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sound difference thru combo amp


bendm2003
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Hi, my HD500x standard presets sound great through headphones and into garageband (on studio/direct output setting),  but when I put through a combo amp (on combo output setting) either:

     a) default presets - the bass & mid frequencies almost disappear - (gets a thin plucky sound with no sustain),

     b) selecting preamp model on the preset -  the gain disappears and the above happens but to a lesser degree

 

Settings:

    - Input - guitar in

    - Playing rickenbacker 335 which is naturally plucky but there is a rich tone and more sustain when going direct to the amp

    - Tried through multiple valve amps - same result

 

Is this whattypically happens when going thru an amp? - and I just need to be heavily tweaking the bass/mid & volume dials to try to bring back a sound thats equivalent to the studio/direct sound recorded to garageband/headphones??

 

Thx

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First, are you using $1000 studio headphones, or $20 ear buds? And the same thing applies with your guitarband. 
Most headphones and computer speakers, even cheap home stereo speakers, add that low "reflex". Which sound nice when playing a cd because it gives that extra low thump. 

But it is horrible for tone creation and for recording those same cds that are going to be played through them. 

 

And then, obviously, going into a guitar amp - which also isn't a set of studio speakers, is going to give another entirely different set of tonality. 

 

 

The quickest thing you can try is - 

Leaving it on studio/direct, plug the pod into the guitar amp's fx loop in. 

This skips the tone section of the amp and allows you to use just the power section. Yes, you still have to deal with the tone of the speaker and cab. But at least the amp has been bypassed.

 

 

 

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FIRST: I fully agree with the comments above from pianoguyy.... 

 

IMO.... don't bother with the output setting of the HD. Just leave it set to Studio Direct then follow these two general rules. 

  1. When plugging into the front end of an amp, turn off the amp modelling in the HD. 
  2. When plugging into a power amp input (or effect return) of an amp, you can leave the amp modelling on but turn off the speaker simulation. OR - alternatively, use a pre-amp version of the amp model. 

Yes you can break those rules if you want, but it is best to learn the rules before breaking them. 

 

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9 minutes ago, pianoguyy said:

How does one simply turn off amp modeling?

 

Two options....

 

1: Don't choose an amp model (leave it blank)

2: Disable the amp model

 

With my HD500 there were times I would use it in my home studio... but play through an amp live. In the Studio I had an amp model applied and it sounded great. When I played live I would use the same presets but with the amp model disabled.... leaving that duty to my stage amp. 

 

Of course... my live amp was always quite similar if not the same as the model I chose to use in the HD. If you are using the HD models for something you CANNOT do with your live amp this scenario is not ideal. 

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Which is what I was getting at.... 

 

If you already made your patches, turning off amp models when you are using an amp isn't a "one touch" global process. 

There is no amp model on/off switch. 

 

I know this. You know this. We both know that we both know it. 

But the novice user. The future reader - they may have get confused. 

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5 hours ago, pianoguyy said:

Which is what I was getting at.... 

 

If you already made your patches, turning off amp models when you are using an amp isn't a "one touch" global process. 

There is no amp model on/off switch. 

 

I know this. You know this. We both know that we both know it. 

But the novice user. The future reader - they may have get confused. 

 

Actually there is. If you program a button to enable/disable the AMP block, the amp model is effectively turned off, bypassed or whatever you want to call it. You can then set the bypass Volume to effectively use an alternative preamp....In tandem with the FX Loop block, this is useful in 4CM applications where a pre amp toggle is wanted.

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