amsdenj

Also set the join to put Cab A 100% L and Cab B 100% right going into the stereo modulation effect.

Problem 1: check the HX Stomp global setting inputs and outputs and make sure they are set to instrument levels. Problem 2: you need those switches to be momentary contact, not toggle. Once the switch is on, HX Stomp sees preset up on all the time. Problem 3: Sound like you're using an input on your amp that bypasses the gain control. If it works with a guitar, it will work the same way with HX Stomp. Make sure you are using blocks in HX Stomp that are designed for front of the amp use - no amp or cab models for example.

You have to set the output block on path 1B to Send 1/2. Then make sure the level of the split block and send output are appropriate - the defaults should be fine.

I would much rather have Workbench running in a computer. I don’t change guitar models live, so I don’t need Helix to do that. I also don’t want to complicate the Helix UI with capabilities that would be rarely used. That said, it would be interesting to be able to store whole Variax models in Helix and load them into the guitar as needed instead of having to load them in the guitar directly ahead of time.

The key thing is to keep most blocks at unity gain (bypass on/off doesn’t result in a big volume jump). This way you won’t get gain buildup in your signal chain that could result in digital clipping at the output, and you’ll be sending each block a signal that hopefully keeps it in its sweet spot, where it was designed to work best.

Turning the patch output up or the PC+ XLR input down certainly can be used to achieve similar levels between the XLR and AES outputs. But it would be convenient if Line6 normalized these so the typical 0dB settings on Helix output and PC+ XLR input were the same. This would simplify patch management when using different FRFRs. I also find the AES PC+ input volume a little low. I have to run the PC+ and Helix output knobs up pretty high to get sufficient stage volume. Its enough, and there’s plenty to spare, but it just seems the knobs have to be up pretty high.

If you want to use the 1/4 output, and don’t want to relay on batteries, you can use any of the old Variax external power supplies with any JTV guitar. That will provide power through the TRS cable.

1. There’s no specific list of presets that emulate artists or songs, but you may search Custom Tone and find things to try. To figure out tones, try searching for the band/song on YouTube, or go see them live and see what guitars and amps they are using. Then see if you can figure out what pickup they are using. This will provide a pretty good starting point. Adjust saturation, tone, effects from there. 2. Helix has three outputs you can use: XLR L/R, 1/4” L/R, and Headphone. If that’s not sufficient, or if you need more control about where the outputs are in the signal chain, you can use Send blocks anywhere you need them. 3. Yes, and these might match the impedance of your instrument better than the Aux input. On my acoustic gigs, I have a Strat, acoustic guitar and mandolin plugged in all the time. Start in the guitar input (needs high-Z), mandolin in Aux, and acoustic guitar with active pickup into Return 3. Different patches determine which input is active.

There’s a simple way to accomplish what you want without using a send block, or having to waste an extra block on path B. The trick is to switch the roles of the Main L/R out and Send L/R. Use Send L/R to send to FOH and use Main L/R to send to your stage amp’s return. Then you can use the IR or Amp block (depending on what your stage amp is) on path B, no need for an extra block. This also has the advantage that the Send L/R sends a fixed level to FOH while the Main L/R volume can be used to conveniently control your stage volume from HX Stomp.

Use a blank preset with headphones and listen to the guitar played hard through all pickup combinations and see if you can hear any distortion. Digital clipping is not pleasant, so if you’re clipping, you’ll probably hear it. If there’s any doubt, compare the sound with pad on/off (adjusting for equal volume). If they sound the same, you’re probably not getting digital clipping.

I use a Variax JTV-69S that I added SVL Daytona SSS pickups and a real nice Warmoth neck. That’s my goto guitar for almost everything. I also use a 67 Les Paul Deluxe that has Tom Holmes split coil humbuckers. This is also a pretty versatile guitar as it gets the Les Paul and Tele sounds pretty well. But for flexible tones, its hard to be a Strat and a JTV-69S can be a nice Strat and have usable models for other things too.

You can send an effects chain into the front of a guitar amp, and into a separate path in HX stomp though an amp/cab model to FOH without using a send block. Put all the front of the amp effects on path 1. Put the amp/cab block as the last block and then move it down to path 2. Leave the output for path 1 to main L/R out. Set the output to path 2 to the send output. Connect the send output to FOH. This requires a splitter to get the stereo output out of the TRS send jack, but it sends a constant signal to FOH, just what you usually want. Then the main L/R goes to your stage amp, and the HX Stomp volume control provides a convenient volume control for your stage amp.

If your signal chain included Amp/Cab -> compressor -> output, then I would expect channel volume to have a significant impact on the feel since its controlling the level into the compressor. The higher the channel volume, the more compression. This would be true regardless of whether output level was adjusted for the same overall level or not.

