A. Quirks

There are a few quirks with this unit you should always keep in mind to get the most out of it. If you miss these, you might become unnecessarily frustrated with the unit.

Single Lines = Stereo Signals

All the lines you see in the Pod editor's signal path and in the HD Edit software are stereo signals, including each for Channels A and B. You do not need to use both Channel A and B to get stereo functionality.

Mixer Pan Controls

The Mixer blocks "pan" controls do not push the complete left/right stereo signal into the left or right field when panning full left or right. It simply drops the opposite field. In other words, panning full right on Channel A means you are simply muting the left field of Channel A.

Mono-Summing vs. Stereo Effects

Many of the effects will sum to mono before processing. In other words the stereo input signal is mixed down to a mono signal, processed, then split back into a stereo signal with equal left/right fields. This means anytime you use a mono-summing effect, you will get identical left/right output. If you use a stereo effect before a mono-summing effect, the stereo aspect of it will be eliminated. Thus, you should use stereo effects last in the chain. The most common mono-summing effects are the dynamic and distortion effects, as well as the amp blocks. EQ, delay, and reverb effects are stereo.

Appendix A has diagrams that show how the four types of processing are applied inside the effects.

Appendix B has a table that tells you which type of processing each effect uses.

Use Channel A Only for Single-Amp Patches

The easiest way to design your patches if you are not using dual amps is to place everything in Channel A (the top line after the signal path split). Then you mute Channel B in the mixer and pan Channel A to center. You may have to select an amp model before being able to move the amp block into Channel A.

This means Input 1 is routed to Channel A and Input 2 is routed to Channel B where it is muted. Thus, you don't have to worry about the Input 2 issue. Also, it means the Mixer is the last piece of your chain and can be used to set the final output volume of the patch, allowing you to keep earlier volume settings conservative, so you don't max out the internal signal resolution or get other unwanted clipping.

As mentioned above, Channel A is a stereo signal, so you still retain all stereo effects.

Signal Routing

Input 1 is sent to the left field of the initial stereo signal, and Input 2 to the right field. When the signal hits the channel split, the left field goes to Channel A and the right to Channel B. So you can use two different instruments in the Pod as long as you do not place any mono-summing effects in front of the channel split, and select different input sources for Input 1 and 2.

Mono-summing Outputs

The 1/4" unbalanced outputs sum to mono if only one of the outputs has a cable inserted. If you want to use the left 1/4" output and right XLR output, you have to put a dummy cable (attached to nothing else) in the right 1/4" output. The XLR outputs never sum to mono.

MASTER Knob

This knob only affects analog output volume (1/4", XLR, and headphones). The manual recommends setting it to max for the best signal-to-noise ratio. I agree, but sometimes this means you are clipping whatever you are running the Pod into. Then you have to back off a bit. Also, when running the four cable method with some amps like the Peavey ValveKing and 6505 that do not have a true Master Volume knob, you have to use the Pod's MASTER knob to control your volume and may end up setting it far lower than max.