An in-depth exploration of the revolutionary technologies and pulsing tonal pleasures that lurk
usefree line 6 MonkeytoMakesureyour PodxtisuPto
Electrophonic Limited Edition. Also available at www.line6.com. Revision H.
within PODxt and PODxt Pro.
includesdetailson Version 3 features.
date: www.line6.coM/Monkey
PODXT MODELS
PODXT, PODXT Live and PODXT Pro all include the
Standard and Power Pack Models plus all guitar Cab Models.
See www.line6.com/modelpack to learn about adding other
Model Pack Models.
STOMPS
Standard Power PackFX Junkie
FACIAL FUZZ
FUZZ PI
SCREAMER
CLASSIC DIST
OCTAVE FUZZ
BLUE COMP
RED COMP
VETTA COMP
AUTO SWELL
AUTO WAH
KILLER Z
TUBE DRIVE
VETTA JUICE
BOOST + EQ
BLUE COMP TREB
DINGO-TRON
CLEAN SWEEP
SEISMIK SYNTH
DOUBLE BASS
BUZZ WAVE
REZ SYNTH
SATURN 5 RING M
SYNTH ANALOG
SYNTH FX
SYNTH HARMONY
SYNTH LEAD
SYNTH STRING
BASS OVERDRIVE
BRONZE MASTER
SUB OCTAVES
BENDER
REVERBS
StandardPower Pack FX Junkie
LUX SPRING
STD SPRING
KING SPRING
SMALL ROOM
TILED ROOM
BRITE ROOM
DARK HALL
MEDIUM HALL
LARGE HALL
RICH CHAMBER
CHAMBER
CAVERNOUS
SLAP PLATE
VINTAGE PLATE
LARGE PLATE
MODS
StandardPower Pack FX Junkie
SINE CHORUS
ANALOG CHORUS
LINE 6 FLANGER
JET FLANGER
PHASER
U-VIBE
OPTO TREM
BIAS TREM
ROTARY DRUM
+HORN
ROTARY DRUM
AUTO PAN
ANALOG SQUARE
SQUARE CHORUS
EXPO CHORUS
RANDOM CHORUS
SQUARE FLANGE
EXPO FLANGE
LUMPY PHASE
HI-TALK
SWEEPER
POD PURPLE X
RANDOM S/H
TAPE EATER
WARBLE-MATIC
19 PLEXI LEAD 100
20 PLEXI JUMP LEAD
21PLEXI VARIAC
22 BRIT J-800
23BRIT JM PRE
24MATCH CHIEF
25MATCH D-30
26 TREADPLATE DUAL
27CALI CRUNCH
28 JAZZ CLEAN
29 SOLO 100
30SUPER O
31CLASS A-15
32 CLASS A-30 TB
33L6 AGRO
33L6 LUNATIC
34 L6 TREADPLATE
36VARIAX ACOUSTIC
101CITRUS D-30
102CLASS A-30 FAWN
103BRIT GAIN 18
104 J-2000 #2
105LINE 6 BOUTIQUE
106LINE 6 MODERN GAIN #1
METAL SHOP AMPS
#Amp Model
37 BOMBER UBER
38 CONOR 50
39 DEITY LEAD
40 DEITY’S SON
41 ANGEL P-BALL
42 BRIT SLIVER
43 BRIT J-900 CLN
44 BRIT J-900 DST
45 BRIT J-2000
46 DIAMOND PLATE
47 CRIMINAL
48 L6 BIG BOTTOM
49 L6 CHUNK CHUNK
50 L6 FUZZ
51 L6 OCTONE
52 L6 SMASH
53 L6 SPARKLE CLN
54 L6 THROTTLE
COLLECTOR CLASSICS AMPS
#Amp Model
55 BOMBER X-TC
56 DEITY CRUNCH
57 BLACKFACE VIBRO
58 DOUBLE SHOW
59 SILVERFACE BASS
60 MINI DOUBLE
61 GIBTONE EXPO
62 BRIT BASS
63 BRIT MAJOR
64 SILVER TWELVE
65 SUPRO ‘62 THUDERBOLT
66 L6 BAYOU
67 L6 CRUNCH
68 L6 PURGE
69 L6 SPARKLE
70 L6 SUPER CLN
71 L6 SUPERSPARK
72 L6 TWANG
CAB MODELS
#Cab Model
0NO CAB
11X6 SUPER O
21X8 TWEED
31X10 GIBTONE
41X10 G-BRAND
51X12 LINE 6
61X12 TWEED
71X12 BLACKFACE
81X12 CLASS A
92X2 MINI T
10 2X12 LINE 6
11 2X12 BLACKFACE
12 2X12 MATCH
13 2X12 JAZZ
14 2X12 CLASS A
15 4X10 LINE 6
16 4X10 TWEED
17 4X12 LINE 6
18 4X12 GREEN 20’S
19 4X12 GREEN 25’S
20 4X12 BRIT T75
21 4X12 BRIT V30’S
22 4X12 TREADPLATE
23 1X15 THUNDER
24 2X12 WISHBOOK
GUITAR AMPS & CABS
BASS EXPANSION AMPS
#Amp Model
73 TUBE PREAMP
74 L6 CLASSIC JAZZ
75 L6 BRIT INVADER
76 L6 SUPER THOR
77 L6 FRANKENSTEIN
78 L6 EBONY LUX
79 L6 DOPPELGANGER
80 SUB DUB
81 AMP 360
82 JAGUER
83 ALCEMIST
84 ROCK CLASSIC
85 FLIP TOP
86 ADAM AND EVE
87 TWEED B-MAN
88 SILVERFACE BASS
89 DOUBLE SHOW
90 EIGHTIES
91 HIWAY 100
92 HIWAY 200
93 BRIT MAJOR
94 BRIT BASS
95 CALIFORNIA
96 JAZZ TONE
97 STADIUM
98 STUDIO TONE
99 MOTOR CITY
100 BRIT CLASS A100
BASS EXPANSION CABS
# Cab Model
25 1X12 BOUTIQUE
