Community: Message List - Don't return your HD500! Try this...

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:06:55 GMT

Hi meambobbo,

thanks for your information. .

You make the HD500 much more valuable for me as "out of the box".

Great, great, great.

Best regards

Thomas

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:19:02 GMT

well, I touch upon how I commonly use the DEP's for each amp in the amps section of my guide: http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/amps.html. But I don't give firm numbers - I just describe what I hear from my experiences.

They make adjustments to the tone that are subjective. What's optimal for a Periphery tone might not be optimal for some other artist. For example, I have two Meshuggah patches, which are nearly identical. However, the Chaosphere one uses Master Volume up to like 80%, and uses a bit less Drive, while the Obzen one uses Master Volume at like 45%, and I use more pre-amp Drive. Which is optimal? I guess that depends on which Meshuggah tone you prefer.

As far as cleaning up full amps, I've only dialed in the DEP's for the blackface double. It's the only amp I use for "100% clean" tones. I actually have patches that use no amp, just using compressor and EQ effects to simulate a "100% clean" amp. In general, turning down Master Volume and turning up Bias and/or Bias X will clean up the power sections of amps.

Also, depending on settings, the DEP's may behave a little differently. For instance with the Fireball, if you crank the Master Volume, Bias changes the character of the tone from kind of loose and dirty with low settings to tight and sharp with high settings. With the Master Volume at like 30%, it has more of an effect on how much mids are in the tone than shaping the the distortion character.

Lately I've been mucking around more with Hum. Sometimes it has only a very, very subtle effect on the tone. Sometimes it really changes the distortion character. And where most of the controls are at least somewhat continuous in what you can expect (IE - you get more and more power amp distortion as you turn up Master Volume), Hum seems almost cyclical - the sound can go in a completely different direction from 60-70% than it did going from 50-60%. You have to experiment a lot.

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:04:52 GMT

Dear experts, especially meambobo,

can you pleaase start a list with "optimized DEP settings" for the amp models.

thanks alot

Thomas

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:43:33 GMT

This was partially why I wrote my guide. I wanted to just directly link people to the answer, so we can get these threads closed and move on to posts that help us discover real bugs with the unit or not-so-obvious ways to improve it. everyone tells me thanks for being selfless when I was actually being self-serving. Mwahahah

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:37:24 GMT

Does anyone who starts posts regarding the POD HD500 bother to search first for posts already written about the same or similar topics? Based on what I've seen, the answer seems to be no. I strongly suggest that anyone coming to any Line 6.com discussion or tech site do a good search using as many "keywords" as possible that relate to the problem or info you are wanting answers to or help with. This site is like 1,000 jigsaw puzzles all with most of the same pieces yet none are complete.

Now onto what I've read here. Lots of good suggestions and helpful info. I've takenit a step further for all POD HD500 users who are ****** off, upset, confused, no happy, can't figure it out, understandably hating the factory pacthes and wondering why Line 6 chose to put such lame crap on the unit to start with, etc., etc. I created my own Start-Up guide to help all of the above. I too was ******, frustrated, and confused with how this unit is designed. It took me the better part of a year, but now I feel like I've gotten into it pretty well and can help those who felt as I did.

This link will bring anyone interested to my document.... http://line6.com/support/docs/DOC-2638

I hope this will help those who want to get the most from their POD HD500.

Take care,

Neal

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:22:37 GMT

I am running the HD500 into a small volume control box, then into the "power amp in" on my Fender Deluxe and it sounds great on stage.

I also run XLR out of the POD direct to the PA. Then I mic the Deluxe with a 57 off axis, blend the two together and it sounds fantastic for some reason.

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:09:46 GMT

jimsreynolds wrote:

phil_m wrote:
you could simply mic the amp. I've always thought if you're going to have the volume source of a real amp on stage anyway, you might as well mic it. That way you know that what you're hearing coming out of the amp is what the sound guy is getting.
Yup ... that is the winner for me. You do your bit and you get to paste the sound guy if he doesn't do his .

Yep I guess so... Ive "always" used a real amp on stage for stage volume. Tried the other routes and they just didnt work for me. Simply mic the amp he says, while staring at all those multi preamp out ports just gathering dust as the idea floats into his head, and the little voice says, its hard to beat perfection...... sigh...

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:34:15 GMT

phil_m wrote:
you could simply mic the amp. I've always thought if you're going to have the volume source of a real amp on stage anyway, you might as well mic it. That way you know that what you're hearing coming out of the amp is what the sound guy is getting.

Yup ... that is the winner for me. You do your bit and you get to paste the sound guy if he doesn't do his .

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:18:57 GMT

As Stumpsout noted, there are XLR outs on the DT amps, so you don't need to go through all that hassle. Or you could simply mic the amp. I've always thought if you're going to have the volume source of a real amp on stage anyway, you might as well mic it. That way you know that what you're hearing coming out of the amp is what the sound guy is getting.

Re: Don't return your HD500! Try this...

support@line6.com — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:07:16 GMT

spikey wrote:

jimsreynolds wrote:

Hookups supporting live seems to be the rub.

Yep... I do wish we had a way to have seperate multi outs without having to pan and split amps and remove mic and speaker emulations to get there....

jimsreynolds wrote:
Instead, it seems better to run the HD into either an FRFR setup or a good guitar power amp, ideally with a good EQ (hint hint !) and then hook that up to whatever PA is out there. It means that you retain control over most of your tone and it is up to the local sound people to fit you into the room and mix ... old school!

Welp, the Pod HD was designed to work in tandem with the DT-25/50 amps via the L6-Link function. What they (yea, Line 6) forgot was that if I have this amp on stage too, then I have to pan and split amp signal paths and remove mic and speaker emulations in order to run BOTH the DT amp and into the board with the correct outputs from the HD. That is a hassle, and poorly thought out and engineered to put it bluntly....

There are XLR outs on the DT amps. They slay