Line 6 Pod HD500 Review

[@sonicstate]

@Imrhandsome If I remember correctly, you can route the looper either to be pre-effects or post effect. I dont have the unit to hand but I think thats it. Basically the way you have it set is that the clean guitar sound is recorded, then the preset effect is applied, you want it to be post effect - so that the preset sound is recorded.

[@upita8992]

Your clean sound just sold me this POD, Thanks a lot for the video!!

[@roccotanto]

i have the HD500 and DT-50 amp, and they work extremely well together hooked up with the Line 6 link system -- been loving my rig!

[@ThatVaiGuy]

@Imrhandsome I know you posted this two months ago, but if you still haven't figured it out, FS3 is a footswitch that in Gold is labeled PRE/POST. When in looper mode, press this footswitch before you record. This puts the sampler at the end of your signal chain thereby recording all your effects and tones and allowing you to change the sound to play over it. As a side note, in looper mode, you can edit the volume level via the display interface so you can back it down a bit to solo over.

[@Brennansdad]

You can connect to powered monitors in stereo directly via guitar or xlr cables. You can also disable the amp, cab and/or mic sims to run to a real amp.

[@SeaSaltMud]

This is by far the best review of the Line 6 HD 500 that I could find!, Thanks

[@sonicstate]

@brsurferbrasil its a simple Alesis power amp with a couple of speakers attached, most of what you heard is the line out straight into the Zoom H4N audio recorder, the amp was really for monitoring only

[@JarredSutherland]

I just bought one last night .. I am amazed, overwhelmed really.

[@Klif]

Excellent review! Sold! I'm picking mine up tomorrow. Many thanks!

[@DiastroYT]

@RCbeastly It's simpler than that. The HD300 and HD400 have 128 programmable patch slots, the HD500 has 512. All three are loaded with factory presets, so you're getting a bit less in terms of empty ones.

[@M3NTA7]

BTW, how can you NOT like this review? It's a great review.

[@xX0Isaac0Xx]

Great review man! And what you played at 7:30 was beautiful man! Great melody and the harmonizer makes sweeter as well!

[@jimsreynolds]

NIce review. Got under the hood of the thing a bit and explored the practical possibilities. Made it sound a lot more musical than many of the videos doing the rounds ... including many of the line 6 promos !

[@tommW13]

@SonicState........very good video and was the most understandable videos out of the hole line 6 hd videos

[@DiastroYT]

@francoprs Yes you can! In the HD300/400 there is a hardware switch on the board itself that says FX Only. Does exactly what it says. In the HD500 it's a bit different as there is no hardware button. When you make a patch, you can simply leave out the amp model, and only add effects to your signal chain. When you do that, your HD500 becomes a normal multi effects unit to go with your awesome valve amp! Great flexibility, right?

[@davader777]

WOW! This thing is amazing. Almost unimaginable!

[@gtarmn75]

I found the fullest tones come from mixing two different amp sims together. Take a engl and mesa eq them different and mix their volumes and gain controls till it sounds the way you want it. Throw in a overdrive and graphic eq. And boom the mesa will sound like a real mesa. The engl just fills in the frequency gaps. This approach works with any sound your going for. A bogner with no or little gain might bring your twin reverb alive or vice versa. For two amps don't eq them the same.

[@gtarmn75]

Sonicstate I talked to a line6 guy today. He got my pod licking for me. Thanks for your help. He didn't out right say it but they have a new amp coming down the pipeline. I'm thinking its the spider v.

[@alpiel91]

@MikefromMesia that was the x3 live, this one has completely redesigned models, in fact it has only 16 models.

[@gtarmn75]

They really need to build the input and output software adjustments around a fully cranked halfstack. It would be tough to do because of the volume levels. But that's the only way to get the live feel and tone and gain. They are great for studio applications I won't argue that.

[@11000038]

I've got one of those Vantage guitars. It's very nice! Excellent video.

[@mykylc]

This unit would be awesome if you could convert your Guitarport l6t tones over into h5e files so you can start using your sounds with existing songs right away. I have too much time invested in about 58 of my own tones that are going to take way too long to convert by hand with the hd500 especially with amps that are available in Guitarport that are not available on the hd500.

[@javanek]

@Caboose2320 I assume you meant to say don't (buy) this if you own a line 6 amp. If you mean because it won't work with a spider iv or spider valve, that would be incorrect. There is a certain duplication of function as the effects and modeling are somewhat similar. The HD500 is best if you are using a tube amp without any digital wizardry, but will work with any amp that I have seen. The effects and amp/cab models are top of the line and far surpasses what is included on the spiders.

