Some effects can not be activated in within some presets

[HenkMeijer99]

I want to customize some presets using the pod-go app on my computer. But it seems that some of the shown effect units can not be activated. For example I want to add a specific distortion unit. In the pop-up scheme only some of the possible units can be activated, others can not. It depends on the specific preset that I want to change. What is the matter and what might be a solution?

Thanks for any useful comments!

Henk

[xucomartin]

when updating I have disabled some effects that previously worked perfectly in the same memory banks, possibly due to a band of thieves :)

[grdGo33]

Each effect has a cost, and you likely used too many expensive effects

 

https://benvesco.com/store/helix-dsp-allocations/

[voxman55]

14 hours ago, HenkMeijer99 said:

I want to customize some presets using the pod-go app on my computer. But it seems that some of the shown effect units can not be activated. For example I want to add a specific distortion unit. In the pop-up scheme only some of the possible units can be activated, others can not. It depends on the specific preset that I want to change. What is the matter and what might be a solution?

Thanks for any useful comments!

Henk

 

The following might help you to better understand how modern MFX units and Pod Go in particular, work. Similar to all modern MFX units the Pod Go gives you a huge choice of amp and fx models, but there is a finite amount of processing power ( DSP) available.  Even Helix (whilst more powerful than Pod Go & can do a lot more) still has DSP limits. 

 

Although Pod Go uses Helix modelling, it is not a Helix.  In Helix units like Helix floor, Helix LT, Helix stomp, Helix Stomp XL and even Helix FX, you have complete choice of what amps, cabs, & effects you can select - there are no 'compulsory' amps or fx you have to have.  Pod Go is different.  It is designed with a number of fixed blocks such as EQ, wah, volume pedal, noise gate, and fx loop. These use up very little processing power and whilst you can change the type of EQ or wah etc, you can't change these into anything else e.g. a reverb or distortion and you can't save processing power by turning them off.  Think of all these fixed blocks as using up DSP power equivalent to a tennis ball, and all the other fx and amps as being a football.  You can't put a football inside a tennis ball and hence you can't turn a wah into a distortion pedal or a reverb. 

 

Next is the amp block that you can't remove. Each amp model uses up different amounts of DSP and full amps use up more DSP than their preamp version, because full amps have more parameters which take up more DSP.  If you choose jumped amp models these will use up more DSP ie they are like a beach ball, whereas other amps might be a football and pre-amps will be smaller footballs.  Turning off the amp model doesn't save the amount of DSP - its a fixed block so Pod Go will reserve the DSP for the amp you have selected even if you turn it off.  If you didn't need an amp model you could reduce the DSP being used by the amp by selecting the pre-amp model that uses up the lowest amount of DSP processing power. See the link from @grdGo33

 

Finally, you have up to 4 'user' fx blocks that you can choose and you are free to select any of the effects you want ....but again each fx uses up different amounts of DSP and using the same balls analogy these can vary from say a half size football to a beach ball. 

 

Now, all of your balls (amp and fx) have to fit into a box. That box is the total DSP processing power limit you have available.  Think of the box as being able to hold say 5 normal size footballs (1 amp and 4 fx) but only  if you fill it with average size football's. If you choose 2 beach balls you might only have enough space in the box left for 2 more normal size football's or 3 smaller size footballs.  And if you chose 3 beach balls you might only have room left for a smaller football.  If you wanted to get a bigger football into the box there would be no room...but if you changed one of your beach balls for a football, you'd now have room for the extra football you wanted in the box. 

 

In Pod Go, effects like Spring Reverb and Horizon distortion, and jumped amp models use up a lot of DSP (ie these are big beach balls).  So if you select several of these 'beachballs' you'll only be able to get lower DSP hungry effect options ie smaller football's, into the box and sometimes there might even be no room left at all. 

 

In Pod Go some options will be greyed out to tell you that you don't have enough processing power left to have these (too many beach balls hogging up the room).  But if you change one or more of your choices to something else and change a beach ball for a football e.g. replace spring reverb with hall or room reverb, or a jumped amp model to a non-jumped version, or Horizon drive to a tubescreamer or other distortion, then you'll free up DSP. 

 

It would be so much easier if Line 6 MFX units showed you the DSP cost of your selection as a percentage eg Spring Reverb 33%, Brit Plexi Jump 41%,  Horizon Drive 25% etc so you'd know the DSP cost - even Helix users have asked for this.  Unfortunately Line 6 don't provide users with DSP information - Pod Go has no DSP percentage indicator next to each amp/fx model or even an overall DSP meter so there is no way to see the DSP cost of your selections. If it wasn't for the excellent work done by Benvesco we'd have no info on this.  But manufacturers like Zoom in the G6 and G11, and Mooer e.g. in the GE300 have a different philosophy and they do provide DSP info to help their customers. It's purely an ideological issue and a conscious decision by Line 6 not to show DSP usage...and it's something where I think Line 6 are just plain 100 per cent wrong and is why we regularly get posts like yours because Line 6 is not helping its (esp new) customers to understand about DSP and how Pod Go works.  (I've written several posts here on this topic including one with a shopping analogy, so look at past posts and have a read).    

 

Anyway, hope this helps you. 

[HenkMeijer99]

Thanks for the clear explanation! This is very helpful! Does it help to get more DSP if I should delete unused presets? 

Henk

 

[voxman55]

Just now, HenkMeijer99 said:

Thanks for the clear explanation! This is very helpful! Does it help to get more DSP if I should delete unused presets? 

Henk

 

 

You're welcome

 

No, presets are just memory slots which is different.