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Up to Discussions in James Tyler Variax Guitars
323 Views 11 Replies Latest reply: Oct 27, 2012 8:10 AM by diggerbarnz RSS
gregorydileo Just Startin'
gregorydileo
14 posts since
Oct 1, 2010
Currently Being Moderated

Sep 20, 2012 1:49 PM

Dream Rig Assignment of Custom 1 AND Custom 2 alt tunings with POD HD 500

New to the forum and can't find what I'm doing wrong.  I think I have finally figured out the free online software for HD editing of the Dream Rig (JTV59, DT25, POD HD500), and here's where I'm stuck.  The POD HD 500 is successfully taking my footswitch assignments from my JTV for everything EXCEPT the alternate tunings that I saved to the JTV Custom 2 bank.  For example, I'm saving my JTV Custom 1-5 settings to a POD set list, which I'm successfully calling up with the POD footswitches, but following the same process, I went to save a low strung guitar tuning I created and saved to JTV Custom 2 bank, position 1.  The POD is taking my sound but not the tuning.  The other alt tunings successfully transferred from the Custom 1 bank, but the POD won't take the Custom 2 alt tunings.  Suggestions?

Tags: rig, dream, jtv-59
  • silverhead Expert Line 6 User
    silverhead
    9,592 posts since
    Apr 1, 2009
    Currently Being Moderated
    Sep 20, 2012 1:59 PM (in response to gregorydileo)
    Re: Dream Rig Assignment of Custom 1 AND Custom 2 alt tunings with POD HD 500

    Make sure you have the tuning knob on the JTV set to Model, not Standard or one of the other alt tuning settings. The Model setting ensures that the JTV uses the alt tuning stored with the JTV model selection. Also, make sure that there is no JTV tuning (even normal tuning) assigned in the HD500 preset.

  • Iknowathingortwo
    MerlinFL
    1,667 posts since
    Jul 17, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Sep 20, 2012 3:39 PM (in response to gregorydileo)
    Re: Dream Rig Assignment of Custom 1 AND Custom 2 alt tunings with POD HD 500

    I'll just step in to make certain you know this much about the JTV guitar.  ANY bank can be altered to be and hold any guitar models you wish.  Example - I have no Jazzbox guitars on one of my main JTV Bundle setups because I never use those guitars, but need many more acoustic models with various tunings.  This all started with the original Variax guitar which in this way works exactly the same.  So even though I now have alternate downward tunings on the alt tuning knob, I hardly ever use it as I have created dozens of guitars I use all the time back in 2006 with Workbench and my EC700 Variax guitars.

     

    The post asking if you have your alt tuning knob set to MODEL, is the most important part of this and then what he also wrote about your POD HD unit being set to NOT FORCE tune anything in your POD HD patches.

     

    You might wish to look at all Variax points and setting you have on both your guitar and on your POD HD unit to see what differences you have between the patches that work as expected and those that do not.  Nothing at all special or unique about the "Custom Banks 1 or 2 that are any different than the Spank, Lester, Special, etc. banks on your JTV guitar.  Those banks were labelled that way from the inception of the Variax in 2004/2005 and I guess Line 6 felt like it didn't need any change since it still essentially functions the same, but the JTV has the added on board alt tuning feature, magnetic pick-ups, and a much superior rechargeable battery power system.

     

    I hope this bit helps add to your finding why your banks are reacting differently.

  • gregorydileo Just Startin'
    gregorydileo
    14 posts since
    Oct 1, 2010
    Currently Being Moderated
    Sep 20, 2012 4:44 PM (in response to gregorydileo)
    Re: Dream Rig Assignment of Custom 1 AND Custom 2 alt tunings with POD HD 500

    Thanks.  You have confirmed that I should be able to accomplish what I want to do.  Before I got the POD500, I had my JTV 59's custom banks set up perfectly, with all my alt tunings set to Custom 2.  So I want now to have those settings controlled via the pod.  It took my drop 1 alt tuning which was stored on the JTV at custom 1, 5th toggle position.  My Open D and a custom tuning are stored on my custom 2 bank at toggle switch positions 3 and 1 respectively.  On the HD mixer screen, I'm selecting the matching models (Custom 2-1 or custom 2-3), with the tuning set to don't force. This procedure worked for the custom 1-5 transfer to the pod, but won't for the custom 2 tunings!! Frustrated.  Any other ideas? I know I'm doing something simple wrong.

     

    another question that may be related: the set up for the pod has a choice for input source to be guitar + variax and guitar + aux + variax.  which one to use for the dream rig: DT25, HD500 and JTV59?

