Floorboard Compatibility

For a complete compatibility chart please see our Compatibility Chart on our website at http://www.line6.com/footcontrollers/compatibility.html

Note: If the pedal jack of your POD is labeled "pedal" than it is NOT compatible with our FBV line of foot controllers. If the pedal jack of your POD is labeled "FBV" then it WILL work with our FBV line of foot controllers.

How do I Connect my POD to an Amplifier?

Q: Can I connect my POD/2.0/XT/X3/Live to the front of my amplifier?

A: Yes.  You will want to create as clean a sound as possible on your amplifier (You will want to make the combo amplifier's EQ as "flat" as possible by turning the treble and bass controls to zero and maxing out the mid control. You should also set POD's output to 9 or 10 o'clock to avoid overdriving the instrument input of the amplifier and have no effects active).  You will want to experiment with the output level on the POD to create a sound that works for your situation.

Routing

1. Guitar--->POD--->Amplifier Instrument Input. This works but you will be stacking two pre amps in series (the POD unit acts as a preamp). Make sure you also adjust the OUTPUT Mode on the POD unit for optimal tone: Combo/Stack FRONT

Q: Can I bypass the preamp section of my amp to avoid stacking two preamps?

A: Yes, There are two ways this can be accomplished.

• If your amplifier has a CD/MP3 input you can go directly in the this jack from the POD output (This is a common method with the Line 6 Spider Series amplifiers).  Be aware you may need to "trick" your amplifier input by using a dummy plug in the instrument input to allow signal to pass to the speaker (headphone adaptors often work well for this purpose).
• If your amplifier has an effects loop (i.e. the Line 6 Spider Valve or Flextone) you can use your POD unit as the main Pre amp and distortion generator, using only the power amp section of your amplifier by plugging into the "effects return" or "power amp input".  If the amplifier has a "power amp in", the POD output will most likely control the output volume.  If the amplifier has "effect loop return" the amplifier master volume will most likely control the output volume.

Routing

2. Guitar--->POD In---POD Out--->Amp FX Return. Make sure you also adjust the OUTPUT Mode on the POD unit for optimal tone Combo or Stack PWRAMP when applicable.

Q: Can I run my POD/X3/xt/Pro/Live/Floor in an effect loop of an amplifier to use just the effects rather than the amp modeling?

A: Yes, it is possible to to run a POD as an effect unit in the effect loop of an amplifier. You may want to turn off the amp modeling or use as clean a sound as possible to avoid stacking preamps.  You may also need to lower the “line level” signal of the amplifier's effect send output to "instrument level" to avoid potential damage to the input of your POD.  Some POD units will have a pad switch that will accomplish this function. If your POD unit does not have an input pad switch, a device such as the Ebtech Line Level Shifter can be used to lower the line level if necessary.

Routing

3. Guitar--->Amp In---Amp FX Send---->POD IN---POD Out--->Amp FX Return.  With this routing, you would have to bypass the amp modeling on the POD unit and use it for FX only, using your amp's own preamp section.

For POD units with effect loops (i.e. POD X3)

Q: What is the Four Cable method?

A: The “Four Cable” method (4C) can be used for any effect unit that has an effects loop when connecting to an amplifier that has an effects loop (i.e. the POD X3 Live).  This cabling method allows the end-user to place filters and overdrive units before the preamp section of the amplifier, and modulation and delay effects after the effect loop in the effect unit.  This way the amplifier will provide the tones and the Line 6 device will provide the effects (pre and post).  Be sure to enable the effects loop, and experiment with Pre-post effect to decide which method works best for you.

Instrument--->X3Live guitar in

X3Live effect loop send > instrument input of amplifier

Amplifier effect loop send > X3Live effect loop return

X3 line output > Amplifier effect loop return.

Q: Can I run the two tones separately, such as one tone for "pre" amp sounds and the other for "post" (i.e. effect loop) sounds?

