October 2004

SOURCE: VETTAVILLe.NL

Modelpack pricing... 29-10-2004

MODEL PACK LICENSE TRANSFER
As you know, Model Pack licenses are associated with the hardware they are installed into - whether that’s a PODxt product or a GuitarPort. From the start of the Model Packs project, we planned to make these licenses transferable between products. But when focusing our priorities and working to get the Model Packs available for custmers as soon as possible, we decided not to deploy license transfer tools as part of the first launch. Now, especially in light of the discussion by users eager to use Model Packs and other Add-Ons on more than one piece of hardware, we've got this feature at the top of our list of priorities. We appreciate hearing about how much you care about this feature, and we're looking forward to providing it. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
To be totally honest, we underestimated the number of people that owned two different Model Pack capable products and would want to share the licenses between them right from the start. We've heard loud and clear the people who are complaining about the inability to do this, and we apologize for not having been able to do it right from the start.

WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO
We intend to enable License Key owners to uninstall one or more of their keys from a particular piece of hardware, so they can then install them into the hardware of their choice. A user who owned both a GuitarPort and a PODxt, for instance, and purchased and installed a License Key for Model Packs in their GuitarPort, would be able to remove one or more of those keys from the GuitarPort and install them in the PODxt instead. In addition to allowing users to move their Model Packs and other Add-Ons between multiple devices that they own, this will also make it simple for you to take your Add-Ons with you when upgrading from one piece of compatible Line 6 hardware to another. You could for instance buy a GuitarPort, add the Metal Shop Model Pack to it, decide to step up to a PODxt and "take that Pack wiith you," and then do the same thing if you decided to then step up to a PODxt Live or PODxt Pro.

TIME FRAME
We are still working out the details, and can’t promise an exact date at this time. (You knew that was coming, huh?) We do feel confident we can make this available by the end of the year, and hope that's a conservative estimate that we'll be able to beat. Please keep in mind that our development team is already committed to delivering on projects like another free update to PODxt / PODxt Pro firmware giving full feature comatibility with PODxt Live, another update to Line 6 Monkey, another upgrade to Line 6 Edit AND the introduction of GuitarPort RiffTracker by the end of November. Rest assured, we're not just sitting around enjoying holiday parties here at Line 6 headquarters!

POWER PACK PRICING
We appreciate the spirited discussions about Power Pack pricing, and totally understand that some users don't feel that approximately doubling the model set of their GuitarPort to achieve full tone parity with PODxt is worth $99. As is always the case, we'll be monitoring all reactions to the Power Pack to see how this all sorts out as customers vote with their credit cards to tell us what they think. Our own feeling is that the step up in flexibility and tonal range provided by the Power Pack is dramatic and highly valuable for certain customers, but we certainly don't expect all GuitarPort owners to agree, just as we don't expect all to find the GuitarPort Online service valuable, don't expect all PODxt owners to run out and buy the Model Packs, etc. We do feel that a user who buys a GuitarPort and adds a Power Pack for $99 is getting the very best value available today in world class guitar tone processing with a computer.

Thanks,
Mark McCrite
Product Line Manager
POD & GuitarPort

Source: Line 6

PODxt Live - Modelpack pricing... 29-10-2004

• MODEL PACK LICENSE TRANSFER
  As you know, Model Pack licenses are associated with the hardware they are installed into - whether that’s a PODxt product or a GuitarPort. From the start of the Model Packs project, we planned to make these licenses transferable between products. But when focusing our priorities and working to get the Model Packs available for custmers as soon as possible, we decided not to deploy license transfer tools as part of the first launch. Now, especially in light of the discussion by users eager to use Model Packs and other Add-Ons on more than one piece of hardware, we've got this feature at the top of our list of priorities. We appreciate hearing about how much you care about this feature, and we're looking forward to providing it. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
  To be totally honest, we underestimated the number of people that owned two different Model Pack capable products and would want to share the licenses between them right from the start. We've heard loud and clear the people who are complaining about the inability to do this, and we apologize for not having been able to do it right from the start.

• WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO
  We intend to enable License Key owners to uninstall one or more of their keys from a particular piece of hardware, so they can then install them into the hardware of their choice. A user who owned both a GuitarPort and a PODxt, for instance, and purchased and installed a License Key for Model Packs in their GuitarPort, would be able to remove one or more of those keys from the GuitarPort and install them in the PODxt instead. In addition to allowing users to move their Model Packs and other Add-Ons between multiple devices that they own, this will also make it simple for you to take your Add-Ons with you when upgrading from one piece of compatible Line 6 hardware to another. You could for instance buy a GuitarPort, add the Metal Shop Model Pack to it, decide to step up to a PODxt and "take that Pack wiith you," and then do the same thing if you decided to then step up to a PODxt Live or PODxt Pro.

