Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Jump to content

HX Stomp w/powercab plus not sounding right


jakebronson
 Share

Recommended Posts

I just purchased an HX Stomp along with a powercab 212 plus. I’ve been messing around with it and can’t seem to dial in an amp that actually sounds like they are supposed to. They all sound muddy/muffled. I have purchased some patches and they are ok but shouldn’t a fender deluxe sound like a fender deluxe without adding an eq and manipulating it? I think I am probably doing something wrong. I am disappointed and a little confused. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most Presets have a Cab. PC212+ should be on Preset 000 Flat Stereo.

If it's on that Preset, you should be good. 

Check that it's on the latest FW v2.00.1.

Do a Factory reset - hold the home button until the Global Settings display, turn the edit knob till you get to Factory Reset, press the knob, turn to select YES, press again.

 

If it still sounds muffled , make sure that your presets are loud enough to cause the Input LED to flash YELLOW, occasionally RED when you dig in.

 

Also keep in mind that you need to turn the amp up enough to get over the Fletcher-Munson effect (GOOGLE it) - that's AT LEAST 70db (80-90 is better), which is pretty loud if you're trying not to annoy the neighbors. It's not really a bedroom amp.

 

Make sure the Global EQ isn't on or, if you're trying to keep it down, use the EQ to counter the aforementioned F-M effect.

 

If, after all that, it still sounds muffled, you either:

Don't like the PC212+ (mine sounds great, not muffled at all).

OR

It's defective.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, jakebronson said:

They all sound muddy/muffled. I have purchased some patches and they are ok but shouldn’t a fender deluxe sound like a fender deluxe

 

Follow the advice of @rd2rk above.... 

I'm just going to expand on one thing he mentions. 

 

The presets you bought will include "cab models". The PC+ must be set to "FRFR Mode" (Preset 000 Flat Stereo) for those presets to sound good. If you are running the PC+ with any speaker modeling at all, you need to turn off the cabinet in the Helix models. 

 

The general rule is do not run a speaker model into another speaker or speaker model. "Muddy/muffled" is often the result when you do. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, jakebronson said:

...but shouldn’t a fender deluxe sound like a fender deluxe without adding an eq and manipulating it?

 

In a perfect world, sure... in practice though, that almost never happens. EQ is your friend, and the overwhelming likelihood is that most patches you create will require at least some additional EQ beyond what you can accomplish with the amp block's tone controls. 

 

11 hours ago, jakebronson said:

 

I think I am probably doing something wrong. I am disappointed and a little confused. 

 

As indicated above, if you're piggybacking more than one speaker emulation on top of each other, the results will never be anything but mud.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Other good things to keep in mind - If you currently own a Fender Deluxe, your Helix/Powercab will NEVER sound EXACTLY like it. Similar, but NEVER EXACT!

 

If you're trying to make the Helix/Powercab sound EXACTLY like the Fender Deluxe you had in High School, you're on a fool's errand. Scientifically speaking, accurate memory of a given sound lasts (IIRC) approximately 13 seconds. No, I don't know where I read that. Google it!

 

If you're trying to make the Helix/Powercab sound EXACTLY like the Fender Deluxe that your favorite musical star used on their Greatest Hits album, again, a fool's errand. That was done in a recording studio with an engineer who processed the sound with a million dollars worth of audio gear.

 

The best we can ever do, even if we have the RW amp for comparison, is to get a pleasant sound that's "close enough".

 

Be happy! Play music!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, rd2rk said:

Scientifically speaking, accurate memory of a given sound lasts (IIRC) approximately 13 seconds. No, I don't know where I read that. Google it!

 

 

 

Lol... assuming that this is true, then we've all been chasing our tails for decades.

 

"Ah...I seem to have stumbled into the 'Time Well Spent Ward' "

- Dr Bob Kelso

 

;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, cruisinon2 said:

Lol... assuming that this is true, then we've all been chasing our tails for decades.

 

We humans like to believe we're top of the food chain, but we have so much in common with our canine friends.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone for your kind, educational and humorous advice. I do know enough to not run a cab emulation into the powercab with it not on FRFR. What I have figured out is my assumption that the amp models would be dialed in relatively close to the actual amps. They are not. EQ is my friend, thanks cruisinon2, and I will adjust to taste. Overall it is an amazing setup and highly tweekable. I purchased the Rhett Schull bundle and found that it is a great starting point for my tone journey with this setup. I am an analog guy who sold all of his analog gear for the sake of clutter and gear hoarding. I will overcome and slay this digital dragon! Thanks for the input. And my dogs for sure live a better life than I do and I wouldn't want to read anything a cat would text for fear of the sarcastic truth the cat would lay down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/3/2021 at 4:15 PM, jakebronson said:

. What I have figured out is my assumption that the amp models would be dialed in relatively close to the actual amps. They are not.

 

see the thing is, they are.  If you had the actual amp used by Line 6 to create the model, and played it (using a load) through the same speaker emulation on the PC I bet you could not tell them apart in a blind A/B.

There is nothing muddy or muffled sounding about a helix/PC combo set up correctly - not a criticism as this may take a while to get right.

 

If you read all the posts on here and TGP then you will see that:

roughly 20% of people swear the Helix is far far to bright

roughly 20 % of people swear the Helix is far too dull and muffled

 

and about 50% seem to be trying to make helix sound EXACTLY like a particular amp they either own or used to...I dont mean the same make and model  - I mean a specific individual amp - which of course is impossible as all amps vary....especially older ones.

 

For transparency sake I should point out I made those numbers up....but you get the idea.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, lawrence_Arps said:

 

see the thing is, they are.  If you had the actual amp used by Line 6 to create the model, and played it (using a load) through the same speaker emulation on the PC I bet you could not tell them apart in a blind A/B.

There is nothing muddy or muffled sounding about a helix/PC combo set up correctly - not a criticism as this may take a while to get right.

 

If you read all the posts on here and TGP then you will see that:

roughly 20% of people swear the Helix is far far to bright

roughly 20 % of people swear the Helix is far too dull and muffled

 

and about 50% seem to be trying to make helix sound EXACTLY like a particular amp they either own or used to...I dont mean the same make and model  - I mean a specific individual amp - which of course is impossible as all amps vary....especially older ones.

 

For transparency sake I should point out I made those numbers up....but you get the idea.

 

SO TRUE! Every word. Even the made up ones! :-)

 

Here's some more (made up) statistics:

40% of musicians have permanent hearing damage and THINK they have "Golden Ears". They hang out on TGP.

40% of musicians never had good ears to begin with and THINK they have "Golden Ears". They hang out on TGP.

20% of musicians have at least "Silver Ears". This is the 20% who are out there rockin' and rarely if ever waste their time on TGP.

Yngvie believes that he's the only musician in the world who HAS ears.

 

I like to think that I once had "Silver Ears", but after all these years of rock'n'roll and at my age, I'm just happy that I still HAVE ears!

I spend WAY too much time at TGP.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...