DunedinDragon

My HS7's are actually facing out from opposite corners about 8 inches away from the wall. It produces pretty good bass, but I don't think it's over the top at all. If they get too bassy there's a room control switch on the rear that drops everything below 500hz either -2db or -4db. I've never needed to use it. They actually are a bit better mannered in terms of bass response than my Yamaha DXR12's which can have a boomy bass on some amp models and cabinets. I've never had that boomy bass issue with the HS7's.

The only problem I have with Chris Beaver's videos is I wish he'd go through the preset and explain his thinking and technique in how he set it up. This is what I appreciate so much with Peter Hamner's videos. It's probably just me, but I prefer to not import presets. I'd rather understand how they're laid out and then replicate the process making minor tweaks as necessary for my particular setup. It's more of a "teach a man to fish" kinda thing.

I think one of the reasons my upgrade went so smoothly is I have a small windows laptop/tablet combo that's dedicated to working on the Helix. There's literally nothing on that computer other than the basic stuff and things for the Helix (and Kasperky).

I agree with silverhead. In your case you should be looking at studio monitors, but I would say don't go cheap because there is a pretty significant difference when it comes to hearing all the nuances in the sound from the Helix. I do somewhat the same thing as you do at home..particularly with recording. I've got a pair of Yamaha HS7s mainly because of the bass guitar I use occasionally, and they have been absolute workhorses for me.

I too was pretty happy with my HD500X and struggled with whether it would be worth it. Now after 3 months I'd say a resounding yes. Aside from the more natural sound and natural response, the big game changer for me was how quickly I could develop patches in comparison to the HD500. Some of it was user interface, but most of it was that most of the default settings on amps, and effects were pretty close to ideal for most circumstances. I also have to say that the versatility of the cabs and mic's FAR supersedes what I was able to do on the HD. Changing cabs, mic's, distance, etc. really has a distinguishable effect on the outcome which was really never the case on the HD. It also seems to me the adjustments on the amps and effects are more dramatic and realistic when you fine tune them...which all makes it so much easier to get exactly the type of tone you're looking for. The time savings alone on building patches and normalizing the volumes has pretty much paid for the unit in my opinion.

Although I wasn't exactly blown away at first after transitioning from the HD, the more I've explored the Helix the more impressed I am. The good news is, the endless tweaking required on the HD is over. It's relatively easy to get a decent tone on pretty much all the amp and fx with the default settings. But once you dive into the possibilities...that's when the WOW happened for me. There's still quite a bit I haven't explored yet such as IR's, but I'm not in too much of a hurry for that. They seem pretty static to me in comparison to the Line 6 cabs with all their adjustability that it may be a while before I feel the need to dive into them. In fact I would say I spend as much time with the cabs and mics fine tuning the sound as I do the amp. There's some incredible versatility there so don't be afraid to explore. By the way, in that regard, don't worry about having separate amp and cab blocks. Even with the Amp+Cab block you have the ability to change cabs and cab parameters and it saves you a bit of DSP. Something that wasn't obvious right out of the gate. Have fun!!!!

This kind of reminds me of the Boss Hog motorcycle. Just because you CAN put a small block Chevy engine in a motorcycle doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. Probably a lot easier ways to get to your destination.

That would affect whether the download runs. As I remember, once you run the downloaded executable, it downloads and installs all of the necessary components (editor, USB driver, and updater), then launches the updater for you to select the firmware to install, then installs the firmware.

If you're a tech/developer I'm not sure you could clear your mind of all you know in order to really appreciate how intimidating it can be for someone that is a novice. It doesn't appear there were an overwhelming number of people that had problems with the upgrade, but there were enough that it gave me pause when I was considering whether or not to do it. Not because I'm intimidated by the technology (I've been a commercial software developer since the '70's), but to be honest the software update process has long been a weak point at Line 6...somewhat fragmented and convoluted. Starting back at Line 6 Monkey/License Manager days through the current model with the Updater it appears to be a lot of little pieces rather than a unified system and strategy. The verbage (Line 6 Updater, Helix application/Helix Editor, Helix USB driver, Helix Floor/Rack, Helix Control )alone can be confusing when it's not clear what piece does what. I'm sure there are a number of people that only know the unit they purchased (example Helix Floor) and this may be their very first experience with Line 6 products, modeling in general, and using a computer as part of playing guitar. That's who you have to keep in mind when you write installation instructions.

