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Excited New Hd500x User With N00b Questions!


justcrash
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Hi guys, after an initial problem with updating my stuff, I am now up and going. The HD500X editing software crashes a LOT. Is that normal?

 

Also, how should I set the device up, output wise, if I want to use studio headphones to make patches?

 

How about if I want to run it like a pedal board into an amp with no effects loop?

 

Last night I tried running it our of the balanced XLR output (the right, AND the left, one at a time) and could not get any sound out of it when I plugged it directly in to a channel on my PA. What did I do wrong?

 

Lastly, as a new user, what would be a great exercise to familiarize myself with the system?

 

I am really jazzed!

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With headphones you want studio direct output.  Into the front of the amp you want one of the other outputs based on what sounds good to you.  I always use the XLR outs to my PA speaker.  Works great.  I use both XLR outs and go into two inputs on my PA speaker since the L and R are Stereo.

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On the crashing - what PC are you using and what OS?  I am running XP on my Dell Laptop and the EDIT software rarely crashes.  I have had it lose communication with the HD500x once or twice and had to restart it but it is normally solid and I run it all the time when I am using my Pod in my music room.

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With headphones you want studio direct output.  Into the front of the amp you want one of the other outputs based on what sounds good to you.  I always use the XLR outs to my PA speaker.  Works great.  I use both XLR outs and go into two inputs on my PA speaker since the L and R are Stereo.

Is there one that is mono? How do I set it to studio direct output?

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On the crashing - what PC are you using and what OS?  I am running XP on my Dell Laptop and the EDIT software rarely crashes.  I have had it lose communication with the HD500x once or twice and had to restart it but it is normally solid and I run it all the time when I am using my Pod in my music room.

Windows 7, homemade Pc. I guess crash was the wrong word to use. Mine loses connection a lot, and then reconnects.

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Lastly, as a new user, what would be a great exercise to familiarize myself with the system?

 

downloading and reading the Advanced Guide would be your best bet...  then when you ask questions, you can point to the section you actually need help with...  ;)

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downloading and reading the Advanced Guide would be your best bet...  then when you ask questions, you can point to the section you actually need help with...  ;)

 

 

I did that last night, even printed it off. Where should I look, sir?

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I did that last night, even printed it off. Where should I look, sir?

 

sir? LMFAO... dude I work for a living so lay off the high fallutin' BS... Look everywhere!  Use the table of contents!  I don't know what you want me to say...  You asked for the best exercise to familiarize yourself with the gear and that is it...  read the manuals and go along with each step with your POD so you see WTF they are talking about...  then when you don't understand a step or function you can say " on page such and such its says blah but I don't get it"... now we have a reference to actually help you with something rather than trying to just tell you how the thing works from scratch...  give it time... its a complicated little beast but well worth the effort...  :)

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sir? LMFAO... dude I work for a living so lay off the high fallutin' BS... Look everywhere!  Use the table of contents!  I don't know what you want me to say...  You asked for the best exercise to familiarize yourself with the gear and that is it...  read the manuals and go along with each step with your POD so you see WTF they are talking about...  then when you don't understand a step or function you can say " on page such and such its says blah but I don't get it"... now we have a reference to actually help you with something rather than trying to just tell you how the thing works from scratch...  give it time... its a complicated little beast but well worth the effort...  :)

I appreciate your help, and I am sorry I offended you. :)

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This thing is a learning experience.  I suggest that you download a bunch of tones from Custom Tone and experiment with them.  That's easier than starting from scratch and there are some good ones there.  The ones that come preloaded are not so hot. (They Suck actually)  Then start making your own by modifying some that are close to what you want.  This is only one piece of your overall sound so you need to adapt it to sound good with your other equipment. (Guitar, Amp, etc)

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hahahahahahah.....   Lighten up bro!  no worries...

:) Being the internet and me being relatively a visitor to this forum (been registered a while but don't visit a lot), I want to make sure I am not upsetting anyone. I like it here.

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This thing is a learning experience.  I suggest that you download a bunch of tones from Custom Tone and experiment with them.  That's easier than starting from scratch and there are some good ones there.  The ones that come preloaded are not so hot. (They Suck actually)  Then start making your own by modifying some that are close to what you want.  This is only one piece of your overall sound so you need to adapt it to sound good with your other equipment. (Guitar, Amp, etc)

Yeah, still don't know what I am doing for teh amp situation. Do I want to run it directly into my Marshall SL5 (no FX loop) and disable the amp/mic/cab sims? Or run it directly into the PA?

