Andertons Exclusive - Line 6 POD HD500X Review and Demo

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The Line 6 HD500X is the evolution of the hugely popular Line HD500. Paul Hindmarsh came down to show us all this great bit of kit could do. Make sure you can hear this video in stereo as the Dual Amp setups sound fantastic.
To hear more from Paul and download the sounds he uses please check him out on the following sites.
/ paulhindmarshmusic
www.paulhindmar...
/ paulhindmarshmusic
The HD-500X has all the great features of the POD HD500 - a powerful guitar multi effects processor choc-full with all the sounds you could think of and more - and further improves them with ultra-high quality footswitches with lit surrounds and more DSP processing power for speedier editing and more combinations and possibilities.
More than just an effects unit, the HD500X offers guitarists the possibility to create almost any guitar tone imaginable, past, present... and future! With the HD500X, a Line 6 JTV guitar and DT Series Amplifier, you have "The Dream Rig". Perfect harmony between your guitar sound, your effects and your amp sound, and moreover, the ability to mix and match between any two rigs at the press of a heavy-duty, well-lit red footswitch!
And when it comes to using your rig live, tight integration with Line 6 PA systems using L6 Link technology means that all of those great sounds ring out in their full glory for your audience to enjoy to the max.
The POD HD500X notches up the bar once again, and guitarists who are demanding more versatility and an increasing palette of tones, without compromising on vibe or sound quality, will once again be stunned by the inroads Line 6 is making towards the truly perfect guitarist's rig.

[@legslewis783]

fast foward to 13:30 to hear what it does without the sales pitch.

[@andnowforsomethingcomplete4133]

legs lewis Thanks mate.

[@MrNico3337]

legs lewis that's a long ass sales pitch, tyvm :P

[@chrisplummer]

+legs lewis you da real mvp

[@paulhindmarshmusic]

Hi folks, just thought I would check in here. The HD500 is still awesome. HD500X offers a few more things. If you weren't struggling for power in the original HD500 you don't need to upgrade. Line 6 aren't trying to get you to sell your HD500, however if you don't currently own a HD500, or own a 300 or 400 then now is a good time to jump in for a 500x. Of course if you just want the newest model then of course feel free to get in touch with Andertons and fill your boots :-)

[@MetalFret.]

Great Video! I bought a HD500X a month ago and I Love it! It's a lot of FUN, I can sit for Hours with it hooked up to my computer while Playing and Modifying my Sound,

[@russellhall55]

I understand the man perfectly.If you are not from or living in the UK,why bother watching this video.

[@guntarsveidemanis2431]

Came here to listen to Paul playing.

[@giggs102]

Paul from line 6 is back!

[@JossDTV]

Eight Noise Gates = Maximum Dj0nt.

[@ESPSJ]

Paul is a phenomenal player! Could watch him play for hours haha.

[@CaptAnderton]

Yup - this video was shot about 5 minutes after the builders left, so we hadn't put the acoustic tiles up yet - that's happening this Friday so should sure the problem.

[@tylerwolfe648]

Dude how have I never thought of that. Genius. It can be a pain to have to unplug and replug it every time something gets kicked and it's just easier to turn it off to reset it.

[@officialWWM]

Watching this in 2018...my, how times have changed...

[@GRAFHC]

Really sounds great! I know the Fractalnatics will do whatever they can to discount the viability of this product, but, lets be honest, it sounds really nice!

[@HomeRecordingMadeEasy]

I watched a lot of videos comparing the Line 6, Boss and Zoom multi effects processors and in my opinion they all sound pretty subpar and have soooooo many features that it's complete over kill from most players who are used to having a couple of good tube amps and small pedal boards. So what I ended up doing is purchasing a couple of the Tech 21 character series pedals, delay and reverb pedal and Now I have an amazing Fender clean, marshall, Orange, Mesa amp sounds any they are super simple, analog and just sound amazing. Maybe a solution to consider.

