Re: Line 6 POD HD Series
I laugh at you guys judging this thing by youtube-quality clips on the internet.
Ultimately too, you're being silly to expect so much. Of course it's not going to sound EXACTLY like the 16 amps it mimics... if it did, for $500, then the amplifier business would go under. But then $500 can't get you those 16 amps either.
You absolutely cannot use a 100w stack in a high rise apartment. That's where modelling comes in.
You're missing the point. When they make a statement like this:
"Superior articulation, tangible touch-response and unparalleled warmth and feel – HD modeling defies the accepted standard." and it still sounds the same as the last one, there is an expected disappointment in expectations.
$500, by the way, should buy a lot. It's still a lot of money and it's not about getting THE amps for the money, it's about getting something that really emulates and sounds like the real thing. Line6 hasn't done anything to come closer than they did since the first POD.
In fact, I'd go as far as saying that I actually liked POD 1.0 better than any model thereafter. I think it just sounded better. The point is $500 is a lot of money and for only $300 more you can get an Eleven Rack which actually sounds and feels closer to the amps it models than the POD HD does.
Furthermore, I've read countless internet threads where they post clips and say I betcha can't tell the modeler from the real thing. Maybe at first you can't but sooner or later your ears are going to catch on and it's not going to sound as appealing.
For those people who think nothing of recording an album with a modeler I say go ahead but whatever influence you have initially will wear off. I've listened to many albums recorded with Amplitube, POD, AxeFX, etc... but over time I somehow start not liking the tone. I look into it and find out it was modeled. I don't have that same feeling when listening to EVH or Live After Death 20 years later.
That's my opinion of course, but I think when it comes time to lay down tracks it should be done with a tube amp. Modelers to me are still limited by the fact that they're not real sounding in the end.
