Paraflux Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 Hey all, just posting to try and get some answers to what might be happening. I have been using the Pod HD500 off and on for nearly ten years now. Have never had any real issues until recently. Out of nowhere, without changing anything about my setup, the Pod HD500 has begun to have a lot of sound clipping, especially when the guitar is on the bridge pickup. I have swapped different cables, different amps, different guitars, and tested with just headphones into the Pod HD500 to make sure it wasn't anything else besides that. It is definitely something to do with the Pod, as the clipping was happening with just headphones plugged in, and it is driving me crazy what it could be. I went from using the Pod fine the past couple of days to having this issue being a constant ordeal. Could the hardware just be old and have a faulty motherboard? Any ideas appreciated. Oh, forgot to mention that I also re-flashed the device and made sure things were up to date in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 First - define 'clipping' If you are talking about a mild fuzz/distortion when using a 'clean' tone... Change Input 2 to Variax Also, make sure the In-Z is set to 3.5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paraflux Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 Already got those settings set. Happens with any kind of tone and no I don't mean any type of fuzz or distortion. It's just the sound cuts in and out as I try to play. Like I said, nothing has changed in the setup that has been working before the past two days. Best example I can find: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurghanico Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 I suggest trying the AUX input instead of Guitar In to see if the problem depends on the input used. The Guitar In input is equipped with a particular circuit for impedance change, while the other inputs do not. Maybe there is a problem in the Guitar In input circuit, if you do the test above you will find out. If the AUX input works well you can use it regularly if you want, it has a fixed impedance of 1 megaohm which matches that of most guitar amps _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All about POD HD500/X help and useful tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paraflux Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 4 hours ago, hurghanico said: I suggest trying the AUX input instead of Guitar In to see if the problem depends on the input used. The Guitar In input is equipped with a particular circuit for impedance change, while the other inputs do not. Maybe there is a problem in the Guitar In input circuit, if you do the test above you will find out. If the AUX input works well you can use it regularly if you want, it has a fixed impedance of 1 megaohm which matches that of most guitar amps _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All about POD HD500/X help and useful tips See, I would have never thought to use that. Looks like Guitar In is the issue because using the Aux input made everything sound normal again. Do I wanna keep my Input 1 as Aux and Input 2 as Variax for this? Also, would getting the Guitar In input repaired be worth it or is Aux a fine enough placeholder? Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 14 minutes ago, Paraflux said: … Also, would getting the Guitar In input repaired be worth it or is Aux a fine enough placeholder? …. I’m afraid only you can answer that, and you would first need to know the cost. And that means dropping it off at an authorized Line 6 Service Center for assessment. I would try using the Aux input for a while and see if you find it good enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Also… you mention a Variax. If you have a Variax you can use the VDI input and bypass the Guitar and Aux inputs altogether. Another thought. It seems you are (or are planning to) using the Variax input, which implies a VDI connection. But it seems you are also using the Guitar or Aux input. Is that using a 1/4” cable connected to your Variax guitar? If so, that setup may be the cause of the whole problem. It is not recommended that you use the VDI and 1/4” outputs of the Variax guitar simultaneously. That is known to cause issues with the Variax circuitry on occasion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paraflux Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 23 minutes ago, silverhead said: Also… you mention a Variax. Yea, I just meant the Input Source settings. Most guides I have seen all say to set Input 2 as Variax. That's what I was referring to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 OK. Thanks for clarifying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurghanico Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 3 hours ago, Paraflux said: Do I wanna keep my Input 1 as Aux and Input 2 as Variax for this? Since you were using the single input approach [ie with input2=variax (like saying: null)] I suggest using the setting you said above to retain the same response you had previously from your patches.. FYI several POD users prefer to use use the fixed 1 megaohm impedance input setting instead of AUTO in their patches. (eg you get a better bypass signal) The AUTO setting exists only to have a slightly more faithful response from a very few effect models like the Fuzz Face, and to do so the Guitar In input impedance circuit AUTOmatically changes its configuration depending on the very first effect model (on or off doesn't matter) placed in the chain. However the fixed 1 megohm impedance you get from the AUX input is perfect for all amp models and most of the effect models. When the Guitar In input is set to 1 megaohm impedance it behaves exactly like the AUX input, no differences at all. The good news is that the input settings can be set as Global, doing so all your patches will use your Global input settings and you don't have to change them all one by one. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All about POD HD500/X help and useful tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 5 hours ago, hurghanico said: The good news is that the input settings can be set as Global, doing so all your patches will use your Global input settings and you don't have to change them all one by one. The bad news, is that it will override your current settings, which could change your tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurghanico Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 2 hours ago, pianoguyy said: The bad news, is that it will override your current settings, which could change your tone. If all of his patches use the same input configuration and all he has to do is change input1 from Guitar to AUX the global setting could only be an advantage, not to waste time patch by patch. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ All about POD HD500/X help and useful tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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