Troubleshooting
• Audio Glitches
• Cannot Hear Effects
• Driver Not Found
• Guitar or Bass Too Quiet
• I Still Hear Hum
• Light Is Off
• Media Type Auto Detect
• No Power
• No Sound
• Noise and Distortion
• Noise Not Gated
• Red Light
• USB Errors
• Warranty, Support and Repair
Audio Glitches
Audible pops and clicks and other audio glitches may occur when another program or device is trying to stream audio or video, or your computer cannot provide enough system resources (RAM memory, or computer processor speed) for GearBox and your Line 6 driver software. There are a lot of ways to potentially fix the problem, so please read through the ones listed below to see which may help you.First, be sure to check the instructions available from the TonePort online support section of the Line 6 web site. There's detail there on how to properly setup TonePort/GearBox with a variety of recording software, plus information on fine-tuning the setup of Windows computers for audio recording and processing.
If you suspect that you have a problem with your Line 6 driver software or the way it is configured, click the Driver/Recording topic to the left for information on driver setup.
If you have other devices on your computer, especially other soundcards or built-in soundcard capabilities, but also any other devices such as video cards, scanners, printers, etc., it's possible these can be a source of conflicts. Be sure you have the latest version of their software installed. If you're not using a particular device, such as a built-in or add-on soundcard on a Windows computer, try disabling it to prevent it from causing conflicts.
Also note that some USB speakers occasionally create clicks and pops themselves. Listen to your speakers separate from GearBox for a while if you suspect this might be the problem.
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSWhy can't I hear the effects?
Many of GearBox's effects – Gate, Wah, Stomp, Delay, EQ, Mod, and Verb – can be turned on and off by clicking on their icons. Effects shown in color like the MOD effect above are on; effects shown "blanked out" are off, and won't be heard.
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSDriver not found by your computer during start-up
When this happens, it means that your Line 6 driver software may be missing or corrupted. Launch Line 6 Monkey from the GearBox Help menu, and use it to get the latest GearBox installer from the Internet, or pop the GearBox installation CD into your computer and re-run the installer. Any missing or corrupt files will be re-installed. RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSGuitar or bass volume is too quiet at max setting
If you're not getting as much volume as you want from the guitar or bass Tone you've chosen, you may need to adjust your hardware's volume knob, your Guitar or Bass Volume, Amp Volume, or Master Volume:Hardware's Volume – The Output knob on your TonePort determines the overall volume of everything you hear coming out of it. Be sure it is turned to maximum to get the loudest possible output. If turning it to maximum causes new problems with distortion, click here.
Guitar or Bass Volume – Make sure that the Volume knob on your guitar or bass is turned up. If you are using a stompbox between your guitar or bass and your TonePort, be sure its output level is turned up as well. The only thing to be careful of here is that you shouldn't turn up so loud that you are now clipping your TonePort's input.
Amp Volume – Turn the Volume knob on the Amp Model that you're using as high as you can go without clipping. You may want to save the Tone with this setting so you get this volume again when you want it. Different Amp Models and settings of the amp knobs will result in different perceived ranges for the Volume knob. This is because of the very different amount of energy that the Tone includes at various frequency ranges, and how the different distortion characters of the different amps are perceived as volume by our ears and brains. Turning the mids way down with a heavily overdriven sound to get a classic metal guitar Tone, for instance, can result in a perceived lack of volume because all the midrange portion of your guitar signal has been removed.
Master Volume – Normally, you'll want to set GearBox's on-screen Out To Hardware knob to the maxed-out "0" position (you can quickly turn it to 0 by double-clicking it), so you'll get the maximum output level from the software.
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSWhy do I still hear hum when my Hum Reducer is on?
The Hum Reducer will not completely eliminate hum from your guitar (or bass guitar) and the electrical interference it receives from your computer's display and other emission sources, but it is usually able to reduce it considerably. If you're not getting the hum reduction you expect, remember that you need to press the Learn button to set up the Hum Reducer before using it. It's important to position yourself and your guitar in your normal playing position in relationship to your computer display, etc. while the Hum Reducer is learning the pattern of the noise that it will reduce. When you change positions relative to the monitor, change guitars or pickups, or add other possible sources of interference (turning on a nearby television, say), the character of the interference that your guitar is receiving and transmitting as hum will change, and you should press the Learn button again to have the Hum Reducer relearn this new hum pattern.You should also try the Gate to eliminate the noise.
