Leaderboard

TABLE OF CONTENTS MANY of the questions asked here are NOT covered in the manual. Yours is covered in the first couple of sections. We're happy to help with those questions that are not covered, but we're not going to re-type the manual for you to explain the absolute basics of use!

For the tone & just overall 'amp' sound, the cab & mic are crucial, and wrapping your head around the different combinations of cab/mic isn't easy at all, given the vast number of mics, cabs, placement options, etc. So I always recommend The best IR in the world, really sounds great with pretty much any genre, simplifies a lot the entire tone-finding process. setting the Sag setting of the amp tends to make things tighter; less muddy. Always at 0 for me. Proper use of EQ For the impedance issue, if you don't have a pod go with the impedance issue then you don't have an impedance issue and adding buffer pedal shouldn't make a significant change. But that said; Which particular amp(s)? Not all models nor all amps are created equal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz9tO4-kAG4 L6 really models the amps electronic components. And even 2 amps of the same brand/model can sound different, not to mention tubes... The blind tests I've seen of real gear vs L6 Helix/Go/etc., pretty much demonstrate that it's on par; really hard to differentiate. It's really all about your ability to tweak the tone. And not everybody likes the same amps/tones either. A lot of the amps you've mentioned are favorites in the lineup, and for me they're just plain meh.. Don't think it's particularly related to the amp/model, maybe more about your own playing style, your guitar, preferences, tweaking ability, tone-preference, etc., So as there's a ridiculous 100+ amps in the thing, just find a dozen amps that work for you, and forget about the rest. That would be my advice. But, it's definitely fun to explore amps and their history, and learning how people use them and how to make them work; plenty of tutorial videos and tweaking PGO tones, so I'd definitely start off with that too! Oh and don't be afraid to use the L6 amps either. Revisited them recently and they're pretty awesome. Definitely nothing wrong using them over 'real' amps; they're just that; improved versions or tweaks of existing amps; amps that could exist, or maybe couldn't due to electronic vs DSP, but honestly they sound great, I'd get rid of all Marshalls in PGO instead of them in a heartbeat! Not 'worse' in any way.

Definitely not normal and you've covered the basic troubleshooting steps. Open a support ticket. If it's still in warranty or a known issue you may luck out.

I don’t understand what you’re getting at. Perhaps it’s just terminology. Is ‘Sunset’ the name of a preset, an FX block, or something else? You talk about turning a preset on and off. That’s confusing. At all times there is exactly one preset that is active (don’t think of it as being ‘on’). The active preset is replaced by a different preset (not ‘turned off’) when you activate/select a different preset. You can turn FX blocks within a preset on and off. You don’t turn presets on and off; you activate/select them. There is always exactly one preset active at all times.

Nice! Yeah one thing with Go is that you basically have to go through the manual... So many options, definitely won't be able to fiddle your way exploring every option... Gets even worse once you get to effects with 26 different parameters, many of which really aren't very intuitive, as the manual doesn't go in depth for many of the options and settings... descriptions of amps, cabs, models, etc., vs 'real' counterparts: https://helixhelp.com/models/ Added effects details (settings, etc.) https://line6.com/software/index.html?hardware=All&name=POD Go Edit&os=All&submit_form=set Then, there's all the million tricks and subtleties; things you wouldn't think/know on your own; so can be learned via guides, tutorials, tweaking videos/articles, etc., sigh ... That's all time spent not playing or practicing guitar though. LOL Not exactly sure what gain there would be to increasing cab volume? But on volume topic; the channel volume of the amp is basically the 'pure' volume, while the Master volume simulates how a real amp reacts to increased volume; gain/saturation. Ex; Gain 3, Ch. vol 10, Master 1, would result in low gain/distortion. While Gain 3, Ch vol 1, Master 10, would simulate a real amp pushed to max volume; so your '3' of gain would be much different with both. (tube saturation and all) Same goes with your chain; boosting volume before hitting the amp block, vs boosting volume after hitting the cab block will result in quite different gain/distortion characteristics/feel. Even for EQ. Ex; you can use the EQ as a boost, increasing volume, and again, placing it before or after the amp block will affect the distortion characteristics of the amp.

