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411 Views 14 Replies Latest reply: Apr 18, 2012 3:10 PM by DISARRAY3 RSS
DISARRAY3 Just Startin'
DISARRAY3
13 posts since
May 7, 2011
Currently Being Moderated

Mar 18, 2012 8:21 AM

HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

this started on stage at a metal fest of all places. the story is ive talked our guitarist into a pod from digitech rp350 as i have had great luck with the x3live. this hd300 was used in practice for 4 months and upon release of this band, we only used it for 3 shows so far. all gear is kept climate controlled and packed in cases. from day one, we had issues with connecting usb with 5 different laptops and pc's running every combo you can think of. stike 1. all updates available are made. sound is fair recording direct to pro tools with m audio interface, but cannot for the life of me get a live tone to match. running either to effects return or amp front, any combo of switches, any combo of output settings. get a massive fizzy distortion and very amplified pick scraping never before heard with x3L or digitech. even set on studio with level on amp. strike 2. the biggest issue is we have had glitching with this so bad it has me concerned to even use it anymore. more and more we are getting a stutter like a on off switch fast in and out. bap, bap, bap, bap, bap.. most of the time will change on its own to "d" preset no matter what you do. when this happens, you cannot change presets or banks at all. if you depress another preset, it lights up but doesn't not stay. goes right back to D preset. that is strike 3.

  I for one, have spent months on end to sort all the other issues out with ever bit of knowledge found on your site and word of mouth. things help to a point with sound, but there is no happy medium. you either get crap fizz, or a soulless tone that is flat. maybe the guitar processor really is just not meant for guitar amps and cabs. fine, we will use it to record. well, 8 out of 10 times it doesn't connect correctly or dumps a blue screen of death to either my i5 hp laptop win7, or the actual studio pc rig running xp pro. not a friendly item at all here. the icing on the cake is the last issue. we changed to just using you 400 dollar processor as just a pedal board now to get a usable metal tone. at best, that's even poor due to the stupid fact of the effects banks issue, thats another story all together.... but to have this issue of randomly changing, cutting out, and stuttering? unacceptable. im sorry, this pod has totally changed the view of what line 6 has built to me from years of success using the x3L. nobody wants to buy a product, not be able to use it for a tone like they got out of a cheaper inferior processor (not even close i may add), have nothing but trouble using the usb to work on the tone with your edit program, then in such a short time have a major issue like this now with the pedal failing in every way now? no one really even want this thing anymore its that bad. if it is not fixed, we are getting rid of the hd, the x3L, the bean, and the bass pod and going back to pedals.

you have something so good going for you and have built a great name. it really worries me that the hd300 has passed through all your processes to get to market the way it is and someone, somewhere said, YEP, ITS READY!. plain and simple, this thing is awful, nothing but trouble, and has soured what ever name and reputation you spent years to build for your company. im not ever one to write a note like this. i research, try, tinker, research more...etc. but i am that discouraged at this product right now and feel i have been taken advantage of with this unit. i hope everyone understands it may not be all your products, but definitely the hd300 is not worth more than $150 at best if it even worked correctly. Im the sucker here cause i bought when it just came out, instead of waiting for the new digitech, and spent $400 on it.

Tags: pod, usb, tone, pedal, patch, problem, hd, 300, switch, glitch, stutter, on, sounds, line_6, changes, stuttering, hd300, its, pod_hd_300, own
  • DISARRAY3 Just Startin'
    DISARRAY3
    13 posts since
    May 7, 2011
    Currently Being Moderated
    Mar 19, 2012 5:59 AM (in response to DISARRAY3)
    Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

    25 views and no one has an answer. does anyone else feel this way too about the hd300? or is it just a bad pod. i know all the typical issues everyone has with the effects block, and how its wrote off as "works best into full range system like a p.a." and all, but the cutting out, changing presets on its own, and stuttering randomly mid song?

    NOTE: i just noticed when it stutters or is about to fail, the tap l.e.d. flashes super speedy. this is a shame and whats worse is i have no cure. crap sound? ok, we use it as a stompbox modeller. but shows booked, studio time wasted, and now have to sit at idle to figure out what is going on with a brand new(ish) unit is killing mommentum. we are a business and it is causing downtime. please help us out LINE 6....

