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gckelloch

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Everything posted by gckelloch

  1. You just need one meter at the end of the chain. You can check the output of each effect individually. There is no real common sense when it comes to peaks. They can be unpredictable. Our ears can't really determine peak levels less than ~100ms in duration. Guitar transients are much shorter than that. Even a 10ms digital clip can alter the attack character of the instrument. You might not even know it's happening, but it can definitely affect audience perception of the performance. Micro digital clipping can leave people feeling uneasy and cause ear fatigue. Rupert Neve pointed out that just 3% of 3rd and only 0.1% of 7th harmonic distortion can significantly alter our perception of a performance. I don't see why you wouldn't at least welcome the option of a meter? It's kind of hard to tell, but I think you might be getting some micro clipping in your presets. That's partially why I mentioned it. I hear clipping in so many digital recordings and product demos all over the place. It's a shame that more effort isn't made to ensure against it. People are more concerned with maximum S/N, but it's not worth the trade off -- especially considering that a little random noise often has a tone smoothing, therefore soothing, affect.
  2. No. I am just an enthusiastic guitar amp model guy. I don't even use the Pod HD, but I help my brother with his HD500 sometimes. It sounds like Line 6 isn't paying much attention to customer requests. Perhaps they are compiling a paid amp model pack from all the requests? They should really let customers know what's up. Sounds like people are getting impatient. The "gc" in my user name is just the initials of my first and middle names. The last part is an ancient derivation of my last name.
  3. Hehe...yeah, it's not a good business plan. Most Pod owners aren't interested in or can't afford thousands more on PA gear, but they might spend ~$100 more here and there on DSP/ROM upgrades and model packs. Pod owners should request these things here: http://line6.ideascale.com/
  4. It might be hard to tell with distortion presets, They just might sound off, and you wouldn't know what exactly is clipping. Besides, it's good to have an idea of how much headroom you have for really hard strumming on your loudest PUP's, and to check unity gain throughout the signal path. You could easily get some build up along the path and run out of headroom at the end of the path if you just use your ears. Then you might have to readjust everything -- still guessing to some extent. Ears are certainly our best judge of tone, but not of peak levels. Implementing even just one meter b4 the D/A would be very useful.
  5. Frankly, I don't agree with the philosophy of the Stagesource thing. If your presets sound as intended through a full range system, which they should if tweaked right, they should sound right through a semi-full range monitor. There should be no need for monitor eqing other than getting it to sound relatively flat from where you are situated. Bass on the EV's should be adequate for guitar. You might just boost like ~2-2.5kHz and/or ~4-5kHz a little to increase intelligibility if needed. They should allow something like that.
  6. The Amp Chanel Output level only controls the output of the amp sound. It does not affect the amp sound at all. The DEP Master knob controls the amp gain, thereby affecting amp tone and response. It is best to keep the Channel Output near 50% as a reference point with your high gain tones so you don't clip any post amp FX or the D/A converter. You can set it up higher for clean tones, but it depends on how much bass is in the tone. The Speaker Cab DEP Cutoff, Res and Thump will affect output, so you may need to adjust the Channel Output if you change them. I think the way to check is through a unity gain configured USB audio panel with peak meters and the Pod HD Mixer Block levels set up to 0 with pans full L and R. If the USB audio meters don't peak, neither should any internal Pod HD post amp FX. You should generally leave ~3-6dB headroom in the USB meters to ensure no digital clipping. It's fine if it's a bit lower than that.
  7. More than nice to include, it seems a shameful oversight on their part. What were they thinking?! Let's see...the main thing that need be avoided in digital modeling is digital clipping, so lets not bother including any internal meters, so it can't be guarded against and guitar players will have all kinds of level and clipping problems, further besmirching digital modeling devices...and after 2 years in and several updates, we still won't include any meters. That sounds like a good plan. Lets go with that.
