The Line 6 POD Studio UX2, previously known as the Line 6 Toneport UX2, is larger than it’s little brothers the UX1 and GX, this is mostly because you get more inputs and outputs. I have to say I love all these units, as they have really taken the pain out of home recording for me. Sadly it was not before a great deal of experimentation and purchases that I found the Line 6 POD Studio range of USB Audio interfaces. Recording engineers will generally give you a shopping list for a home studio that can cost thousands of dollars, of course these solutions work great, but are beyond the reach of most musicians looking to start
recording themselves.
Professional Sound on a budget
This where the POD Studio range makes a real difference, for a couple of hundred dollars you can get a fully functioning home studio, but don’t be put off by the small price tag. These tools are not toys at all and I have often seen them used in bigger studios.
What’s all the fuss about the POD Studio UX2
So why would you buy the
POD Studio UX2 over the other POD Studios? Personally I started off with a
POD Studio GX (which is a great portable USB audio recording solution) but found some small limitations which prompted me to purchase a
POD Studio UX1 (namely only being able to record from a single source at one time, both the UX1 and UX2 allow you to record from 2 sources at the same time). This was perfect for a while until I purchased a new electro acoustic. The output from this guitar was very hot and I found it difficult to get a good signal into my recording software, this a common problem with electro acoustics generally and while turning down the gain can give you a less distorted signal, it lacks the original body. This is where PAD inputs come in mighty handy! The UX2 has a choice of PAD and regular inputs and basically takes the heat out of the Signal without losing body and tone.
I also had my eye on a new more professional condenser mic at the time, however this particular model required Phantom power, which neither the GX or UX1 have. The UX2 has two balanced XLR inputs each with optional phantom power, which means you can use 2 very expensive condenser mics at the same, which gets you that wonderful warm and dreamy acoustic sound you are probably after. I also like to mix the output from the Piezo pick-up and a condenser mic which gives a nice punchy sound.
Getting the sound out
While you can monitor the signal levels via the POD Farm software, the UX2 also comes with 2 assignable signal gauges which give you an instant visual indication of your level (the
POD Studio GX and
POD Studio UX1 do not have any dials). This means that you can easily see if you need to redo the track if the signal is distorting and has in practice saved me a lot of time. Additionally, the UX2 has a separate headphone level knob which means you can have a meaty signal going into your recording software without melting your ear drums! The UX2 also comes with an additional SPIDF output which can be plugged into a home theater system for example for high definition audio. If the wife is out I use my home theater as a monitoring system which is cool though I am sure the neighbors hate me!
POD Farm
Getting great tones from the
POD Studio UX2 is easy, as with all the POD Studio family you do this via the POD Farm interface, POD Farm is the equivalent of having all the equipment in a guitar shop right in your computer. It comes with more amps, cabs, effects, preamps, gates, stomp boxes than you you will ever need, though you can buy additional effects and amps etc. if you like. Periodically Line 6 offer decent deals on these expansion packs, so it’s worth signing up for the mailing list.
It also comes with a bunch of presets, some of which are great some are not so much, but the real power comes from being able to combine amps, cabs, mics, effects etc as you like, which gives you limitless combinations and ergo sounds. POD farm also allows you to split a signal and run it through 2 sets of amps and effects, which is how the big acts record and play live. What you get is the best of both amps and thicker, richer more dynamic sounds. WARNING Tweaking your setup via POD Farm is addictive and you may find yourself loving the sound so much that you don’t get too much recording done! Mine also functions as a near silent practicing tool which lets me pull off Hendrix impressions at 3am without incurring injury or divorce!
Bottom Line
Having owned the smaller less functioned POD Studios, I will say that the
POD Studio UX2 may be a bit too much for someone who is just getting into recording. That said, if you are an acoustic player or prefer Mic’d guitars over DI then the UX2 is likely your best bet. What you get for the extra bucks is well worth it and I would have been better off buying this first, I did not because I had been stung before with USB audio interfaces and especially latency (time between the note played and when you hear it monitored back). The POD Studio does not have these issues and even works fine on VISTA and Windows 7.
Just follow the 3 constants of recording on a PC:
1. Close everything you don’t need.
2. Disconnect from the network and switch off WIFI if you can.
3. Use the ASIO drivers
You don’t have to do the above, but don’t get upset when you gat a crackled recording. Processing Audio takes memory and resources, so when you record use your PC just for that (you will be happier I guarantee it).
