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HD500X Patch Changing On It's Own


bmcoonan
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Hi - 

 

Wondering if anyone has experienced the HD500x changing patches on it's own?  I use the HD500x basically as an effects box to my JVM with MIDI to control my amp channels.  Lately, I will be playing and step on say patch 2 - and within a second it'll go back to patch one.  Sometimes it won't change at all - but more frequently it'll go back to the previous patch.

 

Wondering if this could be something MIDI cable related?  I don't have a lot of experience in that arena, but just wondering if using that could make odd things happen at times, like if the MIDI cable was maybe going bad.

 

Anyway - thanks for any info you might have.  I haven't reset the HD500x to factory or anything like that yet - I've been able to get back to where I need to by stepping on the patch button a couple times and it's intermittent - so I'm not convinced there is something wrong with hd500x yet at this point.

 

Brian

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Hi bmcoonan. I occasionally experience what you're describing. I don't use any sort of midi with my hd500x either, so it can't be that. It could be the mechanical switches? or more likely a firmware bug, who knows. At least it doesn't happen too frequently. When it does happen though, it is annoying, and probably more so if you're on stage in front of an audience.

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Hi bmcoonan. I occasionally experience what you're describing. I don't use any sort of midi with my hd500x either, so it can't be that. It could be the mechanical switches? or more likely a firmware bug, who knows. At least it doesn't happen too frequently. When it does happen though, it is annoying, and probably more so if you're on stage in front of an audience.

 

Thanks duncann - at least good to know I'm not crazy!  You know like thinking I stepped on it but didn't?  lol.  I have to test it out at home I guess a little - it's only happened while playing actual shows which is really why I'm hoping it doesn't get too bad.  :)

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This may not be related, but make sure you are stepping on the switch all of the way. In my experience,the switches on the HD500X with change the patch at the point that they click but are not yet all the way down, most of the time. There is a little play in the switch past the point that it actually clicks, and I've tried to make it a habit to press the switch firmly all the way down when changing patches and/or turning effects on and off.

 

My Sanpera pedal for my VYPYR VIP II amp has the exact same kind of footswitches that the HD500X has, and the same thing happens with that pedal. I have to make sure I press them all of the way down when switching or else sometimes it doesn't change.

 

In other words, be a lead foot when changing patches, but not so much that you could break anything :P

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I have had my HD500 unit since Oct 2010 and this kind of thing has never happened to me. I would never play live with my HD500 if this was happening. Maybe it's a HD500X issue. 

 

It looks like you are not the only one this is happening to :

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/8450-bank-channels-changing-by-itself/

 

Definitely not exclusive to the hd500x, as I also have an hd500 with the same behavior.

 

I lean towards it being some sort of firmware bug because the only time I have had problems with the switches is when changing patches.

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Definitely not exclusive to the hd500x, as I also have an hd500 with the same behavior.

 

I lean towards it being some sort of firmware bug because the only time I have had problems with the switches is when changing patches.

 

Interesting because mine has never had this type of behavior? I am not trying to disagree with you but I would tend to agree with alienux and I think that there is a problem with either how hard you press on the foot switches or the foot switches are going bad? I just had an issue with FS3 and sprayed contact cleaner in there and haven't had an issue since. I have had other issues in the past but this would be a major one for me.

 

It would be interesting to hear if others have had this type of behavior with their HD500's. 

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I've had my HD500 since Sep 2012 and also have never had this happen.

I echo FrozenOzone in that if it did, I don't think I'd be able to use it live anymore.

 

I've got all the updates except the last one (2.32) because I've also never, ever had feed back when using the tuner... I also setup the HD500 so when the tuner is used, it mutes the output. ;)

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I've only ever had a problem with the switches on my hd500x when switching patches. No other times. But now that I think about it, another possible explanation might be a sync issue. I frequently use hdedit and usually switch patches from there, but sometimes, during the same session, I'll use the device to switch patches.

 

Also, remember that this is a very rare occurrence (at least for me). Doesn't bother me very much either because I don't play live.

 

Unfortunately, the way things work, if you have this problem and play live it will most assuredly happen 100%. :lol:

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The same thing happened to me last night before an audience of 2000 people being the opening act of the famous group La ley in my country ... it was quite annoying and my performance was greatly affected by this problem ... why nobody has responded in Line 6 or give us any idea what to do to correct this? 
The problem IS NOT the switchers because you step and change the preset you select, but then the device will switch to another preset by itself. 
Digital_igloo or any of the experts from line 6 have any idea how to correct this situation?