  8. I keep seeing requests for model packs for the HD series. First, the old packs can't be used in the HD series because HD models are more DSP intensive, are entirely incompatible and don't have the definition of the HD models. The HD units operate at 48kHz SR 24bits. There is no need for higher resolution with guitar tones. Line 6 has already released several new free models since the product line was first released and may very well be developing new models as we continue to whine as if we are somehow due a free lunch. If you have suggestions for new models, let your voice be heard here: http://line6.ideascale.com/
  9. To achieve unity gain without any internal clipping, you must first make sure the input is not clipping. Use the Guitar Input pad if needed. Once you are sure the input isn't clipping, you should check for internal clipping after placing each successive model in a signal path. There doesn't appear to be a way to do that internally, so you need to use the meters on an external device, like a DAW though USB. I'd guess peaks around -6dBfs for clean tones would be a good bet. Peaks should average between -12 & -6dbFs. The bit resolution at -6dBfs out of 24 bits exceeds the S/N ratio of the HD device's analog circuitry by ~30dBfs. Generally set high gain tone levels so the peaks are ~3 - 6dBfs lower than your more dynamic clean tones so the loudness levels are close. Ultimately there will be some readjusting as you experiment further, but at least you won't ever get digital clipping if the clean tones have ~3 - 6dBfs headroom. Keep in mind that centering both output mixer pans will increase the output signal, particularly with a single amp path setup, possibly clipping any models placed after it or the internal D/A converter. Continue to refer to the external device meters to retain unity gain with peaks no greater than about -6dB. I can't instruct on how to operate or interface for said external device -- each case is different. Refer to the "Quirks. A" section of this guide for further info on this subject: http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/quickGuide
  10. You might have midi thru enabled in both devices. you can get infinite midi loops that can cause a hang. You need to determine at least one device to disable midi thru on.
  11. Well, it depends what you consider obsolete. Externally, they aren't that different. The layout seems ideal. If you find the footswitch HD500 LED's not distinct enough, you could rough up the switch casings with sandpaper and paint them flat black. Rather than release new floor boards, they might offer DSP upgrades at some point. It depends on how much DSP newer models use. It might be a while b4 models start using much more DSP. They just did an overhaul of the whole process. It might be another 5 years or so b4 that becomes an issue. I'm curious as to how much spare ROM is already onboard for new models. Again, that could possibly be upgraded with snap in circuit boards, doubling DSP power and/or ROM every year or so. Not a bad business plan to support existing hardware.
  12. Glad it's fixed, Larry. Unplugging the Pod HD PSU while it's attached to your computer is akin to detaching a USB device without removing it from the system first. That's something to check into. In Windows, there is a system tray icon for USB devices.
  13. Here I'm talking about running a compressor b4 just the clean amp path. It might duck the bass too much if run after the amp. The Vetta Comp or Juice might be a good choice, but treble boost compensates for the inherent treble loss of compression, so the Red Comp or Blue Comp Treb might be great, as might the Tube Comp, or one of the drive pedals -- anything that limits the dynamics a bit without creating much distortion. It depends on the type of sound you want, how it works with the the amp, etc. It will take some experimenting. Do yourself a favor and record something in the looper mode for use to set up your presets. It makes editing much easier. The Blackface Double amp might be a good place to start. You could even drive it for a little sparkle -- kept in check by the compressor in front. One of the other sparkly sounding amp channels might work well, even without a compressor. I don't know the models very well, so I couldn't say. For modern metal style dual amp tones, you'd want the metal amps of course. I'm not at all versed in that type of sound. As I said, I really like my dual Marshall S100 tone. I kind of hear what I want for each amp first, then set up each one soloed b4 I combine them. Then I tweak a bit from there, soloing each amp as