jpdennis

I am using the same Y cable as you though it took me two times to decide the one I wanted activated when switching the channel and I place my hum eliminator at the final stage - the footswitch jack on the amp. I do not have any hum. I am using instrument. One caveat is all my equipment runs into a single well grounded circuit via a power conditioner as well; in addition I always have a three light receptacle tester with me.

Great point!

Well, basic question I need to ask; What is the amplifier? And show your cabling; I am not saying you got it wrong though I did the first few times. When I use the 4CM it is with one of my Mesas which have series send/return effects loop circuits and haven't had an issue with the 4CM once I understood the cabling. Dennis

Same here. At the end of the show/night/day it is really my ability to set the mood with my playing and receive a few accolades during the performance makes it worth it. The Helix is just a tool to get the sound to the audience; it is my worth as a musician that really tells the story. Dennis

Gunpointmetal, In the beginning [where have I heard that] … I started with a 1967 100 watt Solid State Silvertone amp that was loud then went to the dual double stack Marshall 100 stage setup (late 1960's - early 1970's). At that time I was being influenced by Blue Cheer, Blodwyn Pig, Nazareth, Led Zeppelin, and other "cover the stage and kill your neighbor's grass with 'loudness'" groups. If we could vibrate the audiences' bodies it was good; good thing we didn't know about microwave principles. And I had hair which helped cover my ears. Then I went though my disco & lounge lizard phase along with the Clapton Beano hair style and even Elvis impersonator backup guitarist phase - don't judge me ;-) - moving to some Mesa Boogie equipment with a few pedals I had screwed to a 1" x 6" pine board using galvanized hanging strap. Next came the big hair and lets produce the sound phase still with the Mesas. At that point I was learning (OK being dragged while kicking and screaming) to trust the sound engineers for the FOH sound; and the sound engineers wanted a better produced and balanced stage volume. At some point it changed my whole attitude as I came to realize music is the silence in between the notes. Fast forward to the NOW and I really do trust the sound engineers; and my hearing for some reason is still good though it shouldn't be. The point is I have become comfortably numb (forgive me PF) with a small stage volume for me and using the Helix couldn't have become part of my musical arsenal at a better time than two almost here years ago; and I am using my iPhone based monitor control app for stage wedges or the in-ear system we are using based upon inside or outside venues and stage foot print. It is the combination of everything that gets the sound perfectly in the mix; room design or lack thereof, stage setup, each & every Helix FX block and global setting, board engineering settings, inside or outside FOH speaker layout, power state, and the list goes on. The keyboardist still uses an amp, the bass player is still using a dual stack, and the drummer is not digital. With all that the only thing I have found that drops me from the mix is when I fail to work with the sound engineer to make sure my Helix EQ and the LA compressor I use on most patches now isn't in conflict with the board EQ (normally flat for my Helix channel) & board compression if and when used. Don't get me wrong there are still times I will use a Mesa and Marshall slant bottom with SM57 with my trusty old M13 or the Helix as an effects only unit but that is only when there are grips available to setup and take down my back breaking rigs; and the real amp setup is usually only for show for the most part as the stage volume is still under control; side note even that rig can get lost in the FOH mix if not produced correctly. There are many dynamics to get the sound to cut through the mix and in the end it is personal taste I suppose that determine one's satisfaction with the use of real physical amplifiers on stage or modelers; it seems to me it may very well boil down to what the musician needs to hear to be in the mood while playing. And there are no right or wrong answer when it comes to personal choices as long as we play well and the audience is engaged. For me - I really really dig the Helix when the universe is well aligned Dennis

Wait, there is an alternative to the stick shift? ;-) I have been A/B'ing my tube amps to the Helix in the hopes to conceive an "amp in the room" fullness using my Mackie with FOH system. I find this to be the only way I can really tell if what I do in the creation of the presets is what I want coming from the PA since we produce everything through the PA. I am 98% spot on after some help with my wife's ears and feedback; I have to leave at least 2% or more to "not quite the same but close" due to my experience with the 100% reports I always hear about. I do agree with the use of studio monitors for the stock presets and out-of-the-box settings. However, I have heard other digital units sound extremely close to the physical tube amplifiers and feel the Helix is being constantly evolving to provide both OOTB and Live Stage performance. I do see the real challenge concerning the type & quality of mixing boards and PA gear I have to put it though from time to time. But again this is just my opinion. Dennis

DunedinDragon, Quite helpful due to its informational content. I had wondered about something and found similarities in what you have described concerning how and where I place my parallel path amp choices for that "fuller in the room" sound I have been able to achieve. Thanks to your post in this thread I am going to rework my patches over the next few days. More to come, Dennis

I cannot say this is what happened to you, however … I did have this happen at a recent venue due to the Sound Engineer compressing my mix at the board level. However, now I wish I would have asked which specific type of compression he had applied or was he trying several types so I could give a quantitative answer and not a qualitative one. I started to think it was some hardware piece of my gear until he told me; it was during sound check so I had the luxury of stopping and asking if anyone else was hearing what I was hearing. Dennis

You both cannot say that enough

Yes it is. I actually had been modifying several of my patches last night using the Parametric EQ. I tripped over it by accident because of a patch I had made for Dreams and for the life of me couldn't tell why the base patch for Dreams stood out more in the mix more than my other base patches. I was going a little OCD when I noticed the Dreams patch had the Parametric EQ after the speaker. So I added the Parametric EQ to most of my other patches using a FS to activate upon request. And the guitar(s) and amp/speaker setting(s) I use demand level and frequency adjustments. Thanks again for pointing this out to the group Dennis

