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lumper

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Everything posted by lumper

  1. lumper

    max volume

    You lose sound quality the louder you go with these modeler's is what I have found, I prefer to find that sweet spot then mic the cab or run an xlr to the board, Im going to try the xlr weds at practice. But turning up the pa channel rather than the amp hopefully will preserve the tone a little better.
  2. I am trying to get as close to that tube driven, warm, yet round and unique Mesa Boogie distortion, like a Road King 2 head delivers. What amps are you guys starting with to build a patch to get as close to this kind of sound as you can? I am playing through a Mesa 4x12 and Les Paul Im in a working band and needed an amp in a pinch and only had $500 to work with so after looking at and trying many amps I landed on the Spider V 240hc and I really like it. BUT, I am having a tough time getting this dialed in and I figured maybe someone else has also been working on a good tube driven distortion / tone to sound like the Mesa heads already and can help me out. I really wanted to buy a Mesa but even used the ones I want are $1800 which I would gladly pay if I had it, I am out of work and disabled without an income so....here I am. Obviously I am not going to get it 100% but I know I can get a lot closer than I am right now. The virtual heads within the software that you would think would give this tone, sound muddy to me and too bassy, so ive been sitting here tweaking the amp settings on each high gain amp. The Line 6 insane or whatever it is one of the closest and thats annoying too, I know a rectifier would do it, but the treadplate amp which I think is line 6's version of a Mesa Rectifier, just doesnt sound anything like it, they have tube assignment options on those amps for different voicing and the software has nothing like it. I prefer a Godsmack type deep drop D distortion for the type of stuff I play, palm muted percussive drop d heavy rock riffs. And at low levels I can get a few close, but as soon as you turn up to get in the mix, it starts distorting a bit and breaking up some, I had my spider 4 dialed and it sounded fantastic, I know it is in there, I just need to find it and while I am doing that, I figured asking might help me find some assistance with it and maybe a close patch someone else made. Thanks for any help, I appreciate it. Matt
  3. lumper

    Spider V WoW

    I have the head the 240hc. The only thing so far I have found to be an issue, well two things. Tonight I went to practice with my band, and I had spent the last few days dialing in what I thought was a great patch, really very tube driven and percussive, it was great, until I got to band and had to crank up to vol, then not so much, I had to bring the head home again to go back to work on it, that was disappointing but I will figure it out. The other thing is the function 2 button, where it is you can easily accidentally press it while adding modulation or clicking on the comp, and then all of a sudden if you are not paying attention the looper will record and in time , play it back, lol I found this out at a gig last week, I am going to make a little bracket and screw it on the footboard to cover that function so when I play live I dont do that again. Otherwise I love it. I did want to buy a boutique tune amp like a Mesa Road King or sim but they are $4k, so now my mission is to emulate that tube driven tone with this head, and all in all I like what I am finding. Just takes a lot of tweaking, tons of options.
  4. As ADBrown said, when you select cab emulator off on the back, and then plug into your cab, the built in speakers switch from full range to high frequency to work with your cabinet speakers, I use a Mesa 4x12 with mine and the head speakers are a nice addition.
  5. lumper

    Spider V WoW

    Thank you line 6 I have to say I am 110% living mine!! I just today after many hours dialing in a few patches for my original band tone, and I am picky about tone as many are, got it set up the way I want it, and it sounds amazing!!! I am so in love with my tone right now I cant stop smiling, it sounds amazing!! It sounds like I am playing through the Road King 2 Mesa head which is exactly what I was going for, and only with a tube driven distortion, not even maxed out, it sounds great, a Godsmack type of deep tone. I was worried at first as it can be overwhelming but I simplified the matter and just worked at it everyday a little and worked with 1 amp that I was able to get set up really well, then I only added one pedal a basic tube driven dist, and wow after messing with the amp settings, and the front panel amp settings, tada!! its perfect!! Love this thing, it sounds like a very expensive tube amp and yet has so many features its just an awesome piece of equipment for the money I cant imagine anything better. I havent even begun to appreciate the other features, I am a songwriter so I cant wait to sit and record a little section I need to send of to the guys before practice so they can hear what I am working on, I can even include drums on it. Being able to set it up on my pc and dial it in with a graphical interface is awesome!!! and having at my toe a wah, or delay, or echo, or whatever on top of everything else is realy cool. I have a gig in a week and a half, first one with the new amp, I cant wait to go to practice with this thing dialed in as it is right now and watch their faces. Nobody expects much from these amps fro some reason, but I cant see why. Is it perfect? no, it could use a few changes, a charging mode, a solo boost, an easier way to program the midi fbv foot controller. But for $450 you can do a lot worse. I am very happy with mine.
  6. I play in a pretty loud original band, we are known for being loud, when we play outside cops come. Anyway I was able to use the Spider IV 120 with no problems. I just got the Spider V and am using that now, but the 120 was more than enough power. I bought the V for the other features. The IV I used was a 120 watt combo amp and I made it a head. I pulled the speakers and installed jacks and used it as a 120 watt head, it was perfect, easily kept up with the drummer and the band, thing is I ran it through a Mesa 4x12, but all on its own 120 watts, into a 300 watt cab. Now the Spider V 240HC I have is way way more than I would ever need for power or volume, I am sure I could use 1/2 of it, but I do love the added features of the 240hc. I would suggest buying the 240hc and have some headroom rather than go with the 120 and limit yourself.
  7. Yeah the app lets you search the cloud for tones, so whether you have an android or Iphone grab the right app for it, and use that, the pc version does not have those features.
  8. lumper

