edstar1960

Thanks for the advice Rewolf48. I tried it out and I found that it does add a beneficial effect to the sound as described, and I didn't have any issues with clipping or overloading - so I must be setting my patches up with chains close to unity gain. I found that an input gain of 35 for the Vintage Pre was the level that matched the signal level if the Vintage Pre was switched off. :)

That's good to know it works very well in front of the chain. But I don't understand why it sounds so bad at the end of the chain. From Rewolf48's description it should work because it is effectively modelling a mixing desk, and the signal created by the POD is designed to go into a mixing desk, so the fx should work well. From your description of what happens when you place it last, it sounds like you are over driving the effect causing it to clip - have you experimented with lowering the VOLUME setting on the amp model that you are using? Also are you using Output mode Studio/Direct or one of the other modes? Thanks.

Have you tried lowering the gain value? Or does it distort even if you use a value as low as 10 for example?

Rewolf48 said that the input gain had to be set to a very low volume - so what values did you use for each of the parameters?

I have not tried it yet. Did you use the settings for Vintage Pre suggested by Rewolf48? And are you running the HD500 direct into a powered FRFR speaker or into something else?

Thanks for the clarification - that makes perfect sense to me. I will give it a go.

Thanks for this advice. Where in the HD500 chain do you suggest is best to place it? Thanks.

As everyone has already said - monitoring on headphones is completely different to monitoring through a physical PA at volume - patches always have to be tweaked to suit the amp/speakers/volume they will be played back through - and if you are playing as part of a band then they need further tweaking to sit well in the mix. If you build patches at low volume or on headphones then you inevitably will have more reverb/delay, and more bass and highs, and more distortion then needed when playing through speakers at volume. At volume and within a band mix, your guitar sound needs to have more middle than you would think, to cut through. Hope that helps.

There is no set way to do this. And no calibration tool or utility that can just be run to optimise your own JTV. I initially just used my ears to monitor the level and then tried recording sounds into my DAW and checking the volume levels visually in the recorded track for each string. As you say - it's best to start with the globals first - and you probably need to listen to each of your favourite models in turn, playing each string in turn to determine whether everything is nicely balanced or whether there are particular strings that are always way louder than the others. If there is a general pattern then you can probably just pick one model that is probably the least affected by string volume imbalance - and use that to set your GLOBAL string volumes to something that seems balanced to you. Then double check each of the other models and tweak using the individual string volume adjustments as necessary per model. Good luck - please share whatever way you settle on as it may help others. Thanks.