    • silverhead Expert Line 6 User
      silverhead
      9,592 posts since
      Apr 1, 2009
      Currently Being Moderated
      Mar 19, 2012 6:05 AM (in response to DISARRAY3)
      Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

      Have you tried reinstalling the device firmware? Run Line 6 Monkey with the HD300 connected and choose to Update (or Reinstall Latest) firmware. Bewfore doing this, run HD300 Edit and save any presets you want to restore later.

       

      If the above does not work I suggest you return your HD300 and get a replacement. It sounds to me like it is simply a defective unit. It happens.

    • Mr_Arkadin Expert Line 6 User
      Mr_Arkadin
      2,379 posts since
      Jan 25, 2007
      Currently Being Moderated
      Mar 19, 2012 6:35 AM (in response to DISARRAY3)
      Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

      I have a 300 and have had none of these issues, so I go with silverhead's suggestion - although it sounds more likely you just have a defective unit from the very beginning. For me the sound is far above my XT Pro, so likewise the X3 as it has the same models, so I'm not sure why you're getting bad tone.

       

      I'm not sure why you feel the need to get rid of all your other kit that works fine because you had one unit you don't like/is potentially faulty? Feels like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

      • DISARRAY3 Just Startin'
        DISARRAY3
        13 posts since
        May 7, 2011
        Currently Being Moderated
        Mar 19, 2012 12:52 PM (in response to Mr_Arkadin)
        Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

        your write mr_arkadin. a little abrupt thinking there. we have a very light budget for gear and i talked these guys all into line 6 gear cause of all the features and sounds on a budget. i loved the x3l and the edit program. very shocked getting the hd300 home to find out the salesman was not trained at all on this product and informed us its just like the x3 you have with less effects. NOT that you have to choose either distortion, comp, boost, harmony,dimension from the same block! and there is no graph eg( very handy dialing all tones in metal btw, to notch a spot for everybody). that, is just uncool. the info is out there now, but time of purchase? nope.

        and while i agree the sound direct is better via headphones or powered speakers, it is not the same running the same gear as the x3l at all. less balls, looser bottom, great mids, but there is something up top that i cant put finger on that was not there with the x3l. best way to discribe is pick scrapeing sound with fizz behind it. possably the hd300 has a hotter output signal than x3l? i used the dual and triplle recto sims together with x3l so figured id dial a patch with that and eq as close as possable. same rig, same settings, i hear a major difference. thanks for the reply tho as well sir.

        • Mr_Arkadin Expert Line 6 User
          Mr_Arkadin
          2,379 posts since
          Jan 25, 2007
          Currently Being Moderated
          Mar 26, 2012 9:18 AM (in response to DISARRAY3)
          Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

          Well I like to think of myself as to the point rather than abrupt.   No harm intended. It sounds like the HD500 would have been a better choice in hindsight. That's the beauty of hindsight I suppose. If you're on a tight budget then that's even more reason to carry on using the Line 6 kit that you have that works fine - you're not going to harm Line 6 by not using it, just yourself.

           

          I think you'll find many people (most perhaps?) feel the HD series sounds better than the X3. Of course it's all a matter of taste but things like 'less balls' and a 'scraping sound' just doesn't sound right to me. I think the HDs have more balls than the XT/X3s before them. It could very well be a fault on the model you have, or perhaps the amps you have just work better with the X3 than the HD. I would say that direct it should sound and, importantly, feel better than the previous Pods. As soon as I tried the Gibtone (a favourite of mine on the XT series) it just seemed to react more realistically than the XT version.

           

          As some leverage could you take it back to the shop as part exchange on an HD500, using the fact that it was sold by the guy in the shop as being capable of things that it can't deliver?

          • DISARRAY3 Just Startin'
            DISARRAY3
            13 posts since
            May 7, 2011
            Currently Being Moderated
            Mar 20, 2012 5:47 AM (in response to Mr_Arkadin)
            Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

            thanks again. and i meant my actions being abrupt. you were to the point and got me to rethink my emotions on this. just very fustrated as all the other line 6 items are used by other members and this is the lead guitarists. thank you all for your answers and encouraging advise. i have asked only to find out owner never sent card in. i will have him check date on reciep from gc and go from there i suppose.

