best way to hook up your pod or v amp 2

**Scott Parnell** · 08-17-2004, 08:42 PM

well recently,, I have my guiatr cable going to mic input of my pc,,, and i use the earphones jack for the tone going to pc.. wanna hear hhow others hook theirs up .. whats the best way to get the best possible soiund out of these things? way im doin? or should i go back and hook it to line in? or am i doin it all wrong?

mab8485 · 08-17-2004, 10:45 PM

My vamp uses a cable with 2 quarter inch plugs at one end (connected to the v-amps left and right line outs) then it goes into the soundcard line in.

**Mondy** · 08-18-2004, 02:02 AM

Everytime I go in through the line in, or microphone, it screws up my POD xt. It just goes and cycles through the Patch Settings. Really annoying, cuz I could never use it to play over a Backing Track using Paltalk.

So, I just connect the POD using the USB connection. Piece of cake with XP. Plug it in there, and it finds a driver. Then I just downloaded the Line6Monkey and update everything that it says needs updating.

I use the headphones jack to listen to everything I play.

Don't know if it is the right way or not, but it's the only way that will work for me. Would love to get the mic in to work for Paltalk, but I reckon that it would require a new soundcard. But I dunno.

[img]images/smilies/dunno.gif[/img]

**stingx** · 08-18-2004, 03:10 AM

Scott, the way I hook up my podxt to the computer is through an M-Audio Firewire 410. I have 2 XLR / 1/4" inputs on the front with sweet preamps (2 more ins in the back with 10 outs):

2 x 8 24-bit/96kHz analog I/O; 192kHz stereo out
2 mic/line ins w/ preamps and phantom power
8 line outs to mixer or direct surround output
S/PDIF digital I/O w/ PCM, AC-3, and DTS support
1 x 1 MIDI I/O

I have the sound routed so that I can record crystal clean into Cubase while changing my sound(s) on the fly on the pod. I have very minute latency with this approach and maximum flexibility. The interface works extremely well for me as I can have various mics hooked up for vocals and have the pod connected concurrently. The 2 headphone inputs provide the quiet I need for monitoring while recording vocals.

Check out the hardware here if you are interested in more info:

http://209.132.209.147/products/en_u...410-focus.html

Amra · 08-18-2004, 08:42 AM

I am wanting to get a serious Audio interface, or top notch sound card but in the meantime I am running from the LH line out using an adaptor cable that goes from 1/4" mono to 1/8" stereo. Straight to my surround sound, and this sounds SWEET. Better than through my randall or my bros peavey. This is how I recorded too - from there to the line in a PC. I am going to try straight from the V-AMP to Mini-Disc. I will let you know how that goes.....

Amra

**Scott Parnell** · 08-18-2004, 02:18 PM

thanks guuys.. maybe thats what is hould do is invest in some killer soundcard like that sting.. maybe someday in the future ill do that. im glad for the input from you guys.

**VHF** · 08-18-2004, 03:03 PM

This is a review for most of you but here is amp simulators 101.

To break it down into very simple terms....there is a major difference between a PODXT and Vamp...and that is a DAC/ADC. The XT has one built in...the Vamp does not.....hence the price difference. This device converts your analog guitar sound to the digital format needed for the computer to put it on teh hard drive.

Option 1: With the POD XT if you use the USB interface you are good to go.....it will use the POD's DAC.

Option 2: You can also use the analog XLR outputs from a POD into a preamp like STINGX and use the preamps DAC....which may or may not sound better depending on your preamp. I would guess the 410 m-audio has a better DAC and firewire is better than USB when pushing a lot of data.

Option 3: You can also use the 1/4 inch outputs (analog) into a soundcard and use the soundcard's DAC....which may or may not sound better depending on your soundcard.

With the Vamp....it does not have an internal DAC so you have to go with option 2 or 3....and they will both work.

I personally use option 2 becasue the background noise floor is lower when comparing my preamp to my soundblaster card. I needed a preamp for using mics anyway. Other than that, they sound about the same on my computer.....yours may vary.

El_jalepeno · 08-18-2004, 04:15 PM

What I do, and I needed VHFanOU812 to help me get this way, but I connect my VAmp through the Headphone jack on it to my sound card Line In. I have a Y connector on my speaker jack on my sound card with speakers on one side and my headphones on the other. It is setup as surround sound, so I can turn off the regular speakers at the power switch on them and just use the head phones to play.

This way is really great becuase I can play with backing tracks at normal level through the headphones, and my guitar is coming through as well, so everything is pretty normalized. [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img] And when I record, only my guitar is recorded and nothing else, no additional sounds, BTs or noise.

**Rilecomm** · 08-18-2004, 07:02 PM

[ QUOTE ]
VHfanOU812 said:
This is a review for most of you but here is amp simulators 101.

To break it down into very simple terms....there is a major difference between a PODXT and Vamp...and that is a DAC/ADC. The XT has one built in...the Vamp does not.....hence the price difference. This device converts your analog guitar sound to the digital format needed for the computer to put it on teh hard drive.

Option 1: With the POD XT if you use the USB interface you are good to go.....it will use the POD's DAC.

