Can you run a Stereo Guitar through the POD HD500x? Plus Noise Issues.

[Valith]

Hi everyone.

 

I recently purchased a Ernie Ball MusicMan John Petrucci JP13 Model Guitar. The guitar has both mono and stereo outputs (Please see pic below):

 

 

My question is, can I run the JP13 in stereo using 2 cables - one from the mono output and one from the stereo output to the inputs on the POD HD500x? And in the Pod HD Manual (even the Advanced Manual) it talks about 2 inputs. Of course the one is the guitar input, but what is the second input? Is it the AUX input the manual and the HD Edit program is refering to? So would I be able to run the JP 13 in Stereo if I use 2 cables - 1 from the mono output to the Guitar-In of the Pod HD500x and 1 from the stereo output to the Pod HD500x Aux in?

 

Also, I seem to get a lot of noise and no sustain from the POD HD500x. I have tried different things such as putting compressors sustain settings at 100% and lowering the noise gates (I have to use 2 noise gates because there is so much noise and I have to have the threshold set pretty high as seen in the pic below). My setup is as follows:

 

Guitar->PODHD500x Guitar Input->Noise Gate->FX Loop (Using A Wampler Triple Wreck Distortion pedal and T.C. ELectronics The Dreamscape Pedal)->Volume Pedal->Pre+EQ->Noise Gate (again)->Delay->Reverb->Headphones (No External Amplifier)

 

As you can see with the pic below, I have to use 2 noise gates, one before the effects loop and one after the effects loop and have the threshhold at pretty high settings just to keep the noise down. Also in the pic you can see the Compressor's sustain is set at 100% yet I still have no sustain at all. I am guessing some loss of sustain is due to having 2 noise gates in the chain, but the noise is too great if I do not have 2 noise gates. I am at a loss as to why there is so much noise and no sustain.

 

Troubleshooting I have tried:

 

• Isolating the effect pedals without using POD HD = quiet
• Using the PODHD500X without an effects loop on PODHD500x's Factory Presets = quiet
• Using all brand new instrument cables = Noise still present, no sustain
• Changing batteries in my 2 effect stomp boxes that are in the effects loop and even trying the correct power supplies instead of bateries = Noise still present, no sustain

So I am at a loss as to what is causing my own presets to have no sustain and so much noise. I am hoping someone with more expereince can give me some tips/advice or solutions to these issues. I don't know what else to try.

 

Attached is the pic of my preset (Note the area that shows which effects I am using are not the order of the signal path, the order I have the effects in is in the Signal Flow Panel at the top of the HD Edit Program and as listed above in the text).

 

Thank you for anyone who can help me with this, I would sincerly appreciate it!

 

[jandrio]

 

So would I be able to run the JP 13 in Stereo if I use 2 cables - 1 from the mono output to the Guitar-In of the Pod HD500x and 1 from the stereo output to the Pod HD500x Aux in?

 

set input 1 =guitar,  input 2 = aux.

 

alternatively:

use FX loop 1st in chain, connect 2 cables from guitar  in2 FX return L+R (stereo).

[pianoguyy]

Same question, but altered... 

 

Does the 500 have a stereo guitar in? 

 

Meaning, my old stereo guitar (I no longer own), had two jacks BUT, one of them could use a stereo cord. So I could still get the stereo effect with one cord. 

But it would need plugged into a stereo input (single jack that reads two signals). 

 

 

Does the 500 have this, or would you need to run the two input method? 

[pfsmith0]

There is no stereo input jack. Just mono, so you'll have to use the Guitar and Aux mono inputs or the FX Loop stereo input as jandrio described above.

 

Regarding the noise, it appears there is no noise when the FX Loop is not used, correct? And there's noise when the external pedals run off of batteries or AC power? Is there still noise with the guitar unplugged? Is there noise when the HD500 is unplugged from the computer?