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Still missing a variax though.

Dont judge me you judge judys Im a happy man.Maybe ill even go out on a gig one day.Just got the headrush sounds good great 300.00 purchase.

I've used the crossover split, and it can indeed save some block locations. But as the article says, "You can also use the Split’s Crossover function when working with a single path, but there may be times when you want the Low and High Cut frequencies to overlap so they emphasize a specific frequency, and besides, you can’t use the crossover across the two independent paths." The overlap aspect turned out to be more important than I thought initially. Because there's no multiband crossover split, for 3 or 4 band splits I usually end up using the graphic EQs to boost specific bands while cutting the rest. But in the multiband preset pack, I often tweaked the presets for a frequency overlap between adjacent bands. It's not necessarily "correct" or "incorrect," but the overlap allows emphasizing bands that sound really good with guitar. One of the main things I love about Helix is that it has the flexibility to do "out of the box" experiments to see what works and what doesn't. The four parallel paths are like a super tone playground for me :)

Received this email, I'm sure there's also a few here as well that have. Anyways I thought it may be of some interest! https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/double-best-line-6-helix-tone/?utm_content=article1-image&utm_source=insync&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20190615-T1

I'll echo @datacommando's mention of "you're not alone." Check out the Helix Native forum to commiserate. Although I've had great success (luck?) with Helix Native (Mac High Sierra and Logic Pro X), many have had installation problems using either Windows or Mac, and on various DAWS. The problems have been sporadic, so there seems to be no definitive solution. Let's hope that Line 6 addresses the problem in the next update.

Using the volume blocks is something I use in the 3- and 4-band presets, and it's become a sort of "best practices" thing for me. In addition to being used for diagnostics, as mentioned in the article, after developing a preset they then become useful for varying the levels of the various bands through snapshots. The presets in my preset pack typically have snapshots for no low band, no mid band, and no high band but I've also found that sometimes, you don't want (for example) "no high band" but instead, "mostly no high band." However, using volume blocks may be more of a lazy way out...I'll take another look at the Merge and Output blocks to see they can supplement or improve upon what I've been doing. So many possibilities! Another thing I like about Helix is how you can sometimes accomplish the same functionality in different ways, so you can choose "the right tool for the right job." As to keeping things accessible, FWIW there will be a follow-up article that's intended more for experienced Helix users. For the two-band article, I wanted all the components being used to be obvious by looking at the screen shots. I believe the way you can see everything as a "block diagram" in Helix is very helpful for explaining various aspects of its operation. Unfortunately an entire section with three audio examples was left out, I'm checking with Sweetwater to see if that could possibly be added back in. One of them helps illustrate using two bands with reverb, which is one of the processors where (referring to the above post about using the filters instead of the crossover) you sometimes want the bands to overlap.

Naw it's not even close to being overkill. Nice setup however!

Some amps disable the master volume control when the FX return is in use, but there's nothing plugged into the front end, or coming out of the FX send. Many moons ago I had an old Peavey Bandit which worked like that. If that's the case, there's nothing you can do about it, and the Stomp's master volume is it... if you're running out of headroom that way, you'll have to boost your levels at the output block.

In the studio (this is not applicable for live performance), I use LUFS metering (not K-System, which is quite different) to balance preset levels. DI is correct about needing to use your ears, but I wanted a way to be able to step through presets rapidly in the context of a song, without having to adjust volume after each switch, so that the level would at least be "in the ballpark." After finding a candidate preset, then I tweak the final volume by using the channel faders, not the Helix. I balanced the presets In my Amazing Multiband Helix Preset Pack, which are designed to work well with chords, by using a combination of peak and LUFS metering, and then doing final tweaks by ear. Regardless, as DI points out, how you perceive level will be different compared to how the LUFS algorithm perceives level. Still, to my ears, it's closer to reality than either traditional peak or RMS metering.

That is extraoridinary claim especially when people use IEMs which vastly reduces the in situ conditions influence. Well... this is art, not science so extraordinary claims require no evidence or a banana anegdotal evidence is convincing :) I am waiting for some yt video titled "Why leveling the presets is only effective during a gig sound check" ;)

That's the cream of the first generation Variax guitars. It looks like it was kept in very good condition as well!

Saying meters are useless, in a machine that does offer 2 instrument input, mic input, 4 send 4 return, digital input, digital output, multi channel USB routing, 4 paths, 2 xlr out, 2 1/4" out, L6 link.... and more... it's really something hideous to say, but you are free to say what you want really, I'd still enjoy to have advanced metering. I do have any sort of toy connected to my Helix, and having meters for each input and out available, would be a great help to balance, level, find and isolate problems, just everthing a meter does. That's like a mixer without meters. Isn't about being obsessed, it's about keeping signals under control when you move your rig all the time and you don't want to use the volume knob to trial and error your routing.

With all the due respect, Line6 should not take actions like that to babysit their userbase. As flagship unit, you should offer a full professional product with everything covered properly, then if there is people who doesn't know how to use it, isn't your problem, as soon as you properly provide documentation. Give us meters as Fractal does please, just do it, would be a great tool to control signal flows, excessive noise floors coming from some path, clipping, etc...

The technical term is QOSP. Quantity Of Soiled Pants.

Thanks for the input...I think you are all correct (@joel_brown....love the answer, succinct..."shut up and play" :) ) I've spent far too hours on YouTube watching the comparison videos instead of simply buying the Helix and playing guitar. Headed to Guitar Center tmrw to pick one up. Thanks for the nudge, folks.

The HD500X is old time now, they don't care about his unit and they are to busy with the Helix It's always the same with Line 6 stuff People asking too remove the looper block and that can be put in or out, they never do anything for that , but hell yeah it was a very good idea,, so they put it on the Helix (lol) There is a bug that never be fixed and a lot of years now, sometimes when you launch HD Edit, presets are disappear or take another place and you get it 2 times in another setlist (never be fixed) And I think they never add new fx on it.

Buy a Helix.

You don't have to to reinstall anything, or delete anything, and this is not a Mojave issue. After installation when you use the VST for the first time, it creates a set of folders in your user directory. There is a preferences file that you need to edit. On macOS, it's located here: ~/Library/Application Support/Line 6/Helix Native/Helix Native.prefs In that file, there is a key called "Session Token" -- if you close the DAW, open that file, remove that key and value, and save the file... everything works again... for 24 hours. You'll have to authenticate and log in to Line6 every day until L6 fixes this.

You will still need to futz with levels even after you get them "perfect" with meters. I learned way back before I used Helix that my ears and my sound guys ears were way > than any meter.