Grumpyrocker

Pod Farm is Line 6's guitar and bass amp/fx modelling software supplied with a variety of its devices. The software is also available as a standalone version if you wish to register it with an iLok dongle. My copy of the original Pod Farm came free with the purchase of a UX1 USB recording interface. Since I bought the UX1 I also added several of the expansion packs - but the basic software came with plenty of amps and fx to play around with.

But onto the new version? Does it bring enough to the table to warrant the upgrade? Certainly my $49 upgrade seemed a complete bargain. But after the jump I'll discuss how the software compares to rivals such as Guitar Rig and Amplitube.

The further you play with Pod Farm 2.0 the more it seems like an impressive piece of software - despite the actual modelling feeling a little dated. I own Guitar Rig IV and although many of the sounds are impressive, there's hardly a wealth of models on offer. In fact you've got several versions of the same amp and one model that is plain rubbish - I have yet to coax a pleasant sound out of the Gratifier. The default model list for PF2 makes Guitar Rig look miserly and of course you can add tens more models via downloadable tone packs.

While in terms of tone Guitar Rig may seem the more "pro" choice, if high gain is your thing then do take a look at Pod Farm. I'd say the strength in the Line 6 software is in the high gain models, not just the reproductions of famous amps, but in Line 6's own creations. For example the Spinal Puppet, if you can get past the over the top artwork and silly name it's a fabulous amp for metal riffing, certainly better than anything Guitar Rig has to offer. It's actually one of my favourite high gain amps I've ever used - real or modelled.

Those looking for an upgrade to the existing amp models won't really find much in PF2. Really this is a functional and UI update rather than a rewrite of Line 6's core modelling technology. Many of the new features are very welcome though. While the first Pod Farm let you set up two separate signal paths per preset, now there's more freedom. There's an AB and A/Y button allowing you to switch between two sounds in addition to blending them.

There's more freedom too in the way that fx and other items can be placed in the signal chain. The original Pod Farm was quite restrictive - limiting the placement in the chain of certain fx and only allowing one example of each type. Now you can go a little mad with PF2, chaining up to ten items together. So if you want to put ten digital delay pedals in a row to see what it sounds like - you can.

Another neat new feature is Pod Farm Elements. When using your favourite DAW it's possible to include these Element VST effects rather than call on the whole of Pod Farm 2. So if you just want to add some delay to a track - called up the delay Element. There's an element for all manner of Pod Farm models from the amps themselves to any of the effects. I've even called upon these Elements within other software such as Peavey Revalver.

Another way Pod Farm 2.0 is more useful over its predecessor is the implementation of MIDI within the software. Pod Farm didn't let you send MIDI commands which made it hard to use modelled expression based effects such as Wah. Now you can assign MIDI to more or less anything within PF2. Organising presets is easier too now - you can combine them into custom setlists, meaning you don't have to trawl through hundreds of entries to find your favourite tones..

There are a few downsides - the monitor mute button has strangely been relegated to a menu rather than being a button on the mixer screen. Too many of the amp models are too quiet - meaning you have to use the rack compressor model to get them up to a decent volume for recording. I'd also like to see Line 6 model some amp functionality in addition to tone - while many models sound the business, the actually controls do not mimic the real amps. There's no EQ on the Mesa Mark model for example.

Many of the sounds are very good though and I've found that the Pod Farm tones don't always excite at first listen, but seem to sit within a mix very nicely. For a $49 upgrade Pod Farm 2 is a real no-brainer, there's no good reason not to upgrade. There are plenty of included models - many more than rival software - with the ability to add more models later. Remember too when comparing to rivals that Pod Farm 2.0 isn't just about guitars, there are mic pre-amps and bass amps in there to help you record all manner of other instruments and vocals.

While you may find more authentic vintage and crunchy tones elsewhere, Pod Farm 2.0 provides tones that sit well in a mix, offer plenty of choice and is very easy to use. At $249 or $299 for a full platinum version I'd probably find myself looking towards Amplitube 3, but for those in a position to upgrade for a lower price from the original Pod Farm it's a steal.

Also that full price is for the Platinum version on Line 6 devices and iLok respectively, the Platinum version features all the additional add-on packs. If you only want the basic models (and Line 6 is much more generous here than Guitar Rig or Amplitube) then the Line 6 devices version is $49 and iLok version $99, that's a bargain compared to rivals and you can just buy the various reasonably priced add-on packs at a later date.

While initially underwhelmed by Pod Farm 2.0 the more I use it the more impressed I am with it. For high gain sounds its my obvious choice now, with Guitar Rig not getting a look in. And thanks to huge number and variety of effects on offer its a great addition to any DAW setup - even if you're not necessarily recording guitars.

You can find out more about Pod Farm 2.0 on the Line 6 website.