Lack of clean amps on HD500x - How to get good clean sounds on HD500x?

[fabiovictorio]

Hi, i have a HD500x and have a lot of great distortion tones. My complaint is about clean tones.... Looking at the amp models the hd500x models, for me there´s really only one that can have a pure clean sound (the blackface - fender twin reverb)... All the others have at least a little crunch even with very little volume. I really think L6 should offer for us at leat one or two more really clean amps. I feel restricted when i want to create a very clean sound as i only have one option as amplifier and even with the blackface, when i want more output so it doesn´t sound a lot lower than the distortions, it gets a little crunchy. I am doing something wrong to get clean tones from the other amps available? Does anyone have any hints on how to get a good variety of really clean sounds on the HD500x?? 

 

Thanks.

 

[Brazzy]

I find I need to have my guitar volume at it's lowest position in most cases in order to get clean tones that are loud, then it depends on the amp model your using. When I build a patch I start with the guitar volume at it lowest position so I can just turn it up to get crunch and open it up to get alot of dirt.

[stumblinman]

Also using the pre models helps and can eliminate distortion. You may need a comp or eq or boost mixer volume to get up to the level you want, but that's how I get my clean tone. Nice fat cleans from the JTM using the pre version.

[Brazzy]

Almost forgot, lighter attack of the strings can get ya cleaner tones along with how you hold your pick if your using one.

[MartinDorr]

Watch out for high input signal levels. If you can, use USB to check your guitar input peak level with a DAW or some other measurement equipment with an empty tone (no amp, no effects, mixer 0dB, pan to what you need later). My recommendation is not exceed -12dBFS peak. My JTV69 at Spunk 4 comes in about 9 dB low for single note lines, while the Lester 1 is pretty much right below the mark for single notes. So if I play chords with the latter I need to turn the volume on the guitar down quite a bit if I want to stay within my self-imposed peak guideline.

I found that all preamps and every effect I measured will start to compress / soft clip or even distort if peaks significantly exceed -12dBFS. So if you want clean, stay away from those high peaks.

Hurhanico's advice should keep you in save territory, but better measure if you use some hot pickups or played around with the Variax guitar model settings. Use amp models to taste and start with 0-5% DRIVE and Channel VOL as needed to maintain an unchanged healthy output level. If VOL does not get you back to original amp input signal level (due to low DRIVE), use a clean boost (Studio EQ or MID Focus with tone neutral setting) or adjust output level of your next effect to get back to just below a -12dBFS level. Most amps (even no amp with a little compression and EQ) will get you a decent clean if your levels are kept in check.

Good luck,

Martin

[clay-man]

You could always use a volume pedal block and turn it down if your guitar input is too hot.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Even with hotter humbuckers (Evo+Chopper), I find that the Blackface models performs quite well, but I would love to see the JC120 included in the lineup.

[fabiovictorio]

Thanks for all answers. Ill try these sugestions and will let you know!

[clay-man]

Oh and about my previous post, that doesn't apply to if your input is so loud it clips the input. If that happens use Guitar Pad or back your pickups away from your strings. 

 

Personally I'd make the pickups as loud as you want without any clipping, distortion can always be done in the POD, using input clipping is bad if you want to get nice cleans.

[pfsmith0]

And be sure your inputs are set to Guitar/Variax. The default is SAME, which can give you an unintended 6dB boost.

[bobsbro]

I always found cleans to be this. But someone told me to use a parametric EQ, It worked a charm! Crank up the bass for a really full sound. 

[guilhordas]

try tweed b man brt/421 dynamic/4x12 highway/15% gain /volume full

the best clean sound, full and warm

[robertmcollins3]

I haven't run into this issue at all, unless I switch from the current amp model I'm using to another one, and even then I just turn the drive knob to zero and then back to about 15% and it makes it clean again.  I typically use the AC30 model with Blackback 30 speaker and use a screamer for distortion.  But with the screamer off, it's perfectly clean sounding.  And I usually have my guitar turned all the way up.

 

So my guess is it could just be the drive knob (the physical one on the POD).  Try turning it down and back up again and see if that helps as well.

[billlorentzen]

This may have been covered already, but you have a lot of tools for gain adjustment. Try a compressor before the amp, set to low output and then make up the gain after the amp with the mixer or the LA2A comp.

 

Amp distortion is a result of input gain, so if you lower the input enough you won't get distortion.

[robertmcollins3]

True, and I should have mentioned that I do have a compressor as my first pedal, and a screamer as my second.

[MartinDorr]

All the preamps and a few effects I checked compress if the input signal peaks are significantly above -12dBFS.

For cleans, make sure the guitar input signal level itself stays low enough.

Just lowering the output level of the first effect or amp is NOT the same as lowering the real input signal level.

Stay away from input 2 Same unless you know it will not push your input signal above -12dBFS (e.g., use USB and DAW or other SW to check).

Disable your compressor and signal boost effects initially to build the clean base tone.

Once you are happy with that turn them on one by one and adjust effect output level so that the overall tone volume does not change w/o or with the effect.

If your guitar has a relatively low input level, try adding a clean boots to bring it up just under the -12dBFS peak guidance to get a feel of how loud you can go while staying clean. Once that is established you can replace the clean boost with a compressor/boost effect setting that matches the output level achieved with the clean boost.

Martin

[saTa]

1. Make sure you don't use "same" or "Guitar" as your second input but something else

2. Turn down the Master Volume in the deep edit settings. For some reasons this is always at 100% for all models which almost never sounds good. Dial that back and hear virtually every sound clear up nicely.

[donnyedge]

I am working on some clean patches now. Now not 100% but close. 

[Smashcraaft]

The easiest way to get descent clean sounds even with active hotties like EMGs (PU volume cranked to max) is the amp "Line 6 Acoustic" from the HD Vintage Pack. You can pump up gain to max without getting any crunch.

[cruisinon2]

I love these ancient threads...lol

[kinglerch]

I have found that if you truly want a clean unprocessed signal, from an acoustic guitar for example, that the only good amp is no amp. Even the Acoustic amp I bought in the Vintage Pack does not sound as good or as natural as no amp.

 

However, if you want a clean but processed sound, for example your guitar sounds plain and you want a nice non-dirty sound, there are many great ones to choose from in Custom Tone. For Example Anastasia String or Acoustic 12.

[pianoguyy]

1. Make sure you don't use "same" or "Guitar" as your second input but something else

 

And that includes the global settings. 

Setting it inside a patch is pointless if your global setting overrides it. 

[tobyrock]

is there any way to send effects from line 6 podxt live to hd500x? via usb

[cclement]

is there any way to send effects from line 6 podxt live to hd500x? via usb

 

Not via USB. You could use the Pod XT in the FX loop of the HD500x.

[kpsion]

to move forward in Psmith0 suggestion

 

Set input at guitar+variax

 

Put a mono effect in pre section (noise gate or eq, , or drive.... not drive :)  ) and amp in pathA

 

you still have phisical padding to lower input, this would be the lower input setup

 

 

after you can low down volume before this amp but this could become really weak