Indianrock2020

MeAmBobbo has done an awesome job in documenting these PODs. I want to make sure I understand the suggestions on combining cab/mics in a dual amp patch to avoid phase problems due to delays caused by some combinations. This could just be something to be corrected amidst thousands of details in his work, but the combination of Tread 4x12 V30 cab with 57on axis mic in Channel A plus Greenback 4x12 25 with 87 condenser mic in Channel B seems to result in a delay of "30" which needs to be corrected by adding something like a parametric EQ in Channel B. It looks like 57 off axis plus 87 condenser would give zero delay. Photo attached if it doesn't display. ( apparently can't insert jpg or png images ) The patch: Still Got the Blues CR_GM-SLO_L Overview Moore gets a huge tone here, but it's not that distorted. It's really simple boosted Marshall tone, but I like the way the Soldano Crunch model works for it. I use a compressor to keep the sound big.

First, my 500x is great. Really enjoying it. And this site verifies my impression that those who are disappointed are trying to use it right out of the box. I just started trying one of MeAmBobbo's suggestions on using the same amp, twice, but with different cabs. Liking it very much. Currently using two AC30 TB amps with this cab setup: Uber V-30 4x12 57 on axis XXL 4x12 121 Ribbon "This is the last and to my ear best combination I've found. It seems natural - crisp highs and powerful mids. And there's less EQ'ing to deal with here too." http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/cabsMics#dualCab-faves Also, thanks to others like hurghanico for their research.

Great advice there. I just bought the Alto TS112A - sounds great.

Thanks Silverhead. Pushing the mixer level up too much has sometimes led to distortion/clipping in my monitor amp but I think you're saying any such distortion is not caused by pushing the mixer as high as it will go.(its my amp not being able to handle the input signal ) I usually leave the master volume at 3 o'clock ( ~ 75% ) all the time. PorcyTree, actually in my experience the AC 30 is one of the louder amps in the POD, at least in the non-metal category. The Fender, Roland Jazz Chorus and new Vox Fawn models seem to have less output ( I'm not talking about real, physcal amps, but the amp models in the POD )

I started out with the AC30 but wanted to make use of other amps. So for the Fender and Roland amps I put a compressor and/or Vintage Pre in front to get output volume similar to my earlier Vox patches. Now I'm thinking I should lower the Vox patches where channel volume is almost always max because I'm afraid boosting the weaker amps will alter their tone. I run direct to PA so they can compensate as long as my levels are fairly consistent patch to patch.

So far the only amp I like consistently is the AC 30, both for clean and dirty. I know this is due to some mistakes/oversights I'm making in settings and/or cabinet/mic choices. The Blackface and Divided models have weak output. At first glance the Marshall's are muddy. I have the vintage pack but don't use any of them. HD Vintage Pack Model Name Modeled After Jazz Rivet Roland® JC-120 Small Tweed Fender® Champ® (Tweed) Mandarin 80 Orange® OR80 A30 Fawn Nrm VOX® AC30 (Fawn Normal Ch.) A30 Fawn Brt VOX® AC30 (Fawn Bright Ch.) Line 6 Acoustic Line 6 Original Black Panel Pete Pete Anderson Custom Roland® JC-120 2x12 CAB Fender® Champ® 1x8 CAB

So far I still like a volume pedal "effect" at the end of the chain tied to expression 1 -- the volume transition is smooth unlike setting it to amp channel volume. I don't think running out of processing power is going to be an issue for me with the relatively few effects I use. I might try tying the expression pedal to something like Tube Comp level, the comp is usually up front so you're pushing everything that way, rather than just using a volume pedal at the end as a master volume.

Lots of good things to try here. Have any of you tried a dual amp patch ( like two BlackFace Nrms ) where the amp model is kind of weak? I tried channel volume assigned to expression, but like others said, seemed to kind of jump in volume rather than a smooth transition with a volume pedal effect. Running out of DSP isn't an issue with the few effects I use.

I like that idea. Any amps that don't have a master volume? I tried assigning it to channel volume earlier, but I seem to prefer settiing that a max all the time.

I just started putting a volume pedal effect at the end of every patch. Looking at some patches I've purchased, most don't have a volume pedal. Good video here on volume pedal location on a regular pedal board. Where do you put your volume pedal in a patch chain? So far I'm just trying to have some control over the output to the sound board, not doing swells or anything like trying to push an OD effect harder. http://youtu.be/4SQ-G75_pk0

I wonder if more intelligent use of the volume pedal that I put in every patch now could help with this "amp volume variation" issue. So far I put one at the end of each patch and set it to 50% to 100%. Some in my band use this as a way to boost during solos, not an intentional way to "get past" the sound guy. The problem at church is the extremely short time between songs. When you customize settings, especially delay, and use a separate patch for each song, there is barely time to do that much less fiddle with the volume pedal. I'm playing mainly electric rhythm so popping in at specific points in the song isn't a good idea. Actually the AC30 is so good for the music we play, I think using other amps that need a volume boost would be more for my jam group.