a) Yes, firmware and flash memory are somewhat the same. Flash memory is where firmware is stored. b- The Helix application, is also referred to as the editor. It shows up as an application simply named "Helix" on your computer c) Just install the 2.01 update. It will install everything you need. d) On the software download page select "Helix" in the first drop down box that says "All Products", select "Helix" also in the second drop down box that says "All software", and select the correct operating system in the last drop down box, then press "Go". You will see as the top item on the next page instructions with the tite: Helix Editor v2.01 Release Notes scroll to the bottom of those release notes and you will see a "Get Download" button on the right side. Press that button and it will download the software. Execute the software that is downloaded and then follow the directions in the release notes to go through the installation process. e) Resetting globals and restoring presets is necessary for the 2.01 update. Follow the procedures as written.

I'm not sure how this would be any different from changing the level setting in the output block. If everything else is fine in your patch, that would be the natural place to go to normalize the volumes between patches.

It may be different on different platforms. I know that on Windows 8 when I ran the download executable, it auto-launched the Updater at the end. There may be some slight differences in Mac and maybe different versions of Windows

If you read my original post I made reference to certain specific things in those instructions that could be unclear. Not because they were written unclearly, but they didn't take into account that many users have no idea what a "Line 6 Updater" is for example. Nor or they likely to know how to check version numbers on the Helix app or the Updater. It's also not apparent that the Line 6 Updater is run automatically once the download is complete, so the possibility is someone may try to run the Updater separately. Also, the download web page itself is confusing and it's easy to get lost there trying to find the appropriate update as well as know what you need to do and what will happen when you do it. All of this is in the original post I made. I think a lot of these things could be fixed by just using screen shots and a little more clarity as far as what the user will see and do as they go through the process.

Yep, but this is one of those decisions that's a "pay me now, or pay me later" kind of deal. Any updates to the firmware are going to be costlier than they should be until they hammer out a "idiot proof" update process....the problem is, there's just too many idiots....and they can be quite creative at messing things up when they put their minds to it.... :huh:

It's just a free Android app called "Sound Meter"...inventive name, huh??

There are a couple of ways to switch between tones and maintain the expression pedal status. Bear in mind the expression pedal resets to the value it had when you saved the preset, so that doesn't mean it resets to 100 or 0. Other than that, as long as you don't change to a different patch, the pedal value doesn't change. The most current way to do this would be using snapshots in Firmware 2.01 in which you stay in the same patch but select a different layout or configuration of amps, cabinets and effects all within that same patch. You can do same thing as what you're describing in firmware prior to 2.01 by assigning multiple actions to a single footswitch. A single footswitch can have up to eight assignments. In one of my patches I have a Roland amp, a dual harmonizer, a Matchless amp and a Delay. All of these individual components are assigned to a single footswitch. However I saved them so that the Roland and harmonizer were enabled when the switch is in the on position and the the Matchless and delay are off. When I hit the footswitch, the Roland and harmonizer are turned off and the Matchless and delay are turned on so I can easily switch back and forth with a single footswitch stomp.

Personally I just use a sound meter app on my phone. I play through my normal rig setup and normalize all the patches to about 80db. Works fine for me and just takes a minute to check and adjust things. I lay the phone on the desk a couple of feet away from the speaker, turn it on and play guitar through the patch, and I can see the levels. Your USB signal level is different than your volume output, so I'm not sure which one you're trying to measure.

I suspect you may find it's not a Helix driver issue at all. If Sonar works with it then the USB driver probably meets specs. It may be some shortcuts they took in USB interfaces on FL Studio just like they did with hard-coding the interface for USB 1 & 2..

