edstar1960

The popping sound has been fixed by JTV fw 2.1 :) The behaviour of the model selector switch on the JTV when connected via VDI to HD500 has also changed under fw 2.1 to now match the behaviour I reported at top of this post. This has been confirmed in this new thread: http://line6.com/support/topic/7326-have-you-noticed-changes-on-pickup-selector-switch-and-model-selector/

This is fixed with JTV fw 2.1 :)

This is fixed with JTV fw 2.1 :)

This is fixed with JTV fw 2.1 :)

This has been fixed at JTV FW 2.1. Great news! This thread is no longer needed! :)

Tried v2.1 out at rehearsal and noticed that the 1st and 2nd strings were notably quieter than the others on the T-MOD bridge selection - so when I got home I tried it out with Workbench HD and HD Edit to check on string volumes. Workbench HD reported these settings for global string volumes: E -3.7db A -3.2db D -4.0 db G -2.5 db B -1.1 db E -1.7 db I can't remember if these were the settings I ended up with when I first tried out fw 2.0 many months ago but they could be. Anyway - as you can see the Global string volumes don't reflect what I heard on the T-MOD BRIDGE with the 1st and 2nd being much lower in volume. I checked the model definition and all the string volumes were set to 100%. I checked the T-MOD positions 1, 3 and 5 and found all had the same discrepancy. I also tried the SPANK models and found they were the same. I quickly ran through the other models and did not spot a similar characteristic in the others but I was just judging by ear so I could be wrong but if there were differences they didn't stand out as much. I experimented and ended up setting my GLOBAL STRING levels to the following: E -7.0 db A -6.0 db D -6.0 db G -1.5 db B 0.0 db E -0.5 db I will play with these settings for a while and see whether I need to adjust them. I can also confirm the dreaded pop noise when swapping patches that force Variax model changes has also gone! :) One thing I did notice was that whenever I swapped to the T-MOD BRIDGE (position 1) that Workbench HD seemed to take a while to register that I had changed - the tabs all greyed out and then after 10 secs or so would highlight again and it was accompanied by a static crack/pop sound as the tabs brightened. But if I swapped to any other positions or model banks it responded almost instantly. I don't know why that occurs or what might be special about the T-MOD Position 1 model - but it happened every time I swapped back to it. Thanks for fixing those issues Line 6 - it is now so much easier to customise models because we can connect to Workbench via HD500. And thank goodness that awful popping sound has gone!

I updated today. I made sure my Win 7 desktop PC was hard wired to my router to avoid any possible wifi dropouts. I connected up my HD500 first of all and backed up my patches and then ran Monkey - Monkey had to update itself first to latest level - then once that was done, and relaunched it informed me that Firmware and Workbench had new versions - so I updated Workbench first and then the firmware for HD500 both of which worked fine. I reset my global params and re-calibrated my pedal on HD500. Then I connected up my JTV59 with the shorter supplied cable for use with the dongle to avoid any issues with a longer VDI cable and then re-launched Monkey and I took a deep breath and clicked the button to upgrade to v2.1. 5 to 10 minutes later it had finished and told me Tyler Variax updated successfully. GREAT !! :) I was so pleased it worked first time! Next I will play with HD Edit and Workbench HD and will also connect up to my DT25 and check that the popping has been fixed for me too! So far so good! :)

My strings last a long time too - sometimes a year or more - regardless of make - and I don't have to clean them down after playing - unlike my friend who has to clean his strings before and after playing otherwise they go rusty overnight. I think it is down to differences in sweat and body oils coming off your fingers - some of us seem to sweat something like acid where guitar strings are concerned and some of us are lucky and don't. Strings do eventually die and lose their harmonic qualities and for me that is normally noticeable by the fact they won't stay in tune for more than a song or two rather than them sounding dull or getting corroded.

I swapped to these on my JTV59 from the stock D'addario's and I prefer them too. Warmer sound and less fret buzz. I use 10's which is the same gauge the JTV59 comes with. I know Sean Halley and others use 11's as they say that gauge is better for the Acoustic models.

