Thanks for the comparison and A/B demo. I personally think the PODxt is bit more pleasing to my ear. I just started into this area of sonic production. While I dearly love my old school tube amps and pedals, I am now disabled and my feet and legs don’t work so good beyond a volume/expression pedal or wah. I just got a steal of a deal, a fully functional PODxt Pro with all the available expansion model packs loaded for less than $50. Used it today for the first time and am fairly speechless. Ran it through my practice bass amp (Fender Rumble 100) exploring the presets and was amazed. I am able to switch effects by hand that my feet won’t do anymore (effectively and in time) and have amazing tone. Just really excited about this tool and learning to fully utilize it. Thanks again for the comparison of old technology and new technology. For what my ears heard here at home today and here on RUclips, I don’t need to get the latest and greatest, the PODxt Pro kicks butt!
EQ differences are usually what the differences boil down to in these comparisons. Of course the modern units are more capable in terms of processing power - you can have multiple amps and effects applied. There's typically a bigger choice of amps, effects, more mics -etc nothing that suggests they've actually advanced technology to any great degree. If you have a plugin rather than a unit then you likely have this extra processing power anyway. Whatever though helix native is cheaper today on sale that the podxt was 20 years ago - so the obvious choice for a home guitarist who owns a PC is just to buy the plugin + audio interface. Any buttons levers or pedals you want to push with your feet - well you could build a box cheaply to do that. The crop of modern amp modellers are overpriced IMO - especially when we see that the amp modelling really hasn't drastically improved (if at all) - I think the only thing that changed is (a) EQ settings and (b) people's acceptance of amp modelling. If you put something in a shiny box and charge them too much for it suddenly they think amp modelling is great - but as Andi shows it already was in 2003.
No problem Cristian, just interesting to see how far times have taken us in the past decade and a half. After all, these units are all competing to create a sound we had defined pretty well fifty years ago. So, what's left to evolve?
Yeah, the industry is constantly changing, actually, I've recently bought a Line 6 POD HD Desktop, but I almost bought a POD X3, you helped me to solve my doubts, thanks man. By now, I'm trying to find the preset that fits me.
Now that's how you do a comparison. Great job!! I completely agree with your conclusions. People would be amazed if they knew how many great albums featured the POD XT.
Thanks a lot Darrell, that means a lot to me! And I agree. For its age, price point, and level of sophistication it's hard to get people to listen with their ears to how good the POD XT was for its time - and still is. I agree that the Helix is a huge step forward, that IRs have changed the game forever, and that things like parallel amp paths and advanced power amp simulation editing is cool, but sometimes you just want to dial up a Soldano amp and rip. And you know what? With this thing, you absolutely can. Thanks for the comment!
I still have my 2002 podxt as well. Sometimes it doesn't detect the metal shop models when I turn it on but other than that it still runs like a champ!
I still have mine and will never get rid of it. Bought it new at the time and loaded it up with all the expansion packs. Always loved it. Eventually ended up owning the Helix floorboard. I think they are both two very different sounding beasts and I love them both almost just as much. Great sounding demo and comparison. I love hearing and watching videos like this. Your presets sound sick on both the PodXT as Helix. Thanks a lot for this cool video brother, always good to still see the PodXT getting some love 🤘😎👍 I fully agree with you though that the Helix sounds much more natural and organic. But there are plenty of times where the slightly more harsh or mechanic sounding tones fit really well too.
@@MeTuLHeD Yeah I have a Speaker IR VST on my PC that I can run it through. My guess is the amps will sound a lot better through it, as does even something as terrible as Waves GTR. But I don't expect the XT Live to sound anything as good as say the Helix. Probably going to pull it out of the closet for Sunday Funday and see. lol
Helix definitely sounds a bit less digital But the pod is an incredible piece of kit and very reasonably priced I use a pod hd now and I love it I used a pod bean for years and it was awesome, still is!
Yeah I mean as I say in the video there's definitely a situation with diminishing returns here - amp modeling got really good, really fast, and since then it's all been about perfecting the feel and the fine details - that's the thing you can't really put out in a video, really. But I totally agree. You'd be surprised how good you can make a POD XT sound, especially if you use impulse responses.
Great comaprison! Definitely shows how far amp simulation has come along the years. But this video also showcases the fact that given time, it's very much possible to get a great tone out of the older units as well. BTW, I have a POD X3 and would really like it if you could share the patch! If not, could you at least mention the settings?
I think that the biggest advancement in recent years has been the use of impulse responses for realistic cabinet sounds, the amp modeling was pretty good on these heavily distorted metal sounds ten years ago too - but of course I didn't use impulse responses in this test, which the Helix can do and the POD can't. It's very cool what you can achieve with a Helix though once you start delving into it. This record was entirely Helix: ruclips.net/video/xtNFrFdqjFY/видео.html
@@luizalbertokoehler4904 Line 6 invented the EQ slider - that's about all they did to counter this criticism that their earlier modelling sounded 'fizzy'. If you're talking purely in terms of software, i.e viewing this as plugins to a DAW then there's very little difference because the processing power, memory etc that you have available is provided by your PC not whatever they put in a tin box. When you consider the hardware units, well obviously over 2 decades they added more memory and processing power with every new unit.Which means you can do a lot more with Helix than podxt - but on a comparison where you pick a single amp, a couple of effects, if you remain within the capabilities of the pod then there's barely any advancement. Perhaps none. But as I've said in another comment you'd be as well buying the plugin and buying a nice guitar with the money you'd otherwise spend on a helix, quad cortex or whatever. For the vast majority of guitar players who already own a PC and they sit in their bedroom noodling that's the best bang for the buck. If you're looking for kit to gig in that case really the audience pay for it anyway (or you get it for free from the manufacturer) so perhaps you don't care too much about price. If you're gigging and have no audience or manufacturers giving you free stuff well then you really need to rethink life choices. Also note although Andi is correct to suggest that you can't use different IR on the podxt - you can switch cab to 'no cab' and do the IR externally - to some extent that my feel like defeating the purpose of having a unit - but certainly if you have something that can provide the IR (like a DAW or plugin) you can apply a different IR to the amp models in the podxt.
The same here. I have had and used only Line 6 XT Pro but in the video above Helix sounds muddy and lack of clarity. It could be just the matter of tweaking but as some said in the comments they prefer POD XT too.. so soemhow Line 6 did it something really special back in those times (about 15 years ago).
I'm a bit late on this but I have that same POD XT and a Helix. Just about a week ago I dusted off the old POD XT and was surprised on how good it sounds even compared to the Helix. I through the SLO, Mesa and 800 were the better amp models on the XT. What amp model and cab were you using in this video...or which do you prefer?
I owned an XT PRO, X3 PRO, and HD400. Stopped using Line 6 (moved to real tube amp). Never tried a Helix, but so far, the demos in RUclips, I don't feel much difference. Probably the biggest difference is the ability to load IR.
POD sounds a bit more digitally "spiky", but I'm willing to bet that's the cab IR rather than the amp sim. The difference in a mix is pretty negligible though, and that's quite impressive. I still have my XT, though I don't use it much these days, but I still have a soft spot for it.
The Line 6 from 2002 is my preference. just has more of a crunch. The helix sounds kind of muffled when compared right next to each other. But that's just my personal opinion.
I do agree Brandon, but do keep in mind I literally took my settings from the POD, and dialled those exact same settings into the Helix. I can't wait to make another clip and show you guys how much sound I've been able to coax out of it with a few months of tweaking :)
Such as what? I own xt live and helix. What problems are there? Just put a good frfr or pa in front, learn how Fletcher Munson works, and eq accordingly for your volume and live speaker irregularities. Same thing we do with guitar amps, just I used modeler terms.
You're great guitar player! Nice work has been done! Helix sounds awesome but XT sounds clearer and in the mix is more audible when you articulate differently. Thank you for the vid! Cheers!
I took my Pod xt out of the closet after more than 10 years!!!!! ... motivated by the enthusiasm with the Overloud TH-U presets, in an attempt, without much hope, to recreate the TH-U tones on the Pod xt. I have a series of classic pedals and amps (ss and tubes), but I've been using the TH-U a lot at home due to its practicality. I reworked old presets and created new ones (Rolling Stones, Faces, etc.) from Pod xt and was impressed with the results. As good or better than the TH-U (both on a PA and on the guitar amp's power input)! With the advantage of easy use of the Pod xt live, with tones as good as the analog setup! Conclusion: Don't get rid of your Pod xt
Wow dude, you have made the Pod XT sound really good! I am going to try the HELIX Native today. I also think that Helix does sound more natural. Great video, Thank you.