 

Lo mismo me paso anoche frente a una audiencia de 2000 personas siendo telonero del famoso grupo La ley en mi pais...fue bastante molesto y mi actuacion se vio muy afectada por este problema...por que nadie de line 6 ha dado respuesta o alguna idea de que hacer para corregir esto?

El problema NO ES de los switchers porque uno pisa y cambia al preset que uno selecciono, pero luego el aparato cambia a otro preset por el mismo.

Digital_igloo o alguno de los expertos de line 6 tienen alguna idea de como corregir esta situacion?

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See, now I think I jinxed a random person named alexisltd! :o

 

Seriously though, that's gotta suck.

 

I remember when I was younger and played in a cover band, one night in a well known bar I started playing the wrong song because the setlist (written on paper) was partly obstructed by a mike stand. Oops.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone,

 

First time post here. I suspect I have a related but different problem, I'm posting this not so much with expectations of an answer but rather more to "register" my issue.  I play in kind of a "live" mode, using exactly one patch all night and just switching effects on and off within the same patch.  I don't have any problems at all with the switching, but I would *swear* that occasionally my POD HD  500 "loses" level settings.   I'm certainly quite aware that playing through different amps with differing volumes, different band arrangements (am I closer to the drums ? is my amp further than usual ? is  my monitor hotter ? eq'd differently? ) etc will all have impacts on the psychoacoustics, but I'm talking really big changes. For instance, at a recent gig, after setting  up and function checking everything, my gains were all suddenly *way* louder than my cleans. I mean WAY louder, and the compressor which I normally use as a lead boost was suddenly much louder as well.  I had to  readjust the levels on all three before playing, and then tweak them all night.  This, after taking pains to level all  three of them months ago with a db meter, then tweaking those levels while playing live to get a really consistent volume with just enough of a boost (via the comp pedal) to cut through on the leads, and having consistently played those settings for months in many different venues.

 

Also, about a month ago my expression pedal "lost" its calibration. That was  the first time its ever done that, and I've been playing this board for probably close to 5 years now.  At this gig last weekend, same thing - lost calibration, but fortunately I had an actual wah with me and was able to use that.

 

It seems as if I have a ghost in the machine, and I'm really curious how it could be.  These days I play live almost exclusively, and I'm a little gun shy.  When I setup and realized my board was off, it was a bit of an edgy moment for me, and I have to admit that I was not playing comfortably for the entire first set.  I was  constantly riding my volume knob trying to compensate for the large volume changes.I have not done any updates to the POD system in quite a while,and it performed reliably for years. Could this be a matter of some sort of storage media flaking out with age, or EPROM getting old  ? 

 

I have vascilated for years between my digital and my anologue equipment, perhaps it's time to go back to my lovely (but high maintenance) analogue pedals for a bit ? Or am  I crazy, and it really is simply the psychoacoustics of playing many different halls in different physical arragements ? Or perhaps one of my bandmates is toying with me ?

 

Any advice you can offer would be great.  The board is currently showing firmware v2.02 if that helps.

 

Thanks,

-Matt.

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Well last night, the HD500X really f'd me - thing would NOT stop doing stuff like turning delay on and off, not staying on the bank I pressed, not letting me shut the delay off when it DID turn on, changing mid-song if I WAS able to get it to a different patch, etc.  One thing that I wanted to share in case anyone else uses this set up - I had a MIDI cable going to my amp (JVM210C) to change modes - last night prior to bypassing the HD500X entirely, the MIDI channel on my amp was flashing non-stop - as if I were hitting patches on the HD500X that would send a signal to change the mode - and that change was audible as well - every time it would cause a < 1 second break in the sound - which pretty much sucked.  At the break I turned everything off and pulled out the MIDI cable which luckily stopped that from happening but the HD500X was still bouncing all over the place to where I couldn't use it at all.

 

What I did - I reset the HD500X to factory, insured that it's got the latest firmware, reset my amp, swapped every cable I could and no change - I believe the issue is truly within the HD500X which I registered on 7/21/13 - just long enough to be out of warranty probably - I hope that Line 6 will help but the thing is right now a pile of nothin...cause I can't use it.  I opened a support ticket - hoping that I get some help from Line 6 to either replace it entirely or provide some type of option for low cost repair - the thing is only a YEAR old.  

 

Or perhaps I just have to go back to analog, who knows.

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Just to update the thread - Line 6 support has graciously worked with me to send it back to them for repair, even though it's slightly outside of the 1 year warrantee, which rocks.  There was one guy somewhat locally who was a registered service center but after talking to him, and his attitude about the whole thing (saying "find out about the warrantee first and then maybe I'll take a look at it" - what the hell?) I wasn't feeling all that confident in visiting him. 

