Line 6 POD Studio KB37 Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm new to creating music on a computer, and my research, along with tons of positive reviews from others, led me to the POD Studio KB37 as a good all-purpose starting point. In terms of flexibility, this package is very hard to beat. The built-in inputs and mic preamps let you record just about anything, from guitar/bass and other electric instruments to vocals and acoustic instruments (using your own mic, of course). For these uses alone, the KB37 is a great way to get sound into your computer with minimum headaches. Simply connect the KB37 to your computer with a single USB cable. It's USB-powered, so you don't even have to plug it into a power outlet.
The hardware's MIDI keyboard and control surface open up a whole new dimension. They allow you to add keyboard parts and adjust some software parameters via real-world knobs and buttons; this is much faster than clicking and dragging onscreen "virtual" controls.
The included software package reveals the KB37's full potential, transforming an otherwise great product into an incredible bargain. Sure, the Reason Adapted (synth, sampler, sequencer, and effects) and Ableton Live (multitrack recording) software are the "lite" versions of these programs, but even so, they're very versatile and powerful. If you're fairly new to DAW software, trust me, even the lite version of Reason is pretty incredible -- you'll get a lot of use out of it. It includes tons of sampled real-world instruments, fully functional and tweakable soft synths, drum machine, sequencer, effects, and a lot more. It takes quite a while to explore its impressive capabilities. Once you do, you'll know whether you want to upgrade to the full version, which is available at a discounted price. But again, the lite verion will be plenty for many users.
Finally, you get Line 6's POD Farm software, which gives you an arsenal of stompbox and rack effects for guitar, bass, vocals, and just about anything else. On top of that, it includes amp, cab, and mic preamp modeling. You get everything that most guitar multi-effects units provide and then some. Because it runs on your computer, naming and saving patches is quicker and easier than stand-alone multi-effects units, and you can save as many custom patches as you like. And, unlike stand-alone units, POD Farm is expandable. Line 6 claims that the KB37 allows you to monitor your tone, complete with effects, without a latency problem (a lag between playing a note and hearing the output). This is not an empty promise. On my modest laptop, which runs Windows Vista on an Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 (1.83GHz) with 3GB of RAM, I experience zero latency problems.
All told, for the price of one guitar multi-effects unit, you get everything you need to start a home studio. If you're a full-time keyboard player, this package probably isn't aimed at you. As its name suggests, the KB37's keyboard has only 37 keys. So, there are probably better MIDI keyboard controllers out there for you. Plus, as a keyboard specialist, you'd most likely want a full version of whatever synth software you prefer. On the other hand, if you play guitar or bass and you want all the building blocks for tweaking your tone, adding vocals, effects, *and* getting your feet wet with powerful synths, sampling, and multitrack recording, here it is for a laughably low price.


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Line 6 POD X3 Review

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(More customer reviews)Geez, where to start. This thing is unreal. For the gigging musician you only need to plug your Mic into the XLR input and your guitar/bass into the guitar input, dial up your favorite patches (you can create your own "User" patches), and run your output into the house PA. No amp or other gear to lug around!!
This thing has truly great guitar/bass sounds and great vocal sounds both out of this one unit. What I really like about it is that the key parameters (gain, EQ, presence, volume, reverb) ALL have their own dedicated knobs on top of the unit...no fumbling thru a bunch of confusing and dimly lit menus. And when you are at the gig there is a way to get the patch number to take up the whole LED (in BIG letters) so you can actually see what patch you are using. And did I mention the sound....I have Boss 600 digital recorder with amp/bass models which until I got the Pod, I thought were pretty good. Well I no longer use the Boss for guitar sounds. Instead, now I run the Pod into the 600 (which is a great digital multitrack recorder with so/so effects).
And now lets talk about the studio. This IS your computer audio interface. The Pod interfaces with your computer (Logic, Cubase, Gband, etc.) via a USB interface. You get simultaneous wet and dry outputs over the USB so you can get all the inspiration the Pod gives you but if you choose, record dry while your DAW is tracking. You can also use your DAW to cycle the Pod thru patch changes if that is the direction you want to go. The Line 6 website has updates/drivers and you will want to plug your Pod into your computer and follow the update instructions on the LIne 6 download page.
When I got this thing I plugged in my guitar (Takamine acoustic first, then Epiphone Casino elec) and some headphones and read just enough in the manual (5 min) to audition the thing. I ended up playing guitar for 2 hours. I was in heaven. Yea, there are a lot of high gain "thrasher/shredder" sounds but there are also a lot of clean sounds that I prefer. The next day I plugged in my Mic, set the Mic gain pot to max and got a great guitar/vocal thing going. However, the MIc input defaults to "mute" so I had to spend about 10 minutes to figure out that I had to play with both the input and output menus to get the MIc working. I played/sang for 3 hours straight after that. It was very inspiring. The next day I figured out how to get the sound to come out of the two 1/4 outputs into a Fender Princeton amp. It sounded great too.
The only "bad" thing is that for each patch you have to have to setup the inputs, outputs, and vocals. Otherwise, the Mic input will not work nor will the outputs work as they default to "Mute". What you want to do is setup user patches that have all these switches set the way that YOU want them so you don't have to tweak each patch every time you turn the thing on. Also the manual is a bit weak and some of the controls are a bit confusing at first. But it is not as difficult as the 600 as the 600 has about 4 levels of menus while the Pod X3 only has 2 levels of menus.
Oh yea, and if you want you can buy a footswitch controller if you are gigging. My friend has the Pod XT and I was just about ready to buy one when I stumbled across the X3....I am so glad I got the X3 as having the capability to do BOTH guitar and vocals at the same time (with their own controls) is huge for me. As a singer/songwriter I could setup all my user patches, show up at the gig with just my guitar, Mic, and Mic stand, and run my feed directly into the house board.
Best money I ever spent on a piece of gear. If you just want a stomp box for your guitar try the pocket Pod or the Pod 2.0. But if you want vocals, guitar, and a computer audio interface, this is your baby.

