ColonelForbin

Connect the HD500 to a computer, get familiar with the HD500 edit software - it will make your life wayyy easier. There are multiple groups of banks on the HD500, each with four presets per bank, A,B,C,D You may end up creating certain "templates" which can be copied into various groupings, and using the software to do this is reasonably quick and painless. With the DT - HD500 combo, make sure you get some proper AES/EBU cabling to connect using the Line6Link port. Standard XLR will work, but it's worth the extra $ to get the correct cable to ensure you don't incur random glitches due to cabling issues. Next, load up some of the pre-loaded patches, and take a look at how they are constructed. Again, using the software makes this easier and far more visual, intuitive, at least it does for me. In terms of the types of settings that can carry through a 'template', it would involve effects and amp models which don't change type - just settings. Once you choose a different effect or amp model, it resets to the preset values associated with it. So, things like, a bank of four patches, where you keep the amp model the same, maybe edit volume or drive, and any of the effects options you might want to change. Things like wah, volume pedal, noise gate, EQ, - effects that are likely to be included in multiple patches, put those into a blank template tone patch, and copy it to the desktop of your computer. Then you can drag and drop copies of that 'base' tone into a bank of four, and edit accordingly. In general, patch changes cause a very subtle dropout while the patch changes. When using a DT, and choosing the "PRE" amp models (preamp models) and letting the Bogner side of the DT do it's amp reconfiguration, you might want to avoid major shifts from amp models whose core power or volume differences are extreme. Like going from the Vox to the Marshall stack or Bogner or Mesa Boogie. The more the amp has to reconfigure on the fly like that, the more sound related issues you may notice. So, you could approach it by building a completely blank patch, or one with the basic effects you would like to keep constant - say maybe, wah, volume pedal, noise gate, eq. You could also approach the creation of your 'template' patch by pre-assigning the footswitch settings to the un-assigned effects blocks. I often set reverb as FS 4, delay as FS3, modulation as FS2, and drive/boost/comp as FS1.. You have two options for how to configure the 8 FS usasge, in this case, I am referring to the bottom row of FS 5-8 switches causing A-B-C-D patch changes, and the top row of FS 1-4 doing effects on/off triggers. So get a basic of blank template, and start auditioning the various amp models, using the PRE versions, L6Linked to the DT. For getting a proper sense of things, run it in full volume mode, not low volume mode. The HD500 will automatically switch to combo/poweramp mode when you do this, so you don't need to worry about mic model assignments. Just scroll through the amp models, in that one template or blank patch. Make note of which amp models you think work well together, and which you would like to focus on. For the exploration of your group of players, you could build one 'setlist' of just each of the amp models in sequence, with nothing else on. Good place to start, just the guitar and the amp. I like the Plexi model alot, I use it often. I also like the Fender Bassman Tweed model, I use that one a fair bit too. I made some banks with four copies of the same preset, same amp model, and same effects options - just made A, B, C, D increase the gain of the amp model, while keeping the overall level balanced across all three. So A was clean, B was gritty, C was crunchy, and D was saturated. I left the FS assignments for compressor and boost / overdrive to achieve "lead" tone volume boost on all four patches. Sometimes leads should be clean, sometimes crunchy, sometimes saturated - but they each need a volume boost to make it pop in the mix. You could make patches in basic groupings, so they have similar level adjustments - the high gain modern amps are wayyyyyy louder than the more 'vintage' classic rock type combo amp models. Procede with caution when scrolling through the amp models; it will go from normal room volume to screaming feedback blow your ears out loud, say from a Fender blackface model to the Mesa Boogie or the Bogner models. Mostly, because since you are only digitally modeling the preamps, the Bogner DT side of things is "becoming" the associated power amp. Bigger louder amps are correspondingly huger in volume than the smaller amps. Scared myself silly more than once scrolling past those high gain amps! Again, another good reason to use the software editor, makes this kind of auditioning patch creating experience far easier to manage. Seems like the types of guitars going in are similar, depending on how many people total, you could assign them each their own 'setlist' of patches in banks, so they will each have some of the same patches that you make, and some blank patches, and whatever they come up with from Customtone. You could also put together patches based on the songs being played, or the general "style". You could also organize banks of four with different types of patch, like "clean", "crunch", "funk", "lead/solo", "rhythm", etc. In that case, just watch out for drastic shifts in amp model type or overall volume settings from patch to patch

