Leaderboard

I'm sorry to hear that, let's see if we can fix it. First of all, was including the contents for all the chapters on the Sweetwater site not sufficient? I did that so people would know what topics to expect. But second, and more importantly, these books are updated frequently. If you can describe what would make the book more helpful, that could provide guidance on additional material to include. The book isn't going away any time soon, there will definitely be more updates. Many reader suggestions have gone into the updates since v1.0. Note that I try not to include material that's already covered in the manual, or is well-represented in videos on YouTube. The goal is to supplement the manual with more details about effects, and more applications. However, the reality is if there's something you think it missing, then it's probably missing for some other people who didn't take the time to write in. This is why I solicit feedback. I am committed to making this book at helpful as a possibly can, but I can't always guess what people want. If for some reason you don't want to do a public reply, you can use the contact email provided in the book.

I have found that when doing A/B/C comparisons while building Quad Cortex, Helix and FM9 patches, that I often find the device I last edited sounds better to me then the others. And then I start trying to adjust the patches in the others to match the first one. It doesn't seem to matter which one is the starting or reference tone. There seems to be a "last-edit" bias in tone assessments. Often when I come back the next day with fresh ears I don't find the patch was as good as I thought, or that I matched them across devices as well as I thought. The lessons I take from this are: Ear fatigue is real and has a big impact on tone creation, especially when you're doing a lot of reference comparing. Your ears get saturated with the tone and start ignoring the differences. There appears to be a preference or bias for the last edited or loudest tone All of these modelers are great and can create fantastic tones with good usability. Comparing them should be to celebrate their differences. You can't go wrong with any of them, pick one (or more), play and have fun I use all three modelers for different purposes and in different contexts. I like Quad Cortex for its simplicity, elegant design, and small size. It gets used with my acoustic band, No Worries. I like Helix for anything that needs a Variax, VDI connectivity and patch integration are great. I still have two and use them a lot. I like the FM9 for rock gigs because of the great tones and FC layouts for flexible control. An HX Stomp is my goto device when I need something quick and small. But any of them can do anything I need well.

Well, at least I think it's cool :) A lot of people like to layer guitar power chords. I don't, because I think it makes the part lose focus. But I do like big guitar sounds, especially for power chords. So, here's a studio technique I stumbled on that creates a layered sound, but doesn't lose focus: In one Helix path, split the guitar through two different, but similar amp+cabs. Pan one amp hard left and one amp hard right. This should give a big stereo image. If not, the cabs probably aren't different enough Dedicate the other path to an undistorted guitar sound, and pan it to the center. Use effects on the undistorted guitar like chorus, delay, reverb, whatever. Mix the center so it blends well with the amps. The effects on the undistorted guitar add a clarity to the sound's processing you normally don't have when adding effects to distorted amps. The undistorted guitar path is the key to making this faux-layered sound work, because it provides a defined, clear sound that complements the sludge of distorted power chords. There's a sweet spot for this level - soft enough not to dominate, but loud enough to contribute to the overall sound. (Also note that this technique steals a page from LCR mixing techniques.) The bottom line is you now have three layered guitar sounds, but only one guitar part. This retains the part's focus by avoiding potential conflicts among multiple parts. Try it!

Glitch. Computers. Can't live with them, beating them with a stick just causes more problems.

You realize that this thread is almost two years old?

Hi everyone, I've created the attached PDF file with all the models (Amps, Cabs and Pedals) of the Pod Go 2.5. I've done it just for me but I thought it can be useful to anyone if you want to keep it at hand. Still a very long document (60 pages) but save it in your phone for quick access! I've used the information from this page: https://line6.com/podgo-models/index.html but I've done some modifications. First of all the lists are sorted alphabetically and I got rid of the "Initial Appearance" column as I do not really care at this point. Anyway, I hope this is useful!! Cheers! POD Go 2.5.pdf

This is a peer to peer user forum. There are no Line 6 staff here and only very occasionally do they visit these forums - See the “sticky comment” in the black banner stripe at the top of this page entitled “Welcome to the Line 6 forums” - plus, as you are already aware, IdeaScale has been retired - see the blue “sticky” banner above. If you want to attract the attention of any Line 6 people, who may be even vaguely interested in your suggestion, then your best chance is either, the Helix Family FarceBuck group, or over on TGP in the Digital and Modeling section, but don’t hold your breath! As for your “visual layout” idea, then you should be aware that over the past 10 years the skeuomorphic design discussion has been done to death, and it ain’t gonna happen. If you really want to get noticed you could email (annoy) the people who are in charge - Eric Klein, or Frank Richotte. Not a trinity, more the Holy Duo - the only pair who could possibly implement your “groundbreaking firmware update”. Hope this helps/makes sense.

