DunedinDragon

Hope that works out for you. Both of my units are full Helix floor and I think you'll be really happy with the full floor unit in the studio. The extra inputs come in really handy for acoustic, bass, and keys. The only thing I'd be concerned with is the durability of the LT for gig use. It certainly doesn't compare the tank that Helix floor is.

This happened to several folks including me. I did notice that it went away after my first save by pressing the save button on the Helix.

All sounds the same to me. Probably just hopeful hearing.... ;)

So far I've updated my two Helix units and the whole process is incredibly smooth. Just follow the directions. The only issues I've run into on either update were some anomalies caused (I think) by the new backup/restore utility. Neither of them were very concerning, but just be prepared for them. In both updates my global settings were messed with a bit. The USB in 1/2 Destination was changed to '5'...which is not even a valid selection. Because of that the Helix wouldn't produce sound coming from the computer. I just set it to the default of 1/4" and all was well. It also didn't seem to backup and restore the settings I had for 1/4" Outputs, XLR Outputs, or Volume Knob Controls. Thankfully I knew what these were set to and reset them manually. The only other oddity was that the configuration states on my Footswitches wasn't preserved so I had to reset that. Everything else from the backup/restore seemed to work fine (presets, IRs, etc.), but I've lost a LOT of confidence in the backup/restore utility and I'm not sure I'd bet my life on it right now until I hear more from Line 6. I'll just continue to use the export/import facilities as those are all clearly fine.

That's very odd. I've pretty much checked most of my presets and other than having to restore some global 1/4 and xlr settings that weren't retained or restored correctly during backup, all of my presets sounded exactly the same. It makes me wonder if some of the folks were using Global EQ and it didn't get restored correctly? I never use it and do my EQ adjustments in each patch, but given the problems I encountered with restoring globals, it makes me wonder.....

It works fine for me for simulating a steel guitar through a volume pedal. The trick is you have to finger pick and palm mute in the same way as you would a normal steel guitar. The volume swell will swell on the first note played, so you need to play multiple strings the same as you would a pedal steel then mute them before the next chord or riff.

I upgraded my recording studio Helix the other day and all went well with the exception that my settings for stomp buttons wasn't maintained and I was thrown into 4 stomps and 4 snaps. Not a big deal, I just reset them. But I don't really have a lot of customized global settings on this machine. This morning I upgraded my live performance Helix using the same process (backup, updater, restore) and again the stomp button settings weren't retained, but neither were the settings on my Global ins/outs. I normally have this set to 1/4" Line, XLR Mic, and Master volume only affects the 1/4" output. Instead these were set to what appears to be the standard default settings. The only difference in this case is during the restore I only selected Global Settings, not Presets and not IRs. I did notice on my recording Helix that it was re-initializing my presets whenever I turned it on. I did a save of one of my presets using the hardware button on the Helix and it never occurred again. This time with the live performance Helix I immediately did a hardware save of one of my presets and after turning it off and turning it back on there was no re-initialization of the presets just like it did with the recording Helix. I'm beginning to think a couple of bugs may have snuck through at least on the backup and restore process.....

I think most of us use our 1/4 L/Mono output to go to our personal stage monitors and then use the XLR L/Mono output to go to the board. There are several reasons for this. First, XLR is the preferred method for going long distances since there's less likelihood of noise or interference on the line. This makes more sense as your distance to your stage monitor should be quite short. Also sound boards are normally designed to use XLR inputs. The way I set mine up is I configure my 1/4 to use the Helix master volume at line level, and the XLR to not use the master volume and use a Mic level signal in my global settings. I run a short 1/4" output cable from my L/Mono 1/4" output to my DXR12. I use a phantom power blocker on my L/Mono XLR out to a XLR cable to the board. This ensures I don't affect the Helix if phantom power happens to be turned on for my channel at the board. This setup also allows me to control the volume to my stage monitor (using the Helix master volume) without affecting the signal that goes to the board. This makes it much easier for the sound personnel to keep my signal mixed appropriately. I personally use a full Helix floorboard. Of course when I bought mine there was no Helix LT. But I did end up buying a second full Helix floorboard even after the Helix LT was introduced as a backup unit as well as an interface to my DAW and recording environment at home. The main consideration really is the additional inputs and controls that drive this decision. In my case I use the Aux input for my acoustic guitar. I also use the input loop for my keyboard occasionally. The headphone output control is an absolutely essential feature for recording. The other main consideration for me was the durability of the full Helix. It's simply built to take more punishment...not that I'm all that hard on my units, but I really depend on this thing week after week and can't afford to be babying it.

Getting a pedal steel sound has more to do with technique than amp or setup. There are a number of YouTube videos on the subject. It's not hard, but it just takes practice. There's nothing special about the tone other than a clean sound with reverb. There are also some gimmick pieces you can add to a guitar to help get you there like a b-bender.

By the way, I've had the best luck positioning the twin harmony pedal after the amp and cab but before any final effects such as reverb or delay.

Personally I think trying to audition every amp, cab, mic and variation is just impractical. The variations are simply endless. I've taken a bit more practical approach in looking at what certain artists use and the style of music they're associated with which then leads me to those amp and cab combinations if I'm doing something that needs a similar feel. I do briefly try out new amps that get introduced, but it's rare I find a new one that becomes a real "go-to" amp for me. I generally divide up the amps into categories such as heavier rock, classic rock, vintage rock and roll, rockabilly, older country, newer country, jazz....etc. That more or less kind of helps me keep in mind the limited number of amps I may want to use in my lineup.

