Crusty_Old_Rocker

The patch levels will be dramatically affected by the amp modelling that you're using. If you are using the "Pre" modelling and the DT's power amp topography & NFL, the levels will differ quite a lot, particularly if switching between class A and class AB. The different pre amps all have different gain structures and they all hit the power amp at different levels too. Think of it this way, if you put a real 85 Watt Fender Twin Reverb next to a real 30 Watt VOX AC30 and check out the volume difference, you'll be amazed at just how loud that AC30 is. The physical differences in the circuitry are responsible for this and the Pod HD with DT amp is duplicating those differences. It gets much easier to balance levels when using different amp models if you use the full amp models in the Pod HD and select class A Topo I on the DT amp for all patches. This means that the amp tone is a finished product going into the DT amplifier and using class A Topo I will minimise the effect of the DT power amp on your tone. You can then balance patches using the channel volume. Don't be afraid to tweak the deep editing parameters on the amp modelling to get the tone you're looking for. Cheers, Crusty

You might notice a DT Amp in the little pic with my posts. :D As I mentioned, I have a preference for open back cabs too. It's like the speaker is free to do its thing. I have also used FRFR PA speakers for amp modelling and get great results for simulating the sound of the modelled speaker cabs. So, it really comes down to what you prefer and what you're aiming to achieve with the gear. Cheers, Crusty

Yeah, it really looks like a hardware issue within the unit. Monkey does some deeper checking within the hardware to ensure that it's genuine working Line 6 gear, I suspect that might be why it only sees it in safe mode. You could tell the seller that you'll buy it once the Variax input is working correctly. Cheers, Crusty

It can be done. The easiest way is to have your patch locations synchronised on the two devices. The midi from the HD500 will select the patch on the Pro. It's a simple program change command. You can get fancy and spread the patches across the two devices, but it does get fiddly. Cheers, Crusty

Try this little trick. Build a patch with two parallel signal chains using identical settings. Put a "boost compressor" at the beginning of one of the signal chains before your distortion effects, leave the other without. Use the boost compressor to drive things and add a decent dose of compression (get yourself plenty of sustain) use the signal chain without the compressor to keep your playing dynamics and attack. There are many ways to really get the drive to go over the top. Using the above trick on high gain amp models can deliver some impressive results. Cheers, Crusty

If using a Variax, put the loop up to first position in the chain and drop your distortion/overdrive into the loop there. It's less than optimal because the loop will be running at line level. Play with your loop levels to get the pedal to do its magic. Cheers, Crusty

You'll most likely find that it's the input and output settings. Just double check them. Cheers, Crusty

The VDI transports control data in MIDI format as well as the audio (digital) along with power to the Variax. Workbench and Monkey will just be using the control data, not the audio. So it could be just the wires that transport the digital audio that's mucked up. Cheers, Crusty

The greatest impact on the sound will be the open back of the combo vs the closed (ported) cab used with the head. I have the DT50 combo and I have DT25 heads with cabs. The open back of the combos give a more open sound wheras the ported closed back speaker cabs are tighter and tend to have more bass. The 12AX7 and EL84 valves handle the vibration within combo amps fairly well, so rattling the valves isn't a big issue, but it can be if you're playing loud. Personally, I'm a bit torn between the two there are advantaged and disadvantages for both. While generally speaking I prefer the sound of open backed combos, the closed back on the DT25 cab works really well for modelled tones. Cheers, Crusty

If you're driving your power amp then the valves will be playing an audible role in the output tapped. If you have the HD500 in the equation, you can use the deep editing options to simulate the power amp characteristics that you prefer. Personally, if I were not going to mike the DT and I'm using a Pod HD500, I'd leave the DT amp out of the equation. But, that's just what I'd do. There are plenty of options available to you. Cheers, Crusty

I have always gone with the whammy bar option. The reasoning is that use of the whammy bar features strongly with some of the modelled guitars like the Gretsch. Having a whammy bar rounds off some of the modelled guitars. Cheers, Crusty

I have the 75 for use in my lounge room. I'm not allowed to put my DT amps in the lounge room but the AMPLIFi 75 is the perfect addition to a guitarist's lounge room. The 75 won't do for band gigging but a guitar vocal stint in a coffee shop would suit this little amp. Cheers, Crusty

To me the design appears to be centred squarely on playing along to music that you have on your iPhone, iPod or iPad. When you take that into consideration the design seems to make sense. If the intention were to build your music library around existing tones, then certainly, I'd be wanting to see all the existing tones and add the songs to my music library. I have switched off the auto load option and I have told the app not to show tones that don't match the songs in my music library. I would like to see the option to have it load matching tones from My Tones without auto loading from the cloud though. When I build a tone, I'd prefer to have that one as my "go to" for a particular song rather than something that someone else has built. Cheers, Crusty

Rowbi's right. You can save tones onto your iDevice as My Tones, but there isn't a way to organise them. When you play a song the app will still go and retrieve tones online. Cheers, Crusty

The control data is MIDI and the audio is digital (AES). Cheers, Crusty