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Dt25 Arrived Today [anything I Should Know?]


ColonelForbin
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Zzounds is the BEST! I gave them the first payment end of last week, it shipped Friday, and my DT25 1x12 arrived today around noon. Seven payments of $125 to go, and I get to play it while I pay for it, and jam this weekend too.

 

Question: What do I need to know about technical specifics in terms of first use, setting up the amp - is it plug and play, or do I need to do anything with the tubes, let it warm up for any extended period of time before first jams, etc.?

 

This is my first tube amp (ever) so I am woefully under informed about how to care for and utilize tube amplification.

 

So pumped though... Dang, it's only Tuesday and I won't be able to play it until Saturday night...

 

:)

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Having just updated my HD500 with Monkey, and got past the snag of Line6 losing all my history and prior registering of my HD500 (come on. I bought it in 2010! Wha Happened L6????)

Anyway, it let me re-register it without hitch, got the newest firmware and flash on there, etc.

And getting to my question - went to CustomTone, and there are like, 2 patches that even reference being tailored for the DT25 or DT50.

 

Is this confusion on my end? As I understand, when you L6Link the HD500 to the DT25/DT50, the amp and the modeling dovetail together, letting the analog portions of the amp take over, and replace the digital modeling of the HD500.

 

Am I missing something, in terms of how patches should be created to best utilize this feature?

 

In my mind, there should be 1,000's of patches specific to using the HD500 with the DT series amps.

Perhaps this thought process is in error? I will find out on Saturday either way, but if anyone would care to

let me know how this went for you, I'd much appreciate the opinions and stories, and/or patches>?

 

THANKS!

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Congrats on your new amp.  I'm using the DT25 and the POD 500x.  If you use L6 Link to connect the POD to the amp (recommended), the amp becomes a slave to the POD.  Yes, you can tweak the amp's tone stack real-time from the amp, and then save those changes in real-time on the POD, but other than that, the POD is in control and you are essentially using the amp only for it's power section.      

 

I'd suggest downloading the patches you want, and then play with the amp settings to get the sound you want (Operating Class, Topology, Pentode/Triode, etc...).  

 

Happy tweaking!

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Yeah, I am stoked, will get to try it out on Saturday. I updated all the flash and firmware on my POD HD500 last night; loaded those DT friendly patches, replaced all the presets I had previously uploaded, and snagged whatever I could find from CustomTone that looked interesting.

 

I had patches I got used to using, but since I was always using differing amps, speakers, direct to PA, monitors, and whatnot, the tones and volumes were never consistent enough to dig in deep and spend any serious time dialing in my patches. I am hopeful that now with the DT25, I will have a relatively consistent palette to work with!

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Hi Brion

 

Congratulations on your new DT25.  I've had a HD500 for a couple of years, and have used it happily with various full range monitors / PAs, as well as into the effects return of a Peavey Valveking - but last year couldn't resist the idea of integration with a DT25 over Line6 Link.

 

I think the intention with DT amps is that you should use the pre-amp only versions of the amp models in the HD500 and choose the power amp mode for the DT amp that most closely matches the one for the amp your modelling.  That way, you get modelled pre-amp from the POD, and real power amp / speaker from the DT rather than modelled pre-amp, modelled power amp plus modelled power amp from PD.  As a bonus, you get more DSP to play with effects etc...

 

When you plug in via Line6 Link, the POD will automatically switch to combo line in output mode (the one intended for this purpose) - but I'm not sure it switches back to studio direct when you disconnect, so you might want to check that if you switch back to using full range speakers at any point.

 

I've ended up with two setlists - one with full amp models tweaked to go straight into a mixer and full range speakers as a lightweight set up for rehearsal, and another with the same settings but with pre-amp only models, with limited tweaking to gain and volume for use with the DT.

 

I'm really happy with the sounds I've got from the setup.

 

There are no rules - I found that starting from a blank patch and getting the sound right with just the amp model before adding in effects etc works form me.  But I've also experimented with the presets / custom tone patches and adapted some of them.

 

Let your ears decide what's right.

 

If your experience is anything like mine, you won't be able to stop grinning on Saturday.

 

Good Luck!

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Brionmkean,

 

I apologize if you already know all this but ….

 

From my experience (POD HD/ DT25 Head & 2 cabs) you will find a huge differential between "bedroom levels & gig levels" as it is basically the same deal with all amps. As others have mentioned here before, you will need to tweak (and possibly create) you gig patches at a venue where you can crank it up.

