amsdenj

The same footswitch can control multiple block bypass states. For example, I use this to control two delays in my common patch: one is a quick slap-back with no repeats, the other is a more complex, richer, longer delay delay with repeats, modulation, etc. One footswitch toggles between the two since I use one or the other all the time. To do this, you simply assign the same footswitch to different block bypass states. Then use the bypass button to set the blocks in the starting state you want, one off, the other on: for example, slap-back on, long delay off. Save the patch. Then pressing the footswitch will toggle the bypass state of both blocks, turning the slap-back off, and the long delay on.

The things I’ve struggled with the most with Helix is controlling the high end out of cab and IR models, and controlling the woffie bass with PA speakers as a backline on the floor and in a corner - where I usually get put for gigs. In the studio its entirely different. Good studio monitors (I use Yamaha HS8s), and Helix effects in front of S-Gear is to die for. Live gigging is more challenging. I haven’t used Powercab live yet (next gig is 15 Feb), but I’m hoping it will naturally tame both the low end boom and the high-end ice-pick simply because its an “enhanced” guitar speaker, not a PA speaker used for guitar. I’m going to start using Powercab the same way I used a par of JBL EON610s in the past - in FRFR mode. I still think Powercab provides a more natural guitar tone in compared to PA speakers. But I haven’t been able to try it live yet. I use IEMs or high-end ear plugs during gigs to protect my ears. So I’m a bit challenged to really know what that Powercab is doing. Here’s hoping its going to tame those lows and highs a bit for a more warm, inviting guitar tone.

With HX Stomp, use an external tuner to free up the FS3 unless you also want to have a tap tempo. I don’t bother with HX stomp tap tempo as in many cases its not that necessary. Leave the reverb on all the time, then you don’t need a footswitch for that. You can often do that for delay too. That leaves two footswitches for effects, and one for looper.

If you already have a pair of PA monitors you were using (I still have a pair of JBL EON 610s), and you need a big sound, why not use the PA monitors with one Powercab in a wet-dry-wet setups?

Powercab and the ASM 10's are both FRFR, but a different kind of FRFR. They're both optimized for electric guitar by having the woofer being essentially a coaxial guitar speaker. A tweeter is added to provide high frequencies for typical guitar speaker IRs and acoustic guitar tones. If you use these for vocal monitoring, keyboards, or bass, you might be disappointed compared to reasonably good PA speakers. But for electric guitar, they might be just what you need. The difference between ASM 10s and Powercab Plus is the ability to set Powercab plus to Flat/LF Raw or Speaker mode/Natural to just use the woofer without the tweeter as a traditional 1x12 cabinet. I don't know if the ASM 10 can do that. Powercab Plus also has a level control on the tweeter so you can flexibly control the FRFR high end, something that modeling amps tend to struggle with. Powercab plus can also provide different speaker models by applying specific EQ processing on top of Flat/LF Flat mode. But Powercab plus and Helix are just getting started. The integration between Variax, Helix and Powercab covers the whole signal chain. To me, this is hard to beat. Sure there are things that might sound better if you optimize each one. A vintage Les Paul will sound better than the Variax Lister model, a vintage tube amp will sound better than Helix, a 1x12 with a Celestion G12-65 will sound better than Powercab Cream - at least for the one thing they all do best. But the combination in an integrated system has the advantage of simplicity, flexibility, ease of use, broad tone range and reliability that might be a lot more meaningful than subtle tone differences that are totally lost in the mix in in most live gigging situations.

Impulse responses are linear, so it should matter too much whether the effects are between the amp and cab block or after the cab block. Stereo/mono limitations are probably more of a factor. I think the Powercab Plus's ability to have speaker models that are (I think) just EQ to change one guitar speaker to sound like another, is the real advantage of Powercab. You get amp in the room because Powercab is based on a guitar speaker, not a PA speaker, and doesn't need a mic model to sound like a guitar speaker.

That will come in 2.8 this spring.

I think it's reasonably clear, but the names could be more descriptive. Flat/FRFR is pretty clear, use with Helix Cab or IR blocks. Flat/LF Raw says it's just the woofer, no EQ and no tweeter. The question is, what does that mean, and how does the name Flat/LF Raw tell us what it means? I think it's just what it says it is, you're getting the woofer only, and there's no EQ processing. What goes out of the XLR outs is the same thing that goes into the input, there's no additional processing. So what is that good for? You're getting just the Eminence speaker with no EQ and no tweeter. That's pretty much a guitar speaker and the core of what makes Powercab different than a PA speaker (whose woofer isn't a guitar speaker). I think Flat/LF Raw is the same as Speaker Model/Natural, except for levels, what goes out the XLR outputs. Flat/Raw XLR output is the same as the input. Speaker model/Natural lets you select a mic model. How best to use this is an open question. If you have a Helix amp block, but no cab or IR block, and you have no need to sending anything through the XLR output, then Flat/Raw would be a good simple choice, treating Powercab like a traditional 1x12, closed back guitar speaker cabinet. Flat/LF Flat is less clear. Its again just the woofer, no tweeter, so there's no way this is "flat" since there's going to be a lot of high end rolloff. Maybe this is useful as a "flat" guitar speaker that doesn't have the characteristic mid hump that most guitar speakers have. This might be useful as just a different guitar speaker tone. But possibly its broader function is to provide the base tone upon which the speaker models are applied to get the modeled result.

