DunedinDragon

I rarely use my Helix Floor footswitches as I can get everything I need from my Morningstar MC8. I've had this unit since 2015 and I can't say it's been as problematic as yours but some buttons always needed some attention to keep functioning well, and it's just as easy and more reliable to do everything over MIDI.

I think your analysis overlooks some very obvious things though. There's a fairly significant difference in the capabilities of the individual blocks on the XL. That's because, unlike the PodGo, the Stomp employs the same Helix modeling engine used on it's largest units (though limited in number) which is considerably more powerful processing wise than the PodGo. That may be worth some of your attention to determine all the things you can do with the Stomp which is considerably broader and more capable than what you have now. The added benefit is that your presets can convert directly over to any Helix unit whereas your PodGo presets will have to be rebuilt. I would think that would be a pretty important consideration should you decide ultimately you want to have more flexibility and capability in what your unit can do.

Those amps may be affecting the tone because you are going through their tone stack. Try using a pair of headphones and see how much the amp is flavoring your tone.

One other quick note, a lot of the sound is going to depend on the kind of speaker you play through and that sometimes make it a challenge to get the tone you want. What are you using to listen through as you dial in your tones?

That's an awesome guitar you have there. I'd be another vote for the Clarity if you're looking to get the sweetest cleans for jazz. Another one that might serve your needs that I use a lot is the Elmsley to get a little more punch. Here's the designer's description: "The Line 6 Elmsley is a new Line 6 original amplifier that employs a parallel distortion topology that layers distinct saturation characteristics across the lower and upper registers. The Elmsley features a smooth and present bottom end with some exceptional sparkle and definition all through the midrange and above. The result is an amplifier that is dazzling across the full spectrum, and the amplifier deals with pedals in spades. "The other new key feature of The Elmsley's power amp section is the Negative Feedback (NFB) parameter, where the amount of feedback within the power section's response can be dialed anywhere from wild and unhinged, tight and punchy, and anything in between. As with many amplifier designs, the presence and depth controls are part of this negative feedback circuit and functions to control the brilliance and resonance of the power amp, respectively. As the NFB param is reduced, the presence and depth controls' influences are also influenced, and they become effectively deactivated when the NFB knob is at zero. These interactions allow the player to create countless tonal variations to suit their needs.”

I've been playing a Gretsch Silver Falcon for years through my Helix and I've never had a problem getting a great sound out of it unless I try and force it to be what it's not. It has it's own unique sound. Embrace that sound and enhance it and you'll do just fine. Try to force it to sound like a Strat and you're going to struggle. The best thing you can do is get to know the guitar. Plug it into the Helix with a blank preset and listen to it's natural tone as you change pickup selection, volume and tone knobs and different strumming or picking patterns. That's the natural sound of the guitar so just build off of that. It's also important to know what genres of music it excels at. It can be a decent rock guitar that sits somewhere in the middle between a Les Paul and a Strat. It's great at country that's built around a more mellow guitar sound. It can give modern and pop music a more full bodied feel than solid body guitars and will have a very natural warmth to the sound. In my experience it needs very little EQ correction once you get the right amp model and cabinet model setup for it.

I think the first thing you need to address is separating what affects your tone and what affects your volume. From my perspective I concentrate on adjusting the Helix to get the proper tone I want at the most efficient output level. That means my Helix master volume is always dimed to achieve the most efficient output level and the adjustments within the presets are adjusted to maintain the desired tone at a consistent signal level that will be desirable on whatever comes after the Helix. I do that mostly through adjustments on the amp model which includes the amp model's master volume because it does affect the tone whereas the amp's channel volume does not. However I find it much more efficient to adjust the output level of the signal chain to achieve a signal level near unity level as seen from a mixing board with my Helix output set to Mic level (going into the mixing board). Because I do that on all my Helix presets I know there will be no significant change in volume between presets as they pass on to the mixing board which means less work having to gain stage each preset. You could follow that basic approach in your situation simply adjusting your Helix output from being Mic level to Line level which I would assume is what your rig expects as input. That would allow you to adjust your rig's volume settings independently depending on what's needed at any gig so that volume level will be consistent across all presets.

I'm not sure about the studio subs as I don't use them, but most live subs these days allow you to adjust the cutoff frequency to accommodate what's best for your mains. Or in some cases the mains allow you to limit the frequencies coming from the sub to match their preferred ranges.

Depending on what type of sub he was using it may not be a simple forward facing speaker like an amp. Usually there some form of baffle or venting that allows the low frequencies to do what they do best and permeate in a 180 degree fashion as well as helping accentuate the lowest frequencies, so just boosting the low frequencies through a simple speaker might not have the same effect he was getting with his other subs. But who knows, it may be enough if it's just guitar anyway.

It's not going to have the same low frequency cutoff as a sub. It will just reproduce the entire signal it receives so who knows if it will work for you outside of trying it. Generally speaking guitars have very little representation at the the frequencies isolated to a subwoofer. That's mostly for frequencies below 125 hz which is the low bass strings and kick drums, toms, etc.

I would say I've converted most of my active presets to newer amp models. There are a few exceptions on amps that are very useful and unique such as the Jazz Rivet and the WhoWatt, but most of them are in the new camp and a lot are the new Line 6 creations. In all cases all of my presets have been converted to the new cabinet models.

I don't see any problems with what you want to do other than making sure you have a capable MIDI controller as MIDI controllers aren't always equal. Just do your homework and good luck.

From your description it sounds like you're going into a mixing board? I'm basing that on your description : "L/R out via Line signal to my interface. Interface is set to line, gain is at zero on the interface. I have to volume knob turned all the way up on the HX." Normal inputs into a mixing board expect Mic signal levels which are WAY lower than Line level. The fact you have the gain set at zero, which I'm assuming means the 12 o'clock position, really means nothing. What matters is the signal level as shown by the mixing board signal lights on that channel, not the position of the knob. If this is the case it doesn't surprise me at all with the Helix main output maxed out that you'd be getting clipping on that channel. The first thing I'd do if this is all true would be to change the Helix output level to Mic rather than Line and see if that helps.

All of what you're wanting to do is perfectly possible. I know because I do it every week in my band in every performance. But there are some tricks to make it work seamlessly. Most importantly, the two things you can't really automate and needs to be done through some separate means is starting a song in time with your click track and signaling the end of the song which selects the next song's preset which will setup the appropriate tempo being used in the song and therefore controlling when a MIDI signal needs to be sent in synchronization with the song. Everything else can be automated during the course of a song from an external source such as a laptop as long as your tempo and start point match. I do all of these things on stage using a Morningstar MC8 MIDI footswitch, but I'm assuming your click track may come from a different source which may make things a bit tricky.

I suppose in the same fashion as a Golf Cart being an automobile of sorts, I suppose. But I wouldn't want to drive one to work every day.