Blackstar HT-5 with impulses. Few Questions.

[meadows.83]

Hi guys,
I currently own the blackstar HT-1(sounds awesome) and am thinking about upgrading to the HT-5 combo so that I can use the effects loop to record with impulses. These are my questions:
1. Would I use a regular guitar instrument cable to go out of the effects loop and into my interface?
2. My interface, the Apogee Duet 2, has two inst/mic inputs and no other inputs so is it ok to go into these from the amps effects loop?
3. When I do this, would any damage occur to the amp for going out of the effects loop and into the interface like this without returning to the amp, and would the speaker still be putting out sound? Could the speaker be muted if so?

THanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

[Animus]

Wouldn't hurt your speaker as long as you had a speaker or load box attached. I would invest in a good attenuator like a HotPlate or Rivera RockCrusher Also if you go out the fx loop it will be pre power amp.

[Lenzo]

The HT-5 has a emulated output just for recording. One cable..done.
L.

[EddieTheRed]

Originally Posted by Lenzo

The HT-5 has a emulated output just for recording. One cable..done.
L.

It's a great sounding head, but the emulated output is pretty bad IMHO. I know they advertise direct recording, but that output is really only useful for headphones. I used to own one until a couple weeks ago.

Going out of the effects send and into an impulse is a pretty good move, and sounds great so long as the speaker impulse / sim contains a power amp stage, because as mentioned, the effects loop is pre-power amp.

The way the HT-5 is designed (the maker has confirmed this) you can use the effects loop (or the emulated output if you like the sound) with no speaker plugged in, and no load box / attenuator etc, without damaging the amp or your mixer / interface. I can corroborate this also.

[EddieTheRed]

Originally Posted by meadows.83

1. Would I use a regular guitar instrument cable to go out of the effects loop and into my interface?

2. My interface, the Apogee Duet 2, has two inst/mic inputs and no other inputs so is it ok to go into these from the amps effects loop?

3. When I do this, would any damage occur to the amp for going out of the effects loop and into the interface like this without returning to the amp, and would the speaker still be putting out sound? Could the speaker be muted if so?

1. Yes

2. Yes, as I understand it they are combo mic/line/instrument inputs

3. No, as mentioned above, and the speaker can be unplugged if you wish to mute it. I believe the FX loop is wired in parallel, so if the effects send is connected to your Duet, I'm 90% sure it will still be sending a signal to any connected speaker. Don't quote me on that one.