Update your OS from another unit

1. Connect both amps together via MIDI (Out to In and In to Out).
2. Power up the sending amp while holding the “Store” button down and wait until it displays the message: "Sending Vers: 1.0x".
3. Power up the receiving amp while holding the “Tap It” button down and wait until it displays “waiting for data”. The amps should synchronize and start the flash dump. This will update the receiving amp to the version and settings of the sending amp.

Information on updating your OS
Following are some posts on the subject. The New updater is much improved  so some of this may not be valid  (jw)

Updating the OS gm.roberts@cwix.com; I'm in the process of trying desperately to upgarde my Millennium to version 1.05 (was at 1.01). Before starting the update, I tried running the diagnostic that's included in the updater package from Johnsons website. The MIDI loopback test passed several times as did the "flash dump protocol" test. I pulled 7 individual presets up to my PC and stored them, then pulled all of the presets together. All of this went fine. No problems or indications of any problems. I did my part. Then I started the OS update process and it failed immediately. I have tried restarting the process about 50 times with no luck. Expected 50H, too many midi targets, as well as other misc. messages. FUBAR. Does anyone have any tips or advice??? I tried the DOS updater, but it won't talk to my midi card. I think the DOS version of the updater is only MPU-401 compliant, and my soundblaster midi interface won't hack it. [Later...] Having survived the OS upgrade process, I thought I should put together some notes regarding my experience with the Windows updater. I think this is the kind of information the Digitech/Johnson folks should've gathered and shared with us on their website, or through "the list". The more information you have going into the upgrade procedure, the better your chances for success. Here's some observations/notes:

Using a real Soundblaster 16 will give you the best chance for success. The card I had in my PC was a DCS-S611 Soundblaster clone with an ESS1868 chipset. It failed miserably. Switching to a real Soundblaster 16 (and drivers) was all it took. Nothing else changed. I started the upgrade and it ran straight through, never missed a beat.

If you start an OS upgrade and it fails, your amp will be "brain dead" and will not operate until you get an OS loaded. Have a contingency plan in case you can't get it loaded via the midi link. You may have to try other sound cards (and drivers) as this is the largest variable. If you can't get the OS transferred via the midi link, you can try cloning it from another amp (see note below). You may want to contact your dealer before attempting the upgrade to see what version of OS their floor model has. I would also plan to do the upgrade on a day of the week and time of day that is convenient for you in case you need to visit the dealer to clone their amp. I started mine on a Saturday evening. REAL bad move. Tech support was not available and my dealer was closed on Sunday. I was FREAKIN'.

If you want to try the DOS based updater, you will need a real MPU-401 midi card (ie: Roland). Soundblaster type cards do MPU-401 emulation, which is where some of the problems come in.

Tech support verified that a cloning procedure exists and it works well. I did not try it and don't want to document it here because I may not get it right. It was close to the procedure shown on John's Johnson site, but I think there may have been a difference in which button is held down when powering up. I'm sure one of the factory guys will clear this up for us.

There are two diagnostic test that can be run from the Windows updater application. One is a "midi loopback" test and the other is a "flash dump protocol" test. Even if both of these tests run successfully, the OS load may fail. Both of these tests passed on my PC several times and I was able to upload presets from the amp to my PC. But the OS upgrade failed immediately (and consistently). I got a false sense of security from seeing the tests pass and being able to upload data from the amp. I would think the "flash dump protocol" test could be tightened up to screen out some of the sound cards that won't work.

Even if you can upload presets and save them on your PC, the new version of the OS may not be able to use them. It depends on the gap between OS versions. I went from v1.01 to v1.05 and found that the presets were incompatible. The updater application sent the preset files and the amp said it received them, but I got "Bad FX count" errors and a reboot of the amp. A factory reset cleared this problem. I'll reload the presets manually.

Leaving the diagnostic window open during an OS update will slow the process tremendously. Keep it closed unless tech support tells you to try an OS update with it open.

I'm sure one of the Digitech/Johnson guys will let us know if there is mis-information here.