• TIME FRAME
  We are still working out the details, and can’t promise an exact date at this time. (You knew that was coming, huh?) We do feel confident we can make this available by the end of the year, and hope that's a conservative estimate that we'll be able to beat. Please keep in mind that our development team is already committed to delivering on projects like another free update to PODxt / PODxt Pro firmware giving full feature comatibility with PODxt Live, another update to Line 6 Monkey, another upgrade to Line 6 Edit AND the introduction of GuitarPort RiffTracker by the end of November. Rest assured, we're not just sitting around enjoying holiday parties here at Line 6 headquarters!

• POWER PACK PRICING
  We appreciate the spirited discussions about Power Pack pricing, and totally understand that some users don't feel that approximately doubling the model set of their GuitarPort to achieve full tone parity with PODxt is worth $99. As is always the case, we'll be monitoring all reactions to the Power Pack to see how this all sorts out as customers vote with their credit cards to tell us what they think. Our own feeling is that the step up in flexibility and tonal range provided by the Power Pack is dramatic and highly valuable for certain customers, but we certainly don't expect all GuitarPort owners to agree, just as we don't expect all to find the GuitarPort Online service valuable, don't expect all PODxt owners to run out and buy the Model Packs, etc. We do feel that a user who buys a GuitarPort and adds a Power Pack for $99 is getting the very best value available today in world class guitar tone processing with a computer.

Thanks,
Mark McCrite
Product Line Manager
POD & GuitarPort

Source: Line 6 / vettaville.nl

Guitarport - V 2.5 Modelpack Pricing ... 23-10-2004

Hello GuitarPorters,

MODEL PACK LICENSE TRANSFER
As you know, Model Pack licenses are associated with the hardware they are installed into - whether that’s a PODxt product or a GuitarPort. From the start of the Model Packs project, we planned to make these licenses transferable between products. But when focusing our priorities and working to get the Model Packs available for custmers as soon as possible, we decided not to deploy license transfer tools as part of the first launch. Now, especially in light of the discussion by users eager to use Model Packs and other Add-Ons on more than one piece of hardware, we've got this feature at the top of our list of priorities. We appreciate hearing about how much you care about this feature, and we're looking forward to providing it. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
To be totally honest, we underestimated the number of people that owned two different Model Pack capable products and would want to share the licenses between them right from the start. We've heard loud and clear the people who are complaining about the inability to do this, and we apologize for not having been able to do it right from the start.

WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO
We intend to enable License Key owners to uninstall one or more of their keys from a particular piece of hardware, so they can then install them into the hardware of their choice. A user who owned both a GuitarPort and a PODxt, for instance, and purchased and installed a License Key for Model Packs in their GuitarPort, would be able to remove one or more of those keys from the GuitarPort and install them in the PODxt instead. In addition to allowing users to move their Model Packs and other Add-Ons between multiple devices that they own, this will also make it simple for you to take your Add-Ons with you when upgrading from one piece of compatible Line 6 hardware to another. You could for instance buy a GuitarPort, add the Metal Shop Model Pack to it, decide to step up to a PODxt and "take that Pack wiith you," and then do the same thing if you decided to then step up to a PODxt Live or PODxt Pro.

TIME FRAME
We are still working out the details, and can’t promise an exact date at this time. (You knew that was coming, huh?) We do feel confident we can make this available by the end of the year, and hope that's a conservative estimate that we'll be able to beat. Please keep in mind that our development team is already committed to delivering on projects like another free update to PODxt / PODxt Pro firmware giving full feature comatibility with PODxt Live, another update to Line 6 Monkey, another upgrade to Line 6 Edit AND the introduction of GuitarPort RiffTracker by the end of November. Rest assured, we're not just sitting around enjoying holiday parties here at Line 6 headquarters!

POWER PACK PRICING
We appreciate the spirited discussions about Power Pack pricing, and totally understand that some users don't feel that approximately doubling the model set of their GuitarPort to achieve full tone parity with PODxt is worth $99. As is always the case, we'll be monitoring all reactions to the Power Pack to see how this all sorts out as customers vote with their credit cards to tell us what they think. Our own feeling is that the step up in flexibility and tonal range provided by the Power Pack is dramatic and highly valuable for certain customers, but we certainly don't expect all GuitarPort owners to agree, just as we don't expect all to find the GuitarPort Online service valuable, don't expect all PODxt owners to run out and buy the Model Packs, etc. We do feel that a user who buys a GuitarPort and adds a Power Pack for $99 is getting the very best value available today in world class guitar tone processing with a computer.

