November 19, 2010
Line 6 HD300
Looking for some cool guitar gear for Christmas? How about one of the Line HD modeling units? The HD300, HD400 and HD500 are three flavors of the new HD technology from Line 6. These guitar processors deliver an amazing variety of good tones and of course, flexibility. I am quite excited about the Line 6 POD HD300 Guitar Multi Effects Processor
, as well as the HD400 and HD500. It seems these units will compete to some degree with the highly regarded Axe-FX, although the Line 6 units cost way less. With such reasonable pricing for what you get, this will probably be a great success for Line 6. I will be doing a demo of the
Line 6 POD HD500
fairly soon, but in the meantime, here is an overview.
Line 6 is now shipping the POD HD300, HD400 and HD500. They feel this represents a giant leap forward for amp modeling. It is the only multi-effect pedal to boast 16 state-of-the-art Line 6 HD amp models, 80+ modern and vintage-styled M-class effects, and a comprehensive digital and analog I/O.
The idea behind HD amp modeling, is that it will sound and feel like a real amp. The Pod HD technology, behaves, and interacts with previously unachievable realism. In order to get to this point, Line 6 mixed 15 years of amp modeling experience with 3 years of new research and development to build an entirely new amp modeling technology from the ground up. In doing so, they hunted down 16 incredible amplifiers and, with the help of some top tube amp experts, restored each one back to peak condition.
On the POD HD500's menu is a collection of modeled amps, many of which are brand new to POD. The POD HD500 includes 16 HD amp models based on:
- Fender® Twin Reverb®
- Hiwatt® Custom 100 (DR103)
- Supro® S6616
- Gibson® EH-185
- Fender® Bassman®
- Fender® Blackface Deluxe Reverb®
- Divided by 13 JRT 9/15
- Dr. Z® Route 66
- Vox® AC-15
- Vox® AC-30 (Top Boost)
- Marshall® JTM-45 MkII
- Park 75
- Marshall® JCM-800 (2204)
- Bogner® Uberschall
- Mesa/Boogie® Dual Rectifier®
- ENGL® Fireball 100
The POD HD500 features a whopping 100+ M-class effects to craft your sound. With this wide tonal palette to play with, you can sound like anyone under the sun, or no one but you. You can also use up to 8 FX at once.
- 19 delays (including cool tube and solid-state tape echoes)
- 23 modulations (including both blackface-style opto and brownface bias-modulating tremolo, phasers, choruses, and rotary speakers)
- 17 distortions (classic stompbox distortion, to vintage fuzz, to thick metal chunk)
- 12 compressors and EQs (including stomp comps and studio tube compression)
- 26 filters (including wahs and several exclusive custom filters)
- 12 reverbs (from surfy springs, to studio plates, to cutting-edge digital room sounds)
The power of this collection is truly mind-boggling. In addition to these classic sounds themselves, POD HD500 functions as a fully featured looping, pitch shifting, and harmonizing machine. Ready to start creating? This rig could keep you going for a lifetime.
Unprecedented flexibility—stunning simplicity
Beyond the mere depth of the amp and FX models, POD HD500 offers supreme flexibility to mix and match amps and pedals in multiple pre-set rigs, attainable at the stomp of a switch.Scale from an instantly routable signal chain up to the flexibility of a MIDI switching system and beyond, (even compiling several rigs within the POD HD500’s memory, storing a full rig per “slot” with total flexibility and direct access).
And where other manufacturers seem to require a degree in nuclear physics to access this kind of deep programmability, we’ve made it easy. Smart FX make it a snap to quickly dial in your tone, and the free, easy to use editor/librarian software supports your deepest, darkest tonal explorations. POD HD500 was designed by guitarists for guitarists.
Comprehensive connectivity for live and studio use
Put simply, POD HD500 connects to just about anything and everything – analog or digital, balanced or unbalanced, for amplification or recording.A snapshot of the back panel shows 1/4” and XLR outputs (mono/stereo), USB, MIDI in and out/thru, S/PDIF out, FX loop (mono/stereo), guitar and mic aux ins with mic level, Variax® connection, expression pedal input and a L6 LINK jack for seamless integration with Line 6 DT50™ tube amplifiers.
Built like a tank
POD HD500’s cutting-edge technology is kept safe within a “bulletproof” bent sheet metal housing with heavy-duty metal footswitches and expression pedal. No injection-molded plastic boxes here—POD HD500 is ready to lap up years of road and stage abuse and keep you playing.- HD amp models are the new standard in amp modeling. They feel, behave, and interact with previously unachievable realism for an entirely new playing experience
- 16 HD amp models based on the most sought-after guitar tones: California cleans, classic crunch, vibey boutique warmth, modern high-gain, and more
- 100+ effects including delays, modulations, distortions, compressors, EQs, filters, and reverbs; Up to 8 simultaneous FX; Tap tempo
- 512 user-writable preset locations
- 48-second looper with dedicated footswitches for Undo, Play Once, Pre/Post, Rec/Overdub, Play/Stop, Half Speed, and Reverse
- Built-in tuner with signal mute
- 1/4" and XLR outputs (mono/stereo); MIDI in, out/thru; S/PDIF out; USB; L6 LINK; FX loop (mono/stereo); 1/4" aux in; XLR mic in with mic level; 1/4" headphone output; Variax® VDI connection; External expression pedal input
- Free editor/librarian software
- Bent sheet metal chassis, metal footswitches and expression pedal
The POD HD500 functions as a fully featured looping, pitch shifting, and harmonizing machine. Ready to start creating? This rig could keep you going for a lifetime.
Line 6 POD HD500 Guitar Multi Effects Processor
Line 6 POD HD400 Guitar Multi Effects Processor
Line 6 POD HD300 Guitar Multi Effects Processor
By Robert Renman - www.dolphinstreet.com
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