Solved this with some fiddling, based on @grdGo33's recommendations and others': Some amp models seem to be set at a medium (~5.0) gain with low channel volume, which doesn't sound great out of the box for those amps. I reduced the gain and increased the volume, which immediately improved the quality in relation to the other amps. I saw a post suggesting increasing the volume on the cab block (something I've never thought of doing), and that likewise made a huge difference. Like, 2-6 dB. I also mucked around with mic placement and other cab settings, which helped me fine tune the tones I've been looking for. This might be commonplace for people more experienced with amp modeling than I am, but I didn't realize how big of a difference these settings can make. Comps and EQ also help, but my main issues were with the amp and cab settings themselves. Thanks again for the suggestions!

Thank you so much for your thorough reply! Thanks--I will look into this! I've had trouble getting any Marshalls or Matchless's to sound like I want them to. Some of the Fenders are quite OK, and I definitely like the Cartographer, PRS's, and Soldanos. The Friedmans/Placaters sound more like a Marshall amp than the Marshalls do, which I just can't wrap my head around. I'll follow your advice! I do like the Line 6 Epic one. I guess I've just been trying to dial in the same sounds (using similar amps/cabs) that I've found elsewhere, and having trouble with all the fiddling required on the POD Go to get similar results.

Read The Manual https://line6.com/data/6/0a020a41edfe64823e79e9cdc/application/pdf/Helix LT 3.0 Owner's Manual - English .pdf

I don't understand the question really but this might be of use: https://helixhelp.com/release-notes/helix/3.15.0#global-midi-control-of-knobs-1-6-pagepage-and-preset-save

If you set Global Settings->MIDI/Tempo->MIDI Base Ch to 1 (or whatever the Strymon is set to) and Global Settings->MIDI/Tempo->MIDI PC Tx to MIDI or MIDI+USB the HX sends PC messages when you change presets. Use this setting, connect both devices with a MIDI cable and to confirm that the Strymon changes presets with MIDI. When it does reset Global Settings->MIDI/Tempo->MIDI PC Tx to Off and use Command Center to program the MIDI PC stuff you need.

Thank you @burningyen for the instructions and @kam_23ca for sourcing the parts. Just replaced mine about 2 years after it snapped off; was hoping I could at least salvage the knob but couldn't dig out the broken pot shaft without damaging the knob.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you would have to dedicate a button to each iteration of the preset you wanted. i.e. One button with snapshot X and preset 2 and another one with snapshot y and preset 2.

The question is actually quite simple and the answer is even more simple: no. With external MIDI hardware you combine MIDI PC for the preset and CC#69 for snapshot. There is no HX internal equivalent for that AFAIK.

You can use snapshots for this. Toggle or step through snapshots in Stomp Mode by assigning a snapshot command to a footswitch in Command Center.

What I proposed is an alternative way. The manual endorses ToggleEXP but that can lead to sync problems with snapshots. You need to set Global Settings -> Footswitches -> FS8 to FS8 Function (and not ToggleEXP) for this to work. The idea is that one block is on at a time while the other is off - FS8 (toe switch) toggles between them. EXP1 controls the Position of both blocks at all times but it is only heard in the block that is currently enabled/not bypassed.

Yes, I've read the manual and that is how I was configuring it originally, except that I wasn't using a volume pedal block. That wasn't the question though. I have a different issue in that I want to be able to rely on when changing snapshots that I know what the Mission is controlling but I'm not sure if that's actually possible! My confusion is that the first reply suggested something which appears to contradict the manual, hence why I'm confused.

Yes.

Actually it’s the cab block itself that has a mono output, so yes you lose the stereo nature of any FX placed before the cab. Also a cab/IR block is critical to the sound so the tone will change dramatically (usually for the worse) when you turn the cab off. For best results I suggest you place your FX Loop after the cab in your preset’s signal path and cable your delay pedal in the loop. Make sure you use TRS cables in the POD Go Send/Return jacks. I presume that’s what you are doing with the Y-splitters. And don’t turn off the cab unless you are compensating somehow (e.g. by using a physical guitar cab in the 4 Cable Method (4CM)).

Is your firmware up to date? It might not make a huge difference but the v2.0 firmware introduce a new cab engine that I and others found to be a big improvement.

