just returned from a European tour :)

[theElevators]

 

Played my Helix direct to FOH, using Mooer Baby Bomb into the speaker of a Fender Deluxe amp for stage volume.  Can't say enough great things about the Baby Bomb!!  The Helix didn't let me down, but I took my LT as a backup.  And it went a little bit something like this :) 

[ricstudioc]

Not sure I'm gonna watch the whole thing, but now - that's an intro!  Sounds great, cool lineup, tight as a snare head.

 

Kudos!  Well done.

[josehdx]

Hi ho. Can anyone clarify if am right?

 

Modeller+ DI = connection to Front of house

Modeller+ power amp = connection to cab or 4 cable method to combo amp or direct connection to a cab and then (if required) to front of house via microphone 

 

They way theElevators posted would be the 2nd option i posted if i am correct. Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

[theElevators]

 

@josehdx

This is my setup.  No microphones were used to reproduce my guitar sound.  No 4-cable method was used. 

 

All the sounds are created by the Helix. 

 

Helix: Left XLR + Right XLR -> front of the house in stereo

 

Helix: Left/Mono 1/4" -> power amp -> speaker .... to hear myself on stage and get feedback, and to feel the air move when I play guitar. 

 

 

 

 

I use the power amp + speaker as a personal monitor.  I did not plug in the Fender Deluxe, I simply used it as a glorified speaker cabinet.   Ironically, the "amp" portion of the combo amp was a backup, in case my (very portable) power amp should die. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[josehdx]

On 2/3/2023 at 3:51 PM, theElevators said:

 

@josehdx

This is my setup.  No microphones were used to reproduce my guitar sound.  No 4-cable method was used. 

 

All the sounds are created by the Helix. 

 

Helix: Left XLR + Right XLR -> front of the house in stereo

 

Helix: Left/Mono 1/4" -> power amp -> speaker .... to hear myself on stage and get feedback, and to feel the air move when I play guitar. 

 

 

 

 

I use the power amp + speaker as a personal monitor.  I did not plug in the Fender Deluxe, I simply used it as a glorified speaker cabinet.   Ironically, the "amp" portion of the combo amp was a backup, in case my (very portable) power amp should die. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

[MayPRS]

On 2/3/2023 at 9:51 PM, theElevators said:

 

@josehdx

This is my setup.  No microphones were used to reproduce my guitar sound.  No 4-cable method was used. 

 

All the sounds are created by the Helix. 

 

Helix: Left XLR + Right XLR -> front of the house in stereo

 

Helix: Left/Mono 1/4" -> power amp -> speaker .... to hear myself on stage and get feedback, and to feel the air move when I play guitar. 

 

 

 

 

I use the power amp + speaker as a personal monitor.  I did not plug in the Fender Deluxe, I simply used it as a glorified speaker cabinet.   Ironically, the "amp" portion of the combo amp was a backup, in case my (very portable) power amp should die. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many thanks for this! I was thinking in going the same direction on this year's tour myself. Just a quick question: to use just the power amp of the Fender Deluxe (let's say you didn't had the Baby Bomb) which connection had to be made? Amp's FX Loop Send? Would this work?

[theElevators]

On 2/6/2023 at 7:49 AM, MayPRS said:

 

Many thanks for this! I was thinking in going the same direction on this year's tour myself. Just a quick question: to use just the power amp of the Fender Deluxe (let's say you didn't had the Baby Bomb) which connection had to be made? Amp's FX Loop Send? Would this work?

Note: I do not bother having any split path where I remove the amp simulation or speaker simulation for the personal monitor mix.  I take the same exact signal that I send to FOH and run it through the amp for stage volume.  I have a global EQ that I sometimes use to take out the boominess that sometimes happens with some cabinets.  During this tour, I did not engage the global EQ at all. 

 

The Fender Deluxe amp has no effects loop, so you can't use just the power amp of it without the preamp.  So if the Baby Bomb died, I would just connect myself to the Fender Deluxe as is.  If you have a Marshall combo amp, for example, it has an effects loop, and you can bypass the preamp and go to the power amp without much "coloration". 

 

Amps with an effects loop have: 1) send jack and 2) return jack.  If you want to go to the power amp section of the amp, simply connect the signal from the processor to the "return" jack.  Note, that most times there is no way to adjust the loudness when you do this, except on the Helix itself, so make sure you have plenty of headroom to make adjustments as needed. 

 

Some amps like the Fender-type amps are very clean, and they amplify the processed signal very nicely, even though you can't separate the preamp from the power amp. 

 

My 2nd choice of an amp for stage is Fender Twin Reverb.  But honestly, for the stage size I play on, a single 12" speaker is PLENTY of volume, I would not ever need anything more than that, unless I start playing stadiums.  A dual-speaker cabinet does not have the same focused sound for me as a single 12". 

 

 

 

I happened to dial things in right, so that I do not even need to compensate with any global EQ -- it sounds good, and more importantly feels familiar, like I'm playing through a guitar amp, not some kind of a monitor. 

 

 

 

 

 

[MayPRS]

On 2/6/2023 at 1:07 PM, theElevators said:

Amps with an effects loop have: 1) send jack and 2) return jack.  If you want to go to the power amp section of the amp, simply connect the signal from the processor to the "return" jack.  Note, that most times there is no way to adjust the loudness when you do this, except on the Helix itself, so make sure you have plenty of headroom to make adjustments as needed. 

 

I use a VOX AC30 with FX Loop. The amp haves channel volume and master volume - won't the master volume regulate the power amp volume?

[theElevators]

On 2/6/2023 at 11:24 AM, MayPRS said:

 

I use a VOX AC30 with FX Loop. The amp haves channel volume and master volume - won't the master volume regulate the power amp volume?

I'm not familiar with that amp... if it does have a master volume knob, then that's great.  I set my Helix volume knob in such as way that at 12:00 -- 1:00 it's plenty loud, and if needed, I turn myself up/down throughout the show form the Helix.  My Mooer also has a volume knob, but I taped it down and don't touch it. 

[MayPRS]

On 2/6/2023 at 4:27 PM, theElevators said:

I set my Helix volume knob in such as way that at 12:00 -- 1:00 it's plenty loud, and if needed, I turn myself up/down throughout the show form the Helix.

 

Great advice! Many thanks again for all the replies!