press to enter the Outputs setup page, where you can set up POD

X3 for whatever you’re connecting it to. This is a very important step for getting the best sound out of

your POD X3. Press and hold for 2 seconds to enter the System setup page.

8. Multi-function Knobs – turn any one of these knobs to adjust the corresponding parameter in the

display.

Home button to leave the Edit page and

Controls & Connections

9. Keypad – these buttons allow you to do the following:

Tone 2 / Hold for Dual – press to toggle between Tone 1 and Tone 2 (you’re editing Tone 2 when the

button is lit). Press and hold to turn Dual Tone on or off.

Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay, Verb – press to turn the Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay, and Reverb processing

blocks on or off (the blocks are on when the buttons are lit). Double-press one of these buttons to tweak the block. For example, just press the

taken to the Stomp Box Edit Page. Press the Home Page.

Tap / Hold for Tuner – POD X3 allows you to control the time and speed of your Delay and/or Mod

effects by simply tapping on this button. Just tap a few times here and the effects that are set to “lock” to that tempo will change to match what you tapped. There’s also a Tempo parameter in the effects’

Edit Pages, so you’ll see exactly what Tempo you’ve tapped. This is especially useful if you are trying to

nudge your Tap setting to just the right value. Press and hold the

activation with an optional FBV foot controller.

Ta p button for 2 seconds to activate the tuner. You can also add footswitch tuner

Stomp button two times quickly and you’re instantly

Home button to leave the Edit Page and return to the

10. Drive – 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.”

This knob, along with the

currently selected – Tone 1 or Tone 2.

Tone Controls, Reverb, and Tone Volume knobs, adjusts the Tone that is

11. Tone Controls – Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence. Just like any guitar amp. And when you change

Amp Models, the response and interactivity of these controls change, too – so they act like the tone controls of the original amp that inspired the Amp Model you’ve selected.

12. Reverb – spin this knob to set the Reverb level of the Tone that is currently selected.

13. Tone Volume – this knob controls the relative volume level of the current Tone.

14. Master Volume – this controls the overall output level of POD X3 and also sets the headphone

level. Changing the at any volume level. This setting is not saved when you store settings into one of the POD X3’s memory locations.

When running into line level gear (like recorders, mixers and PA’s), POD X3 will generally give the best

signal-to-noise performance when you have the control turned down low, you may get extra hiss – which obviously isn’t what you want – if you turn up your mixer or recorder’s output to compensate. In order to allow you to set the as possible when connecting to recording, mixing, and other studio gear,

X3’s outputs into line level, not microphone or guitar level inputs. Line level inputs should allow you

to turn POD X3’s

If your gear has inputs that function as mic/line level inputs, try to set the trim for those inputs to the

minimum level, and POD X3’s

Master Volume level does not change your tone, so you can get the tone you want

Master Volume control at max. With the Master Volume

Master Volume as high

be sure you are plugging POD

Master Volume up all the way (or close to it) and thereby get the best sound possible.

Master Volume to maximum, when setting levels.

15. Clip Light – this lights when clipping is detected, which generally means unpleasantly distorted,

bad sound. Try reducing the output level of the device that’s feeding your POD X3, or reducing the Tone

Volume for Tone 1 or Tone 2, or the volume of Tone 1 + Tone 2 that can be adjusted from the right knob

1•3

Controls & Connections

below the Home Page.

16. Input 1/Guitar In – plug your guitar or bass in here. You techies will want to know this is a mono,

unbalanced connection. The both.

17. Phones – plug your headphones in here to avoid noise complaints from the neighbors (or the rest of

your family). The volume is set by the to be sure they’re not set for ridiculous volume before your slap them on your ears. Try a

knob setting of about 10 o’clock to start, then turn up from there if you need more volume.

To give you great sound through the headphones, your POD X3 automatically switches to Studio Mode

1•4

whenever headphones are connected.

Inputs page is where you assign whether this input feeds Tone 1, Tone 2 or

Master Volume knob. Any time you use headphones, it important

Master Volume

18. Power – connect the included PX-2 power pack and ﬂip the switch here to bring your POD X3 to

life.