How can I update my JM 150 with a Mac?
The latest version 2.0 Johnson Mac updaters are available on our ftp site for downloading at:
ftp://ftp.digitech.com/updaters/mac/JM150Updater_v20.sit
ftp://ftp.digitech.com/updaters/mac/JM250Updater_v20.sit
Thanks go to Bill Monk of Monkworks software for all his work in making these available. According to him, these version resolve problems powerbook users were having using the previous updaters. In his words, ". . .The fix applies only to Powerbooks with a single physical serial port. Dual-port machines like the 140/170, etc were not bothered by this problem. The symptom was the Updater finding a port OK, but no MIDI flowing to the amp."
Billy Clements - Johnson Product Development

Laruemann@aol.com I've recently purchased (in the last 6 months) the 150. I think the amp is great! But; you guys are making me nervous! Especially about upgrading to a new OS. I'm using 1.03. First off, i'd like to ask if you think upgrading to 1.05 is that much better or should I leave well enough alone. Secondly, if there was a tragedy do you think Guitar Centre would give me a problem about fixing the problem.

gm.roberts" <gm.roberts@cwix.com>: If you're worried about it at all, give Digitech/Johnson tech support a call and speak to Josh Kapp (801-568-7601) . Or you can email him at jkapp@digitech.com (contact info retreived from old messages on this list). He's the guru when it comes to updating.

If you purchased it new from the Guitar Center, the warranty should cover you. If it were me, I'd call Guitar Center and see if they have experience with the JM150 upgrade process before starting the upgrade process. Cloning from another amp should be a real "clean" way of upgrading if you need to take it to them.

Some straight poop on updating from Digitech/Johnson:
Josh Kapp, Project Engineer, DigiTech:
I have noticed that the diagnostic Test Flash Dump Protocol function doesn't always catch the offending cards. I'll look into it and see if it can't be improved. However, the new protocol will gradually make this test obsolete when it becomes available.

There is an issue with preset compatibility between software versions that affects bulk preset dumps. However, it really isn't based on how large the difference is between version numbers; it is tied to particular versions where changes were made to the program table. I will post some additional info on which versions to watch out for later--one of our software engineers is sorting it out. The way to get around the problem is to save each custom preset separately rather than doing a bulk dump to save all user presets. Chances are you won't have nearly all 100 user presets filled with your own concoctions, so this shouldn't be to big a chore. When you dump these presets back into the amp with the new software, it will convert each one to be compatible with the updated program table.

If you have updated the software on your amp and found that your bulk preset dump is incompatible with the new version you can still get your presets back. You can always "un-update" back to the old version, save your bulk dump to the amp, then dump your presets off individually. Then you can update to the new version again and save the individual presets to the amp where they will be converted to match the new version. Yeah, it's a little ugly, but its better than entering them in by hand if that's your only other choice.

Our web site doesn't have all the previous versions of the software available, so if you need them just email me at jkapp@digitech.com and I'll send it directly to you.

Upgrade Problems:
Stephen Thiele slt@ozemail.com.au: To cut a long story short, here's the situation:
After an unsuccessful OS update on my amp, it is now 'dead'. When I turn it on it says "Waiting for data". If I try to re-update the OS it gets to the point where the amp says "Expecting 50h" and thats as far as it gets (program says target is not responding). I'm not worried about putting the lastest OS on at the moment, I just want my amp back - any OS would do!

I've tried a factory reset - Turning the amp on while holding the "config" button and then the asterix does not come up like it should on the display, but I tried pressing the "mod" button anyway (as per instructions in the manual) but it's still just "waiting for data".

Two questions:
1) If I take the amp apart and pull out the battery for a minute will that restore the amp to the old OS or does the amp have no permenant 'hard copy' of the OS in it's memory (I'm kinda afraid it only has the OS in the flash memory/EEPROM with no permenant backup copy elsewhere).

2) If I find a computer which works with updater (obviously mine doesn't), will I be able to re-sync and update the amp or is the only way to clone from another amp (cause maybe to re-sync it needs MIDI commands from the amp's OS, which in this case does not exist).

[Later] Thanks a lot for the help and advice ppl, but still no joy with my amp. I've tried several sets of MIDI cables (even built my own), so the cables are not the problem. I've tried several SB16 sound cards and an SB32 in a friends computer, so it's not my computer or sound card. I've tried re-installing OS's like Win95 and also Win98 - still no go.

I figure that leaves two possibilities for the cause of the problem - A) My MIDI interface/break-out box. B) My sound card drivers and the way they are configured. As for the MIDI interface, first I had a box which I got from Creative which did'nt seem to work at all. Then I built my own (got it in kit form from an electronics store) and it seemed to work better but I'm still having this problem so I guess it could be in the interface - If I can find another pre-built one I'll certainly try it.