[@myworstenemy680]

Subpar says it all. Line6 simulates amps for someone on a budget. Fractal audio's axe-fx is much better quality, but you're going to pay a couple grand for it. Sometimes keeping it simple allows you to be a musician instead of a computer programmer haha. Great comment VRS.

[@haticeonurlu8726]

Home Recording Made Easy v

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Agree just get a decent amp, cab, and analog pedals and make your own. In reality, you only need 10-12 pedals to do what classic rock to metal bands have been playing for the past 60 years anyways.

[@Edelprolo]

I just stopped myself of f**king around with all the gadgets. I simply chose an Amp, a Box, a reverb, maybe a wahwah if necessary another pedal like fuzz or chorus - done. Let's make music now!

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

smart

[@DJBuglip]

That's how I run, Variax into a Pod HD500X, into a Line 6 Flextone HD 300 watt amp. Almost a decade later, still sounds dynamite, is easy, portable, and eminently versatile. And as loud as a 747 landing. I'll compare tones, anytime.

[@DJBuglip]

Its got a ring modulator, for Pete's sake. How many of you guys have a ring modulator on your board?

Well, it's pretty awesome, connected with the LT speaker system, in stereo... wow. It just blow my brains out, to see how many possibilities You have

[@olegsoltis3305]

still have my hd500/hd25. I had never liked Line 6 product, until I bought hd500. Must say, I spent significant amount of time to make it sound to my liking, but it was worth it. I will definitely buy the next generation of HD 500 if it improves on high gain sounds and ads a seemingly simple clean jazz tone sounding amp to its array of amps sims. Otherwise, I like my HD500 (and Parker amp is a killer).

[@Edelprolo]

BTW: I use the HD500x also for the bass. In opposite to the guitar amps, I can't see the slightest problems with the sound quality. It just sounds great. Better than the Hartke I once had.

[@sctogtr]

You may want to take that in context. He uses these for live gigs. Live gigs and studio are very different environments.

[@cdeme123]

At 15:25 he's changing presets and I'm hearing a bit of popping coming through when he makes the changes. Anyone have one of these that can tell me if that is a problem?

[@jayeshrathore5804]

will it be updated or should I buy this only in 2020?

[@TrebleMidBass]

Why playing on variax... why not on a normal guitar without digital midi pickups or whats inside on those variax.

[@Cyclist7x]

It's a video of some Line 6 products with a Line 6 product specialist, so they're going to be using their guitars.

[@ethanlancaster76]

There’s a TON of videos without the Variax and Line 6 amp, but it honestly makes no difference in the processing power that still rivals anything on the market in 2019. Just buy it, learn it and play it..you won’t be disappointed!

[@davey21502]

Also - proper setup of these units, gain staging, volumes and eq settings for what you need is VERY important. Not too mention when recording in the studio, the post added effects, such a compressors,EQ's, are very important, and if done right sound professional, and these are used by MANY professionals. But with the rising popularity of the AX-Effects 2, more and more pro's are going with that unit. At $2400 just for the rack, Im sticking with Line 6.

[@mrjugil]

how many effcts (fs) you can run at same time? can you turn on all the 8 fs at the same time?

[@MrAntihumanism]

The Axe Fx II definitely takes the title as the best thing now, thats a fantastic pedal thats worth about 5 times as much, its for more professional usage. I own an HD400 and its a great pedal I love, but I'm not going to deny that other companies have come up with superior amp models.

[@sh06un1s]

It has an effect called Pitch Glide which can be used like that. It allows you to set the pitch of the guitar either up or down 24 semitones and everything inbetween. You can also assign this parameter to the expression pedal and use it like a whammy pedal if you really wanted to. Of course though, if you want Drop C and you are in E Standard, you will have to tune to Drop D because it just takes everything down that whole step (assuming you have it set to do that).

[@MatthewLim]

the Line 6 POD series is great .... will never understand why people diss the multi effect pedals. so much goodness for such a low price :D

[@FaizanShakeelKhan]

HD models 300 to 500x differs in features only or also in sound quality? I don't need 100 effects or dual tone processing, I simply want to connect to PC and record a good quality lead tone, will 500x have a richer sound than 300?

