nikoniablue

Answer, basically, is yes. You can configure switches into two rows, one for patches and one for effects switching. The effects which show up in the effects row is configurable per patch.

A quick note that I hope might be useful to others. I bought a Helix LT this week. The driver software loaded fine onto a couple of laptops but I couldn't get it to install on my main Windows 7 PC. The Helix showed up as a device in "Devices and Printers" but was reported by WIndows as unusable and that the driver had failed to load. It appears that my copy of Windows had loaded a generic USB device driver instead of the L6 software. Anyway, after several fruitless exchanges with L6 support, I found the fix myself. You need to go to the Helix device shown in Device Manager, click on Properties, click on Driver, tell it to "Update Driver" and install the driver manually from the folder: Programs (x86)/ Line6/ Tools/ Driver2 Archive/ Helix. Windows will identify the ".inf" file in that folder as the correct driver. Click on that and you should be good to go. I suspect it's an unusual problem inasmuch as one of my laptop installs was also Win 7 and went perfectly smoothly. Nevertheless, I hope this may help someone. Now I can get back to trying to get the Helix to play nicely with my DT25.......... Andy

Thanks Billbee. Looks like it may be a problem at my end - though strange as I got same result on two different computers and had no trouble downloading the Variax editor or the licence monkey. In any event I got a quick response from L6 customer service who sent me the files I needed so I'm back in business. Thanks Olaf at L6 Europe for quick response. Olaf also tested the download and didn't find an issue. Strange - but sorted.

Trying urgently to download Pod HD500 software to new laptop before gig tonight. Getting a 404 error code: Not FoundThe requested URL /data was not found on this server. each time I try and download. I've tried on two different PCs and no luck. Does anyone know what's going on?

Yep - tried that - didn't help. But thanks anyway.

I suspect this is a hardware problem but wondered if anyone has had a similar experience before I get onto Line 6. My JTV59 was fine until this morning when it started to produce a constant loud and grating buzz from the magnetic pickup - just when connected via the data cable to an HD500. No issue with modelled sounds over data link. No problem from mags when connected via normal jack. The problem is just with mags over the data link. I've tried changing the cable and reflashing the firmware to kind of reset the electronics but neither made any difference. Any other ideas? Thanks

Thanks guys. I have a slight nickel allergy hence thinking I'd try the strings. Sounds like stainless steel may not be the right answer.

Is anyone out there using stainless steel strings on a JTV59? If so, what are your thoughts compared to regular nickel? Thanks

Thanks. Hadn't realised that. Still sounds OK though!

I think this has just started happening...Whenever I change the patch on the HD500 the Variax switches to a model (even though the guitar is set to magnetic pickups only). I have double checked the Variax controller window in HD500 edit and that says "Don't force" for model selection. So if the Variax (JTV59) is set to magnetic pickups then changing the patches on the 500 shouldn't have any effect on the guitar - but it does. I feel I must be missing something simple. Any ideas?

Why does the Pete Anderson custom not have a Pre model?

Just to help this el_loba out, here is the Google translation to English: "hello. I wanted to know that I select amp model that resembles a fender frontman 212R 100W from my pod HD300 because that is the amp that I have . thx" More people may now be able to comment...

Probably electromagnetic interference as Joel suggested - being picked up by the guitar pickups. It'd be a lot worse if you had single coils! By the way - your ability to use two amps at a time shouldn't be affected by the setting for input 2.

There's more than one guitar tone in this. The one I suspect you like sounds like a strat through a Marshall. Fairly well cranked up and play the guitar fairly heavily (a lot of a strat's twang has to do with guitar technique). Try the Park P75. Then maybe EQ to refine. Also try EQing by using fixed positions on a wah pedal. One of the little breaks sounds like a wah filtering out all of the high end. Good luck.

There are other answers on this topic so do look around. For what it's worth I've found the following for live work: - check you're using the preamp only settings for the amps - don't overdo noise reduction or compression as they tend to sap energy and dynamics. - don't overdo high distortion - leave a clean edge to cut through - Keep the amp volume level high and turn the master on the HD500 down. - I tend not to use much, if any, EQ. Simplify the chain if you can. Frank Zappa once said the art was getting a good sound out of a guitar and amp without "flanging the p*** out of it!" - Find a couple of amp sounds you like then build on those - as if they were real amps. - Generally - avoid extreme settings - they usually mean you're pushing something too far. Good luck

pfsmith0 is right - tuner only works on input 1. If you switch the tuner in whilst the HD500 is set to Input 2 you get the tuner screen but no bar to show the instrument tuning. I do so wish they'd fix that!

Thanks Steve. What's an RMA?

Nothing on the Variax but plenty more on the HD500. There is, I think, a string synth model - it sounds a bit artificial but you may be able to improve it by combining with volume swells and/or octaver/tuner. Good luck.

When I switch from modelled to magnetic pickups on my JTV59 the mags are often silent until I switch between pickups a couple of times. The same happens sometimes when switching between mags. If this were a regular guitar I'd spray some switch cleaner onto, and then exercise, the pickup selector switch. Is it OK to do that on the JTV? Alternatively - does anyone else have this issue or any other suggestions? I'm reluctant to send it fro service but suspect there may be no other option. Let me know what you think. Thanks

The HD500 should not hum - they don't all do it - mine is silent apart from hums picked up by the guitar.

I had exactly the opposite problem when I first started using the DT25 - my band complained the amp was too harsh & trebly. But it's so adjustable - it took a while to get it under control but I get the sounds I want now. I agree it also has a lot to do with the room.

Vox models are good for 'edge of breakup' sound. Worth experimenting with tube screamer as well in conjunction with cleaner amp tones. I found that took quite a bit of tweaking to get listenable but worth the effort. I too really like the Soldano crunch so +1 for earlier suggestions on that.

Just connect the HD500 into the effects return on the Flextone, using it as a simple monitor. If you have a two speaker version, or an extension cab, then use a stereo lead and you'll get stereo output and can use two amp models etc. Use studio out to get full modelling from HD500. I did this with a Flextone II for a while and it was ok. I now have the DT25 which is pretty good, though can be pretty bright, and I miss the stereo capability.

Always do the same in HD500 as in real life. Order is: Gate -> Compressor -> Distortion -> Wah or other filter FX -> Amp -> Chorus -> Delay -> Reverb. Location of volume pedal depends on whether I want to control the volume of the whole patch - in which case I put it last, or for controlling level of drive of the front end of the amp model - in which case it goes after the compression. Reverb always last because it creates the imitation acoustic environment in which the rest happens (as it were...). Having said that, there's no right answer. I find myself too reverting to just a couple of real pedals (a drive and a delay) in front of the DT25.

Just going into Workbench (and enjoying the faster load via the HD500) and noticed that although I asked for custom settings to be retained when I upgraded, all the string volumes have been reset to 100%, (which is slightly irritating). EDIT: User error - ignore this post. I'd forgotten that, after my previous update, I'd adjusted the global volume and not individual patches. Global volume was fine after upgrade.