 

So - I'll update again once the whole thing is over with and I get it back, but I at least wanted to give a huge thanks to Line 6 for supporting one of their customers - I've used Line 6 stuff for years, ever since the first POD came out - it's nice to feel like that is appreciated by them.  :)

 

Brian

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Same problem here with switch instantly returning to previous preset. 

I've just posted a reply on a related topic: 

http://line6.com/support/topic/5968-pod-hd-500x-serious-problem-with-switching-different-presets/

 

My POD is about 4 months old only...

I actually made a comment on your thread before I saw you commented on mine...lol.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Update - on 8/4 I was told I was going to get an RMA number to send in my HD500X for warrantee work - have not heard from Line 6 since after 8/4 when they asked me to update my address, which I did that day.  I'm really hoping I didn't speak too soon about the customer service part.  :(

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Just an idea I had about this switching presets thing. It's been happening on my 500X unit a bit more lately with just the unit on and no hd edit open, so it can't be because of hd edit. But the patches I've been using are just about at the limit of the DSP. I think in one patch at one time I couldn't even add a noise gate. Maybe the programmers forgot to consider this situation? In other words, how much DSP, if any, does switching patches take?

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Duncann, in my opinion it is not related to a DSP limit issue, at least not in my case: even after a factory reset, the problem was still there. And when the switch issue was at its worst, it even happened spontaneously, without pressing a switch. Another remarkable thing: when I softly knocked somewhere on the metal board of the POD with the knuckle of my index finger, the POD switched presets as well. At the end, it didn't seem to matter how this knock was done on the POD: as soon as there was some kind of movement on the POD (knock on the hardware, press the Tap pedal or any other pedal, put the expression pedal in the heel position) , it switched presets.

I have returned the POD to the shop for repair two weeks ago. I hope to have it back soon...

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I wonder now if we're experiencing the same issue or a different one. I've never had anything happen by itself without any external actions. What you just described almost sounds like an internal short, possibly even a trace on one of the PCBs. If that's the case, I hope wherever Line 6 is having their circuit boards manufactured isn't having a quality control problem.

 

Let us know how this turns out for you. I know I'd be interested to find out what the problem is/was.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Same thing here.  Variax JTV69S -> 25' Line6 VDI cable -> hd500x -> l6Link -> L2T.  Random effect changes and / or the new patch selection doesn't seem to stick or goes back to the previous one.  Never happens when I'm on my own - sometimes happens when rehearsing with keyboard players - almost always happens live.  I have no MIDI cable or USB plugged into the unit when this happens.  This weekend it messed up in front of 10,000 people - frustrating.  

 

Also, sometimes cuts out like I have a bad cable, but I've checked and replaced the cable a few times already.  

 

...and when my volume pot on the Variax is at minimum it will randomly go to full volume after a minute or so.  If I move the volume knob it will start tracking at the right level.  

 

Argh.

 

P.S. All latest firmware updates Driver: 4.2.7.1, HD500X Flash: 1.32, Variax Flash: 2.10

 

..................

Latest Update:

I now have a support ticket open.  I think it may be a combination of two things - a wrong cable and a bad cable.

1) I used a regular XLR cable for the link from the HD500X -> L2t - my bad - the docs "strongly recommend" an AES (digital) rated cable - changed that but won't know until I play live again.

2) bad connection on the JTV (69S) - works rock solid with a regular ethernet with a proper clip (rj45) - intermittently cuts out with the VDI cable (even a new one).  This also explains the unexplained sudden volume on when the volume pot is turned down - the JTV momentarily loses it's connection and the patch resets to the default which has the volume at full.

Hopefully this resolves it.

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I have the same issue, and Im fairly certain you all do too... just a at different stages in the problem.  It starts when settings Occassionaly switch on their own where you think "maybe I hit it by mistake" or "maybe it was a power surge"... then it gets progressively worse.  You may notice that some of the switches no longer make the same clicking sound.  compare all your switches, I bet some will click and some won't.  after about 3-4 months of steady use (2-3 gigs + a couple of rehearsals per week) you'll find the switches useless.... can't use the tuner because it switches back to bank a before you can tune even one string.  Sometimes you get lucky and you can hold a switch down to eep your tone long enough for the bridge you're trying to get through... in the end the switching is so bad that it's switching while you're 3 feet away... repeatedly... resulting in a sound that's cutting out intermittenly like a bad radio edit.