        • silverhead Expert Line 6 User
          silverhead
          9,592 posts since
          Apr 1, 2009
          Currently Being Moderated
          Mar 19, 2012 1:23 PM (in response to DISARRAY3)
          Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

          Since a firmware update didn't help I am even more inclined to think your device is just a bad one. The poor sound and flaky behaviour you describe is just not common experience among Pod HD owners in general, especially for the HD300. You point out some obvious limitations of the device (the FX groupings, for instance) but partly because of that it really is simpler to get good tones from the HD300/400 than from the HD500/Bean/Pro. So the fact that you can't get good tones at all, despite all your time and efforts, says to me that your device is faulty.

           

          I think you should return it, and consider the HD500 - but be prepared for more complexity and another learning curve. It's well worth it, but there's no shortcut.

          • DISARRAY3 Just Startin'
            DISARRAY3
            13 posts since
            May 7, 2011
            Currently Being Moderated
            Mar 20, 2012 5:56 AM (in response to silverhead)
            Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

            thanks for your response. i will have lead guitarist check date on reciept and give it a go. im just not sure we are at the point of talking him into even upgrading now. i know the x3l very well and think the hd500 WOULD have been the choice in the first place....but, well, its done. thanks for the helpful insite on this matter as well.

             

            p.s.- anychance some of the pick noises and fizz come from levels to high? this thing has alot of output volume it seems and with just headphones i noticed i have to turn down the master on the back to keep from the digital clipping we all hate. not sure if this is why most patches i download have very very much more lower volume or not. never got a straight answer on this. we are talking mesa and bogner sounds here. no issue at all with cleans. just seems our patches have much higher channel and master volumes on edit from the line 6 custom tones ive tried.

              thanks again to the community here for the help and support.

            • Mr_Arkadin Expert Line 6 User
              Mr_Arkadin
              2,379 posts since
              Jan 25, 2007
              Currently Being Moderated
              Mar 20, 2012 11:54 AM (in response to DISARRAY3)
              Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

              Well I don't know your amps, and to be honest I use my Pods direct, never through amps, but here are some things to consider.

               

              Any tone you download will of course have many variables when it was created: guitar type, guitar set-up, pick-up types, active/passive etc. - that's before we get to how it was monitored when the tone was created! The tone could have been created through headphones, studio monitor speakers, into the front of a guitar amp or into the FX loop of a guitar amp. Plus there are many makes of headphones, monitor speakers and guitar amps on top of that.

               

              Is the 'scraping' sound the same with all guitars? Are any of the guitars active? Are the pick-up heights set high on all the guitars? Just shooting ideas at you - although I imagine that these same guitars have gone though the X3 with no problems? The HD300 has the same sound engine as the HD500, just fewer features, so really there would be uproar if everyone's experience was like yours across the HD range. If the scraping is apparent through headphones then I would definitely say it's faulty. I just hope that you're in time for a replacement.

              • DISARRAY3 Just Startin'
                DISARRAY3
                13 posts since
                May 7, 2011
                Currently Being Moderated
                Apr 18, 2012 3:10 PM (in response to Mr_Arkadin)
                Re: HD300 is stuttering and changing on its own

                Thanks mr arkadin. yes tones vary alot with this off the comunity ive noticed. some volumes are way loud, others barely audable. im not sure how exactly to set volume levels like drive, amp, master, and all pedals CORRECTLY, but i can say that it is noticable only using cab sims with the pod. not the digi, and not using pod as stompboxs only (not so much anyway). either the fernendes vortex, or the ibanez will do it. both active, seymour duncan in ibanez. gauge of the string is lighter than most drop tuned metal keep in mind. we have since gone to heavy strings and heavy picks on the ibanez as its in drop c, the fernendes in d standard. im concerned i am driving input too much either on guitar in, or pushing signal to amps too hot. i do notice with just a boss in front of clean on randall, volume is turned way higher around 4-5 atleast for stage volume. with pod, its screaming at 2. digitech at 3. not oclock, i mean numbers. maybe it is picking up guitar signal too hot? how would you suggest i attempt to change that with all the different volume controls. i can understand better if i knew what of the 5 different volumes did what to tone alot better with a mental picture. all in all, i just want to be able to use this pod to its potential and not as a stompbox modeler only.

                BTW, after another full reset, update, and monkeying around with the switch for D bank, i have not had a failure like the original post since. fingers crossed, now if i can understand setting volumes correctly to rule that out, and get the fizz out of the rectifier model like i was able to do with the x3L with the eq, i am back in business! and thanks to the community here for all the advice as well guys.

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