Thanks a lot! Well in my defense I've had a decade to learn how to dial it in properly, but that just shows that it doesn't really matter what gear you have, what matters is how much time you spend with it. And in this clip, I had exactly ten minutes with the Helix Native preset, exactly copying all the settings that sounded good on the POD XT, so it's a bit of an unfair comparison. Now that I've owned a Helix for about six months it would be interesting to go back to this clip and see if six months has taught me how to dial the Helix in better.
@@AndiKravljaca I bet you can dial in a great tone now! Did you see that Line6 made the Helix stomp recently? It's crazy how compact it is! I'm interested in trying that out too.
Yes, that seems like a killer little unit, and I love the way the presets are all 100% compatible between the software, rack, floor and stomp versions. You can dial in a preset perfectly on your computer, or rack unit, and then gig with the little stomp box, so practical. And I've been experimenting with the Helix a lot recently and have developed some truly, truly disturbingly evil tones, along with some really nice liquid ones. I can say one thing, the big evolution here is the interface. The Helix is a dream to work with.
@@AndiKravljaca Thanks for the great content man. I'm looking to develop a rig that I can record with as well as gig with that is versatile enough to play different types of genres...blues, to indie rock to heavier things. I think Helix may just be the most reasonable option!
I end up using the SLO model on my old Pod XT and X3 Live more than any other model. I’d love to check that XT sound on both. Did you ever share the settings?
Your preset have a EQ pedal? In a couple patches I use the EQ pedal to increase one spcefic frequence.... And have a lot of diference, include to cut offthe 8kHz frequence.... I liked a lot your video
Indeed it does. In the POD XT there's a post EQ which shelves low and high (as you say, anything above 8 kHz), and bumps 250Hz and about 2.1 KHz in this preset. Now that I've gotten more familiar with the Helix, I put an MXR 10-Band EQ model first in every preset as well, to shape the tone of my pickups and boost the signal. Well spotted!
Great demo! I was just wondering about this. Interesting comment about the sansamp GT2. I've never owned that ... but ... I sold my Pod XT pretty quickly after A/B'ing it with the Tech 21 sansamp character series pedals combined with good cabinet IRs like Recabinet/Celestion/Ownhammer/Redwirez, etc.
The GT-2 was a marvel for its time, but of course there were no impulse responses when I owned one, so the end result was quite thin and fizzy. I agree that using it with IRs would have made a huge difference, but that just wasn't feasible.
I think the PODxt sounds better...the Helix sounds muffled. I have had my PODxt for around 15 years, and I still use it quite a bit. I have the POD HD Pro X rackmount too...I need to start using it more, its just so much more complicated than the PODxt. \m/
I have the XT, XT Pro and a POD HD Pro.... The HD Pro is a huge disappointment and I never use it. I initially bought it to replace my XT Pro in my live rig (mesa 2:100 and recto os 4x12 / recto 2x12) but it can't do simultaneous cab sim and non sim out (one for direct one for my amp). What a huge fail on Line 6's part. The XT pro can do both cab simulated outputs and raw output to your amplifier at the same time. So I went back to using the XT Pro. The clean headroom is WAY higher anyway.
It's the Soldano SLO100, on both units, paired with a Marshall 1960A cabinet simulation on both. The Soldano was a standard model on the XT, not in a model pack :) hope that helps!
My Xt metal setting was: Classic Distortion > Line 6 Insane > Greenback 25 > Off Axis Dynamic Mic I was heavily into Morbid Angel so the tone is really thick and mid range heavy. It needs the 1.05 Flash memory to sound that way though.
Great video Andi! I would have liked to have seen what speakers and/or amp the pod and helix were played through? Or was it a computer? I play my xt through some cheap active speakers, the sound is really naff and weak using the output jack of the pod but totally different hooking up through the headphone jack, it seems to unleash the beast within! You have a new subscriber and a thumbs up
Hello! What you hear in the video is a direct signal from both POD and Helix, so no physical amp or speaker is used. The amp model in both clips is a Soldano SLO-100, put through a Marshall 1960 T75 cabinet, but those are simulated in the software of POD and Helix.
Have you tried using the pod xt with disabled cabinet emulation + irs. In pedal form (cabdryvr or radar) it is around a hundred bucks but in vst plugins can be downloaded for free. I recently tried and the red bean + irs hold its ground to the ultra expensive stuff.
Great opening jam mate. I have a POD XT Live, POD XT Pro and a Digitech GSP1101. I have numerous live recordings using the 'live' and it sounds good enough for me. Remember that guitars and amps aren't meant to be 'hifi'. I preferred the XT but I'm just biased (No that wasn't a Positive Grid joke).
Both sound good! Nice playing too. I had the original POD with a LP studio and it sounded good at the time for sure. That said I find Line 6 guitar stuff sounds a bit lifeless compared to newer software like Bias, Amplitube etc.
@pulse2AM With Pod farm you can sound better than Tse x50, overloud th3, thermionik, Bias amp 2, Helix, Kemper and Ax Fx etc but only if you know how to use it the right way since it is a phenomenal product but very difficult to master the perfection. After several years of use, trial and error I prefer it to the other mentioned products and I can have the tone that I want thrash, death or metalcore and it sounds the same to the original at 90% accuracy. But as I said, investing the necessary time to take advantage of its full potential. If you want I can help you and you will see that with Pod Farm you get the high gain tone you want without spending thousands of dollars on the other products.
Hello! Thanks for the feedback. Each was run without a simulated boost pedal, into the SLO-100 amp model with the gain on four. The cab was the Marshall 1960 T-75, with each unit's built in cab sim. After that an EQ block with low cut and a little bit of high cut. Hope this helps!
Question #1 : POD XT plug direct into your soundcard vs Guitar plug direct into the soundcard and then HELIX software ? Question # 2 : POD XT balanced output or unbalanced ? Question # 3 : Which soundcard was use ? I am wondering because i just bought a Squire CV 50's and direct to my motu ultralite 1 = jacking the motu preamp very high and computer hiss and noise with strat pickup at position 1,3,5. So i wanted to buy a POD XT instead of a active direct box like the J48 when using Amplitube 4. Same price but with the POD XT i can use it outside the box. What do you think ? Thanks for your video. I like the solo of the POD XT and everything else HELIX.
Hey there Bob. Thanks for watching the video! Here's the answers to your questions: 1 - The Pod XT was plugged in via its left quarter inch output, into the input of channel 1 on my Steinberg UR 22 MkII interface. The Helix Native clip was recorded with a guitar that was plugged directly into input 2 of the Steinberg, with the Hi-Z mode activated. 2 - The Pod XT outputs are balanced. 3 - As I mentioned above, the interface I use is the Steinberg UR 22 MkII. I can't really advise you in your situation - as I think the noise in position 1 3 and 5 on the Stratocaster is due to the single coil pickups, which is going to be there no matter what gear you use to record them. It's a fundamental property of single coil pickups that they make lots of noise, which is why humbuckers are called humbuckers - because they don't have 'hum' or hiss. If you can, borrow a friend's humbucker guitar and plug it in, and see if that gets rid of the hiss. If it does, then your single coil pickups are the source and you're just going to have to learn to live with it. Try turning away from your computer screen or any light sources when you record, that tends to help me!
Nice playing, fun music! Anyway; the XT sounds a little hotter but also slightly more digital sounding as you mentioned the Helix a little more natural. Still the XT is nice considering how old it is. Thanks for the review.
The chugging and palm muting sounds better on the Helix Native, but the leads are pretty much the same. The diminishing returns are there, so an old POD can essentially be a budget version of what Line 6 can do.
