Solved ? - driving enough input to PC 112 plus via L6 Link

[cheekybeermonk]

Hi gang

 

I have been struggling to work out how to set my digital signal levels via L6 Link from my Helix LT to provide enough oomph to drive the input indicator on the PC 112 plus to flicker yellow. Getting the input to flicker yellow seems to be the accepted wisdom of driving a good sound out of the PC112 plus and is mentioned in the manual.

 

I finally got the hint I needed from the Powercab FB group...Thank you !

 

I had been adding gain on the output level of the LT preset  by 12-18 db to get the input light on the PC 112 plus to flicker yellow which was then messing up my other non PC 112 plus scenarios such as using Jamulus.

 

It seems that the trick is to leave the Helix LT output level at 0db on the preset, crank the LT big knob to max and then use the Level slider on the Powercab model itself in HX Edit which you can simply raise until you get the yellow light just flickering

.

I had been adding input gain on the PC 112 and then was told that only effects analog and usb inputs and not L6 link.

 

it sounds goood too.

 

Hope this helps others ! 

[Vic20-Ian]

I have been wondering about this myself.

 

Is the global setting for Line 6 Link set a bit low? Is there even a global setting for it?

 

I see a Digital level setting in Global Settings for S/PDIF or AES/EBU but not specifically for Line 6 Link on my Helix Floor.

 

I tried setting to AES/EBU and selecting a +18dB output and I get no effect on the Powercab. I wonder if the global setting is operating differently to the model output setting.

 

On a particular model I am using the output setting I see is set to -2.7dB on the Output (Multi)

 

Turning this up pushes the Powercab to Yellow and into Red with some drive like your results above which sounds a lot better.

 

 

[PerS]

Hi

I'm not a Powercab user yet but I found thouse videos from Jason Sadites that explain this well (I use similar way to make Helix patches with good result). There is four videos but I think if you look at the first you get the feeling how to make/gainstage the patches and then look at the third you see how he apply this to the Powercab. 

• First video, basic on the Helix
• Second video, a deeper dive 
• Third video, how to do this on the Powercab
• Fourth video, another explanation of details with focus on why not unity gain or more what it meens in context with Helix.
  
  Hope it make sense

Take care.. /Per

[cheekybeermonk]

Thanks for the video links ! 
 

I think the Global Digital Level is if you use SPDIF or are connecting to a non Line 6 system via AES/EBU and is bypassed for L6 Link 

[Vic20-Ian]

Yes, it seems odd that the L6 Link level has to be manually edited on the output of each patch when other outputs can set it globally.

 

Maybe I am understanding something incorrectly but it seems like it could be done globally for L6 Link too in a future firmware release.

[lawrence_Arps]

This one seems odd to me.  I usually start with my blocks all close to unity, then by the time I do some boosting on solo snapshots etc  helix is running just over half on the output meter.    If I turn this up any more then my clean tones trigger the red led on the powercab.   based on my daw meters Im probably running the Helix at about -12.  Overdriven sounds done trigger the red - that figures due to the compression.  Anyway - my point is I dont have any issue getting strong output to the PC using L6 Link.

[somebodyelse]

You're sending a digital code down a wire, NOT an audio signal. It doesn't pass through DA converters, and is strong enough to carry over several hundred feet.

Increasing it's signal level would only make the digital signal capable of travelling further, not louder. The 'loudness' information is carried within the code, so you have to change that coded info per patch.

I suspect the 'digital' global settiings only apply to SPDIF, in order to boost the signal level over longer cable runs, since they're unbalanced cables, low voltage and probably prone to signal degradation even over relatively short lengths. I very much doubt they actually affect the 'loudness' of the audio. The 'L6 Link' IS an AES/EBU signal.