The basic concept is the Line6 side of the equation provides digital preamps and the digital control. The Bogner team provides the poweramp and the analog switching. There is really not a way to bypass the digital preamps per se, but for me that's not a big deal, they all sound stellar! In terms of the latest DT firmware, they made it so you can choose to load 8 variations directly onto the DT25/50 from the entire line of HD500 amp models; as is it comes loaded with four options. When using an HD500 with Line6Link, you have access to the entire line of amp models - in this specific case, the entire list of HD preamp models. The thing I like, is how the two devices communicate - the Line6Link is an AES/EBU digital two-way connection (you can use a standard XLR cable, I just happened to get picky and upgrade to proper digital cables, won't impact too much, matters more for long cable runs, or using multiple DT's chained together) So, you have a patch, you make an adjustment to volume, or gain, or treble by turning the knob on the DT, and it updates that value on the HD500. Nice interaction there. Also, the XLR out from the DT is what they are calling 'transformer tapped' or some jargon like that, which to me, means your XLR DI signal to the board / mix / recording, etc. is getting the benefit of the Bogner portion of the amp - the actual analog tube tones. I haven't tried comparing the DT XLR signal to a mic on the DT at the same time, might do that next time I jam with the guys; using the M20d I multitrack record everything, mix some of it down later. It's helpful to hear what signals sound like in their "raw" form. It has been quite useful for me, to dial in tones, play through rehearsal, then go back and be able to hear what those tones sound like coming through the XLR DI. Some folks have had issues level balancing their patches, and the XLR DI out from the DT can swing around in volume as a result - not sure why, probably due to the volume differences in the actual amp models. You can dial in equal preamp volumes, but then sending those into different poweramp becomes the actual volume you hear in the speaker. Tiny Fender not as loud as huge Marshall stack. It's the power amp portion that makes that volume leap, and since the XLR is tied to that portion of the amp, it does make sense that you would hear volume differences, though people are also saying they have difference between the DI signal vs the speaker, which I don't quite understand. I tend to use a relatively simple palette of amp models, which all have relatively similar volume / poweramp structures, though going from the Plexi to any of the Fender models, definitely requires some tweaking!

Bought my HD500 in 2010; bought my DT25 in Feb/March 2014, earlier this year. I struggled for a long time trying to get the HD500 to work when I was jamming with other musicians, especially if the other guitarist has a tube amp, or if the drummer rocks out.. Sounds fantastic playing solo no matter what I put it through, but I always had issues (pre DT25) at volume. Mostly used these older (early 1980's) solid state Paul Rivera designed Fender CBS 1x12 combos; (and the Fender Yale reverb) run the HD500 in 'studio/direct' and send the 1/4" mono to the amps FX return, and run XLRs to the main mix / pa / monitors, etc. Then I bought a DT25. WOW! Major difference. I don't bother with studio/direct at rehearsals or gigs anymore. I did have to reprogram my concept of patch building; which in many ways makes everything WAY easier. Choose a PRE amp model, you don't need to worry about choosing mic models. Run the HD500 in combo/poweramp (it automatically goes to that output mode when you use the Line6Link to the DT25). And that amp is LOUD. Now, I have zero problems being loud enough - most recently they told me I was too loud, and I never have to max any of the dials to get there. The key distinction with the DT amps, is the Bogner switching circuitry, it's pretty awesome. The HD500 amp models already sound good as is, but I do prefer that sound of the guitar amp vs the studio control room version (studio/direct = mic modeling with full amp models). Instead I just use the XLR out from the DT25 to the main mixer, and it sounds stellar. Nice and clean, in total isolation from the rest of the band, and it's mic level not line level, so mimics the volume of a guitar amp mic'd, which will play nice with stage snakes and boards expecting that signal stretgth, rather than line level. A big investment, so take the time to read - and especially to go play a couple. I was going to get the DT50 at first, and decided the DT25 was all I needed. Looked at the closed back extension cab + head vs combo, went with the combo. Try them out, see what sounds right to you. Ideally, connect your HD500 to a DT amp, with a Line6Link, and set up the patches the way you would - and use the full volume mode. The low volume mode is awesome, but it's just doing power amp digital modeling, which is what the HD500 already does. You want to switch from pentode to triode, and hear actual analog tube amp circuitry changes, and mess with the typologies, class A, A/B, etc. As far as gear goes, the HD500 + DT amp is the only thing out there (so far) that does what those two pieces of gear can do together. Of course, that caused me a major G.A.S. attack, and I bought a JTV59 shortly after I bought the DT25. Those three together are a lot of fun, powerful stuff.