Phil, great point. I had a recent experience during sound check at a newly remodeled venue. I going through a sound check for a solo mix and I am hearing my solo cut in and out. I start to think I have a hardware problem; Helix, cords, FX external pedals, guitar components .. you know all the freaky little things that can go through one's mind when this happens. I stop and ask other members and some guests already in the house if they heard my guitar cutting in and out. After three times asking the same question the sound engineer for the venue says he was applying compression. Considering how I create my patches I was wondering how an external compressor would have such an effect. I didn't ask the why; it was if I had a very slow roll tremolo going up and down from 50% gain to 0% gain rolling every 1 or 2 seconds. The engineer did turn off the compression he had applied and I felt much better. Yep, I used the word felt since the discussion of volume and my perception is still qualitative not quantitative. I'm not an engineer I am merely a player. And as always Phil, you have some very outstanding points. Now about those columns on your home and DI thinking about charging more . LOL Dennis

This is just my personal experience and opinion. I carry a DI's, a Triton Phantom blocker, a dual hum eliminator, a 650 APC UPS, a Monster 3500 conditioner, and a three wire electrical outlet tester. Sometimes I may have up to three DIs ands two dual hum eliminators but that is rare. I may not use them or take them out but they are there just in case. We've played some really great outside venues that had been wired in the 1940's, upgraded in the 1990's, and modified in the past three years. And we have played on postage stamp stages. I can never tell about the physical layout or requirements until I arrive but I can find a good circuit even if it is 100 ft away from my gear; me sending a Stage Plot to "them" doesn't help "me". I know this thread is about Phantom Power however it appears to have expanded into more. I just like to be safe since I just enjoy playing whether for a benefit or a high ticket performance. But that is just me. Dennis

Well, I created a new patch and discovered the issue with the volume was my tired ears. I was victim of ear fatigue. The patches are fine and no issues so far. I played for about an hour today as well as modified some patches for this weekend; nasty cold has got me home so I felt restless. No issue with volume, volume pedal, patch import export, etc. One thing of interest is that I have my Helix onto the APC side of my APC UPS and we had a slight power outage for about a second. My laptop was fully changed so that was good as well. I now have a story to tell me fellow performers who laughed at my neurosis. LOL Dennis

The sound engineers I work with all like -15db to -12db but I seem to run at -12db normally in the mix. My volume knob is set at noon but this weekend I am trying to see if I can set it between 1 and 2 o'clock.

it has affected several but not all Helix owners. I did upgrade to 2.71 and noticed the volume was very slightly lower on all my custom built presets. Not a big deal right now as I am still going to be working with the sound engineer before this weekend's job. However, I am not getting the issue described in the link HonestOpinion shared

My thought as well. I use an older Les Paul with the '50s wiring that puts the tone roll-off before the volume and using humbuckers. My settings are middle pickup selector position, tone between 7 & 8 for both and volume at 7 for both, and a 1.14mm pick. Normal touch creates a rich clear sparkle tone. Little heavier touch give some crunch. Volume maxed give some real crunch. This crunch is not actual distortion OD. It is just a good non-creamy lead tone for blues, Mississippi slide, driven rhythm, etc. Dennis

I use a Monster Power Conditioner and an APC UPS. Yes I am neurotic :-) I have seen this in some venues where either there was a loose ground, new stage with a mis-wired circuit, power surge, microwave unit behaving weirdly for a nano-scond one day, bad duplex receptacle, and Aliens from Mars. OK not Aliens from Mars that was another company's hardware. Yes, power can just bugger it up. And once using it with Phantom Power seemed to change it for about two days, and not in a good way; thus the purchase of the Triton Filter I use no matter what now. I am glad it is working well again. Power is always the wild-card for me. I actually take one of those three light plug-in power testers just to make sure I am safe. Dennis

HonestOpinion commented about 11 hours ago concerning one item identifying a volume pedal issue. HonestOpinion wasn't able to replicate the issue and asked the OP to check global settings. Most everything else is for the Stomp except something concerning the midi send commands; that is only on one post as I can tell.

HonestOpinion, have you had any issues with 2.71?

I purchase the Triton Audio adaptor a few years ago because Phantom Power was global to the mixer we had been using. It is too bad all mixers don't have channel dependent Phantom Power controls.

Thanks all.

I thought that the Legacy was the designator for the M-Series FX to port over. I have used them when necessary. They seem to use more processor than the native HX blocks. As far as were they are I am OK with anyplace as long as I can get to them. Thanks Dennis

Yep! ;-)

I have been holding off since 2.70 is working well for me. I have searched through the forum on any issues with 2.71 and the Helix floor. Anyone have anything I should be aware of? Would anyone share the main benefit they have received from 2.71? Thanks in advance for any direction with this request Dennis

I was using my Mesa .50 Caliber as a baseline for an idea I had by expanding on this one. I ran the mic preamp into two amps in parallel from a guitar in then back into a cab out. I then had my wife A/B the difference and she gave a few suggestions. It would appear I have an amp in the room sound. My sound technician is set to work with me this weekend to A/B live.