mtreehugger

Mine is the Hosa AES/EBU 10-ft cable. I have had no L6 Link issues since I bought it. I'm not convinced that analog is the best choice, although there are times when I wish I weren't using modeling. I bought my HD500 so I could get cranked tube amp sounds at any volume, and it did that and a lot more. When I decided I needed more gain than I could get from my Fender amp, the first thing I ran into was a great deal on a DT50-112 (used). Then I got an even better deal on a DT25-head (restock). If I were to go to an analog amp, I'd be giving up a lot of capabilities. Of course it all comes down to getting the tone(s) you want. I think for most of us this is a journey and never a destination. I'm going to see about saving MIDI settings and uploading to the DT. One cool thing about the HD500 is that you can assign a midi command to each patch, so possibly I could go that route.

Yeah, sadly, hooking my POD into the FX loop for FX only might be my end use for this device as well. Then again, maybe not. Satriani says he's a pedal junkie, and I've gotta confess similar inclinations, so in the end some kind of muffling and compensation thereof could be what I continue to do. I'm not aware of any way to defeat the L6 Link. If memory serves, once you connect it your POD is in control. However, I do recall having some kind of negative experience before I got the data cable. could that be the problem?

So I A/B'd with my guitar going straight in the front of the amp against my HD500/L6 Link with an empty patch--pad set to normal, master volume at 100%--and my signal loss is still noticeable. It's louder with the pad switch at normal, obviously, than when engaged (my previous test), but there's still a difference here. Who'da thunk it? the L6 Link and POD combo is a tone suck! I wonder if the HD's muffling is responsible for all my difficulties in dialing in tones. EQ would obviously help close the gap, but it'll never be EXACTLY the same tone. To my ears, the HD/L6 Link is very much like putting a pedal in the signal chain (turned off, no true bypass). Thanks to MIDI, I'm now able to compare my favorite amps from the HD500 to the DT's performance, and also have an alternative way to operate that I'm about to explore. Better to have 2 great sounding amps than 512 so-so patches. However, if I cut loose my HD but put in a stomp box, I've still got a tone suck unless I go buy something that has true bypass.

Are you going into the DT from Helix via the FX in located on the back of the amp? You are using Helix amp models, correct? actually, don't answer if you don't want to. the helix forum is actually the place for this type of discussion. i just found a good thread that you posted on here... http://line6.com/support/topic/17033-anyone-using-dt-amp-with-helix/

MIDI with l6 link? to control the helix, I assume? How does one best connect the Helix to the DT? Do you think your rig works better than a Helix with a StageSource (or some other type of FRFR solid-state amplification)?

So how well do the DT and Helix work together for you?

Ah, that's an old thread ya got there! (I was wondering if it was one I posted on back in the day, but didn't have time to read all those pages) As I was skimming it I did find a possible explanation for my muffle--the pad switch. I've always had that engaged, which would bring down the volume. I will do my A/B testing tonight with the pad disengaged and report my findings. There are SO many settings on the hd500 that I now think i've forgotten more than most people know about this device.

one thing i'm hearing is that my hd500, even through the l6 link, is muffling my tone. i'm quite surprised. using channel b, if i plug straight in i get a bright lively tone (dialed in, natch). then if i turn on my hd500 with an empty patch open, the dt defaults to channel b, but the tone is muffled, even using the same cord. (and before you ask, yes, i've got the pod master at 100%) i wouldn't have expected this. i would have expected that line 6 would have made the dt and the hd so that you can't tell them apart--after all, it's the exact same preamp processors and models etc. i guess it's like the difference between true bypass and the "other" circuit. makes me wonder if both units really have the same circuits and software. i'm now trying to get my computer to update drivers so i can update my pod so i can utilize the global eq so i can compare the eq'd l6 link sound to the natural sound of the amp. if i can't eq out the signal loss to the point of fooling my ears, then maybe i'll look at using MIDI rather than my pod. have either of you noticed this signal loss in your pods?

I have tried and re-tried but can't seem to get this done. My laptop runs win7. I've got Monkey at 1.71, updated the USB firmware to 1.04, re-booted both POD and laptop ad nauseum, even turned off my Norton... but whenever Monkey tries to update the FW, it thinks it's successful yet shows the driver at 4.2.5.1. My goal is to get my hd500 from 2.32 to 2.62, but I don't want to even attempt this if I can't even get the drivers to update. Anybody got any ideas? Also, when updating the POD Flash Memory, am I supposed to hold down a nav button and power it on somewhere in the process? THANKS (in advance)!

Brazzy, you don't recall offhand where the default amps (and possibly other settings) are listed, do you? Or is this something DT Edit will tell me? ---edit---it looks like DT Edit will tell me, within limitations of the software.