    Noob Question

    Thank you. I was a little overwhelmed and anxious and missed the very obvious, but I do appreciate you taking the time to show me the way.
  9. get the dt50 it will pair even better headroom for days!! Great set p, it is what I wanted but I had no time and only had 450$ to work with so I just got a Spider V, but I was going to do the pod500 hd and the dt50 together,. Anyway your cab is either 240 280 or 300 watts, you want to make sure it is set to run 8 ohm mono or 4ohm stereo, so you can either run both speaker out cables into one cab in stereo at 4 ohms each or one cable to a cab and the other cable to another cab at 8 ohm mono.
  10. I did this today but for the Spider V, sorry I dont have the Helix. I know from doing this for years in studio you really dont want all that bass, the bass player will blend in with your tone and together you will both make that deep percussive dark tone, if you do it all with your guitar, you will be stepping on the bass lines and rattling your speakers off their frames. true story.
  11. I am not familiar with the line 6 product you are using, but in my Spider V and IV I have amp models and cabs I can chose from, if you start with clean amps, then select the jazz one, then select a cab that compliments it by trying them as you go through them, you should find what you are looking for, you will want to dial in the parameters to get just what you want, but it isnt that hard.
  12. Get the remote app for your phone or for bluestacks to run in windows on it you can search the cloud, when you put in Godsmack you get a list, that song is in the list twice, there are 15 I think different godsmack patches for the spider I saw. I found them to be, eh ok, but you can get 4 or 5 of them, then run through them and compare them, change amps etc.. until you get something that actually sounds good, I have 4 that all need tweaking but are getting better everyday.
  13. If you download the control program for the mkII you can reassign function 1 to whatever you want and change it, so if you want function 1 to be where A is, you oughta be able to do that, just get the program and read the manual, I saw it in there when I was messing with it yesterday.
  14. You never said which model Spider V you got, the 3, 60 100, 120, 150 240 watt etc.. For stage shows and live performances where you need to keep up with a live band and drums rule of thumb is 50 watts tube and 100 watts solid state minimum. I have used the 120 watt Spider IV for years live, I just got the Spider V 240HC and it has no trouble at all keeping up with any venue. You said it didnt cost you much, it sounds like you prob bought a practice amp model, Im guessing under 100 watts. I use mine with a 4x12 cabinet I ordered from Mesa, together the Spider IV and V both sound amazing played through this Mesa Road King 4x12 cab You can always keep it as a practice amp for at home and whatnot and get a larger one for shows, you really cant go wrong with a Spider V, you can make a simple Tube drivenb dist or a solid state metal high gain Pantera type dist or a super clean or acoustic, etc.. way too many options to not put it to work. The pre sets arent very good, but you can take a pre set and tweak it, by changing he cab, or the amp, or the mic or the speakers, etc.. then use the amp controls to dial in the mids and bass and treble, etc, anything you want. Good luck,
  15. Thanks, I may have not been real clear as I am struggling to stay focused, lol. I am not using any pre sets, at all, not 1, I made my own patches. and as far as the boost/comp thing I meant function 1 on the FBV MKII pedal board, not the fs1 , there is a function 1 and a function 2, function 2 is set to record and loop, 1 is set to turn off comp. Now the same board FBV MKII on the spider IV says function 1 is boost, in the manual and on the amp. What threw me was my Spider V pre set manual says in the very first pre set, that function 1 is set to vol boost for solo, which is why I am searching so hard, they said it right in the manual for the V. Now I know I can set the three F switches to what I want, 2,3, and 4, and reverb is 5 and comp is 1, I get that. Im talking about above those, the function switch. Also, I can use the comp as a boost if I have too, I dont use it in my patches, I am just trying to use the board the way it was meant to be used. See when I solo, often I will add a little delay or chorus, nad sometimes a wah. To do that with this boad, I am goign to have to hit Function 1 for comp on and use that as a boost, then hit fs3 for delay or chorus and fs4 for the other, but I also want to assign one to turn on and off the wah pedal, so maybe fs2 wah on / off, fs3 chorus, fs4 delay fs5 reverb, when soloing. Otherwise I am only using an amp, and maybe a little distortion, I shut off cab modeler and I am using my Mesa 4x12, it sounds really good, I am getting very close to the sound I want, it sounds like a tube amp nearly out of control, throaty and tight low end, percussive, yet grungy and dark, not fuzzy though or loose, and the mids and highs are in check, so when I solo from that it is a little dry, and the chorus, and or delay will thicken and wet it up a bit, then the wah for those times when I want it to scream a little. The pre sets on this thing are God awful, But I bought it knowing that, and my plan from before I ever bought it was simply to have options, I want to be able to try every amp, and every combo of cab, and mic that I can until I dial in a really good tone, so far so good. It is just a bit combersome with these controls, the Spider IV had better overall control from what I can tell, and that is disappointing. The documentation for the FBV MKII is terrible, it has one tiny paragraph about the spider then it goes on and on and on about the pod and a few others and then all sort of other midi things, but not one clean example of how to actually program anything in the board through the control or remote software that is useful and no answer at all to how to assign a boost. I downloaded the software for the amp and the pedal, the pedal is a midi controller and it has the layout on it, but no boost to assign, so I am a little scared to start messing with it and screw it up. I started a ticket with Line 6 and I hope to get a few answers from techs that work there and no why they did what they di and what is intended to do what. I find it hard to believe they would go backwards with this unit and exclude such a basic function as solo boost, it makes no sense, I want to hear from someone who designed or built these boards. Thanks for reading my issue and trying to help, I seriously appreciate that man, thanks Matt
