Wondo100

I noticed that the factory settings for 3.0 are lower volume than previous. I do not know why this is. When I loaded the old setlist back in again. They sounded louder. That is the only weird thing so far. Other than that, I am very impressed with the new models that I have tried so far. Love the pitch updates!

Very excited about the new update. I have only had a couple of hours since I downloaded it and about an hour with it so far. Very nice upgrades. The pitch effects are really stellar. One thing I noticed however, is that the Factory presets are much lower in volume than the originals. When I brought back in the Brit 2204 from my setlist backup from Factory 1, it was so much better than the new Brit 2204. Am I missing something here? I hope someone can tell me I am doing something wrong.

Yeah, I have heard that with the 212, this is not an issue especially when running dual amp paths, but as far as I can tell with 2 of the 112s it is an issue. It is okay. I am really happy with my two amps in 7CM at this point and I can save some money.

Thanks. That thread talked about the same set up I have with L6 Link. When the Cabs are run in stereo, it cuts the volume in half. I may just decide to send these back. I get much better tone of what I am looking for running two Grandmeisters in to two 2x12 with V30s. I have much more control over things this way. In this set up, I use Helix in 7CM and primarily as an effects processor and sometimes will switch from the loops to an amp block using my power amp and cab to power it. Sounds great. For studio, I have a great pair of Yamaha HS 7s. At this point all the extra tweaking of the PC is just too much headache for me. They may be good for some, but not for me. I spent a good deal of time with them and they are cool, but not my cup of tea at this point. I do thank everyone on here for their help. Great forum with very knowledgeable people. Although, I may be done with the PC, I may still need guidance with the Helix and hopefully some day be able to return the favor and offer help to others (especially when it comes to 7CM, since not many people are doing that, and I think I have found a great set up).

As soon as I noticed the volume drop, I went in and bumped the cabs up as far as I could I also adjusted levels on the Helix and still low volume of both compared to one. Both together does not have the volume of one by itself. All of the cut through that one was doing is gone. There has to be something wrong with something I am doing or something wrong with one of the cabinets.I am stumped. I did post this over at the Power Cab thread but have not heard anything yet. Am I getting impatient? No, not really. I am getting tired of having to constantly fight with these things to get them to work properly.

Spend most of the day with two 112 PC+. Updated to new FW on both cabs. Both cabs hooked up via L6 Link. Just one cab by itself is starting to sound good. Hook up the other via L6 on back of cab and now the power is cut in half and it is really hard to get both cabs to hit that sweet spot that the one cab does. Someone said there may be problems with a stereo set up with both cabs. Not sure if this is it, but running both in stereo does not sound good. I adjusted both levels the same in the PC.

Ok. Checking over at the Powercab thread. Hooked both cabs up. Not everything links together, but I think it might be that one had IRS loaded and the other did not. In any event when both are hooked together via L6 LInk, the power is cut in half unless I am doing something wrong. If that is the case, they are on their way back to Sweetwater. My two Grandmeisters do not have that problem.

I do, yes. So 1 edits can 1 and 2 edits cab 2? And 1+2 edits both simultaneously?

It does. But where is the ability to edit both cabs?

Ok. All hooked up. I do not see a way to edit both cabs from HX Edit. There is only one listed there.

Took 6 attempts to get this particular cab to update. Not sure why, but lets hope for the best (note to self - I never need to do software updates for tube amps). :-)

Yeah, I do not plan on giving up yet. These things are pretty cool. Just not sure if it is worth the cash at this point. But, I am still working with them. I am ready to set up the other one in stereo. Things I do not know about this is when I hook up both, can I edit both in the HX Edit software? Or do I need to run the Powercab software for one and then the other to get tones dialed in? I am running L6 Link to both cabs, so hoping I can edit both. Also, not quite sure the best way to run stereo with two PC. With my 7CM I run two separate paths, but thinking maybe with the PC, I can run in stereo the way some of the stock presets in the Helix are set up. In other words a lot of those presets are mixed in the middle instead of pan hard left and right. Also, want to find the best way to run two amps and the Piezo at the same time.

Thanks JLondon. Yes, I had already seen that video prior to getting the cabs so that I knew what to dial in. Still working on getting tones. It is hit and miss. I find it ironic how much tweaking you have to do to get it to sound right, I mean if it is a Vintage 30 speaker simulation, it should sound something like it, but you have to tweak and tweak to get it close. When I A/B the PC with my Grandmeisters through their 2x12 V30s, there is a presence and aliveness that is just instantaneously there. Can I get close with the PC? Yes, close, but after about 20 minutes of tweaking. Jury is still out. I think I will set up the other PC now and see how that does.