Although I'm only a home player, I run my Helix Rack stereo into a Palmer Macht 402 rack power amp and 2x Zilla 1x12 cabs with Celestion F12-X200 speakers. I've always used the full amp block into a cab (or IR) block. Unless you've got some whacky or distortion effect in your post pre-amp section of your chain you should be able to put your FX loop block after the cab block and run stuff just fine. I would love there to be an option to mismatch pre-amps and power amps, but that's not a discussion for this forum. One for the Ideascale

Short answer - no. The Powercab cabinet is designed to sound like a guitar cab, NOT an "FRFR", whatever that mythical unicorn is. ALL guitar cabs/speakers color the sound one way or another, and they're all different. The "FRFR" mode is a compromise for users who insist on using IRs. The best results I've gotten with IRs is to cut the HF TRIM by 6db and use the Helix IRs with different MICs and MIC placements. You can also use the Global EQ (if not using L6 Link) to try and tune it to taste across presets. However, the Global EQ is intended for tuning the cab to the room, and whatever room you set it up in, it will have to be changed for each room. Such is the nature of real-world acoustics. So, bottom line, you can spend hours messing with EQ, or you can spend hours messing with different IRs or the Helix IRs with different MICs and MIC placements, but when you move the Powercab from your studio to a gig you'll still need to fine tune it to the room using the Global EQ. I mostly just use it the way it was designed to be used - as an "AITR" with the speaker emulations. Works for me, but then I'm old enough to remember just plugging my guitar into my tube amp of choice (that year) or whatever was provided at the gig and making the best of it. Hmmm... that could mean that the only cure for your picky ears is many years of standing in front of cranked Marshalls! I don't advise it. If I had it to do over again... AHH! To be young again, with all the options (and associated option paralysis) available to us today!

Yes. RTM. It explains how to do it much better than I could by re-typing it here.

Not so. The ToneX Input and Output are both INSTRUMENT Level, so only one S/R Block required. At first I was under the impression that the ToneX Ouput was LINE Level and I posted to that effect. IK Support has confirmed that both Input and Output are INSTRUMENT Level . I went back and tried to find and correct any posts I made but may not have found them all. I did fix the post I made in this thread, but if you got your info from something I posted elsewhere, please link me to it so I can change it.

"I can't get it to work!" doesn't tell us much. What EXACTLY are you trying to do? "I want to control XYZ parameter with my HXFX using (snapshots, footswitches, exp pedal, ???) In addition to my HXFX I'm using (????) hardware. What have you ALREADY tried (with detail)? Where are you encountering a problem? My computer and OS are ??? Have you employed a MIDI Monitor to see that the HXFX is sending what you THINK it's sending? Have you read the Iridium manual (MIDI configuration details start around Pg 23, MIDI CC# Chart on Pg 30). Have you read the HXFX Manual (Esp the Command Center section)? Please respond to ALL of the above questions as they are ALL important and there are no dentists here. ;-)

All of what you're wanting to do is perfectly possible. I know because I do it every week in my band in every performance. But there are some tricks to make it work seamlessly. Most importantly, the two things you can't really automate and needs to be done through some separate means is starting a song in time with your click track and signaling the end of the song which selects the next song's preset which will setup the appropriate tempo being used in the song and therefore controlling when a MIDI signal needs to be sent in synchronization with the song. Everything else can be automated during the course of a song from an external source such as a laptop as long as your tempo and start point match. I do all of these things on stage using a Morningstar MC8 MIDI footswitch, but I'm assuming your click track may come from a different source which may make things a bit tricky.

You don’t mention what Helix device you have, but here’s a quote from the Helix Rack manual. ”MIDI Bank/Program Changes Helix responds to traditional MIDI CC, and Program change messages from an exter- nal MIDI device (or from MIDI software via USB) and will recall setlists, presets, and/ or snapshots accordingly.” Consult the MIDI section of the manual for your device.

This is true if the footswitch gets it's power from the device/cable... Some third party footswitches (eg: The FS-6) use a battery for the LED's

If the footswitch has LED indicators (like the Catalyst's LFS2) and is passive (no batteries, no power) it will not work with the Stomp.