Here's what actually happens. When I go to Updater (for Windows) and hit 'Update OS', I then press OK at the confirmation box and then turn my amp on. Updater brings up a message and says the amp should be re-synced, so I click on re-try and then turn my amp off then on again. Then, they amp and my computer communicate (I see the lights on my MIDI interface flashing) and the Updater program re-syncs and brings up the progress indicator like it's starting to send the new OS - the amp even says receiving data like everything is about to work ok but then updater brings up the message that the target is not responding and I should check my MIDI ports and cables. It seems like as soon as it actually starts to transmit the OS, it loses it!

Anyway, I know my card isn't true MPU-401, but I tried the DOS updater just for the hell of it (in a Windows Dos-box). I told it my MIDI address using the "p=330" switch. I ran the program and when it started I turned on my amp while holding the 'tapit' button. The DOS updater then brang up a message which said something to the effect of the amp is not returning the same signal/data which was sent to it, so I figured something is getting scrambled along the line somewhere but maybe that's just 'cause I don't have an MPU-401 card.

Anyway, I know you guys have given me pretty much all the advice you can but I just ask one more thing. Whoever has done the amp update sucessfully before could you please give me every little detail of how you did it and how your computer and sound drivers were set up? I need info like were you using any DOS (real-mode) drivers or sound parameters in your startup files? Were your sound card drivers just the standard SB16/32 drivers? Did you need to set up an Instrument Deffinition File (IDF) in Windows for the JM150? Exactly what sort of MIDI interface cable do you guys use (model numbers would be helpful)?

gm.roberts [gm.roberts@cwix.com]:
Your assumption is correct... there is no permenant backup copy elsewhere. Personally, I dont think that pulling the battery will help at all.

If you find another computer that works with updater, I think there's a real good chance you will be able to complete an OS upgrade. I was in the EXACT same situation as you and was able to update the OS after about fifty failed attempts (the amp was stuck on "Expecting 50h"). I power cycled the amp many times using different "button holds", saw a lot of weird error messages and weird symptoms. Turns out my problem was the sound card I was using in my PC (a cheap DCS-S611 Soundblaster clone with an ESS1868 chipset). Switching to a Soundblaster 16 was all it took. With the Soundblaster 16, it immediately synced up with the amp and took the update straight away, totally clean. And I had been really harrassing my amp with numerous power cycles, etc..

Brian Merry [bmerry@primary.net]:

I just had the EXACT same thing happen to my jm250...I took the amp and updater over to my friends house. His computer had a different sound card. It took a few tries over there to resync it. I had to click ok then power up my amp and it resynced just fine. Give that a try before taking apart your amp, because mine did all the same things as yours (even the error message expecting 50h). My midi on my computer just wasn't working right. If worse comes to worse....you can check with local music store about transferring your os from one of their johnsons (but see which version they are running).

Belcher, Chris [cbelcher@digitech.com]:

You might check to make sure that your sound card's IRQ is correct, and not conflicting with anything else in your system. An IRQ conflict would allow data to be sent to the amp ok, but the computer would not recieve incoming messages from the amp, which, I think, is what your problem is.

gm.roberts [gm.roberts@cwix.com]: With a real Soundblaster 16 installed, did you try running the diagnostics routines built into the Windows updater? One is MIDI loopback and the other is a "flash dump protocol" test. You can use the loopback test with different variables...
Also, have you tried one of the passive Y cables that brings out the two MIDI cables from the soundcards port (versus an active box)?
Lastly, have you called Johnson/Digitech Tech Support? They have some real sharp guys there that helped me a great deal when I was faced with the same problem you have now.

The Results of the OS update Poll
The old updater was not so good
The new version seems to be much better
So I removed the poll

TUKI covers for the JM150  this is not an endorsment  http://www.tukicovers.com

KMart Special

The wah in patch 1
Problems assigning the wah to some existing programs

The problem you are having is that the pedal is already assigned to the gain control. When you assign a new function to the pedal, it keeps the old one as well. Press the assign button twice and "un-assign" the gain parameter from the expression pedal. Then all you will have is the wah assigned to the pedal.

Switch 6 on the J12
Hello all Johnsons guru's out there, could someone please tell me how to reassign my switch 6 on the J12 to toggle channels again, I had reassigned it as a patch , but now need it back. Could not find an answer in manual - Thanks ! Brendan

Hello Brendan & list,

This sounded like a question that everyone could benefit from. To reassign a foot switch from selecting a program to controlling a parameter follow these steps:

1. You must first select the parameter you want to control, in this case the Channel parameter. To locate this parameter, press the edit button and turn the large wheel 2 clicks to the right. You should be on the Amp Model screen.
2. The channel select parameter is parameter 4. Turn the knob under this parameter to select it.
3. Press the Assign button on the front of the amp.
4. Press the #6 foot switch on your J12. You will be prompted as to whether you want to change this switch's function. Select YES with the knob.
5. You should now be on the parameter assign setup screen. Set the Min value to A (3 knob) and the Max value to B (4 knob). Press the Preset button. Store these changes to your preset.