The DT25 combo is crazy loud

Just to clarify; I assumed you meant pair of Eris 8 speakers; but when I re-read your post, I realized you wrote to your monitor, as in singular. Do you just have one? If so, this will make a difference between using the XLR or the 1/4". Here is why: if you plug only into the Left (mono) 1/4" on the HD500, it sums the stereo signal to mono. if you plug only into the Left XLR on the HD500, it does NOT sum to mono. If you are using two Eris 8 monitors, disregard, and just use the XLR's. Also, are you going to use an amplifier as well? I have done that, where I send the two XLR from HD500 to speakers in stereo, and send single mono 1/4" to the FX RETURN of the amplifier. In this scenario, set the HD500 to "studio/direct". Pretty much any time you use the XLR to a full range / monitor / PA type speaker, the HD500 should be in studio/direct output mode. Next, be sure to get a good VDI cable to connect from your JTV to the HD500. The cable that comes with the JTV is for connecting to computer only, the good cables will have shielding on both ends, similar to XLR. Line6 makes a cable, you can find in stock in stores. It's Ok, not bad, not great, I have one as my backup. For better quality, order custom length from BestTronics in Tinley Park, IL. Far superior cable and connection quality.' A 25' cable is around $40 before shipping / tax. http://btpa.com/Line-6-Variax/ http://btpa.com/98-030-004-XXX.html By comparison, the Line6 brand cable is $30 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VDI

When you are in low volume mode, the DT25 and the HD500 are acting more like the routing Crusty described, in that, the power amp modeling kicks in and it does so on a sliding scale. The more you crank the amp, the less 'power amp modeling' is being digitally generated. By comparison, when in 'regular volume mode', there is zero digital power amp modeling, it relies 100% on the Bogner / DT at that point. Just guessing here, but you could be having issues when the digital power amp modeling kicks in; though I don't know the specifics of how that works. Which, referencing what Crusty said, is basically why he suggested using the full amp models rather than the pre versions, since in LVM, you are already modeling some or all of the power amp portion of the amp model. Recently, I took a rather different approach to dialing in my patches before a gig, which was due to not having my DT25 at home. So, I built all my patches using the PRE amp models, set the HD500 in combo/poweramp mode, and ran the 1/4" from the HD500 to the FX return of a 1x12 solid state Fender combo that I used to use before I got the DT25. Allowed me to jam at 'neighbor / wife' friendly volumes, and somehow translated pretty well to the DT25. It was more from necessity than anything else, but I will be doing that same move again tonight, since my DT25 and the PA is all at the drummers house, where we have rehearsals on Tuesday. Will try to make note of the speaker vs DI levels when I play on Tuesday, we'll see if my "off DT" patch building works out again.. I record multitrack anyway (M20d) so I will take a look at the DT25 DI signal when I get home and load it up in ProTools. Cheers, Good Luck!

I briefly ran a GR-55 in tandem with my JTV59+HD500+DT25/L2t rig. I actually had a GK pickup attached to my JTV, so I was running JTV VDI to the HD500, and JTV-GK to the GR-55, and running the HD500 to the DT25, XLR to the main mixer (out to a pair of L2t's) and then sending the GR55 in stereo out to the main mixer, to the L2ts. The GR55 sounds incredible, and 100% wants to be as full range as possible. I bypassed the DT25 entirely with the GR55 signal, so it was a challenge to balance my levels. It might complicate your rig a fair bit, but consider going with: 1.) The L2t's linked together as other people mentioned, to create a stereo pair 2.) The HD500 to the mixer on an L2t (use the 1/4" out from the guitar -> HD500) 3.) The GR55 to the FX return on the HD500, place the FX loop block last in the signal chain. (set the FX loop to 50% mix so both the HD500 and the GR55 tones get blended) -OR- create a dual tone patch where the GR55 output gets processed on a "no amp model" path B, and run the FX loop as the input (can be 100% mix, place the FX loop in the second input portion only, so it doesn't feed into your amp model channel) -NOTE: both amp model channels on the HD500 are in stereo, pan both center if you want full stereo, left and right if you want input A and B separation.. Make sure to place NO mono FX blocks AFTER the HD500 mixer block, like a reverb, or a noise gate. This will sum all the signals to mono. The HD500 looper does this. Using the FX loop as an input allows you to maintain a stereo signal from the GR55. Place all those mono guitar amp FX into the amp model A channel ONLY.) 4.) Use the "dry out" from the GR55 to feed the vocal unit for pitch tracking 5.) The vocal and drum units to the mixer on the L2t. Or some combination/variation of those ideas. It can be way cool to balance / alternate or mix the HD500 sounds with the GR55 sounds, especially difficult to manage if they are not blended well. Good luck!