A: An “alternate” method of the Four Cable method is to completely separate the front of the amp effects (i.e. filters and overdrives) into Tone 1, and the time based effects (chorus, delay, reverb) in Tone 2.  The tones will need to be panned hard left (1) and hard right (2) in the outputs section (any blending of the tones may result in feedback). Be aware that you will need to have both tones active to get sound, and you need to set up the inputs as follows: Tone 1: Guitar, Tone 2: Aux. Feel free to experiment with the "amp settings" to determine which setting works best for your setup.The connection wiring is:

Instrument > X3Live guitar in

X3Live Live (left) output > amplifier input

Amplifier FX loop send > X3Live Aux input

X3Live (right) output > Amplifier FX loop return

The Four Cable Method Tutorial Video by Harmony Central: http://www.harmony-central.com/theater/video/instructional/instructional_video.html

The video is listed alphabetically under *Multi-Effects*

Two Amps to One POD

Connect the left output of the Pod Pro to the input of one amp and the right output of the Pod Pro to another amp. It would be best if you could connect your Pod Pro to the amps using the effects loop of the amp if you have one since it will bypass the pre amp of your amplifier.

Outputs for Live Settings

Q: Do I need to use a DI box after the pod or can I go guitar-pod-PA? How do I get from the pod to the XLR cable on PA?

A: These are balanced 1/4" TRS connectors, and ready to rock with pro +4 dBu balanced equipment. They will also work happily with unbalanced -10 dBV equipment and standard guitar cables. So you can use both, Two standard guitar cables to a DI box to the PA snake or two 1/4" TRS to XLR adaptor cable to the PA snake.

Please see the attached document from the POD user manual located under the attachments section.

Recording POD Into a Computer

In order to record the audio signal of your POD / POD 2.0 directly into your computer, you will first need the proper type of software that is capable of recording audio loaded into your computer.

You will also need a sound card that has an audio input.

If you have a Soundblaster type of card, you will need a cable that has two 1/4 inch mono plugs on one end and one 1/8 inch stereo plug. This cable can be found at most major music retailers. The two 1/4 inch mono jacks on this cable will need to be inserted into the POD's Left and Right Outputs and the other end of the cable should be inserted into the audio input of your computer's sound card. Make sure your sound card and audio software are configured to receive audio input and you should be ready to record.

If you are using another type of soundcard, like a unit that has an external break out box, you can plug directly into that box using a regular guitar cable of a balanced (TRS) cable. Be sure to check the documentation that came with the unit to configure it correctly.

POD 2.0 MIDI Connections

In order to establish communication between your POD's MIDI In and Out and your computer, you will need a MIDI-USB Interface, such as the M-Audio MIDI Sport Uno or a MIDI interface, two standard MIDI cables and the cables necessary to connect the interface to your computer. If your computer is equipped with a Sound Blaster type MPU 401 sound card, you can simply use a Joystick Port to MIDI adapter cable. This cable will allow you to connect your POD's MIDI directly to your computers sound card and establish communication between your POD's MIDI and your computer. The cable should provide MIDI In and Out jacks on one end as well as a Joystick "Thru" connector on the other. The "Thru" connector will enable you to connect a game controller as well as the MIDI cable to your computer at the same time. Please be aware that some Windows computer systems have MIDI driver incompatibility issues that prohibit the use of the joystick port with MIDI products. These Windows machines will also need a MIDI interface.

POD Sounds Boomy or Harsh

Q:My POD or amp sounds great at home, but sounds boomy and harsh on a gig. What's wrong?

A: How To Get Loud:

    (Article attached)

Have you ever had this happen to you? You've spent the afternoon getting all your sounds perfectly tweaked for tonight's gig, but when you get there and start playing, everything sounds really..... not right? Things sound overly bright, but also a little 'woofy', so you have to fix things on the fly as the night goes along and silently curse your amp. The next day, when you set things back up at home, you go back to re-tweak your sounds, and suddenly they sound okay again. Are you going nuts? Have your ears suddenly lost it? Is there a problem with your amp? Don't worry, they're both fine; you've just been bitten by the Fletcher-Munson curves.

"What's this?", you ask. "I thought Thurman Munson was a catcher for the Yankees, not a pitcher, (although he hit the curve pretty well) and who the heck is this Fletcher guy?" Well, aside from the fact that the baseball trivia part of your brain is functioning just fine, there's a whole other story going on here. Although it may look a little daunting (especially that graph you see looming below), it's really pretty simple, so just bear with us a moment for the inside poop.