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The POD X3 will inspire and amaze you with the most complete collection of POD-quality guitar amp, cab, stompbox and studio effect models ever. This arsenal of rare vintage treasures, modern boutiques, and perennial classics offers nearly unlimited creative possibilities. Create your own tones or instantly play through any of the 250+ professionally dialed-in presets. For those in search of greater tonal possibilities, POD X3 gives you more power than ever before to create entirely new sounds. Split your guitar signal and play it through two guitar amp and effect signal chains at once. Add bass or vocals using the bass amp and high-end mic preamp models now included in POD X3.You can even plug in two instruments at once, each with its own independent tone processing. Whatever your music calls for, POD X3 has the power and flexibility to deliver. Whether you choose to recreate the sounds of the past or turn tradition on its ear, POD X3 comes fully-loaded with most inspiring collection of POD-quality amps and effects to let your sound break free. Most powerful POD EVER!Line 6 POD X3 Features and Benefits Electric Guitar POD X3 offers a whole new level of control over your guitar tone. Plug straight into any one of the 78 ear-shattering guitar amp models for pure, unadulterated guitar tone. Combine amp and cab models with the mouth-watering collection of 98 stompbox and studio effect models to build out your rig. Take your sound to the next level by blasting your guitar through two guitar rigs at once to create a massive wall of sound that even guitar heroes of the past would respect. Or plug POD X3 in front of your favorite stack or combo to pile on up to nine simultaneous effects, including

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Line 6 Floorboard - Guitar Pedal Board Foot Contr Review

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(More customer reviews)I use the Floorboard with the Pod Pro, though it is also designed to work with Line 6's Flextone series of amplifiers too. It's really easy to use, although you can either have it in "select the patches" mode, or "manual mode" though you need to be en garde at all times, as the same buttons do different things in the different modes. It has some great - amazing, really - flexibility in the manual edit mode, and brilliantly clever little touches like "boost" functions for EQ, overdrive and distortion. You want to hit that solo? Step on it, and it goes a little louder, a little brighter, or a little nastier depending on what you step on.
However, unless you trained as an organist, in a live session you don't want to be jumping around like Michael Flatley jabbing your toes at various buttons in the manual edit mode, clicking delays in or out, and then switching modes (another button) when you want to change patches - realistically you will just have a patch *with* delay set up next to an identical patch *without* delay. But if you're in patch mode, you don't have access to the boosters - which really would be useful. But it's such a great thing I think, dammit, I'll just get comfortable training to be an organist.
Its construction is as hard as nails, but - and it's a big but - the patch switches kick in a split second after you stamp on them, not immediately, as you'd expect with a stomp box. This is a major weakness. Since I use it with the Pod, and only really in the home studio environment, I can live with this. But I don't think it would fly in a live envinronment. When you want to switch from Fender Tweed to loud JCM for that face melting solo, you want to do it *now* and not some time between now and the next beat. I don't know if this can be fixed in future models, but it needs to be.
Olly Buxton

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