gearbox 2.0 is here

[hibidy]

well, me again..........

I think they are a bit pricy at 99 bucks......I have two basses.........a very VERY custom american/deluxe/jazzbass.......and a bongo (musicman) 5..........it just seemed at bit underwhelming........but that was at 48k and with a very unsophisticated setup..........it could be very different now (actually thinking about trying it again..........)

All I can say is that you pay with credit card, and then if you don't like.......I believe it's 30 days to have it "removed".......it's a painless proceedure unless they have changed something recently (ie, please check the policy!)

[Caco]

hmm $99 for the expansion pack or $300 for the actual bass pod. I'm quite tempted to save up for the pod itself but I think I'll download the expansion pack and demo it as they do seem quite open to doing refunds

[Stupid American Pig]

I got the bass pack and thought it was pretty good. I only have 5" woofers in my monitors so I have a feeling I could be missing out on some of the nuances of each model. However, I thought the tube bass preamp was fantastic for more than just a bass, sounded great with vocals and rhodes. The thing I am most happy about is the the addition of the octave pedal and reverse delay. Those were the only efx that Guitar rig had over the tone port. The orange amp model is nice and gritty as well.

[whyterabbyt]

I seem to recall Whyterabbyt making a very good point about spending a little bit more and getting the PodXTLive instead of the VST thing. Because at least for the extra money you get portability.

Wasnt me...

[Amberience]

Hmm.. I looked.. maybe it wasn't.

[whyterabbyt]

You definitely said something about it not being good value, just can't remember what it was.

Ah, right. I know what you're talking about now; that was when folk were saying the 'Gearbox Gold' price would be $699, and I was comparing that to the cost of a tricked-out GuitarPort... which made it look like the VST functionality was going to cost about $300 or something...

[Amberience]

Does any except me think its a pretty heft premium for the plugin version compared to (say) a GuitarPort with the modelpacks?

Eg $699 versus about 400 ($100 for a GuitarPort plus $98 for the Model Packs and $99 for the Power Pack plus $99 for the Bass models assuming they were to actually run on the GP). Make that $500 if your talking about a Toneport TX2 instead of a GuitarPort.

Thats still quite a bit of a premium for the plugin version, IMO.

Yeah, I was just confusing products.

[hibidy]

hmm $99 for the expansion pack or $300 for the actual bass pod. I'm quite tempted to save up for the pod itself but I think I'll download the expansion pack and demo it as they do seem quite open to doing refunds

hehe, I tried the basspod xtlive also........didn't like it. The main reason was that the "direct" out and the "colored" out are very strange.........it was really hard to get it right. And it's like......isn't that why we use something like the pod.......so it does most of the work!

[Lunch Money]

Not me. I use it because I'm skint. And it offers flexibility.

Regarding the 24/96-- a software update simply cannot alter the physical component of your unit, be it GuitarPort or TonePort or POD. You will discover that the 24/96 mode is an "emulated" mode, meaning that your unit itself is still processing signal at the same bit rate and depth, but just resampling and "recording" the info at the resampled rate.

It certainly can't make a USB 1.1 device into a 2.0 device, for the same reason-- the hardware itself isn't in place.

Greg

[cbenci]

A bit of info from the Line 6 FAQ...

WHAT IS GEARBOX 2,3

Answer
-There is now one common application that supports PODxt (bean, live and pro), TonePort (UX1, UX2, KB37 & the hardware that ships with store-bought plug-ins), and GuitarPort. It's called GearBox.
- It fully supports PODxt devices with version 3 firmware.
- This application is compatible with Windows XP and Mac OSX Tiger - even for Intel Macs.
- The standard model set (ie - no optional upgrades installed) that is available in the GearBox application are determined by your hardware - GuitarPort, TonePorts, PODxt rack/bean, and PODxt Live all have different standard model sets.
- This application supports the following optional upgrades: GuitarPort Online, all Model Packs (including the Bass Expansion Model Pack), Plug-In functionality and RiffWorks recording software.
- We have announced two different updates. GEARBOX 2 merges GuitarPort online functions with the GearBox app and adds Intel support and some new models. GEARBOX 3 will add the ability to run Plug-ins of GearBox in Mac AU and Win VST supported recording apps, and also supports the new device - TonePort KB37. GEARBOX 3 should be available by the end of the year.
- Both GearBox updates are free, but the plug-in functionality is a paid upgrade.
- There is only one GearBox application. Install it once and it will work with whatever supported device you happen to plug in to your computer, UX1, UX2, GuitarPort and PODxt Live.
- You can only use one interface with GearBox at a time. Some of the graphics and options change conditionally based on what is connected. GearBox always contains the models that are activated in the hardware device you are connected to at the time.

I have installed it to use with my GuitarPort with all model packs (accept for bass expansion). It comes with some nice surprises including a Digitech Whammy model. It sounds a little bit synth like as compared to my real one but cool just the same.

Now just waiting for the vst version

[cbenci]

Some more info from Line 6

PLUGINS, BUNDLES
- The plug-in add-on will be a license key asset that you install with the Line 6 Monkey. Once you install it, any models authorized to run on that device will appear in the GearBox plug-in. Add more model packs and they will show up in both the standalone app and in the Plug-in. Remove model packs and they disappear from both places.
- If you add plug-in functionality to your Line 6 Hardware, the standard model set for that device and all model packs you have installed into that device will work as plug-ins.
- Keep in mind that although the GearBox plug-in is a single plug-in that has the entire signal chain, you can turn any item in the chain off and it will not chew up processor cycles. Just running a delay alone is way less processor intensive than running an amp model with some effects.
- You can use multiple instances of the plug-in - even if you only have it installed into one device. Use as many as your system can handle...
-The Silver and Gold bundles simply represent packaged "bundles" (ie - they include hardware) that you can purchase in a store which include the plug-in functionality along with either the standard TonePort model set (silver) or with <Power Pack, Metal Shop, Collector Classics, FX Junkie, and Bass Expansion> included (gold). You don't need to buy the storebought bundle if you already have GearBox supported hardware.

PLUGINS, OPTIONS, MODEL PACKS
- If you own the GearBox plug-in, you can use your hardware for ToneDirect monitoring. This gives extremely low latencies for TonePorts and GuitarPorts and "zero latency" for PODxt devices. You'll need to disable input monitoring in your DAW to use this.
- You don't have to use the hardware for audio at all - it can simply be used as a dongle if you choose. Then, the latency will depend on your system and your recording app's buffer size. Use it to get wacky and run your drums through an amp model like people often do with Amp Farm (our TDM plug-in). And/or, use a tape echo on a vocal.
- All of the same upgrades, including RiffWorks, the Bass Expansion Model Pack, and GuitarPort Online, will be available to any GearBox compatible device as of the release of GearBox 2.0.
, The GuitarPort and TonePort standard model set will add some new models described here: http://line6.com/guitarport/xt.html and the Power Pack will get the rest of the models that were released with the PODxt V3 update, described here: http://line6.com/podxt/version3.html. If you already own the Power Pack, the new models will appear as soon as you install the GearBox 2 update.

I own the Power Pack for Guitar Port which explains where the Whammy model came from.

[hibidy]

I have to say, this update is an A +++++......for all the grief line6 has caused in the past, this is one of those WOW things that makes you scratch your head.....in a good way