Karl_Houseknecht

I don't know why I never did this before, but there's something to be said for trying things that go against the "rules" with the DT/POD combo. For instance, I had a pretty decent Marshall tone going on with the P75 preamp on the HD500 using topology II. That's the way it's supposed to work, right? But I'm more of a Mesa kind of guy and I like my "Marshall" tones a little more modern. Switched the topology to IV using the same preamp. Bingo. Right where it needed to be to match up with Crunch mode on CH2 of my Mark V. Has just the right round boldness without annoying top end. The rules are made for breaking. I've been all smiles for the last couple of hours.

For those wanting the solution to minimize crossover distortion, read the info at the above link. Adjust the bias deep edit parameter accordingly. And don't play with the gain so high.

Since crossover distortion occurs in the power section, yes it's a power amp modeling "issue" of sorts. That's why you don't hear it when using preamp models. Here's a good explanation of what you're hearing, along with a hint on how you might go about reducing it in the HD: http://www.aikenamps.com/CrossoverDistortion.htm

PC mapping would be great. Although if you have an HD500X then we're saying that it's responding to changes from ANOTHER unit....in which case, it's not the controller. My GT-10/100 has PC mapping that never gets used because it's more important, to me, that the downstream units have PC mapping instead. Of course, PC mapping isn't a controller function anyway.

Can someone tell me what an "internal MIDI controller" is?

Unfortunately, you can't upgrade the unit physically to a ProX.

Just because tubes are matched doesn't mean you don't need to bias the amp. You really do, unless by some miracle the replacement tubes were identical twins of the ones you replaced. Biasing isn't hard. Takes but a few minutes to do properly. You might consider using a different tech. :)

"Heard about" and "experienced" are two different things. Even though there isn't spillover between patches, I haven't had a single problem changing patches within a song and noticing any lag. I'm usually very picky about this. Doesn't bother me with the 500x the way it did with the Axe-Fx.

I always set the master volume of the HD to 50%. Because if my sound guy tells me he needs more or less signal, then I can adjust as needed. If it's at 100% and he needs more, then I'm screwed.

Has to do with how the stereo is mixed down from pre effects. Yes, you won't be able to globally assign input configuration. But I look on that as a good thing. It lets you be free to develop dual tone patches, single amp patches, patches with disparate inputs, etc, and not be tied down to a single configuration.

I completely agree. 4CM with the HD500(x) should be as simple as it is with the M13. It isn't. You get a 4dB drop at the effects send if you have the loop configured at Stomp level, and that's problematic because you don't want a lower signal going to your amp. Fortunately, there are several good ways to fix this that don't involve taking up an additional effects block: 1. Input configuration: Input 1: Guitar, Input 2: Aux (In this scenario, we're not going to use both parallel signal paths. You really don't need to.) 2. Make sure the amp model is disabled and in the "Pre" position. 3. Set the left mixer channel pan to center. 4. If the FX Loop level is at Stomp, you will need to put the FX loop AFTER the mixer and set the level of the left channel to +4dB. 5. If the FX Loop level is at Line, you can put it before or after the mixer but there will be a +8dB boost at the send. Set the loop's send to -8dB. Either of these approaches work, but I prefer the loop level at Line and decreasing the send level because then you aren't adding noise by boosting something. Once you get past this problem, 4CM isn't that bad. But the fact that I had to troubleshoot this with signal generators and meters means that it isn't intuitive at all. And it certainly isn't as simple as the M13.

So, out of the five things you said, only two of those are something you could fix with a firmware update. Maybe. The EQ and the chorus. And I agree with both of those. But does that make the unit flawed as you said? My point here being that no firmware update is going to make the HD500 live up to its full potential if those 5 things are the criteria.

What flaws would you fix, through a firmware update, so that it could realize its potential?

You'll need some kind of power amplifier. The HD500 does not have one built in. Either use a powered cab or an external power amp.

Yep, Alex is pretty much the real deal. Geddy has been using SansAmps for years. I've been "around". Mostly over at TGP. Not too much excitement here until this topic came up. :D

:D Alex uses a Mark V for cleans and a custom built Silver Jubilee clone for dirt these days. Effects are all Axe-Fx II. He runs the amps into a Palmer load box and speaker emulator. In-ears for monitoring and no stage volume.

The old stuff is over here: http://line6.com/support/community/support/forums Read only.