3 Channel Switching with Valve Amp

[Paultm]

Hi

 

Here's my challenge......

 

I have a Blackstar Series on 50 head and currently use Midi to switch channels and due to the latency of switching patches, I want to se if there is any way to use one patch to switch channels and effects.

 

I do not use 4 cable method due to tone suck, I run the guitar out via 1/4 of Helix to front of amp in path 1 and use a 2nd separate path for  the effects loop through the amp via send 1 & 2

 

Changing channels is fine using midi, but changing from a clean with chorus to a crunch or super crunch channel without chorus is proving to be difficult in a single patch.

 

Clean channel only effects - Chorus & long delay

Shared effects on all 3 channels - delays, phaser, flanger, reverb.

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

Thanks

 

Paul

[DarrellM5]

You could try using the same footswitch that you use to change from clean to crunch to also turn off the chorus.  

 

If this doesn't help could you post a screen shot of your patch?

[Paultm]

Will this stop the chorus being used separately assigned to its own footswitch?

 

I need to switch to either Crunch or Super Crunch from Clean.

 

I have not managed to create one patch yet to achieve this , I use 3 patches at the moment. Clean, Crunch & Super Crunch....

[pilottes]

I am looking to something similar and I have something that could almost work but the MIDI limitation gets in the way. read my recent post here

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/19974-midi-pc-toggle-for-all/

 

and follow the suggestion from D_I and vote on ideascale

 

http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/On-sending-MIDI-PC-commands/810763-23508

 

Thanks,

[Paultm]

Thanks for the info.

 

Midi switching is not the issue for me, its the effects that I don't want to use going from Clean to any of the other channels.

 

If I can configure switching/routing to achieve this that would be great.....

[pilottes]

I have used A/B switching to hide or unhide FX blocks. Together with block switching I was able to do neat routing. 

 

Now you got me curious with the MIDI switching how are you planning to do it within a single patch? I looked at the Blackstar Series One and it's behaving more or less like my JVM....

[Paultm]

How did you do the A/B switching & stuff?

 

My Blackstar  switches with these commands

 

use this settings in command centre to a footswtich 

Command = Bank/prog

midi ch 1

Program 1 =clean 2= crunch 3=super crunch 

[pilottes]

I don't think it would work the way you want. I followed the same path. I started by setting up different presets associated only one amp setting. One instant MIDI PC change command in command center. To eliminate the latency between preset change I thought I would put all in the same patch but hit a snag. If you associate a PC change message to a footswitch it will be sent when you press. In latch mode it will send the same message latched ou unlatched. To change channel you would have to press two consecutive footswitch everytime. Skip one and it will change to the other channel possibly but you will loose the routing scheme and get the signal lost in an unwanted path. Momentary does not help since it will not allow you modify the routing and/or the active FX Blocks.

 

You need to vote :-)  that is what you need. Ipromise.

 

http://line6.ideasca...ds/810763-23508

 

I'll try to get a screen capture of what the routing I was refering to, but only this weekend. 

 

Good luck

[pilottes]

OP! I was rereading your post but it does sound like you are using a variation on the 4CM. You use 2 cables to feed Path 1 to pre-amp. Then you extract post-preamp in Helix Path 2 and out to power amp. Here I'am not sure what you mean by send 1 & 2. You would be better off (in flexibility) to link Path 1 and 2 in a super serial connection and use an FX Loop block Send-Return. Just my 2 cents..

[pilottes]

I mentionned I would come back to you, Here is a preset that illustrate a couple of things

 

 

This is set up to play Still got the blues. For the clean part, the clean amp (BritJ45) is used on Path 1A together with chorus between the send and return block. When hitting my JVM label footswitch. The amp block is disabled, the send and return block become active and the chorus becomes bypassed by the JVM preamp for the lead part.

 

You could place a second chorus on path 2A with its own foorswitch ... so you always have a chorus available.

 

Always multiple ways to a solution. This is by no means a textbook exampleof what should be done.

 

[pilottes]

This was my version of a 3 ch amps with an access to my JVM for solos.

 

 

By default, the signal goes simply throught path 1A -  Brit45 Clean

 

Hitting a footswitch lablelled Tweed would switch Y split A to B and bring signal to tweed for more dirt

 

For still more distortion for rock I have just beside a footswith rock. It disable the tweed and switch the »Y split A to B on Path 2 so you go throught only one amp. (The third amp 2204 is activated also but could have been on all the time since A/B is used to select it)

 

 

To access the JVM for a lead sprint you would  have to step on the previous two foorswitches to revert to clean before hitting the footswicth that would disable the clean amp and enable FX Loop.

