karmicfreak

That's the stuff! THANKS for sharing!

I've downloaded the spank 2 preset from a message in this forum (thanks, Derek32999!), and I see the 89 high-gain guitars have been posted for 59 and 69 users. Is anyone hosting a place for Workbench HD files while we wait for Customtone to feature a Variax section?

Yeah, the title says it all. I like the feel, the new *free* updates to Workbench, the HD sounds, the instrument itself. It's my 3rd Vax and my favorite, even though I loved the maple neck on my blue 600. I find myself gassing over other instruments, but I keep coming back to my "do-it-all" JTV-69. So, thanks for the great instrument, and for making it better. I can't wait to gig with it again.

Ooo! From the help manual: Option 2: Use one of your favorite 6 string models and enable 12 string Parallel Pitch for that model. So, that means we can take ANY model and make it a 12 string. Please remember, NO STAIRWAY.

Updated... with some trouble. Tried to do the Vax 2.0, and it failed, crashed my mac 1/2 thru. It showed 2.0 was loaded, but it only had the teles and strats. I was able to re-do the update after a couple more tries. My HD500 needed updating, as well as Monkey. I had several kernel-panic type crashes on my 2011 iMac i5 with 8GB memory... shouldn't have happened. I couldn't update the variax or the HD the first time... I'm going to recommend this order for HD500/JTV users like me for those who haven't updated yet (please chime in if you disagree!) Log onto HD500 Edit, save all your presets. Do this before you update HD500 edit! Update L6 Monkey Update HD500 driver Update HD500 firmware Connect the Variax via the USB interface and plug a 1/4" cable in to turn it on. Open Workbench and save any custom models Run L6 Monkey, update Workbench Update Variax to 2.0 Hope you can avoid my troubles. The models seem a little more... present? Especially the Teles, to my ears. The Gretsches seem different also, but those are my most-used models. Was this worth 8 months? Maybe. Workbench is pretty cool, but only so usable until it can work thru the HD500.

I'd be really interested to hear what you come up with, comparing your Ricky-12 to the Variax. Please share, and if you could, make a video or audio recording showcasing your findings! I am reminded that the model is of ONE particular instrument, but if you can A/B the two and not tell which is which, that's the real test. Thanks!

Thanks for the detailed replies - I appreciate you sharing you knowledge, Rewolf! I'll tell you what I've found so far, and what I've done to be able to control everything satisfactorily. First, I found the least offensive amp for keyboard (piano, suitcase, wurlitzer, organ) reproduction seems to be the Class-A 30 model, with the DT25 set to Triode (rather than the default pentode) mode. There is very little hiss/noise, I've dialed out distortion and fuzz I was getting with the blackface models, and I've thrown in a noise gate, turned down to 10% for silencing it when I'm not playing. Also, I set this patch to only take the Guitar In, which I've plugged my keyboard into. Likewise, I usually keep all patches at Guitar + Variax inputs, but I've taken the patches I'm using at this gig for just Variax, so I don't have to turn down the keyboard when I switch to guitar. Finally, I did replace the crapola Casio keyboard I was using as a simple MIDI controller with a new Novation Launchkey 61, which has a ton of adjustable faders, dials, and pads. I am controlling the laptop's output volume in Mainstage from the keyboard itself now, and it's working well. I may venture into the deeper MIDI editing you have introduced me to as I use this rig for more gigs. Thanks again!

Hello, I am playing in a band where I'm splitting my time between playing guitar and keyboard, while singing lead. I'm using a keyboard controller through Mainstage on my MacBook Pro, and want to be able to use my HD500 to control volume on the keyboard. Here's the solution I've come up with, and a plea for advice from anyone else who's done this: I am using separate patches for keyboard and guitar. For guitar, I am using my JTV-69 with the Variax digital cable For the keyboard, I'm taking my MBP 1/8" output to the 1/4" guitar input on the HD500. L6 Link sends the signal to the DT25. My questions: Recommended amp for the keyboard? I usually default to the Blackface Twin, but I'm not quite sure it's the sound I want. I know I can't use NO amp model if I'm outputting thru the DT25. Will I get interference issues when playing guitar if I turn down the keyboard volume, and vice versa? Is there another "best" way to do this? Maybe plugging the keyboard into the DT25 directly will give a better sound, although it would stop the volume pedal from working? Thanks for any ideas.

Hmm. I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, but for my setup, I'm using the Variax acoustic sounds live, and using an acoustic patch from Customtone. http://line6.com/customtone/tone/208508/ You could try making sure both channels in the mixer are set to center if the sound seems different. Anyone else have an idea?

I use a DT25 and a Marshall AS50 Acoustic Amp. I set up my acoustic patches to output via the FX loop to the acoustic amp, and everything else goes to the DT25 via L6 link. To set up the FX loop, simply make the last part of your chain the FX loop, which is an option when you choose the type of pedal (dynamics, dystortion, etc.) Works great, even if I wish I didn't have to bring a 2nd amp.

Personally, I love the Orange amp in Garageband. I've use it for several songs I've recorded. Here's a couple examples - do these (gutiar sounds) sound "digital" or "fake" to you? http://shinyheadmusic.bandcamp.com/track/resonance-2 The guitars are all from my Variax 600 (now traded up for a JTV-69) played into Garageband, with amp emulation. The lead tone is the orange amp after a HD500 patch that included ONLY the Fassel Wah. http://shinyheadmusic.bandcamp.com/track/tonights-the-night-2 This song was recorded on the iPad 1, except for the solo, which I recorded on my Mac, using the orange amp/Fassel again. Dave