Line 6 POD Express Review - An Affordable Helix in Your Pocket! *Not Sponsored*
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- čas přidán 5. 03. 2024
- See the full details of the Line 6 POD Express and purchase at Sweetwater (affiliate) - sweetwater.sjv.io/Vm9gdR
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The great thing about this is it’s so simple and gives you a boat ton of effects, I have a massive pedal board hooked up to my Friedman amp, but I also have an orange amp and orange cab with nopedal board, this is going to be perfect for at home playing without setting up or rerouting my pedal board back-and-forth between amps..
Thanks for the review, Aaron!!
I like the fact that you answer the queries most of the time, it must take up a lot of your time which you so graciously donate to your excellent Channel.
Great work as always on this Impressive and great review and tutorial.
Impressive and Great tutorial overview Aaron. This Line6Pod sounds GREAT.
Thanks Gary. It’s crazy good and came out of nowhere!
Aaron, thanks for the excellent demo and review. It convinced me to buy one to the very next day. I have barely begun to scratch the surface of its capabilities, but I felt pretty spiffy already knowing how to access the “secret menu” options, thanks to you.
Thanks for the kind words and enjoy!
It’s incredible. I’m ordering one ASAP. Truly a wonderful time to be a guitar player
It’s great!
Thanks for the review, Aaron!!
Great work as always!
Thanks Andy!
Love Line 6! Great demo Aaron! Planning on getting one soon!
Awesome!
Another great thing I've found ... I run the POD Express directly to my iPhone (probably works for Android as well), then I film my playing in cinematic mode. Makes for some excellent videos when you have good lighting. I'll be using it to demo my guitar builds now.
Yes it also works as an interface. Very cool.
When you want to record the sound from the Line6 POD Express on your iPhone, do you need any software/program for this, or does the iPhone detect the audio source automatically when filming? And, what about the cable to connect the POD to the iPhone? Can you buy USB-C to Lightning cables?
@@edwardmusschenga Automatic. I use the latest iPhone that has USB C.
Wow! You are really fast in answering! Much appreciated! I will have a look to see if i can buy an USB-C to Lightning cable, or maybe an adapter?
@@edwardmusschenga Yes you can. USB C to lightning cable.
Excellent review, very well done. What a great piece of gear. You nailed it, it is sometimes freeing to not dive through endless menus and options (and I say that as a big fan of my Pod Go!)
Thank you!
Just what I needed to decide to buy it,,,, whenever it's available. Thank you!
Thanks for commenting!
Just got mine in yesterday. As an old fart using amps since forever, I found it easy to use and rather convenient. Thanks for the vid.
Congrats!
Excellent run down as usual Aaron. I will be getting one of these for sure. I might like this better as a backup rig than the pod go ha
Thanks. It’s great!
It’s the less is more deal. Great job walking through it. 🙏. Waiting for mine.
Thanks!
Pre-ordered. Prefect little backup rig
Congrats. It’s really great!
It has exactly what I like, simplicity and reducing the size of pedals I put on my board. I just ordered one for working in my studio it'll work out great
Been jamming with this thing all day. It sounds awesome, to my ears. I’m using it on my desk to record direct and to just jam through my monitor speakers or headphones. I have the Boss IR-2, which I also like. The IR-2 has a stereo effects loop, which I need when I want to incorporate certain sounds (like the stereo octave effect on the Boss PS-5). The effects on the Pod Express sound great and are simple to dial in, but I can’t incorporate many of the pedals that I own into the signal chain in a way that works for me. I’ll take the trade-off though. This thing is so easy to just plug and play. I’ll keep the IR-2 as well, which has its own unique features and a superior build quality.
Yeah they are quite different but the Pod is the all-in-one that I need for my hybrid-acoustic gigs.
Great Review and tutorial. I like the part how you would use it. I'm going to buy one and use it in my room with headphone a double A batteries, portable amps-cab with effects.
Thanks. I can’t wait to try it at my gig tomorrow!
Great tutorial ... I just got mine yesterday. I think the Crunch with Boost is my favorite "hi-gain" tone for rock and metal. The Heavy and Lead amps are just a bit too gainy, but you can lower the Gain with the ALT control. I also really like the Fuzz into the Clean amp for "doomy" tones.
Cool thanks for sharing, it's a great unit!
Using the boost... Wow, i love how it pushes the amp harder without changing the color of the tone. Nice.
