4cm voloume drop when switching effects loop out

[daveyball]

Hey

 

I'm using the 4 cm method template on the helix to go into my Marshall JCM 2000 60w amp.

When I switch the helix preamp to switch the loop out and the pre amp on, all the volume drops.

Any ideas

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

[ricksteruk]

It's probably because the level gets boosted by going through the Marshall in the FX loop - the Helix FX send should be sending INSTRUMENT Level to the Marshall Front Panel input jack, and then the Marshall FX OUT sends -10dB (or some do +4dB) level to the HELIX FX Return... which is basically line level.  So you get a large increase in volume.

 

What I do is set the Return level on the Helix FX loop Block in my patch to about -18dB, so that when I bypass the FX loop the volume doesn't change.

 

I usually try to test this out with a clean & loud tube amp setting so that it's easier to tell if the volume is the same when I bypass and engage the Helix FX  block.  

 

Then after that I dial in my tube amp to a more dirty tone and then set up a Helix amp block and set the channel volume so it also matches with the real amp as bypass the block.