Roadster overdrive Pod X3Live question

[blksolo]

Hi everyone. I just purchased a roadster 2x12 combo from sweetwater and it should be here in a few days. I have been reading some of the posts here about how a lot of you run an overdrive pedal up front for tightness,more gain etc.
I have a pod x3live,can I use this for the same purpose or should i go buy an overdrive pedal and use both?
I'm going to be starting a cover band so i need to be able to have the whole range of sounds. Everything from U2 to Metallica. I dont wanna be out at the bar playing Pantera but sounding like ZZ Top if you know what i mean lol. I will be using a ESP Ouija with EMG 81/60
and a Schecter with EMG 81/89 if that helps.
Thanks in advance

 

[LTE]

Well because the Pod can model not only pedals but also amps and speakers, if you do end up using it on the roadster, make sure the amp/speaker models are completely bypassed and only the overdrive pedal is in the chain. With an excess amount of modeling through your signal chain, the roadster will sound pretty bad. Honestly though you would be better off buying a cheap overdrive pedal, like an Ibanez TS9 or a Digitech Bad Monkey. Or if you want a really really nice boost/od, check out the BB Preamp, its almost perfect.

 

[MrMarkIII]

Google "Four Cable Method". The X3 has an effects loop. This means you can run dirt boxes, wahs, etc., into the front of your amp, and chorus, delays, and reverbs in the amp's effects loop, just as if you had a bunch of individual pedals.
You can turn off the Pod's amp and cab sims if you like, and just use the effects. Also lots of info on the Line 6 website, including forums like this and pages and pages of FAQs and shared patches. Hope you like to tweak!

 

[blksolo]

Finally got my Roadster today and took it to a jam night the same day. Killer tone,I wanted to keep it simple so I didnt even bring the X3 Live. Once I got home from the jam night I decided to hook up the X3 to the Roadster using the 4 cable method. I hooked everything up correctly but I'm having a problem. I turned off all the amp and cab sim stuff, I turned on the effects loop and it works kinda sorta. I started with a clean patch with a little bit of delay and chorus and it sounded fine on channel 1. I switched to channel 4 and was expecting that balls to the walls recto sound and still had the same clean sound. All of the channels have the exact same sound!! I have fx on in the back of the amp on all channels.Send knob in the back is set to normal. I guess to make a long story short I cant use ANY of the distortion on the roadster. I REALLY dont want to sell the X3 Live,I just got it like 3 months ago. HELP!!!! BTW the X3 live has send and return levels on the loop,I played with them like crazy and it didnt change the sound at all.

 

[blksolo]

I think I got it figured out,my X3 was set to send out at amp level,and i guess the roadster effects loop is set for line level. Now to integrate the expression pedal and banshee 2 ought to be fun Either way I'm getting a G-system next month.

 

[Jacko123]

Wow. Talk about having the same experience. I'm in the same pickle. I have a Mark V and just got a Pod X3 Pro and I'm getting the same thing. How did you fix it? I don't quite get your next post. How do you change to line level?

Once I got home from the jam night I decided to hook up the X3 to the Roadster using the 4 cable method. I hooked everything up correctly but I'm having a problem. I turned off all the amp and cab sim stuff, I turned on the effects loop and it works kinda sorta. I started with a clean patch with a little bit of delay and chorus and it sounded fine on channel 1. I switched to channel 4 and was expecting that balls to the walls recto sound and still had the same clean sound. All of the channels have the exact same sound!! I have fx on in the back of the amp on all channels.Send knob in the back is set to normal. I guess to make a long story short I cant use ANY of the distortion on the roadster. I REALLY dont want to sell the X3 Live,I just got it like 3 months ago. HELP!!!! BTW the X3 live has send and return levels on the loop,I played with them like crazy and it didnt change the sound at all.

 

[blksolo]

Okay,I'll talk you through it,but I still have a few kinks to work out myself so I'll get you to where I am,and we can figure out the last parts together First of all make sure all your connections are correct. Pod FX send to Amp input,Pod FX return(the one that says L/Mono) to Amp Send. Live out (L/Mono) to amp return,and your guitar goes into the normal guitar in on the Pod.On top of your pod there is a little switch that says live out level,switch it to line. In back of the amp make sure the send level knob is maxed out.Make sure the loop active switch is up. Loop assign should be on footswitch. Now the hard part,the Pod I have my amp set for bedroom level playing so if I were you i would start there then adjust to taste. Turn your master volume down low on your amp,the Pod will act as your preamp volume with the master volume on the pod. Actually I would turn down the volume on all the amp channels then adjust them later.Ok on the Pod pick a clean patch that maybe has some delay.Turn off the amp sim keep scrolling to the right and you will get to FX Loop,turn it on,it will say FX Loop one tone only. Set the send to -4db,set the return to +12 db,set the mix to 100.Last but not least on top of your pod is the Comp(Boost) button,if your loop isnt working still,hit that,it turns the loop on and off once you have set everything up.Thats as far as I have gotten. The problem I have is that I dont want POD to be my preamp at all,dont know if that can be done. Also when I hit the FX loop button on the mesa footswitch to turn the loop off,the loop is still going,the comp(boost) button on the pod controls the loop.If you need help or figure out what I cant lemme know. Remember you now have 2 volume knobs,the one on the pod is the most powerful.

 

[Jacko123]

Thanks man!!! I'll check it out tonight and report back.