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themaddog « The original! But better to go with the XT »
Published on 06/06/11 at 18:49This was an upgrade to the original guitar amplifier synthesizing pre-amp. If memory serves me correctly, it has 32 amplifiers it modeled (16 on the front, but by holding Tap while moving the amp knob other amps can be selected), cabinet simulation, and a number of onboard effects. In addition to 1/4" inputs and outputs, which are mono or stereo it can send and accept MIDI in order to save data or remotely change the synthesizer's settings. Unlike the later POD XT, there is no setting to change the type of microphone being emulated, nor the room characteristics of that mic emulation.
That being said, there is one major feature that the original POD can perform that is not found on the XT: On the XT, if you are using a patch with a delay and you switch to another patch (say, one without the delay), even if you already struck the note and the delay is expected it will not play. There is no way to enable the delay to play until it naturally decays on the XT. The original POD (and 2.0) POD, switching patches will still allow for a delay of up to two seconds, again if memory serves me correctly.
UTILIZATION
Getting this thing to sound great is easy - you either set it up for connecting directly to a recorder or to an amplifier. How you set it changes the type of cabinet simulation that is used, in order to make it sound more accurate for the circumstances at hand. The manual is very easy to follow, but the POD is so intuitive that anybody can dial up some great tones just by fooling around with it. Even by breaking the rules by using the wrong output setting can get some interesting results.
SOUND QUALITY
Although this is now the outdated POD, some of the tones are still emulated on the later POD's with little to no change. In the hands of a gifted user, some excellent sounding tones can be dialed up, and the nice thing about this POD, when compared with the XT and later models, is that fewer options means fewer, more simple to make choices.
OVERALL OPINION
This was my first serious piece of guitar gear, as I bought it when I still only had a practice amp. I think it's great for what it is, but looking back, and knowing what I do now, I wish I had instead taken the money and purchased a solid, used tube amp.
I haven't had my POD 2.0 for years, but I do have a POD XT Live (and formerly had a POD XT). The only feature I really miss from the 2.0 is the delay I was talking about in the very top section.
In my opinion, the POD 2.0 is nearly useless live, unless you separately purchase the floorboard. At the same time, I'm not really an advocate of using any POD in a recording studio, unless the recordist has volume restrictions and can't use a real guitar amplifier. The real deal, especially under the microscope of the studio, always sounds so much better, so unless you don't have access to a real guitar amplifier (including solid state) or are lazy, I wouldn't advocate for its use in the studio.
That being said, there is one major feature that the original POD can perform that is not found on the XT: On the XT, if you are using a patch with a delay and you switch to another patch (say, one without the delay), even if you already struck the note and the delay is expected it will not play. There is no way to enable the delay to play until it naturally decays on the XT. The original POD (and 2.0) POD, switching patches will still allow for a delay of up to two seconds, again if memory serves me correctly.
UTILIZATION
Getting this thing to sound great is easy - you either set it up for connecting directly to a recorder or to an amplifier. How you set it changes the type of cabinet simulation that is used, in order to make it sound more accurate for the circumstances at hand. The manual is very easy to follow, but the POD is so intuitive that anybody can dial up some great tones just by fooling around with it. Even by breaking the rules by using the wrong output setting can get some interesting results.
SOUND QUALITY
Although this is now the outdated POD, some of the tones are still emulated on the later POD's with little to no change. In the hands of a gifted user, some excellent sounding tones can be dialed up, and the nice thing about this POD, when compared with the XT and later models, is that fewer options means fewer, more simple to make choices.
OVERALL OPINION
This was my first serious piece of guitar gear, as I bought it when I still only had a practice amp. I think it's great for what it is, but looking back, and knowing what I do now, I wish I had instead taken the money and purchased a solid, used tube amp.
I haven't had my POD 2.0 for years, but I do have a POD XT Live (and formerly had a POD XT). The only feature I really miss from the 2.0 is the delay I was talking about in the very top section.
In my opinion, the POD 2.0 is nearly useless live, unless you separately purchase the floorboard. At the same time, I'm not really an advocate of using any POD in a recording studio, unless the recordist has volume restrictions and can't use a real guitar amplifier. The real deal, especially under the microscope of the studio, always sounds so much better, so unless you don't have access to a real guitar amplifier (including solid state) or are lazy, I wouldn't advocate for its use in the studio.