26 1X12 MOTOR CITY
27 1X15 FLIP TOP
28 1X15 JAZZ TONE
29 1X18 SESSION
30 1X18 AMP 360
31 1X18 CALIFORNIA
32 1X18+12 STADIUM
33 2X10 MODERN UK
34 2X15 DOUBLESHOW
35 2X15 CALIFORNIA
36 2X15 CLASS A
37 4X10 LINE 6
38 4X10 TWEED
39 4X10 ADAM EVE
40 4X10 SILVERCONE
41 4X10 SESSION
42 4X12 HIWAY
43 4X12 GREEN 20’S
44 2X12 GREEN 25’S
45 4X15 BIG BOY
46 8X10 CLASSIC
EFFECTS
BASS AMPS & CABS
17
3
21
22
7
1416
27
28
313233343536
6
2930
1
4
10
11
12
2
15
1318
20
25
26
MOD
8
24
2319
PODXT PRO CONTROLS REFERENCE
NAVIGATION REFERENCE
SELECT
• When EDIT, SAVE or TUNER is lit, “SELECT” selects pages
• Otherwise, “SELECT” chooses Channel Memories
MOD
• For Comp, Stomp, Mod, and Delay, the effect is on when lit.
• CAB/A.I.R. is lit when you are using a cab simulation.
• Double press an effect button to go straight to its EDIT page.
EDIT PAGESSAVE PAGES
TUNER PAGES
OUT/THRUIN
FBV Class Foot Controller only
(not compatible with Floor Board or FB4)
GROUND LIFT
L/MONOR/MONOLEFTRIGHTOUTIN
IN
OUT
GROUND
ANALOG REAMPING INPUT/OUTPUT
LEFT/
MONO
RIGHT LEFT/
MONO
RIGHT
BALANCED ANALOG OUTAES/EBUS/PDIF
MIDI
Line Level
Input
Unprocessed
Guitar Out
100 - 120V
~
50 - 60Hz
100 W Max.
POWER REQUIREMENTS
USBPEDAL
UNBAL ANALOG OUT
N222
CAU TION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
EFFECTS RETURNEFFECTS SEND
Unbalanced
Balanced: Tip = + / Ring = -
SET MODES & LEVELS VIA
I/O & DIG SELECT
BUTTON
SERIES/PARALLEL VIA
I/O & DIG SELECT
BUTTON
STUDIO:
RECORDING OUTPUT
LIVE:
FEED T O ONSTAGE AM P
STUDIO:
+4 dBu
LIVE:
-10 dBV
010010010
010010010
CLIP
SIGNAL
MIDDLETREBLEBASSDRIVEPRESENCE
CHAN VOLREVERBOUTPUT
AMP MODELS
EFFECTS
Guitar inPHONES
010
I/O & DIG
SELECT
INPUT LEVEL
NORMAL PAD
PODPRO
XT
ULTIMATE TONE FOR GUITAR + DIG I/O
POWER
010
WARNING/AVIS:
SHOCK HAZARD – DO NOT OPEN. RISQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE – NE PAS
OUVRIR. TO R EDUCE TH E RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTR IC SHOCK DO NOT
EXPOSE THIS EQUIPMENT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. TO RED UCE THE RISK
OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER SERVICEABLE
PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC RULES.
OPERATI ON IS SUBJECT TO THE FOLL OWING 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.
• Save Sound to Channel Memory
• Custom Save Amp Model
• MIDI Dump
• Tuner
• What are you connecting to?
• Display c ontrast
• MIDI/Variax
• PODXT Live Software Version
• Amp Settings
• Amp Bypass Settings
• A.I.R. Settings
• Compressor and Gate Settings
• EQ Settings
• Stomp Select and Settings
• Stomp Settings (page 2 for some models)
• Modulation Select and Settings
• Modulation Settings (page 2)
• Delay Select and Settings
• Delay Settings (page 2)
• Reverb Select and Settings
• Reverb Settings (page 2)
• Wah Settings
• Volume Settings
• Switch Pedal, Effect Tweak and Tempo Settings
1
2
7
17
6
MIDDLE
010
TREBLE
010
BASS
010
DRIVE
010
PRESENCE
010
CHAN VOL
010
REVERB
010
POD
ULTIMATE TONE FOR GUITA R
XT
PODXT CONTROLS REFERENCE
OUTPUT
EFFECTSAMP MODELS
010
EFFECT
TWEAK
SELECT
4
9
10
1010
10
11
12
1513
1416
18
22
2123
24
20
85
3
19
MOD
NAVIGATION REFERENCE
SELECT
• When EDIT, SAVE or TUNER is lit, “SELECT”
selects pages
• Otherwise, “SELECT” chooses Channel
Memories
MOD
• For Comp, Stomp, Mod, and Delay, the effect is on
when lit.
