Guitar Input Impedance Settings

[billdutcher]

Can anyone elaborate on the Guitar Input Impedance setting on the Global Settings page?  Under Global Settings, Ins/Outs, Guitar Impedance, I've got it set to Auto. Does anyone know what this setting detects and how? 

 

I'm running a Sunrise Magnetic pickup and a LR Baggs iBeam transducer, both running into a LR Baggs iMix internal preamp, in my acoustic guitar.  I'm using a stereo Y-cable, running the Sunrise into the guitar input and the iBeam into the Aux input of the Helix.  I know the Sunrise pickup has an output of 2.0K - 2.2K Ohm output.  I'm not sure what the output is when running through the iMix preamp...searched online, can't find any specs on the iMix.

 

Thanks!

 

Bill

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DarrellM5]

I took this from the Owners Manual:

 

Helix includes an impedance circuit on its Guitar Input that affects tone and feel by loading your guitar's pickups as they would by an effect pedal or amplifier. A lower value will typically result in some high frequency attenuation, lower gain, and an overall "softer" feel. A higher value provides full frequency response, higher gain, and overall "tighter" feel. When set to "Auto", the Guitar Input's impedance is dynamically set to match the first amp or FX model on Path 1A.

 

 

It looks like it works the same as on the HD500X.

[billdutcher]

Thanks DarellM5

 

The Sunrise is specifically designed to be a low-output pickup...works best with their buffer box that boosts the output signal.  I guess I could get a similar result by placing a gain block as the first thing in the signal chain. I'll mess around with the impedance settings too.  Seems to me that the higher settings would give me "full frequency response, higher gain and overall tighter feel" I'm looking for.

[phil_m]

The input impedance should actually have less of an effect with things like active pickups and acoustic guitar preamps simply because you're not experience the same sort of loading you do with passive magnetic pickups. The level from an acoustic preamp is going to be pretty hot usually, so you may be better of just using the Helix's aux in, rather than the guitar in.