Recording - January 2010 - 52

BY MIKE METLAY AND FERNANDO CURIEL Line 6 POD X3 Live This effects and amp modeler does it all, from stage to studio The POD has been a part of many studios for over a decade. Since its first model, Line 6’s all-in-one effects processor has taken on many forms and offered many different features. The POD X3 Live offers the power of the third generation of PODs in a floor-pedal format, with a number of handy extra features that make it equally suited to the studio and stage. Mike’s spec check and initial tests The POD X3 Live is a floor unit with solid metal construction, measuring 21.5" x 10" x 4.75" and weighing 8.4 lbs. It features a set of 12 footswitches in two ranks of 6, separated from a large LCD screen and a set of “amp control” knobs by a pair of metal kick-rails. A single expression pedal is included at the far right; it can act as a volume, wah, or “tweak” for an effects parameter of your choice, alone or in combination with an optional second pedal. Rear panel connections include: Guitar In, Live Out L/R, Pedal 2 In, Aux Input, FX Send, FX Return L/R (all 1/4"); CD/MP3 In (1/8" TRS); Phones Out (1/4" TRS); Direct Out L/R (XLR); Mic Input (XLR) with trim knob; Variax (Line 6 modeling guitar) input; MIDI IN and OUT; S/PDIF out (RCA);RECORDING JANUARY 2010 USB 2.0 out; and a connection for the line-lump power supply. The POD X3 Live is designed to connect to an amp as an effects processor, run straight to a PA for a solo guitar act, or to interface with a computer as a complete guitar and vocal recording system. The USB 2.0 interface actually provides up to eight channels of input to your computer—separate and blended effected outputs, plus the dry signals of your two input instruments. The basic signal flow is as follows: Gate > Wah > Stomp > Amp+Cab > Comp > EQ > Vol > External FX Loop > Mod > Delay > Reverb. Any or all of these modules can be switched in and out of the signal path as desired, a number of them can be moved around to be before or after the Amp+Cab, and several of them— Stomp, Mod, Delay, and Comp—can be individually switched on and off with dedicated footswitches. There are 32 Banks of User Presets, stepped through with Up/Down footswitches, and in each Bank there are four Presets (A/B/C/D) that can be selected with footswitches. If you’re keeping count, that’s 10 footswitches so far. The last two are Tap Tempo (held down for the Tuner function) and Tone 2. Tone 2 is important because every Preset in the POD X3 Live can have two completely separate sets of signal path parameters that can be switched back and forth easily or used at the same time; in addition, Tone 2 can be applied to the Aux Input or even the Microphone, so two guitars (or a guitar and vocal) can be set up at once and processed with different tones without any replugging of cables.Tones can run in parallel on separate instruments, be blended to apply to a single instrument, or switched back and forth. Programming uses the large LCD to good advantage; expect to take a lot of time to tweak each sound to your tastes, and to just explore the possibilities. The product information claims that in addition to the 128 User Presets, there are 250 more Presets ready to go, and the effects possibilities include over 70 amp and cabinet models, nearly 100 effects boxes, nearly 30 bass amps, 6 mic preamps and every device has anywhere from three to eight parameters to play with. You won’t get bored very quickly! I had a lot of fun with the POD X3 Live, using some really out-there effects chains for a live planetarium concert, relying on it as my sole effects source at a music festival, and living with it for a while as my main

Recording - January 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2010

Recording - January 2010
Fade In.
Contents
Talkback.
2009 AES Convention Report.
Steve Vai.
The Hybrid Guitar Recording Method—A Modern Way of Tracking Serious Tones, Part 2.
Apogee Electronics GiO.
Reviewed & Revisited:Apple Logic Pro 9.
Recording’s Guitar Column.
Reviewed & Revisited: Phonic Helix Board 24 Universal.
Readers’ Tapes.
Zoom G9.2tt.
Once Over—Reviews in Brief.
Line 6 POD X3 Live.
M-Audio Axiom Pro 49.
Advertiser Index.
Fade Out.
Recording - January 2010 - Recording - January 2010
Recording - January 2010 - Cover2
Recording - January 2010 - 1
Recording - January 2010 - Fade In.
Recording - January 2010 - 3
Recording - January 2010 - Contents
Recording - January 2010 - 5
Recording - January 2010 - Talkback.
Recording - January 2010 - 7
Recording - January 2010 - 2009 AES Convention Report.
Recording - January 2010 - 9
Recording - January 2010 - 10
Recording - January 2010 - 11
Recording - January 2010 - 12
Recording - January 2010 - 13
Recording - January 2010 - 14
Recording - January 2010 - 15
Recording - January 2010 - Steve Vai.
Recording - January 2010 - 17
Recording - January 2010 - 18
Recording - January 2010 - 19
Recording - January 2010 - The Hybrid Guitar Recording Method—A Modern Way of Tracking Serious Tones, Part 2.
Recording - January 2010 - 21
Recording - January 2010 - 22
Recording - January 2010 - 23
Recording - January 2010 - 24
Recording - January 2010 - 25
Recording - January 2010 - Apogee Electronics GiO.
Recording - January 2010 - 27
Recording - January 2010 - Reviewed & Revisited:Apple Logic Pro 9.
Recording - January 2010 - 29
Recording - January 2010 - 30
Recording - January 2010 - 31
Recording - January 2010 - Recording’s Guitar Column.
Recording - January 2010 - 33
Recording - January 2010 - Reviewed & Revisited: Phonic Helix Board 24 Universal.
Recording - January 2010 - 35
Recording - January 2010 - Readers’ Tapes.
Recording - January 2010 - 37
Recording - January 2010 - Zoom G9.2tt.
Recording - January 2010 - 39
Recording - January 2010 - 40
Recording - January 2010 - 41
Recording - January 2010 - 42
Recording - January 2010 - 43
Recording - January 2010 - 44
Recording - January 2010 - 45
Recording - January 2010 - Once Over—Reviews in Brief.
Recording - January 2010 - 47
Recording - January 2010 - 48
Recording - January 2010 - 49
Recording - January 2010 - 50
Recording - January 2010 - 51
Recording - January 2010 - Line 6 POD X3 Live.
Recording - January 2010 - 53
Recording - January 2010 - M-Audio Axiom Pro 49.
Recording - January 2010 - 55
Recording - January 2010 - 56
Recording - January 2010 - Advertiser Index.
Recording - January 2010 - 58
Recording - January 2010 - 59
Recording - January 2010 - 60
Recording - January 2010 - 61
Recording - January 2010 - 62
Recording - January 2010 - 63
Recording - January 2010 - Fade Out.
Recording - January 2010 - Cover3
Recording - January 2010 - Cover4
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