That makes sense.

I've been very happy with my 500x and for church have been using the A-30 TB almost exclusively. Just this week I got some decent sounds out of a Marshall model. When I try one of the Fenders ( e.g. Blackface Dbl Nrm ), it seems have have very low output. I almost always leave the master volume ( top of POD ) at 3 o'clock, mixer at unity with both sides panned straight up, amp channel volume at maximum, amp drive about half, and amp master maximum. To compensate for the low Fender output I turn up the compressor level up, bump the mixer to about +4 and set the amp drive higher than I'd prefer Is this just the nature of some amps? At home I monitor through a stereo receiver system and rarely touch its volume. Typical patch for me: Noise Gate>Compressor>OD>amp>Delay>Hall Reverb>Volume Pedal

Yes I use HDedit almost exclusively. It is a little fussy about clicking/select a patch to edit. More than once I've found I adjusted the delay setting only to find the current patch was highlighted, but not really the one selected. I think the 1A, 1B view setting is going to work for me. But with a set typically being five or six songs, with the board in the mode where all 8 footswitches can be assigned to effects, it takes a "bank up" click to get the next four available. I don't really use more than 2 or 3 footswitches for effects, but can't recall at the moment why I chose the current patch selection mode.

That's cool. I think the big user view is going to work for me. In my case it isn't that the stage lights are so bright, its just the small font in normal view.

Discovered the Big User View. This will help but obviously I'll have to make note of which song goes with 16D etc

I often use a different patch for each song. My HD500x is set up in the mode where all 8 footswitches can be controlling an effect so to switch patches I click the "bank up" switch, then one of FS 5-8 to select the patch. I found that adjusting the display to show 1A 1B etc is actually readable while standing. Now if I name the patch "1A_song name" "1B 2nd song name" etc and save the setlist, theoretically I could use a text editor like Notepad+ to extract just those portions from the setlist file and print. So the extracted document would look like 1A Crossroads !B Call me the Breeze etc Or I could just do a screen shot of the HD edit screen and print. Or just write it down :-( Unfortunately with stage lighting and my eyeglasses, this is going the only way I can switch patches while standing.

I don't know that it was with one patch, probably not as he was working ok earlier. 80 Farenheit, late afternoon sun but his was the only pod sitting right on asphalt. Report this morning: pod is fine at home. Another possibility is that this was a situation where a portable pa/mixer system was being used by a sound tech not completely familiar with it -- he might have had the volume down on the wrong fader, but I still suspect the pod as we spent several minutes trying various cables and DI boxes.

Played an outdoor gig yesterday and my friend didn't keep his HD500x in the shade. At one point he was getting very little output on a patch he's used without problems in the past. This guy hasn't really dug into the unit and spent the time to understand it all, but just wondered if heat has caused issues for others. There really wasn't time for me to dig in and make sure he had the amp and mixer levels where they should be, but like I said, he's used this patch many times before.

Normally using a 74 Strat maple neck with 3 Gold Lace Sensor pickups ( I think these are fairly low output ) HD500x runs direct to PA normally.

You mean you use the overdrive as a boost, with the gain on the OD turned down? I can try that. I could also use the expression pedal to control the amp gain when going from clean rhythm to crunchy. Since I usually have the expression pedal controlling amp channel volume, that would mean adding a volume pedal effect to my chain. Sure is a waste to have 20 or 30 amp models and only use one.

Short demo of line 6 overdrive into AC30 TB ( ignore the noodling in the middle I was just trying to get a crunchy rhythm sound ). You can faintly hear Sheryl Crow's Real Gone in the background. https://soundcloud.com/indianrock-1/sheryl-crow-real-goneclip I almost always use a noise gate up front, some sort of delay and hall reverb. Usually I have a parametric EQ tied to the OD footswitch to notch out tones I don't like. For some reason I keep going back to the Vox AC30 -- the ODs I've been trying don't seem to fit well with other amp models -- at least to my ears.

I've only been studying and tweaking for 5 months, but so far I use the AC30 TB amp for everything. I bought the vintage amp pack a while back, but particularly when using the screamer, I can't get an "overdrive you can use in church" out of anything but that Vox amp. I pair the screamer with a parametric eq mostly now to notch out ugly frequencies, but still.... For a special project I'm using the Line 6 overdrive for a heavier crunch, but still mainly works with the Vox for the smoother, tamer OD I'm looking for.

Not sure how "global delay" ( not having to tap tempo ) is going to work unless all songs are the same beats per minute. I have a few patches using dotted eighth delay for specific songs so I can "hard code" the milliseconds ( 45,000 / bpm = dot eighth milliseconds ). On other patches the delay is set with tap tempo so I can use it for multiple songs -- this can be tricky however if pauses between songs are short and the band's drummer starts the song. You can wind up not playing on the first couple of measures while tapping tempo.

Yes I'm not opposed to paying somebody for another setup, but knowing how to do minor tweaks ( and having the right tools ) would be nice since winter/summer and other changes may necessitate adjustments every season.