From the factory, all presets were programmed with FS6 assigned to switch channels. If you haven't changed these assignments, FS6 should now switch channels in all your presets in this bank. If you have changed this assignment, you will have to go into each preset in this bank individually and reassign this parameter in order for it to work. Make sure you store your changes as you do this.

Billy Clements
Johnson Product Development

Bill Clayton’s cool EQ assignment
If you load a graphic, or parametric EQ in the digital section, you can link the frequencies to the expression pedals. Fortunatley, you can also set the min/max of each frequency, so that you can create your own curve, and adjust it with the footpedal. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like something that would definitley be worth checking out.

To assign a dynamic modifier
To assign a dynamic modifier, you go to the parameter of the effect that you want to assign (so that the little triangle cursur is pointing at the parameter that you want to be affected). Then you hit assign button twice, the first time you hit the button it will ask for a switch or footcontroller and wait for you to hit on of the footswitches of footcontrollers, the second time you hit the assign button it puts you into a page (8 of 19 or something) where you have to turn, I think, knob 1 to turn the parameter mod on, then you turn knob 3? to tell it what is controlling the parameter (it will scroll through FS 0 - 9; CC# 1 - 127; etc.,) you want it to say dyn1 or dyn2. Then you go to page 18 of 19 and 19 of 19 to turn on and set up the dynamic modifier. It's all in the manual, you just have to read it over and over again.

Here's a clip from the manual (page 57): Dynamic Modifiers
When you use Dynamic Modifiers, the Parameter values are controlled in relation to the dynamics of the input signal. The possibilities are nearly endless, and they cannot be duplicated using any other method. For example, you could link the Dynamic Modifier of a Preset to control a chorus level. It doesn't sound like much on paper, but imagine the expressiveness of this type of effect on the guitar part. As the dynamics of the music increase, the chorus becomes less apparent. Ease up on the string attack a little and the chorus increases. ALL IN REAL TIME! NOTE: Linking a Modifier to a Parameter causes the Parameter to change as if you were changing it using the <Preset/Effect> wheel. The only difference is that the <Store> button and CHANGED icon do not light. Therefore, the Default name may display 'Custom' if a parameter is consistently being changed by a Modifier. Storing the Preset will store these new parameter values.

External Expression Pedals
The rear panel of the Millennium contains 2 external expression pedal inserts that can be linked to control any parameter of the Amplifier operating system. Either a Standard Volume or a Voltage control pedal can be connected to these insertion jacks. The 2 External Expression pedals on the J-12 foot controller can be used as well. Once the External Expression pedal is connected, the assignment procedure to be followed is listed below.

Linking a Parameter to a Modifier

To link a parameter to a Modifier, please complete the following steps:

1. Scroll to the parameter you would like to link to a modifier (ie: Delay feedback).

2. Press the <Assign> button and the display appears something like:

3. Turn the <1> knob to turn the link for that parameter on. The display will look something like this:

4. Use the <2> knob to scroll through the different modifiers that can be linked to the parameter you want assigned. The selections are: MIDI CC's ( CC): 0-127 & ChP (aftertouch) Real Time modifiers (RT): LF1, LF2, dY1, & dy2 External Pedal (Ext): Pdl,(Pd3 ) when the J-12 is connected. J-12 (F.Pdl & F.Sw): Pdl-2 & F l-10
NOTE: The MUTE and THRU effect types do not have any Parameters to connect to, so they will not appear in the parameter list.

5. Use the <3> knob to select the minimum parameter value you want when the controller is in the maximum position.

6. Use the <4> knob to select the maximum parameter value you want when the controller is in the maximum position.
NOTE: Make sure you store any changes you want to save before moving on.

FdBck F.Sw Min[ ]Max

From nota
Here's my tricks and SOP for writing patchs:

1. I'm a huge fan of not reinventing the wheel, so I start with a factory patch that has one or more charecterstics I like, be it an effect or a pedal assingment.

2. Turn down the FX:Level percentage on all the effects. Almost every factory patch is too "wet". Many Times, that much effect sounds good when you are sitting around practicing by yourself, but just turns into mush on stage or in a band situation.

