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PowerCab 212 Line 6 Link Bug?


OmniFace
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Found an intermittent possible bug in the PowerCab 212 when daisy chaining two together with a Helix.  I was able to reproduce almost 100% for a bit while writing this up, but then sometimes I can’t.


————

 

Steps:

Connect guitar to Helix


Connect Helix Line 6 Link out to PowerCab 1 Line 6 Link in using an AES/EBU cable

 

Connect Line 6 Link Out on PowerCab 1 to PowerCab 2 Line 6 Link in

 

Power Helix On, then PowerCab 1, then PowerCab 2.

 

Turn volume up in both PowerCabs to half, and turn up the volume on the Helix to whatever.  Make sure both have sound.

 

Turn the volume on PowerCab 1 down to zero and verify PowerCab 2 still has sound.

 

Mute the guitar.  Continuing to play appears to negate the issue.
 

Turn the volume on PowerCab 2 down to zero and wait 5+ seconds.

 

Turn the volume on PowerCab 2 back up and wait 5+ seconds.

 

Now try to play guitar.

 

Result?  


No audio.  No signal indicators on the PowerCab 2.  PowerCab 1 appears to stop sending signal.  Green signal lights appear on PowerCab 1, and turning the volume up works.  Restarting PowerCab 2 does not restore audio.  You must restart PowerCab 1, and then audio on PowerCab 2 will work again.

 

——————

 

I tried swapping the order of the PowerCabs in the signal chain and got the same result.  Whichever amp is in the middle of the Helix and the other stops sending signal when the volume is set to zero, and nothing comes in to the amp for a bit, but only if the second cab is also set to zero briefly.

 

—————

 

This is a minor issue, but may you have to restart your PowerCabs between sound check and your show.  Or make sure you never set the volume to zero on the amps themselves.

 

Ran into this the first few times I played with the amps live, and thought maybe I had to start them in a certain order.  I was playing withy two amps today and investigating a new rattle, and I’ve figured out what’s actually going on for this problem.

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I have been Having same Trouble with 2 Powercab Plus 1X12's, no sound from cab 2...... Have been just using one cab at gigs...... I will say one cab is loud enough but i have two

to use....... My original thought was one for me and one i could aim more towards the rest of the band.........

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On 3/8/2020 at 8:06 AM, tooloudtoobad said:

I have been Having same Trouble with 2 Powercab Plus 1X12's, no sound from cab 2...... Have been just using one cab at gigs...... I will say one cab is loud enough but i have two

to use....... My original thought was one for me and one i could aim more towards the rest of the band.........

 

Yeah I use two, one on each side of stage.  Makes us less reliant on floor monitors.

Glad to hear it's happening in other cabs, and not just mine. 

Simple enough to fix, and avoid, as long as you know what's going on at least.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

I suspect the problem is that the Line6 link was intended to support two Powercab 112’s and automatically detect the second Powercab 112 and switch to stereo. But if you’re using wto Powercab 212s, these are already stereo and might be confusing Line6 link.

 

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On 6/11/2020 at 3:16 PM, amsdenj said:

I suspect the problem is that the Line6 link was intended to support two Powercab 112’s and automatically detect the second Powercab 112 and switch to stereo. But if you’re using wto Powercab 212s, these are already stereo and might be confusing Line6 link.

 


Someone above said they have two 112's and have the same issue.  So I don't think that's it.  Seems more like turning the volume down on the 2nd cab causes the L6 Link to think a second was disconnected maybe. 
 

On 5/6/2020 at 3:28 PM, VlastimilVostrak said:

Same issue with my Helix and two PC 112 Plus speakers interconnected via L6 link. The second PC+ in the chain stops playing as described by guitars69.

 

The 212's each switch to mono, so that the dual cab set up is in stereo, but each cab is just one side.  I didn't test if it switches the first cab back to stereo if the second cab is lost.

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  • 1 month later...