Are you starting with a completely blank patch or are you editing previous patches to change them to something you want? If you are just editing an earlier patch then the expression pedal assignment will still be whatever the original patch started out as. If you start from scratch then the expression pedal assignment should be picking up default depending on what fx you have assigned to each fx block. There is a default value for when you assign a volume pedal and a default value for when you assign a WAH. You can override what the expression pedal is assigned to and how it behaves. Review the HD500X ADVANCED GUIDE section: Expression Pedal & Variax® Knob Controller Assignment - which will explain everything for you. I have downloaded the HD500 guide - but it should be the same. So for your convenience, here is the relevant parts: Expression Pedal & Variax® Knob Controller Assignment POD HD500 includes two Pedal Modes, EXP 1 and EXP 2 for the "on-board" Pedal, each of which can be assigned to any FX Model or FX Loop parameter, for endless control possibilities.* Or, when an Expression Pedal is connected to the PEDAL 2 input on the back of POD HD500, the on-board Pedal controls EXP 1 and Pedal 2 controls EXP 2. The EXP 1 and EXP 2 Pedal Modes can each be assigned to control independent FX parameters. These EXP 1 & EXP 2 assignments and all settings made here are saved per Preset. *Note that when you add a Wah FX Model to your tone, the "Position" parameter for the Wah is automatically assigned to EXP 1. Likewise, when adding a Volume or Pan FX Model, its Position parameter is automatically assigned to EXP 2. This will result in multiple items assigned to these EXP Pedals if you already have existing Pedal assignments. For all Factory Presets that already include a Wah, Volume or Pan, these are typically already assigned as well. You can change these Pedal assignments, and/or create your own for other FX parameters - read on! EXP 1 and EXP 2 When no additional Pedal is connected to the PEDAL 2 input, the on-board Pedal‘s "Toe Switch" will toggle between the control of Pedal Modes EXP 1 and EXP 2. The red EXP 1 and green EXP 2 LEDs illuminate to indicate the current Pedal Mode. (It is also possible to manually assign other functions to the Toe Switch - see "Using the EXP Pedal Toe Switch" on page 3•13.)Features & Functionality 3•8 EXP 1 and EXP 2 with Pedal 2 Connected USBPHONESAUX INL/MONORIGHTTRS STEREOFX RETURNLEFTRIGHTBALANCED OUTPUTL/MONOR/MONOUNBALANCED OUTPUTFX SENDINPEDAL 2LINESTOMPMIC LEVELCD/MP3INPUTOptionally, you can connect a 2nd Expression Pedal (such as a Line 6 EX-1 Expression Pedal) to the PEDAL 2 input. With a Pedal 2 connected, the on-board Pedal controls only EXP 1, and Pedal 2 controls only EXP 2. Whenever a Pedal 2 is connected, you’ll see the EXP 1 & EXP 2 LEDs both lit. Variax Knobs as Controllers It is also possible to assign the Volume and/or Tone knob of any Line 6 Variax guitar to control any POD HD500 Amp or FX parameter. Note that when assigning a Variax knob to remotely control a POD HD500 parameter, you might find it preferable to "Lock"the knob’s Local Control option, so that it does not simultaneously affect the Variax guitar’s Volume or Tone - please see "Page 7, Setup: Variax Options" on page 2•11 for instructions. Controlling Amp & FX Parameters Configuring the Expression Pedal and Variax Knob controller assignments is done within the Controller Assign screen. In the Signal Flow View, select the Amp or FX Block for which you’d like to create a controller assignment, then double-press the MOVE button. For our example, we’ll select our Delay FX block in the Signal Flow View and configure it to be controlled via the EXP-1 Pedal: Tip! Expression Pedal and Knob Controllers are capable of driving up to 50+ POD HD parameters simultaneously, making it possible to morph between sounds with a single Exp. Pedal or Knob move. Simply repeat the following steps to assign a common Controller to multiple parameters within the same Preset. ENTERDBL PRESS TO ASSIGN CTLMOVEAMP & FX ON / OFFFeatures & Functionality 3•9 The Controller Assign screen is then displayed specifically for the selected Model. In our example, it is the Digital Delay W/Modulation. Use the Multi-function Knobs 1-4 to configure the controller assignment options. The Controller Assign screen • Parameter (Knob 1): Select the parameter for the current Model that you want to control.* In our example, we’ll choose the Mix parameter. • Controller (Knob 2): Select the controller that you want to assign to the parameter. Choose Off to have no assignment, or choose EXP 1, EXP 2, Variax Vol or Variax Tone. • Minimum Value (Knob 3): Set the parameter value you’d like for the Pedal’s "heel" or Knob’s minimum position. • Maximum Value (Knob 4): Set the parameter value you’d like for the Pedal’s "toe" or Knob’s minimum position. * Note: As stated on page 3•7, when adding any Wah or Volume/Pan FX Model to your tone, their Position parameters are automatically assigned to the EXP 1 & EXP 2. These Wah & Volume/Pan EXP assignments will remain in addition to other parameters you assign, resulting in your Pedal controlling multiple parameters. Be sure to remove any unwanted Model’s EXP assignment in the Controller Assign screen. Features & Functionality 3•10 To creat a controller assignment to an FX Loop parameter, simply select the FX Loop Block within the Signal Flow View and go to the Controller Assign screen, as described above. The Controller Assign options for the FX Loop Note: When a Controller is assigned to any FX Model parameter, manually editing this parameter’s value will result in changing the Controller’s MIN or MAX value. For example, if the EXP-1 Pedal Controller is assigned to a Wah FX Model’s Position parameter, select the Wah Model, go to its Edit View screen, and select the Position parameter. If you turn multifunction knob #4 when the Pedal is near the "heel" position, the MIN value is adjusted. If you turn the knob when the Pedal is near the "Toe" position, the MAX value is adjusted. FX & Amp Block Footswitch Assignment Each of the FS1 through FS8 footswitches, as well as the Exp Pedal’s "Toe Switch" can be configured to toggle any of the FX or Amp Blocks On/Off. You can reference the current Preset’s FX footswitch assignments by pressing the VIEW button to display the Performance View screen. The assignments for FS1-FS8 will differ depending on your current Setup - FS Mode setting (see "Page 1, Setup:Utilities Options" on page 2•2): FX assignment for FS1-FS8ABCD assignment for FS5-FS8Features & Functionality 3•11 Note that when Looper Mode is active, the Performance View displays a set of Looper-specific footswitch functions, as covered in "Looper Footswitch Controls & Performance View" on page 8•1.