  16. Somene said. "The tones from customtone.com are not compatible with Spider V. Any tones for the AMPLIFi products will work with Spider V. Simply tap the "Cloud" option. The results field will be blank until you type something in the field and then tap search. Check the attached photo for guidance. " Where is the Cloud option? I dont see that anywhere. UPDATE: I downloaded the android app for line 6 remote and it has a cloud search function, I used it and it worked, but when I click on a fil to download it doesnt seem to do anything, I am going to search the phone to see if maybe it created a folder and put them in there. It doesnt seem to have downloaded anything, it seems like if I search the cloud, I get results I click on them then hit edit I can see the patch and what settings were used, but no download, what am I missing? I dont have the otg thing to connect my micro usb phone cable to the amp yet. Will that make a difference? When I go to custom tones on line 6 page it shows several amps to select, Amplifi is not one of them, so if I just search for say "Godsmack" I see a list, but if I download one and save it, then try to open it with the remote editor, it doesnt see the file type, how do I know what are amplifi patches? Sorry, Im slow at first I get overwhelmed and it takes me a minute, I would really appreciate your patience and assistance., Thanks Matt
  17. Loving this thread, I too just got a Spider V 240 HC and although I get most of it, there are a few things that I am missing. Cant find for example anywhere to add a vol boost to the function 1 switch on the FBV MKII shortboard, it shows it in the manual and pre set manual, in the description for some of the pre sets but I cant find it anywhere. my function 1 turns on comp. I downloaded sand tried control or remote for the pedal, but I dont see how I Can reassign it to boost anywhere, Also, you mentioned the cloud for custom tones that will work, where do you search that from? I dont see anything like that in the program on Win 10. Also, trying to figure out how to assign a switch to turn on or off the wah so I can punch it on and off as I need it while staying in the patch I am using, I think I can just use it on the comp or dist switch, but I wondered what if any was a better way to do it. Ideally I would like to boost for solo, hit a delay and wah. Im trying to set up for live shows, I had my spider IV set up for years and forgot how tough it can be at first when you are out of the loop for a while. All I need is a solo vol boost, a wah switch and then a delay with a little chorus for a solo sound while in a patch, just to enhance the existing tone and thicken it a bit for a solo, it would be nice to do that in 1 switch but I think as it is I Can do it in 2, use Function 1 for boost, then use one of the programmable switched for the wah? Any tips or advice would be great, I def can use all the help I Can get.
  18. Also, I think I am just confused with things and what I would really like to have is someone explain to me step by step to set this up for the first time what would you do? Using the Spider V 24HC and the FBV MKII with usb, you have a laptop only and the "remote" software for the amp and the FBV software "Control" after updating with "Monkey" what now? Do I connect only the pedalboard to the usb and pc and open the fbv remote software, If so then what? OR Do I connect the FBV MKII to the amp with the cat 5 cable and connect the amp to the laptop with the usb from the spider V and use the "remote" software? OR Do I connect them both, the amp and the board to the laptop at the same time while they are connected to each other, and use both remote and control together? All I want to do is see where in the patch I made is the "boost" so I can assign it to the function 1 switch on the amp, seems simple, but Im lost. Ive done it every which way I cant find a boost in the remote or control software. I dont see anything in the remote program about the board at all other than is asking me if I want to assign an fx to the expression pedal when I double click on that fx in the program. Any help would be awesome.
  19. UPDATE: I just read the manual for the Spider V and the pre sets, the very first two pre sets say right in their notes what settings they used, they both say, function 1 for volume boost for solo, I press function 1 while in those patches and I get compressor on/off Either the person who owned the board before me reassigned the midi function? or the solo, vol boost on the spider V is simply turning on the compressor? is that possible? Hi, Does anyone know how to set a function on the mkII shortboard to solo boost? Just got the Spider V 240 HC On my Spider IV FBV MKII shortboard solo patch was just there, I never set it, just how it was. I bought a FBV MKII Shortboard again but this one has usb to pc where my other one does not. When I use this new pedal board with my Spider V, the function 1 button turns on /off the compressor by default, the function 2 records a loop and then allows overdubbing. I want to change these, Function 1 to a solo boost, and function 2 to engage wah pedal. Most importantly though, right now, I just would like to figure out how to set the solo boost to function 1. I downloaded Monkey, updated everything, downloaded the FBV control software, and control for the Spider V. I do not see anywhere in either program solo boost, or solo patch or anything that would indicate a db boost for solos. Does anyone know how to program this? I could really use the lesson, this is the part that always scares me from dig pre amps and modelers but I always figure it out, usually with some help, Please help. I know I Can make a duplicate patch and make it louder and waste a bank doing it that way, but I dont want to do it that way, I want to use it as it was meant to be used, leaving me my 4 banks within a channel open for me and the solo boost on the function button. Thanks Matt
  20. lumper