• CAB/A.I.R. is lit when you are using a cab simulation.
• Double press an effect button to go straight to its
EDIT page.
EDIT PAGESSAVE PAGES
TUNER PAGES
• Save Sound to Channel Memory
• Custom Save Amp Model
• MIDI Dump
• Tuner
• What are you connecting to?
• Display c ontrast
• MIDI/Variax
• PODXT Live Software Version
• Amp Settings
• Amp Bypass Settings
• A.I.R. Settings
• Compressor and Gate Settings
• EQ Settings
• Stomp Select and Settings
• Stomp Settings (page 2 for some models)
• Modulation Select and Settings
• Modulation Settings (page 2)
• Delay Select and Settings
• Delay Settings (page 2)
• Reverb Select and Settings
• Reverb Settings (page 2)
• Wah Settings
• Volume Settings
• Switch Pedal, Effect Tweak and Tempo Settings
4
1
10
7
8
9
FX LOOPSTOMP BOX 1STOMP BOX 2STOMP BOX 3
WAHPEDAL 1PEDAL 2VOLUME
DELAYMODULATIONTREMOLOREVERBTAP TEMPOAMP 2AMP 1
HOLD FOR TUNER
CUSTOM FOOT CONTROLLE R
FACTORY/USER
CHANNEL ACHANNEL BCHANNEL CCHANNEL DFAVORITE CHANNELBANK DOWNBANK UP
STOMPMODULATIONREVERB
FX LOOP
HOLD FOR TUNER
TAP
CHANNEL BCHANNEL ACHANNEL DCHANNEL C
FBV SHORTBOARD
DELAY
1
4
7
8
9
3
2
3
4
2
5
6
11
12
10
11
13
12
FBV SERIES REFERENCE
AMP/CAB + A.I.R. II
REVERBLOOP
(PODXT Pro only)
MODULATION
COMP
THE "WHAT ARE YOU CONNECTED TO?" EDIT PAGE
(
see text pages for PODXT
Pro details
)
Use your A.I.R. settings to get the right mic sound
you’re looking for! Choose from:
MIC 1.........................................................57 ON AXIS
MIC 2 .......................................................57 OFF AXIS
MIC 3 .....................................................421 DYNAMIC
MIC 4 ...................................................67 CONDENSER
LIVE : 4x12LIVE : 2x12STUDIO : DIRECT
All product names are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Line 6. These product names and descriptions are provided for the sole purpose of identifying
the specific products that were studied during Line 6’s sound model development.
LEFT OUTPUT
Be sure to use TRS cables when
you want to get +4dBu levels to
the balanced inputs of a recorder,
mixer or power amp.
EQ
GATE
VOLUME
MODULATIONDELAY
WAHSTOMP
DELAY
VOLUME
Use the
VIBE
parameter to adjust the sound for your particular
Live setup. Experiment with all the options, since different
amp/cab combinations can give very different results, and you
may get the best sound with an unusual combination of settings.
SIGNAL FLOW & EFFECTS ROUTING OPTIONS
The serial number can be found on the underside of your PODxt, or back panel of your
PODxt Pro. It’s the number that begins with “(21)”. 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.
You should read these Important Safety Instructions
Keep these instructions in a safe place
Before using your PODxt, carefully read the applicable items of these operating instructions and safety suggestions:
1. Obey all warnings on the PODxt and in this Pilot’s Handbook.
2. Do not place near heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, or appliances which produce heat.
3. Guard against objects or liquids entering the enclosure.
4a. PODxt: Connect only to AC power outlets rated 100-120V or 230V 47-63Hz (depending on the voltage
range of the included power supply).
4b. PODxt Pro: Connect only to AC power outlets rated 100-120V or 220-240V 47-63Hz (depending on the voltage
range of the unit).
5. 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 PODxt.
6. Unplug your PODxt when not in use for extended periods of time.
7. Do not perform service operations beyond those described in the PODxt 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 unit is dropped or the enclosure is damaged
8. Prolonged listening at high volume levels may cause irreparable hearing loss and/or damage. Always be sure to
practice “safe listening.”
The exclamation point within a
triangle means “caution!” Please
read the information next to all
caution signs.
Line 6, POD, Podxt, Podxt Pro, Vetta, FBV, FBV Shortboard, FBV4, Amp Farm, Line 6 Edit and Custom Tone
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.
PoDxt Pro owners, if you’re going to use anything beyond the standard guitar input and analog
outputs, we can’t cover all your options on this brief page. See Chapter 2 to learn about con-
trols, and then get deep with the inputs and outputs in the PoDxt Pro — Configurations &
Connections section that starts on page 3•8.
1. Turn the Output Level control all the way down to zero.
2. Connect the Left and Right Outputs to your recorder or mixer’s inputs, or
plug the left output into your guitar amp’s input. Or connect headphones to the
Phones jack on your PODxt for silent jamming.