I need to. The Pod HD's don't have a cab with speakers like the JC120. Those, or a cab with JBL D120F's would be ideal for the clean amp. All the other cab speakers, but maybe the Supro or Field Coil, roll off at ~4kHz or even lower. The The 4x12 Hiway cab has Fane speakers that roll off at ~6kHz. It's worth a try. Most of the mics have presence boosts above ~4 kHz. Some also have significant bass roll off. You might look up spectrum graphs for each mic to get a better idea. The Rbn 121 mic is pretty flat, and the 4038 rolls off the highs. The Dyn 409 is pretty flat, but I prefer the ribbons. The 67 Cond tube mic is nice on vintage amp distortion tones. It might be nice on asparkly Blackface Double amp/4x12 Hiway cab tone -- with one of the less bassy Dyn mics on the overdrive amp tone. The 87 Cond solid state is pretty flat with sort of smooth glassy highs. Combining amps is a daunting task. You probably want to set up one amp as the main tone, then set the other one up to compliment it, somewhat filling in the spaces the other lacks. You probably wouldn't want a Rbn 4038 or Dyn 409 on both cabs, but it really depends on how much bass each cab has. A Dyn 57 will usually fit somewhere in the mix. It is a good idea to use some kind of limiting last in the chain. The Vintage Mic Pre might work well for that if it naturally compresses. I don't generally like using compressors post amps, unless it's a really transparent "brickwall" limiter on the top ~6dB peaks. Another thing to try is one of the Tape FX like the Echo Platter; only if you can set the delay time and feedback to 0. It might cut the highs a lot, but a little tape saturation has a really nice gluing/fattening effect. Definitely check out this guide for some crucial tips; particularly the A. Quirks section of the Quick Guide: http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/ He uses a lot of eqing both pre and post. I try to avoid that in general. It just further complicates things, but a little post amp eq might help. You can use the HD500 IN Z setting per preset to cut the highs a little if you get too much gain fizz. 230k Z should be low enough. It depends on the PUP's, pot values, and cable capacitance. They should really add a 500k Z option. I use a low C ~200pF cable for less presence emphasis and more high end extension. It produces a fuller flatter tone to begin with. He also mentions that certain FX have what's called latency. It's a very short delay required for processing overhead. ~5ms is enough to start confusing your high velocity playing, but it wouldn't come to that because FX latencies are only in the few sample range. Pod HD units operate at 48kHz 24bit natively, so there would need to be a ~3 sample delay in one path before it affects the audible range. Unfortunately, latency delays are often higher than that and audible high frequency comb filtering occurs. He does offer a solution to the problem. Listening for subtle comb filtering in the high end is actually a good critical listening exercise. There really should be auto latency compensation built into the unit. Perhaps they will come up with a solution in future. If I haven't mentioned it, consider a backup PSU...and always plug into a surge protector. I'm curious to hear the sounds you come up with. As I say, I don't use the Pod HD, so maybe share samples of your prized presets on box.net (has free full quality previewing) at some point. If you're interested, I have some "fast and dirty" flac samples of my PC amp sim sounds all recorded at 48kHz 24bit here: https://app.box.com/s/dkm6g4my1z2nsx7tz0d1
  14. Yeah, you want some master eq for the environment you play in. My only other suggestion would be a Bose L(x) line array system, but they are more expensive. You might save some money with something else, but the EV looks worth it.
  15. A few guesses are: -power surges, which may be resolved by using a surge protector/power conditioner. -broken/shorting USB jacks. Check the USB jacks and plugs to see if the thin plastic section in the middle is broken. Do not use them if that's the case.
  16. The faulty USB port could have been shorting something. Try re-flashing the firmware and don't use that USB port anymore. Seal the port up with ear plug wax, making sure the middle leads don't short on the grounding. I did that on a laptop that was having weird problems from a broken/shorting USB port jack.
  17. I actually don't even use a pod. I use PC amp modelers. Can't really suggest a compressor/limiter. Get to know how they affect the attack and release and use what sounds right for the patch you put together.