To my ears, the Helix sounds miles better. Having said that, the XT still holds it's own and does a very capable job. Tone snobs have loved chucking off at Line 6 gear (and digital units in general) for years. But this video proves you can still get excellent results with even a 20yo POD, which says a lot I reckon. And it mirrors the real world responses I get. I'm very fortunate to have a selection of nice gear now, but the one rig that by far still gets the most compliments - ie "That sounds fantastic! What're you playing through?" - is the 3X Live going through active speakers. Bought that set up brand new 14yrs ago; it's reliable, consistent, and just sounds good. (Actually, IIRC the XT series and 3X series had the same engines and models, the 3X just had more bells and whistles. (Would welcome correction if I'm mistaken.)) Swore that I would never get rid of the 3X. But if I had the "spare cash" (never gonna happen, lol!), I would replace it with a Helix in a heartbeat. The Helix sounds a lot better (imo), and fixes the several big issues I have with the 3X. (Despite the love I have for the 3X, I'm not blind to it's flaws.) On a slightly different topic: Lately I've been playing a lot with some whittled down minimalistic rigs using those Joyo pre-amp pedals, naked or with a reverb into the PA. For really cheap budget pedals, they sound surprisingly good. I initially thought I would try them with a view to just having something on hand in case of gear failure, a back up. But honestly, I wouldn't have too many qualms about popping one on a pedalboard for a main rig.
Honestly the POD sounds pretty ok in the mix. Of course the Helix sounded better but I think the major different is noticeable in the comparison of the pure sound at the end. Here the Helix really is like more than miles ahead. But ok... it´s been 15 years ;)
It sounds like slight EQ change. And its probably because of IR. I think all of these new amp simulators are not better sound quality than the old ones but give you more flexibility in terms where you put what in signal chain and sheer variety of options.
I agree, the major difference is in the IR section, that's where the bulk of the development has been for the past years. The actual amp simulation part of it hasn't advanced all that much because it was honestly pretty good back then as well. Amps are (mostly) relatively simple circuits, which aren't hard to model. The fidelity is certainly better these days, but I'd rather have a POD with a modern IR than an Axe FX 3 with the POD's speaker section!
nice vid man! well put together... question about compatibility if anyone knows. do patches created on helix devices transfer easily to pod xt devices? in other words, can you go the other way? i have the rackmount bass pod xt pro w/ floorboard but i found a really nice helix custom tone that i'd like to use. i'm more of an old school stompbox board guy as a guitarist but want to record bass tracks with the line 6 pod xt pro into nuendo direct instead of amp mic'ing. curious if i can grab that helix file and have it work. cheers! ROCK ON
Great comparision, nice example to showcase their rock and metal capabilities. The helix sounded more rounded to me in the mix, whereas the pod sounded wilder and eadgier solo, but it might be just eq tweaking, because both sounded pretty similar. What did you do the drums with? Cheers
Thanks for the kind appraisal! Yeah I mean you can tell there's been some development, but it's surprising how much the POD doesn't suck in comparison. As for the lead tone, I'm sure that's tweaking because you learn to play your tone as much as anything. After so many years of playing that lead sound I've learned it, so it's just a question of learning how to play the Helix as organically. I can tell you that the sound of the Helix has already made me make an investment :)
This is such a great video in many ways, but i have to agree with the "disabled man" aka jcmcclain57, i sold my pod xt when i figured vst ampsims will take over the market (when it still had a value!). But still i kept my toneport ux1 just in case i'd change my mind about "hardware ampsim" and to my ears the presets and all the expansion packs sounds exactly the same as the pod xt (i transfered them from the pod before selling it, haha..), and i was sooo surprised when i took it out and recorded thru it instead of the classic DI countryman route into interface and vst amplitube 4 route "the expensive recording route" so to speak. It had more bite? I on the otherhand have wasted a lot of years trying to get "good tone", really i quad tracked some rhytms and was amazed how much better it sounded. Then i'd remembered it sounding, simply because i couldn't "push the buttons correctly", i just didn't know how to make it sound good. And to take it even further. I recorded some funky guitars sent over to a now "famous instagram guitarist friend", and to my surprise his favourite sound, he had no clue what was amplitube or pod/toneport ofc, chose the toneport aswell! Haha. It's crazy. Probably overall the helix is better ofc, clean tones have come a long way especially. But really there's just something in the attack the bite of the metal pack tones that is just not there in amplitube 4 or guitar rig or whatever software, for me at least..And i'm not even switching out those old cab sounds with new impulses. I quad tracked and really liked it, crazy. Thanks for the video, i really think it is "whatever floats your boat" kind of situation. Did the cab sims improve much with their impulses? Yes, but did the actual ampsims evolve that much? I'm not so sure about that....
I agree - it is a little more crispy which mostly has to do with the speaker modeling I think. It would be interesting to send them through the same impulse response, I might do that someday. But of course, this is just a 100% reproduction of the settings in the POD XT, onto the Helix. I'm sure that with a little time I could put some of that crispyness back.Thanks for watching!
Surprising isn't it! So much older and so much simpler as a piece of hardware, just goes to show that the biggest bucks don't always buy you the biggest sound. I've always said, it's not about the gear you play. It's about the music you play.
The XT did better on leads than rhythm in my opinion, but the Helix still sounded better for either. Helix has some extra clarity without any of that vintage Line 6 fizz.
It takes a while to get the feel for a lead tone, it's a very personal thing. I think I played the solos better with the POD XT because it felt more familiar under the fingers. But I agree, the Helix is on a whole different level soundwise. I should make a new run-through of the same track now that I've had half a year to fine-tune my presets. It really is a killer sound.
Buenisimo!! La parte final con las guitarras aisladas deja claro que no se avanzó tanto en emulación de amplificador, y si quizás se mejoró un escalón por encima la emulación de pantalla. Para la diferencia de precios deja en evidencia a Helix y su alto precio en cuanto a sonido. Tendrá 100 cosas mejores que procesará mejor, si buscas Audio de amplificador no veo gran diferencia, sería interesante ver ese XT sonando con un i.r seguro que terminará sonando sin ese hush que produce su emulación. Definitivamente saber usar y buscar el sonido lleva tiempo. Muchos gastan cientos de dólares/euros y se lían con estos procesadores y lo venden y compran el moderno pensando que será mejor. En su época pod xt salió por un pvp de 399 que fue bajando años posteriores y se mantuvo en 249 euros un tiempo. La Helix tuvo un precio de 1200 euros de salida, hoy vale 1550... Y es la misma que hace 4 años... Helix es bonita,buena pantalla mejor procesador.. pero mejoró tanto tanto como para tener un precio de 1550 euros? Seguramente un pod xt, junto a un mooer radar con buen I.R de muchas alegrías y un gran ahorro al bolsillo de muchos. Felicidades por la fabulosa comparativa.
Definitely, definitely XT. It's a generation later, has better, more high definition models and effects, and more of them too. So without a doubt the XT. It blew the 2.0 out of the water when it came out. (I remember :D)
Soiio :v well, I'd say many are wrong ;) but sound is subjective isn't it. To me there's no doubt at all. It's why I got an XT, it sounded better to me :)
I'm no expert, and I replaced my PodXT with an HD500X a few years back and that's fine for me but the differences to me sound like mic placement differences (not saying that's what it is, just what it sounds like). Personally the XT is a little gritty sounding but I like the way it cuts through the mix better, as the Helix is muddy sounding by comparison, but I'm sure that could be EQ'd out when mixed
Hello! There is absolutely no difference aside from the company logo :) I would love to send you the patches, but all I have is a backup of the entire POD, I don't know how to extract individual sounds from it.
Dude, seriously.. I have no idea how you're getting such an awesome tone out of the bean. I bought my XT last year and I can't even get close to that. Any movement with a how to? Also, you say it's the overdrive channel.. is that an option on the XT? Or is that just the Helix version?
I'd give the leads to the XT and maybe the rhythm stuff to the Helix by a bit, not a huge difference, it's different, that's all really, hard to say better.. XT still rocks, I use mine lots for practice almost 20 years later. I still like the layout of the XT, it doesn't look like there's a physical amp-sim product with as many knobs to work with as the XT; who wants to keep diving through menus and multipurpose buttons, a shame they didn't continue with the series... the XT is dirt cheap used these days, a solid choice for a backup, practice or for a new player; also sounds good plugging into the effects return of an amp.
no..i use both, i monitor what i play with my pod x3 and record with helix native, the difference is huge, thats becouse helix native uses IR's.. and better amp sim.