[@russellhall55]

The Mesa and Soldano together sound massive.Amazing tone.

[@Edelprolo]

Its a nice device if one does not want to buy or carry all these heavy amps. Wiring all these gadgets ain't fun also. One always fails or needs battery. Of course, playing a real Marshall with all these glowing tubes is more fun, no doubt. But damn it, I don't want to carry all that stuff around anymore.

[@ethanlancaster76]

Edelprolo you literally can tell ZERO difference between the ir and a tube amp of your choice. It’s all there..just takes a few hours to dial in your tone(s) and you’re set for life.

[@matthewearl]

sorry i just saw pictures of the rear. i see it does have an effects loop. but what is the preferred method of using the signal instead of just pluggin it in into the front of the amp which would destroy the quality of the delays/modulations and such?

[@cperalta]

I own a HD500, and it's pretty simple to set up an fx loop using the 4-cable-method. Unlike Digitech's RP line, you can choose which fx will go before and after the preamp tubes. Using a loop will take 1 of the 8 available 'fx blocks/spaces'. You can also run a stereo loop or a double amp loop (which will take a TRS to dual TS adapter for the pedal's fx send). The Pod will treat each return signal separately. Line 6 has a video on the simple 4CM setup /watch?v=RmIbByDizyM

[@octave06]

Can you use both the balanced and unbalanced output simultaneously? I want to know If i can be connected to the house pa, but still use an amp mainly for my monitoring?

[@cperalta]

Seems like a good update for people that don't already own an HD500. IMO, it's not worth the upgrade from the 500 to the 500x. I'll just keep using it until the Axe FX 3 comes out.

[@andertons]

We have filmed a video doing this exact method and it will appear in the next few weeks.

[@HENNINGRAS]

I'm looking for a nylon string patch that sounds like a true nylon string guitar...the ones from the website sounds more like a steel string guitar... Any help please...

[@GRAFHC]

You're point being...? I believe we all know the "sound processing" on the device has not changed at all, but, given it's higher potential for processing power, future firmware releases could very well change that. Needless to say, as did the HD500, the HD500X sounds great!

[@LukeLeach]

Possible stupid question here...When Cap'n mentioned you can run your effects before the amp, or after/(the effects loop), what's the difference there?

[@JorgeMay]

Like in a normal set with pedals, the sound is much diferente if you use the pedal before or after the amp, try a delay for exemple, if you put it before the amp it will sound very diferente than after the amp.

[@matthewearl]

is it possible to run your post effects such as reverb and delays in parallel with the signal chain instead of plugging this thing directly in the front of your amp? for example is there an effects loop output so i can run the post effects physically in parallel with the signal in my physical amp and still use the modeling pedals such as overdrive and such before the amp? typically called a 4-cable method.

[@JasonSmithSlayboneGardener]

Does the Line 6 POD HD500x come with a "Detune" effect, Lowering the pitch of whatever tuning that you were originally using? Someone please shed some light on this for me!

[@coffeewaldo]

Neal Van is right. I got the dt. 50 there was something wrong with it. Sent it back. Then got a dt25, knock on wood its been good so far.

[@terrytickler]

i still love the the mark1 flextone i have owned since it came out it still sounds the best to my ears

[@wupeide]

Suggestions - use the same cameras with the same settings for different angles - pull back the lighting or disburse it more - use mics that pick up less ambient small-room echo.

[@glac1787]

Hello, thanks for your video. Is it possible to record Input guitar and input mic in the same time ? Or do we need another sound card ? Thanks

[@andertons]

You might be able to do something like this by creating a "Dual Mono" mix instead of a stereo mix, where the left channel does all the emulation and the right channel leaves out the cabinet. Hope that makes sense.