This is a user-to-user support forum. Nobody from Line6 hangs out here. Ideascale is no more. See the top of this page topic "Ideascale Retirement". I don't much care about this sort of thing, but have you considered cutting the relevant code and pasting it back after exporting back to Native? IDK if it would work, but it's worth a try. If not, then opening a support ticket is probably the best way to get your problem to the attention of the developers.

On LOAD, the Preset loads the Snapshot that was active the last time the Preset was SAVED.

Just to follow up, I never heard back from the guy. But to prevent anyone else from being disappointed, it's important to look over the description, which says it's not "Helix 101." Nor does it duplicate what's in the manual, for example, it doesn't really cover MIDI because that's all in the manual. The contents section lists everything the book covers, so if you don't see a topic listed, it's probably not in the book. However, again, let me emphasize that despite all the 5-star reviews I'm always up for hearing what people would like added to the book. That's how it got to be 550 pages, LOL :) In fact, earlier this evening I was handling a question from a reader about how to have consistent levels going into Helix Native so his presets would always sound as expected. That's a great topic. I'm explaining it to him and if he says the explanation makes sense, it will be cut and pasted into v1.6

ITRW most amps have 1M input impedance. Most passive pickups are designed to be used with that impedance. But if you use FX, they often have different impedances, and are designed to sound best with passive pickups designed for 1M. On Helix, if you set the preset's Input Block Guitar In-Z at AUTO and, in Global Settings>Preferences, set Auto Impedance to FIRST ENABLED, the first active effect determines the pickup loading, just like ITRW. For instance, the Arbiter Fuzz (Fuzz Face) has input impedance of 10k. If you set Helix at 1M, it doesn't sound right - not "authentic". Attached is a chart of the impedances (and other info) of all the Helix devices, courtesy of @PerS: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3ye2g1okvx18ypsww746w/Line6-Helix-Model-and-DSP-Summary-3.80.pdf?rlkey=8ygh0iqax8ewds0i3yn0nxc86&e=1&dl=0

use 2 independent paths. IMO it's not worth it, unless you have a small coffee shop gig. Too many things can go wrong. I have a video how to set up independent paths: You can create a template preset, then make copies of it and tweak it. That's what I do--I copy a preset and modify it, I never build something completely from scratch, because I have figured out my "rig". By default, new presets have 2 signal paths. All you need to do is tweak the input and the output, and 2 things will be routed independently. You can route each path to a different output: Return 1, 2, 1/4" XLR, or EVERYTHING.

That’s a great question, and it’s a feature I’ve been missing since the old POD X3 series. It had a feature called Lock Tone 2 which supported exactly the situation you describe. Your vocal tone (Tone 2) remained unchanged as you switched presets. That feature was dropped in the POD HD series and was also not included in the Helix/HX series. I miss it. I don’t know of any efficient way to do it in Helix.

OK, here is what I was able to come up with (see attached diagram). You will need to buy another true-bypass single looper, like the Compact Looper here: https://saturnworkspedals.com/product/true-bypass-looper/ Note that you don't need to use this brand, I just selected it because that is the brand you already have. Once everything is connected, here is how it works: Loop 1 will enable (on) or bypass (off) your pedalboard Loop 2 is not used. I added a patch from output to input so that if you turn that loop on, you will still have signal. If the jacks are normalled, you won't need to do this. Loop 3 will enable (on) or disable (off) Helix from input to the send block. The single looper will enable (on) or disable (off) Helix from the return block to the output. To completely remove Helix from the signal chain, you will need to turn BOTH loop 3 AND the single looper off. Alternatively, I think you could do it with a true bypass STEREO looper and only have to hit one footswitch. If that interests you, let me know and I will diagram it out.

