How can I play clean with higher volume?

[DugT]

This is day two with my new Helix floor and I love it but I have one problem. The volume is too low when I play clean. Increasing the volume via drive or level or big output volume knob increases distortion to unacceptable levels. If my output is set to LINE, the clean volume is just a little better but then the higher gain presets are way too broken up. With the Output set to INSTRUMENT,  my other presets are great but my clean preset volume is even lower. This is the case with three different clean amps that I have tried, US Princess, Jazz Rivit (Roland JC120), Archetype Clean, Can you think of anything else for me to try?

I'm playing into powered stereo JBL studio monitors. I could crank up the volume on them but I would have to turn it back down when I play with any gain.

Thanks

[DugT]

False alarm. My studio speakers volume was too high. This is how it is supposed to be done.

Set Helix output to Line.
Turn speakers volume to zero.

Turn the Helix Volume output knob to 11.
Play loudest preset while turning up the speakers volume to taste (so to speak.) I did this with my guitar volume set at 5 to leave some ability to control the volume at my guitar. 
After doing that I could just add a little drive to my clean preset and now it is loud enough and sounds great. 

[waymda]

An alternate approach is, to take the same approach, except setting the Helix Volume know to max, then turning your monitors to  the loudest you'd think you will want (louder than usual).

 

You can then your the Volume knob to how loud you want to be playing.

 

I've found my ideal setup to be having a mixer between the Helix and monitors so the Helix runs flat out, I can check patch settings with the mixer's metering, and control how loud the helix (and everything else is) going into my monitors. This maybe overkill for you.

 

As to clean versus dirty sounds and levels:

• use the Ch Vol slider to set amp output levels without impacting on tone - it is not an amp control like master volume but literally an overall volume
• play around with a compressor at the end of the chain to help with patches sounding the same volume (something like the LA studio comp, or the Rochester)
• watch Jason Sadites videos - specific suggestions below

 

[DugT]

11 hours ago, waymda said:

An alternate approach is, to take the same approach, except setting the Helix Volume know to max, then turning your monitors to  the loudest you'd think you will want (louder than usual).

 

You can then your the Volume knob to how loud you want to be playing.

 

I've found my ideal setup to be having a mixer between the Helix and monitors so the Helix runs flat out, I can check patch settings with the mixer's metering, and control how loud the helix (and everything else is) going into my monitors. This maybe overkill for you.....

 

 

Thank you, waymda! I like your idea to use the Helix volume knob instead of the guitar volume because I think the Helix knob would change the tone less than the Guitar knob.