Well that's discouraging! But it makes sense. I'm now reminded why I never bothered checking into this whole MIDI thing before. And since I'm now using a DT25, I still can't get at those previously unreachable DT50 parameters (another thing I kinda forgot). I couldn't find a manual and have yet to install, but if you can forgive my ignorant question... Can DT Edit send all those MIDI commands to the DT at once? (from my computer through either my US-800 or my HD500's MIDI connector?) In essence that's what I'm looking for: A way to essentially save patches that doesn't use my HD500 so that I'm using the digital preamp in my amp rather than in my POD. Every adjustment in the amp is MIDI configurable, but I see now that my POD can't send all those commands simultaneously all by itself. ---edit--it appears that dtedit can't save, and is strictly a "live" editor. this has me wondering about the other 2 editors as well as MIDI OX. Another thing I'm confused about is that dtedit has 3 downloads at the bottom of the page: dtedit-master, dtedit_1.1.1, and dteditraw_1.1.1. I can't find any explanation as to what these are. I unzipped dtedit-master but couldn't find an executable so i gave up. i unzipped dtedit1.1.1 and this is operational. anybody know what the other downloads are for? ---edit again--i just noticed that the 2 downloads at the top of the page have new filenames as well, making a total of 5 different files to be downloaded from the page with no explanation as to which or why. my guess is that the zip and the tar are the same, just different compression types. the zip one seems to be identical to the "dtedit-master" file that did not function. so using the "dtedit_1.1.1," when i use the l6link to change patches, only some of the fields in the editor update. when i changed amps, speakers, microphones, the editor did not reflect this, but remained unchanged. i even entered the amp on my pod to select different options, but the editor did not follow those changes. crap. i'm not sure i can trust anything dtedit tells me except the voicing info.

Thanks, DarrellM5! Along the lines of my question to Brazzy, how do I control the DT (via POD or otherwise)? (If it's in the Line 6 guide, I'll be reading about it later today)

Hey Brazzy, it's going well! But lately I've been noticing that sometimes my tone sucks, so I've been thinking that I'd take the POD out of the equation. Last night I had killer tone to start out with, but after playing awhile it really sounded awful--kind of edgy/fuzzy yet somehow without the sustain and crunch an amp would normally produce. I woudn't think it was tubes as my amp is only 6 months old (but I ordered replacement tubes anyway). Please forgive me for posting before reading up! So are you saying that I can basically install 8 amps, 2 of each voice but otherwise however I like them, into my DT and then select those amps via the switches on the front panel (or A/B footswitch)? EDIT--12-14-15--TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: After playing my DT25 without my HD500, I found that it sounds a bit different. However, I have now concluded that most of my struggle getting the tones I want is because I'm playing too quietly. Going in the front input and switched to triode, my master is only at 1/4 volume (9:00), which is probably like 10% of the amp's volume and power. If I crank it half way, I find the tone stack, gain, etc. to be much less volatile and tones much easier to dial in. With any high gain tube amp and somewhat saturated tones, I don't think you'll ever get the same sounds at low volume that you get at high volume. The DT's are remarkably fun at low volume (not in low volume mode, FYI), but I think a bit of instability in the settings/results is to be expected given the inconsistencies in today's tube manufacturing--at least until one approaches the volumes the amp was intended for. I'll do a bit more testing, but I'm probably only going to use MIDI to reach the unreachable parameters of boost (which, contrary to reports, is switchable in my DT25) and possibly LPM with 1-2 of the amps. I will most likely continue with my HD500 (which will save the unreachable parameters in the parameters) and L6 Link, because I believe any muffling from the POD can be eq'd away. Good luck!

Okay, I'm gonna take the plunge, and this weekend will sever the umbilical cord, i.e. L6 Link. I have an HD 500, a DT25, a PC with no MIDI connector, and a Tascam US-800 Digital Audio Interface with MIDI connectors that I used for the firmware update. I want to use DT edit instead of my HD500, but I don't know how to send the commands. Is this something that will be obvious once I begin? To be clear, I am able to connect my amp to my computer via the US-800, but I don't know if this connection will serve my new intended purpose. Also, is there any way to control the amp via my HD500 using the MIDI connectors rather than the L6 Link? I haven't heard that this is possible... Thanks!