I have had that happen some times. Often it is just because I have opened HD EDIT up before the PC has had time to detect and identify and then load the correct HD500 drivers. I just close HD EDIT down and try launching it again and see if it then detects the connected HD500. If it continues, I suggest you have you HD500X connected to PC, and then open up Monkey and see if it says all the necessary software components are up to date - specifically check the drivers in the Monkey list. If any are not then you can update them accordingly.

If the amp block is on you are getting the signal processed by the amp model. The bypass volume is only used when the amp model is in place but turned off.

Just for clarity - from the HD500 ADVANCED USERS GUIDE v2.10 REV A: Note that the VOLUME knob does not control the level at all for a "Null" Amp Block.

If you have an amp model selected in a patch but you then choose to switch it off the BYP volume allows you to adjust the volume of your signal path to adjust for the amp being switched off - so, for example, you may wish to increase your signal path strength through the amp block if the amp is off, so in that case, you would increase the BYP volume level.

My advice would be to keep it simple at first and just try to get the fx to sound like you want through the amp. Once you get a feel for how the HD500x works with your amp and what you need to tweak to get it to sound good then start exploring the other possibilities and connection methods. I would suggest getting the HD500x with a blank patch plugged in to the front of the amp to sound like your guitar does when plugged directly into the amp first. Then add some fx that you want to use and tweak them to taste. I did this for my Sessionette-75. I set up the HD500 to be used in FS mode, so all 8 FS could be used to control fx. I left the output on Studio/Direct. I took 1/4 inch output from the L 1/4 output to the amp, and I had the switch on the top (Next to expression pedal) set to AMP. In the patch I had all fx blocks off, and the amp block off. I moved all 8 fx blocks to post mixer. Then I set Input 1 to GUITAR and input 2 to VARIAX. At the mixer block I muted PATH B, and I centred both L and R channels for PATH A, and gave the PATH A channel a 6db boost at the mixer block. Then when I compared it to the guitar going straight in, it sounded the same. Then I added fx, I wanted to the blocks, following the order I would use if I was using real pedals rather than models. I used the REVERB from the amp as well, because I wanted to use the 8 available FS to control Noise Gate, Wah, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Screamer, Tube Overdrive. I found that this very quickly gave me usable sounds and allowed me to work out how each model fx worked. The HD500 is an incredibly useful and flexible unit capable of doing so much that it can be overwhelming and it is very easy to unknowingly make bad choices simply from lack of knowledge of what is happening with signal routing etc, and assuming that default settings will be good, and before you know it you have produced a very bad sound, (nothing like the demo's that you have probably heard and which may have persuaded you to buy the unit) which can leave you very disheartened. So, take your time, keep it simple and learn what the unit is capable of and then exploit it as you want to get the tones you want. Once you get your head round it, hopefully you will love it! Good luck!

In which case you will be better off using the full versions of the models (which include both the pre-amp and power amp stages of the amps) - in other words don't use the ones that end with PRE. Having said that - there is no right or wrong - it's all about getting the sound you want - so if you think one of the PRE models sound best then use that.

I had a similar problem with my JTV59 when I had original tuners and used to store it in the gig bag. I always thought it was the gig bag that was causing the G string tuner to move slightly and hence it being close to Gb when I came to tune it. When I moved to keeping it in a hard case - it was much better - and was only really going out of tune as much as the others due to heat variation etc - and I have since also upgraded the tuners to locking tuners but mainly to make changing strings easier rather than to help tuning stability. And just like stevekc, I have noticed that the G string tends to be the most out of tune with all my 3+3 style guitars - but when I had the JTV59 in the gig bag it was always very noticeable and way out.

I have liked all the demo's I have heard of v2.0 and v2.1 and the blind test phli_m provided was proof that the HD strat model does produce a convincing strat sound. However, I have found that my v2.0 and v2.1 installs just did not sound like the demo's and examples I have heard - certainly not after first flash attempts. Even after tweaking and adjusting they somehow don't seem quite right. I have managed to improve things so they are not at all bad but I am still not confident that my JTV is reproducing the HD models in the same way as others or as intended by Line6. If I could get the flash install and the JTV verified as 100% correct then I would just have to accept that the difference is just in my own ears and make a choice accordingly but unfortunately that's not possible, and because others have complained about exactly the same thing, I wonder if there is some bug or component failure playing a part here. Especially as pretty much all the people who have hit the problem are long time experienced Variax players. I wish there was some way we could find out for sure.

Thanks for the replies - seems like Topology III, CLASS A, PENTODE, is just the noisiest setting.

Sure was! Strong smell of electrical burning too! It was in a marquee and I was at the front just about 10 feet from the stage - fortunately nothing actually ignited - but the bands gear was toast! :(

True! They were introduced with v1.8. Thanks for reminding me!