19. Input 2/Microphone In and Trim – plug in your microphone here and use the Trim control

to get a nice, healthy level. The or both.

Inputs page is where you assign whether this input feeds Tone 1, Tone 2

20. S/PDIF Out – this jack sends out 24-bit digital versions of the Left & Right Outputs. The System

setup page lets you choose the sample rate and adjust the level.

21. USB 2.0 – POD X3’s USB 2.0 jack lets you connect directly to a USB 2.0-equipped computer, and

take advantage of many computer-powered features:

Line 6 Monkey software makes it easy to install software and get updates. Install driver software with • Line 6 Monkey, and POD X3 provides 8 audio inputs to your computer via USB:

1-2 is the main signal, conﬁgured on POD X3’s Outputs page for Digital Outs.• 3-4 is Tone 1 separately in stereo.• 5-6 is Tone 2 separately in stereo.• 7 is the sum of the inputs you’ve chosen for Tone 1.• 8 is the sum of the inputs you’ve chosen for Tone 2.•

Controls & Connections

You can also connect your headphones or powered speakers

directly to POD X3 to hear your computer-generated audio, along with POD X3’s real-time processing.

22. FBV Pedal – connect an optional foot controller here, including the FBV, FBV Shortboard, and FBV

Express. The System page lets you set it all up.

23. Left & Right Outputs – these balanced, 1/4-inch TRS (tip/ring/sleeve) connectors are 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 need mono output, you can use either one.

Join the Club!

Visit www.line6.com/club to register online and join the All Access club, the place to get:

Free iTunes and MP3 Jam Tracks.• Free loops for GarageBand, Acid, Reason and more.•

Free guitar lessons from LA session pros.• Free chord and scale practice tools.•

Stay informed of contest and special offers.• Access to discussion forums, software updates and more.•

1•5

Controls & Connections

HOLD FOR COMMANDS

INPUTS

HOME

DOUBLE-CLICK TO EDIT

OUTPUTS

ON/OFF

HOLD FOR SYSTEM

PRESS TO

SAVE

Tone Path Home Page Big User Home Page

(available for User Presets only)

Edit Page

POD X3 Live

1•6

1. Display – the LCD (liquid crystal display) is your window into the power of POD X3 Live. You’ll

see (2) types of “pages” in the display:

which shows you the bank and channel number where the preset is stored. The tone names that are loaded in the current preset, and the bank and channel number where the preset is stored are also

displayed. You can get to the Home Page at any time by pressing the Home button. You can toggle between the two Home Pages by repeatedly pressing the Home button.

Edit Page

– shows you all parameters available to tweak for a processing block or setup page.

2. Select Knob – turning this knob will do different things depending on what page you’re on.

Home Page – turn to select presets.

Controls & Connections

Edit Page – turn to pick a different Model. This works for the Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay, Reverb, and

Wah edit pages.

You can also press this knob to store your own tweaked-up sounds in POD X3 Live. Just press, choose

what to store and where to store it, and press the button again to complete the Save.

3. Home / Hold for Commands – press to return to the Home Page. For User Presets, press

repeatedly to toggle between the Tone Path Home Page and the Big Number Home Page. Press and hold

for 2 seconds to enter the Commands page.

4. Inputs – press to enter the Inputs setup page to conﬁgure which inputs you’re using.

5. 4-way Nav – pressing these buttons will also do different things depending on what page you’re on.

Home Page – press Up, Down, Left, and Right to navigate to a processing block. Edit Page – press Up and Down to move through each row of parameters available. You can also press

the

Left and Right to move to the previous or next processing block in the Tone path.

6. On/Off – press to turn the selected processing block on or off (the blocks are on when the buttons

are lit and the block on the Home Page is solid). Double-press to enter the processing block’s Edit page,

where you can ﬁne-tune the parameters for that block. Double-press the same button again (or press the

Home button) to leave the Edit page and return to the Home Page.