I can try to help, just a few questions: Where do want your pedalboard? Before Helix, after Helix, or in one of the Helix effects loops? Where do you usually place the noise gate in the 4CM method?

I'd just add a urinal to it. Sometimes you really gotta go. And a smoke machine.

I'm not mad, just joking around. You know I guess while I'm at it I could drill a few holes in the chassis and attach a fan for better ventilation. Connect it to whatever powers the pedal since that no longer works. Or if we get really DIY here, I could cut a square around the pedal area, fill it with little tiles, repurpose one of the inputs and build a little fountain so my cat can drink water from it while I play the guitar.

I posted this some time ago. Might help.

Having got a (used) iPhone SE3 without a headphone jack just a few months ago, one of the first things I checked was if the trusty old iRig 1/4"-to-1/8" works via Apple's 1/8"-to-Lightning adapter. It does. No idea if it also works with any 1/8"-to-USBC or Lightning-to-USBC adapters, however.

I'm not clear as to what exactly you are trying to do. Are you using separate Stomp switches to start/stop separate loops, with different loops assigned in different Snapshots? Are you using Snapshots to start/stop loops with Snapshots stacked on a single FS? Or? The method matters. Maybe attach example preset with a description... ALSO - this is a user-to-user support forum. Nobody from L6 hangs out here. See the topic "Ideascale Retired" at the top of the page.

Well, let's try this, nonetheless: Paging @Line6Tony: Please fix the broken "HERE" link in the "ideascale Retirement" popup!

Those two EV preamps are suspiciously low level even for Helix preamps which is a shame because they sound very good. Played into the power amp of my PV Bandit they sound great. In general the HX preamps are 24dB tamed compared to the original circuit which is a controversial design decision and should be revisited by Line 6. Here is my one block +24dB linear boost that you can put after the preamp: Parametric EQ, LoGain +12 dB, LoFreq 1.6 kHz, HiGain +12 dB, HiFreq 400 Hz, Level +12 dB. Save as Favourite and call it "+24dB". I still need to crank the EV preamps' channel volume with that but it works.

Hi again @RD2RK , Correct on getting it working on my iPad Pro and you were incredibly helpful figuring that out, so thanks again! I hear ya, as I can't think of any other reason it could be. That said, the USB B to USB C (female) adapter I have works with a USB C to USB C cable on the Pro so it would be weird if it didn't work for a USB C to Lightning cable but IDK. I looked for a USB B to Lightning cable on Amazon last night and literally every cable had an Amazon warning re: frequent returns due to compatibility and/or durability. But I may buy one just to test it out (this is for my back up iPad after all). @datacommando thx as well for your reply. I have a similar cable for HDMI connection, but I'll have a look into that type if the above doesn't solution the problem.

Yeah. If only the link to https://line6.com/company/contact/productfeedback/ in the sentence "You can connect to our new Product Feedback Form HERE." weren't broken… :D Because a link like "https://line6.com/support/forum/90-helix-native/- https:/line6.com/company/contact/productfeedback/" ends up in an endless loop to the page you're coming from.

I'm a Helix person, so the following is based on a quick look at the QC manual, which doesn't provide much detail. Looking at the "Preset MIDI Out Settings page it looks like in each SCENE (I assume that's what the numbered tabs are) you'd set: TYPE = CC Channel = same as HX1 is set to CC# = 4 VALUE = 0 I assume that if the Preset loads any SCENE it would then cause CC#4 to be sent, BYPASSING HX1. Then, in each SCENE, you would go to the proper FOOTSWITCH page and set the desired FS to toggle 127/0 on CC#4. I assume that would mean that when you hit the FS it would send CC#4 VALUE 127, turning HX1 ON. If you were using a Helix there would be a raft of other "if this then that" considerations related to behind-the-scenes interactions between the Footswitches and SCENES, but either there aren't any with the QC or NDSP doesn't consider them important enough to waste valuable manual pages on. If you're lucky, someone here in Helix Land who also owns a QC will chime in with actual knowledgeable info. I just figured I'd take a shot, just in case... If you haven't already, I suggest that you post this over on TGP in the Digital and Modeling Forum QC thread.