    Worst amp ever?

    If you start with an amp, find one you like, then if you are making a good distortion then find a pedal you like spend some time, then when you have the amp and the pedal even if it isnt perfect yet its ok, shut off the noise gate and run through the cabinets and microphones, they all make a difference, by the time you are done with the amp, the cab, the pedal, and the noise gate, you should be pretty close to what you are looking for. Only problem is there are way too many choices so it can take a while. Save your progress to one of the 4 empty banks in 32 and then tweak away.
  21. lumper

    240hc head

    You are using a 240 watt head with a 120 watt speaker, you want the opposite. Some headroom would be 120 watt head into a 240 or 300 watt cab. Im running a 240 watt head into a 300 watt cab.
  22. lumper

    240hc head

    your cab needs to be able to support 100 watts at 4 ohms or 50 watts at 8 ohms.
  23. UPDATE: I guess I need to look harder and post less, after thinking about it, I had only used the software for editing so far, I decided to turn it on and look at the lcd, first screen off edit has cabinets, lol so.... I got it. Spider V 240HC I know there is a switch on the back for cabinet modelling, if you have a particular cab and you dont want the unit to emulate a cab, but where do I find the cabs I can choose If I want to check them out? Is there a section for cabinets? I thought I saw it online the different speaker sizes and configurations, but I havent seen them in the unit so far. I spent some time with the amp today and started making a patch, but I only got so far, I have a lot more to find and learn.
  24. lumper

    Noob Question

    UPDATE: I figured it out, I justhad to turn the switch on the back of the amp for mac/ios/pc. Got it. Just got my Spider V 240 Hc home, I want to update it, I cant find the procedure. I connected the usb to my laptop but only heard a ring and nothing opens or indicates where the amp is and I am not sure how it is supposed to show up. I open the updater and it says select a device to update but none show in the list. Is there a video or faq entry somewhere that will explain to me exactly how to connect the amp to the laptop and update the drivers, software and firmware? Any help would be great. Thanks Matt
  25. Well, I trust mine, it cant hurt to use a stand alone if you feel more comfortable. So you are saying you dont know where to look to see if you are in tune or not? "I know how to get into tuner mode im amp, but i dont know how to see if it indicates the string are in tune." On mine I use the foot pedal, I think the lcd on the unit also shows the tuner when you are in tuner mode. Do you have an mkII pedal with a digital lcd screen? If not I believe you can look at the digital screen on your spider amp/head.
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