Hey All,
I am coming to Helix after using an M13 for years. I've never used 4CM or an FX loop before, so I'm hoping for some advice.
I am running a Les Paul with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups into an Orange Dark Terror. I play in a style (as you can imagine) with very high gain as a rule. The Dark Terror is usually sitting around 3 o'clock for both the gain and the scoop, with the main volume set at 1 o'clock. Believe it or not, the amp is not really that noisy. Granted, there is hiss, but it is very manageable. Strangely, after setting up the 4CM with the Helix, I find the DT's preamp block to be very, very noisy. It basically drowns out all the other background noise in the rehearsal space. If I switch to a Helix amp model, the noise goes away.
I am using a noise gate as the first block in the Helix chain, but since the preamp is coming after that, there is nothing taming the sound. It seems weird to me to put a gate in after the block, and it really changes the feel of picking as the gate has to open, which is not instant. Basically, with the Orange amp "off" in the Helix, there is no noise. But with it engaged, it is a hissing mess. It still sounds the same when I play it, it's when I'm not playing it that it irritates me.
What am I doing wrong? If I bypass the Helix 4CM and plug directly into the amp the noise goes away, and I still get the same tone I am after. When I put the 4CM back into place, everything is fine until I activate the preamp block and then HISSSSSSS.
Again, I'd prefer not to have to put a gate in after the I/O block, and when I experimented with a noise gate block tonight it never really completely got rid of the hiss without massively affecting the tone. Any ideas?
Things that I think could be affecting it, but I'm not sure:
FX loop on the DT just noisy?
FX loop on DT is run by a 12AT7, should I try swapping it?
I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that like most digital devices, the big volume knob should just be turned up and forgotten about (I'd like to bypass it, actually) - could the Helix be amplifying the hiss?
Thanks for any input!
Chris