[@thedreamliner2012]

I did a lot of experimenting with all the major brands. In the end, I chose the Line 6 M13 multi-effects processor. It beat the Boss GT10, GT100, The Digitech RP500, RP1000, The Vox StompLab SE & LE, and several others. The Fender Mustang Floor was dead last, and the new Digitech iPB-10 Programmable Pedalboard is very cool, but with the iPad you're well over $1000. The M13 has the best sounds, features, routing options & ease of use. The RP's were ok, but a bit clunky.

[@Thekeon3]

please test the modelling without reverb

[@Vazmusic]

Very helpful review. I have a few questions if U will. 1.On the HD500-X can I control the ramp up and down of the rotary effect by using two buttons? I do not want to use the pedal for that. 2. Are there any string pad like effects? 3. If there are pad like effects Can I bring that pad in & out with the pedal? 4. IS there a simulated acoustic guitar sound like the Digitech stuff has? Thanx.

[@VirtuosoGT]

Is this pod backwards compatible with the line 6 Spider III (3), really fancy one of these

[@jantzen251]

Wait whats the difference between effects in front of the amp or in back of the amp? Does it change anything or what?

[@andertons]

Hi Jantzen2. If you are using your Amp to create your tone then you would want to place certain effects after the the Preamp in the Send/Return loop so that you are affecting the best tone.. Eg Delay... You would want the delay to be repeating your amp tone.

[@Deebz270]

Rule of thumb, with any fx setup, is generally to have overdrive/distortion/tube screamers, compressor/noise gate etc... Driving the preamp section of your amp - Before amp input. Whilst the 'spatial' effects - delays, chorus, pitch-changer, wah or reverb set AFTER the preamp - In the 'FX loop' of your amp set up - After preamp, before power stage of your amp. But of course your genre and ears, ultimately dictate your set up.

[@actorartistmusician]

Matthew - I have a video detailing the 4-cable method using my HD500. It's been my live rig for 2.5 years or so - Blackstar HT Stage 60, and a pod HD 500. You can get some REALLY sick sounds out of it. It'll play well with your amp as long as you've got the Effects loop in your amp as well. If you don't have an effects loop - you can still use 90% of the effects modules going straight into your pre-amp (the front.) ALMOST all of the classic 90's grunge sound was done this way originally.

[@patrickvanvlooten]

Love your vids, can't wait for the room treatment to be done. This room looks like there's another year or two of funny youtube videos up ahead!

[@AxelSjoberg]

Just a suggestion guys, try putting up some kind of soundproofing material on the walls. You definately have the best product reviewing videos online, but it's annoying to listen to the rooms reverb when you're speaking.

[@ZedChuva]

I'm not an expert on the subject, so honestly I'm not 100% sure. I'd assume the 500x has more DSP, since the Pro and HD500 were the same unit memory wise, and the 500x was made to compensate the DSP limits. HD500 was the floor model, and the Pro was a rack, with no MP3/Aux in and a S/PDIF, AES/EBU Ins/outs, dry out and phantom power for mics. Amps, FX, Cabs are the same on both units. Hope that helped ya.

[@skaterkez123]

Hello, quick question I know you can run 2 different signal chains at the same time, but can you run them through 2 different outputs on the pedal at the same time ??? , for instance if I ran this pedal through a power amp and into my cab I would preferably leave the cab out of the patch so I could get the tones from my real cab, But if I also wanted to DI the pedal into a mixer and run a separate signal to that did have a cabinet in the patch is it possible ???

[@MrPaolo101]

I think alot of folks have used the 'kidney bean'... An didnt like 'em. I dont either but these arnt the same beast. I still have an xt-live that sounds great and has graced many recordings...

[@adrianward3069]

Hi, Ive been looking for a multi effect Bass pedal which compares with the Boss GT-10B, I came across the Bass Pod XT Live but this is no longer being made, All product pages on this pedal say to look up the POD HD500x.. Does this pedal work just as well on bass as it does with lead guitar or is there a Bass version which for some reason is not on the Line 6 website?? How do these pedals compare with the Boss GT-10 & 10B? effects, midi syncing, dsp etc. Can I sync it as a slave or master only?

