POD X3 and POD X3 Live ... First Look?

I have to preface what I'm about to write with the fact that it is completely without confirmation from Line6 at this time. However, it seems some of the information was either intentionally leaked to some European distributors or they jumped the gun a little early in putting it out on their website.

I'm going to attempt to make sense of the English translation of a German distributor's description of the new POD X3 and POD X3 Live. There's certainly a lot of room for interpretation. Babelfish does a notoriously horrible job of it, making it sound like an English translation of a German translation of a Japanese translation of the original Chinese text. Some of it was so comical that when I first read it, I laughed until tears streamed down my face, causing the people in adjacent cubes to believe that I had just been fired or had gone over the edge.

I'm going to go through the description and attempt to clarify what I see there. I will try to keep conjecture out of the writing as much as possible and stick only to what is presented and what can be directly inferred from the writing. So let's start by looking at the features listed in the article one at a time, focusing mostly on what I judge to be the new features that set it apart from the XT and XT Live.

Inputs
The article states that there are two separate inputs on the X3: an instrument input for guitar and bass, and an XLR input for a microphone. Both inputs can be used at the same time and the signals can be routed to different effects/model chains. This is very similar to the TonePort in which its multiple inputs can be split to run separate model/effects chains. Nothing new here, just a repackaging of existing technology, but with some interesting applications. Are you a solo act? Plug in your guitar and mic to the X3 and run the outputs to your PA system. Now you have control over your guitar amp models and vocal effects in one unit. It also gives you a single unit to use for guitar, bass and vocals when used as a recording interface. No word yet if there is onboard phantom power for using condenser mics.

Two Amps At Once
Let's explore this feature because I want to explain what it is and what it isn't. There appears to be multiple ways to use this feature:

• Separate amp models for each input. i.e. - one model for microphone and one for guitar/bass.
• Two amp models simultaneously for a single input. i.e. - A guitar driving two different amps, cabs and effects chains at the same time.
• Morphing or blending between the two amp models using the expression pedal.

What this isn't is a Vetta II on the floor. The effects and amp chains are independent of each other and don't appear to have the routing flexibility that the Vetta has to offer. Again, think TonePort. Note that this was one of the most requested features on the POD forum.

Stereo Effects Loop
Now I consider this to be a potentially great new feature. I say potentially because what we don't know at this time is whether the loop can be dynamically reassigned an order within the effects chain. The picture of the X3 above shows the loop as coming after the amp model, comp and eq, but before the mod, delay and reverb. Okay, that's better than the loop on the XT Pro because I'd hesitate to call the "loop" in that unit a loop at all. It's more like an insert between the processing of the XT and the outputs.

The X3's loop appears to be in the middle of the signal chain. That implies that there is an extra D/A A/D conversion on board to make it work. If this is true, it should be a simple matter to make it routable. A static placement wouldn't make much sense. My sense of this feature is that it was a response to the Variax users' request to put in a loop for those using the VDI (Variax Digital Interface) so they could use their stomp boxes with the XT Live. My potential use for it would be to include external stomp effects after the internal stomp position, i.e. - running an X3 compressor stomp before my external Bad Monkey or DS-1. We'll see. In either case, it appears to be switchable so you can turn it on or off within a patch or between patches.

If there was a second most requested feature on the POD forum, a routable effects loop was probably it. Many people have wanted the flexibility that the Boss GT-8 has in that regard. A routable effects loop would make it possible to use the X3 Live using the 4CM (Four Cable Method) like the GT-8. That would be a kick-ass setup for live use if you already have a great amp.

XLR Balanced Outputs
Finally! Did it make any sense to anyone else why the XT bean unit had balanced outputs while the XT Live did not? Now I don't need to buy direct boxes if I want to run to the PA.

S/PDIF Output
Again, great news. This was previously only available on the XT Pro. Now you can get digital output without using USB which is going to be very good news to the ProTools users who were out of luck with incompatibility issues between ProTools and the XT USB drivers.

Models

• 78 guitar amp models. Same number as the XT with all model packs.
• 24 guitar cabinet models. Again, same as the XT.
• 98 pedal and studio effect models. Same
• 28 bass amp models. Same, with the bass expansion pack.
• 22 bass cab models. Same as above.
• 6 mic preamp models. Like the TonePort.
• A.I.R. II cabinet/mic modeling. 4 mic models. Just like the XT.

I am inferring from the writing that the inclusion of the exact number of each type of amp and effect model plus the inclusion of A.I.R. II means that we're getting XT amp model technology and not "next generation". Not exactly new features, but the apparent inclusion of all model packs and the ability to have the mic preamp models seems like at least a new inclusion.

I am hopeful that the increased processing power is going to mean that Line6 can build upon the next platform to eventually update the modeling algorithms. Again, we'll see. One thing is certain, this will certainly put an end to the incessant whining about "how come I have to buy all of these model packs?".