3. I always write my patches with the speaker cab unplugged and the XLRs running into a small board and stereo speakers with a subwoofer. Basically, I started doing this because

my first set of patches were written just listening to the speaker cab and I like fat distortion sounds. When I got on stage and ran the XLRs into the PA, the house was flooded with bass frequency. Some of it was the sound guys fault, since he started turning down the bass player. Alot of it could have been EQ'd down at the board, however, I've found relying on soundguys is not a good idea and if I don't get too much bass out of my subwoofer, I won't get too much bass on stage. This is a very full range amp and it's really hard telling that running into 12 inch celestions. The lastest version OS really helped with my varying stage volumes between patches.

4. I write some patches that work on a varity of guitars and some for specific guitars. Dimarzio Evolutions react much differently than say a Dimarzio PAF Pro. Both of which are radically different from Dimarzio Strat pickups. Oh, I like Dimarzio pickups btw :)

5. Things always sound different on stage than they do in your room, the Contour knob is VERY effective at eliminating this problem.

6. Spend some time with the level knob in the amp section to balence the volume imbetween patches. Your sound man will love you for it. Always leave yourself a little headroom on your volume pedal to compensate for an overzelous band.

7. As far as personal tastes goes and the amp section goes, I've gravitated towards Dual Rectifier for distortion sounds, Boogie Mk II or Black Faced Twin for clean sounds and Fender/Solando for patches where I need clean and dirty. YMMV.

I'm using the JM250H and a J12 foot controller, soon as I get more fluent in pedal assignments, I may add two more expression pedals and make another run at patch writing so I can just expression pedal different sounds rather than switching patches. The J12 is really usefull but the pedal squeaks are getting annoying when I play at low volumes. I'm using about 10 patches now.

Miller Says

So, "Nota", awesome response! Its funny because on the drive home last night, I was thinking a bit about how I approach patch development for this amp. I would repeat almost verbatim what Nota said. It has become almost cliche to bag on the presets of this amp. The sounds themselves aren't bad - they are just waaaaay too wet and there is no consistency in the levels between the factory patches.

So, almost right away, for the factory patches I liked (hey! there actually are a couple), I dropped not only the percentage of the wet portion of the signals, but I went in and reduced feedback levels in delays, output levels for the delays, etc, etc. In other words, the elements of an effect preset that make the effect "over the top". For example, Preset number one... the Rectifier preset. (I'm not a shredder - I'll say that up front - I'm into clean jazz/acoustic type of sounds). I went in and reduced all of the above for the delay effect used in that preset. I like the tone, I just hated the dripping wet delay and over-the-top reverb. I dig using this preset now.

Every time I play a preset, I get a chance to hear it "fresh" again. Take the opportunity each time you play a preset for the first time in a few hours and listen to it. What do you like about it? What do you hate about it? Take some time (if you have it and are so inclined) to tweak it a bit based on the objective listening you just did. Don't tweak it majorly... just a little so you don't end up oscillating back and forth around the "optimum" setting. Do this every time you practice (you know, devote a couple of minutes to a patch or two... don't spend your whole playing time). After a few sessions, you start to notice that you actually like the preset.

For the presets you KNOW that you hate, use the "user" side of those presets to store variations on the ones you like.

After doing the above, you start to get a feel for how to tweak the amp. NOW use the experience gained with OPS and go and make YOS (your OWN sounds)!

Santana Sound

Well, having shot off my mouth about getting feedback at relatively low volumes, I guess I should back that claim up with some information. Here's the setup that gets me a fairly convincing late-70s Santana sound:

Hamer Artist Custom (w/Duncan Seth Lover Pickups)
Boss CS-3 Compressor
Ernie Ball Stereo Volume pedal (run in mono)
Johnson JM250H
Peavey 4x10 Stereo Cab.

The settings on the amp and compressor are below. All numbers refer to the face of a clock, (i.e., 12 means to set the knob with the indicator facing straight up).

CS-3 settings: Level=12; Tone=1; Attack=12; Sustain=12.
JM250H: Factory Patch 11 - Boogie Mk II Combo – No changes to that except for the following:
Input Level=11; Contour=1; Master=8.

Give this a shot, and let me know what you think. I find the feedback characteristics and the way notes

fade with this setup to be very close (IMHO) to the sorts of sounds Carlos was getting on the "Moonflower" album. And if you want the note to feedback, just camp out in front of the cab for a second or so. (Of course, having a semi-hollowbody makes this a bit easier, but I have no problem getting feedback out of my solidbody using this setup either.)

