rice33 Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Hi, I am completely new to the variax and maybe I am missing something simple. I am running the Variax through a G10 Relay into an Amplfi. All line 6 no outside imposter gear! The problem i have is that when I select an alternative tuning I hear both the magnetic pickups and the alternative tuning through the amp. I thought by turning on the variax it automatically disabled the magnetic pickups? Any help appreciated. Also if I've missed something completely obvious light mockery is also welcomed! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcopadilla Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 It won't necessarily disable the magnetics , you can blend the two sounds using the software. I would check that first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rice33 Posted May 29, 2019 Author Share Posted May 29, 2019 Thanks, I have the magnetic blend on 0. I tried it at 1% but that had no effect what so ever. The same thing happens through my helix as well with just the Ethernet cable connected. Any other ideas? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 Are you sure you are hearing the mag pickups? You may be hearing the natural acoustic string vibrations in standard tuning. This is often misinterpreted as a problem when in fact it's just physics. The natural string vibrations can be surprisingly loud. The best way to tell is to make a recording. If it's the mag pickups you're hearing you will also hear them in the playback of the recording. However the natural acoustic vibrations will not be recorded and you will not hear them in the playback. Another test is to use headphones. Turn the volume up fairly loud. If you no longer hear the double tuning it's because the headphones are drowning out the natural acoustic vibrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firehawkkwah Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 I just got a variax standard. The alternate tunings are completely unusable. I don't know if it's both tones being amplified, but it's certainly not a cross talk issue. Just pluck a single string, others muted, and it sounds like a ridiculous jumble of electronic noise like an out of tune synthesizer. Even the small changes like a half step down are ridiculous sounding. I haven't gotten workbench yet, or updated firmware or anything, but the sound is there on headphones and turned up amp. Is that the fix? Is it somehow blending the magnetic and piezo? Using variax into Firehawk into frfr, if that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 5 hours ago, firehawkkwah said: Even the small changes like a half step down are ridiculous sounding. Yes, that's to be expected... the closer the interval, the greater the dissonance. I know you're frustrated because you're posting this all over the place, but as I said in one of the other threads, the overwhelming likelihood is that you are simply hearing both the altered tuning as well as the sound of the guitar acoustically. This is a common complaint with new users... it's fooled many right out of the box, including myself. And before you dismiss that out of hand as impossible, I assure you that it is. The exact same thing happens with guitars other than my Variax, along with my Digitech Drop pedal. We always hear the guitar itself at lower volumes, and provided that the pitch coming from the speaker and directly from the guitar are the same, then the acoustic sound of the instrument is easily ignored. That becomes impossible however, when those pitches are no longer the same... particularly at close intervals like a 1/2 step... the dissonance is awful. That's why nobody records harmony lines in minor 2nds. Turn up the amp, or use closed back headphones, also turned up sufficiently so that you are not hearing the guitar itself, and I'll bet that the problem goes away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firehawkkwah Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Yeah, I only have 2 days to return this if I need to, so I was definitely looking for a quick answer. Sorry for multiple posts! I had read that volume was the fix, and had tried it, but didn't seem to work. After reading this again I tried it louder, much louder, and also put on headphones. You are right. Works fine. had no idea the acoustic sound was so loud, but sure enough. Looks like there isn't a problem with the guitar, other than can't play with alternate tunings unless it's cranked up or headphones, also cranked. Thanks for the quick correction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Yes - the human ear has evolved into a very sensitive sensor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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