# Anyone using POD on stage?



## Sang-Drax (Aug 31, 2008)

So, as the title goes... I have next to no experience with PODs, but mine is arriving tomorrow. Since I don't have a decent amp (yet), I'd like to know if anyone out there uses a pod straight into the PA - and if the results are satisfactory.

Plus, does anyone here use pod for FX only?


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## stuh84 (Aug 31, 2008)

I know John from Fell Silent who is on these boards uses one for cleans to the PA, and his Engl Invader for distorted tones. It really sounds nice for the cleans.

In terms of effects, they are functional and work for their intended purpose. I think however their best effects are in their standalone pedals, but thats personal preference more than anything.

In terms of direct for the distortion, I've heard a few bands do it (never done it myself), like Evergrey when they brought Pod XT Lives over instead of their 5150's for a tour....and they sounded notably worse. I still enjoyed it because it was fucking Evergrey, but the tone sounded muffled, but I find that sort of thing with PODs in general anyway.


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## Sang-Drax (Aug 31, 2008)

stuh84 said:


> (...)



Evergrey, huh? Well, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me 

It's just that the venues here in Rio are all so fucked up that it probably wouldn't make a huge difference as long as you're using pro or near-pro gear. It seems that pods are viable - and that's probably enough for me. 

Since valve amps are so damn expensive in Brazil, I was planning to *not* acquiring one so soon.


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## stuh84 (Aug 31, 2008)

Yeah, can definitely see that, they are a good tool, and its something I'd consider when going on big European tours. I know however that when Evergrey do single dates here or there, its always their own amps, but for larger tours, they are using the XT's now.

I think it'll be fine, if you can find a tone you like, then you are sorted, I never could, but I'm very specific about the tones I'm after.


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## klutvott (Aug 31, 2008)

I have never tried it straight in the PA but i used it live one time and it actually sounded pretty good. I plugged it through my rivera tbr-3 and my vader cab.


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## InTheRavensName (Aug 31, 2008)

Sang-Drax said:


> Evergrey, huh? Well, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me
> 
> It's just that the venues here in Rio are all so fucked up that it probably wouldn't make a huge difference as long as you're using pro or near-pro gear. It seems that pods are viable - and that's probably enough for me.
> 
> Since valve amps are so damn expensive in Brazil, I was planning to *not* acquiring one so soon.



You're in exactly the same situation as me. Pod's seem to do fine through the PA, especially if you're playing little venues where you can't really crank a valve amp, and the PA won't do it any favours anyway


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## thesimo (Aug 31, 2008)

the pod would work good live I think as long as you got some nice tones setup and as someone above said they are very good for cleans (got an amazing piezo tone off the SS download section).


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## 7 Dying Trees (Aug 31, 2008)

More and more bands have started doing it, easier than shipping amps, sound will always be the same, no need to mic amps etc etc etc. Saw 3 bands do it at a festival i teched for.


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## Josh Lawson (Aug 31, 2008)

Trusting little venues to have any more than 2 mains for a "vocal rig" can be asking a lot. I've been lucky to have monitors, imagine how sucky it would be to show up to a gig with a POD only and have no monitors to speak of. You'd be SOL. Probably to be on the safe side, I would recommend a small, cheap combo (PV Bandit 112 or something comparable) with an FX loop return or a powered main to be able to feed the drummer/yourself something if you ever run into a miserable "sound on a stick" situation (2 Behringer 12" mains on speaker stands, for example). Believe me, these situations still happen all the time, even these days.


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## Sang-Drax (Aug 31, 2008)

Thanks for the input, folks 



Josh Lawson said:


> Trusting little venues to have any more than 2 mains for a "vocal rig" can be asking a lot. I've been lucky to have monitors, imagine how sucky it would be to show up to a gig with a POD only and have no monitors to speak of. You'd be SOL. Probably to be on the safe side, I would recommend a small, cheap combo (PV Bandit 112 or something comparable) with an FX loop return or a powered main to be able to feed the drummer/yourself something if you ever run into a miserable "sound on a stick" situation (2 Behringer 12" mains on speaker stands, for example). Believe me, these situations still happen all the time, even these days.