Just got my two PC+ yesterday. I spent several hours with one of them (not opening other cab until I am convinced the cabs are worth it). First impressions: At first, I was disappointed because that all familiar blanket over the cabinet effect was happening. In other words there was that muffled feel to the sound and missing that organic live presence of a real cab. But then I really started to tweak the tones and started to come up with some good sounds. I have two H&K Grandmeisters with matching 2x12 cabs with V30s and have been using those in 7CM to get stereo but thought the PC would be an easier set up. That has yet to be determined. The stock speakers in the PC are about average. Can you dial in a good tone with those? Possibly, but the onboard IRS are much easier to dial in and then I loaded some Redwirez Greenbacks and got some really good tone. Better than my Grandmeisters? Not so sure yet. Luckily I have Sweetwaters 30 Day return period to decide. Here are a couple of observations about set up so far: You have to get the levels right. To do this you should have the volume knob on the PC all the way down with no sound. Then bring up a preset on the Helix make sure your levels are where you normally would have it. Then start playing or perhaps run a loop so you can have free hands. Now turn up the big master knob on the helix to get the light on the PC to fluctuate from green to orange. Maybe even get the light to go in to the red and back off a bit. Now your volume is set. Now turn up the volume on the PC to listen to your tone. You can go in to edit on the PC and set the volume of the speaker for each preset. I find around -8db works in most cases to bring the speaker sound out and make it more alive. Check to make sure the light on the PC is not clipping and now you should be good to go. There is a Low cut switch on the back of the amp. Probably want to turn that off. Also, you may have to mess with the Hi and Lo Cut settings on the preset as well to really bring out the sound you want from the speaker. Also, tilting the cab back or setting up on something makes a world of difference as it would with a real cab. Having just sit on the floor pointing at your ankles makes for a very muffled and thuddy sound. I dialed in a Cali Rhythm amp setting on Helix and then brought in the Allure IR V30 on the PC and started playing Metallica. Took some tweaking, but it actually sounded like the tone on Kill Em All. Went to my Grandmeister and was able to dial in the same tone, but the PC got it exact with some tweaking. Got to really work with the Hi and Lo cut on the speaker setting. I will update once I spend more time. Also beware that when you purchase IRS from Line6 Marketplace that the files are in .wir. This will not load in to the PC. Line6 is being very stupid about this because .wir is supposed to be their proprietary format for the HX line, but the PC is their product as well, but you cannot load .wir in the PC. So, go to the direct source for you IRS. I was disappointed to discover this yesterday because I had loaded some OH, and some Celestion and Cigma in prep for the PC and to listen to them on the Helix. Of course I can still use these IRS in the Helix and then the PC in FRFR mode which is a good option, but the speaker sims in the PC is what works best so far and using IRS loaded in the PC.

Nope. No cab sims in Helix. No IRS in Helix. I turn the volume of the Pc all the way down then start playing my guitar and then turn up the big volume knob on Helix to start getting the PC to go from green to orange and not red. If the big knob starts to go beyond like 1-3 o’clock, I then go into the volume of the speaker in the speaker setting in the PC and bring that up to stay within that green orange range. That usually ends up being around -8db for most speakers vs the -12db as the default for most. Then I bring up the volume on the PC to begin hearing the sound. I have been able to get some okay sounds, mostly heavy overdriven sounds that sound good. I need to work on the cleaner tones to see what I can do. I find that most of the speakers in PC are so so. Some of the stock IRS are good. I have some IRS that work, but unfortunately my OH and Celestion and SR3 do not work because they are not in the right format unless I am missing something. I did post something in the Power Cab area, but most people come here. Any other tricks, I could try to start dialing in some better tones? I am not sure how I save the settings. I save the preset in Helix, not sure if that carries over to the PC. Not sure If I have to name the preset and save the settings in the cab as well as in Helix. Not sure where to find IRS that are just for the PC. I thought my IRS would work in the Power Cab. Only ones that work are ones that are wav files. I must be doing something wrong because I spend some money on IRS hoping they would carry over to PC.

Ok. So I got two PC+ today. I have not opened the other one yet, so I can make sure these things sound good. I am kind of getting that blanket over the speaker effect that I have noticed with modeling. Are there some tricks to getting this thing to sound right? I kept the volume knob on the cab down and then played some stuff to dial in the green to orange setting. I turned off the Low Cut switch in the back. I tilted the amp to get it off of the floor a bit. I am running it through the L6 Link cable I have downloaded the latest update for PC+. Some of the stock cabs in the PC+ sound muffled like I am in the other room listening to it. I loaded an IR and that sounded pretty good, but I cannot imagine that the stock cabs would be that bad from jump. Any ideas, greatly appreciated.

I am checking on this now, but even if I could get Helix to control it, I certainly hope I can make it sound better. As it stands now, I do not see how anyone likes these things.

I have to be doing something wrong. Just Got two PC+. Fortunately, have not hooked up the other one yet. When does the blanket get removed from the cabinet? I have tried Flat and speaker cabs. It sounds like there is a horse blanket laying over top of the cabinet. Am I not able to control this from the Helix with L6 cable hooked up? Unless something changes, these are going back very soon.

