The Line6 POD XT Live: Awesome Piece of Equipment
By Max on Apr 26, 2008 in Guitars, Home Recording
The Line6 POD XT Live is an awesome piece of equipment for the semi-professional. It is sometimes seen as unnecessary because other less bulky Line6 machines have a lot of similarities but quite honestly, this baby can save your show.
If you’re like me and you like to give the crowd before you record at home, whether coffee shops or your little sister’s graduation party, the POD XT Live is awesome. It offers the kind of versatility you need to pick up and go or plop it down at home and flip the switch.
What It’s Made of
The Line6 POD XT Live boasts a whopping 42 amp models, like many other PODS, and the standard but awesome 24 cab models, both of which can get you soft sounds for a baby or ripping screams to scare the seniors off. The 80 effects models the XT Live uses are straight from the Vetta II amplifier and reputable stomp boxes. This, obviously, also lends to your being able to find the right range for when you record.
That versatility that I was talking about allows you to use the Line6 POD XT Live as a pedal for multi effects or you can plug the thing straight into your PA.
The Plugs
The Line6 POD XT Live can be connected to just about any computer with its USB port which is convenient because of the many software products you can get online. The XT Live comes with a USB cable and you can download free programs at www.line6.com.
Also available on the XT Live is the port that can connect you to a Variax guitar. I wouldn’t recommend this but there are some very die hard Line6 fans that truly enjoy using the Variax.
The MIDI in and out connections for the POD XT Live make for more convenience, as usual, but even more impressive is being able to plug some phones straight into the POD XT Live. In fact, the equipment automatically switches itself to a studio position whenever you plug your phones in.
Other features, besides the input where your guitar goes, include the Aux input which allows you to connect to many devices from a CD player or MP3 player or even a drum machine. Other electronic instruments can be used as well. The Output to Amp allows you to connect to an amplifier, recorder or mixer if you like. Just flip the switch in the back of the machine and rock without changing your tone!
Even crazier about the Line6 POD XT Live is the fact that you can connect another pedal to it, whether you choose a Line6 product or not. Of course, many believe that it’s simply better for the devices to use the same brand when connecting directly. For this, you could get the EX-1 which is pretty basic. The extra pedal will allow you to control volume and other functions all at once.
All in All
To conclude, the Line6 POD XT Live is an excellent piece of equipment to have if you like both sides of the coin: Home recording and live performances. If you prefer not to work live, however strange that may be as a musician, you can always go with the POD XT, which is also a superior machine without the fancy live action. Wail on.