[@gtarmn75]

I've gotta tip for you podhd500 users who play live. Run one channel through a behringer eurolive b205 d monitor. And the other channel into the house mixer direct or your amp. Then run a mix of your band coming from the mixer to the other channel of the b205 d then blend the two channels on the b205d. And your live monitoring problems with be a thing of the past. For $150 its a great monitor and hooks right on your mic stand.

[@sonicstate]

@gtarmn75 are you sure you have the output setup right, there's a line out or combo out - that setting will make a lot of difference to the tone

[@gtarmn75]

Another thing that's cool about the b205d is its compact but big enough you can make a copy of that new song you wrote and can't seam to memorize the lyrics to,shrink them down to half size on a piece of paper and tape them to the b205 d without needing a music stand. Your audiance will never know.

[@relic1882]

@Loopcyclemusic I had the 9.2tt... but my basement flooded last week and I lost it. I'm going to buy a POD HD 500 to try it out, but if it's not all what everyone says it is in my eyes, I'll go back the 9.2tt. The Zoom is an amazing unit and it has 2 tubes that really make it shine. I truly love Zoom products and I will end up buying another 9.2tt anyway especially for recording, but I'm going to give the Line 6 a try. This one looks good. The others I've tried had nothing on my Zoom.

[@Mikec80]

In the beginning I was waivering between the POD HD500 and the GT-10. They are both excellent pedal board and they are both roughly the same price. I ended up purchasing the HD500 for a few reasons: 1) 48-second looping station, 2) multiple input plug-ins (mic,aux, variax) 3)Superb Amp modeling (Mesa Reco sound is great). 4) pedal board to computer interface...But honestly the BIG REASON. 5) much Easier to use than the GT-10. I would rather spend my time playing guitar than fussing with the

[@MrFox7stringking]

@glassbottleblues ..definitely good enough and the knobs for amp controls are quite easy to use.not as aesy to make on the fly effects adjustments but not too tricky either.run it into a tube power amp for best results live

[@sonicstate]

@Cl0udyDayz Not if you set it up right. There is a setting for connecting to stereo line in, and combo front - each one has quite a different sound - could it be that?

[@PatrickWard4]

You have to invest some time into setting up sounds, but it is well worth it. The only problem that I have had with it is that loop station, it works well, but it only records about 45 seconds.

[@Loopcyclemusic]

@liljimi321 I believe you can write 512 presets on the HD 500. I think you can overwrite factory presets with user ones hence the high number. Was one of the things I liked about it, if I only I could have got it to sound right for my stuff... but anyway, the info is all on the Line 6 website but sometimes takes a little digging to find. If I couldn't find what I wanted online I downloaded the advanced user manual which tells you everything.

[@xXFallenKinghtXx]

the two guitar thing blow my mind! I need this baby

[@RicardCastro]

... the BEST Line 6 Pod HD500 Review ! Bravo r

[@MrHamSanson]

@MrGuitarsam77 no, you need a powered speaker for that. Most cabs aren't powered, though. Tech 21 does have a 60 watt powered speaker that should do what you want.

[@voodoochild0403]

Very nice demo! Nice sound quality! I do have a question which I couldn't find the answer to on the web. You have this unit connected to an amplifier right? Is it also possible to connect it to active monitor speakers only? So no power amp or combo amp in between? Thanks!

[@giorgiocesaroni]

That product is AWESOME

[@wildbirdhouse]

Excellent review!

[@MaghoxFr]

@MaghoxFr Allright, I started saving as soon as I read your response, I gotta have this! And I suppose it's an audio interfase also, right? Awesome

[@Loopcyclemusic]

@relic1882 Thanks for reply/info.Have tried out both now but unfortunately couldn't get my "signature" tone with either.Impressive effects on both though.The HD seemed limited in its range of EQ and I couldn't get an acoustic to sound good through it. Also, screen seemed slow, small icons for editing and a couple other probs. Amazing effects though, see what you think I spose. closest I can get to my basic tones is on a Boss GT-10 but it is not as inspiring in the same ways as the HD 500.

[@DavidTSR2]

Superb review but can you tell me please,what power amp/speakers are you going going through and how much does such a set up cost.The hd 500 through that system sounds amazing.Many thanks

[@Patrick91376]

You would think for the money it would have a more clear display. Good review. Just wish gear didn't cost so much.

[@SuperAntonio182]

Wow his clean tone is orgasmic........... And Ima die hard metal fan........ I must posses this!!!

[@Liad0205]

He's plugged DI right ? nice to see a demo of the clean tones lol

[@Hectrucci2]

Really cool demo, dude!

