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Line 6 POD HD500x questions!


destroythevoice
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Hey guys, so I'm new to the whole amp sim thing that's been going on lately.. I own the Spider 3 amp head but I noticed there's quite a handful of tones that I can't seem to achieve through the amp head anymore as time goes on...

 

I've noticed bands lately using the HD500x for their recordings and even live shows to maintain their studio sound..  Which is cool but I have a handful of questions as well on this.

 

Now I've heard that its possible on systems like Axe FX..  to create scenes and basically automate all of your effects and amps and what-not as it played to a track...  I wanted to know if this is possible on the Line 6 HD500x or if it's even possible on the Line 6 HD Pro which I basically in a sense consider the HD Pro the Axe FX of Line 6..  But everyone says there really is no difference between the HD500x or the HD Pro

 

My only issue with the HD pro is that I cannot switch effects through a pedal because it doesn't come with a pedal..

 

And the HD 500x I'm really not sure how downloading tones works or any of that and what the price is to download half of these tones...  

 

WHY am I looking into buying this also?  I really want a thick chug tone thats clean with a good low end to give it a real nice "djent" sound..  generic I know but I really love the way it sounds.

 

If it's also possible to automate and do "scenes" for the POD Pro then that'd be cool to know too.

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And the HD 500x I'm really not sure how downloading tones works or any of that and what the price is to download half of these tones...  

 

 

"Have a beer...don't cost nothin' "...

 

Everything in Customtone can be had for the bargain-basement price of nothing...unfortunately, that's precisely what most of them are worth. You will likely have to go through dozens of downloads before finding even one tone that you'll find useful, and even then it will still probably require some tweaking. I tried it at first, and found it to be largely a waste of time...a good idea on paper, but one that doesn't translate particularly well into reality.  Others will probably disagree, but that has been my experience. There are simply too many variables involved to expect a patch to sound the same from one user to the next (guitar, pickups, string gauge, playing style, was he listening through headphones?, through and amp?...if so, which one? at what volume?...the list goes on).

 

The 500X is not a "plug and play" unit, and typically has a rather long learning curve, perhaps more so if you're not accustomed to working with amp modelers. That said, it is an amazing piece of gear, and I'm happier with my rig now than with anything I've owned in many years...but it didn't happen overnight.

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The 500x and the ProX are virtually the same, one is the rack unit and one is a floor unit. There's a few very minor differences, like amount of jacks. But that is to help accommodate rack limitations. 

Synths do the same thing. You can buy the keyboard version, or just a rack mountable sound module To suit your needs. --- if you are familiar with that reference. 

 

 

There is a floor board you can buy to run the rack unit. You can also run it by a midi floor board. 

 

 

The L6 and the Axe are not the same. Which is why one costs triple the price. Its like buying a Ford Focus and a Audi A6. Sure, they are both cars. They both take you from point A to point B. And depending on your needs, the Ford may be enough to satisfy you. But, really, one is definitely nicer. 

 

 

Downloading tones - Customtone (found at the top of the page) is free. So, downloading from here is free. Many people, have their own websites and they have their sounds posted on them. Some sell their tones from their own page. No matter what the source is of your pre-made tones, you can hook up via USB to your PC (not tablets or phones  :angry:) to transfer the files to your unit. 

While on the subject of USB --- there is a program you will need, called EDIT (it is free). It also allows you to make and/or edit tones. So instead of using the unit itself, which can be tedious at times, you can have it up on your PC screen for ease of use. 

 

 

 

I don't know what you mean by 'automate' and 'do scenes'. Could you explain better? 

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"Have a beer...don't cost nothin' "...

 

Everything in Customtone can be had for the bargain-basement price of nothing...unfortunately, that's precisely what most of them are worth. You will likely have to go through dozens of downloads before finding even one tone that you'll find useful, and even then it will still probably require some tweaking. I tried it at first, and found it to be largely a waste of time...a good idea on paper, but one that doesn't translate particularly well into reality.  Others will probably disagree, but that has been my experience. There are simply too many variables involved to expect a patch to sound the same from one user to the next (guitar, pickups, string gauge, playing style, what pieces make up the rest of the rig etc. etc...the list goes on).

 

The 500X is not a "plug and play" unit, and typically has a rather long learning curve, perhaps more so if you're not accustomed to working with amp modelers. That said, it is an amazing piece of gear, and I'm happier with my rig now than with anything I've owned in many years...but it didn't happen overnight.

 

+1 to all of that!

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I don't know what you mean by 'automate' and 'do scenes'. Could you explain better?

In an interview with Periphery [cant find it for some odd reason] they basically said as the song goes on and all the effects that change in the guitar parts... its automatic. No pedal being used. Even saw a band called Dir en Grey have this too. They almost NEVER use their pedals unless its for wah or something which drives me nuts.

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The FBV Longboard (maybe), FBV Shortboard MKII, and FBV Express MKII, is Line6's floor controller solutions for the HD Pro, and HD Pro X. Check em out.

 

I actually have the MKII with the 4 switches and wah/volume pedal for my line 6 head but im looking into selling that head if i can get a better unit.. so Would you say its better to go Pro X or HD500x?

