The Vetta-POD X3 Connection

The Line 6 Vetta and the Line 6 POD X3 provide comparable rigs for those guitarists who want a huge palette of tones within reach, at an economical price. The Vetta has been my mainstay amp with XONE for the last 5 years, and I love it. But for those ready to jump in now, with Line 6’s modeling, the POD X3 is the latest, greatest product from the Chatsworth, California company.

I still love and use my Vetta HD weekly, so there’s no reason for me to buy a POD X3. But If I was in the market for a new rig, then the POD X3 would be at the top of my list. Combined with a good power amp and a quality 4x12 cabinet, the POD X3 Live would provide a guitarist with an immense store-bank of tones and sounds that can change in a millisecond to polar opposites. That may sound quite technical,
and that’s because the POD X3 is complex and technical.

If you don’t intend to tweak unique, original patches yourself, then this unit that features two completely separate signal paths won’t do you any good. Each signal is independent of the other and can be effected in any way by the user. From Boutique amp models, to classic Post-Effects, POD X3 users can create a myriad of new tones for their music needs.

The Vetta can’t do 2 separate signal chains at once, but rather pushes both amp channel signals through a combined Post Effects chain, where modulation, delay, and reverb use the same variables for each amp signal. If I just lost you, then maybe buy a Marshall or some Boutique Dream Amp, which has 2-3 excellent tones, and doesn’t require much tweaking.

But if all this made sense to you and you’re considering the POD X3,
then “Go For It”!! I recently have been helping a friend learn how to use his POD X3 Live. While I am having to learn a new interface, the concepts are very similar to the Vetta, so we are getting somewhere quick.

One thing is for sure, the POD X3 sounds excellent!!!

The Evergrey XONE continues

While listening to Evergrey's "Fear" from the new album Torn last week, my friend(who isn't a metal listener) turns to me and says, "why do you listen to such depressing, angry music? I don't really see you as being that kind of person."

This is a great insight and a question I've often asked myself. Almost all metal music deals with intense emotions and almost none more intensely so than Evergrey. I still remember my mother disparaging the angry, hate filled lyrics of Metallica and many of my other favorite metal bands when I was younger.

So what is it about Evergrey's dealing of emotion charged content such as fear, anger, resentment, self-hate, and depression that makes me so darned happy?

For me, I believe it is the honesty of these intense and passionate lyrics delivered among the backdrop of dark and synergistic grinding guitars, thumping kick, and driving bass lines that sells me most on the truth delivered by Evergrey's latest album. Of course none of this is entirely new for Evergrey, however, the latest album seems more refined and at the same time more honest.

My favorite lyrics are from "Fear" in the chorus where like a litany Thom lists off his fears and during the bridge/pre-chorus where he declares "if he could he'd let himself know he's okay". Listening to Torn has brought me to really question the truth of my own darker emotions and really examine the impact they have on my life. Listening to this album has helped me come to understand the positive impacts of many of the negative emotions that I feel and have felt over the years.

Given the current state of fear mongering that I am hearing everyday from average people afraid of losing their retirement savings, their house, and their job I think it is especially important not to deny ourselves the right to be afraid, angry, self-deprecating, or lost and alone. Acknowledging these feelings allows us to begin on the road to healing and taking positive actions, whereas denying and invalidating our feelings leads to more internal conflict and denial.

Remember, the absence of fear is not courage but simply denial. Courage is the ability to strive towards our dreams inspite of our fears.

The Vetta XONE Continues

Where would I be without my Vetta? I would be immersed in a land of 2-3 tones. I just need more than that. The Line 6 Vetta delivers a huge palette of tones, and with the two amps at once feature, I’m able to blend two amp models to make a unique original tone each time. The applications are almost endless. Especially in XONE.

While there are many awesome tube amps out on the market, and most of the ones you’d want cost a fistful of cash. It’s great if you can afford that. I cannot. Yet. I need an almost limitless palette of tones for XONE’s music. The only way I can afford this type of device, is with the Line 6 Vetta. In 2003, I walked out of Guitar Center with a Line 6 Vetta HD (head) and an FBV Longboard Foot Controller for $2000. It’s still the best investment I’ve ever made with my tone.

Before Line 6, I swore by Marshall.
I have to admit that some of the Marshall models in the Vetta really give that Marshall tone that I like.
The ’85 Marshall Silver Jubilee, ’92 Marshall JCM 900, and ’68 Jumpered Marshall Super Lead really stand out in the Vetta for hi-Gain tones. Mixing any of those with the Line 6 Original Spinal Puppet model,
And I get a really rich Marshally tone. The Spinal Puppet is basically a hot-rodded Marshall head, so it brings out that rich Marshally tone when mixed with a Marshall model.

Typically, use the Marshall model as the Main amp in the patch,
Lows and low-mids, with the Channel Volume at 100% (all the way up),
The Spinal Puppet covers the high-mids, highs at 50% (12o’clock).
Sounds really awesome to my ears!

More Evergrey XONE

Evergrey’s latest CD TORN pushes the limits of Progressive Power Metal to their newest extreme! The CD is a complete musical journey that takes time to fully digest. I have been listening it exclusively since it’s release.
I’m not listening to anything else for a while…It’s that great of a CD.


Evergrey has really been a huge influence on XONE. Evergrey’s music has influenced a few XONE songs and parts of XONE songs. Our latest song “Young Man’s Destiny” is an example of this. The whole song’s impetus came from our love of a few Evergrey songs such as “I’m Sorry” and “Blinded”. Every Evergrey song we’ve ever listened to has influenced us to write new material.