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSLight is off on TonePort hardware
If the light on top of your TonePort UX1 hardware does not light, or the lights of the your TonePort UX2's meters don't light, it means the TonePort hardware is not receiving power from the USB connection. See USB Errors. RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSMedia Type Audio Detect feature of some network adapter cards
On Windows, some network adapter cards have a Media Type Audio Detect feature that will cause intermittent audio with GearBox and your TonePort. You must disable this auto detect feature to use GearBox and your TonePort successfully:- From the Windows Device Manager, select the Network Adapter.
- Select the Advanced tab.
- Select the Media Type property. Its value must NOT be set to Hardware Default or Auto Select. Set the value to match the speed of your Ethernet connection.
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICS
TonePort does not power up.
The light on top of TonePort UX1 and the lights of TonePort UX2 meters come on to show the TonePort receiving power. They should come on whenever TonePort is connected via USB to your computer or USB Hub. If not, see the discussion of USB Errors. RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSNo sound.
There are a number of things that could be wrong here. Let's start with the simple stuff, and work our way through the possibilities:Hardware output volume – Be sure the Output knob on your TonePort is turned up, that it is connected properly to your headphones, speakers or audio system, that the power is on for your speakers or audio system, and that their volume(s) are turned up. Try playing something else through the speakers, audio system or headphones to make sure they're working.
Is there a USB problem with your TonePort? – The light on top of the TonePort UX1 normally lights green when it's operating properly. If the light is not lit or is lit red, see USB Errors. If the light is green, try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable from the TonePort UX1 hardware to "reboot" it to see if that fixes the problem.
Is your guitar, bass, mic or other source transmitting sound as it should? – You may have the volume turned down on your guitar, bass, keyboard or other source (been there, done that), a bad cable connecting it to TonePort, a cable not plugged in all the way (been there and done that, too!), or some malfunction of your guitar, bass, mic or other source. Try plugging it into an amp or other device to see if it's working OK with them.
When you've selected a Line or Mic input as the source for GearBox, meters at the left side of the GearBox window show the level of audio received by your TonePort. If they're moving but you don't hear sound, be sure you haven't got the Monitor knob turned all the way down or MUTE buttons activated (they light red), the Out To Hardware knob turned all the way down, or the Amp or Preamp Model's volume turned all the way down. Or you could have the Gate on with too aggressive a setting. Try turning the Gate off by clicking its icon.
No system sounds or sound from other programs while using TonePort – Mac users, click the Driver/Recording link on the left and view the Mac Driver info to see how to route System Output. Windows users, if you are using a second soundcard or built-in sound on your computer as your preferred audio device, you'll need to connect that card to speakers, or connect an output from it to the Monitor In jack of your TonePort. Or you can have the system and other sounds come out of your TonePort by making it your Preferred Audio Device, as described in the TonePort online support section of the Line 6 web site.
For additional information on ways to connect TonePort and GearBox as part of your system, check the TonePort online support section of the Line 6 web site.
If you hear sound through headphones connected to your TonePort, but don't hear sound through an amp and speakers or other audio system that you've connected to the TonePort, thoroughly check the connections of your audio setup, and make sure all the necessary volumes are turned up. Try connecting something else through the speakers, audio system or headphones to make sure they're working.
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSCauses of excess noise or unwanted distortion and clipping
Noise and distortion? That's what rock and roll is all about, right!? But if you're hearing the bad kind of noise or distortion from GearBox or your TonePort, there are several possible sources and solutions, including the hardware output knob, the on-screen Master Volume knob, Monitor In noise, guitar noise, and speaker or audio system noise. Let's run through each of these, and how it might be a part of your problem:Output knob set too high – It's possible that your speakers, headphones or other audio system can't handle the maximum output level from your TonePort. Try turning the knob on your TonePort down to see if this eliminates the distortion.
Master Volume Clipping – "Clipping" is audio distortion that happens when you have some thing(s) turned up higher than a system is designed for, and the loudest parts of your signal get clipped off as a result. Check your system's clipping indicator: GearBox shows a clip light to the right of the OUT TO HARDWARE volume knob at the bottom left of its window. It lights up red to show when the sum of your monitor signals and any other audio playing through your Line 6 setup go over the maximum to cause clipping. If you see clipping displayed while you're playing an input into your TonePort as well as playing back from other software, but the clipping stops when you stop one as the other continues, it probably means that the combination of processed input and what you are playing back are too much, even though neither one may clip on its own. In this case, you should turn down the OUT TO HARDWARE volume knob at the bottom left of the GearBox window. Or you can pull back on your Amp Model's or Preamp Model's volume knob a bit to get things out of the clipping range.