Helix has much more professional and aggressive sound, XT is a little bit brighter but sounds more homemade studio recording past generation's style. Well, 1400 € there are too many, in any case, if it weren't for the great flexibility and completeness of Helix machine. POD XT remains a great machine for actual prices, still unsurpassed. Love Helix, but must bring down prices soon!
Definitely impressed me. More than anything it was the routing and ease of use, the amount of time it takes you to get a pretty detailed preset done, including pre and post EQ, parallel cab routing, compressor, and so on, is like, under five minutes easily. Line 6 really hit it out of the park with the user interface. I'm so impressed I've actually made an investment...
Interesting video I think they both sound good, just slightly different. I don't claim to be any sort of expert on modeling gear, and I generally use fairly "basic" and mostly oldskool metal sounds, but I'm still using older units (currently the not-so-loved Boss GT-10 of all things...) despite having more than enough money to buy Helix or better. Don't know why really, but there is some weird enjoyment in having to battle with these old and sometimes creaky modelers. Maybe I just like the challenge... I do have a POD HD500X waiting to be put to use (and quite a few other modelers) so maybe I'll try something different soon. I don't do much recording (yet) but my humble home setup is starting to take shape and hearing how something as old as the XT can hold its own when compared to recent tech is interesting. That's what I think anyway. :)
It's a bit like apples & oranges, and to me, the POD XT has more attack and sounds warmer, were I to have to choose. Even now I'm looking at the Firehawk and yet on anohter review someone cased Line 6 as a "plastic" sound. I can see where some people might be more passionate about classic foot petals vs a synthesized effect. However, in the end, is anyone or would anyone in an audience actually hear the difference or even care? And you can't deny the affordability of a synthesized effects pedal. Bottom line, for me--the cost. Great video review. You at least made comparisons while most of the reviews simply highlight the Line 6 product and available effects. I would like to see someone put together something that actually compared the Line 6 product with whatever petal is is supposedly emulating. Nevertheless--great review! Thank you.
I wish I had the money to make a video like that, it would really be interesting. PMTV made one a while back: ruclips.net/video/kiDHccRCpoM/видео.html - it might be interesting to you. I agree that for the audience member at a show, it couldn't matter less. It certainly doesn't for me. And I think that the 'plastic' sound is something that people can't ever really put their finger on. In a blind test, I'm not sure you could tell.
@@AndiKravljaca Totally valid theory! By the way, because of this video I went over to line 6's website and downloaded the Native trial. I feel like the Helix isn't that much different from the HD Pro, which is kind of disappointing. I'll need to spend more time with it, though. However, the Placater model (Friedman BE100) is pretty incredible sounding. You can tell they spent a lot of time on that one. The JCM 800 is also really well done.
@@mikeymike4g63 Thanks for the reply! Yes, it's very obvious that they've spent more time on some of the models. I've since gotten much better at dialing in the Helix. The stuff I'm doing with Bioplan is all Helix and it sounds great to my ears. Hope you enjoyed the trial!
The Helix just sound like it has more mids. There's really not that much between them tbh. I got an xt in 2003, and it was my live rig and demo tone for years. Used to just plug it directly into the PA via a DI box then get the sound guy to feed it to my monitors, and it sounded great every time. Mine also had the old Line 6 logo and had Flash memory 1.05 installed, which to my ear had FAR better tones in it than the later updates. The only problem was that they were prone to software bugs. I had a bean and a pro unit get the "Invalid Code Error 02" bug from the Line 6 Monkey, and Line 6 were completely shit about it. Possibly the worst customer service I've ever experienced. I swore I'd never buy another Line 6 product again, but I still have a real fondness for me original xt bean, and I have great memories of just sitting in my bedroom recording. It really did open up the creativity and convenience factor, and it was a great all round unit. I never used it as an interface, but that would have been a hat trick in usability if I had done. I'd quite like to see a new POD done in the same style, but one where you can load your own VST amp sims and IRs into it and create your own custom chains.
Agreed! And that's just an hour's noodling. Throw some actual time to refine the presets, some tips and tricks, IRs and the difference is huge. Thanks for your comment!
Yes Helix is better - You will have to do in DAW: dynamics to cut, eq so make it more telephonic, low cut to get rid of mud , reamp by old Pod Mastering record with Ozone to make it all sound again back like it was in Helix on headphones ;)
Pocket pods are amazing. For the size and the power consumption they have, they have incredible tone - they're more of a toy than a serious device to make music on, but they're incredible for travel!
Your trial is probably over but there are so many better amps to use and IRs to make Helix even better. Doing one preset is not really the best way to do a comparison.
Well the trial ended with me buying a hardware Helix Rack, so I'd say all is not lost! I'm sure I'll come back to comparing the two in the future. I just wanted a quick 'How fast can I replicate my sound' test,which I'd say is a fairly realistic condition for someone evaluating a new product. You can always put the POD on IRs as well, mix and match amps, but here it was just, Soldano amp through a Marshall cab and see where it gets you in fifteen minutes. I'd say it got me pretty close!
Thanks for the comparison and A/B demo. I personally think the PODxt is bit more pleasing to my ear. I just started into this area of sonic production. While I dearly love my old school tube amps and pedals, I am now disabled and my feet and legs don’t work so good beyond a volume/expression pedal or wah. I just got a steal of a deal, a fully functional PODxt Pro with all the available expansion model packs loaded for less than $50. Used it today for the first time and am fairly speechless. Ran it through my practice bass amp (Fender Rumble 100) exploring the presets and was amazed. I am able to switch effects by hand that my feet won’t do anymore (effectively and in time) and have amazing tone. Just really excited about this tool and learning to fully utilize it. Thanks again for the comparison of old technology and new technology. For what my ears heard here at home today and here on RUclips, I don’t need to get the latest and greatest, the PODxt Pro kicks butt!
It might be my speakers but the PODxt actually sounds brighter and not as muddy as the Helix?
EQ differences are usually what the differences boil down to in these comparisons. Of course the modern units are more capable in terms of processing power - you can have multiple amps and effects applied. There's typically a bigger choice of amps, effects, more mics -etc nothing that suggests they've actually advanced technology to any great degree. If you have a plugin rather than a unit then you likely have this extra processing power anyway. Whatever though helix native is cheaper today on sale that the podxt was 20 years ago - so the obvious choice for a home guitarist who owns a PC is just to buy the plugin + audio interface. Any buttons levers or pedals you want to push with your feet - well you could build a box cheaply to do that. The crop of modern amp modellers are overpriced IMO - especially when we see that the amp modelling really hasn't drastically improved (if at all) - I think the only thing that changed is (a) EQ settings and (b) people's acceptance of amp modelling. If you put something in a shiny box and charge them too much for it suddenly they think amp modelling is great - but as Andi shows it already was in 2003.
Great comparison. POD XT still can deliver. I still use it regularly, although I would like to upgrade at some point.
very similar, small differences can probably be corrected in EQ. The 8:03 guitar solo is better with the Pod xt.
Excellent comparison man, thanks for the demonstration.
No problem Cristian, just interesting to see how far times have taken us in the past decade and a half. After all, these units are all competing to create a sound we had defined pretty well fifty years ago. So, what's left to evolve?
Yeah, the industry is constantly changing, actually, I've recently bought a Line 6 POD HD Desktop, but I almost bought a POD X3, you helped me to solve my doubts, thanks man. By now, I'm trying to find the preset that fits me.
Great video and great tone dude. Been using l6 for a long time now. And you nail it with the overview.
Thanks, that's really great of you to say. What I really want to hammer home is how good the old stuff still sounds.
Now that's how you do a comparison. Great job!! I completely agree with your conclusions. People would be amazed if they knew how many great albums featured the POD XT.
Thanks a lot Darrell, that means a lot to me! And I agree. For its age, price point, and level of sophistication it's hard to get people to listen with their ears to how good the POD XT was for its time - and still is. I agree that the Helix is a huge step forward, that IRs have changed the game forever, and that things like parallel amp paths and advanced power amp simulation editing is cool, but sometimes you just want to dial up a Soldano amp and rip. And you know what? With this thing, you absolutely can. Thanks for the comment!
I still have my 2002 podxt as well. Sometimes it doesn't detect the metal shop models when I turn it on but other than that it still runs like a champ!
I still have mine and will never get rid of it. Bought it new at the time and loaded it up with all the expansion packs. Always loved it. Eventually ended up owning the Helix floorboard. I think they are both two very different sounding beasts and I love them both almost just as much.