Fletcher and Munson were researchers at Bell Laboratories who demonstrated, in 1933, that the human ear (and brain) perceive different frequencies in a shifting manner dependent on level. Their measurements showed that your ear is most sensitive to frequencies in the range of 3-4kHz, and that frequencies above and below those points must be louder, in absolute terms, in order to be perceived as being of equal loudness. They also showed that the amount of increase of loudness in those other frequencies to achieve that perceived equality varies depending on what the overall SPL (Sound Pressure Level), or sound intensity, is in the first place. These discoveries helped kick off a whole new area of study called 'psychoacoustics' and brought you, among other things, that little button on your stereo labeled 'Loudness'. When they mapped our these curves (also known as 'Equal Loudness Contours') they looked something like this:

http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/graphics/Fletcher-Munson.gif

When you look at these curves, you'll notice that when the 3-4 kHz range is at 0dB (or just barely audible), frequencies at 20Hz (about as low as you can perceive a distinct tone) have to be raised over 60 dB (which is 64 times as loud. Remember that decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale, so this is also 1000 times the power) to be perceived as being the same volume. On the other hand, when the base level for our 'home' frequencies is raised to 80dB, the lowest frequencies only have to be raised 10dB (or be twice as loud) to be perceived as being the same volume. Now what does this mean to you as a guitarist? Well, as we alluded to above, you'll notice that the curves flatten out substantially as you get louder.

This means that the sounds you tweak up in your living room will have the low and high end boosted substantially (the infamous 'smile curve') to make those frequencies sound equally loud to the midrange frequencies to which you're most sensitive. When you take those sounds that you designed at around 60-70 dB (which is your basic living room, not gonna wake the neighbors or overly annoy the family level) and turn them up to the average 90dB+ stage levels, those same high and low frequencies will suddenly seem overly exaggerated making everything sound simultaneously painfully bright, yet woofy (kinda like a bad wine tasting description). Not only that, but those midrange frequencies (where the fundamental information about just which note you're playing live) are being overwhelmed by that, now excessive, high and low frequency information.

So what's a fella to do? Well, if you can manage it without driving everyone crazy, studies have determined that the optimum level for reference mixing (which would apply to sound design as well) is about 85dB. This is loud enough to start flattening out the curve, but not so loud as to seriously hurt yourself (unless you do it for 14 hours straight) Get yourself an inexpensive SPL meter, set it to 'A' weighting (which shoots for the equivalent of the human hearing sensitivity) crank up your amp so you're averaging 85dB, and tweak in your patches. Of course, 85dB is, to put it in easily understandable terms, 'pretty darn loud', so this isn't something you can do a 2 AM when you can't sleep 'cause you're worrying about sounding just right for the next gig.

The next best thing is to schedule a rehearsal with the rest of your band where you can crank it up, and make your final tweaks while the rest of the guys are there cracking jokes about obsessive/compulsive guitarists. Your third option, and probably the easiest, is to study the curves above carefully, and remember that if your sound is a little mid-heavy and seems a little bit dull at living room level, it's probably going to be about right when you crank that sucker up live. Here's a potential approach.

Next time you're tweaking up a tone or two, make two versions; one that sounds right at living room levels, and one that you think, using the stuff you've learned here, should sound about right at stage levels. When you play live, leave the first one alone, and tweak the second one (if necessary), then go back the next day and compare the two. Pay attention to how they differ from each other. Now try and make a couple more, using the same process. After you've done this a few times, you should be getting a pretty good feel for just what you'll have to do to get 'em right the first time. Presto, you're one step closer to that elusive Ph.D in Tone.

Now, if you're the type that really wants to dive in and get some serious information overload, you might want to try going to: http://www.campanellaacoustics.com/faq.html.

This is one of the coolest online reference sites we've found in a long time, courtesy of Campanella Associates, an acoustic consulting firm. It's a fairly complete audio text and tutorial,  that will give you more than you thought you needed to know (but not more than you should) about audio, acoustics, and sound.