FX lop questions

[toasterdude]

Hey. I have always been bummed that the HD series does not alow for discreet on or off CC messages, only toggle. Because of that I have never been able to integrate POD effects with axe FX scenes or helix scenes. Last night I tried a work around for FX loop. Set mix of the FX loop to EXP1. There is no physical EXP pedal but I do dig how I can still assign parameters in that way.

 

Now on my RJM midi controller on any scene or snapshot I just send either 127 for full mix or zero for no mix. Great!. I can have an H9 in the POD effects loop either be part of axe fx scene recall or not. Totally happy. . . . .. . Except. . .

 

If I switch to scene with mix set to 0% the trails obviously cut off as the signal is no longer getting to POD. Makes perfect sense. So, I say to myself, self, what if you assign send to EXP1 instead of mix? Theoretically with my less than stellar knowledge of FX loops, just killing send will allow the trails to be present through the return. I try it. Yahoo. . .it works! Except. . . . .

 

On any preset with send set to zero the guitar sound is duller with less high end. May be due to level, but it was late and I was tired. On a scene with send set to ) or -80, I can hear a big difference when bypassing or activating the effects loop? When I have EXP 1 set to control mix, bypassing or activating doesn't seem to change a thing?

 

Am I doing something wrong? Is my assumption that changing sedn levels is a valid way to do this?

 

My nest test will be just leaving mix and send set to full and just sending CC to bypass or activate H9.  With H9 set to DSP bypass that should allow trails to work.

 

My concern is, if the H9 should go down, or lose power, or connection, the effects loop being 100% mix will result in no sound whatsoever.

I guess I can assign the loop to an IA on Helix so I can quickly resolve that if it happens. The upside would be saving the trick of using "virtual" exp pedals to control mix, for other effects on the POD.

 

If anyo of you guys have an idea on why setting send to 0 or -80 would have an effect on the sound, I am all ears. Or eyes in this case I guess.

 

Thanks!

[toasterdude]

Hmmm. . .another silly question. On another preset I will have a EHX Hog 2 going into a mobius in the effects loop. I always want to maintain left and right signals separately as left is variax and right is variax mags. This seems to work fine now. It appears that with the FX loop by passed the signal stays stereo or I guss sort of dual mono.

 

If I can get the assign trick to work, would the signal remain stereo or dual mono, or would it still send to mono? I would think stereo as nothing is being sent to the loop?

 

If I can't get the send trick to work, assigning Mix to exp 1 may work since I am thinking I don't need trails for the HOG 2. I will try it later. Obviously leaving mix and send to full and bypassing HOG will cause signal to be summed to mono even when not using HOG 2. Yuck.

 

I do have an EHX B9 laying around and had always wanted to try that alongside the HOG for organish sounds. hmmmmmm