7. Outputs / Hold for System – press to enter the Outputs setup page, where you can set up POD

X3 Live for whatever you’re connecting it to. This is a very important step for getting the best sound out

of your POD X3 Live. Press and hold for 2 seconds to enter the System setup page.

8. Multi-function Knobs – turn any one of these knobs to adjust the corresponding parameter in the

display.

1•7

9. Footswitches – these allow you to do the following:

Tone 2 / Hold for Dual – press to toggle between Tone 1 and Tone 2 (you’re editing Tone 2 when the

footswitch is lit). Press and hold to turn Dual Tone on or off.

Stomp, Mod, Delay – turns the Stomp, Mod, and Delay processing blocks on or off (the blocks are on

when the footswitches are lit). Double-press one of these footswitches to tweak the block. For example, just press the Page. Double-press the same footswitch again (or press the

return to the Home page.

Stomp footswitch two times quickly and you’re instantly taken to the Stomp Box Edit

Home button) to leave the Edit Page and

Controls & Connections

Comp/Boost – turns the Compressor processing block on or off. Double-press to tweak the block. This

footswitch can also be assigned to the Amp Model or Reverb processing block.

Bank Up, Down – these choose amongst POD X3 Live’s 32 banks of User presets. Once you’ve

footswitched your way to a new bank, you’ll then also need to step on the to actually load a preset from that bank. (We set things up this way so your audience won’t hear you switching through presets as you make your way to your next bank of sounds.)

A, B, C, D – the lights on these footswitches show you which of the Presets in the current User Bank is

running. You can step on any of them to choose a different preset.

Tap / Hold for Tuner – POD X3 Live allows you to control the time and speed of your Delay and/or Mod

1•8

effects by simply tapping on this footswitch. Tap a few times here, and the effects that are set to “lock” to that tempo will change to match what you tapped. There’s also a Tempo parameter in the effects’

Edit Pages, so you’ll see exactly what Tempo you’ve tapped. This is especially useful if you are trying to

nudge your Tap setting to just the right value.

Press and hold the

10. Drive – 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.”

This knob, along with the

currently selected – Tone 1 or Tone 2.

11. Tone Controls – Bass, Mid, Treb, Pres. Just like any guitar amp. And when you change Amp

Models, the response and interactivity of these controls change, too – so they act like the tone controls of the original amp that inspired the Amp Model you’ve selected.

12. Reverb – spin this knob to set the Reverb level of the Tone that is currently selected.

13. Tone Volume – this knob controls the relative volume level of the current Tone.

14. Master Volume – this controls the overall output level of POD X3 Live and also sets the headphone

level. Changing the at any volume level. This setting is not saved when you store settings into one of the POD X3 Live’s memory locations.

POD X3 Live will generally give the best signal-to-noise performance when you have the Master Volume

control at max. With the obviously isn’t what you want – if you turn up your mixer or recorder’s output to compensate. In order to allow you to set the studio gear, guitar level inputs. Line level inputs should allow you to turn POD X3 Live’s

way (or close to it) and thereby get the best sound possible. If your gear has inputs that function as mic/

line level inputs, try to set the trim for those inputs to the minimum level, and POD X3 Live’s

Volume to maximum, when setting levels.

15. Clip Light – this lights when clipping is detected, which generally means unpleasantly distorted,

bad sound. Try reducing the output level of the device that’s feeding your POD X3, or reducing the Tone

Volume for Tone 1 or Tone 2, or the volume of Tone 1 + Tone 2 that can be adjusted from the right knob below the Home Page.

A, B, C or D footswitch

Ta p footswitch for 2 seconds to activate the tuner.

Tone Controls, Verb, and Tone Volume knobs, adjusts the Tone that is

Master Volume level does not change your tone, so you can get the tone you want

Master Volume control turned down low, you may get extra hiss – which

Master Volume as high as possible when connecting to recording, mixing, and other

be sure you are plugging POD X3 Live’s 1/4-inch outputs into line level, not microphone or

Master Volume up all the

Master

Controls & Connections

16. Direct Out Ground Lift – this switch lets you lift the grounds of POD X3 Live’s XLR Direct

Outs. This can be handy if you get an audible hum caused by a ground loop when connecting to other grounded equipment.

