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Saw some interesting posts over on The Gear Page(TGP) and not being sure if this has appeared yet on the forum, posted it over here. The idea indicated by the post I saw was thanks to a user named benefin. The approach is to use the multi-band compressor instead of high/low EQ cuts to cut the boom/mud on the bottom end and ice-pick/shrillness on the high end. This way you can use the multi-bandcompressor to reduce instead of cutting the frequencies below for example 90hz and above 5khz. Essentially you have the compressor either ignore or gently compress the midrange while having it much more dramatically compress the low and high end (note the -30db setting below). Seems like a very interesting and appealing concept. Set properly it might do a good job of attenuating the problem frequencies e.g. below 90hz and above 5k without cutting them out completely(albeit using a slope) as a high/low pass filter does. In other words the compressor unlike the EQ cuts will still allow the designated frequencies through but at much lower volume, as opposed to cutting them completely as a high/low filter cut might. Anyone doing this right now, if so, is it yielding a better tone that using high/low EQ cuts? What settings are you using? Some recommended multi-band compressor settings(with some settings missing/optional) from Benefin also from TGP: Ratio = 4:1 Attack = 10ms Release = 50ms Lo X Freq = 90hz Hi X Freq =5 k Level = As Needed Lo Thresh = -30 db Lo Gain = ? Mid Thresh = ? Mid Gain = ? Hi Thresh = -30 db Hi Gain = ?

I haven't found EQ'ing the Helix to be a "Volkswagen problem" at all. Getting the EQ right on the high and low end via FRFR without stripping away frequencies I want to retain has actually been one of my biggest challenges on the Helix. If there is a simple and better way to do it I'm all ears. I'm definitely not going to write it off without experimentation and a fair trial. I think some of the resistance to this idea is lack of familiarity with the multi-band compressor as it is a tool that guitarists don't often employ unless they run sound as well and it is not that common there yet either. But maybe this method doesn't even work well, have not tried it yet and it remains unproven at least for me. And hey, I'll take a Cadillac over a Volkswagen any day of the week but I get your Occam's Razor point. :-)

Right?!

Cool! Though it seems like whichever method, FCB or Helix Loopback, that the mapping could get messy. I suppose each Preset in your gig setlist could be configured to lead to the next song's Preset, and you could have a saved SETLIST for each band you're in and every different show, and just change them every time the band/gig's setlist changes, and pray that the BL doesn't call a song out of order.....seems so much simpler to take 15 minutes before the gig to create a SETLIST in setlist order, and tell the BL that if he's gonna change the order he needs to give you a moment to get to where you need to be. I'm thinking that this has a very limited application. Nice to know that it can be done, but......

Im not disagreeing with you, but are you sure you are just not hearing the volume drop?? Heres how you can test it a little easier without the volume drop.. Use your preset. In your second split turn path A up 3db. Pan your first split 100% left. Now save the patch. Delete the bottom row of blocks. Play a few notes. Now double click on your saved patch. play a few more notes. This should give you the effect of toggling between the two without the volume drop. You'll have to delete the blocks every time to start your test (one by one no less because god knows a shift or control click function would be way too hard to implement lol) but at least you can switch back to your saved preset very quickly and without the drop in volume. This can give you kind of an A/B side by side comparison. Ive tried it with a similar patch, with quite a few at-home distractions going on, and i think im just hearing a drop in volume and no tone change....but if you can provide some concrete evidence of sonic degradation id love to suss it out. Interested for sure.

How long are the cables that you're using? Under 20', shielded cables shouldn't add noise. There seems to be an issue with the Helix Send/Return loops adding noise that's resolved using the level settings. I don't remember the details, but there are a number of threads about it on here.

The Helix’s sends and returns are unbalanced, so using TRS cables won’t make any difference.

Hey guys, Today I explain my Ola Englund / The Haunted tone that I made for the Line 6 Helix. The IR pack I used is from none other than Ownhammer and can be found here https://bit.ly/2H8Il4k I demonstrate the tone within Line 6 Helix Native but I created it on the Line 6 Helix Rack. All you have to do is drag and drop your tone and IR files into Helix Native to get this to work. Here is the original video https://youtu.be/Oa8iPG96mFg Thank you guys and have a great day. nickhillmakesmusic@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/nickhillmakesmusic https://www.twitter.com/nhillmakesmusic https://www.instagram.com/nickhillmakesmusic/ My Band | The Partisan Component https://thepartisancomponent.bandcamp.com/

I'm fairly knowledgeable with how those affect the sound, except for extreme settings I've played with these a bit. I'm curious....how does Bias X and the Hum/Ripple apply to the sound. According to the 'manual' online it states Bias X Determines how the power amp tubes' voicing reacts when pushed hard. Set low for a tighter feel. Set high for more tube compression. This parameter is highly reactive with the Drive and Master settings. Hum Controls how much heater hum and AC ripple interacts with your tone. At higher settings, things get freaky. Ripple

The MacOS/Windows editor is now available: http://line6.com/support/topic/29307-control-your-spider-v-amp-with-spider-v-remote-version-100/?do=findComment&comment=226551 Regarding Android: Spider Remote Android requires full support of USB Host Mode on the Android device, and support of this mode varies wildly across Android devices. If you run the Play Store app on an Android device that explicitly does not support USB Host Mode, the Play Store will not show Spider Remote. While many Android devices claim to support USB Host Mode, many of the implementations are problematic. This post includes links to 3rd-party apps that can be used to determine if an Android device truly supports USB Host Mode: http://line6.com/support/topic/23315-spider-v-android-compatibility-does-your-mobile-device-connect/?do=findComment&comment=177268

if you just have an amp, going straight in, then helix is maybe overkill in a way (well an expensive option anyway) but i think if you got your hands on a frfr speaker (find a 2nd hand powered pa speaker maybe if funds are short) then you'll open up a whole range of nice tone options - running your amp with fx and another amp from helix into the frfr speaker using the dual chain option in helix you'll really get a great sounding stereo rig. 😉

Just use Helix for the effects just as if you were putting a pedal board in front of your amp. Many people have (and still do) put all their effects in front of their amp. http://line6.com/data/6/0a020a3d89ab58b4cb30605e3/application/pdf http://line6.com/data/6/0a06439c1814857b658e41b50a/application/pdf

Does anyone know of any documentation that converts Variax settings to Spider equivalents? The Tone Templates refer to variax settings like T-Model 1, etc I think it would be fairly easy to approximate the equivalent on the Spider....for those in the know? Any ideas? W.

