seasonsofman Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Hey guys, so due to some emergency stuff, I had to spend a lot of money; this means that I probably won't get the DT50 or 25. I'm looking now at a used HD500. I want some versatile tones; think Steve Howe. (You can tell by my username that I'm a pretty big Yes fan.) I would like some great jazz tones, great crunch tones, great metal tones, and some great effects. I say "great" because, with all the things I hear about the HD500, I really can't settle for just good, haha. Also, I would like to do some volume swells with the pedal. I'm thinking of going direct to FOH. Where I live, in Toronto, there's good sound reinforcement at a lot of venues, so monitoring shouldn't be a problem. Now, I did go around asking some guitarist friends what it will be like playing direct to the FOH. They all said that I won't be very happy. Unlike the DT thing, however, they might be right, and this might not be the Line 6 hate talking, because what I want to do isn't very conventional as opposed to using amps. It's something I've never even seen happen, so I can't tell what it's going to be like. How easy is it to go direct to FOH? Would it be possible to get a consistent tone from venue to venue? Any advice on this matter is appreciated. The POD seems to be the ultimate balance between tone, portability, and cost. And this is really important: I would like to buy something that'll last a long time. Literally everything I've bought, amp, pedals, guitar, is falling apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasonsofman Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 My apologies if I'm rambling, I'm just really tired haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjnette Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I'll second the feel of an amp pushing air, but FOH with decent foldback should be fine or in ear. I too think the HD500 pushes above its weight. The amp models alone are good enough 4 to5 times the cost to get better models and probably a real amp would be the logical upgrade step from a HD500. Audio Technology did a review on the HD500 and said if you cannot find the tone you need on it you best take up the trumpet." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidroe Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 I have not used an amp in over 5 years. I use the HD500 straight in to the FOH. They give me enough of my guitar back thru the monitors for me to feel comfortable. I have played football stadiums and little 75 seat clubs with this setup and I am VERY pleased. At the same time, if you are a diehard gotta have an amp behind me guy you will NOT ever be happy! It takes a while to get adjusted to playing in this fashion. If you keep it up and continue to tweak you will eventually get to a place where you are completely happy and at ease. Another thing. Get used to the harsh looks on the other guys faces in the band as they are lugging their 100 pound stacks to the truck when it only took you 5 minutes to pack up and put your guitar in the case. LOL! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seasonsofman Posted October 26, 2014 Author Share Posted October 26, 2014 Sweet, so all looks good. I just have one question: my current amps all suffer from the "ice pick" thing, where the treble is just too harsh to be comfortable with. Does the HD500 suffer from this problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brazzy Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 Have you tried to cut the highs? EQ perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akeron Posted October 26, 2014 Share Posted October 26, 2014 (after closing it I recently reopened again my soundcloud account) Why it was closed before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akeron Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 I was asking because I think your patches are the best examples of what you can do with the POD with minimal tweaking. I may disagree with some of your conclusions\ideas but I like them anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidroe Posted October 27, 2014 Share Posted October 27, 2014 As far as the "ice picking". I have tried every amp sim plugin and used PODs and Boss Gts. There is not one that I have used that did not sound better with an EQ either the last in the FX chain or plugged in to an insert in the board. The highs in the HDs are very pronounced. Even more than the earlier PODs. I just choose to put an EQ the last in my presets. You can then massage the highs to your taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphodboy Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 personally I do not often use EQ FXs.. however there is a very useful EQ FX that I have used some times which I think that would be perfect for what you need: the MID FOCUS EQ, its job is to trim some high and low end.. and it does it well +1 to that. I hardly ever use EQ effects but posted on a different thread because I was struggling to get my higher gain patches to cut through the mix. Someone recommended the mid focus EQ so I tried it....instant success! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcytree Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 + 1 to using the mid focus EQ. I'm only just beginning to use this particular EQ but I'm liking what it can do to shape the tones. It is used quite a lot in many of the factory presets on the HD "Bean," and Pro/500s too, but for some reason I would never use it when building my own tones. Have primarily only really used the Studio EQ " Low cut" parameters to lessen the "flubby" low-end on some of the Stack amps ( particularly the Marshalls / Park models ) but have now added the Mid focus EQ to my sound shaping palette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billlorentzen Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 When playing through a house PA, just make sure you leave yourself enough gain headroom for when the band cranks up. I've been using my HD instead of an amp for a few years, gigging very regularly and I'm completely comfortable with using monitors, but they