  18. That EV PA looks a like a quality piece. Just use either Pod line level out set to direct/line. I don't think the XLR outs sum to mono like the 1/4" outs do. 1000 Watts! My ears hurt just thinking about it. Plenty of headroom, anyway. We used ~200 watts to power the whole stage monitor system back in the 80's. Make sure you plug into a surge suppressor, or preferably a power conditioner. I don't trust Class D amps. Use the same outlet for each piece in your rig so you don't get ground loops.
  19. You are correct about the function of several of the DEP controls. Here is what the others generally do. Amp DEP: The affect of the amp DEP's become evident as the Master DEP is increased. Hum: (AC ripple) can actually alter the tone in some ways. Not sure how. Bias: increases the "boldness" as well as the amount of generated even harmonics in the class AB amp models for richer amp distotion. Bias X: Increases the range of the "floating" Bias, which is affected by signal dynamics. I think it gets "warmer" as the signal decays. The gain curve is changed so the reactance of the distortion to playing dynamics is more sensitive. Speaker DEP: Res: increases overall speaker/cabinet resonance, which is the internal standing wave gain. There is a sort of compression affect at extreme levels. It's a key ingredient in loud sounding guitar tone. Decay: decreases speaker damping for a "looser" tone. Upper mids are smoothed off and highs are lost. Detail/articulation is sacrificed. Can be great for lead tones, but chords can lack definition. These things and much more are explained very well in this online guide: http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/ Pentode tubes like EL34/84 produce much more 3rd harmonic distortion than the beam tetrodes in most of the other amp models. That's why EL types sound more "crunchy", particularly in class AB operating mode where even generated harmonics are canceled and 6V6, KT66 and 5881 beam tetrodes seem to have the least crunch and smoothest break up from what I hear. The crunch and gain curve of any amp can of course be altered via the Bias and Bias X DEP's.
  20. Oh yeah, a classic guitar live setup back in the 80's was to run a Roland JC120 on one side and a Marshall JCM800 on the other. Picking articulation comes from the clean tone, sustain from the distortion, and the combined tone is just huge. You probably want some compression on the clean tone. Adjust respective outputs accordingly. Any type of combo where one amp is more compressed/distorted than the other can be just awesome. I set up a dual Marshal S100 patch in a PC amp sim thats my maybe my favorite mid 60's rhythm soul strat tone. I also run amps into others (like early EVH) in several patches. It takes a lot of tweaking to get it right, but the sounds are so rich and juicy.
  21. A dream rig is cool and all, but I don't think it's really necessary -- the audience is getting the house mix anyway. A big powerful clean full range monitor should do the trick for the player -- maybe something without tweeters. As long as you don't clip anything in the chain and you consider evrything involved in the tone going into the HD unit, you can get really great tones. I've posted some suggestions that may be of help if you're interested. Since you are gigging with it, you might consider getting a backup PSU or 2. That's a truly worthwhile investment. Maybe leave 1 of 3 at your rehearsal space to spare it the repeated wear of unplugging? It would be a major bummer to show up to a gig with a broken PSU.
  22. To reduce fizz, try: -lower IN-Z settings per preset to roll off some highs b4 distortion devices. -less preamp gain and keep the amp presence and treble down a bit, boost the midrange and rely more on amp distortion. - a LP filter eq to roll off highs b4 the amp or even b4 distortion boxes. -Dyn 57 and other other Dyn mics have a ~4-6kHz presence boost. Try the Rbn mics, or the 67 and 87 Cond. Glad to hear the gigs went well. As well as extra cabling, you might consider getting a second HD500X PSU. If the one you have breaks b4 or at a gig, you will have no backup. Of course, always plug into a surge protector.
  23. It's nothing to be debated. It is a scientific fact that the cable C acts in conjunction with the PUP H and pot values to form a peak at a specific frequency. Any engineer worth his/her salt knows that. The frequency shift is exponentially less with higher H PUP's, and many PUP's lack highs to begin with due to internal eddy current shorts. That may be why some people don't hear it.
