edstar1960

My setup: JTV59 > VDI > HD500 > L6 LINK > DT25 combo I have had all components for some time now but not always using all together so the DT25 has not been heavily used or gigged much at all. I have not noticed this before - so thought I would ask on the forum just for a sanity check - it may be normal and I have just not noticed it before. Now - whenever I pick an HD500 pre amp model that uses the DT25 in mode III, CLASS A, PENTODE, such as the AC15 or AC30 models - the unit produces a much louder hum and background hiss than in any of the other combinations or with models that you may think would be noisier such as the Marshall models. This is with the DRIVE level set well below 50% for a clean sound. I tried placing a noise gate at the beginning and end of my chain with aggressive settings on the HD500 and it made no difference. Even tried turning the MASTER down on the HD500 and no difference. Lovely loud hum and background hiss. Switch to other configurations and it's much much quieter. So - is this normal? Or is my DT25 or my dream rig set up playing up? Thanks in advance for responses to my sanity check! :)

Thanks Phil. I don't know about the details of the architecture or what it's capable of. I was trying, albeit rather clumsily, to suggest an alternative way of resolving the problem but within the confines of the current architecture. We now know that the current models cannot be updated to display values in hz and db, so I was suggesting perhaps we look at the possibility of providing a new EQ model that gets closer to delivering what people are requesting. We already have the GRAPHIC EQ, which labels the bands in Hz but it would be great to have another one with either more bands or one in which you could select the bands being manipulated. Maybe there could be several GRAPHIC EQ models (cloned from the existing one) each one dedicated to a different range - such as LOW GRAPHIC EQ, MID GRAPHIC EQ, and HIGH GRAPHIC EQ - which would be able to provide narrower and more focused EQ bands labelled in HZ. User could then choose the one that suits them best - or all 3 if they really need them and have the spare FX blocks in their patch. I fully understand it's also about business and cost of delivering balanced against benefits/profits they get back and dealing with a limited amount of staff resource - but this could be a cost option rather than a freebie or it could be that it's just really not worth considering. I just thought I would throw the idea out there - in the IT world there is always multiple ways of solving a problem - and maybe there is a neat alternative solution that could be delivered as an add on - and maybe there isn't.

OK we have been told we can't have the existing EQ models changed from percentage to Hz and db, but other than time and money is there any reason why we can't have a new EQ model that will deliver what users have requested? For example, would it be possible to deliver a 12 band EQ model? This could have 12 fixed Hz bands that can be raised or lowered around zero (flat) by a max of 12db. This could be displayed on the HD500 using the dual AMP screen display where all AMP controls are shown and the values could be adjusted using the amp control knobs - I know the labels would be wrong on the physical knobs - but there are 6 of them, and in the AMP control display you get 6 for AMP 1 and 6 for amp 2, giving the 12 controls needed for the 12 band EQ. An alternative would be to have the 4 control knobs under the display control the 12 band EQ, and simply have 3 pages worth which you scroll through with the navigation button, similar to how we page through the amp/cab DEP settings. The new 12 band EQ model could be a paid for option. It would be able to be chosen and would take up one of the 8 FX blocks. It may be DSP hungry but then it would be up to each user to decide when they needed it and what they would have to sacrifice to use it. But it would provide a very useful up to date EQ tool that would make a lot of people happy. I know it's off topic but it is related in that it is just another way of looking at and addressing the same problem.

I tested it out, and I can confirm that you can use either L or R to get a summed MONO mix. If you use both then you get a stereo mix with just L and just R out of each respective output.

Hi radatats - on my HD500 the 1/4 out jacks are labelled L/MONO and R/MONO. I thought that this meant that if you use just the L or just the R out that it gets summed to mono, but if you use both then you get just the L or just the R from each one. I have not double checked to see if that is true and wondered whether you had actually double checked and found that in reality only the L out will sum to mono. I read my HD500 pilots guide and it does not clarify what happens when you only use one of the 1/4 outs. Thanks.

Are you using L6 Link to connect your HD500x to your L2m? Have you tried using L2m in ELECTRIC Guitar mode for your patch? Have you tried it using the HD500x in STUDIO/DIRECT and then in COMBO POWER output modes? Are you using the CAB/MIC emulation in your patch when using the L2m?

There is no correct amp for the HD500. The amp you buy depends on how you want to use the HD500 and what instruments you run through it and also your budget. You may want to buy more than one amp to use the HD500 in different circumstances with different instruments. So first ask yourself these questions:- 1) Will the HD500 be used for HOME use only (recording, practising) or will it be used for GIGGING live? 2) If you will be gigging with the HD500, will it be as part of a band or a solo performer or duo? 3) If gigging live, then what type of venues will you be playing? coffee bars, clubs, larger halls, stadiums? 4) What instrument will you be using with the HD500? Just electric guitar, or acoustic, or both or a JTV variax, and will you also want to use it for vocals? 5) Do you want to use all capabilities of HD500, such as synth type sounds, amp models and fx, or just the fx or just the models? Once you know the answers to those questions then you can start looking at the right type of amp for your application. For example: A ) If you are a gigging guitarist in a band playing local small clubs then you probably want the Line6 DT25 B ) If you are a gigging guitarist performing as a soloist or part of a duo, doing vocals and acoustic guitar then you probably want the Line6 L2M C ) You sometimes play as part of a duo and sometimes in a rock band, then you probably want both the DT25 and the L2M D ) You don't have much money to spend - then you need to look at cheaper alternatives than the Line6 DT25 or L2M. Hope that helps!