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In an interview with Periphery [cant find it for some odd reason] they basically said as the song goes on and all the effects that change in the guitar parts... its automatic. No pedal being used. Even saw a band called Dir en Grey have this too. They almost NEVER use their pedals unless its for wah or something which drives me nuts.

 

I have no experience with it whatsoever, and perhaps it works flawlessly, but I'm not sure I would be willing to trust it 100% of the time. Having control over what gets toggled on and off seems rather important, lol. I can see that ending in a train wreck very quickly...you can assign multiple FX to the same footswitch on the 500X, so if you want to be able to toggle multiple things on and off simultaneously, you don't really have to do that much tap dancing anyway.

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I have no experience with it whatsoever, and perhaps it works flawlessly, but I'm not sure I would be willing to trust it 100% of the time. Having control over what gets toggled on and off seems rather important, lol. I can see that ending in a train wreck very quickly...you can assign multiple FX to the same footswitch on the 500X, so if you want to be able to toggle multiple things on and off simultaneously, you don't really have to do that much tap dancing anyway.

 

So essentially the 500x is probably the way to go then? Pro X not really? How would I connect my 500x or the Pro X to my Mesa cab or a venues PA system... Sorry for all the questions. Again im so new to this lol and i wanna make sure i got everything i need

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Hey guys, so I'm new to the whole amp sim thing that's been going on lately.. I own the Spider 3 amp head but I noticed there's quite a handful of tones that I can't seem to achieve through the amp head anymore as time goes on...

 

I've noticed bands lately using the HD500x for their recordings and even live shows to maintain their studio sound..  Which is cool but I have a handful of questions as well on this.

 

Now I've heard that its possible on systems like Axe FX..  to create scenes and basically automate all of your effects and amps and what-not as it played to a track...  I wanted to know if this is possible on the Line 6 HD500x or if it's even possible on the Line 6 HD Pro which I basically in a sense consider the HD Pro the Axe FX of Line 6..  But everyone says there really is no difference between the HD500x or the HD Pro

 

My only issue with the HD pro is that I cannot switch effects through a pedal because it doesn't come with a pedal..

 

And the HD 500x I'm really not sure how downloading tones works or any of that and what the price is to download half of these tones...  

 

WHY am I looking into buying this also?  I really want a thick chug tone thats clean with a good low end to give it a real nice "djent" sound..  generic I know but I really love the way it sounds.

 

If it's also possible to automate and do "scenes" for the POD Pro then that'd be cool to know too.

 

There aren't scenes in the 500X or HD Pro, but you could do the sort of automation you're speaking of. It's actually not all that difficult with a DAW. If you create a MIDI track in a DAW and have a MIDI-USB adapter attached to the HD's MIDI out, you could go through and manually record the MIDI commands by turning the effects on and off where you want them while track plays, and then you'd be set. The HD sends the associated MIDI command for whatever button you hit, so you wouldn't even really need to know the MIDI map to do it.

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So essentially the 500x is probably the way to go then? Pro X not really? How would I connect my 500x or the Pro X to my Mesa cab or a venues PA system... Sorry for all the questions. Again im so new to this lol and i wanna make sure i got everything i need

 

Well either way you go, you need power. Neither the 500X nor the Pro X have a power section, so just plugging them straight into a cabinet isn't going help you. You need either a dedicated power amp, or slave the power section of a head to drive the Mesa cab. You could also run straight into either the front end, or FX loop of a combo amp.

 

The alternative is to run direct to a PA or some sort of powered speaker(s) using the amp/cab sims in either unit.

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There aren't scenes in the 500X or HD Pro, but you could do the sort of automation you're speaking of. It's actually not all that difficult with a DAW. If you create a MIDI track in a DAW and have a MIDI-USB adapter attached to the HD's MIDI out, you could go through and manually record the MIDI commands by turning the effects on and off where you want them while track plays, and then you'd be set. The HD sends the associated MIDI command for whatever button you hit, so you wouldn't even really need to know the MIDI map to do it.

Id have to look further into that. It really does seem like a train wreck waiting to happen..

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Well either way you go, you need power. Neither the 500X nor the Pro X have a power section, so just plugging them straight into a cabinet isn't going help you. You need either a dedicated power amp, or slave the power section of a head to drive the Mesa cab. You could also run straight into either the front end, or FX loop of a combo amp.

 

The alternative is to run direct to a PA or some sort of powered speaker(s) using the amp/cab sims in either unit.

So theres no way to turn the HD500x on by itself by plugging into my crappy interface at home to record on my PC unless i have a power amp?

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Id have to look further into that. It really does seem like a train wreck waiting to happen..

The only way it's feasible, really, is if you're playing with a click track and have all the cues for the entire band in sync. Otherwise, it is probably easier to use the footswitches to just change things manually on your own on the fly.

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So theres no way to turn the HD500x on by itself by plugging into my crappy interface at home to record on my PC unless i have a power amp?

No, no...you mentioned using a Mesa cabinet. You need something to drive it, but that has nothing to do with recording direct to a DAW. Two completely separate tasks...