3. Connect the included power pack or power cable to your PODxt, and plug the
other end into a power jack.
4. Connect your guitar to PODxt’s Input (PODxt’s Pro Guitar In).
5. Flip the Power switch to fire up.
6. PODxt comes ready to rock for direct connection to your recording setup. If
you’re connecting to a guitar amp, it’s essential to let your PODxt know so
it gives you the best tone. Do this by pressing Tune/System, then turning the
Select knob one step clockwise. Press the button below Dest (Destination) and
then turn the Effect Tweak knob to tell your PODxt what type of amp you’re
connecting to. PODxt will automatically override this setting when you plug in
headphones, so you don’t have to do anything to get great headphone sound.
7. Select an Amp Model using the Amp Model knob. Set the Chan Vol to max
and the Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble and Presence to your heart’s desire. Out-
put sets the, uh, output level.
8. Turn the Effects knob to load an Effects Setup, then twist the Reverb and
Effect Tweak knobs so you’re happy with the sound. Tap the Tap tempo button
to set the speed of the selected effect.
9. Browse pre-programmed tones using the Select knob. Press the far left button
under the display when the Edit button is NOT lit for a “Manual Override” and
where-the-knobs-are-is-how-it-sounds operation.
1•1
Now before you run off, please give the page a quick flip and....
Quick Start Guide
Register now!
1•2
Go on-line and get more stuff!
Included in this manual is a handy, postage-paid card for you to send back to us to register your purchase. It’s very important that you fill that registration card out right now
and drop it in the mail, or jump on the Internet and register at www.line6.com. Registering insures that you’re dialed in for warranty service (warranty info is at the end of this
manual) and insures we can contact you if new software versions or other cool enhancements are offered — cutting edge technology and such.
Here at Line 6, our mission is to help you be more creative by bringing you powerful
new technologies. As part of that mission, we focus great effort on making the Internet a
valuable resource for every one of our customers. The Line 6 web site is one of the most
effective ways for us to deliver you what you need to make you and your PODxt ever
more powerful.
Connect to www.line6.com to check out Custom Tone—a truly massive, free, exclusive-to-Line-6 online tone library that gives you instant access to the signature sounds of
the greatest guitarists, bands, songs and gear of all time. It integrates with the free Line
6 Edit software that lets you edit your PODxt’s sounds, and save copies of them on your
computer. Our web site is also the place to download our GuitarPort software and USB
driver software, all free for your PODxt. You can even add more Models to your PODxt
(see www.line6.com/modelpacks for the details on that). And to make it easy to get
all this cool, computer-related stuff, look for the handy Line 6 Monkey utility, down-
loadable from our web site, which will check for and install the latest versions of everything for you! Visit the discussion boards to learn tips & tricks, trade advice, and generally hang out and get POD-a-licious with the whole extended family of PODxt users. Use
the Support pages to get answers to your technical questions and contact our customer
service experts. Or grab electronic versions of this book and other documentation, learn
what your favorite artists are doing with Line 6 gear, and see the latest products we’re
introducing for you.
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 PODxt.
Quick Start Guide
Introduction
Welcome To Podxt...
Thank you for inviting PODxt into your life. Whether you use your PODxt as a direct
recording miracle, a powerhouse preamp, a practice partner, or as a creative digital signal
processing tool (and heck, why should it be just one of these?) — we think you’ll agree
that PODxt is about the most amazing thing to happen to the electric guitar since, well,
since the guitar amplifier itself! PODxt delivers the incredible tones of the acclaimed
Line 6 Point-to-Point Interactive modeling technology (as featured in our Vetta series
amps) and fuses it with the wonderfully portable and easy to use POD, which has been
the guitar recording world standard for years. So you’ve got the tonal heritage of the
past century of guitar amplifier and stomp box design, plus no-compromise recording and
direct sound excellence — all ready to roll when you are.
Who is Line 6?
As you may know, Line 6 first came on the scene several years back with a new kind
of guitar amplifier — the first to put digital software modeling technology to work in a
combo amp for guitarists. We also knew then that guitarists need great amp tone when
recording, but generally don’t have the room to crank up that classic stack, or the money
to hire a team of ace engineers to get it to tape. So we squished our patented modeling
technology down into a small, kidney-bean-shaped wonder called POD, and forever
changed the world of guitar recording.
1•3
Once we’d gotten this whole modeling amp and POD thing started, it was time to see
what we could do if we really cranked up the horsepower and took our modeling to the
next level. I mean, once you’ve climbed to the top of the mountain, it’s on to the next
mountain, right? So, eyes glowing like power tubes, we stocked up on the Pepsi, gathered
our genius engineers into a secret lab, fired up our extensive collection of amplifiers and
stomp boxes... and spirited their treasured tones into a newly-supercharged modeling
technology we dubbed Point-to-Point modeling. It first hit the streets in the award-winning Vetta amp, whose superb tone and unparalleled selection of dream amps, cabinets
and effects make it a pretty good contender for the world heavyweight amp title. After
that, we poured the same magic elixir into the classic POD and—ta-dah!—PODxt was
born.