Since all of my guitars are PASSIVE, I have the GLOBAL INPUT PAD set to OFF. If I were to get an ACTIVE guitar, I would assign the Input Block Pad of each preset to a FS or SS which would toggle it ON/OFF. That may or may not be enough, depending on the guitar. If it's not enough then you'll need a GAIN Block first in your signal chain that would toggle with (or instead of) the PAD to make up the difference.

Hi, I don't understand why you are having this issue because, I have just gone through the same routine as you described, only on a Mac running Logic ProX and everything is working as it should. Also, what I don't comprehend is why you are still working with Helix Native 3.15, when the latest version is 3.82. I would suggest that you update to the current version of the software and try again. Hope this helps makes sense.

The idea of using the Helix, or any guitar modeling system, to handle vocals has always been foreign to me and never made much sense. The value and purpose of live or recorded sound mixing falls well outside of the design intentions of the Helix which is to handle the processing of one instrument, the guitar, and it does that job exceptionally well. Likewise handling all instruments and vocals in a performance to satisfy the needs and requirements of everyone involved in a live or recording production falls into a separate domain of technology only addressed specifically by a mixer. And today's mixers are just as advanced at doing that as is the Helix at managing the needs of producing the correct guitar sound for any song. Why would I try and force the Helix to do something it's not particularly good at given how easily and effectively I can do that with a Helix and a mixing board? That makes no sense to me in the real world of music production.

Submit your ideas on the Line 6 product page – just look for the “LINE 6 PRODUCT FEEDBACK” link on the bottom left of the Line6.com home page.

I guess "clean" is relative. When I think of clean, I think of a Fender Twin or Roland JC120. A princeton is not clean in my book but compared to a Peavey EVH.....

A few days ago I had to change my phone, since the previous one no longer charged the battery. To my surprise, the application of the Firehawk FX does not work with the new phone anymore, apparently due to incompatibility with the new version of Android. This is really frustrating, the application gave access to all its parameters quickly and intuitively. Without it, working with the pedal board is very complicated. I understand that it may seem unprofitable for Line 6 to make the effort to maintain an application for a discontinued product, but for users, the app is essential, and if there's no update, you get an angry user with a product that makes him unhappy. Why make life more complicated for us, the users? Why not offer solutions that benefit us all? You could, for example, develop paid updates for discontinued products. Let's say you offer the ability to get Firehawk FX upgrades for a reasonable price profitable for the Line 6 development effort, and not too expensive for us, the users. I would update gladly, paying to be able to continue using my pedal board along with my mobile phone. On the other hand, if you develops a PC version of this pedalboard's soft, I would be happy to acquire a license to use it. Please think about it. Surely I'm not the only user frustrated for not being able to have the app of the Firehawk FX working, and surely like me, there will be many who would pay a reasonable price for an update. All the best.

Thank you both for your replies. These “stackable snapshots” are pretty cool. I’ll play around with this. Where the snapshot was taking me was definitely messing me up. Yes, I got a little confused by “Snapshot Reselect”. I thought theElevators might have meant “Snapshot Edits”. Will copy/pasting the footswitches affect my snapshot parameter settings at all, or just the footswitch assignments?

Just replace the FX Loop Block with the Helix Amp Block. You will need a power amp of some sort between Helix and the 2x12 cab. Any pedalboard power amp will do.

These are the various startup options. I suggest #3. This should restore all factory settings, including factory presets. Normally I would remind you to perform a system backup before doing this but it sounds like you have nothing to save. HX Stomp XL Hold these button combinations while powering up the HX Stomp XL: 1. FS ^, C & D: clears all presets/IRs 2. FS ^+C: resets presets and IRs 3. FS C+D: factory restore (globals, presets, IRs) 4. Page >: Update mode. This update mode is helpful if the update is interrupted, and the HX Stomp will not boot properly. You will see a blank screen (no visual feedback on the display). 5. Upper & Lower Knobs: Rebuild presets. Wait for "Will Rebuild Presets..." to appear and let go.

