Indianrock2020

I think my initial post referred to how an auto company would not keep selling the same car without changes, at the same price, year after year. ( model packs were an exception to the "no change" in Line6's case) So if the analogy carries over to other industries, at some point you would offer the 2016 Mustang, with some improvements, probably at a slightly higher price. But the 2016 Mustang wouldn't be 30% better than 2015 but cost 3 times as much. Maybe it's just time for the next model. As the PODs progressed from XT to XT3 XtLive to 500 etc they didn't go up in price by a factor of 3 did they? A lot of us are never, ever going to spend $1500 for a multi-effect, but would sell our 2 or 3 year old model for half or less of the original price in an effort to get an improved model ( say 20% better and 10-20% more expensive ).

Well this has been my most active thread ever. It still seems there is a big void between the $500 "POD-like" devices and the $1500 + devices. Imagine if there were no guitars available between $501 and $1,499 And you can't sell your current model for enough to even make a dent in the jump to the Helix. At this point in life I could go buy ten Helix's tomorrow, financially speaking. But it's always about the wife :-) And it is not easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission ( that statement keeps divorce lawyers rich ) After a lot of work ( and help from this group ) I'm enjoying my 500x tones immensely, and there is more gold to be discovered. But the tone-quest never ends. I'm not one who believes that tone is in the fingers. Sure a professional can do wonders with cheap musical gear as can a golf pro with a $100 set of clubs. But for most of us average mortals, better gear makes up for the fact that we aren't John Mayer and don't have more than a few hours a week to play.

What do you mean about the IRs? External device to the pod?

Yes, uninstalled the ASIO 4 all and seems to be back to normal. The line 6 audio driver stuff in control panel( windows ) has hardware send level and recording send level. Right now I have the first one maxed and the other off. I may only turn the recording level up and check the 18db boost when I'm actually using audacity or other DAW.

It looks like when dragging a preset from a disk folder you have to place it on an empty "new tone." The options to use the control or shift keys ( windows ) to insert a preset or swap positions is only possible within the HDEdit preset list. If you drag from disk it will overwrite AND REMOVE the preset already in that slot. When you already have quite a few presets in that set list, this means a lot of awkward dragging unless someone has a better idea. • Multi-Select Presets: It is also possible to select multiple Presets within the same panel: • Press and hold your Shift key+click to select a contiguous number of Presets. • Press and hold your Cmd key+click (Mac®) or Ctrl key+click (Windows®) on the desired Presets to select a non-contiguous number of Presets. Contiguous selection of multiple Presets Non-contiguous selection of multiple Presets • It is not possible to drag multiple selected Presets within the same Set List Panel. But you can drag multiple-selected Presets into a different Set List Panel to copy them into the same 6•3 POD HD500X Edit: Set Lists and Presets respective Channel locations within the destination Set List. • “Insert†a Preset into a different Channel location: Click on a Preset and drag it up or down within the same Set List Panel. Drop the Preset onto the desired Channel location to move the Preset there. • Drag and drop a Preset from one Set List Panel into any channel location within a different Set List Panel and the Preset will be copied into the new location. • “Swap†the Preset settings between two Channel locations: Click on a Preset to select it, then hold your Shift key and click and drag the Preset to the new desired Channel location - either within the same Set List Panel, or into a different Set List Panel. • Copy & Paste a Preset to a new Channel location: Click on a Preset to select it. Then hold your Option key (on Mac®) or Ctrl key (on Windows®) and click and drag the Preset to the new desired Channel location. This replaces the Preset in the destination location. (Note that it is not necessary to hold any modifier key when dragging a Preset between two different Set List Panels to copy into the new location.)

Yes the +18db check box is in the windows control panel, but you can't get to that detail unless the POD is connected It's labeled Line 6 Audi-MIDI Devices. Clicking that +18db box got my audacity recording level up to normal, but I do find that sometimes the guitar/pod audio is going to my powered speaker via the POD's 1`/4 inch output, going into audacity just fine, but also going on out of the laptop via the external speaker jack into another set of speakers. Normally I run an mp3 on the laptop and play along with it. Guitar goes only to my powered speaker, mp3 only to the laptop external speakers. I think you have to make sure the mp3 is playing before playing your guitar so things stay separated, but it's probably a setting.