Yes it works great!
What a rip snorter!! Its the line 6 pocket rocket. Luv it!! Well done Line 6 and well done Aaron.
Cheers!
I've been really curious about this (I use a NUX MG30 at the minute). It looks like a great backup
Nice review , it might be a solution for many players fed up with way too many options that you get lost , only thing I would like is chance to place fx where I want them , I prefer chorus before overdrive , but at this price I would be happy to use an external one in front of unit , much like your need for boost pedal. This unit coupled with the last one shot fx pedal they released might be an all round pedal rig, this will sell shed loads 👏👏👏
It is possible to add an expression pedal and control the post volume but I wish it could be assigned to one of the footswitches or combined with the delay instead. I would prefer to use this as a battery-powered all-in-one!
Thanks for presenting this to us so early on! Mine has been on pre-order for a few days, I‘m hoping it will not color my tone when bypassed, since I hope to slap it onto a combined acoustic/electric pedalboard as an all-in-one for occasional electric guitar songs, letting me use the rest of my board exclusively for acoustic (my main thing). Should be plenty good enough for that. And sure, I could also maybe use something like the new Zoom MS50G+, and indeed maybe that will sound even better. A comparison of the two would be great! (Side note: I didn‘t care for the sound of the IR2 on clean amps with my particular guitar, nor did I like the fact that it colors my tone even when bypassed, so back it went to the store. Maybe the Line6 will get the job done?)
Cheers Scott. The Zoom looks great and they have always offered amazing affordable units but I like the Line 6 sounds a lot. Let us know if it works out for you!
Damn that’s awesome! I was going to get the boss as a backup for my HX Stomp/Full Helix on gigs but this is really ideal - with presets effects and tuner you can’t go wrong
Also good for busking since you can battery power it
Yeah it’s great. You can’t go wrong!
Nice review Aaron. Do you think this could be used with an acoustic without the amp sims? Can you do maybe a demo with an acoustic?
I’ll try it out!
Simplicity is key... I like it
Agreed!
I’m sure it’s better, but it sounds like my old pocket pod, which I still enjoy thru headphones and desktop monitors
I think we have hit a ceiling now with diminishing returns on a lot of amp sims. A lot of it is personal preference.
Thanks for the Pod Express run through. I cancelled my IR-2 after realizing it's shortcomings for my use case and not wanting to wait three more months back order to be certain I made a mistake. Now this Pod Express has my attention as a better option, and if I buy from anyone right now, I'll be back ordered for many months again and I'll probably lose interest. Probably best just to buy something that is in stock now and skip all these new things.
But what is the alternative?
Great and usefull video 🎉🎉🎉thank you so much
Thanks for watching!
Neat little unit and sounds pretty good. Man, do we have a lot of choices now as guitarists. Something for everybody for sure.
Like I always say, there’s a new one every week these days!
Merci beaucoup 😊
It's in stock today at Sweetwater!
I was initially interested in this, but No volume knob makes this impossible to use on a live pedal board. This is for Home only.
I wouldn’t say it’s impossible but Line 6 have definitely left a couple of volume features out that would push users to buy an HX Stomp instead.
Can we see this with a midi foot switch? Also can we use it with or without the amp options but into an amp? Basically I’d like to add it to my pedalboard, replacing my wet pedals, and maybe even some drives.
You can use it for effects only but there is no MIDI control. If you need that then I would get the HX Stomp.
I already ordered the bass version.
Cool!
How does it sound with headphones? Been looking for a way to practice silently, but am really unimpressed by most headphone outs. The only good one so far is the Yamaha THR II series, but haven’t tried all. Tried the Catalyst but it sounds muffled (like most). Was just looking at a Strymon Iridium to stick last on my pedalboard, but this is a strong contender making me skip the pedalboard on silent sessions.
It's really good with headphones
Does Playing LINE 6 POD make anyone else really happy?
LINE 6 POD is quickly becoming my favorite pedal. It's just so beautiful and sexy. Practically free and the second you drop her on the board that chill ass mofo gives you a Rich Dark Gushing Robust tone.. And you also get this cute little 1/1 feedback response usually too harmless to be forgotten.
