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Using Amp & Cab blocks for non-dirty sound


shilohlsk
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Hi All,

 

I have some questions for setting the Amp & Cab blocks for non-dirty effects (that means not over-drive & distortion kind of sound).

 

Here is my setup:

 

Guitar-->Helix (effects-->Amp-->Cab)-->FRFR monitor

 

Sometimes, I have to use the clean sound with the effect of compressor, delay or reverb. But I found confuses to get the clean sound out of Helix.

 

As I turn the "drive" meter up to 3.0, I can hear dirty sound, but if I turn it below 3.0, the output volume is too small...

 

So, could someone advice how I should setup the amp for non-dirty sound?

 

Thanks for your sharing.

 

Have a nice day!

 

Shiloh

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Very broad question. What "sound" are you after? Name a song or artist we can reference.

 

Try the Mesa clean channel or the Archtype clean. Then turn up the bias!! Low bias in real amps starves the tubes causing clipping so higher should give more clean overhead to a point.

 

Just a start. You should get a lot of great suggestions. Check this thread often. Good luck. :)

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Using amps that are known for a nice clean sound helps!  Almost every valve amp will overdrive at some point.  So you need to keep your drive to a point where the amp is clean or at least "apparently clean" which is mostly what guitar players feel good with. (a little harmonic distortion is liked by a lot of players on their "clean" sound)

I've been getting a lovely clean sound out of the Litigator running the drive at 2. - so very low. (using a Strat - if you got really powerful pickups, you will need to turn it down more!)

What I do is run the master at around 7 and use the channel volume (ch volume) to get a good level out of the amp. 

All depends on how loud you have some of your other sounds, but around 8ish on the channel volume seems plenty for me!

I actually have the bias at 5 - I find on that amp, it adds distortion putting it higher - which I do for a different sound.

Also, on your output, (the arrow at the end of your path), you have another volume control for final balance if your combination of devices is perfect, but your total level is still slightly low.

Don't go crazy touring everything up - it might sound OK on some driven sounds, but somewhere there I start to hear some digital nasties - turn up your amp not the Helix past a certain point!

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There are a couple of amps I've found where getting the clean sound I was after resulted in very low overall output. In those instances I'll use either a gain block after the amp or the volume in the output block, depending on what else is going on in the patch, to get the output where I want it. Works well.

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Hi All,

 

I have some questions for setting the Amp & Cab blocks for non-dirty effects (that means not over-drive & distortion kind of sound).

 

Here is my setup:

 

Guitar-->Helix (effects-->Amp-->Cab)-->FRFR monitor

 

Sometimes, I have to use the clean sound with the effect of compressor, delay or reverb. But I found confuses to get the clean sound out of Helix.

 

As I turn the "drive" meter up to 3.0, I can hear dirty sound, but if I turn it below 3.0, the output volume is too small...

 

So, could someone advice how I should setup the amp for non-dirty sound?

 

Thanks for your sharing.

 

Have a nice day!

 

Shiloh

What amp/cab model are you using? 

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A really clean sound will often be very quiet with a lot of the amps. That's okay.

A couple tips, some of this was already mentioned.

If you have the Amp Master Volume up really high, you will get a little or a lot of hair. So back that down, turn the channel volume (which does NOT affect the tone of the amp, only the volume of the block) all the way up.

Add a gain block after the cabinet to bring it up where you need to if need be, or a studio comp or even a mic pre block.

 

And some amps do NOT clean up. At all. Avoid them. What amp and what guitar and what cab are you using?

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  • 2 weeks later...

How do you have your Helix connected to your FRFR Monitor? How is your FRFR Monitor configured? Does it have input level switches for Line vs. Instrument Levels, If i thas a Volume control how do you have that set?

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I'm surprised no one suggested the JC120 (Jazz Rivet 120)?

 

Definitely need to choose the right amp for this.  Many people like the Fenders for cleans, too (ie US Double Nrm). And even the WhoWatt 100 has been claimed to do "clean" really well by some users.

 

You can also add 1 or two gains in the patch as well for the clean sections..

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How do you have your Helix connected to your FRFR Monitor? How is your FRFR Monitor configured? Does it have input level switches for Line vs. Instrument Levels, If i thas a Volume control how do you have that set?

 

I just simply use to line to connect my Mackie MR6MK3, this monitor is just a simple monitor and I only adjust the volume control

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By the way, I have I more question while I'm using Distortion effect.

 

While using distortion effect, should I setup the amp as clean as possible (you know, high drive and master in amp will make dirty sound as well)?