[@THEREALMOSH2]

@LinkmitchTV1 Yes, but you'll need to download a recording program, audacity should work, just look up a tutorial on how to connect them. All you'll need then is your guitar and POD hd500

[@n70amu]

This i the Best POD HD 500 Review in KZbin>> 5 ***** man.. GOD BLESS YOU>>

[@barret707]

run the pod into the effects loop and the metal muff before pod, distortions should always run into the preamp.

[@theatomizer]

I'm not sure I can live without this now. I think I might have to go count up how much money I have...

[@alexlykos18]

very nice video man! please can you to tell me which cabins/effects you used at 02:11...??that's a really great sound! thanks a lot! cheers...

[@johnstca]

And 3) very good durability, not top of the line probably but not cheaply made for sure. Really like mine

[@EvilHippy38]

7:28 I could listen to that all day.

[@DirtyCityMick]

Very nice review British person. May I ask you an unrelated question? Are the Mick's an issue in England as well? They present a terrible problem here in the states, with the drinking and the crude behaviour and whatnot. That's why I call myself the dirty, city mick. They present a real problem here in the Boston area.

[@Scheater5]

@shellsjoint The 300 and 400 are designed to be simple - I believe line 6 refers to it as "your tone in 30 seconds." The 500 is designed to be more flexible, though they claim it is only complicated if you want it to be - that is, that you can still get a decent tone quickly and only muck about if you so choose. How true that is...well, I guess that depends on the user.

[@MehulPandit]

How i wish my POD X3 Live had such beautiful presets.....specially those spacy ones...! Why isnt there a Looper in X3...! Well i guess i have to buy this thing...!

[@M3NTA7]

Really great detailed review, Thx!

[@gtarmn75]

The effects are good. But mine needs a firmware upgrade. The distortions and high gain amps sound thin,grainy, and raspy at high volumes. I'm glad I bought the 500 with the effects loop. Once again my metal muff saves the day. The greatest metal pedal ever made.

[@Barkeroni]

thanks for the demo. I am thinking of going guitar to the HD500 to my Marshall Class 5 tube combo input (this amp has no effects return). Then, I plan on miking up the Marshall with an SM57 and going into my tube preamp. Does this make sense for recording purposes??

[@Loopcyclemusic]

Good review, thanks for showing a few of the more interesting sounds on the unit and not just playing cheesy rock on high gain constantly. Helps give a more rounded picture. Anyone know of any other good video demos of the soudns on the hd500? I am also thinking about the Zoom g9.2tt. Which is best? I am interested in creative/weird sounds as well as the usual basic guitar effects.

[@Brainbox97]

That Sound 4:17. I really liked that one.

[@MaghoxFr]

given the fact that this has a mic in, could do vocoding with this? it would be awesome, or like a digital talk box...

[@EricSala97]

If you plugged this into a cabinet via a power amp, would one amp model come through the left speaker and the other through the right?

[@gtarmn75]

I've had mine fore a couple months now and it is really a awesome pedal. I get better tones than my buddies 6505+ and his mesa duel rec. Fuller tone and really good high gain saturation at high volume levels. My bugera 1960 full stack with the pod run through the fx loop is a perfect combination. And the pod hd500 works as my master volume.

[@Jiggs224u]

5:28 ouch nice guitar stand, love the hd500

[@DiastroYT]

@irontuskman One looper, as many layers as you like, 24 seconds on HD300/400, 48 seconds on HD500.

[@francoprs]

Nice review! Can you use the effects only to a standard valve amp? If yes, how do you do this? Thanks

[@MrABSENCESEVEN]

Not really a fan of the pre sets, found most of them not very usable in the studio. But if you know what sound your looking for and you have a understanding on adjusting the eq and the DAW its running into, you can get usable tones for recording.

[@Oharris995]

@gtarmn75 It's all about set up. I had to change all my settings because the output settings were wrong. And once I did. Pure awesome.

[@paulscape72]

Great demo

[@PatrickWard4]

@arbiter1191 I had the Boss RC-20xl which could do 16 minutes of looping. That is a little more than necessary in most cases. 45 seconds just seems a little under par, especially with how inexpensive solid state/flash memory is these days.

[@AleksRockZilla]

Can the loops be saved or stored or uploaded into PC? If so how many can it store gigabyte capacity ? Cheers for the great review

[@jnh73]

@irontuskman This would replace your Spider amp. Unless you wanted to use the POD for effects only, which IMHO would be kind of a waste.