But more than that, the Line 6 Pod is just so positively alluring. It comes on the board like "do you want to cast a spell?" and I'm like "yeah Line 6 Pod i do want to cast a spell let's do this shit" and when she attacks she's like "SPELLS ARE FUN" and I'm like "yeah they are SO FUN." She doesn't say some bullshit macho shit like "I will destroy you" she's just like "nah spells are fun and voodoo spooky.” And she looks so happy. I mean this is an inanimate object that literally brought my guitar to life by magic. It understands it's life is a temporary magical gift and the dude is just fucking loving it. I mean just look at her face she’s just so happy and cute as a button.
I am literally never sad when Line 6 Pod is on board. IDK if she's gonna ever make it into the pedal HOF or not, but for now she a super dope chill pedal.
Best comment.
Is your signal cut off while in preset mode or can you still play while changing presets? Would love to be able to instantly change tones live, especially in the middle of a song, without using a midi footswitch with a modeling amp/laptop
There is no noticeable gap when changing presets. You can hear it in my video when I play the three sounds back to back (the part with the added graphics).
ToneX One which is the mini version of the original ToneX has just released and it's tiny awesome than Pod express
It does look great but it doesn’t have the effects built in that the Pod does.
Hi Aaron
I am looking to battery power speakers 12 inch ...
Do you have any one .. I have jbl compact but I like more bass sound .
Thank you 😊 🙏
EV Everse 12!
@@aaronshortmusic really I am thinking about it.. thank you.. bass Important 🔊 🎼
I have not tried the Everse 12 but I have the Everse 8 and it is great!@@fadel1254
@aaronshortmusic Do you think column speaker is better than normal speaker?? I want for my room.. base Important for me 😊😊
Like Aaron wrote, the EV Everse 12 would be a great speaker. I have the Everse 8 and love it a lot! That said, I also have a JBL PRX One, which is a column speaker with a big woofer, and that also has its merits. But for just practicing at home, I prefer the Everse 8 (or maybe 12 if I had one). The JBL - as with just about all column systems - has a small but noticeable drop in certain mids that needs to be EQd. It falsifies the sound one is setting up a bit, unlike the Everse E8, which basically gives you exactly what you‘re putting into it.
I kind of want it for looping
It’s only a single button looper but overall it’s an incredible pedal for the size and price.
Between this and the Catalyst series, Line 6 is doing a good job making devices that sound good while also making playing fun.
I agree but I didn’t like the Catalyst as much. I really like the Fender FR cabs with a good modeler.
@@aaronshortmusic If you prefer this Pod Express over the Catalyst, then I’m most likely buying one! I personally prefer the Catalyst over the Katana. Based on your recommendation of the FR cab, I imagine the Pod Express would sound pretty good into my powered monitor.
@@piercem26 I do like the Katana’s a lot. My rig right now is Quad Cortex into Fender FR-12.
How does the tuner recognize different strings? or is it just for fine-tuning?
It just tells you if the note is sharp or flat. It works well.
@@aaronshortmusic : thanx for the quick reply.
Thank you for the review. Would you say this pedal functions well in a live gig setting like playing Worship music in a church? Thank you!
Yes but obviously it is more limited than an HX Stomp etc.
@@aaronshortmusic thank you for response. I am just Rhythm guitarrist in need for just a few effects like delay, overdrive, reverb and chorus. Nothing fancy or complicated
@@ricardotoro2291 It sounds like it could work for you.
I think that this is better than the boss already because of the effects and noise gate.
I agree. Actually the Boss has a noise gate but not in the conventional sense. I like that it can be fully turned off on the Pod.
I hope I understand it correctly.. so we can scroll through different presets and change presets using the foot switch right? Is the switch latency performance good?
Yep. And you can also attach an external footswitch and use that for preset switching if you prefer.
Yes. You can hear the latency when I play the three sounds back to back (the part with the graphics). It’s really very good!
@@scottbecker3485 can you recommend which foot switch one might want to buy. Are you saying that with this foot switch I could maybe turn an overdrive on and off mid song, or a delay on and off, or a phaser/tremolo/etc on and off?
Hey Aaron, is there a desktop editor?
Also, can I footswitch while playing say between heavy to lead & back again?
Yes you can change presets with the footswitches but there is currently no editor. Early videos said there would be. I have no idea why they said that.
Being footswitchable is a bonus though, thanks mate!
What are you running this pedal into? An amplifier? A computer? A PA system?
In the video it is direct to computers audio interface.
But the old one had a screen! Lololol. I want one.