That fixed it !!! thanks

Yes, exactly the purpose I have in mind. Now if I can just get past the low recording levels when running 500x over USB to audacity.

I've searched the forum on this and didn't find the answer I was looking for. 500x to Laptop into Audacity over USB. Recording level is very low. Audacity is using the Line 6 driver. Master volume on pod has no effect. People have mentioned some mysterious 18 db setting which I've never found. Drivers are all up to date including Windows 10 on laptop. Switch to Reaper? I'd buy Reaper in a heartbeat if that will solve it. Audacity is just easy to use.

In my case Audacity shows the LIne 6 driver as the input ( over usb ) but the recording level is low. Changing things like the master volume on the HD500x has no effect. What I've done is import the original song as an MP3 in audacity, and then click record which starts a new track of my guitar sound from the POD. But even with the slider in Audacity all the way up, record level is low

Tell me of these VRU meters.

So far I definitely see the Mahadeva, Brit 2204 and Purge useful. The Purge, surprisingly, cleans up well and crunches when you dig in -- AND as you reach down into lower notes it sounds like an octave pedal kicks in. Not a doubling of notes, just a surprising amount of bottom. Now I like this at home, but not sure how it would work in a band with a bass player. HD Metal Pack Model Name -- Modeled After PV Panama -- Peavey® 5150® (Block logo) Mahadeva -- Bogner® Shiva Brit 2204 -- Remastered Marshall® JCM800 (Model 2204) Line 6 Insane -- Line 6 Original Line 6 Big Bottom -- Line 6 Original Line 6 Variac'ed Plexi -- Line 6 Original Line 6 Purge -- Line 6 Original Line 6 Aggro -- Line 6 Original Line 6 Smash -- Line 6 Original Line 6 Octone -- Line 6 Original

The HD500x parametric EQs use percentage rather than showing frequency numbers. this video should help: https://youtu.be/iJ9v7SCCt_c Also I attached a file someone else prepared that shows the frequency for the percentages. The EQ needed is, of course, going to vary on your guitar, your output device ( direct to PA? ), the amp model and overdrive pedal chosen. In the Video Peter Hanmer goes through how to find the bad frequency range and notch it out using your ears and the parametric EQ. Parametric EQ Frequency.pdf

The things that limit how good we sound live in a band go way beyond amp models, although I would love to see some of the additions mentioned above at under $1000. When I think of the church where I play live, the phone/tablet control of pod parameters would really be valuable because 1) hauling a laptop is a pain, 2) tweaking with the POD controls is a pain and 3) you need to tweak while the rest of the band is playing ( not in a bedroom ). You could put a tablet on a chair or music stand and get yourself in the mix much more easily than getting down on the floor with the POD or trying to use a connected Laptop. Even with a laptop we use the USB cable so I'm not sure how the Tablet is going to connect since the POD has no bluetooth. Wifi adapter that plugs into the POD USB port?

Yes thanks, downloaded those last year. Awesome stuff. Somehow I just got the q adjustment backwards.

I would guess Helix was to compete with the Axe FX market. So the HD500x is still the "new" Line 6 2014 model. In Line6's defense, there are the model packs. And the majority of HD500, 500x users probably haven't scratched the surface of what can be done with in-depth tweaking.

I guess a better question would be which Line6 competitors are offering something in between 500x and Helix ( both in quality and price ) ? I mean, isn't this like Ford said we sold a buzillion Mustangs last year for $25k each, so this year we're selling the last year's Mustang with no changes ( same price ) and offering a MustangPlus for $75k and hope to turn a profit.

Yes please post !!!!

If line6 were to offer something in between the 500x and the Helix ( pretty large price jump ), what would it include that the 500x doesn't have? Customizable cabinet/mic IRs ( impulse reponse ) ??? http://www.redwirez.com/

I see at 01:50 in this video that I've been using the parametric Q control exactly backwards. I've been trying to notch out offensive frequencies ( especially in crunchy patches ) but have been turning the Q counterclockwise most of the way thinking I was affecting a narrow band. Live and learn. I'm not sure the manual even touches this detail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLkVhOp5FCY&feature=youtu.be Peter Hanmer does a great demo of using parametric here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ9v7SCCt_c&index=1&list=RDiJ9v7SCCt_c

So far I just go single 1/4 out from 500x to direct box and then xlr cable to mixer. Haven't tried the XLR outs from the POD.