Oh, and thanks for sending a ticket. When I switch amps out, it still does it in the old configuration. I suspect it is a bug in the system. Hopefully, it is not my Helix unit. I got at the end of 2019 and had my first real chance to start working with this set up in March. So, it is still a new unit (still has the plastic on the main display and scribble strips in case I had to turn around and sell it). I am expecting two PC+ to arrive in a few days to try them out with a return option. Not sure if this will make for a good situation, or create more headaches. If I can replicate what I am looking for with Power Cabs, then I might go that route. I chose Rush Hemispheres as the patch to build, because if I could get that to work, then anything is possible. Alex was not that sophisticated on stage (nor was there the same technology) in 1978 as was available to him in the later years. However, I am trying to duplicate the sound on the Hemispheres album Cygnus X-1. He uses an overdriven sound, then a clean sound on top of the overdriven sound with an overdubbed acoustic, then just pure clean with acoustic. With my Les Paul Axcess that has hum buckers and Piezo with separate output for Piezo, I need to be able to blend these all together. With 7CM, I have Path 1 in Helix go to the amp that is overdriven, Path 2 goes to amp that is clean and the third path is the Piezo which goes out to a Fishman Loudbox. That gets the tone since with each snapshot, I can change the settings on the amp if needed like I do with the clean amp to give it more drive in one of the parts. I do not know if I can do something like this with the PC+. Might need some help. Thanks!

Thanks qwerty42. I really appreciate it. Also appreciate both you and rd2rk taking the time to help. I feel like this is the place to get some answers!! Yes it was the Return that was going in to the red. Interestingly, it does not do it on the other amp in the usual configuration. Therefore, I could use it like this: Path 1: Guitar In> Dynamics, Dist., Mod, etc. >FX Send 1, FX Return 3> Volume Block, time-based effects, etc.> 1/4" out Panned all the way to the Left Path 2. Guitar In> Dynamics, Dist., Mod, etc. >FX Loop2> Volume Block, time-based effects, etc.> 1/4" out Panned all the way to the Right This still leaves me with FX Loop 4 to use if I need to. So, if it is the amp (GM 36) I am not sure why this would be doing this. It works fine, no sounds indicating bad tubes, although it has been a few years since I changed out the tubes. My other amp (GM 40) is less than a year old and I just put all new JJ tubes in there yesterday to replace the weak Chinese tubes. In the GM 36, I have Tung Sol preamp tubes in all three slots and then TAD power amp tubes. I am not sure which of the tubes if any are related to the FX Loop. Although, I will really have to experiment with Path 2 to make sure it is not doing this either. I found a schematic from a H&K forum about 4CM and they are saying to do it with separate Send/Return

OK. So, first method under preset Hemiis_Snd1_Ret1 gets same results with clipping. Hemis_Snd1_Ret3 does not get the clipping, although the sound is a bit robbed in fullness of tone between FX loop on my amp and off. I think I have some headroom though to remedy this. I believe that this is what rd2rk was having me try, but maybe I missed something in that because it was not working when I did that, I may have got some cabling mixed up. So, now what does this tell us? Am I going to have to set it up like this? If so, I have to use all of my FX loops to run 7CM??

Thanks. I will try this in a little bit when I can turn things up to get the results. I will let you know soon, Thanks for your help.

Ok. I will give this a try. When you say amps send and return cabling, should I keep the cabling the way I have it in the picture I posted below? Or should I do something different? On another note, I thought that to bypass all of this 7CM complication that I would just get two Power Cab 112s and run through the L6 Link cable, but that would mean I am relying on the amp models in Helix to do this and when I try to set things up to do this, I run out of DSP space. In other words it would seem that in order for me to use snapshots and be able to have two amps running one in clean, the other overdriven and then in the next snapshot have both overdriven with the Piezo mixed in and then move to an all clean sound on both amps with Piezo mixed in, the only way to do this is with my external amps because they are fully programmable and each snapshot can send a CC to the amps to bring up the desired amp sound. Doing this within Helix with models only and no FX loops, I cannot do this.

I would be interested in how you are doing acoustic tones. I have a Les Paul Alex Lifeson Axcess (Humbuckers and Piexo)and want to run a path that has a dirty humbucker on one, a cleaner on the other and then my Piezo. I am really not sure how to do that and be able to have room to run some IRs, but then again if I use the PC+, I won’t need room on the path for IRs, they will be in the PC

Yes. I am using 2.92. When I spoke with Line 6, they thought that the effects loop issue was a bug and would be fixed in the next update. That was about a week before 2.92. That did not fix anything, and it was not listed in the release notes. I do not notice any sound that would indicate clipping. What I notice is that the fx loop block turns read when I am playing. I am using Helix floor and it is pretty much a brand new unit. All new cables.