DunedinDragon

I'm referring to being familiar with the native hardware interface and functions if you're only familiar with HX Edit.

Good luck doing that when you need to tweak something when playing live. It won't do you much good to post that sort of stuff here since the only place Line 6 looks at for product feedback is on Ideascale.

I think the reason you're not getting a lot of feedback is that you seem to be trying to go from New York to Los Angeles by way of Cairo Egypt. As best I can gather from your original post it sounds like you're trying to use a dual amp setup for a Clean/Dirty arrangement which normally isn't really necessary as you can typically do that fine with a single amp. However, I myself have a few presets in which the dynamics and tones are such that I really need a big contrast in tone and feel which necessitates a dual amp/cab setup using a snapshot to move between the two in clean/overdriven manner. In my case it's a very simple setup using Path 1A for the clean path (based on a Soldano Clean) which then links through at the end block to Path 2A for the overdriven setup (using a Marshall Plexi Bright). There are several reasons for doing it this way the primary of which is to allocate the two different amps and their associated IRs across the two different DSP chips so I have plenty of memory. In this case it's a simple turning off and on of the different blocks associated with the clean versus overdriven sounds in each snapshot. But because they're linked together through a single path (1A and 2A) I can share blocks like compressors and effects between them. Because of the arrangement managing the volume between the two is quite simple since I mainly just adjust the individual amp channel volumes since it doesn't affect the tone. That's my approach which it seems like it accomplishes what you're wanting to accomplish unless I'm missing something.

I'd second RVROBERTS in looking at all the possible solutions as there are quite a few very good ones out there at this point that are much more price competitive than the Friedman. Unfortunately there's no way to know other than trying them out whether any solution will work with a loud band. Optionally you could join a band with some professional discipline that realize it's not the 70's or 80's anymore and most PAs can easily carry the volume load for the venue so you don't have to be so loud that your stage bleed drowns out the PA and vocals.

You can probably get a head start by going to the Line 6 support site for downloads. What you want is the download for HX Edit version 2.71 specifically for the Mac. Take the time and read the release notes which will give you all the specifications as far as operating system versions and requirements. When you download and install the Hx Edit program is also downloads any Helix specific device drivers as well as the appropriate Line 6 Updater program. Your Helix should come with a short USB 2.0 type B cable but you may want a longer one. USB 2.0 type B link Once your Helix comes in you simply connect the USB cable to your PC. If you've already installed the HX Edit program then you need to immediately run HX Edit and do a backup of your Helix. Then all you'll need to do is exit the HX Edit program and run the Line 6 Updater and it will take you through the process for installing the latest version of the software (2.71) onto your Helix. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS YOUR HXEDIT PROGRAM MUST MATCH THE VERSION NUMBER FOR THE HELIX FIRMWARE INSTALLED ON YOUR HELIX OR YOU'LL HAVE ALL SORTS OF WEIRD ANOMOLES. With all that done you use your HX Edit program to access and work on your presets. It's also used to make backups,, save presets to disk, or load IRs.

That's generally the way most people arrange their snapshots. You might want to look at the way Jason Sadites lays out his patches and snapshots in his YouTube series for dialing in the Helix. That's a pretty typical usage.

Not odd at all. Determining a simple version number is quite a bit different than the process involved in installing presets that have a different organization and structure than what the driver and Helix might be expecting.

Apparently there are some people that have a WHOLE lot more time to dink and play around with their Helix than I do. When I fire up my Helix I have stuff I need to get ready or I'm practicing/performing. If I'm not doing anything you'll find me napping on the couch...and if so, don't bother me!!!!

I suspect that what you're experiencing is the exact same effect you would have were you to disable the amp+cab block. That wouldn't block the signal chain, it would simply remove it from the signal chain. Adding channel volume would be the equivalent of enabling the amp+cab block. I would also imagine that's by design since you don't want to stop the flow of the entire signal chain with whatever blocks might be in it either before or after the amp+cab block. It could also be that the signal might continue to pass through and still be processed by the cab block so in effect it would the same as having a separate amp and cab block and then disabling the amp block only. I don't personally see what you did as being any more useful than disabling the amp block would be.

Did you unzip the downloaded files from Ownhammer before trying to import them?

I think it really comes down to one thing which has already been alluded to. Most of us that go for the full Helix floor or LT do so because it's the centerpiece of our rig. This was never an addition to an existing rig, it was a complete overhaul for many of us. And that's what we wanted. But that's because we wanted and/or needed something like that to address the wide range of things we wanted it to solve for us over the long term. If that's not in your game plan it's probably not right for you.

Have you pushed in the dial on that parameter when you turn it so that it's bracketed? That's what designates that the change is associated with the current snapshot. Then you save that snapshot. You may want to re-read the manual on snapshots so you understand the concepts.

You probably wouldn't believe what a common "gothcha" this line level/mic level thing is not only for studio monitors, but mixing boards, FRFR speakers, 4CM...the list is almost endless.

