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Using FRFR for the first time - advice please!


FarleyUK
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Hi all,

 

Finally sat down with my new QSC K10 and the Helix, and I'm having a hard time getting a good sound - just wanted to check I'd set it up correctly!

 

Got the Helix going from 1/4" out to the in on the speaker, Helix is set to line level out. Volume dial on k10 is at 9 o'clock, Helix is about the same.

 

Am I right in saying that to dial out the unwanted freqs you should alter the cab and ir cuts? Am cutting low at 100 and high at 6.0.

 

Also, using Glenn's artist pack 2.

 

Isbthere anything else to be aware of? Just sounds very shrill to my ears, and not smooth no matter how I set it.

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The K10 had a couple of optional settings that may be useful to look at.  I know the left A input as you're facing the rear is for either mic or line inputs.  If you're using that make sure you have it set to line on the switch next to the inputs.  The B side is for line input only so you could just use that if you want.  Your LF switch can be set to Ext Sub which I believe turns on a Low Cut filter at around 125 hz, which you probably will need to stop any boominess and not have to worry about setting low cuts on your patches.  The HF switch should be set to flat, but if it's set to vocal boost it slightly boosts the mid-range frequencies for vocals.  Probably not optimal for guitar.

 

Beyond that there's not much to it.  Undoubtedly you're going to hear far more upper range than you're used to hearing on a traditional guitar amp.  A lot of people use high cuts in the 4000 hz range (and even lower) to get rid of some of the shrillness.  Personally I use IR's as they tend to provide a MUCH better representation of the cabinet, mic, and mic placements than do the stock cabinets.  I personally use OwnHammer IR's because they come with such a wide array of mic and mic placements which allows me to correct the signal without doing much of anything on the Helix as far as high cuts and such.  I do still keep my global EQ with a high cut of around 7 or 8000 I believe as there's nothing up there of any interest to me.

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Hi all,

 

Finally sat down with my new QSC K10 and the Helix, and I'm having a hard time getting a good sound - just wanted to check I'd set it up correctly!

 

Got the Helix going from 1/4" out to the in on the speaker, Helix is set to line level out. Volume dial on k10 is at 9 o'clock, Helix is about the same.

 

Am I right in saying that to dial out the unwanted freqs you should alter the cab and ir cuts? Am cutting low at 100 and high at 6.0.

 

Also, using Glenn's artist pack 2.

 

Isbthere anything else to be aware of? Just sounds very shrill to my ears, and not smooth no matter how I set it.

You probably should try running the Helix volume at least 12 or even 1 o'clock. Also, try using the Lo Cut and Hi Cut in the cab block instead of using global EQ. 

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I had been using a pair of K10s with my Kemper for over a year and was really happy with the combination, but when I bought the Helix it didn't sound nearly as good through them at first.  Once I started building presets from scratch while monitoring through the QSCs everything came together.

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Thanks all!

 

Spent some more time with it today, and dialed in a nice sounding tone - downloaded the OwnHammer IR pack and have been using the G25 cab sim IRs, and it's sounding a lot nicer to my ears; in fact, after practising, the Mrs said to me "That sounded really good", so it must be half-decent.....

 

Now another question around volume for the patches.... I know that DI mentioned to me previously to set EVERY amp channel (not master) to 10, and these patches also have a volume pedal in them; I've set the volume to be assigned to a footswitch so I can 'lock in' the volume live, and not be worried about altering it accidentally (plus, I want to use the EXP TOE and expression pedal for wah only).

However, what are the other methods for balancing the patch volumes, and increasing the volume for leads? I'd assume the easiest way is to use a EQ or Gain block, and set that to +3db?

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Balancing patch volumes can be tough, best method I have used is first start with a db meter, either on phone, iPad or use a DAW and monitor inputs there.

 

If you play covers or are working on a a particular artist tone, the next step is to play along with the song or backing tracks and adjust to fit in the mix.  FIT is key, not overpower.

 

I use a gain block for boosting, anywhere from 6-8 db for a clean, 3-5 for a gainy patch.  Play at rehearsal to dial in the adjustments, then after the gig review, critique, and then adjust.

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As far as balancing patch volumes here's how I do mine.  I keep my monitor volume at 50% and my Helix master volume at 50%.  Then using a db meter I target just under 100db on each patch.  I don't worry so much about whether or not I max out the amp master volume, I just adjust it to get to the volume I want it.  100db is pretty loud, but often I'll turn down my Helix master to about 40% to work on a patch to get the sound I want then crank it up to 50% and tweek things to get them set in at 100db.  Depending on the venue 100db may be about right, but sometimes I bring the Helix master up or down to better match the venue and the rest of the band.  The result is all the patches stay in sync as long as the Helix master is the only thing I touch.  Occassionally on some patches with amps that don't reach 100db even if the amp volume is maxed out, I'll adjust the output block volume to get to 100db.

 

Although I always assign a volume pedal on each patch, I only use it for fade-in/out effect or if I need to switch guitars.  Once your patches are normalized they should stay fine for the whole gig unless the volume of the band goes up.  Then just adjust the master.

 

For leads I target about a 4db boost.  How I do it depends on the patch.  Sometimes it's just a gain block or a compressor, but on patches with more gain I tend to use various distortion effects to get the boost I want.  I have a couple of patches where I switch to a different amp and IR cab for leads and have it set a bit louder.  So I don't think there's any specific answer to how you boost your volume for leads other than "it depends".

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At the risk of overstating the obvious, adjust stuff until you like it! Glenn's patches were built for his guitars, through his monitoring, to his taste, and even if some folks like them as shipped, they're not you in your situation. Make yourself happy with what's actually happening.

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