Turning off IR to Powercab only?

[DaveStarns]

I've just bought a Powercab 212+ to go with my Helix LT, and I think it's going to be fun. I'm still in the early foothills of the learning curve, though, in terms of using them together; for that matter, I've only just started feeling semi-confident on the Helix itself, having only had it for a few weeks. I'm connecting the two via the "Link" jacks. 

 

My question has to do with IRs vs the speaker models in the Powercab. I know there are three standard ways to use the Powercab:

1. Send the patch (with IR) from the Helix to the Powercab on "Flat" mode;
2. Install the IRs into the Powercab (which, presumably, would sound the same, but would lighten the processing load on the Helix);
3. Turn off the IR in the patch and use a speaker cab model in the Powercab.

 

Most of my Helix patches use an aftermarket IR selected to compliment each individual patch. However, I like the sound of some of the speaker models in the Powercab a lot; using them seems increase the "amp-in-a-room" feel. But I like the IRs better in terms of what I want to send to the PA. So what I'm asking is this: is there a way to send the regular patch (including the IR) to FOH while simultaneously muting the IR to the Powercab and using a speaker model instead?  That seems like the best of both worlds to me; more amp-like stage monitoring combined with a more ideal "miked amp" sound coming out of the PA.

 

Anybody doing this? How do you guys use the two together?

[waymda]

Yes - I have recently moved to 2 PC+ for stage output and am rebuilding my song specific patches around a template that allows:

• a number of effects before amp(s)
• 1 or 2 amps by using a split and join
• a number of post amp effects (but pre-speaker. which is the main concession)
• A split to digital out only with EQ and anything I want to add (compression) which I then use to control the pair of PC+
• Post the split a speaker cab model (or IRs) that feeds to XLR in my case - there's a IdeaScale request for a controllable multi-output which would be great in this instance so I could have the post cab send go to everywhere but digital

Happy to drop it here if you want a look once I get home.

[waymda]

template as mentioned

2 Amps 2 PC+.hlx

[DaveStarns]

waymda—

 

This is fantastic! Thank you!

 

I'm at work now, but I plan to download your template and try it out as soon as I get home this evening.

 

I'm playing this coming Friday and Saturday in a large casino showroom, where sending a good-sounding signal to FOH is a somewhat higher priority than tweaking my stage tone (since few in the audience will hear the Powercab), so I'd considered just leaving everything as is and running in FRFR mode, just to be safe, or even bringing my Axe-FX II (I've had it much longer than the Helix, so all of my patches are time-honed). But if I can adapt my patches using your template, you may have solved my problem.

 

So thanks again! I'll post an update on how it worked out. . .

[DaveStarns]

Excellent template patch, Wayma! And actually, once I realized how simple it is to split the output to a digital one without the IR and an XLR with it, I added it to all my patches. thanks again!

[enjalt]

I may be wrong but in the case some of your presets require too much DSP to be able to split your outputs, it seems to me that you can do that with snapshots.

 

For example from the image below without spliting the signal and putting IR'block before the last EQ

Snapshots 1 (to 4) with IR activated and EQ desactivated or set to one way

Snapshots 5 (to 8) with IR desactivated and EQ set to another way.

 

Each snapshot may have some differents states for each block

[HonestOpinion]

Not having a PowerCab+ yet I have a question that is in some ways similar to the OP's but sort of the opposite. It seems that the output jack(s) on the PowerCab which I would run to the PA only includes the direct feed from the Helix and does not include the IR you may have loaded only on the PowerCab. Loading the IR on the PowerCab saves DSP on the Helix and seems like the way to go. Ideally I would like to have all my IRs loaded on the PowerCab with the option to have the signal on my Helix be processed through the PowerCab's IR before it hits the PA. That way the IR loaded on the PC+ can be used by both the FOH and the PC+. Is that currently an option on the PC+? If not it seems like an enhancement that a lot of people might take advantage of. Apologies in advance if I missed something in the documentation.