Ordered mine.thus us different.things are changing so fast and the quality continues to go up.for under $200 killer.
Yeah it’s great!
Can this be ran into a power amp (effects return) with the cab off for amp modelling /effects? I know the helix stuff has preamp versions of the amp models, but not sure if this has this or would sound goof as is ?
You can turn off the amp and cab or just the cab yes. That way you can run into a power amp! It tells you how to do this in the user guide.
@@aaronshortmusic thanks for this. This is such a great device and for the prices I think it has everything for any type of musician. I'll be using it literally just for the reverbs on my main rig , but everything else for silent practice. Could see gigging musicians using this as a whole rig in their guitar bag! Helix tones in your pocket- Line6 onto a winner here
@@vijay6404 Yeah I may even use it to add delay and reverb to my tube amp via battery power. It’s great!
I wish they would just copy the Zoom G1Four interface but Line6 sound.
No screen make it convoluted and limited. I guess their focus is to not canibalise the HX stomp market.
You get so much more in the Valeton GP100/ GP200 for similar price
Right if you want an editor and a screen it’s better to buy an HX Stomp. This is a budget device for Line 6.
Zoom 505 revisited. Gear addicts have yet another toy to drool over, until it ends up in the drawer.
That's a little harsh. This has much better sounds than a lot of the more affordable units I have tried. I'll be using it on stage.
Ah yes keep bashing 505s and Spider Jams until a JHS episode pops up where Josh trolls everyone then the prices temporarily go up on Reverb.
Cheap stuff is great to learn on, then you can show up anywhere and get a good tone, instead of complaining about other people's setups as the reason you can't play.
@@DeAthWaGer This pedal is under $200 and has the latest amps and cabs from the Line 6 Helix. It’s pretty great. I’d rather have a larger and pedal made out of metal but I need to travel light. That’s why this is so exciting for me.
@@aaronshortmusic i dig it, too. I'd probably stick a mini clean boost/tube scremer/blues breaker in front, and a fuzz after. The whole thing could fit on a small pedalboard in a tiny suitcase or even a lunch box. That in one hand, a 150w ZT Lunchbox in the other, and you're good to gig.
@@DeAthWaGer I want to use it as an all in one with an expression pedal attached. Otherwise I’d just take an HX Stomp with a MIDI controller.
Hey Aaron ever get a chance to try this with an acoustic?
I have not as I do not really see the point as the amps and cabs are all for electric guitar. It would work as a battery powered reverb, delay and chorus but I Would end up using the Reverb and delay and at that point I would rather just buy something aimed at acoustic guitar. It's too bad they didn't make an acoustic guitar version!
Thanks for the review. Shame it has no aux in for backing tracks. This looks like the almost perfect device for home practice for the analogue dinosaur.
You can use the USB C port to play tracks from your phone/tablet!
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks for the reply and info. Much appreciated.
Can that thing take pedals? Can you just throw a boost in front of it?
Yes you can. I haven’t tried it but it shouldn’t be any different to using the built in boost. Sometimes I find that external pedals can make the digital units sound even better.
just saw this! Can I plug my guitar into this and then go straight into a PA speaker?
Yes!
Great. Just one more question. If you want to switch from a clean to a
dirty sound mid song, can you do it without bending down and turning the dials? I read in the manual you can change presets with the “on” footswitch, but then would I have to cycle through all of them? Is there a way to reduce the total number of presets if you only want a few and want to be able to choose them quickly with the “on” switch
How do you turn off the effects you don't want
Make a new preset or you can assign the switches on the unit to do it (or an external two button footswitch).
and there's no compressors right?
Not on the guitar version.
If you could choose which amps cabs and effects from Helix to load onto it, and be able to swap them out, then it would be worth it.
I think there are enough plus you can mix and match the cabs between the amps. I quite like being limited honestly. It will stop me tweaking so much.
They'll more than likely add another couple of cab models in future updates.
@@darthgibsonlp6631 I don’t think they can as everything is already labeled.
wheres the noise gate how do you control it ?
Press ‘Alt’ and ‘Tap’ while turning ‘DIST’ or ‘MOD’. Page 23 of the manual.
not seeing where line 6 is saying they are helix models. I do see "derived from the award-winning HX family"
I heard that in a live of theirs stream but I will have to confirm.
I can't get behind all the multi-function knobs. Looks good for a beginner pedal I guess.