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I'm on Windows 7.  I've had my Line 6 Gear for a couple of weeks now and have not experienced any crashing or lost connections.

Ok, I work in IT and I have several USB cables laying around. I'll test those. :)

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Yeah, still don't know what I am doing for teh amp situation. Do I want to run it directly into my Marshall SL5 (no FX loop) and disable the amp/mic/cab sims? Or run it directly into the PA?

both solutions are OK, just different.  Do you have both available to you all the time?  Is it just for gigs or rehearsals or use at home?  full volume or bedroom levels?  there is no one answer...  you have to try both for yourself and see how they sound with your gear and your fingers and ears...  and of course, what you actually have with you when you want to play...

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both solutions are OK, just different.  Do you have both available to you all the time?  Is it just for gigs or rehearsals or use at home?  full volume or bedroom levels?  there is no one answer...  you have to try both for yourself and see how they sound with your gear and your fingers and ears...  and of course, what you actually have with you when you want to play...

Yes sir, I have a full PA and amps. I may take Saturday and mess with it.

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sir? LMFAO...  :)

 

Sir Radatats of the Knights who Say Ni! ;)

"We want a Shrubbery!"

 

Ok, so real quick answer to the original poster - output modes are basically telling the POD which of the modelling components to send out, and how to adjust their tones / sound to best suit the type of amplification you're using.

 

In your case - the SLASH signature model Marshall - you are gonna need to do some tweaking to make it sound right.

By that, I mean, the "studio/direct" which was referenced is an output mode designed to feed a 'full range / flat response' PA or keyboard amp, mixer, or something along those lines. It includes the full gambit, of:

 

- preamp modelling

- power amo modelling

- speaker modelling

- microphone modelling

- room modelling

 

While no one says you can't run that right into your Marshall, you may struggle somewhat making all of those items sound good going into a guitar amp, which is expecting an instrument (guitar) HI-z level signal, as opposed to a line level signal or mic level signal.

 

The other output modes Sir Radatats spoke of - "combo/poweramp" for example or "combo front", in your case. I believe the portion of the manual (go with this one) that you would want to check out starts on page 2.7:

 

Start by doing this:

 

Accessing System Setup

To access the System Setup options, press and hold the VIEW button. Here you can

configure several device functions, Input & Output settings and more.

 

Page 4, Setup: Output Options

The Mode setting on this page allows you to configure the type of signal fed to your

POD HD500X analog outputs to optimize for direct recording versus connecting to an

external amplifier.

 

By "page 4", they mean page 4 of the system setup, in your POD.

 

Knob 1 selects the Output Mode. This is a global setting.

• Studio/Direct: Typically the best option when connecting “Direct†to a mixing

console or recording device. This signal includes “Studio†Cab Models, Mic

Model and an “AIR†convolution to best emulate a mic’ed amp within a room.

• Combo and Stack settings: Optimizes your tone for connecting to an external

amplifier. The signal includes “Live†Cab Models,with no Mic Model or “AIRâ€

convolution, with a special EQ curve added for each.

• Combo Front & Stack Front: For connecting into the front input of a typical

combo amp or amp head + external cab, respectively. When choosing either

of these Modes, you’ll see the following additional options for further tone

shaping:

 

Lows (Knob 2): Attenuates the low frequencies.

• Focus (Knob 3): Increases the overall midrange.

• Highs (Knob 4): Attenuates the high frequencies.

• Combo Power Amp & Stack Power Amp: For connecting to the power amp of

a combo or head amp.

TIP: When using the Combo or Stack options and connecting into a tube amplifier, we also

recommend that you choose a Preamp Model from the Amp Model menu (rather than one of the

“Full†Amp Models). HD Preamp Models include no power amp emulation, making them typically

better suited for this connection. That said, there is no wrong choice! PODs have always been about

flexibility... Check out all the possibilities and decide which Models work best for your tone!

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In terms of going into your PA, that will probably be the manner in which you are most quickly able to get the sounds which your ears will be most happy with. Not that you won't be able to make the Marshall work - try that tip from the manual about using the 'pre' options of the amp models instread of the full, and try tweaking with the combo/front EQ settings.