Thanks,
Mark McCrite
Product Line Manager
POD & GuitarPort

Source: Line 6 / vettaville.nl

Guitarport - V 2.5. available... 23-10-2004

Source: Line 6 / vettaville.nl

Guitarport - V 2.5 Info... 23-10-2004

PODxt Live will work as a GuitarPort. The software is a free download and while the current release doesn't support the PODxt Live, we are hoping the new 2.5 version of GuitarPort will be available online next week.

SOURCE: LINE 6

The Post EQ is in there, but "Tonestack Correction" is applied to live cabs which GuitarPort doesn't have. Also, it's meant to correct for the tonestack of a guitar amp. I'm not saying that you couldn't plug a GuitarPort into the front of an amp, but it's definitely not the normal setup.

SOURCE: LINE 6

GP 2.0 is like PODxt 1.05. GP 2.5 is like PODxt Version 2 - in fact, it's more similar because part of the PODxt 2.0 update made the PODxt and GuitarPort "worlds" more similar.

Yes, what's coming out of your GuitarPort is pretty darn close to what comes out of a PODxt's outputs in Studio Mode. Keep in mind that there will be some differences due to issues surrounding the different processor in the PODxt than the one in your computer.

SOURCE: LINE 6

• GuitarPort version 2.5 *Click on the 'tumbnails' to see a higher quality and bigger picture

  	GuitarPort v2.5 is currently scheduled to be out by the end of this month (October 2004) - unless we find a last-minute showstopper bug.
  	GuitarPort 2.5 fully supports PODxt Live, PODxt/Pro v2, and Model Packs. Click here to see a higher quality picture
  	With GuitarPort 2.5, you will be able to purchase Model Packs with GuitarPort hardware and there will be an additional "Power Pack" that gives you all the models from PODxt that aren't in the base set of GuitarPort, thus allowing you to "step up to XT Power." Click here to see a higher quality picture
  	GuitarPort 2.5 has a really cool metronome. It looks a little bit like an 808 old school drum machine. The metronome is entirely in the software - it works whether you have a PODxt / Live / Pro or a GuitarPort. Click here to see a higher quality picture

Power Pack model list

These are the names as they appear in PODxt. GuitarPort names (when they differ) are in parentheses after the PODxt name.

Source: Line 6 / vettaville.nl

PODxt Live - Patches... 13-10-2004

PODxt Live arrived at the stores. For those who want the patches and presets you're welcome to get them here at Vettaville.

• Click here to get the PODxt Live PackAttack tones
• Click here to get the PODxt Live Presets

Source: vettaville.nl

Workbench - Free Download... 10-10-2004

Workbench will be available as a free download for both Vetta** and XT Live owners. There is no info on when the Workbench will be available.

**For Vetta owners with VDI of course. The Workbench pages are adjusted accordingly.

Source: vettaville.nl

Documents - POD xt series - V 2.0 - Ampsheet ... 08-10-2004

POD xt 2.0 ampsheet made by Dewy. You can download it as an .pdf file

•  Download the PODxt (Live) 2.0 ampsheet

Source: Dewy / vettaville.nl

Mark McCrite - InVettagation - Part 1... 03-10-2004

Hi, I did an interview with Mark McCrite, a professional Singer / Songwiter and working for Line 6 as the Product Line Manager for POD & Guitarport. I'll be touching the highlights of his professional career. What does he do for a living, how 's a day at work and who's he working with. During the InVettagation I also had a chance to meet some other great people like Erik Norlander, Lana Lane and Peter Verschuren. They also contributed to getting the whole picture. This is quite a read, but an interesting one and covering multiple pages. First of all I'd like to thank Mark McCrite for the time taken and his friends for filling in some background. Thank you Mark & Family, Lana, Erik, and Peter for giving me full access. You'll find appropriate links that'll add to the content when you want to know more about something particular.

• 1981-1983 (high school): Prophet - mostly covers with a few originals. Southern Rock meets Pink Floyd - played at a lot of high school dances & parties.
  
• 1984 (high school): In Motion - mostly originals. First band with Erik Norlander on keyboards. Duran Duran meets 80's Yes.
  
• 1985 (college): Relayer - first attempt at a "real" original band with a progressive bent
  
• 1989 - present: Rocket Scientists
  
• 1991-1992: Icebreaker - Sunset Strip "hair metal" band I'm a bit embarrassed to talk about
  
• 1993-1995: River - sounded like Pearl Jam meets Toad the Wet Sprocket (I still miss this band). It was primarily myself with a gifted singer/songwriter who lost interest in music. 1993-present: Lana Lane

   

• 2001: played guitar solos and/or sang lead vocals on several GuitarPort tracks (including most of the Pink Floyd songs) with Simon Phillips, Tony Franklin, Erik Norlander, Neal Morse (formerly of Spock's Beard), Lana Lane, Carmine Appice, and other great musicians
  

Mark: Growing up I was strongly influenced by my dad's taste in music. He was into 50's music and took me to see Elvis 3 times. My dad was also a big fan of the musical scores to James Bond movies and when we moved to Atlanta in the 70's, he would play a lot of Southern rock (primarily the Allman Brothers) in our house. Some of his other favorites were the Beatles and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. I soaked *all* of this in as a child. I'd have to say that Paul McCartney is my biggest musical influence, but I still have an intense appreciation for progressive rock music and jazz standards. In adult life, by far my biggest influence was a friend of mine named Kevin Gilbert who sadly passed away in 1996.

