Volume drop with active pickup guitar in aux input

[bowkore]

Running two amp and cab models with the archetype and fender twin for clean. Distortion isok on my active pickup guitar. volume is fine, but for some reason when I run clean with the fender twin the volume drops a lot!

 

I know the aux input has some impedence on it, how do I change it so that the volumes comes up to match what my passive guitar volume is!

 

I play gig and change between guitars mid set so its very important.

 

[HonestOpinion]

Running two amp and cab models with the archetype and fender twin for clean. Distortion isok on my active pickup guitar. volume is fine, but for some reason when I run clean with the fender twin the volume drops a lot!

 

I know the aux input has some impedence on it, how do I change it so that the volumes comes up to match what my passive guitar volume is!

 

I play gig and change between guitars mid set so its very important.

Probably not the issue but the first thing to do is to check the threshold setting on the gate for the Aux input block and make sure it is not set too aggressively. The Aux input does not have an impedance setting like the guitar input so you can't change the impedance setting. You could set up a snapshot that uses a gain block, the output block, or somewhere else in the signal chain to boost your output and simply switch to that snapshot when you are using your Aux input.

[bowkore]

Sorry forgot to mention. My input block is multi, since I swap between aux and guitar. Is there a way to change it so the settings for the aux input is different to the guitar one even though I have it on multi?

[Joepeggio]

If you already use snapshots for tone changes, copy the preset, so you have 2, one for passive and one for active guitars.  Like H.O. says use a gain block in first slot to balance the Guitar and Aux.

[PeterHamm]

Not only is the volume dropped, but the tone is probably washed out, right?

This is because the Aux input is, in my experience, NOT a place to plug in a standard electric guitar, active or passive. Only the "Guitar in" behaves JUST like the input on a real guitar amp. The Aux input is very nice for an acoustic guitar with a preamp built in and it works very well for active bass, too. But not an electric guitar. It's not just changing the gain. You can try that, but since you went with Helix I'm guessing that you are enough of a tone snob that you'll never be happy.

 

Either switch the cable from guitar to guitar or get an A/B box imho, preferably the former if you ask me.

Just changing the gain won't cut it. I already tried.

[jdalaz]

Not only is the volume dropped, but the tone is probably washed out, right?

 

This is because the Aux input is, in my experience, NOT a place to plug in a standard electric guitar, active or passive. Only the "Guitar in" behaves JUST like the input on a real guitar amp. The Aux input is very nice for an acoustic guitar with a preamp built in and it works very well for active bass, too. But not an electric guitar. It's not just changing the gain. You can try that, but since you went with Helix I'm guessing that you are enough of a tone snob that you'll never be happy.

 

Either switch the cable from guitar to guitar or get an A/B box imho, preferably the former if you ask me.

 

Just changing the gain won't cut it. I already tried.

I'm not following the logic on this. I plug EMG active pickup guitars into the Aux. input with no problems ( those pickups have built-in preamps). Also plug a bass with active preamp into aux. The guitars sound better to me this way.

[PeterHamm]

I'm not following the logic on this. I plug EMG active pickup guitars into the Aux. input with no problems ( those pickups have built-in preamps). Also plug a bass with active preamp into aux. The guitars sound better to me this way.

 

 

it is behaving differently than a "real amp" will and it MAY sound better to you, to YOU... and that's awesome, go with God and do it!

 

But, the input of the Aux into the amp models doesn't sound totally "right" compared to the real thing because the impedance is different. The interaction between guitar and amp is different.

 

If you like it, that's GREAT! But it's still different and distinctly not like the "real amp".

[phil_m]

The impedance of the Aux Is 10kOhm, so depending on the impedance of your guitar's output, that might cause some significant tone loss. Really hot active pickups will be OK. Passive pickups or low output active pickups will probably sound not so good.

[Joepeggio]

+1 on Peter's advice

[bowkore]

Not only is the volume dropped, but the tone is probably washed out, right?

 

This is because the Aux input is, in my experience, NOT a place to plug in a standard electric guitar, active or passive. Only the "Guitar in" behaves JUST like the input on a real guitar amp. The Aux input is very nice for an acoustic guitar with a preamp built in and it works very well for active bass, too. But not an electric guitar. It's not just changing the gain. You can try that, but since you went with Helix I'm guessing that you are enough of a tone snob that you'll never be happy.

 

Either switch the cable from guitar to guitar or get an A/B box imho, preferably the former if you ask me.

 

Just changing the gain won't cut it. I already tried.

Nah the tone was unreal for distortion and clean, it was just the volume. When I plugged into the guitar input it was way too loud and would feedback.

 

I've adjusted some settings with a gain boost on my clean and that did the trick, but a bit annoyed I have to lose a block for it, was hoping there was a way to just have the settings changed on the aux input for me to just have it at the same level as my other guitars

[HonestOpinion]

Nah the tone was unreal for distortion and clean, it was just the volume. When I plugged into the guitar input it was way too loud and would feedback.

 

I've adjusted some settings with a gain boost on my clean and that did the trick, but a bit annoyed I have to lose a block for it, was hoping there was a way to just have the settings changed on the aux input for me to just have it at the same level as my other guitars

You can always assign the output block volume to a footswitch/snapshot and that way you won't require a gain block. However, usually gain blocks use up so little DSP that for most presets adding a gain block should not be a problem.