I know you've already been beat up a bit on this in your first thread where you open by saying that you're an "Engineer", but you didn't do yourself any favors with that little remark.

I am a licensed Professional Engineer. My field is Mechanical Engineering. The title of "Engineer" is badly abused in the US, but those of us who have earned the title try to respect it.

I don't call myself a recording engineer very often, although sometimes it's about the only term that fits. I haven't earned the title. While I've been doing this stuff for a few years and am getting pretty good at it, there is PLENTY that I don't know - If I were doing mechanical design, I think I'd be qualified to be called a Designer - not an Engineer.

For you to call yourself an Engineer, and then ask if a DI box will improve the distortion on your guitar signal ... uh ... hmmm. Not even sure how to respond to that one. Real recording engineers I know have a few different DI options - and they know what to expect from them.

You might get a little more help and respect around here if you demote yourself to a title that fits your actual qualifications.

A bit on terminology. The POD is a DI and a preamp combined. If you get strict on definitions, a DI takes in a high impedance, unbalanced signal and produces a low impedance signal. A preamp takes a low (mic or instrument) voltage signal and produces a line level signal. Lots of boxes do both and the marketing department decides how to label them.

So you don't need a DI. Do you need another modeling device? My guess is that you just need to do a better job with what you already have. In addition to the POD XT, you should have Amplitude or some other guitar amp modeling software included as part of your PT package. You may like its distorted sounds better than those of the POD.

Whatever you choose, these are not plug and play devices. They have a huge array of parameters to adjust, and you have to adjust them to your guitar and your taste. Use the Line6 editing software and really take a close look at the way the presets have been set up. Even if you don't like them, learn how they work and how they have been set up. Tweak each parameter in the preset and see how things change. It's amazing how much the settings change just by choosing cabinet and mic models. The point is that learning to use these boxes takes a lot longer than the typical pedal.

Good luck.

Thanks very much Bob, I just started experimenting with Amplitube recently and I do like it!

by the way...some people need to get over themselves...dear god, i made a mistake and haven't heard the end of it. I have great respect for everyone here and appreciate your extensive knowledge that greatly surpasses mine....can we just let it go? I said "engineer" meaning "I am doing some engineering"...my mistake on the misuse and will never ever make that grave mistake again.

Engineer / Schmengineer ... who needs these train operators around here anyway? :P

If you're at all capable with woodworking, you could consider building yourself an isolation cabinet. Greenbacks work great in them. You can probably find plans for one on the internet.

Personally, I've yet to be happy with direct guitar sound. I can stick a mic or two in front of a cabinet and get the sound I want within minutes, seldom requiring much work on the back end. But my sounds are already tweaked in my Korg AX3000G and all of my other gadgets, so I just play as I normally would, live.

That is what works for me. Your mileage may vary.