Mark, I'm Sorry to hear about your friend but you honour him with his memory. Aah the Beatles, who wasn't influenced by them? Paul McCartney as a bassist, do you play other instruments besides guitar?

Mark: Bass - without a doubt a result of my McCartney fixation and keyboards - at least enough to get me in trouble. I love Mellotron & Wurlitzer in particular.

Mark: Since 1978 - so I guess that's 26 years at this point. Am I really that old?

Mark: My current favorite for playing live is the Variax acoustic - I would still say that if I didn't work for Line 6. I have a one-off tobacco sunburst prototype that I use with PODxt Live to cycle through standard to strange sounds with a variety of tunings. As a performer, I'm definitely an acoustic singer/songwriter type and I am amazed at the sound, playability and flexibility this combination gives me. I also have a Martin D-35 and a Guild Jumbo 12 String that I will never get rid of.

Variax Acoustic	Martin D-35	Guild Jumbo 12

Mark continous: My sentimental favorite electric is a Jerry Jones, but I also have a sunburst Variax 500 which has a prototype neck for the 700 series that I quite enjoy as well. I also have an SG '61 reissue and a Strat. My sentimental favorite acoustic is a little Silvertone that my mother-in-law bought in a pawn shop for $8 in the 1950's.

Jerry Jones	Variax 500 w/ 700 series neck	Silvertone

Why do you feel guitar is your instrument?

Mark: Because my parents didn't have a piano when I was growing up and I thought the Beatles & Jimmy Page looked cool with guitars.

Mark: Well I'm happily married and have two kids, a 6 year old daughter, and a two year old son that I love dearly. Since you InVettagate exclusively for Vettaville in Holland Vinny, I should tell you I have a special love for Holland. My wife studied in Leiden (Holland) and speaks great Dutch (with no accent or so I'm told). We've visited many times and have lots of friends in Holland. Vinny, I LOVE the country!  I really enjoy Apeheul (a park where monkeys roam freely) - I have some great pictures of my daughter playing with monkeys and lemurs from the last time we visited in 2000.  I miss the food in particular - I wish they had soft ijs, shoarma, pannekoeken (dinner pancakes) and saucijzebroodjes in the USA like they have in Holland. I also have a soft spot for Kaassouffle, Bami, Nasi and Kroketten (Febo stuff).  We can get stroopwafels now in a local deli, so that's a good start...

Mark: I love working at a company that's always way ahead of the curve. It's exciting watching this stuff come together and the team of people is first class - everyone is really talented in their particular area. I think it would blow people's minds to know the variety of skills and the depth of talent we have here at Line 6. I can't talk about specific things that are upcoming, but while we're working, we do have bi-monthly jam nights in our break room and we go all out for our Holiday party & Summer picnic.

Marcus Ryle	Mark McCrite	George van Wagner

There are an astounding number of talented musicians who love to show off at these parties and they're always fun. We see everything performed at these parties from R&B jams to "O Brother Where Art Thou" country, SRV blues to 80's synthpop, Metal to Progressive Rock. The most memorable songs I participated in at these parties were ELP's "Karn Evil 9" (with guys from Engineering and the co-founder of the company) and a spot-on performance of the Schoolhouse Rock song "Conjunction Junction" with real horns & female backup vocals.

Source: Vinny -vettaville.nl

Mark McCrite - InVettagation - Part 2... 03-10-2004

Hi, I did an interview with Mark McCrite, a professional Singer / Songwiter and working for Line 6 as the Product Line Manager for POD & Guitarport. I'll be touching the highlights of his professional career. What does he do for a living, how 's a day at work and who's he working with. During the InVettagation I also had a chance to meet some other great people like Erik Norlander, Lana Lane and Peter Verschuren. They also contributed to getting the whole picture. This is quite a read, but an interesting one and covering multiple pages. First of all I'd like to thank Mark McCrite for the time taken and his friends for filling in some background. Thank you Mark & Family, Lana, Erik, and Peter for giving me full access. You'll find appropriate links that'll add to the content when you want to know more about something particular.

Mark: In short, it's a lot of work and a lot to keep it all straight, but very rewarding. Day to day, I'm amazed at how complex the whole "GuitarPort world" is when you look at it from behind the scenes. Because GuitarPort, PODxt, Line 6 Edit, the Monkey, etc. all are so inter-related, making an update to any little component of the GuitarPort/POD universe always implies a much bigger project than you might think.