 

I've had units replaced, I'm on my third, and I'm now convinced it's sub par switches (Don't tell me these are "improved" footswitches... I'm not buying that bs)

 

Sad thing is, my old pod xt live is reliable as ever... those switch designs were road rugged. But now I'm tied to the pod hd500x sounds and have to hope I can find a third party to put some decent switches in place if that's even possible.

 

3-4 months is NOT a reasonable lifespan for a $500 pedalboard.  It's almost criminal.  I don't know about you guys but music is a substantial part of my income and as I'm in a relatively new project right now, this auto-switching problem has cost me a gig or two as the audience doesn't know what's happening, they just assume you suck or you're drunk or whatever.  My 3rd pod HD500x bit the dust mid gig last night, I had to finish the night plugging my guitar direct into the board doing acoustic versions on my electric.  Totally killed the mood.  I seriously feel like I should be able to sue for damages as this is clearly a flaw in the design, seems anyone actually using these in a live working situation is having issues after about 3-4months.  I'm not the lawsuit type but I would feel justified.  Hopefully I can get the switches upgraded before I lose any more gigs because I actually used a bunch of the unique effects in this thing for a large portion of our set... and we're a 3 piece.  If I have to go back to the pod xt live we'll sound like a completely different band. :(

Just chimin in because I'm tired of seeing people pretend they've never heard of this issue before, or saying the switches are greatly improved.  This is a real problem line6... I was one of your biggest cheerleaders in my area, now I wouldn't recommend one of these to my worst enemy.

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Same problem here: the preset returned to the 2nd patch. At first, it happened occasionally, and later, it happened all the time. 

My POD was 4 months old only...

 

I took it to Line6 repair service, and it turned out that the footswitch of the 2nd patch was not working properly/kept hanging. They replaced the footswitch, and they also replaced 5 other 5 switches, because the were not properly clicking when being pressed....

Now, it works like new. I hope for longer than 4 months....

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I echo every single one of these faults (HD500X), and Shadowchild, at least you got three - four months, mine was screwing up within a week or so, one thing after another, by about a month in, this fault started rearing it's ugly head.   I tried nutting it out myself initially, then reading forums, contacting the L6 facebook page (Who incidentally recommending I buy this to use with my variaxes in the first place, not at all impressed with that recommendation I can tell you!)  Now just under three months since purchase, it is unusable.

Brief rundown.  I've used a lot of Line 6 gear over the years, and to be honest it is probably the least reliable stuff I have ever owned.  I have two of the original series Variax guitars,  Both of which I have had to get fixed.  The old Bogner Spider, ditto, now this.  In fact only my little 30w series iv spider is not playing up so far, but it is only a couple months old, so give it time.   

I'm going back to using my valve amps, stomp boxes and old school guitars for my gig Friday, and may well be back on that path from then on.  If only Fender and Roland could get their VG5 system to interface with a foot controller and change guitar models as well as amp, pedal settings from a floorboard, I know what I'd be jumping into.  Hell then I'd also have access to a pretty decent nylon string tone as well as all the standards.

I agree a lawsuit may well be justified.  If a supposedly professional item like this is making us all look like amateurs on stage, night after night, that ruins our livelihood, it costs us gigs, it pisses us off, as well as our bands, the venues, the punters....  

I also agree it looks like faulty switches, either sticking on or not locking in.  I can not use the tuner, that began tonight, it changes by itself, that also started tonight, any button I stomp makes it revert to patch two of whichever bank I am using.  Even using the volume pedal makes it revert to patch two.

I'm posting footage on facebook.com/kenmcmahonsx from my phone tonight.  At least tonight was rehearsal, not a gig, but either way this thing can not be used ever again.  Still in the less than 20 seconds I filmed, it did it's own thing over and over and over again...  So that is not footage I think Line 6 would appreciate having on the web.  Still if they do not want to help me, I may well start putting it on every guitar forum I can find.  

Line 6 refuse to authorise me to take it to a local repairer, because I bought it from the USA, even though there were none available in Australia at the time (They were on backorder, and at least three weeks delivery time expected, so I jumped online and bought one...)

Pascal, the fact that they replaced half of your switches over this fault speaks volumes for how terrible the switches are, although I think if they found half them on their way out, they should have upgraded the lot.  Thanks again Pascal for showing me the links to the other two similar threads.  Prior to you pointing them out, I thought I was the lone wolf, the only poor sod experiencing this nightmare.   

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well since line 6 seems to be ignoring the multiple posts about this issue on the forums... I don't feel bad about sharing this link with you where a gentleman in Ohio is offering heavy duty switch upgrades... it's $100 but if it does indeed solve the problem I suppose it's better than dropping cash again and again sending these off for repair.  I'll let you know my experience with them as soon as I can raise the funds. (provided I don't lose all my gigs first *heavy sigh*)

=> r3fx.com

Oh and thanks to the person who originally mentioned that site somewhere here on the forums... I've contacted them and they do indeed offer the upgrade for the 500x... he told me to just use the same form for the hd500 and he can get the upgraded switches installed.