Yeah, if you update the firmware, you then have the option to choose from all of the HD amp models; you still have just the # of slots that the DT offers; so you have to choose. But you also get the choose your reverbs too. You need a MIDI interface to update the firmware; it's not the standard USB -> Line6 Monkey move. http://line6.com/dtv2update/ Free v2.0 Firmware Update Available as a free download, v2.0 firmware takes your DT amp from four voicings to total flexibility. Create never-before-heard amp tones by pairing any of 30 HD preamps with any combination of dynamic topologies within Reinhold Bogner’s reconfigurable tube power amp. The dynamic topologies include four negative feedback loop options (tight, loose, zero and resonant), operating class (A/AB), power tube configuration (pentode/triode), 12AX7* (normal/boost), B+ voltage* (phase inverter high/low) and feedback capacitor* (cap X/Y). You can also configure each voicing with your choice of 12 reverbs, complete with per-channel spillover—and more. *DT50 only.

Chicago!! Whaddup man, it's been snowing all day in Glenview, how's the city looking? So, in answer to your question, pretty much, what Radatats said.. I guess it would help to know why? Everything he mentioned is pertinent, the XLR's are mic level, and they are fixed as Left and Right, so if you only connect one of them, no matter what, it's only going to be the left or right half of the signal. Whereas, the 1/4" can be switched from line to amp level, and if you connect only the left, it sums to mono. I used to connect my HD500 to my amps with the 1/4" out to the FX return of the amp, it works great! I would go back and forth, if I just wanted to hear the sound of the amp models with no mic modeling, i would use the combo/poweramp mode. If I wanted to also be sending a signal to the mixer, for a gig, or recording, or rehearsal, etc, I would use studio/direct. Both sound fine in that way - since you are going to the FX return of the amp, you bypass the amps preamp, so it's relatively clean tap right to the poweramp. I moved on to using a DT25, so now I use the combo/poweramp mode all the time, and send the XLR from the DT25 to the mixer; but when I jam at home, when my DT is at the practice spot, I still use my old solid state Fender and go to the fx return routing, works great.

Here is something you could try; from what I can see, your Peavey has an FX return - this is crucial. Try this: Set the 'Output Mode' on the HD500 to 'combo/poweramp' Run the 1/4" out from the HD500 into the Peavey FX return. Set up your patch with any FX you want, and amp models you want to try. This process basically bypasses the preamp on your Peavey and lets the HD500 digitally model the preamp and poweramp stages of the amp models without being 'squeezed' into the guitar input on the Peavey - amp inputs are designed for the tonal range of a guitar. Next idea, after you get some patches you like - change the HD500 output mode to 'Studio/Direct'. try the Fender amp models, the Hiwatt, the Plexi, etc. There are several that I really like, can't decide which is my favorite, but I spend alot of time with the Plexi normal and the Bassman (tweed). The distinction is this: combo/poweramp is modeling the amp model and cabinet, with no 'microphone emulation'; studio/direct adds mic modeling. The reason I say do it in that order, is it's kind of how you would dial in your tone on stage or in studio. Get your amp and FX sounding right - THEN add the microphone. That basic process (1/4" to the FX return) is how I used my HD500 from 2010-2014; earlier this year I bought a DT25, and that is a whole new level of awesome - but I digress. Try that mono 1/4" out to the FX return - try switching between the 'line' level vs 'amp' level on the HD500, I have used both, either sounds good, depending on how you build your patches. Typically, I used the 'full' amp models in this case, especially if you are using the Studio/Direct mode. The 'pre' amp models (at the end of the amp model list, you will see all the models repeat in same order, but with the 'PRE' added - those are designed for use with a DT amp, where the HD500 only models the preamp, and the DT/Bogner does the poweramp portion in analog rather than with modeling) The reason I mentioned trying the Studio/Direct, is that way your Peavey becomes a stage monitor - AND - you can also send XLR outputs to the mixer, and that will sound good. When you go to 'combo/poweramp' since it drops the mic modeling, it doesn't sound particularly good going direct to a mixer / full range. Cheers!

