Input Pad ... wow

[mojoe1969]

I tried the input pad and found that it expanded the amp gain on the amp models for me as I found them to be a little too sensitive and I had to keep the gain really low to be usable with the pad off. This was especially effective with clean tones. With the input pad engaged you have to readjust the settings to get the effects of this change. It's nice that we can now do this by patch and take advantage of it without too much bother. I use regular humbucker and single coil pickups and it made a positive change in some if not most cases having the pad on.

[jimimidi]

now i feel like eggplant

[craiganderton]

Just to confuse matters further (puts on lab coat, turns on calculator)...

 

To get more sustain, I keep my pickups further away from the strings than most players. This also gives a lower peak-to-average signal level ratio, so I can get more average level into subsequent devices, like the Helix. I did some tests on pickup placement vs. output and sustain, and found that moving pickups from 2 mm to 4 mm away from the strings brought the peak levels down by 8 dB. I didn't think to measure the average level, which likely wouldn't have been so dramatic a difference. Still, I was surprised that 2 mm could change peak levels that much.

 

Anyway, the point is that if you change the distance from your pickups to the strings, you may need to re-visit the input pad vs. no input pad settings. With my pickups placed as they are, I get similar results to the pad being in, but without the pad being in.

 

 

[codamedia]

On 6/22/2022 at 1:08 PM, craiganderton said:

I did some tests on pickup placement vs. output and sustain, and found that moving pickups from 2 mm to 4 mm away from the strings brought the peak levels down by 8 dB.

 

I would have never expected such a drop from a 2mm change.  

Thanks for those tests/experiments and insight... that is a great little article. 

[theElevators]

On 6/23/2022 at 10:36 AM, codamedia said:

 

I would have never expected such a drop from a 2mm change.  

Thanks for those tests/experiments and insight... that is a great little article. 

Oh yes!  My Strat's sound varies greatly depending on the height of the pickups... from completely dead to loud/clipping.  

[mrchevy327]

For a while I thought I was on the TGP. A whole lot of cat slapping with the occasional meaningful comment. Meaningful comments appreciated. 

[coachz]

Interesting

https://helixhelp.wordpress.com/2017/04/19/tip-global-guitar-pad/

 

Also, I think this might be wrong in the HX Edit manual on Page 37.

 

Similarly, HX Stomp XL and Stomp devices include an Input block - Input Level option. You can set this to Pad/Instrument or Line level option per preset, or set to Global, which then allows the level to be set to Pad/Instrument or Line level via the device’s Global Settings - Ins Outs - Input Level option

 

I think Pad/Instrument or Line level  should be  Instrument or Pad/Line level because the line level has the effect of padding the input as described correctly in the HX Stomp XL manual on page 56 below.

 

Choose “Inst[rument]” when connecting a guitar, bass, or stompboxes to HX Stomp XL’s input jack(s); choose “Line” when connecting synths, drum machines, the sends from mixers, or other line-level sources. If your guitar or bass has really loud active pickups (or if you just happen to prefer the sound of a “padded” input level for your instrument), choose “Line” - Or, just try both and trust your ears.

 

I also verified that the Stomp XL input set on Inst is hotter than Line by a few dB.  I also verified that Guitar Pad in HX Edit has the same effect where Off is like Inst, On is like Line and Global uses the Global input setting of Inst or Line.