My job is to define the overall goals for the product lines I manage as well as each individual product related to the line. I have to make sure that during the development and release process, all functional groups are getting what they need from each other, everything is working smoothly, and that everyone inside Line 6 understands what's going on. The latter is probably one of the most challenging aspects of my job. I could write for ten pages on this, but I'd probably either bore readers or get in trouble!

Mark: Man Vinny, you're Vicious, allright, I can't refuse you so here goes nothing, ha, ha!

I think the best way to illustrate this would be to talk about a real project that you're familiar with. Here is a list of things that had to be considered or taken on when we created GuitarPort 2.0. Keep in mind that all of this was for a free upgrade. Each of these things were like mini-projects on their own and this list is only scratching the surface. While I didn't actually do the work involved with completing most of these tasks, I was responsible for making sure none of these kinds of details slipped through the cracks:

• Suggestions from both customers and employees had to be evaluated & weighed and a feature set for both PODxt and GuitarPort updates had to be arrived at & specified. This was really the most critical part of the process and involved a lot of people & functional groups with differing perspectives.

• The plan had to be implemented by Engineering, which took months. Of course, as it all came together, the specification would evolve and the rippling effect through all related products and subcomponents had to be dealt with.

• GuitarPort originally used models based on POD 2.0 technology and it had to be updated to use PODxt modeling technology - a huge effort! It also had to be able to deal with PODxt, which uses the processing power in the PODxt. This is totally different from GuitarPort, where the software does the processing. Both had to work seamlessly so that the difference is invisible to users.

• GuitarPort amp and effect panel graphics had to be created for all models in PODxt, even though they are not seen by users who own GuitarPort hardware

• All GuitarPort preset tones and GuitarPort Online tones had to be rewritten to take advantage of sonic improvements. All tracks had to be rebuilt using updated tones

• Everything had to be internally tested extensively before any public beta

• Box had to be redone to add ASIO support and Windows XP support to the requirements

• PODxt Manual update & GuitarPort help files had to be written, tested, approved, rolled into production, posted on website

• New sticker for the box hyping free lessons & free month promotion - these were different for PODxt box and GuitarPort. Even deciding on the right message for the sticker was a project

• New CD master for PODxt and PODxt Pro had to be created which contained GuitarPort, Line 6 Edit, drivers, and instructions for backing up programs and installation). The drivers, Edit software and documentation all had to be cross platform

• All GuitarPort hardware in the warehouse had to be updated with not only the new software CD, but new USB firmware (which must happen one at a time with a direct server connection!)

• Customer Service FAQ's had to be written for new GP & PODxt interaction & the basics of the GuitarPort update

• GuitarPort website had to be completely redone - new FAQ's, screenshots, sound samples, etc.

• Public beta forum established, maintained, etc.

• Training sessions for Customer Support and Sales teams were held

• Press release was written and a news story for both www.line6.com and GuitarPort Online was written

Okay I get the point, you're quite busy and really managing the stuff! So how long does an upgradeproject take?

Mark: They're all different, but we can talk about PODxt/Pro 2.0 & Model Packs project (it was all one thing) as an example. Start to finish, this project took somewhere between 6 months and a year from idea to realization, but it kind of started sooner than that and kind of hasn't ended yet. You have to keep in mind that it's all kind of one big evolving mass and it's hard to segment development cycles to one project or upgrade. Changing just about any small thing in PODxt means there will necessarily be an update to GuitarPort, Line 6 Edit, and maybe the Online Store, Drivers & Line 6 Monkey - and all of the people who work on those components are also working on new unannounced products or products in other lines.

PODxt Live's new live cabs and Tone Correction mode were originally intended to first show up in PODxt 2.0, but we felt like the update was substantial enough without the new live cabs and that it made more sense to test the new live modes during the test cycle for PODxt Live because testing a new hardware product would by definition focus a lot of energy in verifying behavior of the "POD in front of amp" scenario. While PODxt Live was wrapping up, we were simultaneously updating PODxt and PODxt Pro code to roll in the new stuff from PODxt Live - and this will be out soon.

We also intended to release a GuitarPort update that supported PODxt 2.0 & Model Packs right when they were first available, but then we'd have to go through specification/development/testing/release all over again to make it support PODxt Live and then again for GuitarPort RiffTracker. In the end we decided it would be best to just make one GuitarPort update that did it all.