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone complain about the footswitch action on the Helix, but you never know. To me it's one of the easiest I've dealt with. Most of the footswitches require a lot of pressure, but these are just right at least for me. Put it into IdeaScale and see if it flies.

It would be pretty hard to not dig into development resources to develop a more streamlined installation system. Typically support and development are two different skill sets. Support could provide great insight into features for such a system, but it will still take hands in the code and knowledge of where things are in the code to make it all happen. However, if this 2.0 and 2.01 thing taught us anything, it's that a better update process would be of great value not only to users but to L6. Avoid some brushfires like we had this last time.

Well...after listening to all the problems and issues, I decided to go ahead and take the leap to 2.01 and everything went smooth as silk. Of course I'll need to work with it throughout the week to make sure nothing else crops up, but it was a nice smooth upgrade. However, in going through the process I have a couple of recommendations for the next time an upgrade comes out for the Line 6 folks: As I went through the process I could see where people could end up getting confused. The way the instructions are written it just makes a vague reference to where you go to download the software. Once you get to that page it's not really clear what to do. You can pull up the update instructions, but unless you page down you won't see the download button. You might want to re-think that page to make it more obvious. Once it's downloaded it doesn't autorun, so it's easy for someone to think it didn't download correctly. Certainly a screenshot and explanations might help here. The instructions reference using the line 6 updater to upgrade the firmware. However, you don't really have to run the updater software because once it runs a secondary popup window shows up and asks you if you which firmware you want to install, and it runs the updater. These weren't any problem for me because I could kind of reason out what's happening, but someone that's not that familiar with computers could easily get confused. My advice, if you're going to continue doing upgrades in this fashion rather than a fully automated update program, is to do what most software installation instructions do and use step by step instructions along with screenshots with maybe some overlayed highlights on those screenshots and additional instructions to reduce the confusion. Take the user step-by-step through exactly what they are going to see and what they will need to do. Even a shot of the Helix showing which footswitches to press to rebuild would reduce the possibilities of error. I'm not sure if any of these issues were the cause of some of the problems, but it would certainly help reduce confusion and the possibility of errors. It seems like a small investment in time to do this might reduce all the anxiety for the users as well as the L6 people trying to figure out what the user did during the upgrade.

See...this is what I meant. Ask 100 people what "amp in the room" sounds like and you'll get 100 different answers.

Well, that might be doable if people could actually define what they mean by "amp in the room". Ask 100 people you'll get 100 different answers.

I think you're overthinking it. I doubt a sound tech would adjust out a 3k peak across the board, or a PA not have some sort of peak in that range, because it's needed for vocal clarity. And the only thing that range will do for an electric guitar signal is add attack which is typically not a problem. Of course there's always the case you may end up running through a crap FOH system that's circa 1979...but there's no way you can compensate for that. Most modern PA system will likely have pretty close to the same profile of a decent FRFR powered speaker. To each their own, but in my experience, even with a very experienced sound tech, if I'm sending him a good sounding signal he's not very likely to do much if anything with it other than gain stage it and set it appropriately in the mix. If it sounds good to my ear through my monitor it will sound good, or in most cases, exactly the same, through the FOH if I'm using a reasonably modern and accurate powered speaker as my monitor. The tech may apply some EQ across the board to compensate for room acoustics, but that's a good thing. And I can't say I've encountered any situation in the last 5 or 6 years in which my sound was messed with by the FOH guy and ended up sounded worse than what it did on stage. I can say there have been cases where it wasn't mixed correctly, but EQ hasn't really been an issue. What I would say is, if that 3k peak bothers you, dial it out. As you said, your hearing roughly the same as what's coming out of the PA. I doubt you'll run into problems.

Why would you do this? If your doing your stage rig correctly it's only heard on stage, not affected by the room. If your stage sound is bleeding over and competing with the FOH you've got bigger problems than just EQ. Only you and your band know what your band is supposed to sound like. The sound tech doesn't know, unless he's your exclusive sound tech. I agree he can compensate for the room acoustics, but if your band has been at this long enough you know what your sound is supposed to sound like. If he has any questions he can come up on stage and listen....that's his reference model.