Great sounding demo and comparison. I love hearing and watching videos like this. Your presets sound sick on both the PodXT as Helix. Thanks a lot for this cool video brother, always good to still see the PodXT getting some love 🤘😎👍 I fully agree with you though that the Helix sounds much more natural and organic. But there are plenty of times where the slightly more harsh or mechanic sounding tones fit really well too.
PODxt it is for me, thanks for the great review and skilled guitar playing.
Now that you've done this comparison, try one more. Turn the cab section off in the XT and use a third party cab ir instead. Go ahead. I dare ya. :D
Do I dare even attempt this on my own? I was here just to remind myself why I don't want to get my XT Live out of the closet .
@@lorenmorgan1931 I don't know. Are you even a little bit tech savvy? Not too hard if teenage kids on RUclips can do it...
@@MeTuLHeD Yeah I have a Speaker IR VST on my PC that I can run it through. My guess is the amps will sound a lot better through it, as does even something as terrible as Waves GTR. But I don't expect the XT Live to sound anything as good as say the Helix. Probably going to pull it out of the closet for Sunday Funday and see. lol
Helix definitely sounds a bit less digital
But the pod is an incredible piece of kit and very reasonably priced
I use a pod hd now and I love it
I used a pod bean for years and it was awesome, still is!
Yeah I mean as I say in the video there's definitely a situation with diminishing returns here - amp modeling got really good, really fast, and since then it's all been about perfecting the feel and the fine details - that's the thing you can't really put out in a video, really. But I totally agree. You'd be surprised how good you can make a POD XT sound, especially if you use impulse responses.
Great comaprison! Definitely shows how far amp simulation has come along the years. But this video also showcases the fact that given time, it's very much possible to get a great tone out of the older units as well.
BTW, I have a POD X3 and would really like it if you could share the patch! If not, could you at least mention the settings?
I think that the biggest advancement in recent years has been the use of impulse responses for realistic cabinet sounds, the amp modeling was pretty good on these heavily distorted metal sounds ten years ago too - but of course I didn't use impulse responses in this test, which the Helix can do and the POD can't. It's very cool what you can achieve with a Helix though once you start delving into it. This record was entirely Helix: ruclips.net/video/xtNFrFdqjFY/видео.html
How far? In this video?
@@luizalbertokoehler4904 Line 6 invented the EQ slider - that's about all they did to counter this criticism that their earlier modelling sounded 'fizzy'. If you're talking purely in terms of software, i.e viewing this as plugins to a DAW then there's very little difference because the processing power, memory etc that you have available is provided by your PC not whatever they put in a tin box. When you consider the hardware units, well obviously over 2 decades they added more memory and processing power with every new unit.Which means you can do a lot more with Helix than podxt - but on a comparison where you pick a single amp, a couple of effects, if you remain within the capabilities of the pod then there's barely any advancement. Perhaps none. But as I've said in another comment you'd be as well buying the plugin and buying a nice guitar with the money you'd otherwise spend on a helix, quad cortex or whatever. For the vast majority of guitar players who already own a PC and they sit in their bedroom noodling that's the best bang for the buck. If you're looking for kit to gig in that case really the audience pay for it anyway (or you get it for free from the manufacturer) so perhaps you don't care too much about price. If you're gigging and have no audience or manufacturers giving you free stuff well then you really need to rethink life choices.
Also note although Andi is correct to suggest that you can't use different IR on the podxt - you can switch cab to 'no cab' and do the IR externally - to some extent that my feel like defeating the purpose of having a unit - but certainly if you have something that can provide the IR (like a DAW or plugin) you can apply a different IR to the amp models in the podxt.
I prefer the PODXT.
The same here. I have had and used only Line 6 XT Pro but in the video above Helix sounds muddy and lack of clarity. It could be just the matter of tweaking but as some said in the comments they prefer POD XT too.. so soemhow Line 6 did it something really special back in those times (about 15 years ago).
i had one Line 6 POD XT
I'm a bit late on this but I have that same POD XT and a Helix. Just about a week ago I dusted off the old POD XT and was surprised on how good it sounds even compared to the Helix. I through the SLO, Mesa and 800 were the better amp models on the XT. What amp model and cab were you using in this video...or which do you prefer?
I owned an XT PRO, X3 PRO, and HD400. Stopped using Line 6 (moved to real tube amp). Never tried a Helix, but so far, the demos in RUclips, I don't feel much difference. Probably the biggest difference is the ability to load IR.
POD sounds a bit more digitally "spiky", but I'm willing to bet that's the cab IR rather than the amp sim. The difference in a mix is pretty negligible though, and that's quite impressive.
I still have my XT, though I don't use it much these days, but I still have a soft spot for it.
Nice run Andi.
Awesome job! Would you share with us the settings you dialed in on the Pod XT?
The Line 6 from 2002 is my preference. just has more of a crunch. The helix sounds kind of muffled when compared right next to each other. But that's just my personal opinion.
I do agree Brandon, but do keep in mind I literally took my settings from the POD, and dialled those exact same settings into the Helix. I can't wait to make another clip and show you guys how much sound I've been able to coax out of it with a few months of tweaking :)
It's crazy how much has changed in 15 years.
And yet, how little has. Same old problems, same old issues, same old lives. Just with a newer laptop.
I bet you could tweak it until you like it.
Such as what? I own xt live and helix. What problems are there? Just put a good frfr or pa in front, learn how Fletcher Munson works, and eq accordingly for your volume and live speaker irregularities. Same thing we do with guitar amps, just I used modeler terms.
Great audio on this video!
Thank you very much!
Dam 7 Strings!.🤘 Awesome Review Andi...
Hey, thanks!
You're great guitar player! Nice work has been done! Helix sounds awesome but XT sounds clearer and in the mix is more audible when you articulate differently. Thank you for the vid! Cheers!
I took my Pod xt out of the closet after more than 10 years!!!!! ... motivated by the enthusiasm with the Overloud TH-U presets, in an attempt, without much hope, to recreate the TH-U tones on the Pod xt. I have a series of classic pedals and amps (ss and tubes), but I've been using the TH-U a lot at home due to its practicality. I reworked old presets and created new ones (Rolling Stones, Faces, etc.) from Pod xt and was impressed with the results. As good or better than the TH-U (both on a PA and on the guitar amp's power input)! With the advantage of easy use of the Pod xt live, with tones as good as the analog setup! Conclusion: Don't get rid of your Pod xt
Wow dude, you have made the Pod XT sound really good! I am going to try the HELIX Native today. I also think that Helix does sound more natural. Great video, Thank you.
Thanks a lot! Well in my defense I've had a decade to learn how to dial it in properly, but that just shows that it doesn't really matter what gear you have, what matters is how much time you spend with it. And in this clip, I had exactly ten minutes with the Helix Native preset, exactly copying all the settings that sounded good on the POD XT, so it's a bit of an unfair comparison. Now that I've owned a Helix for about six months it would be interesting to go back to this clip and see if six months has taught me how to dial the Helix in better.
@@AndiKravljaca I bet you can dial in a great tone now! Did you see that Line6 made the Helix stomp recently? It's crazy how compact it is! I'm interested in trying that out too.
Yes, that seems like a killer little unit, and I love the way the presets are all 100% compatible between the software, rack, floor and stomp versions. You can dial in a preset perfectly on your computer, or rack unit, and then gig with the little stomp box, so practical. And I've been experimenting with the Helix a lot recently and have developed some truly, truly disturbingly evil tones, along with some really nice liquid ones. I can say one thing, the big evolution here is the interface. The Helix is a dream to work with.
@@AndiKravljaca Thanks for the great content man. I'm looking to develop a rig that I can record with as well as gig with that is versatile enough to play different types of genres...blues, to indie rock to heavier things. I think Helix may just be the most reasonable option!
What settings are you using in the xt ? or perhaps do you have the patch? Thanks!
I've had this request a few times. I'll upload a video soon where I share these patches, and give you guys a walkthrough. Cheers!
I am using XT Pod Pro, any zoom g3xn to buy would be nice too?
I end up using the SLO model on my old Pod XT and X3 Live more than any other model. I’d love to check that XT sound on both. Did you ever share the settings?