With v2.0 they replaced the underlying modelling engine software to work with the newly engineered HD models which they loaded in at the same time. So, even if we were given access to the older models I don't think they can work with the v2.0 and later firmware, likewise, the new v2.0 models won't work with the pre v2.0 firmware engine. That's my guess but I may be wrong.

Thanks Brazzy. My DT25 has a nice re-assuring mains hum - just very slightly there in the background - as many tube (valve) amps have. With config III, CLASS A and PENTODE, that gets noticeably louder - even when the DRIVE is low for a clean sound - but I hadn't really noticed it before, so I am just trying to get some re-assurance that it's not a problem. I played an outside gig at the weekend and unknown to us, the generator was playing up, it finally failed on the band immediately after us just after they started their second song, it caused a power surge and took out the main PA, the monitors and then fried their amps and keyboards! Not pretty - the keyboards were literally smoking! I found out later that apparently the neutral wire had come loose. Things were odd during our set too - so I wondered whether the generator was already failing and maybe had already had a few power spikes during our set and that it may have caused slight damage to my DT25 resulting in this more noticeable hum in that configuration. I just want to check whether it is actually normal and that I am just being over sensitive to any noise because of our near miss with disaster at the weekend.

Like you, I expect the different models to have different volumes like the real guitars - eg: Les Paul being louder than strat, tele, etc - and that different strings within a model will have different volumes like real guitars. My JTV had these characteristics with v1.9 and earlier. I also expected that the models would sound different when I moved to v2.0 and later, and that they would sound improved in subtle ways to bring out more nuances to make them sound even more realistic, as per the demo's I had heard and the experiences related in the forums. What I didn't expect was for some of the models at v2.0 and later to sound "odd" or "wrong" or that the string volumes would be very different from low E to high E, and that I would need to go into Workbench to tweak them to balance out the string volumes and get them to sound more like my real guitars. I am no stranger to having to reflash or the fact that this process sometimes mysteriously fixes problems - and I have done that with the fw releases and seemed to get some improvement though not 100% everything falling into place and all sounding better improvement I had hoped for based on the demo's and the reports in the forums. What I can't understand is why this should be, especially when I didn't have issues with the earlier releases. I would love to know for certain if I had a 100% successful flash upgrade, and if I had a completely 100% error free JTV. Then I would know that the v2.1 sounds I am getting are the correct ones and I would have to decide whether to live with them or roll back. However, I still have this nagging doubt that somehow the flash upgrade still did not work 100% or that my JTV does have some subtle error that is causing the v2.1 sounds to not shine to their full potential. I guess that is just the nature of the beast though - it's high tech software and electronics combined with a physical guitar and physical playing technique and finally amplified in a huge variety of ways - there are thousands of variables that come into play making each user's experience totally unique. We all expect to have exactly the same experience and output because we all have the same software and electronics BUT we overlook the fact that each guitar is physically unique, we have different strings and different playing techniques and use different amplification. I have no doubt that v2.1 is great - I have heard the numerous demos and have read the many positive experiences on this forum - I am close but not quite at the same experience as those demos but I am sticking with it and hoping that I will iron out my issues by putting in some more hours and maybe reflashing a few more times.

Interesting. I had issues upgrading - the sounds I was getting from 2.1 did not match what I expected. I didn't know if it was due to an error during the upgrade or if it was an error in my JTV. I also noticed a big difference in relative string volume between low E and high E on many models - with the lower thicker strings being much louder than you would expect and causing the models to sound unbalanced due to having too much bottom end and barely any top end. I know that they modelled different guitars and they changed the underlying modelling code when 2.0 came out to fully exploit the HD models. So things were different and were going to sound different through my pre-existing patches and set up. But I still could not get my head around how big the apparent changes were and how different things sounded, and unfortunately, not in a good way. I tried several re-flashes. Oddly enough things seemed to improve - but not the string volume difference. But never to the point where I was ecstatic about the new models and could hear they were much better. I ended up using Workbench HD to adjust string volumes and to boost pickup volumes on some of the models - this also went some way to improving things - but again I don't think I have quite cracked it or got the models sounding like all the demo's from Sean Halley! I don't know if I have a faulty JTV or if I have just been unlucky and keep getting a bad flash update. I really wish there was some way I could find out for sure. Meanwhile, I am persevering with 2.1 and will be tweaking my models some more when I get a chance. I am still not as comfortable with the 2.1 models as I was with 1.9 - for some reason the 1.9 models just don't require the tweaking to get them to sound good.