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Hey…remember me…the guy leaning against the garage door lookin’ down
and pickin’ his guitar? You know…BlueRick? Well, I’m back with another
‘MINI-View u can USE. So let’s roll tape.
Electric guitar players should be into stomp boxes and effects. I mean
we’re all looking for that ‘sound’, am I correct? Well, I’m always
searching and I believe I may have hit on the ‘holy grail’ of effects
units.
As a player, studio musician, and studio owner, I have an arsenal of
tools at my command. You know…the guy with the most toys is the winner
right? Well, one ‘go-to’ multi-effects unit that I have and that I’ve
found most useful is the Line 6 Pod. Now mine is not a new one…newer
is not always better. So let’s check it out.
To begin with it is a red kidney shaped unit, meant to be used on a
desk top, although I have seen them mounted on stands for easy access.
It has ten adjustable knobs. From left to right they control: output,
drive, bass, middle, treble, channel volume, reverb, and effects
tweak. Two knobs on either side of the line 6 logo control different
amp models and a variety of very useful effects including: compressor,
tremolo, chorus, flanger, delay, swell, compressor, rotary and delay.
In the middle of the unit is a series of buttons controlling such
functions as midi, save, tap, noise gate, tuner, manual, and up and
down buttons for scrolling use.
Along the sides of the units are ports for midi, left and right
outputs, direct amp mode, foot controller and power. Power is supplied
by an outlet to unit power cord with a transformer.
OK…so what? What does it do, and how well does it do it? Well here’s
the lowdown.
With the variety of features and controls at your command you can
literally create any sound you want. The choice of amp models alone is
staggering. You can choose anything from Fender Tweed blues, to
British classic, to tube preamp and there is plenty to choose from in
between. You can combine those choices with the variety of effects I
already listed and then stir in some reverb, drive, treble, bass, and
effects tweak to taste. You can go from squeaky clean to snarly grunge
and all points in between, not to mention what you can do with the
delay swell option.
This baby is a monster! The sounds you can create from the Line 6 Pod
are inspiring…so inspiring that musicians can originate a sound and
find themselves creating riffs or entire songs around them. I know I
have.
It’s no wonder that every well stocked studio I have ever been in has
at least one if these babies around, fired up and ready to use. You
know of course that there is a computer hookup option to this thing as
well…so you can edit what you’ve done further in a computer. I hate
this word, but ‘awesome’ applies here.
Do I gotta say anymore? If you don’t have one, then get one. You can
find them used and priced reasonably on the internet at my old friend
eBay. ‘Nuff said.
That’s it for this time until next time. Don’t lose the
beat……………….BlueRick
BlueRick is the stage name used by Rick Solomon, a veteran of the
local NY music scene. He’s played in clubs, bars, street fairs and
guitar shows and expos. He’s also an on-call studio musician with a
great deal of recording experience. He’s currently in studio
completing his latest album, “Promised Land”. You can hear BlueRick on
his website,
www.BlueRick.com.
BlueRick@BlueRick.com
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Just
CLICK HERE for more info about the Line 6 Pod. |
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