[@stavrosbir]

thank you for this review gonna get mine today ^_^

[@bossgtdiez10]

Good review.Do you recomend this unit to be used with an FRFR system like a keyboard amp or FOH. Can it be used i 4cm with an amp so the effects go pre and post of the preamp of a tube amp?

[@somebodyjones2]

you know, i bought the thing, played with it for about ten minutes, and can't get myself to plug it back in. It's just so convoluted - i wanted a "one stop" effects pedal for when i play a gig that could use a few effects... i didn't want this - i have a hard time imagining taking it on stage. granted, it was a bad buy for me, but i can't seem to shake that "digital chill" that everyone talks about, either.. hehehe. every couple of years, i buy one, thinking they got it right... not yet :(

[@thecowboykiller1]

@MrNikeJS Line 6 has all the dimensions of their products on their site.

[@MrGuitarsam77]

hi there! thanks for a great review! just a quick question, i may be being really thick here but bear with me :) would i be able to plug this directly into, say, a 4x12 cab? basically, my idea is to use this for all of my sounds and just have a big speaker (or 4 ;) ) to power it. Do you know if this would work? thanks :)

[@shellsjoint]

IT SEEMS LIKE THE 400 IS EASIER TO GET TO THE SOUNDS! Is the 500 harder to program?

[@tonebalone607]

i like the beer sign in the background :)

[@TheDanmanguy]

Just wondering if that is a pre set tone at 4:32 I like how it sounds.

[@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?

[@mykylc]

what is the preset at 03:38?

[@MrHardrocker98]

can you get good hard rock and metal tones with that???

[@MrLU2000]

nice review and nice guitar. and by the way Dear Santa....

[@philipstricken]

I just order it, Will tell you what I think next week ! Going into a marshall , Will see ????

[@jgrull]

Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but if I hooked this up to just a 4x12 cab with no amp head or power amp I'd get no sound correct?

[@Loopcyclemusic]

@gianteroticbear Soo, I take it you have one of these? I'm not sure the pitch shifting on this can do what I want. Can this be done to any interval? For example, I wish to be able to use the pitch shift to go up a 2nd (2 semi tones) then use another instance of it to go up to a 5th. Planning on doing this in stomp box mode turning each shifter on/off in sequence. I just need to know can it do any interval? If you could check this for me I'll send you mars bar in the post! Really.

[@gtarmn75]

The distortions sound really thin on mine through my halfstack. Do I need a firmware upgrade or what. I've been running my metal muff through the effects loop for a metal sound.

[@SjPedro]

I dont know if you will get this but I wanted to ask if it's possible to plug two guitars in a way that some effects are to one of the guitars and other effects are to the other guitar. thanks

[@JakeOfTheR]

@jgrull i have heard that you can just run it though the cab without the head and be fine

[@palaisdrew09]

Hey, anyone who knows PLEASE respond before i go out and buy this thing, i honestly dont feel like being disapointed like before 1.) can you make your own presets and save them on the board 2.) Can you turn the amp model setting off 3.) Overall durablilty?

[@bestinmyclass]

just one question. this is my first time buying a pedal and i just needed to kno this. i saw that the line 5 m13 stompbox, you can have say and overdrive+delay+reverb all together. can you do it with this pedal?

[@chrismoore1962]

can this sound as good straight into a P A system as I am having to play at very low volume and I need to hear the whole sound of my backtracks with guitar and voice into my Laney floor monitor. I have always used valve amps. Unfortunately here in south africa there are very few gigs for bands anymore, so I have had to move into solo work. I have a 50 plus year old 335 Gibson and I like sweet sounds with only a tiny bit of overdrive. I have just found one of these units going second hand.

[@anthonyflakus]

What patch is the one at 4:33 that sounded like heaven's gates open?

[@MikefromMesia]

can you overlap effects when switching presets? previous line 6 units would cut off any effects (delay etc) when you change from one preset to another which is the big reason i switched to analog.(maybe it also had something to do with true bypass)

[@Theshark15z]

I think they all do that. I had that same issue with the Digitech.

[@MateoBakija]

Badass hair-do bro!

[@Imrhandsome]

I've had my Pod HD500 for some time now, but i can't figure out how to record one sound, and play a different sound over it. When I've recorded in one sound, and I go out of the Loop mode and change sound, it changes the sound that I looped aswell, if that makes any sense. Can you tell me how to do this?

[@guizildobh]

which is better, the Line 6 Pod HD500 or the Boss GT10?

[@fatfat2001]

this recording sound is HD500 >USB>computer ?? or output to a interface ?

[@MrNikeJS]

How big is the HD500 compared to the Pod x3 Live? Thanks