Your preset have a EQ pedal? In a couple patches I use the EQ pedal to increase one spcefic frequence.... And have a lot of diference, include to cut offthe 8kHz frequence.... I liked a lot your video
Indeed it does. In the POD XT there's a post EQ which shelves low and high (as you say, anything above 8 kHz), and bumps 250Hz and about 2.1 KHz in this preset. Now that I've gotten more familiar with the Helix, I put an MXR 10-Band EQ model first in every preset as well, to shape the tone of my pickups and boost the signal. Well spotted!
Great demo! I was just wondering about this. Interesting comment about the sansamp GT2. I've never owned that ... but ... I sold my Pod XT pretty quickly after A/B'ing it with the Tech 21 sansamp character series pedals combined with good cabinet IRs like Recabinet/Celestion/Ownhammer/Redwirez, etc.
The GT-2 was a marvel for its time, but of course there were no impulse responses when I owned one, so the end result was quite thin and fizzy. I agree that using it with IRs would have made a huge difference, but that just wasn't feasible.
I thing that Line 6 has a great problem because is so difficult to get so better what you did so good...
For me, Helix hands down! Great vid man, enjoyed :D
I think the PODxt sounds better...the Helix sounds muffled. I have had my PODxt for around 15 years, and I still use it quite a bit. I have the POD HD Pro X rackmount too...I need to start using it more, its just so much more complicated than the PODxt. \m/
I have the XT, XT Pro and a POD HD Pro.... The HD Pro is a huge disappointment and I never use it. I initially bought it to replace my XT Pro in my live rig (mesa 2:100 and recto os 4x12 / recto 2x12) but it can't do simultaneous cab sim and non sim out (one for direct one for my amp). What a huge fail on Line 6's part. The XT pro can do both cab simulated outputs and raw output to your amplifier at the same time. So I went back to using the XT Pro. The clean headroom is WAY higher anyway.
Those rackmount pods are pretty good
Did I miss which amp simulation is being used here? I would imagine it was one of the add-on models that belongs to the "Metal Shop" pack...
It's the Soldano SLO100, on both units, paired with a Marshall 1960A cabinet simulation on both. The Soldano was a standard model on the XT, not in a model pack :) hope that helps!
My Xt metal setting was:
Classic Distortion > Line 6 Insane > Greenback 25 > Off Axis Dynamic Mic
I was heavily into Morbid Angel so the tone is really thick and mid range heavy. It needs the 1.05 Flash memory to sound that way though.
Good video 🤘🏻
Great video Andi! I would have liked to have seen what speakers and/or amp the pod and helix were played through? Or was it a computer? I play my xt through some cheap active speakers, the sound is really naff and weak using the output jack of the pod but totally different hooking up through the headphone jack, it seems to unleash the beast within! You have a new subscriber and a thumbs up
Hello!
What you hear in the video is a direct signal from both POD and Helix, so no physical amp or speaker is used. The amp model in both clips is a Soldano SLO-100, put through a Marshall 1960 T75 cabinet, but those are simulated in the software of POD and Helix.
Have you tried using the pod xt with disabled cabinet emulation + irs. In pedal form (cabdryvr or radar) it is around a hundred bucks but in vst plugins can be downloaded for free. I recently tried and the red bean + irs hold its ground to the ultra expensive stuff.
Luis Sanchez Until I bought my Helix that was my jam. POD XT with 3 Sigma IRs.
Try running pod farm (pod xt algorithms) into custom impulse loaders (or kazrog recabinet). Surprisingly good. Most softs and hw units fail at cabs.
i prefer Pod XT in this song
thanks for this great comparsion!
Great opening jam mate. I have a POD XT Live, POD XT Pro and a Digitech GSP1101. I have numerous live recordings using the 'live' and it sounds good enough for me. Remember that guitars and amps aren't meant to be 'hifi'. I preferred the XT but I'm just biased (No that wasn't a Positive Grid joke).
Both sound good! Nice playing too. I had the original POD with a LP studio and it sounded good at the time for sure. That said I find Line 6 guitar stuff sounds a bit lifeless compared to newer software like Bias, Amplitube etc.
@pulse2AM
With Pod farm you can sound better than Tse x50, overloud th3, thermionik, Bias amp 2, Helix, Kemper and Ax Fx etc but only if you know how to use it the right way since it is a phenomenal product but very difficult to master the perfection.
After several years of use, trial and error I prefer it to the other mentioned products and I can have the tone that I want thrash, death or metalcore and it sounds the same to the original at 90% accuracy. But as I said, investing the necessary time to take advantage of its full potential.
If you want I can help you and you will see that with Pod Farm you get the high gain tone you want without spending thousands of dollars on the other products.
Hi Andi, dear comparisons. Good work. I find the Pod xt better in the mix alone I find the native better, Do you have the sound settings of the two?
Hello! Thanks for the feedback. Each was run without a simulated boost pedal, into the SLO-100 amp model with the gain on four. The cab was the Marshall 1960 T-75, with each unit's built in cab sim. After that an EQ block with low cut and a little bit of high cut. Hope this helps!
@@AndiKravljaca was it recorded "directly" or with an amp? Your answer was somewhat unclear.
@@deHelli Absolutely no amps involved. All that I described was the modeling in the units. Guitar into the unit, unit into the audio interface.
@@AndiKravljaca ah thanx Andi!
I get easier sounds from the Pod 2.0 that I like. I always have problems finding a good sound from the Pod XT.
Best comparison ever
Question #1 : POD XT plug direct into your soundcard vs Guitar plug direct into the soundcard and then HELIX software ? Question # 2 : POD XT balanced output or unbalanced ? Question # 3 : Which soundcard was use ? I am wondering because i just bought a Squire CV 50's and direct to my motu ultralite 1 = jacking the motu preamp very high and computer hiss and noise with strat pickup at position 1,3,5. So i wanted to buy a POD XT instead of a active direct box like the J48 when using Amplitube 4. Same price but with the POD XT i can use it outside the box. What do you think ? Thanks for your video. I like the solo of the POD XT and everything else HELIX.
Hey there Bob. Thanks for watching the video! Here's the answers to your questions:
1 - The Pod XT was plugged in via its left quarter inch output, into the input of channel 1 on my Steinberg UR 22 MkII interface. The Helix Native clip was recorded with a guitar that was plugged directly into input 2 of the Steinberg, with the Hi-Z mode activated.
2 - The Pod XT outputs are balanced.
3 - As I mentioned above, the interface I use is the Steinberg UR 22 MkII.
I can't really advise you in your situation - as I think the noise in position 1 3 and 5 on the Stratocaster is due to the single coil pickups, which is going to be there no matter what gear you use to record them. It's a fundamental property of single coil pickups that they make lots of noise, which is why humbuckers are called humbuckers - because they don't have 'hum' or hiss. If you can, borrow a friend's humbucker guitar and plug it in, and see if that gets rid of the hiss. If it does, then your single coil pickups are the source and you're just going to have to learn to live with it. Try turning away from your computer screen or any light sources when you record, that tends to help me!
@@AndiKravljaca i understand thank you very much.
Nice playing, fun music! Anyway; the XT sounds a little hotter but also slightly more digital sounding as you mentioned the Helix a little more natural. Still the XT is nice considering how old it is. Thanks for the review.
The chugging and palm muting sounds better on the Helix Native, but the leads are pretty much the same. The diminishing returns are there, so an old POD can essentially be a budget version of what Line 6 can do.
To my ears, the Helix sounds miles better. Having said that, the XT still holds it's own and does a very capable job.
Tone snobs have loved chucking off at Line 6 gear (and digital units in general) for years. But this video proves you can still get excellent results with even a 20yo POD, which says a lot I reckon. And it mirrors the real world responses I get. I'm very fortunate to have a selection of nice gear now, but the one rig that by far still gets the most compliments - ie "That sounds fantastic! What're you playing through?" - is the 3X Live going through active speakers. Bought that set up brand new 14yrs ago; it's reliable, consistent, and just sounds good. (Actually, IIRC the XT series and 3X series had the same engines and models, the 3X just had more bells and whistles. (Would welcome correction if I'm mistaken.))
Swore that I would never get rid of the 3X. But if I had the "spare cash" (never gonna happen, lol!), I would replace it with a Helix in a heartbeat. The Helix sounds a lot better (imo), and fixes the several big issues I have with the 3X. (Despite the love I have for the 3X, I'm not blind to it's flaws.)