 

Kind of a matter of taste, what sound you are going for and the amp and other effects you are using. Even with an amp with the drive cranked up, a distortion model give it a little extra edge, maybe with the drive parameter on the distortion turned down. If you are looking for an over the top distorted sound you may want to turn the drive up on both the amp and distortion blocks. A lot of distortions sound good with the drive on the amp turned to just where it is starting to break up. It really all depends on the sound you are looking for. 

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I've had my Helix about 5 weeks and struggled with getting the clean sound I wanted until just this week.  I now use some of the amps noted above with great success (Jazz Rivet, US Double NRM and WhoWatt).  As you're realizing, there's more to it than just the amp and its settings.  If you don't get a clean tone with these amps, I can send you the specific settings I use for the amps and cabs to see how it works on your end.  Of course Global settings, the guitar pickups, monitor, etc., all have an impact.  But it would be an interesting experiment for me.  I've downloaded free patches and bought some (just because it's interesting) and pretty much in all cases others' patches don't sound good the way I use them so I'm curious if my clean setup is clean for someone else!

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I've had my Helix about 5 weeks and struggled with getting the clean sound I wanted until just this week.  I now use some of the amps noted above with great success (Jazz Rivet, US Double NRM and WhoWatt).  As you're realizing, there's more to it than just the amp and its settings.  If you don't get a clean tone with these amps, I can send you the specific settings I use for the amps and cabs to see how it works on your end.  Of course Global settings, the guitar pickups, monitor, etc., all have an impact.  But it would be an interesting experiment for me.  I've downloaded free patches and bought some (just because it's interesting) and pretty much in all cases others' patches don't sound good the way I use them so I'm curious if my clean setup is clean for someone else!

I'd be very interested in knowing the settings you use for those amps. 

 

My main outputs are an L2t, with an L2m when I want to have a two speaker stereo output.  I also use two JBL LSR305's monitors sometimes.

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Hi  - here’s one that works for me.  I get a perfectly clean sound with punch.  I’m listening with Bose noise cancelling headphones, which really emphasize the highs compared to my other headphones.  That’s why I have the high cut for the cabs and the 10 Band EQ.  Please let me know how this works for you!  In my Patch, I have the LA Studio Comp, then 10 Band Graphic Eq to tame the highs.  Then I have the US Double NRM:   Drive = 6.5; Bass = 4.4; Mid = 5.2; Treble = 5.7; Presence = 1.0Ch Vol = 6.5; Master = 6.3; Sag Hum and Ripple = 5.0; Bias = 6.0; Bias X = 5.0.  I have a Y split to have 2 Cabs; Cab 1 = 4x12 WhoWatt 100:  Mic = 4-38 Ribbon; Distance = 1.0â€; Low cut = 81 Hz; High cut = 4.0 kHz; Early Reflections = 82%; Level = +6 dB.  Cab 2 is the 1x12 Celest 12-8:  Mic = 414 Cond; Distance = 1.0; Low Cut = 69 Hz; High Cut = 4.0 KHz; Early Reflections = 72%; Level = +6.0 dB.  I have some reverb and Delay after the Cabs (on path 2) and use 3 different  Dist pedals before the amp and EQ which also sounds great with these amp/cab settings.  Looking forward to hearing what this sounds like for you!

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Hi  - here’s one that works for me.  I get a perfectly clean sound with punch.  I’m listening with Bose noise cancelling headphones, which really emphasize the highs compared to my other headphones.  That’s why I have the high cut for the cabs and the 10 Band EQ.  Please let me know how this works for you!  In my Patch, I have the LA Studio Comp, then 10 Band Graphic Eq to tame the highs.  Then I have the US Double NRM:   Drive = 6.5; Bass = 4.4; Mid = 5.2; Treble = 5.7; Presence = 1.0Ch Vol = 6.5; Master = 6.3; Sag Hum and Ripple = 5.0; Bias = 6.0; Bias X = 5.0.  I have a Y split to have 2 Cabs; Cab 1 = 4x12 WhoWatt 100:  Mic = 4-38 Ribbon; Distance = 1.0â€; Low cut = 81 Hz; High cut = 4.0 kHz; Early Reflections = 82%; Level = +6 dB.  Cab 2 is the 1x12 Celest 12-8:  Mic = 414 Cond; Distance = 1.0; Low Cut = 69 Hz; High Cut = 4.0 KHz; Early Reflections = 72%; Level = +6.0 dB.  I have some reverb and Delay after the Cabs (on path 2) and use 3 different  Dist pedals before the amp and EQ which also sounds great with these amp/cab settings.  Looking forward to hearing what this sounds like for you!

Thanks, I'll try it out tonight.

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