  24. Yes RI. I wonder if the Y7 incorporated transformers in the design -- which would add to the warmth and feel. Bear in mind, that much of what MeAmBobbo recommends about guitar tones is from his own experience. He seems like a very smart and organized guy, and his guides are very useful for the most part. Checking the eq guide: http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/eq , I found a few discrepancies that are worth exploring in the hope of helping with tonal consistency, song mix considerations, and ear-fatigue/irritation avoidance. His spectrum classifications are pretty consistent with conventional audio standards with regard to the low end. Kick drum thump is considered ~65Hz, so that's close enough. I might consider punch more ~160Hz, but that's just me -- something to explore. ~160Hz is the lowest frequency humans can identify directionally. ~250-400Hz has a tendency to build up in a mix, so you might consider dipping it a bit. He uses the term "djent" to describe the a metal style rhythm guitar strum. Of course, that sound involves several spectral ranges. I think his spectrum choice has to do with only the "en" part of the term. He seems to have identified the classic nasal/vocal range there. Above ~1.5kHz starts to become more defined and then steely at ~2 - 2.5kHz. ~2.5 - 3.5kHz is known as the "ice pick " zone. It should generally be scooped, or at least not boosted. Above that is the classic presence range from ~4-6kHz. I find 5kHz to be glassy, which can be nice in moderation on a neck PUP. As I've mentioned b4, the more ideal neck or middle PUP peak is ~4.3kHz, aka the "bell" tone. It's like smooth glass -- great for pick and finger-style articulation. Peak boosts generally should stay ~3dB, unless for some extreme effect up to ~6dB. ~6-8kHz adds a sweet sparkle, but it can be subtle considering most speakers roll off at ~4kHz. It's really not worth considering much above 6kHz with most guitar speakers, but you'll hear more higher frequencies with the Hiway cab's modeled Fane speakers which roll off up near 6kHz. Maybe Line 6 will model Roland JC120 or JBL D120F speakers, which have highs up to ~8kHz -- not good with distorted guitar tones. I owned a Hiwatt Custom 100 combo with a Fane speaker back in the 80's. I never really tapped the full potential of that amp, but I do have a recording with me playing through it. It sounded so great cranked up. He also mentions using the Dyn 57 mic model a lot, although he seems to lean toward heavier metal tones. The SM57 rolls off a lot of bass, and has a ~4-6kHz presence boost. Seems like the Ribbon 121, 4035, or just anything with more bass might be better. He probably gets more fizz (presence) than he likes with the 57, especially with the Hiway cab -- although the upper mids of the Fane speaker are soft sounding, so it's not too bad. It's actually a very even sounding full range guitar speaker which can take distortion well, unlike the crisper JBL D120F. If I find anything else to bring up about the guide, I'll add my two cents about it. He certainly has covered a wealth of information in an easy to understand fashion....my hat goes off to him.
  25. Sure thing, RIBlues. Yeah, it's really just lowering the peak a little. Seems like there should be a 500k Z option. You'd be surprised how rich and meaty your guitar can sound with a ~200pF cable through certain amps. The extended highs and flatter overall response really adds depth and nuance. It also makes the tone knob more useful by extending the range it affects. I prefer more vintage amp models myself, like a good mid 60's Deluxe, Twin or SR, a '59 Bassman, a JTM45 or S100, Vox, etc. Akeron, 3.5M is just a value they chose for some more flexibility. You might prefer the slightly more emphasized presence you get with 3.5M. In all honesty, I don't think there is any difference between lowering the HD500 IN-Z and turning the guitar tone knob down a bit. You should consider a low C cable to see if it gives you more of what you want from your guitar. Planet Waves Cable Station packs of 50' of 19pF/foot cable with 10 screw on plugs are ~$60. Best deal I've seen. An 8-10 foot cable of that would be ~200pF.
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