Option 2: You can also use the analog XLR outputs from a POD into a preamp like STINGX and use the preamps DAC....which may or may not sound better depending on your preamp. I would guess the 410 m-audio has a better DAC and firewire is better than USB when pushing a lot of data.

Option 3: You can also use the 1/4 inch outputs (analog) into a soundcard and use the soundcard's DAC....which may or may not sound better depending on your soundcard.

With the Vamp....it does not have an internal DAC so you have to go with option 2 or 3....and they will both work.

I personally use option 2 becasue the background noise floor is lower when comparing my preamp to my soundblaster card. I needed a preamp for using mics anyway. Other than that, they sound about the same on my computer.....yours may vary.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry for the intteruption VHF but the V-Amp Pro has DAC/ADC options and it cheaper but sounds great!! [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img]

**VHF** · 08-18-2004, 07:36 PM

Hey Rilecomm,

You are correct that the Vamp2 has DACs etc but for clarification (I actually have a Vamp Pro also) I guess I have to go into a bit more detail which may be confusing for some but here goes:

All amp simulators have DAC/ADC's because the effects are digital so the analog guitar signals must be converted to digital so the effects can be applied. These DACs are different than the main DAC's that take the final processed signal and prepare it for the computer's hard drive. That main DAC is the one I am referring to in the posts above. If you look at the flow chart on the top of the Vamp Pro you will notice that for the most part everything runs out of the unit on an analog signal. The PODXT will have one more main 96K/24 bit stereo ADC with a USB output port.

On the Vamp 2 there is a Serial chip that has 2 digital outputs on it for a S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital stream....as well as a clock. I have tried to use those outputs into a PC to record a straight digital signal but have never gotten them to work.

Have you ever used those digital outputs?

If so please help explain how....I would like to try them out myself.

**Scott Parnell** · 08-18-2004, 08:43 PM

[ QUOTE ]
El_jalepeno said:
What I do, and I needed VHFanOU812 to help me get this way, but I connect my VAmp through the Headphone jack on it to my sound card Line In. I have a Y connector on my speaker jack on my sound card with speakers on one side and my headphones on the other. It is setup as surround sound, so I can turn off the regular speakers at the power switch on them and just use the head phones to play.

This way is really great becuase I can play with backing tracks at normal level through the headphones, and my guitar is coming through as well, so everything is pretty normalized. [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img] And when I record, only my guitar is recorded and nothing else, no additional sounds, BTs or noise.

[/ QUOTE ] what is a Y connector? some kind of cord to hook to your guitar cable?

**Mondy** · 08-19-2004, 12:42 AM

A Y-connector is exactly like it sounds and looks.

It takes one signal, and splits it into two. So think of it as the letter Y. So we've got one male Jack connector at the bottom, and two female connectors at the top, hence why it is called a Y connector, cuz it looks like the letter Y (I feel like a presenter on Sesame Street [img]images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif[/img]). So you plug the male connector into (in Ej's case) your line out, and now you've instantly got two connections where at first there was only one. So you can (again in Ej's case) plug your headphones into one of the connections, and your speakers into the other connection and the signal gets split and sent to both of them.

Hence why it's called a Y-connector, it looks and acts like a letter Y. I don't think that they are too expensive either.

[img]images/smilies/dunno.gif[/img]

VB · 08-19-2004, 10:04 AM

Im not sure what sound card your using. but there are a couple different setting you can change for it to work in PALTALK.
in your windows mixer
1: make sure you have line in selected or digital in.
2: on the recording properties side. make sure that stereo out, or "what you hear" is selected.

Im using 98. so mine are diff. but i asked an XP user thats in Pal and thats what they suggested.'
Hope it helps
VGB

**Scott Parnell** · 08-19-2004, 02:44 PM

ty for the info on the y connector i will look for one

**Rilecomm** · 08-19-2004, 07:52 PM

[ QUOTE ]
VHfanOU812 said:
Hey Rilecomm,

You are correct that the Vamp2 has DACs etc but for clarification (I actually have a Vamp Pro also) I guess I have to go into a bit more detail which may be confusing for some but here goes:

All amp simulators have DAC/ADC's because the effects are digital so the analog guitar signals must be converted to digital so the effects can be applied. These DACs are different than the main DAC's that take the final processed signal and prepare it for the computer's hard drive. That main DAC is the one I am referring to in the posts above. If you look at the flow chart on the top of the Vamp Pro you will notice that for the most part everything runs out of the unit on an analog signal. The PODXT will have one more main 96K/24 bit stereo ADC with a USB output port.

On the Vamp 2 there is a Serial chip that has 2 digital outputs on it for a S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital stream....as well as a clock. I have tried to use those outputs into a PC to record a straight digital signal but have never gotten them to work.

Have you ever used those digital outputs?

If so please help explain how....I would like to try them out myself.

[/ QUOTE ]
As a matter of fact I haven't tried to yet, but I understand what your are referring to now. I couldn't make out anything from the instructions on that but if i do I will get back with, please do the same with me cause I want to use them in the future. Sorry if I made this post more confusing for the rest of ya!!