Line 6 launches POD Studio USB interfaces, POD Farm plug-ins

Nearly a month after Line 6 treated bedroom guitarists everywhere with the brilliant BackTrack, along comes a few new tools for the more serious musicians. Or, at least the ones that think they're serious. The newly announced POD Studio family of USB recording interfaces feature the POD Farm plug-in and 44.1/48kHz, 16-/24-bit recording. The no-frills GX unit boasts a single 1/4-inch guitar input, while the UX1 adds a balanced XLR input with preamp and two 1/4-inch analog outputs; the top-end UX2 (pictured) offers two 1/4-inch inputs (one normal, one pad), two balanced XLR inputs with preamps and phantom power, S/PDIF digital output and a pair of assignable VU meters. Each box comes packed with Ableton recording software, though Line 6 doesn't bother to share the costs for these.

[Via Electronista]

Read - POD Studio family
Read - POD Farm plug-ins

[muddyh2o @ Oct 17th 2008 8:20AM]

please get rid of that annoying t-mobile advert on the top of the content. it's awkward and makes the site appear on reload as if nothing new has been added. blech.

bad engadget. no cookie for you.

[Tim Brown @ Oct 17th 2008 8:42AM]

Use Firefox with addblocker plus. I have not seen an ad on engadget in over a year.

[EMoShunz @ Oct 17th 2008 8:43AM]

i had to vote you up just for your name...i love muddy waters

[Chris @ Oct 17th 2008 8:44AM]

@ Tim,
We all do that I think even though Engadget doesnt want us too

[XGM @ Oct 17th 2008 6:13PM]

Yea as said, I too have never seen an ad anywhere. I use privoxy with chrome and Safari ad-block an my Mac

[EMoShunz @ Oct 17th 2008 8:47AM]

$280 for the ux2 ain't too shabby...i may just look at this... any word on os x compatibility... mind you the s/pdif is likly what i'd use instead of usb anyway.

[BoxOfSnoo @ Oct 17th 2008 9:05AM]

The existing TonePorts work fine on OS X, I have a TonePort DI with the Gold Gearbox - it only has the plugin in AU format (besides RTAS), so this would be an upgrade to VST.

[sick6six @ Oct 17th 2008 8:58AM]

isnt that the exact same device as the old toneport ux2 except for the color and name?

[manzana @ Oct 17th 2008 9:09AM]

whats the difference to the toneport except the POD Farm plugin instead of gearbox???

[wonkydonkydotnet @ Oct 17th 2008 9:16AM]

This looks similar to the GearBox stuff, it's just not Red.

You get duo-tone, the interface is different and darker, like ?Amp Rig? and it has something like Cover-Flow.

Looks like it's the same models, cabs, stomps, & mics as before.

Looks like you get a ~little more software this time, like RiffWorks and a version of Reason, but otherwise, it's the same damn Lite version of Ableton.

Hell, who knows if the hardware is even different at all. -Maybe it's just a facelift, b/c black makes L6 look much more Serious.

I guess the other thing is that PodFarm seems to be more ~widely compatible across platforms than GearBox.

[Godfail @ Oct 17th 2008 11:06AM]

I own the Toneport KB-37 and I'm really wondering what the difference is...we JUST got 64-bit support for Gearbox in June and my Toneport is VERY flakey...if I have to buy new hardware after already upgrading my Toneport twice I'm going to have a shitfit.

[makinmusic @ Dec 22nd 2008 11:37PM]

The old TonePort UX2 is the same hardware in a different colour, but it came with GearBox software - a standalone app that you had to pay a steep upgrade fee to make it work as a plug-in (and that plug-in was not Mac VST compatible.) This new interface includes POD Farm software, which in addition to being much easier to use works as a plug-in out of the box. The included version of Live is now 16 tracks instead of the old one which was only 4 tracks. It's also ReWire compatible (unlike the old one), which is cool because you can use it with Reason - also included the box.

[rk @ Oct 17th 2008 9:18AM]

ehh...I have the old UX2 and seriously, I don't know what's different about this one besides the color scheme.
Everything else on the description matches up.

[thrasher @ Oct 17th 2008 10:10AM]

Awesome !!! Ummmm are they still using that cheap a** plastic? had the original loved the sound and how easily it worked with SONAR but man they feel cheap, wish they would use alum or steel (i would pay more for the quality) so it actually feels like a piece of equipment and not a fisher price toy, heck at least put a dummy weight inside so it feels like something.

[Maurice @ Oct 17th 2008 10:31AM]

I susepct that the Abeltron software is teh Lite version of Live

[lincoln @ Oct 17th 2008 10:54AM]

line 6 eats poop

[Justin @ Oct 17th 2008 11:06AM]

Seriously, you are clueless. Line 6 amps may be crap compared to a nice tube amp but their amp software is one of the best and most affordable out there.

[periclimenes @ Oct 17th 2008 11:33AM]

Any way to make these work with Ubuntu Studio?

[Marshall @ Oct 17th 2008 7:52PM]

I'm sure they'll be selling POD Farm for less than $99 (though that's what they're quoting as MAP), so anyone like me with a previous version (I record my podcast through a UX2), should be able to get all the new functionality (except for black, I guess).

[Str1ker @ Oct 17th 2008 10:01PM]

Holy shit!!! This thing looks so awesome!

I want one just to place it on my desk.