Multi effects boards vs individual pedals

[BoxcarBob]

Recently I was thinking of buying a multi effect rackmount Line 6 pod. I thought of this from several standpoints one: being convenience two :being select ability of tone in three :being portability. However I do feel like something is lost within the tone when it comes to multi-effects processors. I do have some petals right now one being a crybaby wah at Dan electro daddy O overdrive and the small chorus pedal from electro harmonics. Any thoughts?

[KevinB]

I think the Pod's effects are really very good - I have a Pod XTL

I have a bunch of individual pedals on a floor board, but between the wires all over the place and the power supply and hum issues, I prefer the Pod.

[supersoldier71]

I don't currently gig, but if/when I do, my RP1000 through the effects loop of my Peavey C50 will almost certainly be the way I do it.

Maybe I'm deaf, but I cannot say that the effects in the RP1000 sound better or worse than the individual pedals I've plugged into the same amp.

RP1000 plus C50 with a Mustang III for back up and I've got a great sounding, reliable rig that's easy to set up and tear down, easy to go direct to FOH, and frankly, should any one component be lost, stolen or ruined, I won't be dead in the water, either for that performance, or financially, going forward.

[uriah1]

Preference...and back to that age old tonequest. I like some of my old stomps,
I am use to their setting, reliability, TONE, etc.

That is not saying I could never find a multi effect to do it all, but maybe I would have to get a couple multi-effect boards, 1 that has this sound, 1 that can do this one, etc, etc. .What a vicious web...lol

[elsewhere]

I use a lot of effects and I never found a multi-effect system that does what I want, and there's always a weird stompbox or two that I would want to add anyway. It' just so much simpler to have the individual effects all lined up in the order I prefer, with physical dials to turn instead of some button-based GUI monstrosity.

[KokoTele]

I generally find that the multi-effects units have some sounds that I really like, but others that range from "okay I guess" to "yuck," so I go for individual pedals.

If you get all the sounds you want out of that multi-effects unit, there's no good reason not to get it.

[Obsessed]

I always thought it would be nice to have a pod as your "grab and run" unit for small gigs or fun jams, but if you are recording, I suspect it would end up being unsatisfying. It probably depends on how important "tone" is to you or maybe the music you play.

[Wrong-Note Rod]

If you're old like me, the idea of putting your glasses on, bending down over some multi-effect gizmo, and scrolling thru a bunch of menus with tiny text, isnt your idea of a good time and certainly nothing you'd ever want to do at a gig.

I got a Pod XT for christmas one year recently. I spent an irritating hour with it, trying to negotiate all those stupid menus in that insanely small text in that tiny little window. Back to the store.

Designed by 20 year olds, for 20 year olds.

[Skully]

I got a Pod XT for christmas one year recently. I spent an irritating hour with it, trying to negotiate all those stupid menus in that insanely small text in that tiny little window. Back to the store.

You should've tried tweaking the settings with a computer.

[BoxcarBob]

Originally Posted by KevinB

I think the Pod's effects are really very good - I have a Pod XTL

I have a bunch of individual pedals on a floor board, but between the wires all over the place and the power supply and hum issues, I prefer the Pod.

Is yours a rack mount?

[CrisHendrix]

If its for recording id just record a basic tone then do the rest with plugins (bombfactory, softube, etc) they sound a lot better than multieffects units imo, & you can still mix & match the best ones

[FMA]

I gig with both. I have a board with individual pedals and a Line 6 M9. And sometimes, I combine them on a smaller board, depending on the gig and stage space and whatnot.
The M9 is a great device. Just stompboxes. No menus to mess with. No amp models or other stuff like that. Stupid simple to use and very good sounding.
Generally, I was skeptical of Line 6 gear. But this thing is great. The delays and modulation effects are very good. The ODs and distortions are very usable with some tweaking. Lots of great sounds in it...
For most gigs, I'll put the M9 on a Pedaltrain mini with an OCD and a FD-1 and it pretty much covers everything I need.

[Wrong-Note Rod]

Originally Posted by Skully

You should've tried tweaking the settings with a computer.

yeah so I need to drag a computer now to a gig so I can edit the settings on my Pod if they arent right.

Pedals are just easier, usually sound better, and you just bring the ones you need.

I know there are guys using the Line6 direct type stuff, and they sound very good, the guitarist for the B52s is a good example.

Maybe if I had someone to set it up and run it for me.....

[ce24]

Boss ME-50 has stomp box tones and stomp box knobs in a multi case. Great pedal good tones. period

[Wailin' Tele]

G system user here, it has no dist/OD but everything else. It does have 3 loops I/O which i have connected my favorite OD and distortion stomp boxes. Rugged and handy unit.

http://www.tcelectronic.com/G-System/

[Rob123xyz]

I gave up dealing with a field of pedals and wires crossed and hum and which one has the dead battery and never being sure of the right order (especially when doing chains and branches). I got a Digitech RP1000 and have been happy with it.

[Skully]

yeah so I need to drag a computer now to a gig so I can edit the settings on my Pod if they arent right.

No. You can do the heavy editing of the settings ahead of time and learn how to tweak them on the fly. If you have developed the proper selection of presets, it's unlikely that much editing will need to be done. Really, the only thing I can see that might need to be tweaked in this scenario is delay time. But if that's so important to the song, the drummer should be following you.

[KevinB]

Originally Posted by BoxcarBob

Is yours a rack mount?

No, it's a floor model.

But it connects to a PC via USB, so I do all my editing there and store the results to the POD. I don't really use too many tones, so it's quite easy to select the ones I want to use via the footswitches.

[CrisHendrix]

Originally Posted by Rob123xyz

I gave up dealing with a field of pedals and wires crossed and hum and which one has the dead battery and never being sure of the right order (especially when doing chains and branches).

They do make pedalboards & power supplies for that. ;)

[P-Nutz]

... A POD XT Live for crunch with my wife's band, and separate-pedal board for my funk band.

Six of one, half dozen of the other ...

... BUT, when one pedal goes down on the board, I still gots the rest! When the XT, craps out ... well ... CRAP!

Peace!