Where is it documented that when using an HD500 or HD500x with an L2 or L3 in ELECTRIC Guitar mode that ideally you should only use the PRE amp models? I thought that the PRE models were designed for use with the DTxx amps, because the DTxx amps provide an analog power section so you don't need a modelled power amp, just the pre-amp. I thought that the Stagesource speakers just provided some DSP speaker modes - I wasn't aware that they provide modelled power amp section to work with HD500 modelled pre-amps. However, I think they provide a 2x12 speaker cab emulation when in ELECTRIC GUITAR mode - so my understanding was that you could opt to have NO CAB on an HD500 patch and still get a good usable sound. I know there are no rules when creating your own tone and that perhaps to some people, a PRE model will sound better than a FULL Model running into a Stagesource speaker, but I would have thought that the FULL model would have been the one to start with when running into a powered speaker, even a Stagesource speaker. Please point me at the thread or doc that is recommending PRE models when in ELECTRIC Guitar mode for an L2x or L3x ? I would be interested in the rationale behind the recommendation. Thanks.

The XLR outputs are MIC level - the 1/4 inch outputs are LINE level (if switch on front is set to LINE) or INSTRUMENT level (if switch on front is set to AMP). So the 1/4 inch outputs will be louder because they are designed to be LINE level. Furthermore - if you were only taking one XLR out then even though you were centering everything at the mixer level you were still only taking half the total output signal (and half at MIC level volume) - but if you were taking one of the 1/4 inch outs then you would be getting both halves of the signal summed in mono (both halves at LINE level volume) - which would exaggerate the difference between MIC and LINE level even more.

Acoustic models haven't changed but the underlying processing engine has changed from pre-HD to HD - so it will process the models differently and they should be more authentic. I would have thought the change would be subtle but it depends on how you have your acoustic patches set up and how you are monitoring them - perhaps your combination of tweaks and monitoring just happens to highlight the differences so they sound very different to you. That's pure conjecture on my part. I can only confirm the facts which are that the 5 acoustic guitar models were modified to HD with v1.81 and have not changed since. But with v2.0 the modelling engine changed to HD and so did all the other guitar models.

Yes they are. In fact the HD acoustic models were introduced with fw 1.81. So, fw 1.9 has the same acoustic models as fw 2.0 and fw 2.1 All the other guitar models were replaced and updated with v2.0 - so they are different. Also, the underlying modelling engine was updated between v1.9 and v2.0, so that will have made a subtle difference to how the acoustic models are reproduced beween v1.9 and v2.0 - but they are the same models. You can look through the release notes for each fw release to corroborate the information on the models.

The display shows 22 pairs of numbers. On the picture of your display you uploaded to this thread, I can see 21 are set to 1's and just 1 that is set to 0's. I believe these are are for the following buttons..... The 12 push buttons:- Bank Up Bank Down FS1 FS2 FS3 FS4 FS5 FS6 FS7 FS8 Looper Tap The Expression pedal toe switch hidden under the expression pedal Push down on the expression pedal hard to test this switch which swaps between EXP1 and EXP2. The 9 Navigation/control switches:- SAVE PRESETS VIEW ENTER MOVE Navigation UP Navigation DOWN Navigation LEFT Navigation RIGHT They are the 22 buttons - or the 22 items that you can push to operate like a button on your HD500x. Just check each one off in turn and you should find the one that is missing OR the one that is broken and not switching from 0 to 1.

So - you have pressed every button I listed in my earlier entry - even the SETLIST and the Navigation wheel buttons? Did you watch the display turn from zero to one for every button you pushed?

Oh! So it's a stereo amp with two speakers? I read through the first post too quickly and missed that! In that case, forget all my talk about the mixer block and panning to one side. Set the power amp up in stereo, with each channel controlling just one speaker, and then run both XLRs L+R to channel 1 and 2. Then you just have to tweak the patches to taste to allow for the cab/mic modelling coming into play. Thanks for pointing that out radatats! :)

Great! You are on the right path - it's a long road - but you will get there with a bit of patience - now you need to tweak your amp settings to get them to sound as you want. You may need to go into the DEEP EDIT PARAMETERS (often referred to as DEP on this forum) for the amp and cab to adjust things. Try to get in the ball park by just tweaking your model amp EQ controls, then try different cabs and different mics - you will be surprised at just how different they all sound. You may then want to tweak the LOW CUT and THUMP cab parameters if you are getting too much bass. Have fun!