How does PODxt help you create a guitar tone that is out of this world, and then get
that tone wherever you need it? Easy! It’s…
Quick Start Guide
1•4
Modeling
Modeling: just what is it, and why is it so important?
To answer that question, we’ll start with tubes (better know as “valves” to our friends in
England and elsewhere). Tubes, we can all agree, are the heart and soul of pretty much
every legendary guitar amp, and are key to 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, Line 6’s team of crack engineer-guitarists has spent years understanding pretty
much everything there is to know about tube-powered gear, including exactly how different types of tubes respond under various conditions typical of guitar amplifier design.
How tubes process an input signal, how the signal is colored and shaped, at what point it
begins to distort, the quality and characteristic of the distortion, what happens when the
signal gets to other parts of the system — complicated stuff, but all analyzable as electronic data. A guitar pickup output, after all, is an electronic signal, and tubes and all the
rest are really just a complex form of signal processing.
Having sussed it all out, the Line 6 engineers translated all this arcane knowledge into
software that simulates the signal processing of guitar amps’ tubes and other electronics,
entirely within the digital domain. Cool, huh? The Line 6 crew also directed their caffeine-enhanced modeling attention to a study of guitar speaker cabinets and the important part they play in communicating great guitar tone. And the great variety of stomp
box and rack effects that guitarists use to juice things up. They translated it all into
yet more powerful software, and it’s this revolutionary DSP (Digital Signal Processing)
software-based modeling technology that gives Line 6 the power to create super siliconbased life forms like PODxt.
Amp, Cab and Effect Models
The tone and technology know-how of Line 6 thus comes to you as Amp, Cab and Effect
Models based on a collection of gear recognized by guitarists the world over as true “tone
classics.” These models were tweaked 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 gear were carefully measured so that changes to knobs on the models
Quick Start Guide
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, in addition to a whole host of factors unique
to each piece of gear. Not only that, but since many classic amps and effects have highly
interactive circuits, we paid careful attention to the way that the setting of one knob
changes the way that another knob may behave. All in an effort to make our Models as
much like the amps, cabs and effects in our collection as possible. The resulting Amp,
Cab and Effect Models are the foundation of PODxt.
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.
PODxt 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.
1•5
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. Generic cabinet simulations cannot reproduce the markedly different tones
resulting from the choice of speakers, wood, and other details of a great real-life speaker
cabinet. Other equipment also fails 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.
Quick Start Guide
1•6
PODxt’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:
• The effect of the guitar amplifier circuit 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 get 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 various microphones add to the guitar sound, as well as the effects of different mic placement techniques, and gave you control of these details in your PODxt.
• 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.
Quick Start Guide
All of these important sound-shaping components are accounted for in your PODxt.
Turn the Amp Model knob to call up the amplifier emulation you want. PODxt 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. Turn the
reverb knob to taste, and start recording incredible mic’d up sound. Press a button and
twiddle a knob or two, and you can switch cabinets, change out mics and their placement, and adjust the “spread” of the sound in your virtual room as well.
The A.I.R. direct recording output is exclusive to Line 6. In combination with the Line
6 Amp, Cab and Effect Models, it is the key to PODxt’s phenomenally satisfying direct
recording sound.
And Away We Go....
So, now that you know what’s in store, it’s time to experience PODxt for yourself. Grab
your favorite axe, plug in, 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 fold out the back
cover and follow me, my friend, for the PODxt Grand Tour....
1•7
controls & connections
Controls & Connections
Now would be a good time to turn to the nifty 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. It’s also got all the
essential details for quickly getting around on your PODxt. The boxed numbers that pop
up throughout this manual correspond to the numbers on the foldout’s illustrations. The
back side of the cover’s got handy pictures for the FBV and FBV Shortboard foot controllers, plus signal flow and connection guides.
1
Power Switch - Flip this to bring your PODxt to life. PODxt Pro includes
a standard IEC grounded power cable. For PODxt, use only the included PX-2 power
pack.
2
Input/Guitar In - Plug your guitar in here. (You techies will want to know
this is a mono, un-balanced connection).
3
Phones - Plug your headphones in here for silent concertos. The volume is set
by the Output knob. Any time you use headphones, it important to be sure they’re not
set for ridiculous volume before your slap them on your ears. Try an Output knob setting
of about 10 o’clock when first putting the headphones on, them turn up from there if you
need more volume.
2•1
So that you hear appropriate sound through the headphones, PODxt automatically
switches to Studio Mode whenever headphones are connected (for more on Studio
Mode, see “What are you connecting to?” on page
A quick note about headphones: Earbuds and headphones designed for use with portable
MP3 players and tape players are very low impedance as well as not very accurate in
frequency response. This makes them not suitable for use with PODxt. We recommend a
pair of 150-600 ohm pro or semi-pro level studio headphones for best results.
3•2).
Controls & Connections
4
Output - This controls the overall output level of PODxt and also sets the
headphone level. Changing the Outputlevel does not change your tone, so you can get
the tone you want at any volume level. This setting is not saved when you store settings
into one of the PODxt’s memory locations.