(Mark's having a laugh) Mark: Well sort of, I guess you're referring to Rocket Scientists. Erik (Norlander) and I have known each other a long time. We went to high school together (I can't believe we've known each other for 21 years...) and have pretty much been playing in bands together from then ever since that time. Rocket Scientists is our project together - we've released 4 CD's and are actually working on a fifth as we speak. The style is reminiscent of Pink Floyd, ELO and ELP, but I try to infuse a sort of Beatle-ish angle kind of like Adrian Belew does for King Crimson. Erik started the band in '87 with some other high school friends and I was their soundman. I joined in 1989 as a guitarist/songwriter and became the lead singer in 1991.

Mark McCrite with Variax	performing with Rocket Scientists

A few years later, Erik's wife Lana Lane began making CD's and she used the same basic pool of musicians that Erik and I had used for Rocket Scientists. Both were only studio projects for the first 2 CD's, but in 1997 Rocket Scientists signed up Don Schiff (Chapman stick player) and Tommy Amato (drums), both of whom had played on the CD's, and did a tour of Europe. Lana accompanied us on the tour and took center stage for several songs. The same group of people with the addition of guitarist Neil Citron toured Japan in 1998 and 1999.

Erik and Lana have been making CD's and touring almost non-stop since that time. In fact, they're on tour in Europe right now! We'll propably get together again for some catching up when they get back. I'm pretty sure guitarist Peer Verschuren is on tour with them this time out. Peer did some tracks with us for GuitarPort.

Erik Norlander: Mark and I have known each other for about 20 years and have been working together in bands since high school. We've made 4 CD's together with Rocket Scientists and are working on a fifth one. We actually wrote and demoed the entire cd and will probably be finishing the album next year.

Lana Lane: Mark has written some great songs for Lana Lane as well. His songs because they're very melodic, which I love. He's the primary writer on songs like "Queen of the Ocean", "Project Shangri La" and "Gardian Angel" that we're performing live during our European tour now.

Erik Norlander: Mark did two Japanese tours with us and he's on the new Lana Lane DVD as a guitar player.

Lana Lane	Erik Norlander	Peter Verschuren

Source: Vinny / vettaville.nl

Mark McCrite - InVettagation - Part 3... 03-10-2004

Hi, I did an interview with Mark McCrite, a professional Singer / Songwiter and working for Line 6 as the Product Line Manager for POD & Guitarport. I'll be touching the highlights of his professional career. What does he do for a living, how 's a day at work and who's he working with. During the InVettagation I also had a chance to meet some other great people like Erik Norlander, Lana Lane and Peter Verschuren. They also contributed to getting the whole picture. This is quite a read, but an interesting one and covering multiple pages. First of all I'd like to thank Mark McCrite for the time taken and his friends for filling in some background. Thank you Mark & Family, Lana, Erik, and Peter for giving me full access. You'll find appropriate links that'll add to the content when you want to know more about something particular.

Erik, how did you get Mark hooked up with Line 6

Erik Norlander: I knew Marcus Ryle and Michel Diodic - the founders of Line 6 and also knew that Marcus Ryle was looking for some new and talented people. Mark was working for another company called Alesis and thought Line 6 would be a better match for his interests. I got in contact with Marcus and said I know a very talented guitar player that I think would be a tremendous asset to Line 6. It turned out to be a really good fit. That's how it all started I guess.

Erik Norlander: Yes Vinny you're correct - you certainly did you homework! Mark and Marcus knew I was recording stuff with Rocket Scientists, Lana Lane, my solo albums and with other artists. They asked me to be the executive producer for GuitarPort Online musical content. I brought in some great musicians like Tony Franklin, Kelly Keeling, who's touring with us now and did various vocals on GuitarPort tracks, Scott Kail, Neil Citron, and of course Lana Lane. I guess we did some 200 recordings, groove tracks, drumloops etc.

Of course we got Mark in to play the Pink Floyd guitar solos and to sing "Sunshine of your Love", "Have a cigar", "Hello Mary Lou," etc.

• Guitarport links to the recording soundbites*
• Another Brick in the Wall
• Have a cigar
• Money

* for complete tracks, tab and info you need a subscription to Guitarport.

Erik Norlander: Well, that's a good question. We've been really good friends all the time and have the same interests in many different areas. In music of course, we both like progressive rock - like King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes. We also have a good appreciation for good melody and strong songwriting. Like the Beatles, Moody Blues, Dan Fogelberg, Crosby, Stills and Nash.

We both see something special in bands that make great songs, wether they're progressive or not. So when we are working together musically, that is always our focus. You have to be able to play it on an acoustic guitar or piano alone. If it doesn't hold up than it's not a good song. You can play a million notes in an hour or record 12 tracks of synths, but if it's not a great song, than it's nothing. We've always really believed in that.

Lana Lane: The connection is deep and it lasts a long time. Mark and Tracy (Mark's wife) were at our wedding and we were at theirs. Erik and I are the godparents of their children. I met Mark and Tracy (back then his girlfriend) through Erik during the Rocket Scientists recordings. Tracy and I share a love for Holland. She speaks Dutch and I'm half Dutch so we try to keep that going when we have a chance.