--Mark

Thumping Bass

? Try this one -- use Blues Boogie preset, clean channel A. Turn treble to 4.0, mid to 5, Bass up to 10.

Select config 3,4. For 3, select SMOOTH (important!) pitch shifter (the other pitch shifters won't do convincingly -- you need this module).

Zero out all the dry levels (so you just get digital signal, no guitar).

Raise all digital levels in Smooth Pitch Shifter Module to 100%. Set pitch shifter to -12 (octave down).

Now, in the next slot for 4, choose PEQ6. Set 100 to +6db, set 250 Q2 to +7 db. Then drop all the mids out, -12db for the 1.25 Q2, 3.1 Q2, 6 Q2, and 10hz -12db. (OPTION: If you want, play with it -- add another PEQ boost around 300. Think in "3db" boost increments/decrements).

Now, use XLR's direct out (I don't know how this sounds thru the cabinet, probably like mud) into your studio speakers or PA. Get your strat and use neck pickup and set tone to either zero (best), or maybe 5-6.

USE YOUR FINGERS, not a pick. You have a REAL thumpin' bass guitar sound. I am selling my Fender Precision. Really.

If I'd had more memory, I would have added compression at the end...but I can do that in the VS 1680.

Buddy

5150 Patch?
timtuke88@aol.com
Johnson drt high gain
pg 2   a gain  10  lvl   8.5  b gain 8.6   lvl 8.9
pg3    a tre   6.6    a mid  0  a bass    5
pg4    B tre 7.8      B mid  0    B bass  8.8
pg5    a DIGLVL   86     B DIGLVL    85
CFG SERIES    2,4,4  stereo

fx
dual delay
pg2   fx lv   16   dry lvl  100  bal  r20
pg3   del time  700ms   fbk 20    tap it-
pg4   dly a    50%      dly b   100
pg5   out a 75%  pan a  L94   outb  50%    pan b r94

fx
peq6
pg2  lvl 91   phs inv  in
pg3  Lo shlv   100 hz   lvl 4 db
pg4 band1  fre  63hz  wid  4  lvl 10db
pg5 band2         1.0k           2         -6db
pg6 band3         2.32khz     2           0db
pg7 band4         6.3khz       2           7db
pg8   hi shlv    10khz                      0db

fx
thru mod on 
master mix     35    65
master vol      90-95  depends on guitar pickups

this patch is a bass players best friend. the contour control will act as a presence control. and the guitar and bass will stand out without mush. I have used this in many applications along side a peavey 5150 from which the patch was mimicked.  My pickups in my Ibanez and strat are all hot so some eq's may need touched up depending on the guitar. THIS PATCH IS VERY LOUD.  You can adjust the volume in the master setting of the patch. This patch gets nastier as it gets louder which is the forte' of the peavey 5150.  I run the millennium with an ext 212 cab. You may  want to tailor the bass eq in peq6 module. also depending how dead your room is adjust the delay accordingly. When live I reduce to about 7% effect. Unlike the marshall and mesa amps the 5150 was designed to cut through the mix without offending the bass player. Have fun.    The marshall dsl 20/40 are also coming soon.

Univibe
ianbessler@hotmail.com
OK. I've been whining for a couple of months now about wanting a univibe, and now after a million or so previous attempts, I have finally formulated a univibe emulation that lands somewhere in the ballpark. Here tis:

4,2,4 configuration

Dual Chorus Fx: 100% Dry: 0% Speed:3.00 Depth: .8ms Wvfrm: SP2 Dly A: 8.8ms Dly B: 9.8ms

Rotary Speaker Fx: 100% Dry: 0% Hornlvl: 100% Rotorlvl:0% Mode: Slo Spread: 0% Horn: Slo Speed: 3.00 Depth: 63% Doplr: 1.0ms X-Over: 25Hz AccelHorn: 0.0

Predelay (Low Pass Filter) Fx: 100% Dry: 0-18% Filtr Type: LP Freq: 11.6khz

Notice that the speed of the chorus and the rotary speaker match. These can both be assigned to an expression pedal for control of the overall speed. Since the univibe was a mono effect, the spread for the rotary speaker is kept to zero, and the entire signal (with complete frequency range) is fed through the horn only. The rotor is turned completely off. You can taylor chorus depth and horn doppler to suit your taste. For a more intense pulsing effect, increase the depth of the rotary speaker horn. The low pass filter is optional. I put that in to emulate the more limited frequency range of the original univibe and to take a bit of the high-frequency edge off the chorus and the horn doppler. The chorus thickens the signal and (hopefully) adds a little more squishiness to the sound. I tried it with the chorus after the rotary speaker, but didn't like it as much.