2•2
xt Pro users, note that this does not affect the level of the XLR Outputs in Live Mode (for
PoD
more on Live Mode, see “What are you connecting to?” on page
xt will give the best signal-to-noise performance when you have the Output con-
POD
trol at max. With the Output control turned down low, you may get extra hiss—which
obviously ain’t what you want—if you turn up your mixer or recorder’s output to compensate. In order to allow you to set the Output as high as possible when connecting to
recording, mixing, and other studio gear, be sure you are plugging Podxt’s out-puts into line level, not microphone or guitar level inputs. Line level inputs should
allow you to turn PODxt’s Output 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, try to set the
trim for those inputs to the minimum level, and PODxt’s Output to maximum, when
setting levels.
5
Left & Right Output - (See numbers 33 and 34 for PoDxt Pro’s outputs.)
These balanced 1/4-inch TRS (tip/ring/sleeve) connectors are ready to rock with pro
+4dBu balanced equipment. They will also work happily with unbalanced –10dBV
equipment and standard guitar cables. If you need mono output, you can use either one.
6
Pedal - Looks like a telephone connector on steroids. Connect optional Line
6 FBV or FBV Shortboard foot controllers here. PODxt’s do not work with the Line 6
Floor Board and FB4.
7
USB - PODxt’s USB jack lets you connect it directly to most computers, and
record your PODxt directly to a wide variety of popular recording software. We’ve included a USB cable for use with our GuitarPort Windows software, Line 6 Edit software
for Mac OS X and Windows, our Custom Tone online tone library, and PODxt driver
software. All this software—along with directions for using it—is free for you to download at www.line6.com.
3•5).
Controls & Connections
8
MIDI In & Out - Connect PODxt to your MIDI equipment to select Chan-
nel Memories (via Program Change messages), or automate PODxt settings (via controllers and/or SySex). You can also use MIDI (or USB) to communicate with the free Line
6 Edit software downloadable from www.line6.com. The PODxtMIDI OUT connects
to another device’s MIDI IN; its MIDI IN goes to another device’s MIDI OUT. Please
also see Chapter 7, Deep Editing and MIDI Control, to setup your MIDI gear with
xt and find out what MIDI can do for PODxt and you.
POD
9
Drive - This knob controls how hard you’re driving the input of the chosen Amp
Model. Like the input volume control on a non-master volume guitar amp, higher settings give you more “dirt.”
10
Tone Controls - Bass, middle, treBle, presence. Just like any guitar amp,
only when you change Amp Models, the response and interactivity of the controls
changes, too — so they act like the tone controls of the original amp that inspired the
Amp Model you’ve selected.
11
Chan Vol - This knob controls the relative volume level of the “channel” you
are playing through — thus, channel VOlume. Use this to balance levels between the
sounds you store in two different PODxt Channel Memories (say between your rhythm
and lead tones). In general, you want to set the chan VOl as high as possible to insure
you’re getting the best signal-to-noise ratio performance — but back off on this control if
you’re seeing CLIP in PODxt’s display.
2•3
TIP: You probably want to have all of your favorite sounds as loud as possible,
while also having the right difference in volume between your lead and rhythm
sounds, clean and dirty sounds, etc. Right? OK, then, to get this happy balance,
start with your favorite ‘clean’ sounds. Turn up their Chan Vol as high as you can
without getting the CLIP indicator in PODxt’s display when you strum hard. and
save them that way. Then switch amongst them to see if some are too loud, and
turn them down a bit to match well with the others. Next, move on to select
your ‘dirtier’ crunch and lead tones, comparing them to the clean sounds and
saving them with lower Chan Vol settings to match well with those clean sounds.
Now, each time you use your PODxt, you just have to set an Output volume level
you like, and you can switch amongst your various sounds without unhappy volume differences.
Controls & Connections
12
Reverb - How much reverb do you want today? Spin this knob to set the Reverb
level. Several flavors of reverb live inside PODxt, including springs, rooms, chambers,
halls and plate reverbs.
2•4
13
Effects - This knob selects from PODxt’s Effect Setups — which set up a com-
bination of effects for you (all the details on effects are in Chapter 6, stOmpBOxes &
ffects). Think of each Effect Setup as a virtual pedal board or outboard gear rack that
e
you can match with any Amp Model. When you turn the effects knob, PODxt shows
the name of the Effect Setup that is loaded and you’ll hear the effects change instantly.
The effect buttons light to show which effects are on. There are 64 of these effect “rigs”
pre-programmed and ready for you to use.
14
Effect Tweak - This knob varies some aspect of the effect you’ve chosen. Turn
it up and the effect will generally go deeper, louder, faster, longer or just plain more.
You’ll know what you’re tweakin’ because a window will pop up on PODxt’s display to
show you. The delay time is usually set by the tap button. For the inside scoop, including how you can customize the effect tweak knob see Chapter 4, Creating & Storing
Sounds. If the effect that effect tweak is “targeting” is off, then, big surprise, effect
weak won’t change anything. While the edit or tune/system button is lit, the effect
t
weak knob adjusts parameter values instead.
t
15
Amp Models - When you spin this knob, it’s essentially like changing what
electronic “circuitry” is running inside PODxt to make your amp sound. (See the groovy
details in Chapter 5, Modeled Amps and Cabs.) You’ll see the Amp Model names
change in PODxt’s display. When you choose an Amp Model, Cabinet and Microphone
Models are 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 also choose a different cabinet/mic setup by
pressing the caB/a.i.r. button (below).