gotta be loud enough or you're screwed. I generally bring my own powered PA cab when I'm playing through a smaller system where I dont trust the monitoring. There is no problem with uncomfortable high end with the HD, any more than with an amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphodboy Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 When playing through a house PA, just make sure you leave yourself enough gain headroom for when the band cranks up. I've been using my HD instead of an amp for a few years, gigging very regularly and I'm completely comfortable with using monitors, but they gotta be loud enough or you're screwed. I generally bring my own powered PA cab when I'm playing through a smaller system where I dont trust the monitoring. There is no problem with uncomfortable high end with the HD, any more than with an amp. I play through a Stagesource L3.....1400 watts of pain baby! Never get past half way on the master even at medium sized venues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidroe Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 WOW! I don't feel so alone anymore! HEE-HEE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbillmojo Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 I've tried FOH and it seems to work well but you do need a good PA with lots of headroom and full range cabs. If the PA is at the edge of its limits then you're probably going to sound rubbish in my experience. Also you'll need good floor monitoring to get the right feel. I must admit though that my favourite configuration is using the 4CM approach using a valve amp. That way get the flexibility of the HD500 FX plus either the amp's preamp OR the amp models. I love the sound of the amp models cranked using a real valve powerstage. One catch, you really need an amp with a Parallel FX loop, a Series loop is just a total pain to get the levels right and sometimes won't work at all. I use a Blackstar Series One which has the Parallel loop plus MIDI switching that I can drive from the HD500 and the sound is awesome with all the amp models. When I use my Laney with a Series loop I just use the HD500 as a pedal board coz I can't get the amp model levels to work right at all. Good luck with your quest for Tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTSC777 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Finally had time to go to my banks of patches for FRFR tones and implement the Mid Focus EQ. HOLY SMOKES! I think the guys who designed the HD500 were unable or ran out of time to make the e.q.s work with the cab modelling directly as it should have been incorporated within the cabinet modelling block. I use my HD500 a lot with my tube amps but their are a lot of times I want to use it through my Alto 10 in. speakers and also use a d.i. to feed the front of house mix. Before adding the mid-focus to my patches the cabinet modelling was unusable.With the mid focus enabled it is very close to my JCM800 lead tone. I will start gigging it this way as I use a Roland GR55 in my rig and love the HD500 tones with it. Thanks to all here who suggested using the mid focus e.q. Although I think any of the e.q.s would help. That is what is missing from the cab modeling. My Boss GT10 has a lot of e.q. in the cab modelling section so it was easier to use for FRFR. The HD500 is a much better sounding more intuitive unit so I am excited to use it as an FRFR amp modeller again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumblinman Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Sounds like the mid focus eq is more important in the direct/frfr realm than in the tube amp live realm. I tried it with my 500X/DT25 after reading some of these posts and it sounded terrible and nasally. I will keep it in my back pocket though, if I'm in need of cutting through the mix like a chainsaw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billlorentzen Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I rarely use EQs in my setups, mainly because with the patches I create I don't have the headroom or free slots on an original 500 for them. I tend to accomplish my fine tuning of a cab with mic choice, the recording engineer's preferred tonal tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brue58ski Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 One piece of advice, get the HD500X if you can. Just more memory so you can have more amps/effects etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillBee Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 ^ Yep.... those amp models suck down the DSP like its at an open bar :) -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColonelForbin Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 How easy is it to go direct to FOH? Would it be possible to get a consistent tone from venue to venue? Any advice on this matter is appreciated. The POD seems to be the ultimate balance between tone, portability, and cost. And this is really important: I would like to buy something that'll last a long time. I always had issues trying to use the HD500 direct; but that being said, with a good stage set, and a dedicated monitor, you probably won't have too much trouble making it work. Whenever I was trying to do the direct to PA rig I like using the DT25, and it does make a good partner for the HD500. For your situation, without the extra $1000 to spend on a DT amp, you can probabluy still make it work. If you have *any* decent working amp with an FX loop, you might be able to go that route. Set up your patches using full amp models, and using studio/direct. Run the 1/4" left(mono) out to the FX return of the amp, and feed the main mix with the XLR output. Be aware, that if you only use one of the two XLR outs, you will want to pan your mixer on the HD500 center, the XLR outs don't sum to mono if you only plug one in. But going direct, you could do some cool stuff with the stereo effects: ping pong delays, chorus, panners, phasers, etc. Another good option is to use a keyboard amp, since it's full range / flat response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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