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  • 2 months later...

Very similar problem here. My Pod HD500X is only a few months old, and yet it showed signs of madness yesterday evening during rehearsals. I was using the fourth patch on a bank, and while playing it suddenly switched to the second patch, and this happened at least five times in a row. As Shadowchild suggested, you usually go through the mental process of thinking "maybe I hit it by mistake" or "maybe it was a power surge", but when I saw it change on its own several times under my eyes, I could definitely tell that it was no mere coincidence. I'm sure the button had been pushed down completely, and I also tried switching off and on (restart) the Pod, to no avail. I even noticed that the temporary pop-up screen (when you modify the settings of a patch on the fly) would stay visible for less than a second before switching back to the "generic" view, as if there were some sort of short circuit or instruction from the Pod itself to "switch back" or "change preset". It had never happened before, and I followed all the recommended procedures, most of all updating the firmware. Now my only chance is to wipe the internal memory clean, reinstall the latest firmware and start again, hoping that it won't fail me this Sunday, when I’m playing a concert with my band. I would be very disappointed if i had to ship my Pod back to repair after only three months (and I probably should already, because something is clearly wrong here!).

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Well, I disassembled it today and found the cause of our problem. Under abcd switches there is a "plank": long chip with buttons. And these buttons... Well, I don't know who decided it would be a good idea to use them in a device that would be smacked with legs. So there are these microbuttons like ppl who love to mess around with arduino use. You can find an image by googling "arduino button" tutorial. And these buttons (exactly under FS that are not clicking when pressed) are just not working properly anymore. Healthy button jumps back when you release it, while broken are just stuck. I don't get it how they still work at all. I don't know if there is a Line6 repair center here in my city and trying to get repair from shop might be as easy as buying a new one. Oh, and I have a gig tommorow. I'm really upset.

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Hi, i made this video teaching how to fix this footswitches pod HD500x problem.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoX6JPmj_lU

 

The switches broken the internal conector, so need to replace them, to avoid this happen again just remove a black pin under other footswitches, so will the spring will do less force to click the switches.

 

Im from Brazil and sorry my bad english.

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FWIW - my old GNX4 has the same type tactile switches and would stick and not respond after years of being mashed. After a careful disassembly I gave them an application of DeOxit contact cleaner and they all came back to functionality. I can't say that it will fix your problem but if you are out of warrenty it may be something to consider having done.

 

-B

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Thank you all for your replies, but I have already taken the Pod to the shop to be sent for repairs, because it is still under warranty: I bought it just three months ago and it’s faulty already! I’m sorry to say this, but every single Pod I’ve owned during the last 10 years (beginning with the first Pod ever, the red “bean†and going up to the Floor Pod XT Live and a Rack Pod HD Pro) has experienced problems, ranging from random loss of memory, sudden system restarts, problems communicating with Pod Edit via USB, easily broken / damaged control knobs and so on. I wouldn’t say they are very reliable, since my brand new HD500X has failed me last Sunday during a concert! It was so awkward, in front of all those people!

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 years later...

Hi, 

 

having the same issues here with my HD - Pro. 

Last gig, the presets were randomly selected and never stop changing. 

Last writing session, the tuner was switching on and off for several minutes, randomly. 

I've checked the knobs (they are clean) there are no midi interactions. 

 

I will tour in front of large audiences soon, I'll surely won't use line6. Poor reliability,  nobody needs that :(

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This is a very old thread.  Other than reset your PODHD to Factory Defaults and make sure Firmware is up to date, you need to open a support ticket.

 

I know it's frustrating when equipment doesn't work right.  But everything breaks.  I always have enough backup equipment to get me through a gig regardless of the failure but that's expensive.  Any touring act has or should have some level of backup equipment.  I've used my PODHD without problems for 6+ years now.  One time it got zapped by a bad AC Outlet and still made it through the night - just hummed.  Got it fixed a week later for $50 bucks and it was good to go again.

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  • 2 years later...

I’ve done a complete factory reset still constantly changing channel. Rather disappointed in a £500 pedal to be honest. It’s like the up channel is stuck. X3 and xt live both 

Aztec much better. This is why I went fir the hd500x. Literally have nothing else I can use to gig as line 6 software (workbench) crashes on windows 10. I use a jtv and different tunings. Really disappointed to be honest

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