Yeah, I dig the DT25 XLR output! I play rhy guitar in a two guitar four piece, and we still struggle with mic'ing the lead guitarists amp (40w Fender tweed). I have tried a few different mics and mic placement; my DT25 signal just cuts through the mix with zero effort - and zero 'bleed' from the band. It's a sweet sounding signal, I dig it. I like it way better than going direct from the HD500 into the mixer. I even tried going XLR from HD500 to the main mix, and using a 1/4" from the HD500 to the FX return of the DT25. For me, the key, is the Bogner contribution. For the most part, all the amp modeling from all the different companies is more or less comparable. I just can't afford Axe FX, and I tend to not like Boss for no really good reasons - but in a blind test, all things being equal, I would be hard pressed to tell the difference. Amp modeling has come along way, Line6 remains at the forefront, yada yada, etc. The key to the HD500 - DT interaction, is that it goes BEYOND amp modeling. While the AxeFX is awesome, it cannot tell the Bogner analog poweramp to switch relays and change it's ANALOG components to 'become' the amp being modeled. And that's what you get when you use the DT25/50 XLR out. You get an interaction between digital preamp and analog poweramp, that cannot be compared to any 'pure' amp modeling hardware or software.

Here is someone who took the DIY approach:

One caveat / note; the Tarcase case is not a light option; with the HD500 and exp pedal in it, the thing is *heavy*. That being said, it's also insanely sturdy. I like how the HD500 pockets into it; I didn't actually even need to velcro the thing down. I also like the extra 'depth', which means the XLR / VDI / Line6Link / 1/4" cables, etc are not hanging off the back of the board, they remain reasonably protected. With the Rondo, if I remember correctly, all the cables hang past the back lip of the case lid, which always made me somewhat nervous - an ill placed footstep could cause some major issues.

Road Case Pedal Board for Line6 HD500 Multi- Effects (Tarcase) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Road-Case-Pedal-Board-for-Line6-HD500-Multi-Effects-/301401592105?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item462cef5129

I never had a lot of problems with the Rondo case, but it is definitely a light weight aluminum type material. When I had my X3Live, I lined the lid with a dense foam mat material and that worked just ok. It was a little spongy when I would use the two switch to turn on/off the wah

Is the Axe FX line assembled in the USA? HD500's are built in China, but thus far (knock on wood) mine still works fine. The Axe Fx floorboard is assembled in China. That, and the new XL model "can tone match the sound of your live amp or a recording."

Here is a thread we had going a little while back: http://line6.com/support/topic/7867-hd500-hard-case/?hl=hard+case

I got lucky, was able to score a used Tarcase from a guy on craigslist. There are a ton of random options, in terms of cases that have lift off lids, where you would velcro the unit down to the lid. Rondo is a cheap / affordable option, I used one of those with my old X3Live. I use a Diago pedalboard case with my M13 and have it next to a VoiceLive 3, I am guessing that size would accommodate the HD500x with the extra exp pedal (Mission Engineering ,good choice, I've got the same one!) Here are some links: Tarcase for HD500 (good luck if you can find one, buy it!) Diago pedalboards Diago 'Showman' pedalboard on Musicians Friend ($170) Rondo pedalboard cases

The notion that this stuff can live on an iPad is really cool! Their mix mastering software "Final Touch" looks sweet.

And for what it's worth, Bias Professional is $199; not including any cost for expansion packs. It would be a great idea for a hardware / computer designer, to come up with a floorboard type unit, or rack mount pro type unit - that offers all the hardware functionality of a POD rig, but can be used to run third party VST plugins. Like, a Voodoo Labs Ground Control Pro, that can support the Positive Grid Bias Desktop, or this or that or the other thing. Don't get me wrong - any and all of this stuff is exciting! First and foremost, I respond as a musician, and techy geek - it's all cool to me no matter what brand name is on the label.

