Using a digital modeler live

[Stevo]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

I had the best luck with bass amps and keyboard amps. The sound I got out of a Yorkville keyboard amp was very faithful to the Pod's tone with excellent low-end response as well.

That makes sense. Out of curiosity, what size is the speaker? And is it a full range speaker? Does it have a horn or piezo?

Also, does it have a line out? That might be the best way to get a faithful output, as opposed to mic'ing an amp like that.

I am interested in your review after you experiment. I am certainly not an expert on modeling amps.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

I agree with the general consensus here: get a small PA system. Get some JBL Eon speakers and something like a VHT Valvulator and you'll be more than good to go for gigs. Digital modeling was made to go direct into PA, so make sure you can get something close to it should you chose to not go with the house PA.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

That makes sense. Out of curiosity, what size is the speaker? And is it a full range speaker? Does it have a horn or piezo?

Also, does it have a line out? That might be the best way to get a faithful output, as opposed to mic'ing an amp like that.

I am interested in your review after you experiment. I am certainly not an expert on modeling amps.

Perhaps the Yorkville website can answer your questions better than I can.

In the store I tried the Yorkville 100KW:
http://www.yorkville.com/products.asp?type=32&cat=16&id=89

It sounded excellent with the Pod, but seemed to be much too loud for my purposes (I had the volume up to 2 and it was overpowering the kid playing the Recto next to me). I decided to rent the 50KW for the week:
http://www.yorkville.com/products.asp?type=32&cat=16&id=90

It has a 10" instead of the 100KW's 12", so I may lose a bit of low end response. I will reserve judgement until I've had a chance to try it at our next rehearsal.

I was thinking the same thing with regards to line out, so I made sure the amp would have that capability. Both have an effects loop, so it's a simple matter of plugging the fx send into the PA for reinforcement - no mics required.

Another thing worth mentioning: these keyboard amps are ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT compared to similar sized guitar amps. They must use some pretty light paneling on these things. That said, Yorkville has a great reputation for ruggedness and durability, and these amps definitely win vs. guitar amps in that category. I also like the wedge cabinet design - much more practical than the good ol' rectangle us guitarists are used to.

I will post again later in the week with a full review of the 50KW.

:burnout:

 

[Boleslaw Gers 666]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

What the hell is a modeler?!?! I guess I'm still sorta old school with my Fender/Marshall/Stompbox tone.

 

[knucklefux]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

i run my gnx4 straight into the pa...i have asked both guitarists and non-guitarists to compare that to my mesa. so far it is 100% in favor of the gnx4. the modeler sounds better and is much more versatile.

i have been wondering why crappy venue pa is an issue. unless you are playing very small clubs, everyting is miked anyway. this means that your sound is going through the crappy pa one way or another. if this is the case, you might as well not lug that heavy amp around...that leaves more time for hanging out and definitely is less strain on your back.

just my two cents

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

I've had geat results going from my VG-88 as a preamp directly into a Marshall power amp and 4x12 cab.

I play live with my GT-8 and have gotten great results too. I plug mine into a Mesa power section into a Marshall 2x12 (closed back) and a Vox 2x12 (open back).

it did take some tweaking, but the sounds I get rip, whether going from squeaky clean to full on gonzo gain. :burnout:

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

Ok. Here's my setup:

Guitar-->Dynacomp-->POD xt Live--> direct box--> PA. The direct box converts the hi-z input to a low-z output. I use a mic cable to run from the DI box to the mixer. I use the direct output from the DI box to run to a Hartke B30 bass amp for a small monitor (I used to just use house monitors, but we no longer have as many monitor sends).

Even in a venue without a snake, you could run mic cables pretty easily. Most of them are in the 20-25' length, so with a couple of mic cables you could run across most venues. Any longer distances, they'd be pretty stupid not to have a cable snake.

I used the POD 2.0 for 4 years with a similar connection. PM if you have any more questions.

 

[adrian]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

I have a Korg Axe 1500g. Use it for home recording, sounds great. Some time ago I also used it in my Fender amp: I then was very careful using both outputs from the Axe, and plugged both cables in the amp. I also switched off the speaker cabinet options on the Axe. Great distorted sound when using British Stack, but the cleaner sounds were artificial. So I now use Boss and Rat pedals live, and the Axe at home.

 

[rinse_master]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

I have an Atomic/PodXT combo, but I am yet to use it live, but I think it will work well, I have also used a Boss GT-6 through a PA, and that wasn't too bad.

 

[fatigueofheart]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

can't wait till i hear your review rather!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

i use my Roland GP-100 into a small mixer (to mix w/guitar synth , piezo and looping devices) into a JBL EON (or 2).