17. Live Out Level – this switch sets the level for the Live Outputs. When set to Amp, the Live

Outputs are ready for connection to an on-stage amp. When set to Line, they’re ready to plug into a

mixer or recorder with line level inputs.

18. Guitar In Pad – the Off setting of this switch is appropriate for most guitars. If you see the Clip light

coming on, that means you’re overloading POD X3 Live’s input. If that happens frequently, try the setting here. This switches in input circuitry that’s appropriate for hotter signals output by some guitars with active pickups, or from keyboards and other sources.

19. Onboard Pedal – the lights to the left of this pedal show whether the pedal will operate the Wah

effect, Volume Pedal, or (when both lights are lit) Tweak. When operating the Wah, you can press hard

with your toe at the top of the pedal, and the wah – as well as the wah light to the left of the pedal – will turn on and off.

20. Pedal 2 – connect a standard expression pedal, such as the Line 6 EX-1, and you’ll be able to assign it

to control the Volume Pedal or Effect Tweak functions.

21. Guitar In – plug your guitar or bass in here. You techies will want to know this is a mono, unbalanced

connection. The whether this input feeds Tone 1, Tone 2 or both.

Guitar In Pad switch sets the sensitivity of this jack. The Inputs page is where you assign

22. CD/MP3 In – connect a CD player, MP3 player, drum machine or other device here, and you’ll hear

it at POD X3 Live’s

Phones, Direct Out, and Live Out.

23. Live Out – the unbalanced 1/4-inch connectors here get your POD X3 Live’s sound to a guitar

ampliﬁer, recorder, mixer or PA system.

Output display pages congure these outputs for Studio or Live use. In Studio Mode, they’re ready to

The

plug into a recorder with unbalanced –10 dBV inputs. In Live Mode, they don’t have speaker simulation,

and are ready for connection to an on-stage power amp. Whichever you choose, the front panel

Volume knob determines how much signal you’ll get at these jacks. You can use either jack as a mono

output, by the way.

Master

24. Direct Out – these balanced XLR connectors always provide studio-quality sound with speaker/

microphone/room simulation ideal for direct recording and as a direct send to the house mixer or PA

when playing live.

The System page lets you disable Master Volume control for these outputs, so you can make on-stage

adjustments to the 1/4-inch outputs feeding an amp without affecting the levels sent to the house sound

1•9

Controls & Connections

mixer or PA.

25. Phones – plug your headphones in here to avoid noise complaints from the neighbors (or the rest of

your family). The volume is set by the to be sure they’re not set for ridiculous volume before your slap them on your ears. Try a

knob setting of about 10 o’clock to start, then turn up from there if you need more volume.

26. Aux Input – this mono, unbalanced 1/4-inch input can be used for a second guitar or just about any

other instrument. The

27. Microphone Input and Trim – plug in your microphone here and use the Trim control to get

a nice, healthy level. The

1•10

both.

28. Effects Loop – the Effects Loop provides a mono FX Send and a stereo FX Return, operating at

approximately 19.5 Volts peak-to-peak, making it optimal for line level devices. The loop can also be used with most stomp boxes by adjusting the send and return levels. Use the

return. The loop can run pre or post Amp Model, and if nothing is connected to it, POD X3 Pro is smart enough to disable the loop so you still get sound.

29. Variax – this input provides power and a direct digital audio connection between a Line 6 Variax

guitar or bass and the POD X3 Live. The 1, Tone 2 or both.

Be sure to keep the protective plastic cap on this connection when it’s not connected to a Variax, so you

won’t damage it by mistakenly inserting a 1/4-inch guitar cable or other connection. When you are ready to connect a Variax, use only Line 6 supplied Variax-compatible cables – not standard Ethernet or other

cables – to avoid damage to the jack.

You can learn more about the Variax family of guitars, each one giving you the sound of an entire guitar

collection in one instrument, at www.line6.com.

30. S/PDIF Out – this jack sends out 24-bit digital versions of the Direct Out signals. The System setup

screen lets you choose the sample rate and adjust the level.

