Cabling

This is the standard 4CM cabling:

CABLE FROM TO
1 Guitar HD500 Guitar In
2 HD500 FX Send Amp Input
3 Amp FX Send
(Sometimes called Pre-amp Out)HD500 FX Return (Left)4HD500 1/4? Out (Left)Amp FX
Return
(Sometimes called Power Amp In)

All cables can be standard guitar-type cables. The HD500 FX Send jack is actually
stereo (TRS) but a standard guitar cable can be used here: from firmware 1.40
onward, the FX Send will be automatically mixed to mono when a standard mono guitar
cable is used.

If you have MIDI channel switching on your amp then I strongly recommend that you
try a MIDI cable also. This allows you to change your HD patch and amp channel with
a single button press very cool! Check your amp manual and/or the Pod HD Forum
for more details.

Amp Settings

CONTROL SETTING
Amp FX Loop Turned on !
Amp Loop Level Switch * -10dBV (Instrument level)
Amp Loop Send Level * -10dBV (Instrument level)
Amp Loop Return Level * +-0dBV (unity gain)
Amp Loop Mix Control * 100% Wet/Effects only
Amp Master Volume ** Start Low! See note below.
* These controls may or may not exist depending on your amp. Set them as suggested
if they do. Dont worry if they dont.

** Note: on many amps the Master control is implemented after the effects loop.
On some other amplifiers the master control is implemented before the effects loop.
In this case the output volume on your effects unit becomes the master control for
the amp and you may need to turn the master control on your amp way high to provide
a signal into the effects loop. Equally, you would need to turn the HD500 Master
level down !

HD500 Settings

The settings below are the same for both methods except those in red which are for
the first method and blue which are for the second method:

CONTROL
SETTING
Master Volume Knob * 100% (or less see note below)
1/4? Output Switch Amplifier for method 1
or

Line for method 2Loop Level SwitchStompSystem OutputCombo Power-Amp -if you
have a combo

Stack Power-Amp if you have a head and speakers

* Note: on many amps the Master control is implemented after the effects loop.
On some other amplifiers the master control is implemented before the effects loop.
In this case the output volume on your effects unit becomes the master control for
the amp and you may need to turn the master control on your amp up way high to
provide a signal into the effects loop. Equally, you would need to turn the HD500
Master level down !

Patch Setup Effects Only

This is a setup for a patch using Effects only. The settings below are the same
for both methods except those in red which are for the first method and blue which
are for the second method:

Control

Start off by creating a completely Blank patch with no effects set and no amp
model selected.
Move the mixer device to the very end of the effects chain by moving all of the
effects blocks in front of the amp model.
Add an FX Loop effect to the effects chain somewhere near the middle.
Add a studio EQ just before the FX Block. No EQ changes should be set but the gain
should be raised by +12dB *. This compensates for a level drop between the HD
Input and the HD FX Loop.
The mixer channel A level should be set to around -1.5 dB for method 1 or around
-14 dB -12dB for method 2 and Panned to Centre. Mixer channel B level should be set
to Mute. Note that this level may vary quite a bit between amps. The best
advice is to flip the Amp Loop on and off and adjust the Mixer output level until
the level is the same with the loop on or off.
Any effects that you want in front of the Amp can now be inserted into a free
block to the left of the FX Loop block in the effects chain. Typically these
might include Compressor/Overdrive/Distortion and Wah.
Any effects that you want in the Loop of the Amp can now be inserted into a free
block to the right of the FX Loop block in the effects chain. Typically these
might include Delay/Modulation and Reverb.
Try and ensure that the Output or Level for each individual effect does not
make the overall volume level louder or quieter. This will avoid level problems
with the patch overall.
Set Input 2 Source to Variax even if you do not have one. This will reduce
background noise on higher gain patches and will help keep the input gain at the
right levels. This setting is found within System Settings but is set for each
patch individually.
Do not select an amp model for an effects only patch as this will then be in
competition with your real pre-amp in and will probably sound poor..

* Note (Oct 2012): The FX Send level is set by the gain level Studio EQ in step 5
above and is dependent on your choice of Input sources.

If you set your POD Input Sources to Input 1 = Guitar/Input 2 = Variax (as
suggested in step 9) then you should set the level to +12dB as suggested.
However, if you prefer to use set your POD Input Sources to Input 1 = Guitar/Input
2 = Same then you should set the level to just +6dB to avoid over-boosting your amp
input and causing unwanted clipping.
Patch Setup Amp Model

If you want to use a modelled patch while in 4CM instead of your amps pre-amp this
is simple.

Start with a patch as created under Patch Setup Effects Only above but with the
following changes.

Remove the Studio EQ Block

Remove the FX Loop Block
Select an Amp Model
Set the amp gain and volume level so that the Amp volume roughly matches the real
pre-amp volume.
A Note on Levels

When doing the basic 4CM setup, before overlaying your choice of effects, you
should be looking to make sure that volume levels are kept close to the right
level.

The input into the amplifier should be the same as when you plug your guitar in
directly.
The send from the amp back to the HD should be at instrument level and no louder
than when it was sent.
The output from the Pod HD should be the same volume level as when the amp loop is
turned off
All in all, the ideal setup is when your volume levels in 4CM are identical to if
you were just plugging the guitar into the amp directly with the amp loop turned
off. The setups above aim for this but it is possible that you may need to adjust
levels at some point. Some hints then.