I think you answered your own question! I don't mean to jest, it seems like you are unhappy and frustrated; I get it, you spend some serious $$ on a piece of hardware, and you feel a bit "left behind", as the company promotes the heck out of the Amplifi gear as the 'guitar amp reinvented', but it's far inferior to the HD series. SO yeah, I feel where you are coming from. I just went with the regular HD500, which is a different value, being a floorboard and processor all in one. I never really "got" the concept of the X3 Pro or the HD Pro - I get that it offers a little extra routing and such, but correct me if I am wrong, same DSP? Now, reason I say you answered your question: you are comparing VST plugins which depend on the computer running them for it's DSP and processing power. It's a stretch to compare a static piece of hardware (the HD500, HD Pro) with computer hardware that updates practically daily. Now, the bigger point you make, it about tone quality, which in theory, should be more of an apples and applies comparison. But the thing is, the development of the Line 6 amp and fx models has been tethered to the hardware which it lives in. To borrow a concept from Harry Potter, it's like comparing a soul to a horcrux. The horcrux is a portion of a soul which is wholly dependent upon the vessel which contains it for survival. Destroy the vessel, destroy the horcrux. Unlike an actual whole soul, which cannot be harmed when the body is destroyed. I realize that its a stretch, but ask yourself, "does your laptop have XLR outputs?" Meaning, the Line6 amp modeling depends on the hardware it lives in to function properly. They sure did a good job going from X3 to the HD500; I still think the HD500 amp models sound great, and I like the M class FX. Are they a few years old now? Yes they are. The architecture of the hardware vessel has not changed, while things like those VST plugins you mention have changed - they do not depend on hardware that was created in 2010 to function. Think about it!! How much faster have computers and operating systems become from 2010 to now? Many, many cool options coming along, have faith, keep calm, play on. If you like VST plugins and want to bring your laptop on stage, go for it! Your investment in a $50 plugin + a $1,000 laptop is still pretty steep, plus any hardware foot controllers. Will I be excited when Line6 does a proper followup to the HD series? You bet! Was I bummed that Amplifi was old X3 era models and FX repackaged into a Bluetooth speaker, and hailed as the next big thing? Yup. Major let down, I didn't spend my $$ on that gear. I still use my HD500, it still rocks, it still works - all the footswitches, everything still works. It doesn't crash - my Windows 7 / 8 PC crashes all the time! It has always had major issues. Think about what you would be comfortable using ON STAGE. It does matter; I trim my rig down to a far more simple version when I play live. Just because. I also use a DT25 with my HD500, and in my opinion, NOTHING out there matches that combination. Nada, zip, zilch. You can take all the VST plugins in the world, and none of them can tell a Bogner amp to switch analog relays. Which is why I still like my Line6 gear, and recently returned a couple of Roland pieces that just didn't do it for me.

Here's a few other random folks who have posted patches and/or descriptions of how they use the HD500(x) live and such, direct, or with in-ear monitors: Roy Finley / Sterns County 17 Lincoln Brewster (HD500 format - you would need to change the file name to use these on the HD500x) Thread about bringing HD500 patches into HD500x Gabriel Leopardi's HD500 patches Another thread about going direct to PA from HD500x

You will want to understand some basics of how to make adjustments on the fly using the HD500 itself, so that when you are stage, or doing rehearsal, and you have your patches all set - but you might need to make a specific adjustment. Be aware of how to change things like inputs settings; I happen to use a Variax, but I also use a Strat, and at our last gig, I had both connected, and was able to put one guitar down and pickup the other, because I set up the input A(1) to be "variax and guitar input", which made it so the tuner would work for both guitars. -Make yourself familiar with the advanced user guide: HD500x Advanced User Guide -As others mentioned previously in the thread, take some time to read the MeAmBobbo user guide too. -Also, take a look at this thread, with multiple HD500x Tone Creation Videos by Andy Paredes, Joe Butterfield, Nick Bell, even some Spanish Language videos made by Joe Cozzi. They also included links to download some of the patches also. They have that post compiled here; these two links, I think, are to the same videos / tone building info: http://line6.com/support/topic/8685-tone-building-tutorials-for-pod-hd/ Another good resource is Glenn DeLaune, he had been making patches for the POD series for a number of years, I think he also did some for the HD500 and HD500x. Do some searches, not sure the exact location. Try these for starters - NOTE: Glenn CHARGES $$$$ for his patches, they are NOT FREE: http://glenndelaune.com/patch%20downloads.htm http://glenndelaune.blogspot.com/2013/08/blog-post.html Good Luck!!