[@danshea8341]

I know that I'm a bit late on this product but I don't really have the money for a helix. Is it possible to just run this through an effects loop or the front of a single combo amp?

[@RodrigoCFD]

Yes, the HD500X has an FX loop, so you can use the 4-cable method to hook it into the amp's FX loop.

[@thebarcodestv]

Could you please show how to do the preset switching from the HD500x to the L2T? So it can switch from Electric to Acoustic with a JTV guitar... Great sounding difference….!

[@metalingusable]

By the way the DI thing with a nice pair of speakers sounds incredible.

[@9unslin9er]

That Divided by 13/Soldano dual rig is AMAZZZZING at 25:30 Is that setup available for Pod Farm or the regular Pod HD?

[@ethanlancaster76]

Cletus Kasady I believe it’s only available for the HD devices.

[@iammoog]

please tell me you can use the switch lights as a floor tuner.. that'd be ace!

[@yksiolac]

can line6 also upgrade the CPU of the old hd500 so it can perform as powerful as the hd500x?

[@patdejonge]

i had a HD500 for 6 months. i took too much of my time, and it was hard to get the patches to sound consistent . I invested in my regular pedalboard, added a Fluxdrive and a Protone, and i can now dial in a good to great sound in seconds. i really WANTED the HD500 to be the ideal solution for all my sound needs, but it was more of an obstacle then a help. i have 2 delay pedals, 2 overdrives and 2 distortion pedals. i find this a much easier way to get the sounds i need, exit Line6 for me...

[@Rouwiinator]

yeah heard about that ... just one questioen since you've seem to know about that stuff ... what's the difference between the pro and the 500x in terms of performance

[@minjiigo]

By the looks on captain's face, the hardest amp to model is not quite there just yet, is it?

[@rodrigogaldamezdis]

can you use it as well as a midi controller for your PC or even an Ipad APP?

[@ferdiebeer]

Awesome playing!

[@ramonediaz9]

But does it switch a regular amps channels?

[@JOHNDOE-dw1nd]

how many layer of looping i can do with this ? and for how long? 45secs per layer?

[@teerexness]

I think they missed a couple of much needed updates. First and foremost, that cloudy little circa 1980s Casio watch grade LCD display could/should have been updated. Plan on using the editing application on you laptop instead. Second, these thing are quite heavy, but it's not due to any beefy internal power supply. The power still comes from a cheap little easy to lose, easy to forget wall-wart. The first time you get to a gig without your power supply, you'll remember this conversation!

[@OrangeJackson]

Thanks for the tip!

[@BrokenHyren]

How MUCH more DSP? What was the limit before and what's the limit like now? Has it doubled?

[@hermanshermits124124]

Nothing screams Rock and Roll like amp models

[@wupeide]

Very cool effects!

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

...do I hear a Kemper Profiler very faintly on the background? If not, somebody is being really happy with a frequency sweep sample.

[@Babs42]

Bummer I literally bought my HD500 3 weeks or so ago. I love the look of this new unit.

[@hotdotdog]

I will probably be checking this out as I had purchased and returned an HD500 because I would run out of processing power way too quickly for my needs. I don't use many effects but almost always use 2 amps and that's where I would run into problems with DSP meamory. I'll be anxious to see if this 500x has enough for my needs.

[@thepinoyshuffler]

what is the amp under the fender amp called?

[@andertons]

Guitar Hangars also coming soon!

[@raredesign]

I wish it came with some decent "basic" presets out of the box. I stopped in at Guitar Center to try this, and felt like it was a synth pedal from the '80's, because of the presets on it OOTB. I simply wanted to see if "tube" replication was really what it is boasted to be.

[@guitarwhores753]

All companies have extreme presets to show the owner what the limits of the pedal are. No telling what customers at GC did on top of that too. I think most players want to use it in a realistic way like you're talking about. I can tell you that the Line 6 models shit all over BOSS's amp models, but the L6 reverb is harsh. I've used everything in tbe price range, and they all have their strengths, that's the downside to an alk in one unit. The trade off is it's compact, and cheaper than individual pedals. I wish it had two effects loops.