 

Also, on the HD500, (assuming you are connecting to the DT via L6 Link) if you assign one foot switch to de-activate the modelled preamp, you will auto switch to DT Channel B and use the internal preamp on the amp itself (whichever you've selected). The PODHD then becomes a "pedal board" to the DT. I have found this useful sometimes and I kind of like the sound of the DT's internal preamps. Theoretically of course, the POD preamp models should produce the same sound as the equivalent DT internal preamp models but many have found some difference. You can easily try this out for your own experience and it helps with the learning curve as you get used to this package.

 

Also, with the latest firmware, you can now run the DT hotter (i.e.: past 12:00 clock) to "push" the output tubes and throttle back with the HD Master.

 

Enjoy … and … welcome to "the club".

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Just checking you're aware of tube amp 101.

 

Make sure you turn on amp and leave it in standby for a minute or so to get up to temperature.  Then you can flip the standby switch and start playing.  Starting to use the amp before the valves have warmed up can reduce valve life, and in extreme cases blow fuses / damage stuff.

 

It's good practice to flip to standby before you turn off the power - no real benefit other than being in the right posititon for next time you turn the amp on minimising the chance you'll forget to go through standby before playing.

 

Also when powered down, leave the amp for a few minutes to cool down before you move it - moving when still hot could potentially damage the valves.

 

Eventually, the valves will wear out.  How fast depends on how much you use the amp, and how much you play.  You should be looking at years rather than months - but like light bulbs you never know.  When it's time to swap out, it's time to find someone who knows what they're doing - valve amps retain potentially lethal electrical charges even after they've been switched off for some time.

 

Hope this helps

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+1 on the tube/valve 101 advice....standby, warm up, cool down.

 

Also, with a Pod attached run the DT Master up at halfway or more to keep lots of current flowing through the tubes and use the Pods Master as your rigs over all Master volume. Get presets balanced in output relative to each other with the Channel Volume.

 

Find a place where you can create a few presets at gig volume before you go play loud because the presets you make for low volume won't sound the same if you simply crank the Master up after you get on stage.

 

Dial in a decent overall sound on Channel 2 and leave it because if the Pods amp ever gets turned off the DT will immediately switch to Channel 2.

 

If you want reverb at different settings, different reverb types, etc. in your different patches then just leave the Reverb knob on the DT Channel 1 turned all the way down that way everytime you select a preset with the Pod the reverb will be those setting in the Pods preset.

 

Check that the tubes are all pushed in tight to their sockets when you get it (or after you let it cool if you already have it) mine were hanging a little loose from shipping.

 

Enjoy! Its a great amp!

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Here's what anyone who is using an HD500 + DT25 needs to know:

 

Be prepared to ROCK! :)

 

No, in all seriousness, thank you all for the awesome responses!! I got to plug 'er in last night, and picked up an amp stand before rehearsal. This little baby is perfect for rehearsal / gig levels, it absolutely holds it's own with the other guitarist cranked up through a Fender tweed / blues deluxe 40watt.

 

As far as patches, I had loaded everything on my HD500 that I could find on Customtone that would be preset friendly to the DT, and after about two minutes, jumped to blank patches, and set up a few very basic tones - noise gate first, then wah. Comp FS1, Distortion FS2, Reverb FS3, and Delay FS4.

 

Within that framework, I just saved into a few banks, and tried switching around the amp choices, using the 'PRE' versions of a few amps I knew I would be comfortable with - JCM800, Plexi, JM45, DIvided, etc. It's gonna take some serious digging in to dial in some of the Fender / Vox models, but overall, I was *REALLY* pleased with using the guitar>HD500>L6Link>DT25.

 

It's a nice touch to be able to get a patch mostly there, then be able to just tweak a dial on the DT25 to adjust a little of this or that. Some of the amp models are blasting loud right out of the gate, and others take a little coaxing. Working the channel volume, the DT master volume, and the HD500 master volume, you can dial in the right amount of clean headroom vs. grit, and get the speaker volume where it needs to be. In particular, the wahs sounded stellar thru the DT25, and it does a nice punchy thing when you stack compressor boost, drive, and channel drive together. It always sounded good doing that with just the HD500, but something about how the DT25 handles the crunch, and the tones makes me very pleased. You can really get alot more touch sensitive tone using the tone stacks and volume on the guitar, where your fine tuning is at your fingertips, your rough edits on the amp, and the deep edits on the POD.

 

Very encouraged by finally pairing my HD500 (which I've had since 2010) with this amp.. I used to prefer the 'full range' approach to using Studio/Direct output modes, since i was always running the HD500 into the FX return of a few solid state amps. With the DT25, you get the proper amp tone / volume / vibe, and letting the DT25 handle the board feed via the XLR out, it's just spot on. Add a mic to the front of the combo, and your soundguy has all the options he needs to make you sound great.

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