I was hoping to get some insight on what I could be doing wrong or why I’m having this issue. I’m trying to do something I’ve done for years with the Two Notes Captor which is run out of the Helix effects send to the input of my Bat Cat amp, from the amp to the reactive load, out of the line out of the reactive load back to the effects return of the Helix and my guitar plugged into the Helix. I host the IR in the Helix. This I also the configuration you have to use to make direct amp clones with the new Helix Stadium. When I do this with the PS-100 I get a signal but it almost sounds broken or like half the tone is there. Sounds pretty bad. If I plug my guitar directly into the Bad Cat and line out of the PS-100 into the effects return or the Helix, it sounds great. Something with the power station and helix effects loop just don’t seem to be working together. Anyone have any experience with this?
Well it seems to be working fine now. I feel pretty dumb but I think was hitting the Helix with too much signal and on top of that I’m used to the brighter sound of the Captor. Once I set levels to make a capture of my amp and flipped the Fryette to the brighter side of the switch things started sounding really good. The Helix doesn’t make it real apparent you’re clipping other than it sounding really bad.
There’s still something weird going on. Now when I plug my Orange OR15 in it squeals like crazy and sounds bad. The squeal lets up a little if I switch the reactive switch up to edge. If I plug my guitar directly into the OR15, out of the line out of the PS-100 and into the Helix it sounds fine. The Helix and this thing just don’t get along. Think I’m gonna stick with my Captor for this, I just thought the Fryette would be a better quality load box.
Well I figured out the issue with the Orange. Hopefully me talking myself through my struggles will help someone at some point lol I had to go XLR from the PS-100 to TRS into the effect return of the helix and push the ground lift button on the PS-100. If I try to come out of the 1/4” line out it squeals no matter what I do.
I use this type of set up,but with a Fractal AxeFXIII, it works perfectly..I have used the Fryette with an HX Stomp,and it works well with that too..I had a few issues which I had to correct,one was a ground loop,which is common with these kinds of rigs..I bought a Isolation transformer box from the output of the Fractal/Helix and input of the amp..This solved the squealing issue…2nd issue was getting the output level of the Fractal/HX right going into the amp input..On the Fractal,Out 3 unity gain(instrument level)is with out 3 knob full up..next issue,I had to set the Fryette’s reactive switch to flat on the low end..without doing that,the low end just overloaded the modeler..The ground loop was the biggest problem,now it’s the best sounding rig I’ve ever had…also,proximity makes a difference,with your amp cranked,having the Fryette too close to your guitar or modeler caused some squealing..
I think I’m having the same issue as described here.
I bought a PS-100 to use with my Helix Stadium XL and my 2x12 cabinet. I was also hoping to use the PS-100 as a reactive load box to capture my Carvin Legacy III using the Stadium’s new Amp Clone feature.
Once I set everything up, though, I’m getting a HORRIBLE high-pitched/microphonic squeal when I switch the Carvin to either gain Channel 2 or 3. The clean channel is basically fine.
Here is my signal chain:
Guitar → Helix Stadium XL Guitar In
Helix Send 4 → Carvin Legacy III Input
Carvin Speaker Out → PS-100 Amp In (speaker cable)
PS-100 1/4" Line Out → Helix Return 4
PS-100 Speaker Out → 2x12 cabinet (speaker cable)
As soon as the loop is completed by connecting the PS-100 1/4" Line Out back to the Helix Return, I get the terrible squeal on the Carvin’s gain channels.
I’ve done some troubleshooting to isolate it. If I disconnect the PS-100 Line Out from the Helix Return, the Carvin sounds normal through the cabinet on all three channels. If I leave the PS-100 connected as the reactive load but instead run the Carvin’s own Line Out directly into the Helix Return, everything also works normally on all three channels.
I realize I could simply use the Carvin’s Line Out for the clone, but my goal is to clone the entire amp, including the power amp section. That’s one of the reasons I bought the PS-100—to take the Carvin’s speaker-level output into the reactive load and feed that signal back to the Stadium for the Amp Clone. So I’d really like to get the PS-100 Line Out working properly in this signal chain.
I also tried essentially the same setup with a Synergy SYN-20 with a 6505 module, and its high-gain channel produced the same squealing issue when using the PS-100’s 1/4" Line Out back into the Helix.
I’ve tried different Helix Sends and Returns, different cables, the PS-100 Ground Lift, disconnecting USB and the Helix XLR monitor outputs, etc., with no change.
Then I found this thread, and the symptoms sound extremely similar to what I’m experiencing. Before I assume anything is wrong with my PS-100, do you guys think using the PS-100’s XLR Line Out → 1/4" TRS into the Stadium Return, along with the PS-100 Ground Lift, will solve this?
Just curious…have you tried the Fryette in By-Pass Mode?
Yes … I tried every combination of every switch with two different amps and multiple cables.
Last night I used the XLR to 1/4" and it worked like a charm. Not sure if this is a Fryette issue or a Helix/Line6 issue. I am going to try a JetCity Jettunator when I get a moment to see if the same issue persists.