Constant Volume Output for HD500X

[snowdog8]

Hey Guys, looking for some insight.  I have my HD500X heading to a mixer then out to my Bose Amp/Speaker system.  Creating different presets, each Amplifier ( in the software) has different Output levels.  I've tried changing them to match each patch without much success.  When I'm playing live, I'd like each patch to have the same volume level, unless I'm bumping one up for a solo.  Any thoughts?  Thanks in Advance.

[spaceatl]

Yes, every amp model is a little different and has different volume potential. You will need to execute a "Volume Leveling" procedure. The main trick is to identify what you might call your goto patch...Get the master at a nice healthy level...now start going through you patches and adjust the channel volume only and save it...Do NOT touch your master volume during this process or you will likely have to start over...if you run out of room on the channel volume, you will need to back off the channel volume in the hotter models....you can also make up volume with the mixer for weaker amp models.

[cruisinon2]

Yup... leveling them all one by one is the only solution...by ear and at the volume you intend to use the patches in question... Tones that are nice and balanced in the living room will not be at stage volume. The only thing I'd add to the post above is that you should balance everything relative to your clean tones... get those as loud as you can without clipping, then adjust you dirty sounds accordingly. Distorted tones will always seem louder than clean tones at any given volume. If you level all the dirty patches first, you will likely run out of headroom trying to get the cleans to keep up. That's why you need to use your ears. 

[brokenbones]

I usually design or tweak all my patches on my PC with Workbench. While doing so I also have a decibel meter app open on my desktop. This allows me to see the volume levels of all my patches. I try to keep all distortion patches 2-4 db (usually -2db) below the peaks of my clean patches. I gig out and use in ears and i've never had a level issue. 

[snowdog8]

Thanks for all the input guys...appreciate it.  In retrospect, I guess that makes sense.  If I'm going to solo, I need a slight bump in volume, which would correlate to the output of the HD500X being dynamic.  Guess, I'll start from scratch with my clean patches and make the changes as you suggested.

 

Thanks for the help!

[brokenbones]

For solos i like to add a studio eq and boost comp to FS4. I'm in a 4 piece with a rhythm guitarist and my sound focus is more around low mids for rhythm and mid boost during solos. These settings cut through and put me right on top of the mix. Of course, the gain settings are going to be relative to your gain structure. 

 

Studio EQ: 150Hz +2dB, 3KHz +2dB, Gain +3dB

Boost Comp: Bass 40%, Comp 50%, Treb 50%, Drive 60%, Output 50%

 

 

[pianoguyy]

but you don't need a volume boost to solo. 

 

First, there is math. Those fractions, decimals, and lowest common denominators that we said "why do we need to learn this, we will never use it in the real world". Well, the real world is here and we are using it. 

 

So let's figure this out.... 

You are playing guitar at 10. You give yourself a volume boost for the solo, let's say you are playing at 11. That is 10%. It is exactly what you need when playing at 10. 

But, now it is gig time, and they have you blasting through the pa at 100. You 10% volume boost is now 110. That's too much. 

 

 

[lkingdon]

I downloaded a decibel meter on my phone.  Set it on the counter beside me in my studio, turned the volume up to gig level on my "go to patch", noted the decibel reading, and then went through all my patches and set them the same.  This worked great.  I tried to do it all by ear memory and found that by the time i got to my last patch, ( i use 22) I was wandering way off the volume of the first one.  Hope this helps.