New Life With Hd500x!

[ejones1989]

HD500x Arrived today ... and wow -- what an amazing difference ... and a great way to bring new life to some older gear.

 

here is the setup:

 

HD500x --> UX8 --> Reason

 

HD500x --> Flextone III

 

HD500x --> USB ... running 500x Edit

 

Flextone III --> MIDI to USB using an Uno

 

First -- the setup is incredible ... I am running the HD500x through my monitors, and then simultaneously running through the Flex III. I have both 500x Edit and FlexIII Edit running on my computer, creating a stellar command center -- and allowing for incredible sonic versatility.

 

The Flex never (ever) sounded so good. The low ends on the Flex were always super muddy. Clean channels were OK, but the low end was disappointing. running the flex with the HD500X in front ... wow! ... seriously, the sonic difference is stunning. I can run native HD with the amp in manual, but am finding some fun ways of using the flex with the HD .. for example, using the clean channels with the Flex seem to add nice depth to the HD without compromising the HD sound and feel. The effects on the Flex are solid and I can turn off some HD effects and use those on the flex (while i haven't run into any processing limitations on the HD yet, this certainly offloads some of the processing to the Flex.)

 

what is really fun is to have both the HD running through the monitors and the HD running through the flex at the same time. When dialing up a Flex model, you can create two very different sound that blend together. Really fun.

 

Gonna keep tweaking ... but the new life this brings to both my Flex and the UX8 is fantastic. 

[spikey]

So you are telling me that you can run one pair of 500x outputs your monitors (with cab and mic simulations on) and then run into your Flextone III (with the cabs and mic simulation tuned off from another output set), at the same time? I didnt think we could separate the cab and mic sims in the outputs?  Because if you are keeping the cab simulations turned on and hitting the front end of your flex with it, I tend to think it would sound muddy as hell (all things considered). Maybe Im not understanding what the 500x is capable of yet... I am glad the 500x is working out for you, but when I try to do what you did with the HD Pro I can't run to a amp with the simulations on because it messes with my tone. BTW Im running 2 Marshall 1960a cabs into a DT-50 head. I have to kill the mic and cab simulations to do this (using the real Marshall cabs). Mixing cab simulations with real cabs is a crap shoot in most cases. You might get lucky but most of the time it makes mud. I also run to a pair of powered Mackie monitors (with the cab and mic sims turned on). But I cant do what I want to do, and run to both at the same time... And if you think about it,  that exactly what needs to happen on a stage. A dedicated output for the house, and another for the DT/Fender/Marshall/Vox head on stage is what we have always needed....

[ejones1989]

No - output from the HD is the same to the Monitors as to the Flex ....so no separation. what i'm doing is either running the flex and bypassing it's DSP (getting essentially a cab) or using select modeling from the flex with the HD coming in. Many of the Flex models are unusable this way ---as you say, it can get pretty muddy. But some are adding value (e.g. the cleans work nicely)

 

Not a setup for everyone I suppose -- but this has brought new life to my old Flex for sure. 

[spikey]

Well like I said- glad its working for you. Long as its fun is what counts... If it isn't fun then its a job.... :P