---another key point! (which I failed to mention)

Not sure I understand your question. If you haven't already, you should definitely take the time to read the documentation on the DT amps and HD500. Your search begins here: http://line6.com/support/manuals/ Since you own a POD HD, the L6Link Connectivity guide is very useful. When you connect POD to HD via the link, your POD becomes your preamp (the same preamp electronics/software are in both DT and HD), and you can access any of the 20 or so amps via the footswitches. This is the ONLY way to use a DT amp, IMO. But If you don't want to use your HD500, then you will need to use MIDI to take advantage of the amps added via the FW update. Find the "DT Amplifier MIDI Implementation Guide," and also check out the "User Created DT Editors" thread at the top of this forum.

Turns out his replacement tubes were JJs. There's another thread with more info in it (which is how I know this), and in that thread Psarkissian informs that we must use only EH tubes in our DTs. The initial problem was not diagnosed, however, just the weirdness that happened when he put in the JJs...

The Colonel discovered that DT edit has a boost setting that you can't get via hd500 edit, so even if you use a pod hd, this dt edit has its place.

you reported in another thread that you put in JJs, and psarkissian answered there to only use EH tubes, correct?

Eminence is reputed to be cleaner than celestion, no? Sorry I'm, not familiar with the red coats. Are you going for a cleaner sound? Personally I can't imagine better sound than my greenback+g12h90, but if it's out there, I wanna know!

Hey JHSTone, Like you, I spent years with the HD and then got at DT--got my DT50-112 in Feb, Congrats on your 212!!! --that second cone adds so much IMO, plus it lowers the noise floor a bit too (if that matters). 1) I run just one signal path as well. Some folks do both, but I always figured I should be able to get good tone without that. Also, the HD default to a doubled single path did not appeal to me when I first got the HD. 2) Turns out my DT50 was in the s/n range affected by the transformer issue. Because I bought it used with 3 months in the warranty, I couldn't afford to wait for it to melt down so I brought it in. My service tech said that this (TSR 059) is about a run of bad fuses that fail to protect the transformer, and all he did was replace the fuse. If you still have your original fuses, make sure you change out whichever one is deemed to be the culprit! 3) Seems you have an intermittent problem. The DT will power on, and then relays will click as it recalls the settings you had when you shut down. If you turn on the HD via L6 link, when the DT sees that it will again click relays to match the HD. I always turn my HD on first, let it get going, then turn my amp on in standby because I wasn't comfortable with all the clicking that happens when they both go on at the same time. However, I never got any noise through the speaker, so I don't think this explains your issue. --unless you are talking about the noise floor. Tell me, is this hiss present when the amp is operational, not in standby, and with volume all the way down--is that the same hiss you describe in #3? If so, then maybe all your symptoms are due to the HD and DT booting at the same time and your DT is getting freaked out by that. 4) I seldom (like only once) mess with the mixer levels. Using the HD500 in studio/direct, most players found that turning the master volume up all the way gave the most natural tones. With the DT, most players who've experimented keep the HD master lower so the amp can be louder. Mine is kept at exactly 12:00. ROCK ON! What you describe sounds like a variation of this. I'm not the expert on amp theory, but my suspicion here is that if you're cranking the DT volumes all the way up you might be cooking your tubes, which is expensive at best and may cause a meltdown. However, it may be that cooking the tubes has to do ONLY with biasing and actual signal amplitude. If that's true, then it's how loud it is at the speakers that matters. So I don't know, but if I were you, I'd tread cautiously until a definitive answer is found.

Does the master volume setting have any bearing on tube life? What about pentode/triode? i generally run in triode and always keep the master below 12:00. (btw, only one g in mclaughlin, but i won't tell)

Before I acquired my DT25 or DT50 I was going HD500 into a stereo that used Bose 901 series II speakers. Each speaker cab employs 9 cones of the same size, no tweeters or woofers, under the theory that each speaker will vibrate at a different frequency. But another piece of gear, an "active" equalizer, is required to make them sound decent and get some bass. This was and is a killer FRFR rig for the HD POD!!!! I eventually decided that it would look too weird at an audition (with too many pieces to haul), so I got into DTs, which help my tone even further.

Is it possible to award one's self with the "correct answer?" :huh:

Stumblin man is right, TSB 059 (the transformer issue) was the DT50s. When you were clicking through the voices, was that sound coming through the speaker at all? Does hum or buzz come through the speaker? My guess is that if anything at all comes through the speaker, you might not have a bad xformer. Could be your output board or just about anything. Speaker wire? You don't want to go out buying parts based on a guess and find out that wasn't your problem. This amp needs to be worked on by a VERY GOOD line 6 tech. You probably should send it in to Line 6. I believe that if you bought it second hand you still have the manufacturer's warranty for up to 1 year from the date of purchase--unless you bought it "used" from a dealer (a weird exception, that). But you should do this even if you don't have a warranty. While it's not inexpensive, getting it repaired is still far less than the cost of a brand new head, even with shipping.