    • Iknowathingortwo
      MerlinFL
      1,667 posts since
      Jul 17, 2007
      Currently Being Moderated
      Sep 20, 2012 7:51 PM (in response to gregorydileo)
      Re: Dream Rig Assignment of Custom 1 AND Custom 2 alt tunings with POD HD 500

      My personal choice for input set up is as follows...

       

      • Input 1 = Vax + Guitar + Aux  Reason: If for any reason I need to plug in something I normally don't use, all inputs are operational.
      • Input 2 = Mic  I choose this for two reasons...1) so it does not double the input gain of any guitar or Aux input I choose as using the option SAME and I set my input/output choices from the main menu to GLOBAL causing all patches to be set identically.  2) I never really use a mic into the HD500, but if I wanted to utilize a microphone or other XLR input signal, I could have it available if needed.

       

      Further explanation of reason # 1 - it has been discovered quite a long time ago by one of the regulars on this site that setting input 2 to SAME does double your input gain on anything plugged in.  It makes hot signals hotter, and Clean signals not as clean as they should be based on your Workbench settings of your created/modified patches.

       

      My personal choice for output no matter if I'm L6 linked to a DT amp or plugged into just a PA, or any situation is to set the output to Studio/Direct ALWAYS.  This works for me and gives the tone I want in any situation I have to deal with.  It also does quite a bit more, but I've written a guide that discusses this in the detail I won't get into here.  But this is my personal choice - not the recommended setup as listed by Line 6 as well as others who choose other options when working with or without the L6 linked DT amp.  I strongly suggest that you try ALL the options of output whatever or however you are connected to your signal output source or sources and hear for yourself which sounds best for your needs & wants.

       

      I hope this helps your situation to move further into understanding of how this gear works and achieve your best personal sound.

       

      Take care,

      Neal

       

      PS - If you wish any further assistance or suggestions from me - please send me a private message on this system and I'll get back to you.  But there are tons of very knowledgeable people posting all the time and may come in and offer other suggestion that might better suit your needs.

      • gregorydileo Just Startin'
        gregorydileo
        14 posts since
        Oct 1, 2010
        Currently Being Moderated
        Oct 23, 2012 10:08 AM (in response to MerlinFL)
        Re: Dream Rig Assignment of Custom 1 AND Custom 2 alt tunings with POD HD 500

        Hi, MerlinFL:

        Thanks for the info.  It was helpful and I'm still plodding along.  Enjoying the rig, but dealing with a uniquely complicated issue now, and since you were so helpful, I thought I'd try you.  It involves the integration of the Dream Rig with an acoustic guitar going thru an acoustic guitar effects pedal to a PA (no need for an acoustic amp anymore!) and here's the glitch: a TC Helicon VoiceLive 2 (VL2)  for vocal effects, which requires a guitar input to determine vocal harmonies. 

        But it only has one guitar input. 


        I use the JTV 59 and a martin acoustic onstage, so to have harmonies, I need to have both of them send a signal to the VL2, which only has 1 Thru, which I send to the acoustic guitar effects processor (a TC Electronic G Natural acoustic guitar effects pedal). This seems to be where I have the problem, as it puts both the JTV AND the acoustic signal into the G Natural which then goes to the mixer.  So I have to mute the G Natural when I use the JTV, and turn off the DT25 when I want to access an acoustic sound to utilize the POD acoustic sounds with the JTV acoustic sounds to go straight to the mixer.  (too many things to do in a live situation!)


        I use the JTV variax cable between the JTV and the DT25. I use the XLR Data cable between the POD HD and the DT25.


        So I bought a morley ABY box so I could bounce between the two guitars into the VL2, but I want to bypass the DT25 when I'm using JTV acoustic sounds and go straight to the mixer. The only way to do that is to manually put the DT in standby mode? Is there another better way of setting all of this up?


        I got a radial PROD2 to use with the POD effects send to go directly to the mixer for the acoustic sounds (saw that on the connectivity series part 1 on youtube), but I'm doing something wrong there - getting no sound - so instead I have left and right XLRs from the POD XLR outs going to the mixer

         

        So here is how I'm connected:

        Acoustic Guitar into Morley ABY (A input);JTV via variax cable to POD500, and POD 1/4" out mono to Morley ABY  (B input); and POD L6 Link data cable to DT25;

        Morley out to VL2 In and VL2 thru to TC Electronic G Natural acoustic guitar effects pedal.

        POD 500 XLR outs to Mixer in stereo;

        VL2 XLR outs to Mixer in stereo;

        G Natural 1/4" outs to Mixer in stereo.

         

        Any better configuration?

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