I think this is generally pretty close. Try it out and let me know if you have any tasty tweaks that can get it closer. I worked this out using the Dual Rectifier emulation, so I don't know how transferrable this is to other amp models. It would still be better to have a univibe emulation in a single effect module to use in a chain with other effects, but for now this is the best I can come up with.

Ian

5-string

Finally got to try this one. worked fairly well -- good post. for another twist, drop the pitch shift to -17... now you've got a 5 string bass.
Robert Danz

Brian May Sound

You know, I had to kick myself the other night. I was sitting around for weeks on end wondering why there were no high/low pass filters when I finally realized they've been hiding out in the predelay effects this whole time. I guess I expected them to be in the EQs. It was just a matter of playing around with the effects long enough to finally find them (those of you trying to emulate a Brian May sound will definitely find these useful).
Ian

I use the Dual Delay with the 'combfilter' settings to get Brian Mayish sounds. I would never have thought of the predelays to get his sound. Will give it a try though...
Robert

Dynamic reverse/sampler (inspired by Belew)

I recently had an opportunity to speak with Adrian at some length about his use of samples and reverse samples etc. The one thing that he said that kind of shocked me was that he never uses the sampler. He creates all he samples via the "hold" setting on the delays. The one thing that I've been trying to do was create and store more than one sample. Apparently this cannot be done. Those of you who caught his live show may have notice that every sample that Adrian used was played live first, set to "hold" and then played on top of. Anyway, I just thought this might be helpful for anyone who is trying to create a belew sample-type patch. If anyone has any added bits about using the sampler I love to hear them. Any input on the overdub feature would also be helpful.

Ed Sable

Dual Fender/Marshall amp model

The dual Fender/Marshall amp model is the hallmark of my sound. I use it with the Morph control assigned to EXP2 with the minimum set to all Fender and the max set to all Marshall. With the pedal, I'm in full control of whether I'm playing clean, very heavy and all points in between. Everytime I change, it's a smooth sweep with no clicking, popping or delay between sounds. This is the closest you can come to for "seemless" channel changing on the amp. I keep the volume level of channel A and channel B very close (B is a tiny bit hotter) so that when I morph between them the volume stays pretty consistant. Then when I need to solo, I have FS10 set to boost the level of both channels. That way I have a clean solo boost or dirty solo boost from one switch.

I have my Channel select switch (FS6) set to: Min=A&B, Max=B. That way if I know a song has clean and dirty in it, I can have FS6 off and my EXP2 will give me Morph control. If I know a song is crunch the whole way through, I turn FS6 on which puts it on channel B exclusively (thus eliminating your ability to morph). That way, if I accidentally step on the expression pedal (when I'm using EXP1), I won't unexpectedly go to clean.

To get my sound, I have the Fender (Channel A) set to: Gain=3.0,Treb=5.0,Mid=5.0,Bass=5.0,Lvl=up to you. The Marshall (Channel B) set to: Gain=10,Treb=9.0,Mid=10,Bass=10,Lvl=up to you. If I need a less crunchy Marshall sound, I have FS7 set to drop the Gain=4.0, Treb, Mid and Bass all to 7.4 and raise the level a little to keep it consistant. I only do that on Channel B. Here's the clincher, I have the first effect module set to a PEQ6 and I use the "Curve 2" default (available as a default on v1.05). This really brings out a full sound for both the Fender and Marshall sounds. Then I'll go into a Delay, then Reverb. I use EXP1 to adjust the FX level of the Delay. That lets me get very specific as to which notes, chords, phrases get delayed and the decay doesn't get shut off abruptly. I have FS8 set to Tap Tempo. FS9 shuts off the Delay and Reverb. This effectively bypasses the effects without shutting off my PEQ and killing my sound. NOTE: The real Bypass button affects any EQing that you have going on (by turning it off). Adjusting your WET/DRY amount will also affect your EQing. Be aware.

THAT, boys and girls, is my SOUND and it ROCKS!!!!! I copy it to different patches to get different combination of effects but that PEQ is always there.