Erik Norlander: When we got older, everybody takes his own path in life. Lana and myself have been touring and kinda have the rock and roll lifestyle. Mark has been with his family and working for a great company like Line 6. So maybe his path is more conservative than ours and we can't spend the same amount of time together as we used to a few years ago, but that doesn't diminish the friendship in any way.

Lana Lane: Even when we grow older, I think the bond of friendship becomes stronger, even if you don't see each other regularly. And we're really close "family" so to speak. Mark is a very warm peson, has a great sense of humour, is very, very funny and is very creative in a lot of ways. He also understands the importance of tutoring his chidren in music, which is very cool.

Erik Norlander: I know we'll still be friends when we're very old men.

Erik Norlander & Lana Lane during Vinny's Invettagation

Thanks Erik & Lana! Let's go back to the USA. Mark, what's the vibe like at Line 6?

Mark: Line 6 has grown really fast in a short period of time. I've been on the team since 2000 and I really enjoy working there. It's a great blend of musicians that work on musicians' products. The whole vibe over at Line 6 is great. It's basically a bunch of interesting people with respect for each other doing lots of work at a high pace. You're always going to get a lot more done in the same time period if you're in a great environment.

Mark: Every day is different. Generally speaking, I spend about half of my day dealing with development issues for current project(s) - creating and clarifying product specifications on an ongoing basis, offering guidance as development questions arise to both Engineering and Marketing, approving things as they get done, working with the product test/QA group, and having discussions about communication strategy with Sales and Marketing. About a quarter of my time is on the really fun stuff - talking about our overall strategy and new product ideas. The rest of the time is doing routine reports, meetings, etc.

Mark @ his Line 6 Office, on the left development of PODxt Live

So where will you be in life in, say, 5 years?

Mark: Professionally, I want to feel like I've made a significant contribution to helping musicians focus on creativity and not spend energy dealing with gear. I want to be able to look in my studio at products I've worked on and feel gear lust for those products. Given how affordable a POD or GuitarPort is and how easy they are to use, there's just no excuse anymore to have a bad guitar sound on a demo and I think that's a service to everyone! I'm proud of that... I feel like we've made strides in this already, but I think there's still a lot to do.

Personally, I just want to keep making good music, whether as a writer or artist. I would like for people to hear my music as well, but that's of secondary importance. I think my most important goal is to support my children in their musical endeavors. I'm immensely proud of my 6 year old daughter's early progress with the piano - she's already got a great ear! My son is only 2 but he is definitely rhythmically inclined.

Mark: We have two new updates that are almost ready to roll which we haven't said much about yet:

• GuitarPort version 2.5

	GuitarPort v2.5 is currently scheduled to be out by the end of this month (October 2004) - unless we find a last-minute showstopper bug.
	GuitarPort 2.5 fully supports PODxt Live, PODxt/Pro v2, and Model Packs.
	With GuitarPort 2.5, you will be able to purchase Model Packs with GuitarPort hardware and there will be an additional "Power Pack" that gives you all the models from PODxt that aren't in the base set of GuitarPort, thus allowing you to "step up to XT Power."
	GuitarPort 2.5 has a really cool metronome. It looks a little bit like an 808 old school drum machine.

• PODxt / PODxt Pro version 2.1 

A new update for PODxt/Pro - version 2.1 - is currently being tested and currently scheduled for release in November 2004. Much like we made all new studio cabs for v2.0, we made all new live cabs for PODxt Live. We also replaced the not-so-popular preset driven "VIBE" EQ parameter with new user-controllable "Tonestack Correction" parameters. In FAQ Trak, we have posted recommended correction settings for many popular amps. PODxt/Pro v2.1 has all of the new live cabs, the "bypass amp" feature, and the Tonestack Correction that was created for PODxt Live. If you use an FBV Shortboard with a PODxt Pro, you can now assign the FX Loop switch to control Comp instead of the FX Loop (like the Bean always does). The bean users have thought this was cool because that way you can set up your Comp switch as a "boost" by using the compressor gain. We have said in the past that for PODxt Pro, the processing power used to create a different signal at the XLR outs from the 1/4" outs was used on the bean to do VIBE mode. This is why PODxt Pro doesn't have VIBE modes. For this update, we decided to give users the choice - the Tonestack Correction parameters ARE on the Pro, but when you use them, you get the same signal at the XLR and 1/4" outs. A little kludgey I know, but at least now there isn't anything on the Bean that you can't do with the Pro and that's the right thing to do...

