Line 6 POD HD500x Floor or Line 6 POD PRO-X Rack?

If you are a heavy effects user, you might want to research a bit before commiting to a HD series processor.

Their CPU has a habit of hitting its limits prematurely when using dual amp / effects heavy patches.

They are silimar units sound wise. Routing and the 500s "stomp box" switching are a couple of major differences.

But of course, there are many others too.

Also be aware that Line 6 doesnt include all the models and effects in their products. You have to purchase "packs" to unlock many of the units options.

 

i have the hd 500x and i pretty much hate it. i hate it because i cant figure out how to use it properly.....there is a HUGE learning curve. for me it would take a year of messing with it to know it completely. the sounds that come out of it are pretty good, however. it really can do it all if you know what you are doing. mine is sitting in a bag wondering why i stopped messing with it.

 

This is exactly why I gave mine away. It's a little easier connecting it to a computer and using the edit software to customize the settings. Having to use the screen with all the buttons on the unit is a nightmare. There are 6 different manuals to reference on how to use the thing, the instructions are written to induce migraines.

 

ive actually been thinking about selling it, but havent made my mind up yet. i will definately let you know.

 

I've played the pod hd500 and 500x for almost ten years, and know it pretty well.
I can get very decent sounds out of it but Heltershelton is completely right about the huge learning curve.
It can be overwhelming, it took me more than a year to really get to know it.
But when you know how to use it it's pretty good.

 

When I find myself interested in multi-units like this the first thing I do is look up the manual online - if my brain turns to mush within the first page or two I know that it's not for me.

 

I guess it depends on how you process info and if you've dealt with multi units similar before. My buddy purchased an HD500 recently and after watching a few videos I was setting up patches for him. You can dig much deeper but to start getting sounds isn't difficult, IMO. I do have experience with other Line 6 gear.

From what I understand the 500x is much better than the 500 with processing limits (which we never had an issue with). From what I've seen, once you start hitting those limits it is doing a lot. Everything has limits.

To me the pro x isn't so much better that the price is justified. After buying the floorboard to go with it it is like $400 more package. Used HD500Xs sell for good prices. There are a lot of good videos of people setting up patches and generally playing with the HD500X that can help give you an idea if it is right for you. I'd like to get one myself.

 

If you are concerned about the learning curve, I would check out the Avid Digidesign Eleven Rack. It's an older unit now but it was like a poor man's Axe FX when it came out. I think it sounds really good (I used to have a POD XT and there was no comparison between the two for sound and feel). You can probably pick one up used in the $400 range.

It has controls like an amp, that is real knobs that you turn for volume and tone and drive or whatever. So the knobs, in conjunction with the fairly large LED display, looks like a typical amp face. There are a limited number of amp sims and speaker sims and effects but I only used a couple of Fender sims, a Matchless sim, a couple of Marshalls and an AC30. There are Bogners and Soldanos if you need high gain.

The programming is pretty simple. You pick an amp sim and then a speaker sim. You adjust your pre and volume and tone like you would with an amp. Add some effects and save. It's not rocket science.

 

man, i puled the thing out of the bag to mess with it and it took me a friggin hour to figure out how to make the wah pedal work. did all the stuff it said to do in the advanced manual and nothing. kept digging and found out i had somehow done a global reset so i had to recalibrate the pedal. so finally got that working. i can program patches and stuff, and assign things to the footswitches....i just dont understand all that underlying stuff in there, like 136k or 247k or whatever all that is. but i guess i know enough to make some half ass sounds to get by. i guess ill be keeping it just in case my amp melts and i have to use it for a backup.

 

i did that and ive learned some things. i also have a bunch of patches downloaded into my laptop....what ive been doing is opening them up in the line 6 software and looking at each component then programming each thing into the line 6 without it being hooked up to the computer. that alone has helped me to understand it better. ive been getting some great sounds out of it and im starting to like it. i used it on that last improv challenge.....the metal one. it was a patch i programmed myself. i think you will really like it a lot.

 

One of the things I check for with multi FX is how they react to the guitar's volume knob on distorted sounds. Does it clean up like real gear. I found the 500X OK but not great at that but something cool with the unit is being able to assign the expression pedal to any parameter. So you could assign it to the gain of a given amp or effect and allow you to get a more accurate representation of that volume knob clean up on the fly. At least I think you can do that.

 

yes you can do that.....you can also assign multiple effects to the pedal, along with the volume....for instance you could have the gain, distortion, delay....whatever...set lower in the heel position and as you move it towards the toe position you could have the gain get heavier and the delay and all that stuff.

 

i wanted to learn how to program it without the computer first in case i ever needed to program something on the fly and didnt have a laptop with me. i was only using the thing on the computer for reference.

 

I have used both the PODXT and the HD500x. Still use the HD. The learning curve is much easier if you take advantage of the Line6 software. I have a much easier time developing tones if I can visually see what is going on. By using the Line6 editor you can easily make changes to your amps, cabs and effects chain. I agree that you can run out of room though.

 

However, I have been able to generate some killer patches. I use an exp1 pedal as my volume and the onboard pedal for effects changes. I have one patch setup to use the volume and way with the same pedal to give it a more pedal steel feel. You can set minimum and maximum pedal parameters as well.

I have been very happy with this pedal, even with it's limitations. If you are patient with it and willing to explore a bit, you may like it too.

Line6 has a great resource site too, with gobs of patches to use as starting points.