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497 Views 14 Replies Latest reply: Jan 28, 2012 10:25 PM by mtnbkr123 RSS
mtnbkr123 Just Startin'
mtnbkr123
36 posts since
Dec 11, 2011
Currently Being Moderated

Jan 26, 2012 9:43 AM

Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

Wow. The HD500 has been a roller coaster ride. First, nothing but disappointing failure . Then, right before I was about to return it, some breakthroughs . But now I find I am tweaking like a mad scientist instead of playing . Tweak, play a riff. Tweak some more, play the same riff... I am slowly driving my daughter insane.

 

Since getting the HD, I'm becoming more and more and more obsessed with tone. And what is really bizarre is that a patch that sounds like sonic sex when I first fire up my HD, slowly deteriorates, sounding continually thinner and thinner as time ticks away (sometimes hours with me having no idea). Then I check and recheck everything 10 times thinking I inadvertently changed a setting. Then I unplug the HD, fire up a few pedals to see how those sound, and conclude they sound no better than the HD. Then I conclude that the HD is fine - it's my amp that sucks. Haha!  It doesn't really and I know that.

 

It's all because I have become hyper dialed into tone since I got the HD. Continually searching for the ultimate tone experience.

 

At this rate I am going to have to line up some counselling. I am becoming tone obsessed. Haha!

 

While it's a blast checking out this and that with the HD, from now on, I have resolved to play more and tweak less.

 

Anyone else with the same problem or is it only me? Probably just me...

  • ChrisRT Just Startin'
    ChrisRT
    59 posts since
    Mar 22, 2011
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 26, 2012 11:31 AM (in response to mtnbkr123)
    Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

    Mine is on ebay for this reason.

    • mtnbkr123 Just Startin'
      mtnbkr123
      36 posts since
      Dec 11, 2011
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 26, 2012 12:03 PM (in response to ChrisRT)
      Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

      Wow. I'm not quite there yet (seeing as though I'm still within the return period) but holy crap. I need to dial a few patches and get on with life. I haven't got more than 5 hours sleep in a night for 2 weeks. It's been fun but borderline pathological. Mwahahaha!

    • jasonbogen Just Startin'
      jasonbogen
      357 posts since
      Sep 24, 2007
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 27, 2012 6:29 AM (in response to ChrisRT)
      Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

      Wow!  I have an entire bank of tones for the wide range of cover songs my band does that also include JTV settings and I don't have that problem at all.  It took me some time to set them up, but I haven't touched them in months and have played over 100 gigs with it.  This despite working 10 hours a day in my normal job, coaching a baseball team and taking my 3 kids all over God's creation.  Most challenges I had early on I found solutions to on this board.  At least you will be giving someone a chance to get an HD for a good price.

  • uioppi Just Startin'
    uioppi
    26 posts since
    Mar 27, 2006
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 26, 2012 1:06 PM (in response to mtnbkr123)
    Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

    Yes, this is driving me insane!

     

    It's like all the time searching for the golden tone. Just adding, tweaking, adding and teaking. Finally i did managed to get one fantastic sounding tone for lead guitar, but then recorded some solo and backed it with about the same tone. Then listened and realized something very worrying.

     

    I have forgot the most important thing in rock music. KISS (Keep It Stupid Simple). It's not the tone, but the feeling and not being too serious on it. Then i just ripped most of the effects and tweaks off, had compressor, amp and cabinet, recorded backs and played solo with wah and screamer. That was it. For ffffff sake.

  • meambobbo Iknowathingortwo
    meambobbo
    1,702 posts since
    Dec 13, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 26, 2012 2:04 PM (in response to mtnbkr123)
    Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

    I wouldn't say my tone deteriorates.  I do notice more warts for some older patches, and I'll tweak them.  Yes, I tweak way too much.  But in general I think my patches rule.  I love my tone, even for long periods of time.  For me, it's more about the sheer volume of patches I have than struggling to find a single patch that I always like.

    • jimsreynolds Power User
      jimsreynolds
      2,227 posts since
      Jun 27, 43450
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 26, 2012 2:34 PM (in response to meambobbo)
      Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

      For me it's about the output.   I am really happy with the FX Only patches to go with my amp.  I am also getting to the stage of being happy with the modelled amp patches that I output to the power amp of my JVM Combo. 

       

      My final aspiration is to get some good patches to run straight into a PA and that is the real challenge for me - being able to anticipate how a given patch will sound when plugged into a flat, neutral PA. 

       

      If I can get to the stage where I can plug into a strange PA and be abe to get a selection of clean and dirty tones that sound good and FEEL good to play (even with a couple of EQ tweaks on the fly if needed) then I can retire from the tweak-geek arena  happy. 

    • mtnbkr123 Just Startin'
      mtnbkr123
      36 posts since
      Dec 11, 2011
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 26, 2012 2:36 PM (in response to meambobbo)
      Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

      Mr. Meambobbo -- if it weren't for you and your very well written Guide, my HD500 would have been returned. My break throughs occurred after I started flipping through it. I was doing soooooo many fundamental things wrong. So really, it's you my GF can thank for going for stretches without sessions...well, the kind of sessions she has in mind anyway. Hahahaha!

       

      As for the deterioration of the tone of my patches, I am not talking over weeks or days. I'm talking within hours. They are not really "deteriorating" per se - in fact, they are not changing one bit; the only thing happening is that I get more and more dialed on the tone as I keep playing and what sounded rich and thick and searing hot an hour ago, all of a sudden sounds brittle and thin. As if someone started screwing with the settings. Just my mind playing tricks on me. It happens every time. When I play tonight, my patches will sound awesome again...for a while. Hahaha.

      • Rewolf48 Just Startin'
        Rewolf48
        133 posts since
        Aug 9, 2010
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 27, 2012 5:23 AM (in response to mtnbkr123)
        Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

        Don't forget that your ears get "fatigued" - especially when trying for fine details in tone...  actually it is more about how your brain is interpreting the sound and it does adapt quite quickly which is how you can filter out background noise. 

         

        Take breaks to let them recover as what tired ears thinks is good can often sound rubbish to fresh ears so all that extra fine tweaking is often wasted time.  Get a rough tone, and then just play the guitar without tweaking at all and enjoy yourself (make notes of what you might want to change), then next day come back to see what fresh ears think and if necessary make a few changes and repeat. 

         

        Hours and hours on a few tones in a single session is wasted time.   

      • meambobbo Iknowathingortwo
        meambobbo
        1,702 posts since
        Dec 13, 2007
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 27, 2012 8:59 AM (in response to mtnbkr123)
        Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

        It sounds like Line 6 owes me some gear .  You're not the first person that has said my research was the only cause they didn't return their Pod HD.

  • Pezza Just Startin'
    Pezza
    75 posts since
    Jun 18, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 27, 2012 6:15 AM (in response to mtnbkr123)
    Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

    Get a DT25, tweak for a few minutes and then play for hours.

    I was the same when I just had the HD500 into my Vetta or studio monitors. The DT25 has meant I can get those illusive sounds in minutes.

  • jcosta_sr Just Startin'
    jcosta_sr
    120 posts since
    Jun 11, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 27, 2012 10:39 AM (in response to mtnbkr123)
    Re: Anyone else tweaking too much and playing too little?

    I also have a whole bank of patches for my copy band.  I can usually get pretty close to the tone I am looking for using my head sets, then tweek them incrementally after each practice when we are playing at normal volumes.  I find the hardest thing is leveling patches across the bank.  That is the one that takes the most time..........and drives me to distraction when playing.........

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