Putting NAM on your POD Go, one click at a time

Contents

0. What you need
1. Back up your POD Go
2. Download Line 6's firmware 2.50
3. Build the NAM firmware
4. Optional: try it without installing
5. Install it with Line 6 Updater
6. Convert your captures
7. Put a capture on the POD Go
8. Set up a preset and play
9. Going back to normal (recovery)
10. Getting help
11. All the links

0 What you need

• A POD Go or POD Go Wireless. If it isn't on firmware 2.50 yet, update it to 2.50 with Line 6 Updater first, the normal way.
• A Mac or Windows computer and the POD Go's USB cable.
• Chrome or Edge on that computer (Chrome is what this guide shows).
• Line 6 Updater and POD Go Edit, both free from line6.com/software.
• One or more NAM captures in the A2 Lite size, trained at 48 kHz (.nam files).

1 Back up your POD Go

Your presets and IRs normally stay through the update, but take a backup first anyway.

1. Connect the POD Go to the computer with USB and turn it on.

2. Open POD Go Edit and wait until it shows your presets.

3. Choose POD Go Edit's Backup option, give the backup a name and click Create Backup.

4. Wait for Backup completed successfully! and click OK.

5. Quit POD Go Edit (⌘ Q on a Mac, close the window on Windows). It holds the USB connection, and the next steps need it free.

2 Download Line 6's firmware 2.50

This is the official file the NAM firmware is built from. It is also your way back, so keep it.

1. Go to line6.com/software. If a cookie box appears, choose whichever option you like.

2. In - Choose Hardware - pick POD Go (or POD Go Wireless).

3. In - Choose Software - pick Firmware.

4. In - Choose OS - pick macOS or Windows, then click Go.

5. In the results, open POD Go Firmware · Version 2.50.0 and click its download link.

6. Line 6 shows its licence agreement. Read it and accept it; the download starts.

7. You now have POD_Go_v2.50.0_0x6e984472.hxf (about 45 MB) in your Downloads folder. Leave it there or move it somewhere safe.

3 Build the NAM firmware

1. In Chrome, open the setup page: tavishrox.github.io/pod-go-nam-lite.

2. Scroll down to Setting it up, step 2, Build the NAM firmware.

3. Choose your options (both are optional; leave them unticked for the plain build):

   • ToneShift Edition: adds the "NAM A2 Edition" lettering to the POD Go's boot screen.
   • Show capture names on the Model knob (experimental): the Model knob shows, say, "4 Mesa JP2C" instead of 0.3.

4. Drag POD_Go_v2.50.0_0x6e984472.hxf from your Downloads folder onto the box that says Drop POD_Go_v2.50.0_0x6e984472.hxf here. Or click the box and choose the file.

   Always the stock file from step 2, even if your POD Go already runs a NAM build.

5. Wait. The first build downloads the build tools (about 15 MB) and takes 30 to 90 seconds. Keep the tab open until it finishes.

6. It says Verified: your POD Go firmware is ready. "Verified" means every byte matches the build that was tested on a POD Go.

7. Click Download firmware. Chrome saves a file whose name starts POD_Go_v2.50.0_NAM_A2_Lite to your Downloads folder.

4 Optional: try it without installing

The setup page can run the firmware you just built from the POD Go's memory for one session. Nothing is written to the POD Go: turn it off and on and it starts the firmware it had before. Skip to step 5 if you just want to install.

1. Make sure POD Go Edit and Line 6 Updater are both closed.

2. Connect the POD Go with USB and turn it on.

3. If your POD Go already runs a NAM build you installed earlier, tick My POD Go isn't on stock 2.50 and choose that exact .hxf file. Otherwise leave it unticked.

4. Click Run from RAM. Chrome lists USB devices: click your POD Go, then Connect.

5. The POD Go restarts. When the page asks, click Continue, then pick the device Chrome lists and click Connect. This happens twice.