Any reply from support on the lost signal issue with low volume? I have two 112+'s and haven't lost signal but I'm not sure how to edit IR's on them via HX edit? Do you have to connect the USB on each of the Powercabs to use the PowerCab Edit software or can you run or control this via the L6 Link cable? I can't figure out how to edit the Powercab IRs or get the Powercabs to change IR's with anything but Powercab Edit via a USB cable. Am I right or just not getting it? Do I need to plug in each Powercab by USB as well as L6 Link?

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Can't comment on the lost signal issue. Hopefully OmniFace will chime in on that.

 

IRs loaded on the Powercab are managed with the PC Edit SW.

To call an IR that's loaded on the Powercab with a preset you use the "User IR" Mode in HX Edit or on the Helix itself.

Select (PC)1 OR (PC) 2  to set different IRs on each, OR 1+2 Link if you want to set both to the same IR.

BUT you need to know the IR Slot # on the Powercab, the IR NAME doesn't appear in either HX Edit OR on Helix.

That means you need to have the PC Edit SW running or keep a hard copy list of Powercab IRs. Don't forget to SAVE the Preset!

 

Hopefully they'll fix that in HX Edit, but lack of display space on the config page of the Helix HW unit could be a problem for displaying the often LENGTHY IR names.

 

 

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On 7/20/2020 at 9:11 PM, dietmd said:

Any reply from support on the lost signal issue with low volume? I have two 112+'s and haven't lost signal but I'm not sure how to edit IR's on them via HX edit? Do you have to connect the USB on each of the Powercabs to use the PowerCab Edit software or can you run or control this via the L6 Link cable? I can't figure out how to edit the Powercab IRs or get the Powercabs to change IR's with anything but Powercab Edit via a USB cable. Am I right or just not getting it? Do I need to plug in each Powercab by USB as well as L6 Link?

 

No word from Support on the signal issue.

 

As rd2rk stated, if you're trying to assign an PowerCab preset to a Preset in the Helix, you do it in the Helix patch:

 

Powercab Remote using HELIX via L6 LINK
Use the following steps to configure a Line 6 Helix Floor, Rack, or LT device for L6 LINK remote functionality with Powercab Plus.

  1. On Helix, from any Output > Multi or Output > Digital block, press PAGE> once. Powercab remote parameters appear.
  2. Turn Knob 1 (Powercab Remote) to select:
    1. Off - No remote control of Powercab Plus parameters, but audio is still active
    2. Per Preset - Powercab Plus parameters are stored and recalled with the Helix preset
    3. Global - Powercab Plus parameters are stored and recalled globally
  3. Turn Knob 3 (Speaker Select) to select which speaker(s) you’d like to control. If you have a single Powercab 112 Plus, leave this set to “Speaker 1+2."
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  • 4 months later...
  • 4 months later...
  • 1 month later...

Yup. Same issue here. Just got two brand new 112s and it does this a lot. You have to turn off the second one and turn it back on again, if not working.  Not sure if there is an exact way to turn everything on and get it right the first time. What a bummer. 

 

The way that seems to work with the most consistency (meaning here that it works about 95% of the time). Is:

 

1. Turn on Helix Wait for it to load. 

2. Turn on 2nd Cab - the one that is linked to the 1st Cab (1st Cab has the L6 Link coming from the Helix and daisy chained to the 2nd). 

3. Turn on the 1st Cab. 

4. Turn up both volumes. Both cabs should work. 

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Only a year later and still no fix.

I've since sold the 112 and got a PC212+. Sounds great, but has minor issues of it's own.

Support says there MIGHT be a PC update in queue, from which I infer that it has a lower priority than the Helix coffeemaker attachment.

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5 minutes ago, rd2rk said:

Only a year later and still no fix.

I've since sold the 112 and got a PC212+. Sounds great, but has minor issues of it's own.

Support says there MIGHT be a PC update in queue, from which I infer that it has a lower priority than the Helix coffeemaker attachment.

Ah, the ole coffeemaker attachment. Long time coming. 