I don't know about which string brand will produce the best tension and vibration through the piezo's. I know JTV's are shipped with d'Addario's, but I also know many people have swapped to different brands and guages for various reasons and according to their preferences. I do know that string choice does have a big impact on the model sounds but the choice of string ultimately has to be down to the user based on what that user prefers in terms of feel and end tone produced - so I would recommend that you experiment with different brands if you are unhappy with the sound you are getting from your current strings - but if you are happy then there is no reason to change. However, someone else may be able to shed some light on which physical characteristics should produce the best sound - but at the end of the day it will be really down to what you personally like.

I have had same issues when updating to fw 2.0 - and I was told to try the ethernet cable that came with the JTV to connect to the HD500 instead of the much longer VDI - and I found that the success rate increased but it still failed some times - so it is worth trying the JTV supplied cable for the updates as it is shorter and seems to significantly lower the chance of the Midi errors.

Thanks silverhead - that is great news! :)

Thanks silverhead - I appreciate that.

Yep - I know - assumptions usually end up being wrong - anyway I hope it has been addressed and eagerly await confirmation.

It is currently number 2 on the HOT LIST under GUITARs section. It has 11 votes so far. In the RELEASED tab I can now see the "Variax/Workbench using POD HD as an interface". So, I assume from that info, that the popping noise has not been addressed deliberately but perhaps it has been fixed as a side effect of latest updates......hopefully someone can confirm one way or another.

Thanks radatats - I look forward to hearing your findings and hopefully confirmation that Mr POP has left the building for good! :)

Thanks silverhead - I hope you are right and it is referring to resolving the dreaded popping sound ! Waiting for confirmation from someone who has tried it out ....

In this update release notes - what does "Smoother model switching" mean for the JTV ? What has that fixed exactly? Thanks.

Unfortunately there is no secret. The HD500 is not an out of the box solution. It is incredibly flexible but as a result very complicated and unless you are extremely lucky you won't get a good sound by just plugging it straight in. You need to really understand it to get the most out of it. Start with reading the ADVANCED GUIDE: http://line6.com/support/manuals/podhd500 Then read the thread about routing options to understand exactly how the signal path works and how it affects your guitar tone: http://line6.com/support/topic/2033-pod-hd-500-500x-new-routing-schematics/?hl=routing Then read meambobbo's guide: http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/ To point you in the right direction for the HD500 to DT50, the I recommend you start by using the Line6 Link connection method and try the factory supplied DT patches to see if you can get close to what you like and if you can then tweak a little from there. If none are to your taste, then simply start from scratch on your HD500. Firstly set all your amp channel control knobs to zero on your DT50 - just have the master gain engaged - that way you can ensure you don't get the DT50 knobs overriding what you set up in the patch. Then pick a PRE version of the type of amp that you want to use in your HD500 patch. Then add a simple reverb after that amp. Start with that and tweak the amp control knobs on the HD500 to see if you can get near to a sound you like. I also suggest set your HD500 inputs to INPUT 1: GUITAR and INPUT 2: VARIAX. With your guitar collection, that input setting will start you off on the right foot - the default settings for INPUTs will cause too hot a signal to be going into the HD's signal chain at the start. Hope that helps! Good luck!

I am gathering evidence to prove to Line6 that this is a real issue that needs to be fixed - so please spare a few moments to reply to this topic with answers to the questions. Thank you all very much!

No. I had issues getting the upgrade to work with the midi errors and then after numerous re flashes and getting a successful update I had string volume issues.

Electric guitars have a capacitor on the pot and different capacitor values affect the tone in different ways. It is a subtle difference but will cut top end slightly in the same way that a long guitar cable will. Try the different values and see if you can hear any difference on a guitar model. Take your time because you may find a value that matches the sweet spot of the model.

Sorry to hear that. Hope the pot changes help. I found pure nickel strings gave me a warmer tone and cut down on the excessive treble on my JTV59. Hope you find the combination that you like for your JTV69. Good luck.

I have had the same experience with upgrading to fw 2.0 ..... Same midi errors ...... But if you try reflashing several times it suddenly works ..... No idea why ..... Drives me nuts ...... It should work every time without fail ....

It could be the strings that you are using. What brand and gauge do you use on your JTV69 ? Have you tried different brands and gauges? Heavier gauges and pure nickel strings will produce warmer tones. Strings make a big difference to the tones of the models. Does rolling off the tone control when using the models get you closer to the tone you want? If yes, then experimenting with the pot resistance settings may help you get closer to the tone you are after.