Once again no luck on that one. It's been an often asked for capability, but so far no luck. Just remember that although HX Edit runs as a software program, it's only capabilities other than operations with the computer storage devices, are only what the Helix itself provides. I personally use a small Alesis mixing board with signal meters that I hook up to when dialing in my tones on the Helix.

You'll have to do the same thing as the second question which is copy each element individually into your second path. When you copy/paste an entire preset, you're copying the preset as it exists including path.

Here's the phantom power blocker I've used with my Helix for the last 3 1/2 years. Sescom Phantom Power Blocker I've never noticed any coloration from this or from any DI box, so that shouldn't be a worry. I've used various powered speakers with my Helix all of which have worked quite well. The one I use most is a Yamaha DXR12, but I've also used the EV ZLX-12P, as well as a QSC CP8. In all cases I go 1/4" out to the powered speaker via the L/Mono 1/4" out at line level, and then XLR out to the mixing board. In my case I use the settings in the global ins/outs to disconnect the Helix master volume knob from affecting the XLR out, and send it to the board at Mic level. That way I don't affect the board level if I need to make any adjustments to the stage volume.

There's only one way to find out if it's awesome enough to get added to the Helix, and that's NOT to post it here. You post it in IdeaScale and let Helix users vote on it. If it gets enough votes it could show up in a future update. https://line6.ideascale.com/a/index

A little bit of "due diligence" before buying pays off in less aggravation.

This is one of the considerations you have to take into account depending on the type of music you play and where and how you play. For example, if I want a Rolling Stones kind of sound, I generally wouldn't want to mix that in the same preset with a Jimi Hendrix sound. You could, and separate them with snapshots, but you'd quickly run out of DSP memory space once you decided to add in a Queen sound, or a Hank Williams sound. The point being you need to have a strategy in your head as to how you're going to use presets, and how you'll use snapshots within those presets. There's lots of different strategies people use depending on their needs.

I personally use a CP8 myself, but it's normally in smaller venues where I don't need to turn up too much. It's got plenty of sound and can easily fill most rooms if it's mounted on a stand behind me, but it does tend to hit the limiter fairly quickly if you feed it too much signal. I normalize all my patches with the Helix master volume knob at around 11 o'clock which is pretty much the max signal I want to send to my monitor whether it's the CP8 or the Yamaha DXR12 in larger setups. I rarely find I need to turn up and most of the time I ended up turning it down a bit. I keep both my CP8 and my DXR12 set at noon or unity and never change that as that really does invite the limiter to kick in. From what I can tell I'm pretty safe turning up the CP8 to around 2 o'clock, but I try not to press it. I also configure my global ins/outs so that I feed my stage monitors a line level signal and have the XLR L/Mono not affected by the Helix master volume and send it to the board at Mic level, which is what most boards are used to working with. That sends the XLR L/Mono to the FOH as if the Helix volume knob is turned full up, but since it's a Mic level signal it's pretty easy for the soundman to gain stage it appropriately and any adjustments I make on stage to my monitors via the Helix volume knob won't affect the soundman's signal level.

I'm not sure what you mean by copying tones, but you can copy an entire preset that has snapshots defined in it to a different location and then work on it there. Snapshots are preset dependent meaning they work specifically on the blocks defined within a specific preset. You can't take a snapshot and have it magically understand how to work in a preset that has different amps, effects, and so forth. To copy a preset containing snapshots simple hit the Save button and then at the bottom of the screen you can use the knobs to dial in a different location for the preset.

I think it may be the way you're describing it that's throwing our understanding off. When you change something such as a setting like amp volume or gain, you have to make sure to designate that parameter will be controlled within the snapshot. To do that you need to press the knob in and turn it so that the value is surrounded by brackets. Once you've made the changes save it to the snapshot you're working on. Go to the next snapshot and change the parameters (the ones with the brackets) and save that to the next snapshot. Now when you go from snapshot to snapshot those parameters will change appropriately. You may want to review the following video so you can get a full understanding of how this works: Jason Sadites explains how to use snapshots

I use a Gretsch resonator guitar all the time on my Helix. IRs aren't generally specific to guitars, just to cabinets regardless of what's played through them. The IR I like the best at least for slide work on the resonator is the Redwirez Matchless G12M25 captured with a R121 mic in a position 2 inches off of the cap of the speaker. Played through a US Deluxe Nrm amp model. I tried the acoustic IRs from 3Sigma but it wasn't really the tone I wanted for the slide work I'm doing. Of course your results could be different since my resonator is an all metal style rather than a wood style like the epiphone.

I use a the following short speaker stand for all my live work. It puts the speaker at roughly chest height. Super sturdy stand. Short speaker stand

I personally use the Placater Clean using Ownhammer Vox Class A Duo IR's 2x12 VC30 blend with the summary mix of mic's which is a 57, 70 and 121 as my goto Chet Atkins setup. Not much is needed beyond that other than some warm reverb and maybe some minor compression at the end of the signal chain to even out the finger picking. Of course all of this is irrelevant unless you're using a Gretsch hollow or semi-hollow body guitar with Filter'Tron pickups. That's really the key to getting his signature sound. I personally use a Gretsch Silver Falcon for mine.