Vinny

Source: Vinny / vettaville.nl

Mark McCrite - InVettagation - Part 4... 03-10-2004

Hi, I did an interview with Mark McCrite, a professional Singer / Songwiter and working for Line 6 as the Product Line Manager for POD & Guitarport. I'll be touching the highlights of his professional career. What does he do for a living, how 's a day at work and who's he working with. During the InVettagation I also had a chance to meet some other great people like Erik Norlander, Lana Lane and Peter Verschuren. They also contributed to getting the whole picture. This is quite a read, but an interesting one and covering multiple pages. First of all I'd like to thank Mark McCrite for the time taken and his friends for filling in some background. Thank you Mark & Family, Lana, Erik, and Peter for giving me full access. You'll find appropriate links that'll add to the content when you want to know more about something particular.

From Guitarport

- Simon Phillips: drums
- Tony Franklin: bass, rhythm guitar
- Erik Norlander: keyboards
- Neal Morse: lead vocals (except for "Have a Cigar")
- Mark McCrite: all guitar solos, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Have a Cigar"
- Lana Lane: backing vocals

What a dream band!  (Neal Morse is the original singer from the prog band "Spock's Beard.")

* Picture taken from Guitarport online content; used with permission

• Guitarport links to the recording soundbites*
• Another Brick in the Wall
• Have a cigar
• Money
  
  * for complete tracks, tab and info you need a subscription to Guitarport.

1. Getting to the Point (edit)
2. The Truth (no drums mix)

1. Can You Feel This?
2. The Truth
3. Closing the Door
4. Slip Away
5. Love is Only Sleeping ** no link due to copyright restrictions **
6. Getting to the Point
7. Strange Fortune
8. They Say...
9. Sad Man's Song
10. So Long

• Mark's website is found here
• You can write in his guestbook on the vermissious website, that is linked here

"The Official home of audiophile progressive and symphonic rock music." TTM is the production company and record lable for artists ROCKET SCIENTISTS, LANA LANE, ERIK NORLANDER, NEIL CITRON and TAIHO YAMADA. TTM's mission is "to create, produce and promote high quality, timeless music with strong artistic integrity." As a Think Tank Media artist, MARK McCRITE'S Geting to the Point CD is promoted and available for purchase at this site.

Hey, you'll stay tuned in Life, not just your guitar!

See Yah!!

Vinny

Source: Vinny / vettaville.nl

PODxt Live - Page updated, more... 03-10-2004

• Click here for the Line 6 page for details on the PODxt Live
• It's been expected to ship end this month and hit the stores beginning October...
• There's also an driver update on in the download section 2.6.2.0 that adds support for PODxt Live.
• Click here for the PODxt Live manual, it's online now
• PODxt Live has all new live cabs (kind of like the Version 2 update for the rack & bean got all new studio cabs) and Vibe mode has been replaced with user controllable parameters. This change will be rolled into the PODxt and PODxt Pro, but there is no release date yet.
• "Tweak" is assigned to Reverb mix for all presets, so the Tweak knob functions exactly the same as PODxt's Reverb knob.
• One of the soft buttons is labelled "Amp." If you double-press this button, you are jumped to the page where the Tweak knob functions as PODxt's Amp knob.
• You can use the 'amp' switch (see pic. no. 10 above) to control the compressor to switch it on and off, with this function you can use it as a 'boost'.

Source: Line 6 / vettaville.nl

PODxt Live - Amp Commection Help... 02-10-2004

PODxt Live has some important new additions to the "What are you connected to?" settings. See above photo nr. 13. When you choose "2x12 Front" or "4x12 Front", you'll notice new "Tone Correction" settings for "Lows", "Focus", and "Highs". These controls are specifically to compensate for the effects of an amps tone stack and input circuitry and give much more control then the previous 'Vibe' settings. While experimentation is a good thing, we asked a bunch of our customer just what amps they were using, and came up with the following settings to use for the most popular amps. As LIne 6 finds more settings, they'll be added to the list. So if you're plugging into the front of a guitar amp for live use, start with these settings.

• click here to get the list as a .pdf

Source: Line 6 / vettaville.nl

PODxt Series - Amp Commection Help... 02-10-2004

PODxt (Live) has some important new additions to the "What are you connected to?" settings. See above photo nr. 13. When you choose "2x12 Front" or "4x12 Front", you'll notice new "Tone Correction" settings for "Lows", "Focus", and "Highs". These controls are specifically to compensate for the effects of an amps tone stack and input circuitry and give much more control then the previous 'Vibe' settings. While experimentation is a good thing, we asked a bunch of our customer just what amps they were using, and came up with the following settings to use for the most popular amps. As LIne 6 finds more settings, they'll be added to the list. So if you're plugging into the front of a guitar amp for live use, start with these settings.

• click here to get the list as a .pdf

Source: Line 6 / vettaville.nl

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