6. It says Running from RAM. Play: everything works as installed, but knobs can react a little slowly from RAM.

7. Done trying? Turn the POD Go off and on. It's back on its installed firmware.

5 Install it with Line 6 Updater

1. Turn the POD Go off and on, so it's running its installed firmware. Keep it connected with USB.

2. Make sure POD Go Edit is closed.

3. Open Line 6 Updater. Sign in with your Line 6 account if it asks.

4. Under Select device to update, click your POD Go.

5. Click Local file, then Choose File, and pick the file you downloaded in step 3: the one whose name starts POD_Go_v2.50.0_NAM_A2_Lite (not the stock file).

6. Click Update. Read Line 6's notes and click Continue or OK when asked.

7. Don't unplug or turn off the POD Go until the update has finished, the POD Go has restarted and Line 6 Updater says it's done. It takes a few minutes.

8. Click Done and quit Line 6 Updater.

6 Convert your captures

The POD Go can't load .nam files, but it can store IRs, so each capture is packed into an IR-sized .wav file.

1. Open the converter: tavishrox.github.io/pod-go-nam-lite/web/pod-go/converter.html.

2. Drag your .nam files onto Drop .nam files here (or click it and choose them). You can drop several at once.

3. Each capture gets a row. In Name, type the name you want to see in POD Go Edit (about 20 characters fit; the counter shows how many you've used).

4. Leave Start each name with NAM ticked, so captures stand out from real IRs later.

5. In IR slot, type the IR slot you'll put it in (1 to 101). Note the Model value shown next to it: that's what you'll set on the NAM block.

6. Click Download converted files (Download converted file for one) and unzip the download if it's a .zip.

7 Put a capture on the POD Go

1. Connect the POD Go, turn it on and open POD Go Edit.

2. Open the IR list (the impulse responses, beside the preset list).

3. Drag the converted .wav onto the empty slot you chose in step 6. (Or select the slot, choose Import... and pick the file.)

8 Set up a preset and play

Quickest: import a ready-made template

1. Download a template from the links below. NAM Essentials is a good first one.

2. In POD Go Edit's preset list, select a preset slot you don't mind replacing, choose Import... and pick the .pgp file.

3. The templates play IR slot 4. Put a capture in slot 4 (step 7), or set Model to your own slot.

Or add NAM to your own preset

1. Select the amp block and choose NAM A2 Lite. In POD Go Edit it still shows as Line 6 Elektrik with Elektrik's knob names; the POD Go shows NAM's. That's only cosmetic.

2. Set Model (Elektrik's Master in POD Go Edit) to your slot: slot number minus one, divided by ten.

   IR slot	1	2	3	4	5	10	11	12	50	101
   Model	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.9	1.0	1.1	4.9	10.0

   An empty slot keeps the block silent.

3. Turn the cab block off if the capture includes a cab (most do: look for "CAB" in its name). Keep a cab on for "DI" or amp-only captures.

4. Leave Input at 5.0 (as recorded) and Output at 5.0 (unity) to start, then save the preset and play.

9 Going back to normal (recovery)

Use this if the POD Go stops at the boot screen, an update fails, or you simply want the stock firmware back.

1. Turn the POD Go off.

2. Hold Page > and turn it on. Keep holding until it's in update mode.

3. Open Line 6 Updater, click your POD Go, then Local file › Choose File, and pick the stock POD_Go_v2.50.0_0x6e984472.hxf from step 2.

4. Click Update and wait until it's done. Don't unplug.

The mod never touches the bootloader, so this always works. To restore presets and IRs, use POD Go Edit's Restore From Backup with the backup from step 1.

10 Getting help

Open an issue on GitHub so others can find the answer too: github.com/tavishrox/pod-go-nam-lite/issues. Say whether you have a POD Go or POD Go Wireless, what you did and what happened (a photo of the screen helps). Never attach firmware files.

11 All the links