I get the award for the most tinkering with the power cabs. Had two 112+ There was something wrong with one of them, at least I thought because it would never link up to the other cab. Then went with the 212+. Really loved it, but proved to be too big for my studio and was still wanting to use my tube amps live. Then starting playing more ambient music and so decided on the pair of 112+ again. I really like the small size and weight and the wide stereo spread. Then I remembered the link up issue. But, I think my method works almost all of the time. But they really should fix this. I think I will put in another ticket just to keep it on their radar. 

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I’m having the same issue.

when I turn the volume up and down to the 2nd PC 112 plus.

it cuts out and loses signal.

I ruled out the amps by reversing the 1st and 2nd PC+. 
same results.

very frustrating. 
only the 2nd cab loses signal.
Hope to hear a solution from line 6 soon. I got the helix and two PC+ 112’s to simplify my live situation and keep some control on stage. 
this doesn’t help. 
Plus it’s a big investment.

Both money and the time invested trouble shooting, learning curves, hours of you tube tutorials for on line 6 products. 
only to be halted by a bug in the powercab. 

 

 

 

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I still have the same issue. Got 2- 112+'s in my studio and a 212 in my office. Seem to have the #2 112+ cut volume and need to reboot the Helix- #1 112+ then the #2 112+. Can be very frustrating!!!

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I put in a ticket about this and they got back saying to check that I did a firmware update and that I am using AES/EBU cables. I told them that I am and that this is a known issue on the forum. I am waiting a response. I suggest that everyone here put in a ticket. Only takes a few minutes. It needs to be addressed. Knock on wood, it is not happening with me lately, but that could change. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just submitted another ticket about this. PLEASE, of those on here with same issue, do the same. They do not think it is an issue. I sent them the link to this thread (although there are other places this is posted on the forums). I love the Power Cabs now that I really understand them, but this issue sucks! A lot of people may not be experiencing it because they do not daisy chain two cabs, but this was the beauty of the L6 Link set up and Line 6 Edit being able to control both cabs. I really think if they fix this bug and the problem with the HF Driver issue that pops up on the 212, that these Power Cabs will be their best thing yet when added to the Helix. 

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12 hours ago, dietmd said:

Ditto to Wondo100. Not sure what th HF issue with the 212 is?

 

 

12 hours ago, Wondo100 said:

@rd2rk can probably chime in on the 212 issues. I did not have my 212 long enough to experience that. I preferred the 2x 112s

 

Powercab 112 Hardware update - Powercab - Line 6 Community

 

EDIT: Solution: Use MIDI to send CC#5 to the Powercab. Value of 0 = OFF, Value of 113 = ON 0.0db.

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Dears,

 

just to give my frustration about this digital link issues to this thread.

 

- Stagescape with digital Link -> 3 Gigs done, two times a disaster. The link was interrupted several times in 2 gigs. (Yes I have used special super duper 110 Ohm Cables) At the and I have changed to Behringer X32 with analog to Stagesource. No problem till 8 Years.

 

- Variax with digital Link -> Same lollipop, frequently the Helix is not transporting the guitar information to the Variax. This makes a real WOW-Effect on gigs. Beside that, this is a known Bug (Yes, I am using always the latest Updates)

 

- Powercab with AES -> Same lollipop, the powercab frequently is getting the wrong data for adjustments. This makes the ears banging, today I have got 125 dB my ears are ringing. (Yes I have used a special super duper 110 Ohm cable) Beside that, I have seen some postings about the same behavior in different portals.

 

My personal opinion: Line6 is serving us with cool stuff, great ideas yes I love it. But this digital transfer lollipop is always a mess when it comes from Line6.

 

No, I will not change my gear, I will stay with Line6, but I am still frustrated to see, that they develop new things instead of making their portfolio compatible and RELIABLE.

 

 

Just have a look at the date stamp of the lates SW-Updates for Variax, Powercab & Stagesource, this will tell the same story.