Any DAW plugin or Helix block has a sweet spot for its input. If you drive the block outside this sweet spot, it might function fine, but its effects might not be optimal for typical settings. If you drive the block too hard, it might introduce unintended distortion. This is particularly true of many Helix effect blocks like the Leslie blocks, that were designed for front of the amp use with guitar input levels, but are often used after the amp in Helix signal chains. We don’t know the input levels the blocks were designed for, so finding the sweet spot would take some experimenting. And of course under or over driving the block could produce exactly the sound you’re looking for, optimized or not. But I find keeping each block close to unity gain is a good safe starting point, and provides a simple way of normalizing patch volumes. It also provides more predictable results if you copy a block to other presets to reuse its settings - the expected input and output levels will be consistent. If you keep all blocks unity gain, and send the full XLR output to FOH, you’ll be sending a typical signal level that won’t result in any surprises at the mixing board. I use a DAW to set the block to unity gain by adjusting so the level is close to the same when the block is on or bypassed. But you can do this close enough by just listening. A few dB isn’t going to make much difference. This will result in a pretty low level output from Helix. I keep my Powercab+ volume maxed out, and run Helix master (digital) output around 1-3 o-clock. This gives all the stage volume I need. I like the low output from Helix because this helps make sure there’s no potential for digital clipping at the A2D or D2A converters.

I see your point. If Teemah! and it bass and treble cut establishes your base tone, then Scream808 in front would retain that tone while providing additional saturation with a mid hump that isn’t going to give a lot of bass mud and treble ice-pick into the Teemah!. I like that idea. The reason I put the Scream808 after Teemah! is because I actually want it to dominate the tone as it’s mid hump is an iconic sound that fits a lot of songs. The point is to think about what you’re trying to achieve, and to realize that the last pedal in a chain is going to have the biggest impact on tone, while the ones before it will have the most impact on saturation. But its actually a pretty complex interaction, so you might find the logic doesn’t always work and you have to try different things and trust your ears.

Powercab for recording is a better idea than might first appear. If you’re using Helix, then its a fine audio interface, so is HX Stomp. But if you need an extra block with HX Stomp, you can use the speaker models or IRs in Powercab, and use it as an audio interface. But the real benefit is amp in the room for you, and your guitar, even though it’s not being recorded to the track. Having sound in the room that you and your guitar can interact with changes how you play, and how the guitar sustains and feels. So I like the idea of using Powercab in a recording session, even if its not being mic’d or used as an audio interface. What it does is establish a context in which to enhance the overall performance, and that’s often a lot more important than anything else.

I have had similar experience, and I think I know why. First the experience. The other guitar player in my band uses a Les Paul and Fender Blues Junior. That's a 15 W amp with 1x12 open back cabinet. I use a JTV-69S and Helix with a Powercab+. The constant feedback I get is that he's too loud and no-one can hear a note I'm playing. So I have to really force myself to turn up (while also trying to do my part to keep stage volume down). Now clearly a Les Paul is going to cut through the mix better than a Strat because of the double coil pickups. But I don't think that's all of it. I think the primary issue Tom is experiencing is headroom. If you tone match a Helix/Powercab+ with a 50W Marshall 4x12, you can get very close. The cleans will sound the same as well as the high gain tones. But the difference is headroom. That Marshall can't get its tone at low volume, it needs to be cranked and loud. But Helix/Powercab can get a good tone at low volume. So what tends to happen is that we run our Helix patches with lower Master and higher gain to get the distortion we need, while controlling the overall volume with channel volume or Powercab volume. This gets a great distorted tone, but has very little headroom, even if its putting out the same dB level as the Marshall. It's the headroom that delivers punch, pick attack, articulation and feel. It's power in Watts and speaker cone area that pushes this across a large room. I suspect if Helix were setup with the same headroom, power and speaker area, the outcome would be more similar. Note however that a FRFR needs to have roughly twice the power of a guitar amp to deliver the same distorted volume level. This is because the FRFR has to be run clean and a clipped signal is essentially a square wave which has 2x the area under the curve (which is power). A guitar amp rated at 50W is actually delivering 100W of power when it is heavily distorted.

Re: Teemah! And Scream808: when you stack distortion pedals, you can get different results depending on the order of the pedals. When stacking distortion pedals, the one at the end of the signal chain will often dominate the overall tone while the ones earlier drive more saturation. So I’d generally put Teemah! First, with some bass and treble cut to tailor a good overdrive tone. Then the Scream808 can come after to provide the mid boost and higher grit. Doing both has the Teemah! reducing the bass into the Screem808 a little, giving it even more mid focus and reducing the mud. But either way can work.

I use Powercab+, and if I want stereo, I'll use my two JBL EON610s in a wet-dry-wet setup. Still pretty portable. I use to use stereo all the time at gigs. But since getting Powercab+ I don't anymore, and I don't miss it at all.

If it was working well, and then changed all of a sudden, then its likely an issue with the strings and saddles. I have noticed on my JTV-69S that sometimes the bridge saddles tip badly. Looks like string vibrations cause the adjustments to change. This has happened a number of times so now I check before each gig. You may also have dirt in between the piezo pick and the saddle. You should gently blow this out with compressed air and a light brush.

I’d suspect input impedance differences, or maybe the pad is on.

I think the biggest advantage of Helix as an audio input device is the guitar input is designed and optimized for guitar. That probably won't be the case for a generic audio interface. The issues is audio bandwidth and input impedance.

I have not noticed any problems with phantom power with the Powercab XLR out either.

If you’re using Helix over USB, as your input, it is your sound device, and whatever other sound device you might have is not involved.

The power of your PC has nothing to do with clipping, it only determines how much latency your system and tolerate. If you are driving Reaper too hard, you just need to turn down the input level in the audio device, or use the drive switch in Helix.