Getting rid of Hiss

[rwinking]

It doesn't seem to matter what I do, there is a lot of hiss on my POD HD 500X. I am not using the amp sims here...just FX. I am doing 4CM and running into  the FX Loop of a modded Randall RM50. I am searching for the ultimate way to do this but they are all about the same. If I go line I get a hiss. If I go amp the hiss is gone but after I compensate by turning the master up I get the same amount of hiss.

I also own a Digitech gsp1101 and I can set it up virtually the same and 90% of the hiss is gone. The Digitech has a nice set up wizard that finds the ultimate set up. Has anyone used both units and has an idea how to get the POD to kind of quiet the hiss? I really like a lot of the POD stuff and FX but the hiss is driving me a bit crazy.

thx

rick

[rwinking]

Thanks a lot for the reply. I have not really had a problem with tone suck though. I had consulted the post you mentioned in the past. I have found ways to get my guitar to sound like I want it to sound. It just seems like more hiss than it should have when I get up to gig volume. It seems like there is something that I might be missing.....or the pod just has a lot of hiss when used with an external preamp. Maybe I will try it using the models and the power section of my amp and see if it has the hiss. Like I said, my rp 1000 or GSP 1101 do not hiss when hooked up exactly the same way.

[pianoguyy]

Please define hiss. 

 

Ground loop. 

Fuzz.

Hum. 

Hiss. 

 

They all mean different things to different people. Without being in the room with you (it won't show well over a recording), we don't know what you are hearing or why. 

Hell, it was just a week ago that I plugged a different guitar in to my Pod and was amazed at the lack of noise. It is just a quiet guitar. I even turned off the noise gates and didn't get the noise. Blew my mind.

[BillBee]

Well the RP1K I think is AC and the HD DC - I wonder if that is doing it.

 

So what PG sez seems to be in the right direction IMO though you probably already plug everything in the same outlet.

 

Love those Randall Heads too - RG100ES here - gain gain gain. :)

[rwinking]

I have a ground loop no matter which FX unit I use but that is a problem with the amp. I found a fix for that back when I used an M13. No, the hiss is high end hiss like when you have the gain really high except that it does it with the gain lower. Like there is some gain stage somewhere that I am not using correctly.

thanks for all of the help BTW.

[BillBee]

This is a really good thread on the 4CM setting the loop levels and the functions:

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/2040-pod-hd-500-the-fx-loop-attenuates-the-signal-at-the-send-jack/

 

Its just too big to boil down but its a good read as it is dealing with the gain structure you described.

 

Hope that helps you.

 

-B

[rwinking]

much thanks to all who had suggestions on this thread. I tried all of it and finally found what I was looking for. BillBee, the thread you sent about the send-jack had something that worked for me. i already had the mixer after the FX loop and then I did what someone on that thread suggested. Since I don't use the amp or speaker sims, I went to the mixer and set both paths to center and  both levels to 12db. It boosted my volume with virtually no hiss. I knew it could be done somewhere on this unit. My sound is now what I hear in my head and again....NO HISS! Also I maight add, no tone suck....just clear as a bell sound. NOw if I tweak I am starting from a really nice sound and I tweak to refine it.

Again, I really appreciate all of you guys and your ideas.

rick