 

 

 

Greetings,

 

Mike

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Ekim_Efendi said:

just to give my frustration about this digital link issues to this thread.

 

 

Have you added your support ticket to the queue?

Maybe if we bury them in support tickets we'll get some attention to the issue.

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Not to downplay your experience in any way, but I'm including my experiences below.

 

On 8/3/2021 at 12:46 PM, Ekim_Efendi said:

- Stagescape with digital Link -> 3 Gigs done, two times a disaster. The link was interrupted several times in 2 gigs. (Yes I have used special super duper 110 Ohm Cables) At the and I have changed to Behringer X32 with analog to Stagesource. No problem till 8 Years.

 

I have been using the M20D with Stagescape speakers since 2013. The ONLY time I had any issues was early on when I was using standard XLR cables. Since going with AES cables I have not experienced any issues with data transmission to the speakers. Our typical live setup is 2 mains (either L2t's or L3t's depending on the venue) and 2 L2m's for monitors. Averaging 2 gigs a month. 

 

On 8/3/2021 at 12:46 PM, Ekim_Efendi said:

- Variax with digital Link -> Same lollipop, frequently the Helix is not transporting the guitar information to the Variax. This makes a real WOW-Effect on gigs. Beside that, this is a known Bug (Yes, I am using always the latest Updates)

 

I've been using a Variax model of some sort since... 2008 maybe? Started with a 300. Currently own 4 JTV's of some sort and a 600. I actively use a JTV 89US and a JTV89F for live gigs. 

 

I've been using a Variax with a Helix for about 4 years now. I don't have any recollection of any issues using the VDI other than user error like saving a patch with the JTV engaged on a snapshot when I didn't want it engaged... Things of that sort. 

 

On 8/3/2021 at 12:46 PM, Ekim_Efendi said:

- Powercab with AES -> Same lollipop, the powercab frequently is getting the wrong data for adjustments. This makes the ears banging, today I have got 125 dB my ears are ringing. (Yes I have used a special super duper 110 Ohm cable) Beside that, I have seen some postings about the same behavior in different portals.

 

Although I do have a Powercab 212, I'm not actively using it live as we are all going direct to PA now. I am aware of the reported issues, but I was not taking advantage of that functionality so I have no opinion to offer here. 

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  • 1 year later...

I have recently observed that when using Helix with my Powercab 212 connected with Line6 link, Helix appears to properly control the speaker mode. But when mode is Flat, Helix through Line6 link only controls the voicing (FRFR, LF Flat, LF Raw) for the left speaker. That is, the right tweeter is not turned on and off properly based on the voicing setting. Changing voicing from the Powercab 212 controls or using MIDI works properly on both speakers. I have notified support and they are looking into it.

 

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We've been telling them about that and other issues for about 2 years now.

There's two lengthy threads about Powercab problems over on TGP in the D&M Forum.

Our conclusion after opening MANY support tickets is that Powercab is abandonware, and that the L6 attitude towards owners is to totally ignore us.

In fact, when I pressured DI about it (usually a helpful guy) he basically said "Bugger off, it's not my job and I don't care!".

 

If you somehow get a different reaction from them, PLEASE post about it here and in the D&M Forum on TGP.

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Line6 support has acknowledge the defect is in their defect backlog. But I have no further information on whether it is a priority or would ever be fixed. My recommendation, and what I'm going to use myself, is to not rely on Line6 link, but rather use two TRS cables and a MIDI cable and use MIDI to control Powercab212. I will continue to use Line6 link with a single Powercab112+ as this is reliable. 

 

Defects are a reality, workarounds are good. I'm hopeful this will be fixed, but moving on to make the best use of the gear I have.

 

 

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On 10/20/2022 at 3:50 PM, amsdenj said:

Defects are a reality, workarounds are good. I'm hopeful this will be fixed, but moving on to make the best use of the gear I have.

 

 

Yep, that's what I've been doing. You would think that L6 would want to fix the tech that bears their name, but...

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