No - it is in each individual patch. As well as your 8 FX blocks there is an AMP block and a MIXER block. If you edit on the HD500x then you just highlight it using the navigation keys and then press enter to edit the parameters using the 4 control knobs as needed. If using HD EDIT on a pc then you just select the MIXER BLOCK and change the values as you require. Essentially you want everything from path 1 and 2 (or A and B ) from before the mixer being mixed together on say the L channel, with nothing being sent to the R channel. It is described in the ADVANCED GUIDE. I haven't got my HD500 got to hand to double check what the values are called. You need to change the balance value for both paths so they are 100% to the L for both path A and B (or 1 and 2) - then everything post mixer will only be heading down your L channel and nothing from the R - that way you won't lose any stereo signal info BUT you won't be able to place a STEREO fx post mixer and expect it to work correctly - any stereo fx will need to be placed post amp but pre mixer in either path A or B - and then the mixer can mix both L+R sides to just L. Hope that makes sense.

You have these choices: (1) Edit all your patches so that the mixer block combines both paths and outputs to either L or R (depending on which XLR out you want to use) and then use standard XLR cable to connect the HD500X to the QSC power amp. (2) Buy a 1/4 jack to XLR converter - use it on either the L or R 1/4 out of the HD500X and then connect the XLR to the QSC power amp (3) Buy a lead that has 1/4 on one end and an XLR on the other (the XLR type that will plug into your QSC), connect the L or R 1/4 out of the HD500X to the XLR in of the QSC power amp. For options 2 and 3 set your 1/4 out switch on the surface of the HD500X to line. Your HD500X output mode should be set to STUDIO/DIRECT which will enable CAB/MIC modelling, which means you need to go through and EDIT every patch in turn to tweak it so it sounds as you want it to sound going through the PA - in which case you may as well update the MIXER block at the same time and route everything to one side and use a standard XLR to do the connection as in option (1) and save yourself the cost of buying an adaptor or another lead. Changing from using the pod through a combo amp to a PA means you will have to tweak ALL your patches to get them to sound right. There is no alternative. Hope that clears everything up for you.

Yes - you will get both paths (L+R) (all of your patch output signal) of your HD500X patch mixed down to mono (without you needing to change anything in the patch) and passed via the 1/4 to the mixer channel. Remember to set the switch next to the expression pedal to LINE so you get a line level signal passed to the mixer over the 1/4 cable.

Yes. Or if you want to go straight into the power amp then you could buy a 1/4" to XLR adaptor or a 1/4" to XLR pre-made lead. Or you can use the XLR out but just make sure your patches mix everything together into either the L or R XLR out (whichever one you choose to use). But if you have a mixer, then you can either take just one 1/4" out (probably simplest) or take both XLRs (L+R) out and use 2 input channels on the mixer.

If you are running into a PA then you should be using STUDIO/DIRECT output mode. You will have to copy and edit any sounds you had set up for your Soldano to tweak them so they sound good through STUDIO/DIRECT mode through a PA. There are quite a few differences, not least, that in STUDIO/DIRECT mode you get CAB/MIC simulation switched on which you don't have in COMBO AMP output mode. Also - if you take just one XLR output then you are only getting HALF of the output signal - either the L or R depending on which one you choose AND it will only be at mic level NOT line level, so you may have to boost your input signal a little. However, unless you want to separate out your L and R signals and have true stereo going to your PA from the HD500x, then just take one 1/4 inch cable from either the L or R 1/4 inch outputs, that will ensure you get both L+R signals mixed down to mono in which ever jack output you choose. Also set the switch on the top of the HD500x (next to the expression pedal) to LINE rather than amp, and adjust your input trim accordingly on your PA input, so you feed it in as a LINE level signal.

Ah! You need to press every "button" to get 1's all over that display. Which means anything that can be pressed to operate it - I believe that includes the SAVE, VIEW, ENTER, MOVE, Setlist and Navigation wheel buttons and the EXP switch button. I have only tried the button test once and I can't remember which the last two refer to.

I recommend that you make an audio recording of this problem and then open a ticket with LIne6 support and described the problem to them along with the audio recording. They will then be able to help you get to the bottom of it and hopefully resolve it for you.

You could use just the output L path for your electric sounds and fx loop for the Mesa and keep the output R path for acoustic straight to PA. You can set your HD500 patches up accordingly ensuring your signal goes to the desired output. You would have to be content with just mono output. And you would have to compromise on the OUTPUT MODE setting for your HD500 which will probably be best left to STUDIO/DIRECT for the acoustic sounds - but you can experiment and see if you prefer any of the other settings, and you may have to add EQ's to your patches to balance things out to your taste depending on what output mode you settle on.

My L2M is due to be delivered back to me tomorrow - I have been told by vendor that Line6 replaced the fan - so I am looking forward to trying it out and confirming all is good!

Thanks for the tip! I thought I had already tried that but can't recall it having the dramatic fix all effect that you have reported - so maybe I need to try it again. I have already spent several hours adjusting global string volumes and individual model string volumes to overcome the volume discrepancy - so I will need to reserve a few hours to try resetting everything and see if it does resolve the issue for me.