Bridgehouse

Mini pedalboard - google pedaltrain nano You could just use a Preamp pedal on the floor but I put mine on one of these with a tuner and wireless receiver with one power supply (so only one plug)

If you find a Preamp you like and build a mini board (I have a pedaltrain nano) then you effectively get the Preamp section of your amp as a board mounted pedal that has a DI out for connection to Front of House

Yep. Agreed. Doesn’t need the valve stuff - just a nice simple DI with core ashdown tone

I don’t quite get why they don’t do a classic Preamp DI with the mag 300 style Preamp in it, or emulated - just a simple EQ and gain etc.

I see he’s liberally applied a tube of “No More Headstock” on that...

Serious answer - no - it’s all too easy to mix up DI, balanced, impedance, trs, trss, xlr etc

Yes, but more accurately, no

Ah if it’s a left and right separate TRS then yes, both will be balanced

As a necrothread, my bass face is now

That’s some clever wiring then... 😂 Either way, the important bit is the conversation you have with the soundman before you plug in to anything....

It’s exactly this - and commonly it’s break angle over them or at the nut. I have the issue only with TI Jazz Flats as they are lower tension...

Shame it’s not a Genz Benz - you could have used your shuttlecock..

Unless the Stomp output is 4 signal wires and splits into two different TRS outputs in mono and thus two signal wires per channel - in which case

For balanced output (noiseless over distance) you need two signal lines (tip and ring) to allow the reverse phasing which cancels the noise picked up off the cable. Some equipment will balance this in stereo at the other end, but if you split it into two outputs then you get two unbalanced mono feeds out.

Don't forget - if you split those TRS signals (L/R) to two monos then you lose the "balanced" bit....

Thinking about it, I reckon Line6 had a choice to make, given the space available in the stomp. They had to provide a non-instrument type balanced out.. and it needed to support stereo as loads of Helix's effects are stereo and would be a bit rubbish if there was no stereo out. Now, to do a Balanced XLR Direct Output in Stereo would require two (L/R) XLR's - just as for full fat helix. Way too much real estate taken up there and they'd struggle to squeeze it in! So, a single Mono balanced XLR out would mean no access to that stereo goodness, so instead it's a TRS Stereo output - which is dual purpose - can be stereo when needed, or balanced, and can be set to inst or line level. Personally, I'd have ditched midi and gone for a Mono mic level balanced XLR and a TRS Stereo out to cover all bases - but that's just me The TRS Stereo out is more than good enough for 99% of usage scenarios - each time I turn up to a gig with a switched on sound guy they normally wonder over with an XLR cable and a phantom powered DI box connected, then either unplug the XLR and put that into my DI out or have a 1/4" straight into the box. If I presented twin 1/4's for stereo he'd go find another DI box. If I went stereo to another amp he'd either take a DI out of that or again, two 1/4" outs to DI boxes. If he didn't have a clue what to do with a 1/4" TRS out and didn't understand me when I said "line or instrument level?" I'd be concerned about a whole heap of other stuff.. like if the audience are actually going to hear us at all and if we are gonna blow up 😁

I’m not convinced the stereo out is the answer for DI - it’s a bit either or - the two signal lines are there to provide the “balanced bit” (phase is reversed so that any picked up noise can be cancelled out) - but in true stereo I’m not sure you’d necessarily want this for DI to a mixer. The stereo would be useful to output to a power amp or other device that could process the stereo You’d have to use two channels on the mixer for a stereo input (unless there is one already there) and that means two unbalanced connections so some sort of DI would be required to allow long cable runs. You can see this in reality on the full fat helix - it has two (L/R) XLR balanced outputs for just this purpose..

Just thinking about this, the sw setting of the output level is the handy part on the Stomp. Ignore the connector for now... Some scenarios.. Plugging directly into the front end of a trad amp = set output to instrument and use a standard cable Plugging into a power amp - if it has balanced line in then set to line output and 1/4 trs to 1/4 trs lead - length unimportant. If not balanced then also set to line but use a standard instrument cable and take care of length. Mixer for FOH - if there’s a line input (of any flavour!) set to line and use appropriate cable - could be trs to xlr if balanced or to 1/4 if not If the mixer needs to use a mic input then set to instrument level and go straight into the on stage DI box provided by soundman or use a DI pedal and use provided XLR into that.

And just for clarity - DI (direct injection/interface) comes from replacing a microphone in the signal chain (mic’ing an amp or instrument) with a direct connection