Just dial it in with the upcoming editor and keep a copy of the user guide on your phone. Once your core tones are dialed in you shouldn’t need to adjust much anyway.
@@aaronshortmusic fair enough
this and some monitors. good to go?
Sure!
add a battery compartment, a clip and it can be worn on a belt)
It does operate on batteries!
In other words a pocket pod revamped
Can I play with this mobile with headphones let’s say at the park ?
Yes.
...Sir,...A clean boost pedal AFTER this would be very cool for you...I think...Peace...
I agree but at that point I could just use an HX Stomp instead…
Does it support a wireless footswitch?
No.
Seems to me the problem with devices like this is that once you save a preset, next time you go back to it you have no idea what the settings are just by glancing at the pedal. Yes, you can get great sounds out of it. But adjusting on the fly just seems like a guessing game. And without an app of some kind, even worse.
Admittedly, I'm no professional. Am I missing something?
It’s a $180 pedal so they wouldn’t spend the money on developing an app or adding a screen. You can figure out where the settings are by turning the knob until the LED’s flash green or by using your ears. Since there are so few parameters to adjust you really don’t need more than that. For deeper editing it’s better to buy an HX Stomp or similar.
Is there an acoustic simulator in this?
No.
Glad I sold my iridium when I did. This offers much more for much less
Right!
I don't really see the appeal over something like the less expensive Zoom G1 Four.
Zoom stuff is great. I like the form factor of the POD Express.
can this be added in a chain of pedals.
Sure but it has no effects loop. It’s designed to be an all in one.
Thank you
Unlike the Boss IR2 this does have a noise gate :-)
They both do technically but the Line 6 one can be adjusted.
@@aaronshortmusic The Boss IR200 has a noise suppressor which is shown and adjustable. If the Boss IR2 has anything like that but fixed and hidden then it is still not a noise gate. A Noise Gate and Noise Suppressor work completely differently . Noise gates cut off below a certain noise level where suppressors are more frequency based, like a filter and don't cut like a noise gate. If the IR2 has the same signal path as the IR200 then it would have a noise suppressor, but very odd that it would not be mentioned or even have the ability to control or switch on and off.
@@user-mk5bz5qi1b It’s a noise gate set to an extremely low setting and it’s very subtle. I imagine it’s there to save battery life. It would be interesting to know.
@@aaronshortmusic Well you really are out on a limb ha ha.. A noise gate 'saving battery life' I am finally lost for words ha ha. maybe they should get rid of this 'noise gate' to save battery life haha. Good reviews anyway.
@@user-mk5bz5qi1b The reason I think that is the old Fender VG guitars with a built in Roland module had exactly the same thing and I assumed that was why. What other reason can there be?
Let's give the same algo its 27th incarnation in 10 years ...
They certainly have gotten good use out of HX but I think it’s good enough. I’d prefer this new form factor for what I need it for than a new algorithm. I would like to see a new flagship with some innovative new performance features however.
I wish it was just a little bigger with a few more buttons..
Then it wouldn’t be so portable. You can add a 2 button footswitch.
@@aaronshortmusic ohhh
Really hope an editor comes out for Android. Keep it out of the overpriced Apple ecosystem. That way it could be used on any Android tablet or phone.
That will never happen but I do think that every product should come with a mobile editor in 2024.
If you would step off the ledge my friend.
What do you mean?
@@aaronshortmusic isn't that the tune you were playing? Maybe you weren't aware of it.
@@aaronshortmusic7:13 minutes in.
@@thorpenator9148 I think it’s like 10 90’s songs lol!
@@thorpenator9148 Yes you’re right.
Is it idiot proof?
You won’t get into the deep parameters without the user guide but I learned it very quickly. If only there was a phone editor!
Your sound is mono on this video man....which is kind of weird
Why would I need to be in stereo unless I am demoing ping pong delays? Weird
Lots of talking ...........
Yes it’s a review.
FYI… 75 percent talking
FYI it’s a review.
no volume, no tone knobs, no quick change for gain ... for me is another crappy toy. useless...
It has all of those, there’s just no screen to make the fine adjustments but that is what the HX Stomp or Quad Cortex is for.
@@aaronshortmusic I don't mean any screen, just ordinary knobs like in any stompbox. 3-4 knobs. Direct access. Nothing more. HX Stomp??? are you kiddin me? way tooo much $ for this toy.
@@carvinieri5217 It does have knobs.