Monitor In Noise – If you have something connected to the Monitor input on the rear of your TonePort, try disconnecting the cable to see if it eliminates your noise. If it does, it means that the cable or the other gear connected to it is probably the source of the noise. If you suspect the cable, try using another cable and see if that fixes the problem. If the device connected to the Monitor Input is the output from your computer's sound card, you can generally eliminate the need for the soundcard – and the noise it may make – by making your TonePort your Preferred Audio Device. See the TonePort online support section of the Line 6 web site to learn how to make Preferred Device settings as part of your Windows setup.
Guitar Noise – It's easy to find out if your guitar or guitar cable is the source of your noise problem. Just disconnect your guitar cable from your TonePort and see if the noise goes away. If it does, try using a different guitar cable to see if the cable is the problem. If changing the cable doesn't take care of it, you may just have a guitar with noisy pickups, or your guitar may be picking up electrical noise from your computer's display or other sources. You can generally reduce these noises with GearBox's Gate and Hum Reducer.
Input Clipping – Try reducing the output volume of your guitar, stompbox or other device that you have feeding your TonePort's input.
Speaker or other Audio System Noise when using GearBox hardware – It's also possible that the noise is occurring AFTER your TonePort, in your speakers, headphones, or other system that you are connecting your TonePort to for listening. If you're using headphones, try another pair that you own or can borrow from a friend to see if the headphones are the problem. If you're listening via multimedia speakers or other equipment, try listening with headphones instead to see whether the noise is coming from your TonePort or your speakers or audio system. You may have the volume turned too high on the speakers or audio system, causing distortion there. Also, try unplugging the cable that connects your TonePort to your speakers or audio system, and see if the noise goes away. If it does, the noise is probably coming from your TonePort or something feeding into it; if the noise doesn't go away, it means that the speakers or other audio system components are probably the noise makers. You should also try a different cable to connect your TonePort's output to your system, to make sure the cable isn't the problem.
Noise complaints from your family and neighbors – Sorry, you're on your own there. :)
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICS
I still hear noise when the Gate is on
The Gate will not completely eliminate noise but it will reduce it considerably. Please see the information on the Gate to learn how to gate works and how its light can help you adjust the Gate for best performance as you change other Tone settings and your audio sources.You can also try the Hum Reducer to eliminate the noise.
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSRed Light on TonePort UX1 hardware
If the light on your TonePort UX1 hardware is lit solid red, there's a USB connection or communication problem. RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSUSB Errors
If you are having USB communication problems, the first thing to do is check your cables to make sure they haven't gotten disconnected accidentally. If you have a spare USB cable, try it instead to make sure the cable isn't the problem. Windows users, information on the USB controller and other devices and drivers in your computer are available from the Windows Device Manager. Also note that if you are connecting your TonePort to a USB Hub, it must be a powered USB hub, with its own connection to power, not a hub powered directly from your computer.
This icon shown solid at the bottom right corner of GearBox's window means USB communications appear to be OK. If the icon flashes, there is something wrong with the USB connection or communications to your TonePort. The lights on your TonePort can help you solve the problem:- TonePort UX1 light is green or TonePort UX2 meters are lit – This indicates the TonePort driver software is correctly installed. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable from the TonePort hardware to "reboot" it to see if that fixes the problem.
- TonePort lights are off – If the light on the top of your TonePort hardware is not on at all, or the lights of your TonePort UX2 meters are not lit, it means the hardware is NOT receiving the power it needs from the USB connection. Disconnect and reconnect those cables to make sure they're really plugged in correctly, and remember that if you are using a USB Hub, it MUST have its own power supply separate from the USB connection, rather than getting its power via the USB cable only.
- Light on TonePort UX1 is red – This means the TonePort UX1 is receiving power from the USB connection, but there is a communication error. Try unplugging the USB cable, waiting a few seconds, then re-plugging it. If this doesn't fix the problem, try restarting your computer, and relaunching GearBox. If the red light persists, you may need to re-install your TonePort driver or GearBox software. You can grab the latest versions using Line 6 Monkey from GearBox's Help menu, or run the installer from your GearBox CD.
RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICSWarranty, Support and Repair
Please see the TonePort online support section of the Line 6 web site for info. RETURN TO TROUBLESHOOTING TOPICS