Next up, when you are going through the preset patches already loaded onto the HD500x, you will notice some of the presets are *only* an amp model, and no effects assigned. These are very useful indicators of the "core tone" of each amp model. You can get a lot of mileage from just getting familiar with the sound of the amp model with no extra FX. Find amp models that you like "as is", then build your patches from those starting points. I like the Fender models - the Blackface and the Tweed (bassman), and I also really like the Plexi both normal and bright, as well as the Park. For starters; because each of the amp models is *excellent* in it's own way. NOTE: there is a *huge* volume difference between say, the little Vox combo amp as opposed to a Bogner or Mesa or Marshall. Treat the amp models as you would treat the actual amps, and you'll be on the right track. Another thing for you to look at - using those 'bare' amp model only presets, find an amp model you like - then adjust the mic model settings. This will make a big difference in your tone; SM57 on axis or off axis makes a difference in sound. All of the mic models correspond to real world mics, and each behaves different. Some basic understanding of real world gear will help. It's all virtual and digital, but it is modeled and designed to function similar or the same to it's real world counterpart. Once you get familiar with the amp models and the various presets already loaded on the HD500, you can drag and drop individual tones out of the HD500 editor and onto your desktop of your computer. Then, when you are assembling banks of specfic presets that you want to combine into a group, you can then drag them into blank slots when you set up your tones for the gig. Another similar process, will be to download HD500x specific tones from CustomTone. This might actually be very useful to you, since you are learning 40 cover songs, a possible process, will be to search CustomTone for the patches which users have created that correspond to the songs you need to learn! Some patches are better than other. All I can say for advice is: download a few, and study how the patch is created, and look at the sequence of the effects as related to 'pre' and 'post' amp model. Also, take care to understand how the effects are assigned to each footswitch. You can easily re-assign these within any given patch, but it's not a global setting - meaning you have to make the FS assignments on a per patch basis.

Hey first time poster, welcome! Couple of things to keep in mind: - the FS assignments for patch changes can only be saved to FS 5-8 (bottom row), IE, A-B-C-D. - there is an alternate option where you can assign specific FX to FS 1-8, and trigger patch changes using a two-step combination of bank up or down, and then selecting one of the four presets. Sounds like you are in a tricky situation; the device will do quite well in the configuration you have described, but you not knowing how to do the basic edits to things like FS assignment, on the fly, will make it more difficult for you. I suppose a good place for you start, will be to get this rig of yours connected to a computer, and attach a couple of studio monitors to it, something that will at least approximate the sound of full range / flat response speakers. The HD500x performs *very* different when run in 'studio/direct' mode - as you intend to use it - as opposed to running it into a guitar amp, or fx return of a guitar amp. So, do this: 1.) Install Monkey software on your computer 2.) Following all instructions, connect HD500 to computer, and update all drivers and firmware. 3.) Install HD500x Editor software on your computer. 4.) After all software is installed, and you have some full range / flat response speakers connected to the outputs of the HD500x, start playing with some patches. You will notice there are six banks of presets, with several presets per bank. You can navigate through all of the onboard pre-existing presets using the HD500 Editor software, and it's alot easier than using the on-screen editor. At least, when you are starting and the learning curve is steep. Spend some time with the advanced user guide, it's in a .PDF file format, and you can search it for specific terms. Here is how the presets are mostly set up - "pre" amp FX models, "amp model", then "post" amp FX models. Assuming you are using the A-B-C-D (FS 5-8) as patch change footswitches, this leaves you with four footswitches to make effects changes. (the TOP row of FS 1-4) So, you will quickly notice that you have more FX blocks to assign effects to than you have FS assignments to turn those FX on and off. I commonly set up certain effects to "stay on", like compressor, noise gate, EQ. I usually set up FS 1 and 2 to turn on and off drives, distortion, boosts, etc. I usually set up FS 3 and 4 to turn on and off delay, chorus, reverb. In general, not always, that works for me. So, you want to create a total of around 8 different presets. You will need to set up two banks of four presets. Within each of those presets, you could, by using FS 1-4 to turn on or off certain effects, be able to switch - within one preset - from a 'crunch' tone to a 'lead tone', by switching on boost, distortion, drive and delay in various combinations. For example, you could set up: (FS5) A = acoustic (FS6) B= rhythm / crunch (FS7) C= lead 1 (FS8) D= lead 2