[@connyblomqvist3648]

Hi guys...Can you show howe to factory reset a hd500x..?

[@wajang1000]

How does this compare with the Boss GT100?

[@scrotzki789]

They're using the same sound engine, this isn't affecting the actual tone. The only thing the extra processing power allows for is adding extra effects.

[@tanukibrahma]

I don't think the sound's there for me yet. Good way to show the company man pitching to the retailer without cow-towing, Cap'n.

[@stebbZv]

Misha Mansoor (which is actually not a part of the Animals as Leaders band, but is in Periphery) uses the AXE FX II unit live as well as in the studio. :) But this unit is great as well. If you don't have about 2500$ to spend, this is the way to go.

[@masterbait6184]

Where is Chappers?? :O :( :( It's never the same without chappers... :(

[@NealVan]

And an email was sent stating who was eligible for a factory hardware upgrade to help make the amp more durable and road worthy. Nothing addressed to those like me who are no where near a Line 6 dealer and what if the amp or power section of the amp needed to be shipped. Who was paying for that? The customer, who else? We can't expect Line 6 to spend any more money than absolutely necessary to make sure their gear works for those who count on it regularly like I do.

[@hotdotdog]

A little "Old School" can't hurt.

[@pauloalexandre-dd4nl]

can you explain how to get 2 guitars with sound with hd 500x, tried the aux with guitar, no sound.thanks

[@MartinCraneRockbeast]

paulo alexandre There is a line 6 video that explains it all.

[@paulosilva8200]

Martin Crane is that possible if you can send me the link to [e-mail] martin. thanks in advance

[@paulosilva8200]

Martin Crane I place to cables, left and right, plus to outputs one xlr and the other guitar cable into monitor, only one works

[@dshowmusic]

I have the hd500 and think its not worth to upgrade to the x. I use effects very subtle anyway so never run into dsp problems. The only thing I fear is, that they won't put out updates for the hd500 anymore. The support was lacking lateley anyway.

[@Shadowtwalf]

Stupid question, do the tones completely override the amp tones?

[@Gilbeezyskit]

Twinkle Queef if your an has an FX-in, like an FX loop, you can output the HD500X into that and it bypasses all amp EQ settings. Otherwise, running through the regular input will maintain your amps settings if you choose to go that route.

[@Indieguitarist85]

I think If you add any of the DT Amps to the pedal it would probably even sounds out a bit more. I owned an HD 300 a couple years ago. I loved that pedal. it had just enough amps and effects for me. Then I went through the whole tube amp/ stomp box setup. that never really worked for me so I went back to what worked which was Line 6.

[@prsplayer210]

for me i dont reallly care for line 6 but i have to say for practice if you have achld and cant get in my case a mesa maverick, hughes and kettner switchblade to a decent volume without waking or damaging his hearing i love my vox tonelab st into a pa

[@ondy71]

can i get a fender tele sound without buying one?

[@IanWrigleyNZ]

I liked the old room with the couches and rows of ML1's and 2's! What was the driving factor behind changing it up?

[@theevilzeppelin]

How does this compare to the M13 when it comes to effects?

[@russellhall55]

No way,the mesa/soldano patch is huge.

[@andertons]

Its an Ashdown 410 Bass Cab

I guess there would be a bass pack extension, up for download on Line 6's online store, for people whittling with a bass guitar too on HD500X. But I agree with most of the people, even though I'm an advanced computer user, I wasn't able to hear the sound from my laptop when I plugged the Pod through USB and had to buy another guitar cable with an end to USB and even the old Line 6 Variax's are immensely high priced on pages like eBay and Craigslist..

[@Hugelybased]

Will they be releasing a "X" version of the Pod HD Pro? I've been wanting to scoop one up and i'd hate to see a new one come out after i do.