GTLazer

Potentially, yes, but there are various bits of kit that get round that, like those remote loop switch type things, where the stomps can live in the rack but be switched in and out remotely.

Just turn the amp model off.

Have a look on CustomTone as well. Download some tones and have a play with them - if you find one that's in the ballpark of what you're looking for, use it as a starting point for further tinkering.

You don't have to put them together, though. For example, fuzz pedals are often best at the beginning of a signal chain, so you could go: Guitar > Big Muff > HD500 in > HD FX loop out > AC Tone > HD FX loop in > HD500 out That would allow you to have in-built effects on either side of the AC Tone.

Of course. How you set it up will depend on what order you want your effects in. You can have pedals before, in the loop, or after the HD500, so you could go as complicated as: Guitar > Mega Distortion > HD500 in > internal FX > HD500 loop out > Flanger > HD500 loop in > more internal FX > HD500 out > DD3 > Amp

You'll need a Y cable (TRS to 2 x TS), as the HD500's loop out is a stereo TRS but you'll need mono TS inputs for your amps. Careful with the effects you use as well, as some of them will sum to mono.

Per maggiore chiarezza: utilizzare l'uscita 1/4" in ingresso di linea, oppure utilizzare l'uscita XLR in ingresso microfono. Yes, the XLR is quieter. That's why you have to use the mic input.

Cross-post, there. Silverhead, surely the XLR out would go to mic input?

You can either use XLR to mic input (as HD XLR out is at mic level) or 1/4"/XLR to line in (as HD 1/4" out is at line level). If it's a longer cable run, you're probably better off with the XLR, as it's balanced, but if you've got both cables handy, it'd be worth trying both and seeing what you prefer the sound of, as the XLR will rely on the monitor's built-in pre-amp, which may or may not be to your taste. I'm pretty sure that about covers it, but I'm sure someone will put me right if I've missed anything.

I have a similarly noisy laptop (in fact, 2 different HP laptops have had the same issue) and so did quite a bit of reading about this. It's basically caused by crappy quality power supplies. Most laptops do it but some don't. My choice of solution is that, when my current laptop packs in, I'm going to replace it with a custom-build desktop PC for my studio, a 2TB network drive attached to my router, a media streaming device attached to my TV and hi-fi, and a tablet for general tinternet access. Should be able to get all that for under £1000, which isn't much different to what I'd likely spend on a new laptop anyway.

Sounds like the DAW's output is crackly. Have you checked it independently?

If L6 were being really thorough with their modelling, they might have modelled the 'off' effect as well as the 'on' effect, as it would be a more realistic model of a real-life pedal board. Not sure that's very likely, though.

I use a few different amps and a couple of main guitars, but always pretty much the same delay and reverb, so I have a bank of starting presets with my favourite amp settings plus delay and reverb, labelled as what amp they are and what guitar they're for. So, for example, I might have 'SLO Crunch G' (for Gibson) and 'SLO Crunch I' (for Ibanez).

Guitar > HD500 input, HD500 FX send > Mesa input, Mesa FX send > HD500 FX return, HD500 output > Mesa FX return. In the HD500, put your pre- effects (wah, drive, fuzz) before the FX block and your post- effects (delay, reverb, chorus) after it. No strict rules, though, of course - whatever you think sounds best is what's right for you.

SOLD!