 

Now, when you run this HD500 into a PA, or mixer which is outputting to a PA, it's back to the studio/direct mode. This will also allow you to run recordings, in which, the studio/direct mode most closely resembles what you would hear if you were recording an amp in a room with a mic. Recording the combo front, stack, poweramp, etc modes will most likely sound, well, not good.

 

Think about it as components, and what they do. Look at the Marshall. It has a tube preamp, and a tube poweramp. And then consider, that the POD is doing digital models of both of those things. It's going to help to envision the POD as a TARDIS (Dr Who reference) wherein all these amps fit into a tiny little box. They are real, they're in there! It's not just esoteric 'sounds like a marshall'. It's really a Marshall inside that HD500x, or really a Fender. (it's all about suspension of disbelief).

 

The more you can understand how the gear works in the 'real' world - a point Rads made elsewhere, regarding the AMPLiFi gear - the more the plethora of settings this thing offers will make more sense, and be less random, in how you approach using the many, many, many settings and tonal adjustments your new gear has to offer.

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Yes sir, I have a full PA and amps. I may take Saturday and mess with it.

again with the sir?  you military?  my advice, pick one and stick with it for now.  There are too many differences between getting a good sound from your amp and from direct to PA.  Both are good, just different  Decide which you want to focus on for now and get it down before you move over.  My suggestion?  Start with the PA first in Studio Direct Output using full amp models.  These patches will sound great through headphones and studio monitors so you will be able to travel with them more easily.

 

Once you get the hang of it, you can take what you have learned to build patches for running into the front of your amp.  These will most likely be with Combo Front output and will NOT sound good through headphones or other monitors.  Hoever, you CAN get good results with your amp.  You may want to just use the POD like a regular effects pedal board with your amp.  That little bugger has a great tone on its own so that might be something you want to consider...

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again with the sir?  you military?  my advice, pick one and stick with it for now.  There are too many differences between getting a good sound from your amp and from direct to PA.  Both are good, just different  Decide which you want to focus on for now and get it down before you move over.  My suggestion?  Start with the PA first in Studio Direct Output using full amp models.  These patches will sound great through headphones and studio monitors so you will be able to travel with them more easily.

 

Once you get the hang of it, you can take what you have learned to build patches for running into the front of your amp.  These will most likely be with Combo Front output and will NOT sound good through headphones or other monitors.  Hoever, you CAN get good results with your amp.  You may want to just use the POD like a regular effects pedal board with your amp.  That little bugger has a great tone on its own so that might be something you want to consider...

 

 

Sorry, no, not military. My dad was a Korean war vet. Kinda stuck with me. :)

 

I think this evening and tomorrow nightm I'll use my studio headphones and Saturday set up the PA for Sunday band practice and mess with it some more.

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My chiropractor calls me sir; cracks me up! (pun, pun, pun....!)

 

Yeah, you should be good to go with getting a sense of what it sounds like on decent headphones, and into the PA with your band. I ran mine that way until I was able to get a DT25. Just got a pair of L2t's, and I finally get to test them out this weekend with the guys, super psyched! If you have a monitor that you can run off the PA and make it your dedicated monitor, that will help. I found that the manner in which the HD500 sits in the mix varies alot when running direct. Once you get a handle on what you want to sound like and how to adjust accordingly, it will sound pretty good.

 

Start reading up on the DT amps, and the L2 and L3 gear, because before long, you are going to inevitably want to hear what the HD500x can do with that L6Link feature. And if you get major G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome) like I did, your budget is going right through the roof, or right out the window.. (in a good way!)

 

And I second Rads, stick around - there are some extremely knowledgeable folks here with a heap of real world experience, many of whom have been vital in helping me with my own questions along the way. Everyone starts somewhere! Lucky you, you picked an awesome place to jump on board the Line6 train. All Aboard!!!

 

Cheers, Happy First Day of Spring!

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Absolutely right :)

 

I bought my JTV-59 in August, then started to find out about the Dream Rig, them GAS kicked in, got my 500x in January and now have a DT25 as well :)

What made you decide on the DT25 as opposed to an L2 or L3?

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What made you decide on the DT25 as opposed to an L2 or L3?

Just the fact that I was able to demo the DT, whereas I couldn't find anywhere near me with the L2 or 3, and really liked it even as a standalone amp, with no pod or Variax.

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