Mustang Series do have editors for computers. Newer GT Mustangs have mobile editors, but Fender said expect a PC editor soon. That made those new owners happy. Vox's new unit has PC, Mac, Android and iOS. Blackstar has computer editors. I read Marshall gave the API to users that created their own editor for Win and Mac. Might have been the guys at VG forum. I'm not sure. The same group VG forum are the ones just killing it recently with Katana amp and doing 10x for that group of users than Boss is. There was a thread here months ago where programmers offered to create a Win Mac editor for the Spider V lineup. Nothing came of it. Developers for GSP1101 created mustbe beta unofficial firmware for that product and added new features and the biggest feature of IR loading options. That unit remained a huge seller many years past the expected shelf life. Unofficial firmware and editor support made that unit really great. Previous Spider IV's had Pc and Mac editors. No mobile connection so no mobile app. Mobile apps started with Amplifi and Firehawk. Those are Bluetooth. Spider V Remote will be what it is. Over 1000 app downloads so far at Google Play. App given just over 3 rating. That's about the same sentiment. All it takes is reading those reviews, retail site reviews, and over 1/3 of them are not very glowing. 100's of votes at Ideascale for computer editors too. That's the actual users that like the product that are hoping for the computer edit option. Here's the post from the guys that wanted to create an editor: http://line6.com/support/topic/25526-source-code-or-interface-for-the-remote-app/ No official reply, and thread just kind of died. Not sure what transpired either way.

It would also be nice if Line6 would release the API for the Spider V. I can understand, if for financial or logistical reasons, they don't want to do a Windows or Mac version of the Spider Remote app, but I"m sure people here could build one very quickly if they had the proper tools. Of course releasing the API is not without risk for Line6, if their code is not rock solide they might run into problems with people crashing or worst killing the amp, So this might be why they prefer to keep the amp in a closed ecosystem. Only Line6 knows for sure,,, If you look at what happened with the Firehawk and Amplifi], It's sure looks like Line6 will continue without a PC or Mac editor for the Spider. However I hope they continue to improve the Spider Remote app... It would be nice to have access to the drum loops, metronome settings, RIFFs and tuner from the remote app It would also be nice to be able to build setlists in the app and manage them there. One thing that is funny, on the TGP forum people on one of the many Helix thread are requesting that Line6 adds support for tablets to the Helix... .

Personally I would love to have the choice of using a tablet/phone or a PC, but I'm not holding my breath for this. I'm sure Line6 looked at the sales of tablets vs sales of laptops and the demographic they are targeting with this AMP when they decided to go for one instead of the other. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272595/global-shipments-forecast-for-tablets-laptops-and-desktop-pcs/ Tablets have been out selling laptops for the last 4 years. Now if you add the huge number of smart phones being sold both Android and iOS to the tablets market share it becomes even more obvious why they went with one instead of the other. One possible way around this, would be if Line6 was to release the API to the amp so the community could built their own PC software, but Line6 might have some stuff they consider intellectual property so this might never happen. Amplifi has been out even longer then Spider V and to my knowledge they have yet to produce a PC version for it.

Is there any chance that you folks would consider either publishing the USB interface that the Spider V uses for the Remote Apps or open sourcing the iOS or Android apps? I would really like to control my new Spider V 240 from my PC, and I'd be happy to write the code to do it. I just need to know the interface to the amp. If you shared the code for the iOS or Android versions of the remote app, I could figure it out. Alternately, if you published the interface that the amp uses, I could write it from there. I voted up the two "please make a PC version" ideas on ideascale, but I know that you have scarce developent resources. You're faced with a choice between devoting those resources toward making your amps better or making PC versions of your software. And, if I were faced with that same choice, I'd probably choose to focus on the amps, not the software. But if you let the community help, you don't really ​need ​to make the choice. We can help you with the PC software while you focus on making awesome products. Best, Mike Calligaro

Any chance we can get a document on the api the amp uses when talking with the mobile app? I'm asking so that we could build a desktop app to work with it without having to inconvenience the support team. Thanks, Jason

I don't think it's terribly likely that we'll see anything added to the existing Variax products...and a nylon string model was always a longshot anyway... don't think it's all that easy to get a steel string to mimic the sound of nylon. It's been requested on and off numerous times over the years, to no avail. Moreover, nothing at all has changed in Variax Land with regard to new/better models for years, now. The JTV's debuted 8 years ago, and the Standard and Shuriken have the same guts. In today's world, an 8 year old tech platform is ancient. Smart money says they're biding their time until they decide the next generation of Variax stuff (whatever it may be) is ready for public consumption.... which could be anytime between 5 minutes from now and Doomsday.

A good therapist can help you with the anger, and a good pair of glasses with your seeing the phone issue!! How do you use your phone every day? And why attack people for trying to help? I picture you laying on the floor kicking your feet crying cause you can’t work a cell phone!!! Buy a paper jam guitar and call it a day if you can’t figure the app out, because it’s one of the most simple things to use, well it is if you don’t have a flip phone still, good luck with your, lol, pc!!!!