In fact, Amp Models automatically load with all the amp-related settings pre-set for
a ready to go tone. Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Cab/A.I.R., EQ 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 PODxt, you can change these
amp-associated defaults to customize the settings of each of the Amp Models to fit your
tastes. Note that when you’re in Manual Mode, Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Channel
Volume and Reverb are set by the physical knob positions instead of being automatically set with
the amp selection. Complete details are in Chapter 5.
Controls & Connections
16
Select - The PODxt has 128 Channel Memories. They are arranged in 32 banks
of four channels each. (The four are called A, B, C, and D.) You can think of each bank
as a sort of virtual four-channel guitar amp — and you’ll find that the same layout is used
on the optional Line 6 foot controllers for PODxt (the FBV and FBV Shortboard) which
are discussed later in Chapter 8.
The first 64 Channel Memories (Banks 1-16) store a variety of complete amp-and-effect
selections pre-programmed by the tone mavens at Line 6. The second 64 (Banks 17-32)
are left for your own creations (or you can load them up with one of the thousands of
great tones you’ll find at customTone.com).
You load PODxt channels by turning the selectknob. When recalling a channel, you
may have left the physical Bass knob at minimum, whereas the just-recalled channel has
this control set to max. To change Bass (or anything else), just grab the knob you want
and tweak.
To leave the Channel Memory world and enter Manual operation, make sure the edit
button is not lit, and press the Soft Button
will read Manual Mode to let you know you’ve got WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) operation, and all the physical knob positions are being used to determine your
sound. More on all this later.
18
below the word manual. The display
2•5
When the edit, saVe or tune/system button is lit, the select knob selects from the
available display pages. When you press edit, it selects pages of effect and channel parameters; when you press tune/system, it takes you through all of the Tuner and systemwide settings; when saVe is lit, you’ll find amp and effect customization features as well
as MIDI dump operations. The vertical “scroll bar” on the left side of each display page
shows you where you are in that group of pages.
Controls & Connections
17
Display -PODxt’s LCD (liquid crystal display) is your window into every param-
eter and setting available. Here’s how to get around:
2•6
1. When the
POD
Save, Edit or Tune/System button is lit, a scroll bar on the left side of
xt’s display shows you where you are in the available display “pages.” Press one
of these buttons to see the scroll bar now. For those that really need to get all the
nerdy details, each dot in that bar represents a page. As you turn the Select knob,
you move through the pages and so does the little square. When you’re on the first
page, the little square is at the top. When you get to the last page, the square’s at the
bottom. Square goes up, square goes down. Square goes up, square goes down. Fun for
the whole family!
2. Each page typically has words that appear in the bottom of the display. These words
label things you can adjust. Press the button below the thing you want to adjust,
then turn the Effect Tweak knob to do your adjusting.
18 Soft Buttons - These four buttons operate differently depending on what
you’re doing.
If the edit button is NOT lit, the PODxt’s display will look about like this:
You can press the far left Soft Button to enable manual mode. Press the second Soft Button from the left to show the saved settings of the Amp Model’s tone controls, then press
the lit edit button to exit that display. Press one of the two Soft Buttons on the right to
turn the Gate and eQ effects on/off (in the illustration, the Gate effect is off, and the
EQ effect is on). Double-pressing the button for Gate or eQ will jump you right to the
detailed settings for those effects. You can then press the lit edit button when you’re
finished tweaking.
If the edit button IS lit, the Soft Buttons will let you select which displayed setting
you’d like to tweak. See Chapter 4 for the detail on that.
Controls & Connections
19
Effect On/Off Buttons - These four buttons allow you to quickly turn any
of four effects on or off (the effects are on when the buttons are lit).
• The cOmp button turns on/off the Compressor effect
• The stOmp button turns on/off the loaded Stomp-Box effect
• The mOd button turns on/off the loaded Modulation effect
• The delay button turns on/off the loaded Delay effect.
Double-press one of these buttons to adjust the loaded effect or load a different one. For
example, just press the cOmp button two times quickly and you’re instantly taken to the
Compressor and Gate editpage. Double-pressing the stOmp button will quickly take you
to the first Stomp Box edit page. Double-press the same button again (or press the edit
button) to leave Edit Mode.
20
CAB/A.I.R. - Press the caB/a.i.r. button once to pick a Cab Model to pair
with your amplifier, select the microphone used on the cabinet and even set the amount
of “room” that the mic captures. Unlike the effect On/Off buttons, this button is not
an on/off type control. A single press of this button simply lets you change cabs and mics
quickly. When the Cabinets are off, this button’s light will be off as well.
2•7
21
Save - When you want to store your own tweaked-up sounds in your PODxt this
button is the key. Exactly how it works is detailed in Chapter 4, Creating & Storing Sounds. But you’re probably impatient, so here are the basics:
When using a pre-programmed sound, PODxt will display the bank number, channel letter and channel name at the top of the display. If you turn one of the knobs or change a
parameter in the edit mode pages, you’ll notice an asterisk appears to the left of the bank
number. This is a reminder to you that you have tweaked the memorized channel, and
that you should save it if you want your PODxt to remember the tweak.