You can't edit a sound in preset mode, but you can load a preset, then step on both buttons to exit preset MODE. (your preset parameters remain the same as in the preset, but they are now editable.) Tweak to your heart's content. Then just save your edited preset when you finish tweaking it. Preset mode is not editable but presets are. That's kind of the point. You wouldn't want to bump a knob while you're playing and completely change the tone mid song. Think of preset mode as safe mode. I really think Line6 knocked it out of the park with POD express. No, It's not a HELIX, but it's a great sounding, versatile, fun little box at a good price point.

It's useful when asking for help to provide details such as computer OS and DAW.

Try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver?

Half a year later…still no real response from Line6. Just thought I would chime in with my experience - bought a variax (I have severe EMI/RF issues where I live, and it is the only axe I have that is dead quiet for recording - whole other story there). Anyway, workbench HD made me disable core isolation - memory integrity on my Win 11 machine in order for the Line6 driver to work. I read on some other forums how others had done this and didn’t think it was a big deal - but I know a thing or three about how machines get pwned and how memory isolation is actually good thing for the OS to do to help prevent that - so, didn’t feel too comfortable about leaving my windows 11 machine in that state. Figure I would just install workbench when I need to customize something and then uninstall it and reenable core isolation. Seems like even the Line6 uninstallers don’t even do their job right - didn’t remove the driver, entries left in the registry, autorun, etc... I was able to manually delete the driver out of c:\windows\system32\drivers and reenable core isolation, but this is really a lot of work - feel like I joined the Line6 family, but nobody is home - this is basic stuff, and iterate OP’s sentiment - c’mon Line6 - update the drivers and installation/uninstallation packages!

I'll start by saying that I bought the Helix just a couple of weeks ago and absolutely love it. That being said, I did some research ahead of time and heavily factored in the age of the product before purchasing it. In the end, I just couldn't wait YEARS on assumption when the next Helix would be released. At best/worse case scenario, I think Line 6 will release a new version by 2025 (10 yr mark seems to be reasonable).

Um. Well. Ok. You're not wrong. But let's pretend I am in a cover band, and I want to use a preset that is already set up for a song that we are covering. Am I to go through each preset for each song to see which song the preset is supposed to represent. Consider all the possibilities before you leave comments like that. Clearly I can "play" with all the tones, but for cover band situations, and because Line 6 went through the trouble of MODELING THEM, it would nice to know what they mean..........

I don't have a list like that, but these might help. It's a reference list of Helix-based FX, amps, speakers and mics, but as far as I kow, they are the same in the Pod Go. These list every effect, amp model, speaker and cab and microphone and tell you what they are models of. If you know the artist and equipment they use (that you want to emulate) you can replicate their sounds very effectively. The work is up to you. Thanks to https://dshowmusic.com/line-6-helix-effect-models/ line-6-helix-amp-models.pdf line-6-helix-cabinet-models.pdf line-6-helix-effect-models.pdf line-6-helix-microphone-models.pdf

I am also looking for a list. Shame that Line6 just expects us to know what they mean. I mean I understand that there maybe be copywrite issues, but can't they say "this preset is supposed to sound similar to" a U2 one is obvious. a metallica one is obvious. a Green Day one is obvious, a Queen and an Aerosmith one are obvious, etc etc. But some of the others are just....well....I dont know. I feel like I am playing a trivia game when trying to sort out what song it is supposed to be.

I don't know why Line 6 has to make this process so hard, their article about this is almost 2 years out of date and references software that, afaik, doesn't exist anymore. So I had the same issue where updating via iOS over bluetooth inexplicably failed, leaving my brand new Amplifi 75 in "recovery mode" (lights flashing). Trying to set my amp into "update mode" showed all lights lit solid (not all lights out as this article says). IGNORE THAT ARTICLE!!! Here is what you do: Go to http://line6.com/software Download the latest update of both the Line 6 Driver2 and the Line 6 Updater. Install both. If you install the Updater without the Driver, the Updater will not see your device to update and it's totally not obvious what's wrong. Once you have the driver, it works peachy. In my case, I did not have to put the amp into update mode, it worked fine from the recovery mode it was starting up in. These instructions should work until Line 6 renames their utilities again and/or revamps the procedure. I don't know why Line 6 can't do things like make their software intuitive or keep their Knowledge Base up-to-date but from a long time user, they've been this way for years. I work IT doing some pretty complex stuff and even I'm mystified by their software design choices half the time. It's all over the place.