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Helix/Powercab+ Setup


VXVZV
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I just got a powercab plus to go with my helix LT.  I was able to get some great clean tones right out of the box, however, when I use a higher gain amp my tones sound fizzy and grating.  I was able to get some great tones running the helix LT through my tube amp and vintage 30 speaker cab and I'm surprised the powercab plus sounds so poor in comparison.  I've been playing around with the high and low cuts in global settings but can't seem to dial in a good distorted tone.  

 

In global settings I made sure to set 1/4 inch out to Line.  On the powercab plus I am using the flat response setting as I find the cab sims sound very muffled.

 

I'm sure there's something wrong with my configuration but I'm having some difficulty figuring it out.  Has anyone else had this experience when making the transition to an FRFR speaker?  Any suggestions woild be greatly appreciated.

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1 hour ago, VXVZV said:

Has anyone else had this experience when making the transition to an FRFR speaker?  

 

Everybody. And for the handful who will claim they didn't, it was just dumb luck.

 

 

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Any suggestions woild be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi and low cuts are part of the solution, but not from the global EQ... that's for subtle adjustments to different listening environments, not creating tones. An EQ curve that works brilliantly for one patch will doom another. Particularly with clean vs. dirty tones, the former usually requiring far less manipulation.

 

Cab and mic choice is critical, and is responsible for a considerable part of your tone. Are you using the Powercab's onboard cab sims, or a cab block in your LT and the flat setting on the Powercab? Try it both ways... you may prefer one over the other.

 

 

 

 

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To add to cruisinon2's comments.

 

If you like the LT into your tube amp and a V30, the closet approximation to that with the PC+ would be:

 

LT current settings >> a modeled amp in the LT that you think is similar to your tube amp >> no speaker cab on the LT >> PC+ on the Vintage setting (green or cream speaker)

 

That's close to emulating what you're doing via the tube amp BUT you will need to tweak the amp model you use to be happy (and other stuff).

 

Using the PC+ cab sims post cab blocks in the LT is emulating a mic'd up speaker cab (the LT emulation) then putting it into an emulation of an unmic'd speaker cab - lots of weirdness.

 

The hardest thing to get used to using FRFR is that you're reproducing a fully mic'd up cab sound, not what you hear in the room, what the mic hears. So in a gig situation, you're hearing a close approximation of what the audience would hear through the PA with a mic'd up cab.

 

The PC+ speaker emulations are a way to get a more 'traditional' stage sound - ie an unmic'd cab.

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i'm asking simply because i do not know, and i'm too lazy to research the WWW for it. 

can you use a helix floor and power cab+ in the following configuration. 

 

Helix sends a none cab'd signal to the PC+ ( PC plus set to whatever "amp in the room is" or whatever you desire per patch ) 

a separate signal from the helix sent to FOH with an IR or Cab? 

I understand this would be a giving up DSP and a parallel path to achieve as well as potentially EQ'ing different paths. 

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21 minutes ago, Heavyville said:

i'm asking simply because i do not know, and i'm too lazy to research the WWW for it. 

can you use a helix floor and power cab+ in the following configuration. 

 

Helix sends a none cab'd signal to the PC+ ( PC plus set to whatever "amp in the room is" or whatever you desire per patch ) 

a separate signal from the helix sent to FOH with an IR or Cab? 

I understand this would be a giving up DSP and a parallel path to achieve as well as potentially EQ'ing different paths. 

 

Yes.

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