I got the Catalyst CX60 recently to pair with my PodGo or use as a standalone amp. My first crack at getting it to sound good was a fail but I realized I should probably not be using my "presets". So I sat down with it again last night with a blank slate and got it to do exactly what I want it to do. The best results I had were to send the signal from the Main out of the PodGo to the FX return of the Cat. I preferred the tone of the Return setting over the Power Amp in setting and this gave me the option of having the post FX. I was happy with the tone as a starting point but decided to A/B the 2204 from my Pod Go with the 2204 on the amp since I have not done the 2.5 update. Both were VERY close. I just needed to goose the bottom end on the Pod go so turned on the EQ stomp and gave it a little bump in the low and and lower mids. I chose the simple EQ but perhaps the parametric might be a better chose... will mess with that later. After that tweak, I had both the 2204 from both amp and pod go extremely close. I applied the same EQ to the Gibson EH185 (Stone Age) model and that too sounds really good to my ears. Though, with that model I did turn the Amps Reverb off and added "Hot Springs" for the drip. That was all I had time for for testing but I'm definitely in a much better place now and have a handle on what's going on. Perhaps using the global EQ makes more sense but I was reluctant to mess with that just yet.

Your answers are all helpful and really appreciated! I'll check everything out in Monkey/Workbench to see if it's all copacetic. I've barely used this Standard, still have plastic on the pick guard, Lol. Yamaha could've used a better quality guitar for this, 3 single coils. Even the lowest budget priced Pacifica would be an improvement for heaven sakes. Want to make sure it's going to be a real upgrade for my needs before I start altering anything for my stage work. The Standard's pick guard for instance physically prevents adding a common divided MIDI pickup without making alterations, unlike the 600. On gig's have reverted back to my 600.

Ever since I upgraded to Windows 11, my UX2 has been posing more issues, issues that were present on Windows 10 too, however now they happen a lot more often because of memory integrity setting in Windows Defender, I think. So the issue is that randomly out of nowhere my audio would stop working, like there would be no audio coming from my headphones anymore and the only fix is to restart the computer because it wouldn't automatically re-load the drivers unless I restarted. Line 6's outdated drivers force me to turn memory integrity setting off in Windows Defender which didn't happen when I was on Windows 10. So the drivers are outdated, cmon Line 6... please put out an update to your drivers. Now my memory integrity setting In Windows Defender is set to off and I cannot even turn it back on because the UX2 drivers won't let me lol

Glad that I'm not the only one with these problems. I bought a new PC (Windows 11) awhile ago and the problems with my UX-2 since are driving me crazy. I'm starting to think that I'll have to buy some other audio interface if these 'driver problems' aren't sorted out soon.

So, L6 support have confirmed that the unit is faulty. That makes two units in less than a year that's failed - pretty disappointing as they're clearly unreliable.

I've had a similar issue on the HX Floor. If you assign a gain block set to 0dB to the same footswitch then the state of the block controls the LED. If it's still wrong then manually switch the bypass state of the gain block.

Hi, I just purchased the HX Effects. On one of the patches I set one of the foot switches to change the channels on my amp (Marshall DSL). It seems the polarity of the switching is in reverse, i.e. when switch is off the lead (red) channel on my amp is selected, and when the switch is on (lit) on the HX the amp channel changes to my clean (green) channel. It's not the end of the world but it is counter intuitive so thought I would ask in here if there is a way to alter this. Thanks.

It might sound counter-intuitive but try lowering the mix of the wah effect down to 75% or so. I have found that letting a bit of the unaffected signal through makes a big difference. Good luck!

I hope that this is OK to post this here.

Split your Signal Path so the Delay Block and Reverb Block are Parallel. Adjust the Mix Parameter of each of the two Blocks to taste for how much unaffected signal passes through each Block. You can also adjust the Blend where the Parallel Path come together in the Merge Block.

Where did you get the information?