Yeah, I've done that a lot with my all-crappy v-amp. It's also useful in situations when there are monitors, but they utterly suck.


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## Jason (Aug 31, 2008)

I would suggest getting there early and trying to go out into the house and tweak your pod from the floor


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## Josh Lawson (Aug 31, 2008)

Sang-Drax said:


> Thanks for the input, folks
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, I've done that a lot with my all-crappy v-amp. It's also useful in situations when there are monitors, but they utterly suck.


The trick is to use the FX return on your amp, NOT the clean main input. I can't stress this enough. Also try to minimize the output the audience hears, by putting it behind the drummer, angled upward. The PA feed will more than likely sound much better.


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## Sang-Drax (Sep 1, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> The trick is to use the FX return on your amp, NOT the clean main input. I can't stress this enough. Also try to minimize the output the audience hears, by putting it behind the drummer, angled upward. The PA feed will more than likely sound much better.



Yeah, I'm aware of that, thanks 

Though I have no idea of how it works - I just know it's better that way


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## Ze Kink (Sep 1, 2008)

I did many gigs with my old XT, and I've done a couple with my X3 Live too. Usually I've plugged into the FX Return of an amp without using cab modeling, and it's worked pretty well. I think I'd rather just plug it straight to the PA, but because of sucky monitoring, I've not done it yet.

Also, Meshuggah plugs their Vetta II's straight into PA all the time, and they sound great.

Still, I'd prefer cranking my amp, but as I only use public transportation, hauling my halfstack to a gig isn't an option.


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## Scali (Sep 1, 2008)

When you use a Vetta II, I believe you can have both ways?
That is, you can plug the line-out signal into the PA, and still run speakers off the poweramp for your own monitoring?

Quite a few Marshall amps are like that aswell, by the way. They have a speaker-emulated XLR output which can be fed directly to the PA.
I've actually used that output on my 6101 for recording occasionally. It's easier than micing up, and the results were acceptable.


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## Spinedriver (Sep 1, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> Trusting little venues to have any more than 2 mains for a "vocal rig" can be asking a lot. I've been lucky to have monitors, imagine how sucky it would be to show up to a gig with a POD only and have no monitors to speak of. You'd be SOL. Believe me, these situations still happen all the time, even these days.



Our band hit that situation once or twice. We had asked the soundguy (a friend of mine) if we could run them through the soundboard and he said that it'd be possible, but he only had 2 channels for monitors so if we wanted the guitars direct, we would either get only guitars or none whatsoever in the monitors.

As for right now, I run a Pod XTL into a Tube Works power amp (with a BBE SS pedal and MXR 10 eq pedal) and it sounds great. I may be looking into getting a 'real' amp head in the near future but really, there's no big rush because the tone from the Pod+power amp is totally useable and the amp only weighs about 5-10 lbs, so it's really easy to carry around. All you need is a cab to plug into and you're all set.


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## Scali (Sep 1, 2008)

Yea, come to think of it... I once carried my multifx with ampsim to a rehearsal, with the idea that I could play through the PA system of the keyboard player/singer.

But the keyboard player gave me some nonsense about how the guitar had nasty frequencies that would damage his speakers or whatever (yea right), so I had to rent a shitty Peavey Bandit on the spot.


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## arktan (Sep 1, 2008)

Sir Gaunten, how do you do it with your POD (I see there a X3 Live...)?


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Sep 15, 2008)

I've been using my Pod XT Live exclusively live and for recording for the past 2.5 years, we monitor with an Aviom system, I'm loving it.


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## chrismgtis (Feb 20, 2009)

I use a POD XT Live on stage. I know that Lincoln Brewster guy uses a POD X3 on stage and has another one as a backup next to it.

It works.

Personally would just rather have Mark Tremonti's setup though.


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