Line 6 did it again 
by Slick from PA USA, January 2008
Music Background:  Guitar player

o my god when i plug into this either in the studio or out live i am blown away by this product and get gearbox and you have the perfect combo.

  Metal! 
by JNAM from St.Paul,MN,USA, April 2007

I just got mine a week ago and let me tell you boys and girls something... this thing kicks!!! Check out the Agro and Lunatic models, crank your amp up and piss off your mama!!! My bandmates are stoked to hear this thing the next time we play out! Two horns up, Line6! You guys did it again!

  no more amps! 
by jeremy abanil from philippines, November 2006
Music Background:  producer, recording engineer,pro musician

i used to worry about amps on a performance day.. how it would affect my sound etc. but now with the xtl, set the amp to 5-5-5 set your volume and let xtl's modelling blow you away. i'm into christian music and i play on a daily basis nowadays and xtl is a thumbs up!

pros:
usb interface, upgradable software, convenient output selctor, amp models, sturdy casing, simultaneous output from stereo out to headphones

cons:
no decent acoustic simulation, no effects routing, heavy piece of equipment, squeky pedal, no xlr out

  Very Capable for Gigging 
by Zak Adams from Post Falls, ID USA, July 2006
Music Background:  Recording Engineer, guitarist

I have been really impressed with how good this thing sounds all by itself. On gigs where an amp and cab are not convenient, I can get a very usable AC30 tone out of it as well as delay and tremolo. The amp models work well with an overdrive pedal in front as well. This pod has gone all the way to Uganda with me and it always works. Not the real thing, but it'll do in a pinch.

So far, so very good... 
by Anonymous from south Georgia, August 2005

I'm a performer / producer / engineer who runs his own home studio, and I bought the POD XT Live for all-around guitar use. I own a Fender American Fat Strat and a couple of cheaper guitars. I must say, I haven't played this unit through an amp yet. Most of my recordings are done direct. However, I usually judge a unit based upon its ability to sound correct through a good set of headphones. You usually get a darn good idea of what's going to track that way. Generally speaking, you can model a Marshall Stack through a Fender Twin Reverb amp playing a Telecaster, and it will be close to what you're modeling. But I have a tendency to listen through headphones when I'm trying out a new keyboard or effects processor to actually hear the tone(s) coming straight from the processor / unit. After all, if you're getting proper modeling from your unit, the next step is to find the proper amp that fits your tastes - unless you're like me and do everything direct.

Having said that, I will say that the tones through the headphones are rather meaty. Everyone has their own ideas of what sounds good. A good friend plays killer guitar a'la Vai, Satriani, Malmsteen, etc., and he busts his balls trying to get "his" tone through his setup. His tone, in my opinion, is rather mumbled and lacking, but it's what he likes. From what I've seen with the POD XTL, you can dial in just about anything you want. If your tone is thin, well, it's probably not the POD, but rather the combination of the amp, guitar, and POD XTL combined, and you need to tweak a little.

I've only used my POD XT a few of times, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist - or even a serious guitarist - to figure out that you can get some great stuff out of this unit. I'm looking forward to using this unit more, as well as expanding upon my guitar abilities in the studio and out. I'm not a full-fledged guitarist, but I know from the engineer's point of view what sounds good, and this unit fits the bill.

Amazing unit! 
by Anonymous from Seattle wa usa, June 2005

I've been a "tube snob" for a long time and haven't used anything other than tube distortion for about 8 years. I initially bought this to use with my amp for effects only. They are excellent and get extremely close sonically to the units they're based on. I actually A/B'ed the Line 6 version of the Phase 90 with my real Phase 90 pedal and was amazed. I don't think anyone would be able to tell which was which in a blindfold test. The routing options, EQ, noise-gate and compression are all very good and can be set up in a variety of ways, so you can use the PODxt Live with a guitar amp, poweramp, P.A. or direct recording. What really blew me away were the amp models. I tried running the PODxt Live into my amp's effects-loop input (bypassing the amp's own preamp section), and couldn't believe how good my rig sounded. Using the Dual-Rectifier model with the Ibanez Tube Screamer sim I got the biggest, fattest, warmest distortion tone I ever had. I still think that, for live applications, a tube amp cuts through a mix better and is easier on the ears than solid-state equipment, so I'm now running the Live into a Mesa-Boogie Stereo 2:90 poweramp. I have 2 speaker cabinets so this set-up gives me a stereo sound, which is very cool. At my last show a guy asked me where I was hiding my Recto head. He thought for sure it must have been a real Dual-Rectifier. There are tons of other amp models that sound great also, for both clean, mid-gain and high-gain sounds, and you can get more by purchasing additional amp model packages from the Line 6 website. The website has lots of other cool things too, which you can connect to using your computer and the USB connection on the PODxt Live. There's a site called CustomTone.com, where people can upload and share the different tones they've created with other POD users, and quite a bit of software that is free for registered owners of Line 6 equipment. One of the things I like is the Line 6 Edit program, that allows you to edit the sounds on your Live using your computer, which is much easier and faster than using the buttons and knobs on the unit itself. The PODxt Live has replaced all the pedals I used to own, including my tuner. The only other thing I still use is my Crybaby wah, the Line 6 wah is very good, but not QUITE as good as my Dunlop. With all the options that you can save to an individual sound-patch, you can turn on and off effects, change volume and EQ settings, and just about anything else you can think of with just one stomp. No pedal dance is necessary here.