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

Was out of the country watching this one on a PDA and couldn't wait to get in- But just about everything has been said and I'll just comment on one item-

As with many others, I run one input direct into the PA and another to my monitor- My monitor varies depending on the venue and which engineer I'm working with, and I learned a lot of lessons the hard way very early-

When you are working with a good engineer, I just leave it to them and practically always get good compliments on sound- After all if they can deal with micing cabinets and getting a good mix to lay together most of the time with tubes, they will usually do a very good job with modeling- In fact with really good engineers, I cheat a little and run my monitor though a Vox pathfinder so I can have a little personal umph and control right at my feet- But this can be extremely dangerous in uncharted territory so I don’t suggest you go this direction unless you know that everything is working-

The reason that I don't suggest you do this is that as others have pointed out, the pathfinder is 'recoloring' the sound and if the engineer isn't on top of the game you can get some major disconnect- In fact I'm pretty sure this is how modeling got a bit of a black eye in the first place-

I learned this the hard way about 10 years ago- When I started experimenting with modeling I had an extremely good engineer, I shared my goals, he knew my 'regular sounds' and he really made it work-

But about the time I got comfortable with the switchover we ended up having to work with a wide variety of engineers and luckily about a month into the change a good buddy of mine came up and told me that something wasn't working- He knew my sounds and said that recently everything was getting harsh, brittle, and bright in the house-

I knew this guy well enough to trust him, got the other guitarist to play thought my rig and confirmed that the sounds in the PA were horrible and unrelated to what I was hearing from the VOX-

A trip to the sound booth showed that the channel was overloaded, high end was over empathized, and they had been playing with both compression and even a sonic enhancer-

The bottom line was they had no clue about the first part, and we're experimenting because they had no clue how to handle the variety of sounds they were now getting-

So long story short..when I know the engineer well, my little pathfinder comes onstage- When I don't know the engineer, I take a split off of the main channel back into the PA monitors so that I know exactly what they are doing

BTW, don't want to appear paranoid about engineers. With a good engineer I learned the best thing I can do is stay out of his way and listen to his input-

 

[StrangeSound]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

I´ve used my Korg AX 1500 very often over the PA. Always sounded good!

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

I haven't used mine live yet (VOX Tonelab), but will defintiely do so. It gives me so much more control. I just got the pedal board (VC-12) which will come in handy as well.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

Wow, this thread got resurrected from the deep. It has been a crazy week for me what with the garage being flooded and my building being evacuated, so the amp situation has not been at the top of my mind lately ... hope you all understand

Anyway, as for the PODxt into the Yorkville 50KW: the short answer is that I preferred the sound of the 100 watt version. This is probably because of two things:

1. The 50KW is underpowered for my needs ... my drummer has a heavy foot and uses freakin' baseball bat-sized sticks, so I had to crank this thing to compete with him. Maybe it was because I also had a mic plugged into it, but I definitely need more power.

2. As I suspected, there was a lack of low end compared to the 100KW, probably because of the 10" speaker and the lower output.

I was not unhappy with the sound - in fact it was far better than running the POD into my Mesa. I just think it could be better, and I know the 100KW is Both amps have a mic input as well as inputs for the POD, and both have line out capability for hooking into a PA. A similar amp designed for guitar would have neither of these options.

Anyway, I have held off on purchasing anything; partly because of the flood situation, but mostly because the store I frequent will be getting some new stuff soon that I think I should try. They are:

- Tech 21 Power Block 60: a solid state guitar power amp in a 1x12 combo. 60 watts. I will give it a try, but for the money I think the keyboard amp is a better option.

- Atomic Amp for modellers: these have been getting some very good reviews in the States, and it looks like they're coming to Canada in the near future.

Once I'm able to try these, I will make my final decision.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

- Atomic Amp for modellers: QUOTE]

Have wanted to hear more about these- Looking forward to your input!

 

[Jimbojsr]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

Time for my 2 cents....

I use my V-amp 2 straight into the clean channel of a new-range Fender 650 solid state amp. This isn't quite the same as putting it into, say, a mixing desk of PC, but it's still pretty clean (in fact, the only cleaner alternative I could find was a Peavy's clean channel, and I didn't like the sound of them with my guitar as much). This means that I can make the V-amp as quiet or as loud as I want (although the amp does tend to "breathe" more at louder volumes), and I can use the Fender on its own if I want (or with my Boss OD pedal).

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

Keyboard/bass amps are still the best option.

It is possible to turn off the amps/cabs models. Then the POD becomes an effects unit.

As I said before, what I do is plug the output of the POD into a direct box to the PA, and use the direct out from the direct box to send the signal back to a small bass combo for a monitor.

 

[Dankerella]

Re: Using a digital modeler live

they work good i think