The HDs FX Loop Send level is effectively the level sent out to the amplifiers
pre-amp and allows you to cut the level not boost. This is unfortunate because
the HD seems to drop a few dB between its input and Loop send.That is the reason
for the studio EQ at step 4: to boost the FX Send Level a little i.e. the level
going into the amp input. If you need to adjust the level up or down, it is
probably best to adjust the gain level on that EQ. On my HD, using the Studio EQ
as I describe gives you unity gain no boost or cut between the input of the
HD and the loop. I would expect this to be the case with other HDs also.
The HDs FX Loop Return Level controls the level coming back from your amps pre-
amp into the HD Loop return and allows you to boost the gain level not cut. It
should not need to be adjusted unless you find that the FX loop Send on your amp
cuts your gain level. Then you can raise it by a few DB to compensate. Try
flipping the Amplifier effects loop on and off. If things get quieter then try
boosting the loop return.
You should do all level checks like this using a patch without additional effects
(apart from the FX and Studio EQ blocks). This is cause the overall levels can be
pushed up and down by individual effects. When you do add the additional effects,
pay attention to output level settings in the individual effects and try and keep
things at the same level as when the effect was turned off.
If you have a Line-level FX Loop on your amp then you can use a device such as the
Ebtech Line Level Shifter or GLab SA-1 to do the conversion between +4dBu and
-10dBv. The GLab in particular is highly adjjustable to match exact levels where
an amp loop is a bit weird. Other, similar devices exist Google is your friend .

Hi Gain Noise Issues

4CM setups can suffer from additional noise. By nature, 4CM messes with levels
around the amplifier and will introduce multiple ground connections in, increasing
the chance of a ground loop. These are a pain but can generally be remedied.

PRE-CHECKS
If there are any noise issues within the system then you will meet them doubly
working with high gain channels . Normally, on a healthy amp, you would expect to
hear hiss on the high gain channels but not significant hum. You would be
therefore be well advised to check for excessive noise in the system before you
start trying to configure 4CM. To do this:

Disconnect ALL effects and cables from the Amp and turn off the effects Loop.
Plug in a working guitar with a good lead and turn the guitar volumes all the way
down.
Select an OD Red channel and turn the channel gain level to around 11 oclock and
the volume level to around 2 oclock. Set the master to around 9 oclock.
Now listen. You will expect to hear hiss but if you hear significant hum then there
is a problem in your system that is not related to 4CM. It may relate to cables,
failing tubes, power quality or any number of other reasons and you should check
elsewhere in the forum for advice on how to fix this.

If you hear only hiss then you are good to go with 4CM and know what to expect.
Connect up the 4CM cables. Setup a blank 4CM patch on the HD as per the quick
start guide above and power up the amp.

KILLING HUM AND OTHER NOISES

With the 4CM running, you might hear a lot of hum. There can also be ugly ringing
or howling within the patch, the kind of thing that you hear where there is a
ground loop or a slightly microphonic tube. Sometimes the noise has a phasey,
glassy or cocked wah quality to it.

There are three main arease that are worth a check:

Levels. Check everything is set as per the guide and you are using a blank 4CM
patch with only the FX loop and Studio EQ blocks inline and levels set correctly.
If you are happy that everything is set right and you still hear significant noise
then you need to check for
Bad Cables. Replace any suspect cables with good ones. Bad cables pretty much
guarantee extra noise. Splash out on new ones or make your own using good cable and
connectors). Check cable runs. Do not run 4CM cables alongside power, wherever
possible. If the cables are bundled, try separating them. If that doesnt work then
check for
Ground loops
Ground Loops are caused by having multiple ground connections between the Amp and
the HD. These will come in through the main power connection ground for both units
and also through the audio cables 2-4 in the 4CM. Ground loops in the power
connections can be addressed by plugging the Amp and the HD into the same power
strip. Ground loops in the audio cables are a little more tricky. I am aware of
two approaches to resolving them.

First, You can use transformer-based device like the Behringer HD400 hum destroyer
to eliminate ground loops within the setup. This can be very effective and I had a
good result with one of those. Other vendors have similar devices (e.g. Art,
Ebtech). Some people think, however, that transformers can have a detrimental
effect on the signal and they can also reduce gain by a few dB wherever they
connect. I found that the second of these was true but I didnt hear much tone suck
personally.
Second, you can disconnect the ground connection within some of the cables that
connect up the 4CM. I tried this on the cables that link in and out of my Amp Loop
and again it seems very effective. This is my chosen method.
If the hum persists, there may be other reasons. Lousy power in a house or venue
is commonly suspected of being a cause of noise. Some people say that power
conditioners can be great at fixing this (though others say that they are snake
oil). I have not tried one.

Finally, move away from the amp if you can. If you are too close, or standing in
the wrong place, hum can ensue.

KILLING HISS
If you hear hiss only or have managed to kill off your hum, leaving only hiss: good
news, you can fix that with noise gates. Start by putting a noise gate block
directly after the FX Loop block in the chain. Set the Decay parameter to 0 and
then adjust the threshold until the hiss just disappears.

Turn the guitar volume back up but damp the strings with your hand. For most
guitars You will hear noise coming through from the pickup and cable. If this is at
a reasonably low level, you can kill this noise by using a second Noise Gate at the
very front of the Effects Chain. Again, set the decay to 0 and turn up the
threshold until the noise just disappears. Now save the patch.

If everything is good and the guitar noise levels were initially fairly low then
you should find that the amp can now very quiet when you are not playing and should
sound natural when in higher gain modes. In lower gain modes, avoid a gate unless
you need it as it can mess up the note decay and sound unnatural. Remember, you can
choose to configure gates on your high gain patches only.