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As long as you're using an off-line computer with a solid state drive to handle the DAW containing your automations, I'd say you're about as likely to have that fail as to have any other piece of gear in the chain go down. That being said, I would probably still have all the switches and changes manually available just in case. NEVER EVER USE YOUR PERSONAL NETFLIX-FACEBOOK-BOOBIES computer for live work...bad, bad, bad idea!

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As long as you're using an off-line computer with a solid state drive to handle the DAW containing your automations, I'd say you're about as likely to have that fail as to have any other piece of gear in the chain go down. That being said, I would probably still have all the switches and changes manually available just in case. NEVER EVER USE YOUR PERSONAL NETFLIX-FACEBOOK-BOOBIES computer for live work...bad, bad, bad idea!

Lmao...

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In an interview with Periphery [cant find it for some odd reason] they basically said as the song goes on and all the effects that change in the guitar parts... its automatic. No pedal being used. Even saw a band called Dir en Grey have this too. They almost NEVER use their pedals unless its for wah or something which drives me nuts.

 

There are a lot of 'tricks' that we (musicians) do that the general public doesn't know about or couldn't understand. 

One of them is pedals, or the lack thereof. Someone, somewhere, even if its a computer, is changing things - otherwise, things don't change.  

That is why you see a wah but nothing else. Wah is an expression effect that should be manual. 

 

 

Terms like, sync, click track, DAW, sample --- these are things that commoners hear and think "these guys aren't musician, they are just tinkering with computers like rappers and lipsyncing like pop divas" 

 

 

Would you say its better to go Pro X or HD500x?

 

There is no right or wrong. There is only preference. 

I wanted to replace an entire rig. I got the floor unit. It made no sense to get a rack unit since it would be the only thing I used. Plus, there's that entire Spinal Tap scene with the 16" Stonehenge. A two space rack would look funny on the floor. 

But many people want to use this as part of the rest of their rig or in a studio, which may make more sense to use the rack unit. 

 

 

 

So theres no way to turn the HD500x on by itself by plugging into my crappy interface at home to record on my PC unless i have a power amp?

 

The units have their own power supply. But they don't put out a powered signal. You can plug into amps, you can't plug into a cab.  

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Now I've heard that its possible on systems like Axe FX..  to create scenes and basically automate all of your effects and amps and what-not as it played to a track...  I wanted to know if this is possible on the Line 6 HD500x or if it's even possible on the Line 6 HD Pro which I basically in a sense consider the HD Pro the Axe FX of Line 6..  But everyone says there really is no difference between the HD500x or the HD Pro

 

What you are talking about here is using MIDI to send Program Changes to the unit (Fractal, HD500, or anything else really) to change the sounds at a specific time. Many bands have a laptop that is sending out  these program changes as well as a click track for the drummer. Here is a clip of someone from Messugah talking about their rigs and how they use Cubase (a DAW) to send out the changes:

 

http://youtu.be/oAFJmgA2G5E?t=12m41s

 

For some bands/type of music this is great.. for others, maybe not. YMMV... but Yes, the Hd500x can do this.

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destroythevoice

 

"I actually have the MKII with the 4 switches and wah/volume pedal for my line 6 head but im looking into selling that head if i can get a better unit.. so Would you say its better to go Pro X or HD500x?"

 

Ultimately, the only difference between the 2, is the Pro has a little more flexibility in I/O options, and that's about it.

The "scenes" your looking for isn't present, but I believe the M13 has this function in it, not that its superior. I'm
actually thinking about getting an M13 to put in the Pro's FX Loop cause it has midi, although, I wonder if someone

can tell me if I can use the FBV port on the M13 to control the Pro directly rather than midi ? or just meant for

the FBV foot controllers. anyone ?
 

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The main differences between the HD 500x and the HD PROx (other than the output options) is preference. I have chosen the rackmount version (with an additional FVB shortboard). My reason for this is that I switched to 19" gear quite some time ago.  This way I can exchange any component in the rack without have to replace other elements as well. (today I am still using the poweramp I bought 10 years ago, only the preamp changed several times. Furthermore, in live situations, I don't like to have to get on my knees to make some minor changes (such as overall volume).

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Ultimately, the only difference between the 2, is the Pro has a little more flexibility in I/O options, and that's about it.

The "scenes" your looking for isn't present, but I believe the M13 has this function in it, not that its superior. I'm

actually thinking about getting an M13 to put in the Pro's FX Loop cause it has midi, although, I wonder if someone

can tell me if I can use the FBV port on the M13 to control the Pro directly rather than midi ? or just meant for

the FBV foot controllers. anyone ?

 

 

There is no FBV port on the M13. As far as the M13's scenes, they are really equivalent to a preset on the POD. The way the Axe-FX uses scenes is something like a preset within a preset. None of the Line 6 guitar processors have anything that's really equivalent.

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There is no FBV port on the M13. As far as the M13's scenes, they are really equivalent to a preset on the POD. The way the Axe-FX uses scenes is something like a preset within a preset. None of the Line 6 guitar processors have anything that's really equivalent.

 

Wake me when there's a generation of modelers that'll play the notes for me too. And I expect it to sound just like me, only better... :P

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