Try using a thinner pick with a sharper point.

Maybe, but from the Powercab manual: FLAT MODE - Essentially full-range, flat-response, and equivalent to the signal being sent to a front-of-house mixer. This mode is most helpful for simple plug-and-play compatibility, letting your amp modeler do all the work. Voicing – Selects the final post-processing EQ and crossover settings for the speaker system. FRFR - Uses the high-frequency compression driver with a flattened frequency-response EQ for full-range operation. LF Solo - Uses only the woofer with no EQ applied, allowing it to be utilized like a typical guitar speaker. LF Flat - Uses only the woofer with a flattened frequency response EQ. This voicing is used for the Speaker Mode.

https://jimamsden.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/wet-dry-wet-setup-with-helix/

I think its this: Flat/FRFR - woofer + tweeter for FRFR, use with Helix Cab models or IRs, good for acoustic guitars Flat/LF Raw - woofer only, use as a traditional 1x12 guitar speaker with no additional EQ or processing, use with Helix amp models (generally no cab or IR) Flat/LF Flat - woofer only, but has EQ for a flatter, less mid hump'd traditional guitar speaker - used as the base tone for the Powercab speaker models which add additional EQ processing on top of Flat/LF Flat to simulate speaker tones without requiring a mic. In all Flat mode voicings, the XLR output is the same as the Powercab input, there is no additional processing in Powercab sent to XLR output. Speaker Model/Natural - same as Flat/LF Raw, but includes a mic model in the XLR output to FOH. User IR mode - woofer + tweeter following IR processing in Powercab, use with Helix amp models only, XLR output is the Powercab output through the IR. Other than the position of the IR in the signal chain, this is identical to using the same IR in Helix (with Powercab in Flat/FRFR mode/voicing) or Powercab. So what's unique about Powercab is: 1. it has Flat/FRFR mode/voicing for modern FRFR, but also can be used as a traditional 1x12 guitar speaker with no cab or IR models in Helix. 2. It has Speaker model mode where the Flat/LF Flat base tone is adapted with additional EQ matching to sound like other guitar speakers. The amp in the room sound is achieved by modifying the tone of a traditional 1x12 speaker with no IR or mic model. 3. It looks like a traditional 1x12 guitar cabinet, and is light and easy to setup and use. So Powercab can be used as a FRFR for full model and acoustic tones, as a traditional 1x12 guitar speaker with no processing, and as various simulated 1x12 guitar speakers with separate mic models sent to FOH. Pretty cool!

If you use Flat/LF Raw, the tweeter is turned off and you're just using the raw woofer with no EQ. That's a guitar speaker that won't really handle the high frequencies required to reproduce an acoustic guitar tone. Flat/FRFR is probably more typically used for acoustic guitars. Of course different songs/styles may benefit from different configurations.

Since convolution is linear, it probably doesn't make much difference for most effects like EQ, reverb, delay, modulation or other linear effects that might typically go after the amp in a live or recording situation. However, compression would be different. Since convolution is a linear time varying system, the compressor input would see different signals depending on whether it was before or after an IR block. This is similar to the discussion about EQ before and/or after compression. Both are valid and do different things. However, if the block is non-linear, than positioning before or after the IR block could make quite a difference. But typically we wouldn't put distortion or amp blocks after an IR.

I purchased a bunch of Ownhammer IRs from the Helix store. I find these can't be loaded into Powercab because it has no way to login to check for a license. Is there another way? If not, will this eventually be supported? Another issue I noticed is that on MacOS, I can only import 48 kHx 24 bit IRs. I get an error with 32bit IRs that says they must be 16, 24 or 32 bit. Anyone else noticed this?

Running IRs into Flat/LF Flat mode is adding some additional EQ you might like, but will be changing the IR's natural tone. Flat/LF Raw also turns off the tweeter, but doesn't add any additional EQ processing, retaining the natural frequency response of the Eminence speaker. Speaker Model/Natural is similar, but has the option of sending a mic model through the XLR output. LF Flat voicing is intended to provide a base, flat speaker voicing upon which the speaker model processing is based. Try using a bit if high cut in Flat/FRFR for your Helix IRs. That's typically required for other FRFR solutions too.

Sounds like your tweeter isn't working.