On a slightly different topic:
Lately I've been playing a lot with some whittled down minimalistic rigs using those Joyo pre-amp pedals, naked or with a reverb into the PA. For really cheap budget pedals, they sound surprisingly good.
I initially thought I would try them with a view to just having something on hand in case of gear failure, a back up. But honestly, I wouldn't have too many qualms about popping one on a pedalboard for a main rig.
I use a pod hd and have debated on getting the helix
Honestly the POD sounds pretty ok in the mix. Of course the Helix sounded better but I think the major different is noticeable in the comparison of the pure sound at the end. Here the Helix really is like more than miles ahead. But ok... it´s been 15 years ;)
It sounds like slight EQ change. And its probably because of IR. I think all of these new amp simulators are not better sound quality than the old ones but give you more flexibility in terms where you put what in signal chain and sheer variety of options.
I agree, the major difference is in the IR section, that's where the bulk of the development has been for the past years. The actual amp simulation part of it hasn't advanced all that much because it was honestly pretty good back then as well. Amps are (mostly) relatively simple circuits, which aren't hard to model. The fidelity is certainly better these days, but I'd rather have a POD with a modern IR than an Axe FX 3 with the POD's speaker section!
nice vid man! well put together... question about compatibility if anyone knows. do patches created on helix devices transfer easily to pod xt devices? in other words, can you go the other way? i have the rackmount bass pod xt pro w/ floorboard but i found a really nice helix custom tone that i'd like to use. i'm more of an old school stompbox board guy as a guitarist but want to record bass tracks with the line 6 pod xt pro into nuendo direct instead of amp mic'ing. curious if i can grab that helix file and have it work. cheers! ROCK ON
Amazing bean
I actually liked both.
I agree! What's clear is that the good old POD doesn't sound like a bag of crisps despite coming out before the film Seabiscuit!
Great comparision, nice example to showcase their rock and metal capabilities. The helix sounded more rounded to me in the mix, whereas the pod sounded wilder and eadgier solo, but it might be just eq tweaking, because both sounded pretty similar. What did you do the drums with? Cheers
Thanks for the kind appraisal! Yeah I mean you can tell there's been some development, but it's surprising how much the POD doesn't suck in comparison. As for the lead tone, I'm sure that's tweaking because you learn to play your tone as much as anything. After so many years of playing that lead sound I've learned it, so it's just a question of learning how to play the Helix as organically. I can tell you that the sound of the Helix has already made me make an investment :)
Very close in tone honestly
interesting subject! Modeling has come a long way.
I think so too!
This is such a great video in many ways, but i have to agree with the "disabled man" aka jcmcclain57, i sold my pod xt when i figured vst ampsims will take over the market (when it still had a value!). But still i kept my toneport ux1 just in case i'd change my mind about "hardware ampsim" and to my ears the presets and all the expansion packs sounds exactly the same as the pod xt (i transfered them from the pod before selling it, haha..), and i was sooo surprised when i took it out and recorded thru it instead of the classic DI countryman route into interface and vst amplitube 4 route "the expensive recording route" so to speak. It had more bite? I on the otherhand have wasted a lot of years trying to get "good tone", really i quad tracked some rhytms and was amazed how much better it sounded.
Then i'd remembered it sounding, simply because i couldn't "push the buttons correctly", i just didn't know how to make it sound good. And to take it even further. I recorded some funky guitars sent over to a now "famous instagram guitarist friend", and to my surprise his favourite sound, he had no clue what was amplitube or pod/toneport ofc, chose the toneport aswell! Haha. It's crazy. Probably overall the helix is better ofc, clean tones have come a long way especially. But really there's just something in the attack the bite of the metal pack tones that is just not there in amplitube 4 or guitar rig or whatever software, for me at least..And i'm not even switching out those old cab sounds with new impulses.
I quad tracked and really liked it, crazy. Thanks for the video, i really think it is "whatever floats your boat" kind of situation. Did the cab sims improve much with their impulses? Yes, but did the actual ampsims evolve that much? I'm not so sure about that....
I'm not sure but I think I hear a little more bite from the Xt, the attack seems more pleasing to my ear. But of course, that's very subtle.
I agree - it is a little more crispy which mostly has to do with the speaker modeling I think. It would be interesting to send them through the same impulse response, I might do that someday. But of course, this is just a 100% reproduction of the settings in the POD XT, onto the Helix. I'm sure that with a little time I could put some of that crispyness back.Thanks for watching!
The POD sound gets my vote!
Surprising isn't it! So much older and so much simpler as a piece of hardware, just goes to show that the biggest bucks don't always buy you the biggest sound. I've always said, it's not about the gear you play. It's about the music you play.
The XT did better on leads than rhythm in my opinion, but the Helix still sounded better for either. Helix has some extra clarity without any of that vintage Line 6 fizz.
It takes a while to get the feel for a lead tone, it's a very personal thing. I think I played the solos better with the POD XT because it felt more familiar under the fingers. But I agree, the Helix is on a whole different level soundwise. I should make a new run-through of the same track now that I've had half a year to fine-tune my presets. It really is a killer sound.
Was about to write the same but you described my thoughts perfectly.
Buenisimo!! La parte final con las guitarras aisladas deja claro que no se avanzó tanto en emulación de amplificador, y si quizás se mejoró un escalón por encima la emulación de pantalla. Para la diferencia de precios deja en evidencia a Helix y su alto precio en cuanto a sonido. Tendrá 100 cosas mejores que procesará mejor, si buscas Audio de amplificador no veo gran diferencia, sería interesante ver ese XT sonando con un i.r seguro que terminará sonando sin ese hush que produce su emulación. Definitivamente saber usar y buscar el sonido lleva tiempo. Muchos gastan cientos de dólares/euros y se lían con estos procesadores y lo venden y compran el moderno pensando que será mejor. En su época pod xt salió por un pvp de 399 que fue bajando años posteriores y se mantuvo en 249 euros un tiempo. La Helix tuvo un precio de 1200 euros de salida, hoy vale 1550... Y es la misma que hace 4 años... Helix es bonita,buena pantalla mejor procesador.. pero mejoró tanto tanto como para tener un precio de 1550 euros? Seguramente un pod xt, junto a un mooer radar con buen I.R de muchas alegrías y un gran ahorro al bolsillo de muchos. Felicidades por la fabulosa comparativa.
which is better pod 2.0 or podxt???
Definitely, definitely XT. It's a generation later, has better, more high definition models and effects, and more of them too. So without a doubt the XT. It blew the 2.0 out of the water when it came out. (I remember :D)
many say that the best was 2.0
better in sound*
Soiio :v well, I'd say many are wrong ;) but sound is subjective isn't it. To me there's no doubt at all. It's why I got an XT, it sounded better to me :)
I got the pod 1.0, 2.0 and the xt as well. I prefer the xt
I'm no expert, and I replaced my PodXT with an HD500X a few years back and that's fine for me but the differences to me sound like mic placement differences (not saying that's what it is, just what it sounds like). Personally the XT is a little gritty sounding but I like the way it cuts through the mix better, as the Helix is muddy sounding by comparison, but I'm sure that could be EQ'd out when mixed
Hola from Ecuador , wich diferentes between POD XT with old logo AND new? Maybe you can send me thst parches from XT?
Hello! There is absolutely no difference aside from the company logo :) I would love to send you the patches, but all I have is a backup of the entire POD, I don't know how to extract individual sounds from it.
I still use the X3 as main FX - the HD500 is gathering dust - which is way better than the XT, in fact it's two of the latter in one.
Dude, seriously.. I have no idea how you're getting such an awesome tone out of the bean. I bought my XT last year and I can't even get close to that. Any movement with a how to?
Also, you say it's the overdrive channel.. is that an option on the XT? Or is that just the Helix version?
I'd give the leads to the XT and maybe the rhythm stuff to the Helix by a bit, not a huge difference, it's different, that's all really, hard to say better.. XT still rocks, I use mine lots for practice almost 20 years later. I still like the layout of the XT, it doesn't look like there's a physical amp-sim product with as many knobs to work with as the XT; who wants to keep diving through menus and multipurpose buttons, a shame they didn't continue with the series... the XT is dirt cheap used these days, a solid choice for a backup, practice or for a new player; also sounds good plugging into the effects return of an amp.