 

 

Three different amps, FX Loop, wah, chorus, tremolo, tube driver, comp, delays, EQs, -> DSP pretty much maxed out.

 

All in all it would work but it gets confusing and we do need scenes!

 

Secondly, in my opinion, I wanted to eliminate the latency by putting as much in a single patch but if you have to step twice on footswitches you create some other type of hesitation so in the end I'm not sure what is best.

[Presonid]

Issues with Midi Amp Channel switching and Helix.

Some amps like Blackstar Series 1 and Marshall JVM offers the ability to control channel selection only via MIDI Program change messages (CV Out not available). In my case Blackstar series one has 4 channels (1 Bright Clean, 2 warm lean, 3 crunch and 4 super crunch), I only use 2 and 4.

Currently use real amp 4CM and Helix Midi to switch amp real channels, but the problem is I get a big glitch noise when switching patches with Helix, with Pod HD500 it was fine. I can live with the latency but with this noise changing amp channels via midi it is impossible to gig (then Helix can't be used in a live situation for me, until line 6 solve this issue). By the way, in my opinion the latency if short and soft enough changing presets with sim model amps (but I prefer to use my real clean amp and my real dirty amp channel all the time).

Then, I tried to change the amp channels with one patch in stomp mode (glitch issue noise is not present if you don't change the preset), with foot switches. Use command center in Helix to a footswtich with command Bank/prog (the cc Toggle is not working here, so I can't change the amp channel with the same footswitch), but it doesn't work also, if you need FS6 to clean channel 2, chorus, reverb and no Tube Screamer, and FS7 to dirty channel 4, no chorus, no reverb and tube screamer. How do you get that without complicated double o triple click on each FS?. Workaround could be set the preset as dirty channel with Tube Screamer on, and just use FS6 to change to clean amp channel 2, but no way, because don't forget I get a glitch noise when click the preset just in case I want to reset FS6 clean, to restore my default preset sound (dirty channel with TubeScreamer).

In conclusion, if I'm not wrong, for a basic two channels midi amp with effects, line6 should fix:

1º) Change the program channel with only one FS(OFF:Clean; ON:DIRTY).

2º) Implement the scenes.

3º) Fix the glitch issue changing real amp channel with presets (forget about the latency).

[Presonid]

Issues with Midi Amp Channel switching and Helix.

 

Some amps like Blackstar Series 1 and Marshall JVM offers the ability to control channel selection only via MIDI Program change messages (CV Out not available). In my case Blackstar series one has 4 channels (1 Bright Clean, 2 warm lean, 3 crunch and 4 super crunch), I only use 2 and 4.

 

Currently use real amp 4CM and Helix Midi to switch amp real channels, but the problem is I get a big glitch noise when switching patches with Helix, with Pod HD500 it was fine. I can live with the latency but with this noise changing amp channels via midi it is impossible to gig (then Helix can't be used in a live situation for me, until line 6 solve this issue). By the way, in my opinion the latency if short and soft enough changing presets with sim model amps (but I prefer to use my real clean amp and my real dirty amp channel all the time).

 

Then, I tried to change the amp channels with one patch in stomp mode (glitch issue noise is not present if you don't change the preset), with foot switches. Use command center in Helix to a footswtich with command Bank/prog (the cc Toggle is not working here, so I can't change the amp channel with the same footswitch), but it doesn't work also, if you need FS6 to clean channel 2, chorus, reverb and no Tube Screamer, and FS7 to dirty channel 4, no chorus, no reverb and tube screamer. How do you get that without complicated double o triple click on each FS?. Workaround could be set the preset as dirty channel with Tube Screamer on, and just use FS6 to change to clean amp channel 2, but no way, because don't forget I get a glitch noise when click the preset just in case I want to reset FS6 clean, to restore my default preset sound (dirty channel with TubeScreamer).

 

In conclusion, if I'm not wrong, for a basic two channels midi amp with effects, line6 should fix:

1º) Change the program channel with only one FS(OFF:Clean; ON:DIRTY).

2º) Implement the scenes.

3º) Fix the glitch issue changing real amp channel with presets (forget about the latency).

Issue solved with Snapshots (firmware 2.00). Thank you Line6!!!!