31. MIDI – connect POD X3 Live to your MIDI equipment to send and receive Program Change Messages

for selecting Presets. POD X3 Live’s MIDI Out connects to another device’s MIDI In; its MIDI In

goes to another device’s MIDI Out. Visit www.line6.com/manuals for more comprehensive MIDI CC

information.

32. USB 2.0 – POD X3 Live’s USB 2.0 jack lets you connect directly to a USB 2.0-equipped computer,

and take advantage of many computer-powered features:

Line 6 Monkey software makes it easy to install software and get updates. Install driver software with • Line 6 Monkey, and POD X3 provides 8 audio inputs to your computer via USB:

You can also connect your headphones or powered speakers directly to POD X3 to hear your computer-

Master Volume knob. Any time you use headphones, it important

Master Volume

Inputs page is where you assign whether this input feeds Tone 1, Tone 2 or both.

Inputs page is where you assign whether this input feeds Tone 1, Tone 2 or

Left Return jack for mono

Inputs page is where you assign whether this input feeds Tone

Controls & Connections

generated audio, along with POD X3’s real-time processing.

32. Power – connect the included PX-2 power pack and ﬂip the switch here to bring your POD X3 Live

to life.

Join the Club!

Visit www.line6.com/club to register online and join the All Access club, the place to get:

Free iTunes and MP3 Jam Tracks.• Free loops for GarageBand, Acid, Reason and more.•

Free guitar lessons from LA session pros.• Free chord and scale practice tools.•

Stay informed of contest and special offers.• Access to discussion forums, software updates and more.•

1•11

Controls & Connections

Tone Path Home Page Big User Home Page

(available for User Presets only)

Edit Page

POD X3 Pro

1•12

1. Display – the LCD (liquid crystal display) is your window into the power of POD X3 Pro. You’ll see

(2) types of “pages” in the display:

which shows you the bank and channel number where the preset is stored. The tone names that are loaded in the current preset, and the bank and channel number where the preset is stored are also

displayed. You can get to the Home Page at any time by pressing the Home button. You can toggle between the two Home Pages by repeatedly pressing the Home button.

Edit Page

– shows you all parameters available to tweak for a processing block or setup page.

2. Select Knob – turning this knob will do different things depending on what page you’re on.

Select Knob

Edit Page – turn to pick a different Model. This works for the Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay, Reverb, and

Wah edit pages.

You can also press this knob to store your own tweaked-up sounds in POD X3 Pro. Just press, choose what

to store and where to store it, and press the button again to complete the Save.

Home Page – turn to select presets.

3. Home / Hold for Commands – press to return to the Home Page. For User Presets, press

repeatedly to toggle between the Tone Path Home Page and the Big User Home Page. Press and hold for

2 seconds to enter the Commands page.

Controls & Connections

4. Inputs – press to enter the Inputs setup page to conﬁgure which inputs you’re using.

5. 4-way Nav – pressing this will do different things depending on what page you’re on.

Home Page – press Up, Down, Left, and Right to navigate to a processing block. Edit Page – press Up and Down to move through each row of parameters available. You can also press

Left and Right to move to the previous or next edit page.

6. On/Off – press to turn the selected processing block on or off (the blocks are on when the buttons

are lit and the block on the Home Page is solid). Double-press to enter the processing block’s Edit page,

where you can ﬁne-tune the parameters for that block. Press the

return to the Home Page.

Home button to leave the Edit page and

7. Outputs / Hold for System – press to enter the Outputs setup page, where you can set up POD

X3 Pro for whatever you’re connecting it to. This is a very important step for getting the best sound out

of your POD X3 Pro. Press and hold for 2 seconds to enter the System setup page.

8. Multi-function Knobs – turn any one of these knobs to adjust the corresponding parameter in the

display.

1•13

9. Keypad – these buttons allow you to do the following:

Tone 2 / Hold for Dual – press to toggle between Tone 1 and Tone 2 (you’re editing Tone 2 when the

button is lit). Press and hold to turn Dual Tone on or off.

Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay, Verb – press to turn the Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay, and Reverb processing

blocks on or off (the blocks are on when the buttons are lit). Double-press one of these buttons to tweak the block. For example, just press the

taken to the Stomp Box Edit Page. Press the Home Page.

Tap / Hold for Tuner – POD X3 Pro allows you to control the time and speed of your Delay and/or Mod

effects by simply tapping on this button. Just tap it a few times and the effects that are set to “lock” to that tempo will change to match what you tapped. There’s also a Tempo parameter in the effects’

Edit Pages, so you’ll see exactly what Tempo you’ve tapped. This is especially useful if you are trying to

nudge your Tap, setting to just the right value. Press and hold the

activation with an optional FBV foot controller.

Ta p button for 2 seconds to activate the tuner. You can also add footswitch tuner

Stomp button two times quickly and you’re instantly

Home button to leave the Edit Page and return to the

10. Drive – controls how hard you’re driving the input of the chosen Amp Model. Like the input volume

Controls & Connections

control on a non-master volume guitar amp, higher settings give you more “dirt.”

This knob, along with the

currently selected – Tone 1 or Tone 2.

11. Tone Controls – Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence. Just like any guitar amp. And when you change

Amp Models, the response and interactivity of these controls change, too—so they act like the tone controls of the original amp that inspired the Amp Model you’ve selected.

12. Reverb – spin this knob to set the Reverb level of the Tone that is currently selected.

13. Tone Volume – this knob controls the current Tone’s relative volume level.

1•14

14. Master Volume – this controls the overall output level of POD X3 Pro and also sets the headphone

level. Changing the any volume level. This setting is not saved when you store settings into one of the POD X3 Pro’s memory locations.

When running into line level gear (like recorders, mixers and PA’s), POD X3 Pro will generally give the

best signal-to-noise performance when you have the

Volume control turned down low, you may get extra hiss – which obviously isn’t what you want – if you

turn up your mixer or recorder’s output to compensate. In order to allow you to set the high as possible when connecting to recording, mixing, and other studio gear,

POD X3 Pro’s outputs into line level, not microphone or guitar level inputs. Line level inputs should

allow you to turn POD X3 Pro’s

sound possible. If your gear has inputs that function as mic/line level inputs, try to set the trim for those

inputs to the minimum level, and POD X3 Pro’s

15. Microphone Input – plug in your microphone here. The Inputs page is where you assign whether

this input feeds Tone 1, Tone 2 or both.

16. Trim Control – use the Trim Control to get a nice, healthy level.

17. Guitar In – plug your guitar or bass in here. It’s a mono, unbalanced connection. The Inputs page is

where you assign whether this input feeds Tone 1, Tone 2 or both.

17a. Guitar In Pad – engage this Pad to tame hotter signals at the Guitar In jack when you use guitars

with active pickups or other high output sources.

18. Low Cut Filter – push this button in to engage the Low Cut Filter for the Mic Input. It cuts 75Hz

and below, which is useful for eliminating rumble from mic sources.

18a. Mic Pad – for hot mics, engage this pad to attenuate the Mic Input by -20dB.

19. Phantom Power – pushing in this button activates 48V Phantom Power for both Channel Strip

Mic Inputs. An LED will light when Phantom Power is activated.

20. Clip Light – this lights when input clipping is detected at the Channel Strip Mic or Guitar Inputs. To

avoid clipping, engage the Mic Pad or Guitar Pad or reduce the output level of the device that’s feeding your POD X3 Pro. Another Clip Light for Tone Volume clipping is located under the Outputs button, as described on Page 3•5, item 15.

21. Signal Present LED – this LED will light when an input signal is present.

Tone Controls, Reverb, and Tone Volume knobs, adjusts the Tone that is

Master Volume level does not change your tone, so you can get the tone you want at

Master Volume control at max. With the Master

Master Volume as

be sure you are plugging

Master Volume up all the way (or close to it) and thereby get the best

Master Volume to maximum, when setting levels.

+ 42 hidden pages

Line 6 POD X3 Family User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual