patdixon

What are your outputs set to? The big knob should control 1/4", XLR & Phones if it's setup that way...

What type of amp? My Blackstar has a level switch for the loop

Also if it's not bypassed check the global loop setting- I can't remember whether instrument or line is louder, you could try both. I remember having the same issue when I first went to 4cm & it was one or the other. There are level adjustments for the loop but IIRC that wasn't necessary after I set it up correctly.

Is the loop bypassed?

A few 'flies in the ointment': A lot has been mentioned here about the soak, but I remember a GP mag interview around 1978 with Mr. Scholz where he talked a lot about the Echoplexes & how they were "cheesey- the heads, the electronics, everything". He implied in that interview that his sound had a lot to do with them as well. I know the Helix has a transistor tape delay model, admittedly I haven't delved into it very much but if I were going to start building a Boston preset I'd include that since the preamp circuit is a big part of its sound. The band I was in before this one had a guitarist who owned a Scholz soak (one of the first- he had inside contacts; I'll leave names out to respect privacy) that he used with a 50W Marshall stack & a Les Paul- he could sound like Jimmy Page, Dickey Betts, even Trower (with a Strat) but never sounded like Boston to my ears. It's interesting that years ago I was broke & had to modify my Rockman to use with a pedal & found one of the biggest tone shaping components- an LED! Makes sense, since a rectifier would only allow half of the signal to pass! Since then I've seen other stomp box fx that used LEDs- maybe his was the first. With all this talk about Hyper space pedals, EQs, etc. something as simple as an LED makes that much difference.

Great info, thanks! I hadn't realized this, but it makes sense.

Good advice. Download/print the manual (at least the first few pages) & refer to it often. One thing I did was to create a "test" preset so you can't screw it up. Do a whole bunch of things then undo and redo until you're comfortable. One thing you didn't say is what type of amp/daw/pc/speakers etc are you using? Sounds are much different depending on whether you're going straight into an amp of to FOH (FRFR) speakers etc. You'll find a wealth if info here, and yes it can be quite daunting but don't get discouraged- it's really a very useful tool, just gotta get your hands dirty.

I have an LT- haven't been able to register/update/use HX edit etc with my PC. I have the following: Gateway Intel Core i3 processor OS- Win7 1TB HD 6GBDDR3 ram I can use an HP tablet with win8, but would rather use the PC. Any ideas why I can't do this? I've tried multiple USB ports. Thanks for any help.

Good point. To be fair, all of the vids I've seen are using amp/cab mods in the Helix running straight into a DAW. I don't use amp mods live because I like the sound of the Blackstar, so in my case the best thing is probably just to use the same setup at home. The Fletcher-Munson curve always bites me in the butt (I can't turn it up at home) but I've learned to live with that. I'll probably go ahead and buy a set of nice speakers just to do HX edit adjustments (mostly time-based, etc.), although as you say the sound will be quite different.

I use a combo (Blackstar HT 40) amp with 4cm, then hang a '57 that goes to FOH. I can still do that at home (minus the 57) and run the Helix outs through xlr to the speakers. Thanks everyone, these are all good answers.

So I've seen countless vids of guys using various Helix devices with a PC. My LT works just fine at gigs but I need a nice way to practice at home using the HX edt interface and a PC with some speakers, at a lower level. I have the LT, I have a PC- obviously I need some quality speakers, what else do I need? None of the vids I've seen show what type of amp goes after the PC/before the speakers (or is the PC just for visual & the sounds 100% come from the Helix output)? Not interested in recording, just simulating the live sound as close as possible at a lower SPL. Thanks

One constant here is respect and common courtesy- I'm fortunate to play in a band where the other guitar player is sensitive to dynamic changes, i.e; when I'm soloing he pulls back & vice versa. This is very rare but so important, whether you're driving a plexi stack in a stadium or at rehearsal. That volume creep thing is a total PITA also!

That is awesome, thanks! Now I understand why I couldn't have two separate paths (one going to FOH with a Plexi/cab / one going to my stage amp with an amp block).

It's an Acoustic (brand) 10W amp with an 8" spkr. Funny thing is I use it's bigger cousin (35W / 12" spkr) for band practice and it sounds killer! The only difference is at church I'm going XLR and 1/4" out (same path) but at band practice I'm going straight into the amp with no amp/cab modeling (at gigs I do 4cm with no amp modeling except one song). Since I'm going to split the signal I just realized I could use a different amp/cab model in that path and maybe get a tone I can live with. I know FRFR is the way to go but with no budget (they don't pay me) I'm kinda stuck right now. Thanks for the replies!

Being a huge Lincoln Brewster fan I kept the trend from my old X3L & started from scratch- used a Plexi amp/cab, with a little compression, delay & reverb. Some songs use chorus & tremolo but not on all the time. The house sound is amazing! The X3L had something called "Studio Match direct" & that worked but I remember having to dial back the highs on that also. This is a new animal so I just need to get my hands dirty some more.

Looks like the easiest fix is to split the signal. I assumed since the amp is just a little SS thing I'd be okay. Thanks for the help!

So my LT has been working great on gigs using 4cm & a '57 hung on the amp going to FOH. Today I had my first gig at church using a preset with amp/cab sims and XLR out. The XLR (FOH) sounds amazing as I expected, but the "live" 1/4" out to a stage amp sounds shrill. I turned the treble way down & the bass up on the amp but it didn't help much. I'm sure I'm missing something obvious; any ideas on how to tame the high end going to the amp without sacrificing the XLR out tone?

First issue: Second issue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2R1impQ2vw&t=607s Start @ 6:00. Realizing that he has a Helix and you have an HX but the principle is the same. Good luck!

Thank you.

I had this too. Nady makes a cheap ($33) hum eliminator that stops it. Put between the HX send & the amp input.

I agree. The only thing I outboard is a talkbox because I have to.

Keith Richards said (paraphrasing) 'give me 5 minutes & I'll make it sound like me' when asked if he'd ever consider using a different guitar then what he's known for. For me, this sums up my experience with the Helix (LT in my case). Sure, I'd enjoy standing in front of a dimed JTM45 & a '59 Les Paul, but for us working stiffs who have to cover everything from Johnny Cash to Guns & Roses it suits every need I have. I had an X3L previously & thought it sounded okay until I got the LT. I'm probably the exception but I use it as a stomp with a high gain Blackstar amp for gigs, then as a modeler going to FOH at church on Sundays. I get a lot of compliments on my tone. One poster said I only use 10% but I get a ton of joy out of that 10%, & the usefulness (multiple footswitch assigns, block placement anywhere you want it, every possible type of delay you can imagine, all very visible in signal view format) far outweighs any sonic deficiencies, if there are any. $0.02

Agree with phil_m about opening a support ticket, but don't discount the above helping the noise- it did with my LT. The noise floor (even in tuner mode) was unacceptable until I went to 4cm & also got a hum eliminator which helped the added noise from using the EXP amp chan switching mode.

I use a backpack for my LT on gigs, it does well. I'd suggest paying close attention to Spearmint95's #2 above when removing/inserting the unit, since the side zippers only go so far it makes it easier to get in & out while standing. Actually just learned this tonight on a gig.

I use an MXR Talkbox which worked very well in the output of the LT. Since I started using 4cm I tried it in the send (amp input) & in the return but It seems to work best first in the chain between (wireless) guitar and the Helix input. I haven't tried putting it into a second loop path because no matter what the output when active is still the tube picked up by the vocal mic. Any thoughts, would it be worth the effort to try a second loop, effectively making it a block? Thanks,