Whoa DunedIn, thanks for that. If you're ever up in the Pacific Northwest you can come by and tweak our sound board :-) Well yes we're off topic but if they delete the thread, no big deal. Several of our guitarists own Line 6 gear as does the church, so we can't be that bad. I do both sound and electric guitar, and in my recording, unfortunately, I think I was running sound that day. I generally do boost the lead guitar at the appropriate points, but either I was asleep, busy recording ( :-) ) or it was just that the lead guy that day tends to not prepare and noodle pentatonic stuff. I did introduce high pass filter on our Presonus StudioLive 24.4.2 when I arrived here two years ago. It's at about 150hz on everything except kick and bass guitar. Bass is about 40hz and kick about 100hz. I'm glad you re-stated the need for "arranging" and generally we have an acoustic strumming chords plus one electric. What the electric is doing depends on who it is. I usually only play as a 2nd electric so I try to find space between the acoustic and the "lead part" electric -- this could be finger-picked arpeggios, single strum per measure or rhythm chording different than what the acoustic is doing. The rest of the band is the acoustic drum kit, keyboard, digital piano, bass guitar and usually 3 vocals. There are two vocal wedges up front for the vocalists. All but vocalists are on IEMs. The drums are mic'd but the channel faders are off except for the kick. Generally the drum mics are there just to provide in-ear monitor feeds. Pushing up the kick fader makes no noticeable difference since the partial drum shield really does nothing so it's pretty much stage volume you hear from the drums. We are shopping for a quieter drum kit with different, hopefully quieter cymbals. My push for E-drums has gone no where. As has my push for ambient room mics so we could feed some FOH room sound into the in-ear mixes. So with the drummer wearing cans, he has no real idea of his impact on the room. We have a hard limit of 95 decibels using a meter set at A-weighted/slow. From my amateur perspective, therein lies the problem since once you have drums and vocals, plus some piano and the other instruments barely audible, you've reached 95DB. Of course, 250 people singing affects this but I haven't noticed the db meter change much when the people start singing once we've set it at about 95db in rehearsal. Hope I'm not repeating myself when I say that, like many churches, I think this one started down the path to quiet stage and stopped when not complete. I don't see us getting guitar amps back, even in isolation closets. I have managed to get the guitars distinct, but only at 100 decibels plus. Loved your band recording. Finding something like what the Posse band does could be so therapeutic for many worship musicians who feel so restricted in church. In my area ( Bellingham, WA ) most of the outside playing opportunities are bar jams at 11pm on weeknights :-)

The situation is somewhat complex. We, like many other churches, started down the right towards a quiet stage. But we stopped when we got to the drums. So until that is fixed, I'm just trying my own workarounds. Or I just accept the fact of being buried in the mix as long as the music is serving the greater purpose. Or I find something else to do. Here's a cell phone recording I took a while back. At one minute in you can barely detect the guy playing electric that week was trying some lead parts, but because the drums ( unamplified ) along with the vocals ride on top, you really can't hear him. ( also at 3:05) Now the sound tech might have fixed that if riding the faders, but the 95 decibel limit would not allow the other instruments to remain full in the mix for very long. This particular week we had one of our better drummers, but the rest of the team is what I'd call the junior varsity. https://soundcloud.com/indianrock-1/11-22-2015/s-1iqyS

Ok so I read this to mean I need to lower the final gain/volume level of my patches and crank up the volume on my powered speaker a bit as I set up patches that will eventually be used with the church PA. If I wanted to use two Studio EQs at the end of the patch just before the volume pedal effect, I would set the amp channel volume lower ( or the HD500x master volume lower ) . This lets the POD do less "work" and puts more burden on the amplifying device, which is fine.

LOL, sound check? The worship leader recently asked if we could try to keep the faders near unity, adjusting channel trim/gain to accomplish that. I said "if we do a sound check"