To save the changes you’ve made to a Channel Memory, press the saVe button. The but-
ton will start to flash. Just press saVe again if you want to overwrite the currently loaded
Channel, using the same name. Or, if you’d like to change the name first, use the middle
two Soft Buttons to select a character, then press the right soft button and turn the
ffect tweakknob to change the character. Press the soft button under dest, turn the
e
ffect tweak knob, and you will see that you are switching through memory locations A,
e
B, C, and D in each of the sixteen numbered banks. Pick one to store your sound in, and
Controls & Connections
press that saVe button a second time. The button’s light will stop flashing, a progress bar
will shown on the display, and the sound is stored at the location you chose, replacing
the sound that was there before.
2•8
After the sound is stored, you can bring it back any old time by simply turning the select
knob to call up the location where you stored it. (See Chapter 8 to learn how to do all
this with your feet on the optional foot controllers).
If you aren’t using one of the PODxt Channel Memories — 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, then dest, then use effect tweak to choose a
place to save to, and press saVe again.
If you decide you don’t want to store the sound after you’ve started saving, press any
other button to cancel the save. (The save will also be canceled if you don’t touch
anything for 15 seconds after pressing saVe.) If you accidentally save over a factory sound
you liked, the saVe button’s additional pages let you recall the factory preset version of a
Channel Memory any time. See Chapter 4 for details on this feature.
The saVe button also lets you customize any of the Amp Models and Effect Setups to
your own taste, so your favorite version of the amp or effect comes up instantly when you
turn amp mOdels or effects. See Chapter 4 for the details on that.
Controls & Connections
22
Edit - A deep-dive into tone central is available at the press of the edit button.
While edit is lit, the select knob selects pages of everything that makes up a Channel
Memory. From here, you set all the effect parameters, select cabinets and microphones,
and assign a parameter to the effect tweak knob. To learn more about deep editing,
please see Chapter 4.
23 Tune/System - Press that puppy and — shazam! Instant digital chromatic
tuner. All 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 PODxt will show you what it is on that handy display; all
notes are displayed as flats, so you’ll see Ab instead of G#. Play that string you’re trying
to tune again, spin its tuning key so it goes sharp and flat, and the little ball will move to
the right if it’s sharp and back down to the left when the note’s flat. The little ball will
sit right in the middle when you’ve got it just right. Give PODxt’s tune/systembutton a
push and the tuner disappears just as swiftly as it came, taking you right back to normal
operation.
Tuner Bypass/Volume - Normally, the audio will be muted while you’re tuning, but if
you prefer to hear yourself tune, press the button labeled Mute, and turn effect tweak
counter-clockwise to select Bypass.
2•9
Tuner Reference - Want a different reference than A=440Hz? When you’re in the
tuner mode, press the button labeled 440 Hz and turn the effect tweak knob on PODxt
while watching the display. This control lets you set the reference frequency anywhere
from 430-450 Hz. This setting is stored so you don’t have to reset it every time you turn
on PODxt if you decide you want to be different (or if that piano in your rehearsal room
has decided to be different).
24
Tap - PODxt allows you to control the time and speed of your effects by simply
tapping on this button. To use the tap control, just tap the button at the tempo you
want and the effects that are set to “lock” to that tempo will change to match what you
tapped. There’s also a Tempo parameter near the end of the edit pages, so you’ll see exactly what Tempo you’ve Tapped. This is especially useful if you are trying to nudge your
ap setting to just the right value. See Chapter 4 to learn how to set up effects to follow
t
the tempo that you’ve tapped.
Controls & Connections
FEATURE FOCUS
Podxt Pro
The following controls and connections are found on the PoDxt Pro only.
25
2•10
Input Level - The Normal setting of this switch is appropriate for most guitars.
If you see the Clip light 28 coming on, that means you’re overloading PODxt Pro’s
input. If that happens frequently, try the Pad 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. For those non-guitar sources you may also want to try
the rear panel Line Level Input
CLIP indicator shows in the display if you are clipping in the internal DSP.
26
I/O & Dig Select - Press this to tell your PODxt Pro what it’s connected to
so it can give you the best sound, and to choose digital audio and other options.
• Press it once to select where you’re going to connect your input source to the
POD
• Press it a second time to tell PODxt Pro whether you’re using it in
the studio or live, how you have connected your effects loop and
what kind of digital gear you have connected to PODxt Pro.
• Press it a third time and it will dismiss the pages and take you back to whatever was
in the display before you pressed the button.
29
, which is a balanced TRS connection. A separate
xt Pro, and exactly what you want to come out of the digital outputs.
27
Signal Light - This lights to say, “Yep, I’m hearing some input.” If you’ve got
something feeding audio to your PODxt Pro but you can’t hear it and don’t see it here,
press the i/O & diG select button 26 and be sure you’ve got the right input selected. (This light doesn’t show input from USB, by the way.)
28
Clip Light - This lights to say, “Whoa, Nelly! That’s too much input!” (And,
again, it doesn’t show the status of USB audio.) Reduce the output level of the device
that’s feeding your PODxt Pro, or try the Pad setting of the handy input leVel
switch. For non-guitar sources, you may instead want to use the...
25
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