Pod XT v. UX2

I had a Podxt for years but, when it developed an intermittent fault, I got a UX1. I never tried a mic going into the Podxt. The UX1 has plenty of level for my SM57. I recently got a Pod X3, which has a mic input and also has plenty of level for my SM57 as well. As I'm sure you know, the advantage of the Line 6 stuff is the ability to use the built-in effects with very low monitoring latency. I'm not sure, but a possible solution could be to use a mic preamp to boost the level before it goes into your Podxt? It might be a fairly inexpensive option. Pete

Jed, Pete, thanks. Good to hear you like the ux. Pete, I have a couple of preamps hanging around... Don't use them much since I migrated to a laptop. I was thinking about cranking the level on the mic before going to the xt, but I'm not sure what may happen to the xt... maybe something will fry..? Electronics isn't my strong side. Besides, I'm looking for a simple, portable setup. Lots of options out there today. Do any of you record in 96/24? Or 88? I don't do that many tracks, maybe 6-8... Guess my laptop could handle that.

Hi Tomg, I have a direct box somewhere... is that the same thing as a transformer? Nevertheless, hooking up more stuff to the xt seems like a bothersome workaround. I'm thinking more and more about selling the xt and get a dedicated usb interface with good preamps. Been eying the ux2 or maybe M-audio's fast track... Or maybe firewire? There's tons of interesting, cheap gear out there. Don't know where to start.

One third option is a different interface altogether for your mic, and using the Gearbox Plugin for the vocal preamp effects that are unlocked by the Line 6 interface - basically your XT would be a big dongle for the software. The vocal preamps that are missing from the XT (but are on the plugin/Gearbox standalone) are quite good, you aren't going to get the same results just using the tube pre on the XT.