Listening on good equipment I'm more partial to the Pod ..... it sounds cleaner. Helix seems like a step back in the wrong direction.
sounds like just an eq difference to me still has the same sound.
good to know, that the Helix is as good as the pod haha. Great and helpfull comparison Thanks !
no..i use both, i monitor what i play with my pod x3 and record with helix native, the difference is huge, thats becouse helix native uses IR's.. and better amp sim.
Helix has much more professional and aggressive sound, XT is a little bit brighter but sounds more homemade studio recording past generation's style.
Well, 1400 € there are too many, in any case,
if it weren't for the great flexibility and completeness of Helix machine.
POD XT remains a great machine for actual prices, still unsurpassed.
Love Helix, but must bring down prices soon!
helix for audiophile and pod for rock n roll because 60s and 70s rock album never sounds like helix
Native for me as it has Revv Generator models in it and other good stuff on 3.10 update
I don't know which one is more accurate, but the PodXT sounded much better in this video
I like the Helix. It sounds a little brighter.
Definitely impressed me. More than anything it was the routing and ease of use, the amount of time it takes you to get a pretty detailed preset done, including pre and post EQ, parallel cab routing, compressor, and so on, is like, under five minutes easily. Line 6 really hit it out of the park with the user interface. I'm so impressed I've actually made an investment...
Andi Kravljaca WOW! You invested in a new DAW for me? That’s insane! You really shouldn’t have. Thank you so much!!!!!! I will never forget you, Andi!
I liked the pod XT more. The solo sounded better in the XT
Interesting video I think they both sound good, just slightly different. I don't claim to be any sort of expert on modeling gear, and I generally use fairly "basic" and mostly oldskool metal sounds, but I'm still using older units (currently the not-so-loved Boss GT-10 of all things...) despite having more than enough money to buy Helix or better. Don't know why really, but there is some weird enjoyment in having to battle with these old and sometimes creaky modelers. Maybe I just like the challenge... I do have a POD HD500X waiting to be put to use (and quite a few other modelers) so maybe I'll try something different soon.
I don't do much recording (yet) but my humble home setup is starting to take shape and hearing how something as old as the XT can hold its own when compared to recent tech is interesting. That's what I think anyway. :)
It's a bit like apples & oranges, and to me, the POD XT has more attack and sounds warmer, were I to have to choose. Even now I'm looking at the Firehawk and yet on anohter review someone cased Line 6 as a "plastic" sound.
I can see where some people might be more passionate about classic foot petals vs a synthesized effect. However, in the end, is anyone or would anyone in an audience actually hear the difference or even care? And you can't deny the affordability of a synthesized effects pedal.
Bottom line, for me--the cost.
Great video review. You at least made comparisons while most of the reviews simply highlight the Line 6 product and available effects. I would like to see someone put together something that actually compared the Line 6 product with whatever petal is is supposedly emulating.
Nevertheless--great review!
Thank you.
I wish I had the money to make a video like that, it would really be interesting. PMTV made one a while back: ruclips.net/video/kiDHccRCpoM/видео.html - it might be interesting to you. I agree that for the audience member at a show, it couldn't matter less. It certainly doesn't for me. And I think that the 'plastic' sound is something that people can't ever really put their finger on. In a blind test, I'm not sure you could tell.
Very close match. However Helix seemed more open. Spacious. Better definition.
It's an AMAZING gear. But the Helix is full professional stuff
The Helix sounds better how ever to me its not a $1,400 difference
How do you figure 1400 dollars more than the XT? The helix rack (no foot controls just like the XT) costs 1399 new. Pod xt's aren't free.
Theory: not US dollars?
@@AndiKravljaca Totally valid theory! By the way, because of this video I went over to line 6's website and downloaded the Native trial. I feel like the Helix isn't that much different from the HD Pro, which is kind of disappointing. I'll need to spend more time with it, though. However, the Placater model (Friedman BE100) is pretty incredible sounding. You can tell they spent a lot of time on that one. The JCM 800 is also really well done.
@@mikeymike4g63 Thanks for the reply! Yes, it's very obvious that they've spent more time on some of the models. I've since gotten much better at dialing in the Helix. The stuff I'm doing with Bioplan is all Helix and it sounds great to my ears. Hope you enjoyed the trial!
@@AndiKravljaca right on!
The Helix just sound like it has more mids. There's really not that much between them tbh.
I got an xt in 2003, and it was my live rig and demo tone for years. Used to just plug it directly into the PA via a DI box then get the sound guy to feed it to my monitors, and it sounded great every time. Mine also had the old Line 6 logo and had Flash memory 1.05 installed, which to my ear had FAR better tones in it than the later updates. The only problem was that they were prone to software bugs. I had a bean and a pro unit get the "Invalid Code Error 02" bug from the Line 6 Monkey, and Line 6 were completely shit about it. Possibly the worst customer service I've ever experienced.
I swore I'd never buy another Line 6 product again, but I still have a real fondness for me original xt bean, and I have great memories of just sitting in my bedroom recording. It really did open up the creativity and convenience factor, and it was a great all round unit. I never used it as an interface, but that would have been a hat trick in usability if I had done.
I'd quite like to see a new POD done in the same style, but one where you can load your own VST amp sims and IRs into it and create your own custom chains.
long live the bean..
Hear hear!
the pod xt sounds much clear!
For leads both tones were superb. The Helix was 100% better on the rhythms.
Agreed! And that's just an hour's noodling. Throw some actual time to refine the presets, some tips and tricks, IRs and the difference is huge. Thanks for your comment!
Yes Helix is better - You will have to do in DAW: dynamics to cut, eq so make it more telephonic, low cut to get rid of mud , reamp by old Pod Mastering record with Ozone to make it all sound again back like it was in Helix on headphones ;)
My vote goes for helix+ ownhammer ir impulse
Agreed, Helix + IRs is a killer combination, especially combining IRs in parallel signal paths and then controlling the mix.
I have pod xt and pocket pod.
Pocket pods are amazing. For the size and the power consumption they have, they have incredible tone - they're more of a toy than a serious device to make music on, but they're incredible for travel!
Your trial is probably over but there are so many better amps to use and IRs to make Helix even better. Doing one preset is not really the best way to do a comparison.
Well the trial ended with me buying a hardware Helix Rack, so I'd say all is not lost! I'm sure I'll come back to comparing the two in the future. I just wanted a quick 'How fast can I replicate my sound' test,which I'd say is a fairly realistic condition for someone evaluating a new product. You can always put the POD on IRs as well, mix and match amps, but here it was just, Soldano amp through a Marshall cab and see where it gets you in fifteen minutes. I'd say it got me pretty close!
Helix is a little more crisp but still both stand on there 2 feet
I'm very disappointed at the lack of difference.
HAHAHA
¿Win?
What it is with modern modeller?s They all sound so nasally!
I don't know if I'd call the XT modern ;) but there's a very noticeable 3.4 kHz peak in L6 speaker models.
@@AndiKravljaca, apologies, I should have stated I was talking about the Helix Native. Bias and the Pod HD stuff is the same.
Well, Crossfade made their first record with it and got a record deal... so line 6 XT can't be that bad
Devin Townsend's Ziltoid album was recorded with a POD xt and Ezdrummer,
Theo cá nhân tôi, âm sắc của line6 pod xt trong trẻo rõ ràng mạnh mẽ hơn, có gì đó rất metal
pod 2.0 vs helix pls, pls, pls XD - I have XT live and it sounds not so good as POD 2.0. Even zoom MS-50g sounds better than POD XT.
I don't have a POD 2.0, I'm sorry!
The pod had a cleaners sound. It cut through better
For me it is surely pod xt! Much more punch and better overtones and more like an amp sound and more "alive" than helix ...
POD XT sounded more natural and clean.
you can't fight against IR's, pod sound is good but.. mediocre if you wanna record a metal album nowdays, the cab simulation sucks
Me...buy 10 year old gear dirt cheap, keep it for 20 years sell it at a ridiculous price
No x3 pro?
I bough an xt for my kids.
A 1600 plus tax new for under 300.
Amen
Helix Native too strong.
It has some strong Kung Fu.
pod xt all day long