I also do the same thing with the Fender/Rectifier, Fender/Matchless and even the Clean/Fuzz (I use that for some Funk stuff). I would love to see the Johnson team give us the ability to combine the Fender and the Johnson High Gain into a dual amp model in version 1.06. I would use that a lot. So, to FINALLY answer John Waddington's question: YES, I use the dual amp models almost exclusively. I love having the ability to seemlessly morph between my clean and dirty sounds without any abruptness.

Steve Salvatore

Fender Sound from Boogie Patch

Thanks to the guy suggesting the Boogie patch for Fender stuff. I set up a 4,4,2 config, going compressor (medium), chorus/delay (10% on chorus, and a light 350ms delay) and dual reverb (small cathedral with a 2.0sec time) and it sounds breathtaking on my strat. Great tip, I can't stop playing it.
> Kevin >

Channel pressure/Harmonizer TIP

If you assign the pitch interval to channel pressure, "CHP", then it
will be attack sensitive to your playing, and still leave your 2 dynamic
modifiers for other assignments.
As for the phaser and flanger, you've got the speed, depth and
feedback parameters which are assignable. What else do you need?

Days of sustain:
By Jim Sletner

Ok heres the scoop. Take any overdriven lead patch and make sure it has a peq or add one. you need to use a peq so you can adjust the Q Page to band1 and set freq to 400 Hz and width to 0.50 now just turn the level control to any setting, this points the assign function to the level you'll see a tiny arrow next to it now press assign

setting should be 1. on, 2. dy1, 3. min 12, 4. max 0 min and max seem backwards but this is so that the level will come up when you stop playing

scroll to page 18 of 19 set to 1. dyn1, 2. on, 3. -99 4. –23 setting 4 may need to be adjusted for your guitar output and playing technique

scroll to page 19 of 19
set 2. attack 0 ms, 3. hold 470 ms, 4. release 1.60 seconds

setting 3 and 4 control how quickly the levels come up when you hold a note hence how fast the feedback starts the above settings sound pretty natural to me now press edit and repeat the procedure on band 2 with freq set to 500 Hz

I sometimes use the dyn1 settings above with the harmonizer so that harmonized notes swell in when holding a note. It creates a synth like sound.

Oh yeah one more if you tie the whammy to dyn1 you can adjust it so that every note you play is bent into either from above or below. 1/2 steps, 1/3's, octaves etc. A very wild ride.

--Enjoy-- Jim Sletner

Harmony effect Tip
By Wes J. Gergely

To all of you cheap-skates/college students/whatever out there (like myself) who haven't gotten around to buying a J12, I was playing around with the harmony effect, and stumbled upon something I think is pretty darn cool. Assign the harmony level to a dynamic modifier. I did this with an SLO model and found that you can almost use the volume knob of your guitar to adjust the level of harmony. My guitar does have a really nice steady roll-off on the volume though. All you guys working in churches, this is great for playing a melody line intros to songs (e.g. Awesome God)

Increased Wah Effect
Bill Clayton

Tip of the day. If you feel like your not getting enough out of the wah, try adding a PEQ in the digital section, and assign the frequency/width/level -( try experimenting with all three), to the same expression pedal that the wah is assigned to.. If you tweak the min/max values of this assignment, you can get some pretty unique wah sounds.

Special Effects
Clayton, Bill wrote:

One sound that I "use" for special effects, is a preset where I have the same preamp settings as my regular crunch rhythm sound, but I add a pitch shifter, and a delay, and assign the "shift amount" and the "delay time" parameters to the same expression pedal. By moving the pedal, the shift changes incrementally, and the delays become longer. I have the delay feedback on about 40% to get enough delays to sustain. Try chiming a harmonic and moving the pedal, you get an almost arpeggiating effect that'll turn some heads. The guys in my band gave me one of those "What in the world was that?" looks.

It's not a sound for everyone!

Nota’s Noise Gate Tips

The only time I use a Noise Gate as an effect is on a slighty modified version of the "Guitar Synth" patch.

Using a volume pedal and learning the wierd attack of the noise gate makes for some great backwards sounding stuff.

I don't use a noise gate on any clean patches.

I use a really heavy gate on an "Industrial" patch for crunchy rhythm work, when I stop, all sound stops.

That extreme of a gate ("Silencer 1") is useless with lead work but provides neat spaces of silence in stop and go chord work.

I use a custom "Silencer 2" on most of my lead patches. Tweaked just enough to provide a long sustain without cutting anything off. Muting all the strings or backing off the guitar volume is the only thing that kicks in the noise gate.

With distortion sounds, I'm a gain fanatic so a tweakable noise gate is a very nice thing.