One note: it takes some time and a knowledge of how guitar equipment works to understand how to properly program the Live to sound it's best with whatever other gear you're using. It can sound horrible if you don't know what you're doing. Once you understand it though, look out, there is almost no end to the amount of tones you can get out of this thing.

To give you an idea of how impressed I am with this unit, my rig is now based around the PODxt Live and my Mesa 2:90, taking the place of a Framus Cobra. If you know anything about Framus amps, then you know this is a VERY strong endorsement of the PODxt Live. Get one now, considering all the things it can do, you can't beat it for the money and, once you learn how to use it correctly, you won't be dissappointed.

Variax and POD XTL Live--Killer Combo 
by jack loganbill from Chicago, May 2005

Being away from the guitar for almost 10 years, I was surprised at the technology advances especially in amp modeling. So, after lots of research and testing, I purchased the GNX4, Korg PX4 last summer. Short while later, I purchased a VAMP Pro. Since then, I use the VAMP for most amp modeling, rarely use the Korg, and use the GNX4 to tie everything together for computer recording.

I hesitated to get into the POD thing because frankly, their sound seem thin and muddy. No match for the VAMP.

A while back I decided to purchase the Line6 GuitarPort for use with a laptop when traveling. I was blown way with its amp models and effects. Once I immersed myself into the Line6 world and the hundreds of quality tones (presets/patches) available, I decided to try a Variax.

I quickly fell in love with the Variax but found it's full potential can only be achieved by hooking it up to a POD XT Live. So I sold the GP and purchased the POD XT Live (XTL).

Now reviews for the XTL are mixed. Many reviewers complain about the thin, muddy sound...I found the same thing to be true during the first 1/2 hour I used the XTL. I was very dissapointed to say the least. Then I changed the Output setup from Amp to Studio Direct and everything changed completely, and for the better.

After 10+ hours of fiddling around with the XTL, I find the amp models are generally far superior to the VAMP. The modulation and delay effects are great. I have not spent much time with the included add-on effects.

But what really has be jazzed is how easy it is to setup the XTL patches to include amps, eq, and the Variax settings. I now have patches that I use to jump from Hard Rock sounds (amp, eq, Variax) to mellow acoustic sounds. To my knowledge, in the history of guitar, this has never been possible. I figure that if every serious guitarist tried out this combo, they would buy it.

Bottom line: If you read or hear that POD XTs have a thin, muddy sound--chances are the reviewer did not spend the few seconds it takes to setup the unit correctly. Frankly, I believe a lot of reviewers do not own the stuff they write about--they may spend 1/2 hour with it in a guitar store and think they are experts. I too have tried out stuff in the store and wondered why anyone would want it.

IMHO, the POD XTL amp models and general sound quality is a step above the competition. It may not be the swiss army knife that the GNX4 workstation is, it may not be as easy as the VAMP to quickly go from one amp to another (without patches), but as an amp modeler it kicks. Add in the Variax element, and purchasing the XTL is a no-brainer.

Jack Loganbill

At this price point it can't be beat. 
by Tim from Canberra, ACT Australia, February 2005

Firstly, if you can't play guitar that well, then this device is good and bad. Good because you can play along with your fave CDs or the radio without disturbing anyone thus giving yourself some valuable practice. Bad because there are so many options available as to tones, that you never write any songs or focus on actually learning to play the instrument cause you're too preoccupied with having the coolest sounding distortion or effects. I only bought this after 6 years of learning to play my guitar with no effects. So now with this unit, it just adds icing to my playing. It doesn't make me play any better or sound like my guitar heroes. It won't make me famous. It will help me get some of the tones I require that suit the song I am writing. It will save me money when I am in the studio and I need to bring up a good tone quickly without having the engineer having to set up an amp. I wouldn't record my main rhythm tracks with it, but I'd play my rhythm tracks through it in a live situation. The ability to switch instantly between a great Fender to Marshall to Boogie to Diezel is invaluable to me. The ability to access the wah in any patch is great. Nice wah too. And the ability to update and swap tones is fantastic. Though I haven't tried it, it will most likely operate as a midi board quite well so that I can control my G major which controls my amp channels thus giving me access to effects before and after distortion on my amp. It could be described as the ultimate low-end fully equipped setup. The synths open new realms to my songs and I can't wait to try it at a gig. It works well in complete darkness. The tuner is extremely accurate as are the models of effects and amps. This unit is a modelling unit with effects as opposed to say a Boss GT6 which is an effects unit with modelling. In my books, the former is much more useful. Oh and its ability to be used just as an effects unit straight into the front of a combo or stack is cool. It adjusts its output equalization to match the device it is feeding the tones to. So that I can feed it direct to my effects return on my amp and then I tell it that I am doing this and it makes the tonal adjustments. This is a cool feature. At this price point it can't be beat and I reckon we could almost do away with tube amps in a live situation. It was that good that I matched the tones of my latest EP with it. We borrowed a Marshall TSL100 in the studio. I dialled up the same amp model in the XT Live and there they were all my distortion and solo tones, Right there for me to play hours on end without having to own such an amp. I couldn't quite get the clean tones from the amp model as it was modelled on a particular channel with a deep switch on or something. But then I just use a different amp moel for my clean tones. It even sounds like my little Peavey Classic 30 at times. It also cleans up nice on some amp models when you turn the volume on your guitar down. Very cool.

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