Not sure if this is clear yet or not. I just got a Powercab this afternoon and think I'm beginning to understand the difference between the three modes: Flat, Guitar Speaker and User IR. First Powercab is primarily intended to emulate various guitar speakers in a room, that is, speaker models without mic models, mic position and mic depth. It accomplishes this by using a coaxial speaker that can have the tweeter turned off in order to actually be a guitar speaker in the room. The woofer is a custom Eminence speaker, similar in construction to a Beta-12CX coaxial speaker, but likely using a cone material and construction to more close match a typical guitar speaker rather than a fuller range PA speaker. When you run Flat/FR Raw, or Guitar Speaker/Natural, you're using just that woofer with no EQ or any other processing - its literally a 1x12 guitar cabinet in the room. The tweeter provides additional flexibility for other purposes, that hopefully are explained below. Flat mode has three voicings: FRFR, LF Raw and LF Flat. Flat/FRFR voicing uses the woofer and tweeter in the coaxial speaker with no EQ for a full range, flat response. Use this if you're using Helix (or HX Stomp) to provide the cab model or IR for the speaker model. Powercab just acts like a typical PA or monitor speaker in this mode. Flat/LF Raw voicing simply turns off the tweeter, and makes Powercab similar to any other 1x12, closed back guitar cabinet. Use only amp models in Helix or HX Stomp, no cab, or IRs for this mode/voicing. This should sound pretty close to a typical closed-back guitar combo amp, with the specific characteristics of that custom Eminence speaker providing the speaker tone. Flat/LF Flat is a special voicing that also only uses the woofer, but uses an EQ to establish a consistent starting point for the guitar speaker models. All the speaker models are built off Flat/LF Flat, using different EQ and perhaps other custom processing to make the Eminence woofer sound like other speakers. There's no tweeter for these models, and no mic model or mic position. This is what can't be produced by Helix cab models or IRs and what makes Powercab unique. Helix cab models and IRs all involve mics, but Powercab speaker models are variations on a guitar speaker, not impulse responses of a mic'd guitar cabinet. The Guitar Speaker models provide additional EQ on the Flat/LF Raw base voicing to model or mimic other speakers. The mic models and mic distance have no effect on the sound coming from the Powercab speaker, they only effect what's sent to the FOH or PA from the Powercab XLR output. Contrast with Helix where the cab models are sent to your FRFR monitor and FOH and all include mic models. Powercab XLR output needs additional mic processing that's missing from the speaker models to send to the FOH. What this means is that the guitar speaker models don't include any mic modeling in the Powercab speaker itself, making it sound more like an amp in the room. Speaker model/Natural is similar to Flat/LF Raw - the output from the Powercab speaker is the same, the Powercab tone is determined only by the Eminence woofer. But the Natural speaker model has the option of sending a mic model through the XLR output. In User IR mode, Powercab is essentially set to Flat/FRFR voicing with additional processing provided by user IRs. In this case, the tweeter is on, and the IRs will include mic models. Use this mode if you're using HX Stomp, want to user your own IRs and need to save a block. There's probably less reason to use User IR mode if you're using Helix floor since its probably easier to just include the IR or cab model in Helix.

Have you updated Mac OS? I'm using 10.14.2 with Helix floor, HX Edit and HX stomp and have never had any connectivity problems. Apple has made some recent updates that had impact on USB. For example, my old M-Audio Fast Track Pro stopped working for a few releases and now is working fine.

I could be wrong, but I don't think Helix guitar input sees the output impedance of the guitar in Auto mode. Rather it sets the guitar input impedance to the input impedance of the first block in the signal path. This loads whatever pickups your guitar has as the real effect would have and is typically important for fuzz effects. Note however that auto impedance does not change the guitar input impedance when the block is off. This can result in some unexpected loss in tone when the effect is off.

I'd recommend being careful about cleaning the piezo pickups on a Variax. I have found that my Variax Standard's clang tone has reduced somewhat over time. I'm thinking that's because the pickups are seating differently in the bridge, and maybe dirt and moisture has helped fill voids between the pickup and the bridge that I think contribute to clang tone. This is why I use the soft toothbrush. It gets the dust and dirt off the top, but doesn't put liquid of any kind down between and under the pick and the bridge. Something to consider...

I use a very soft toothbrush to clean them every time I change strings.

My JTV-69S with SVL Daytona single coil pickups is my main gigging guitar. I also replaced the neck with a Warmoth with stainless steel frets. This should indicate the value this guitar has for me. My Les Paul and Strat both stay at home, and I use a black Epiphone Sheraton II Pro as my backup guitar. I use a few open tunings, including some for acoustic guitar. Using a Variax with Helix makes this so easy its hard to imagine any other solution.

My HX Stomp USB center block broke too. My Helix is 3 years old and no problem. HX Stomp broke within a few days, with limited use. Maybe there was a bad batch.

9 blocks total, not including input and output. If you don't need to send path A and B outputs to different devices, then you can share common stereo blocks like delay and reverb on both paths.