So you've been really wanting to cover that Frampton/Walsh/Perry/Sambora/Slash tune but you can't because you don't have a talk box. It's usually for one of two reasons:

1. Traditional talk boxes are dangerous to hook up to your amp.
2. They cost money.

For me, it was both. I wasn't about to go out and purchase a Heil unit that requires you hook this up to the speaker output of your amplifier. One wrong move or broken switch and there goes the power section of my Atomic Reactor. Also, these units go for as much as $150. To me, that's a lot of money for an effect that will be used only on occasion.

Safer alternatives do exist. The Rocktron Banshee is an amplified unit that is safe to use because it doesn't require hooking into your amp. Still pricy though, at $150, but it gets rave reviews. If you have the money, this is the unit to buy. Danelectro sells an enticing little stomp called the Free Speech for $100. It is completely self contained in that it contains its own mic and gets amplified via your guitar amp. Nice idea, but it is prone to feedback at stage volumes, requiring you to perform feats with the tube and mic that are best left to Linda Lovelace. Besides, are you willing to buy an effect from a manufacturer that insists on naming most products after food items (Fish and Chips? How is that an EQ box?)

So here was my dilemma. I had just spent a good deal of cash on a new guitar that I needed. Now my band mates come to me asking to do a Bon Jovi song that requires a talk box. Bon Jovi? How could I let them down?

So I did a little research into talk boxes. What's inside? Surprisingly, not much. The first talk boxes weren't commercial products. They were homemade, and many still are. The traditional design calls for a length of tubing inserted into a compression horn driver. Put this in a box, add a switch and speaker jack and you're pretty much set, as shown in the diagram below. (Click to enlarge)

The components are pretty darn cheap. An 80 watt compression horn driver from Parts Express goes for $11. Vinyl tubing, switches and jacks aren't that expensive either, let's say $15 for those. Add a box at maybe another $10 and you have ~$35. However, this is for a talk box that connects to the speaker output of your amp. If you wanted to build an amplified version like the Banshee you'd have to include an amp and power supply. This adds more expense. Parts and shipping for what I wanted to build added up to over $100. That's not much of a savings, and I didn't have that kind of cash. So what now?

I looked around my pile of old gear and found something interesting: a 20 year-old mini amp named the Afterburner. It's got a 3" speaker and runs on a 9V battery and it's in a sealed plastic case. And really, with a talk box, sound quality isn't an issue. Hmm...

Self contained...powered...could be powered on my pedal board using a 9V battery adapter...small enough. This was starting to look promising. Maybe I could take the speaker and guts out and mount it in a small box? Nope. The speaker is glued to front of the grill. So maybe I could figure out some way to use the amp as-is? How could I get the speaker to force the air it is pushing out through a 1/2" plastic tube?

The answer turned out to be simpler than I ever thought possible: a plastic funnel, some epoxy gel, and silicone caulk. Add the vinyl tubing and we have everything we need to make a talk box. (Click to enlarge) Note the Digitech Bad Monkey is there to provide some extra overdrive. The amp has its own and it does work good enough, but I wanted to push it over the edge.

So here's the list of materials you will need to make your own relatively cheap talkbox:

• A mini amp. Something with a 2"-3" speaker is perfect. If you don't have one, you can get one like this Dean Markley Micro Amp for about $25.
• 3"-4" plastic funnel. Don't worry if it doesn't fit exactly over the speaker, just as long as it is as large or larger.
• Gel epoxy to glue the funnel onto the amp.
• Clear silicone caulking to seal the funnel.
• 7' of clear vinyl tubing. 1/2" inner diameter, 5/8" outer diameter is perfect.
• Optional - an overdrive or distortion pedal.
• Optional - a box, metal or wood, to house the product in for stage use
• Optional - power and guitar jacks, switch, for stage use

And here are the very simple steps to create your own, cheap talk box:

1. Using a utility knife or hack saw, cut the plastic funnel at the wide end so that it just fits over the speaker of the mini amp.
2. Mix the epoxy and apply to the rim of the funnel.
3. Affix the funnel to the mini amp making sure the rim entirely covers the speaker.
4. While epoxy sets for 5 minutes, cut the vinyl tubing to 7' with a utility knife.
5. Clean the mouth end of the tubing with Listerine mouthwash to kill germs.
6. Use the silicone caulking to seal around the outside edge of the funnel.
7. Attach the vinyl tube to the funnel and run the tube alongside a mic stand. Use rubber bands to affix the tube to the side of the vocal mic, letting about 1-1/2" extend beyond the mic.
8. Plug in guitar, and optionally plug an overdrive stomp in front of the amp.
9. Put tube in mouth, crank up amp, and have a blast.
10. Optionally, construct box to hold talkbox with guitar input/output, switch and power jack.

Now, I'm no talkbox artist, but here are a couple of clips that illustrate both the dry sound and an effected sound for recording. In both cases, I used a Shure SM57 as the vocal mic run into a Line6 TonePort UX2. Sounds good enough for both live and recorded use to me. Note: I used a slightly larger vinyl tube and couldn't get the full range of sounds so I'm going to replace it with the recommended size above.

• Dry talk box sample, SM57, TonePort UX2
• Effected talk box sample, SM57, TonePort UX2, chorus, reverb, delay

Check back, as I will be updating this article as I prepare the talk box to be included on my pedal board for gigging. Have fun building your own!

Karl