That is not to say that we TRY to make Evergrey-like songs.
We write a new song, and then reflect on it, and find that it was influenced by some artist we listened to recently. Most of our newest material has been influenced by Evergrey.
Our next 2 CDs will feature these songs.

If you haven’t already bought Evergrey’s latest CD TORN,
You are missing out on something huge. It is an amazing album!
The rhythmns are layered and complex.
The Guitar solos are melodic an poignant.
Best of all, the CD is Evergrey at their BEST!!!

The Evergrey XONE

Evergrey is undoubtedly my favorite band in the world. I anticipate their CD releases like a kid waiting for Christmas. I spent this summer waiting for Evergrey to release their latest CD TORN. It was a torturous wait, but well worth it. Evergrey’s new CD TORN is AWESOME!!!

I’ve spent every day since Sept 23, 2008 (TORN’s US Release Date) listening to this CD. It has been the same as every time Evergrey has released an album. It was that way in 2006 when they released Monday Morning Apocalypse.

The first time you listen to a new Evergrey CD, you always react to it like: “what the heck was that!?!”, hearing something that doesn’t necessarly sound brilliant.

Then the second time you listen to it, you react like: OK, I kind of understand what they’re doing here…”, hearing a little bit of the musical feel.

But the third time you listen to it, that new Evergrey CD changes your life!! You hear everything they are doing, catch the complex vibe, and fall in love with at least one song to start.

Then you begin to devour the entire CD slowly, as you listen to the songs more and more intently, following the lyrics, and being struck by how powerful ALL of the CD really is. Usually, all I listen to for the next 3 months is their latest CD. Period.

Evergrey’s albums are intense emotional, musical journeys that must be completely compartmentalized by the listener. By the time you are ready to move to another band recording, you have completely exhausted every single millimeter of the entire CD.

Like a fine wine. Evergrey is not LOVED on the first sip,
nor understood on the second,
but rather, AWAKENS YOUR ENTIRE SOUL on the third listen.


“…my Broken Wings can’t take me, through the Dark of Day…”
(Broken Wings-Evergrey-2008)

Vetta Channel Volume XONE

I recently began setting the Amp Model Channel Volume on my Vetta HD to 100%, and I’ve felt a major improvement in the sound of the models overall. The Vetta already sounded excellent to my ears. This new tweak has pushed it over the top!! The tone of XONE just got better...

I wish I could play with my Vetta HD(v2.5) every day.
Unfortunately it's only twice a week for XONE,
with the occasional Sunday Afternoon thrown in,
and some home, direct recording.
I tweak my Vetta HD with Line 6 Edit Software on a Laptop
connected by an M-Audio Uno cable to my Vetta,
17 feet across the room to really hear what my
Marshall 4x12 is projecting.

I make only Blended patches in my Vetta HD (v2.5)
at LIVE volume (95+db). (Amps panned to Center)
Both Amp 2 & 1 have a different Channel volume.
One amp model (Amp 2) usually carries the majority of the patch,
and thus has a higher Channel Volume.
When I first bought my Vetta in 2003,
I set my Amp 2 Channel volume to 50% (12 o'clock)
Amp 1 was somewhere around 25% (9 O'clock)

(I'm using percents because I tweak in Line 6 Edit
which has values denoted by percentage, 0-100%.
I’ll throw the clock face value in for amp knob tweakers)

I quickly changed my Channel volumes to
Amp 2 = 83% (3 o'clock)
Amp 1 = 40-60% (11 - 1 o'clock)
I have used these main setting since then.

This week, I tested out using Amp 2 = 100%
or "11" for you Nigel Tufnels out there
and Amp 1 = 50-85%

After testing this extensively, I am hearing that the Amp model at 100% has more balls, tubiness, mojo, etc... to it.

I know that in OS v1 Vetta, the Volume knob worked
in concert, with the Drive knob.
I also remember, that all changed with OS v2 Vetta.
I never worried about pushing the channel volume after v2.
I liked having some headroom,
and I use the COMP Gain to balance patch levels.

After making quite a few new patches last week,
and updating some “Tried And True” patches in my Vetta,
I believe that the Vetta's amp models,
when pushed to a 100% channel volume,
sound better to my ears.

I did have to lower my COMP Gain settings by 4db to compensate
for the overall patch Volume increase.
(I run the COMP at a Ratio of 1:0:1,
and use it to equalize my patch volumes).

I have been tweaking the 100% way now for the last 2 months,
and I still think that the amp has more
BALLS, MOJO, LIFE, TUBINESS…
with the Channel volume at 100%
for at least 1 amp model. (Remember, I blend 2 amps)

I’ve already re-tweaked all my old XONE patches
to this new Standard.
And I’m recording these tones right now,
as I finish the guitar parts for our 15 minute epic:
The Mastermind.
All of the patches for Mastermind are re-tweaked
and sounding better than ever.

Try it yourself with your patches,
and see if you feel the same way as I…

(The Mastermind is featured on our upcoming CD: The 4th Dimension)

XONE Studio Video

For the last 2 years, we have been working on our CD:
The 4th Dimension.
During the actual recording of the CD, we took over 9 hours of video.
The result of all this is our new music video: Beautiful One Day!!

Hopefully, the video shows that we
don't take ourselves too seriously.
The song was mixed in Sonar 7 PE.
The video includes ans un-mastered mix of the song.

We hope you like our latest video,
And we’re excited to tell you that we are already at work
on 4 more videos for the next CD: ELEMENTS.
It was shot in Mini-DV,
and was edited in Imovie and Sony Vegas.
Let us know what you think!

prog_metal_xone@hotmail.com