You should be able to do it with the twin harmony pedal. Key of B major scale with voice 1 set to the 3rd, voice 2 set to 0 (no harmony). Not anywhere that I can test it, but I'm pretty sure that's right.

Did you follow the directions? You download HX Edit...that contains everything. It downloads a small starter piece, you run that and it downloads everything you need.

I suppose I can understand how some people may be wary of an upgrade if all is working well. In the past I've made sure to wait and see how things shook out before committing to the upgrade as I really can't afford to introduce problems given how dependent I am on the Helix for live performances. On the other hand having listened closely to those in the know about this release, there was no hesitation on my part about this particular upgrade. Those of us that have been listening to Line 6 and Beta testers knew full well what this upgrade was about and didn't hesitate. This upgrade wasn't about new amps or new effects. This was really about re-engineering the architecture for the future. I'm sure I'll eventually get around to trying out some of the new things, but it's more important that I take advantage of the stability and performance enhancements introduced in this new architecture because Helix will continue to be a crucial part of my setup for a very long time. Just witnessing the smoothness and efficiency in the upgrade procedure is enough to tell me it was the right decision. Bottom line, in order for anyone to move forward from this point on, the path goes through 2.30. You'll either do it now, or do it later.

Bravo on the new update procedure!!! Everything went great with the exception of two minor glitches: on the instruction with the link for Windows: Windows 7/8/10: https://line6.com/software/readeula.html?rid=7877 It took me to a login page that failed over and over with the following message We're sorry.We encountered an error processing your request. I ended up simply going to the Product update page and selecting HX Edit for Windows 10 from the dropdown menu to download the HX Edit application. Everything went as expected through the backup, FW install, and restore process. The only unexpected results was my mode got changed from 8 stomps to 4 stomps and 4 snaps. I guess I expected that state to be restored or maintained, but no big deal. Just a little bit of an unexpected surprise. But overall what a pleasant birthday present for me and a HUGE improvement over the previous process!!!

Maybe The Gear Page forum??

When I hear about stuff like this I'm TOTALLY mystified. I connect the Helix to various different Windows 10 computers all the time and I've never had a single failure...ever. In both cases of my currently active computers (an ASUS Desktop M32CD and a ASUS Laptop G73S) it's never failed to connect, never dropped a connection, DAW (Sonar Platinum) works perfectly with no problems all the time. The Editor and updates have never given me any problems....so what am I doing wrong??? ;) In both cases the Helix is just connected directly to the computer and the speakers are connected to the Helix which serves as the audio interface. Maybe that's the problem. I kept it too simple!!! That and the version of the Helix editor and PC based software all match my Helix firmware version. Maybe it's the fact that I follow the download directions precisely, step by step, and word for word.....

I'm just writing all of this discussion off to MEP syndrome (Millennial Entitlement Philosophy). Line 6 wasn't obligated to give any of us discounts on a new product. The fact is when I needed to buy a send Helix unit I didn't get any discount on the second one....and I didn't expect one either. I wouldn't have even gotten a discount on a Helix LT even though I owned a full Helix. But then again, I was born way back in 1952, so I don't feel automatically entitled to anything.

Feedback isn't a function of the equipment, it's a function of the PLACEMENT of equipment. Assuming you have the Firehawk positioned behind you in a normal fashion that would account for your feedback. There's a reason vocal wedges are placed in front of singers and it's because of the way mic's take in sound. In your setup you have your vocal monitor effectively positioned behind you so it's feeding into the most sensitive area of the mic....therefore feedback. I agree with jbuhajla. You don't need the vocals going through the Firehawk. If you want the vocals to go through the Helix just route them separately to the board. If you need a vocal monitor you should have a separate monitor channel from the board that should be routed to a monitor positioned in FRONT of you and facing you which will direct it at the least sensitive area of the mic.

Personally I would encourage you to wait a bit until you get a degree of familiarity with using the cabs, IRs, Mic and mic placements as well as the blending of IRs, cabs and mics before jumping to the conclusion that the Helix won't produce warm tones. You might be surprised what it can do once you understand the breadth of capabilities and how to use them.

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Since my patches are all specific to a song I tweek them pretty much every time I use them in order to improve them or include techniques I've found to be useful. I back them up after every modification, but I don't keep any history backup of older ones. The longer I have a patch the less I tweek it as many tend to be exactly what I want. I still back them up after every use to ensure I have the latest innovations.

It can't reach your Helix because your Helix is running out of the 1/4" out jack. See the discussion above regarding phantom power and 1/4 out.

It's a simple and easy fix. Just use an isolator box like the one phil_m noted or a phantom power blocker like the following link on your XLR out to the board. It plugs into the Helix XLR out and then into the XLR cable to the board. I use it every time whether there's phantom power or not and it allows me to completely ignore the phantom power issue. https://www.amazon.com/Sescom-Inline-Phantom-Blocker-Sescom/dp/B00A6ZE7A8

Most likely it's a configuration issue with your recording software. Very often they have their own configuration separate from the basic configuration of the computer in order to work with the ASIO driver which isn't used in the basic computer configuration.