We lack curiosity? Hardly. We're just not curious about the one thing that you are curious about. To me at least, the thing you are fixated on is completely irrelevant. I get the sounds that I want and my curiosity lies in experimentation - trying things. Unusual combinations and effects chains that are impossible to do in the real world, for example. I'm not curious about whether or not the default settings of the extra amp parameters are accurate or true to the real amp because of all the reasons people here have already said. Think about it for a minute. If you're modeling an amplifier, wouldn't you want to start with the device as-is? Now, I'm not sure if Line 6 owns all of the ams they model (somehow I doubt that) but even if they did, they would have to physically mod the amp first in order for the default settings to be inaccurate. What possible reason would they have to do that when doing so would basically render that amp a totally different beast than what it was? Doesn't make sense. As for you not trusting your own ears, well, no amount of data will help alleviate that. Your ears will remain as fickle as they are now and you'll still experience the same "love it today, hate it tomorrow" bit. If that is not the case, then the issue is psychological and I stand by my statement that what you're fixated on is really not important with regard to how the Helix sounds. Back to your curiosity comment, without said curiosity, none of us whom are happy with Helix now would have gotten to this level of satisfaction. You need to be curious about the inner workings of the device to get the most out of it. Heck, you have to be curious just to even want to try an amp modeler. You have to want to ask "What if?" If that isn't curiosity, I don't what is.

Here's what I'M curious about....HAVE YOU OPENED A SUPPORT TICKET? Or are you just another TROLL, who'll continue to hang around jerking our chains and insulting us until we stop responding? HAVE YOU OPENED A SUPPORT TICKET? If so, since you refuse to believe anything anybody here says, PLEASE refrain from posting again until you get an answer FROM SUPPORT! Curious people want to know, and YOU ARE THE EMISSARY!

If, by your own admission, you don't know what the "real" amps are supposed to sound like, then the peace of mind you're looking for will remain forever elusive, because you'll never actually know if you've achieved it anyway. Stop worrying about where any one parameter should be... there is no magic formula with this stuff. When it sounds good to your ears, that's where it "should" be.

This goes to the question of why people buy a Helix. When I plug into a real amp, I tweak the front panel tone stack to taste, done. There are no DEEP parameters to mess with. Over time, I might try rolling tubes or swapping speakers/cabs, but the amp is what it is. Helix, of course, is reproducing a sound that reflects a mic'd amp, so regardless of the real world amp-in-the-room considerations, a user ALWAYS has to deal with that. Add that no two "identical" tube amps are going to sound exactly alike, and even if they did the sound would vary with the room acoustics, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, ear wax build-up...... Bottom line, Helix is NOT a real amp. There's no way that the engineers could possibly design it to sound like a real amp-in-the-room. If you're using it as a real amp-in-the-room (or even as a recording tool), they've provided the deep parameters so that a user can tweak it to sound as close to what the user THINKS that real amp in the room the user is in at the time SHOULD sound like. I watched an interesting Anderton's video last night in which a blind-folded Rob Chapman was asked to rate, on a scale of 1 to 10, six $1000+ amps, all played thru the same Marshall cab. Being Chappers, he felt compelled to try to also identify the amps. He managed to correctly guess ONE, the Victory amp (surprise surprise, he liked it best), and he couldn't tell the difference between the REAL Victory and the Kemper profile! Could be the answer for anyone who wants the real amp-in-the-room experience is the Kemper (and a separate cab for each favorite profile), not the Helix? Me, I ain't got that kind of bread, so a tweaking I will go! If it sounds good, it is good!

Unfortunately, the solution suggested by fukuri won't fix your problem, as you've found one of the significant shortcomings (IMHO) with the Helix as "system controller" - with present firmware. This should be very easy to fix with a firmware update, but we need to persuade Line 6 of the importance of this. Just about every other controller board or module I've used, which has relay outputs for controlling amps, has the ability to reverse the polarity of the relay outputs. This is because many (most) "vintage" amps drove their footswitch units this way: The relay coil was connected internally with one end to relay supply (+9-12v typically) and the other end of the relay coil to the footswitch connector. Therefore, when the relay was "out" (coil not energised) the supply voltage appeared in the footswitch line and could drive an LED in the footswitch unit. Therefore, the function would be ON when the coil was un-energised, so the LED would be ON in the footswitch unit. When the footswitch was pressed, it shorted the relay terminal to 0v, thus energising the relay and switching the funciton OFF as well as shorting the LED and turning it off. So, Line6 needs to realise this and add a "relay polarity invert" function, probably to the global settings in the Helix. Until then, we'll be confused by the switch light being ON when the amp function is OFF (not exactly the "world class system controller" yet.... but hopefully will be fixed soon... (please!!)