robmartino

On Mac, I find this problem can occur when your computer name changes, which can happen automatically by the OS sometimes - a number with parenthesis might be added after the name you originally gave the computer in System Settings -> General -> About -> Name. Changing this back to the original name (whatever it was when authorizing Helix Native) fixed the preset problem for me.

Yes, you can split the signal in the beginning and have independent effects chains for each side, and separate mono or even stereo outs for each one. There are a few of us Chapman Stick players that use the HX Stomp like this since the instrument has separate pickups for each set of strings.

Here's the tip on page 29 of the HX Stomp manual:

If you put a mono send or FX loop in a stereo path, does it collapse the whole path to mono or just the signal going out the send?

Thanks for the responses - I see how I can use a mono send on each signal path to access the BigSky via it's L and R channels - if I wanted access it in stereo (even if I lose the ability to maintain separation afterwards), could both bass and melody signal chains have a split to one "aux" stereo signal path (with lower send level for the bass side) that has a stereo send/return to the BigSky?

Regarding the aux input - I believe it's now 10 kOhm based on other discussions here (I thought it was 1 MOhm on the HD500 and for a while I just plugged directly into it even with a passive pickup) - I assume I could bring the guitar input impedance down to match the aux and use my preamp, so that both inputs behave in the same way? I would need the sends/returns for other things - it's interesting that the decision was made to make the aux lower impedance, perhaps more people use it for line level signals?

Hi all,

I'm hoping Helix could help me achieve a particular routing goal.

I've been using an HD500 for a few years as the center of my Chapman Stick rig - I have a 2 channel preamp before the POD, a Strymon Lex in the effects loop, and a Strymon BigSky after the outputs of the HD500.

I use two signal chains in the HD500, one for the melody pickup (guitar in) and one for the bass pickup (aux in) on the Stick. 

What I'd like to be able to do is this:

- Have the Lex as a mono in/stereo out in one effects loop (this would typically be used by just the melody side, but sometimes I'd like to use it for both melody and bass channels)

- Have the BigSky as a stereo in/stereo out in another effects loop

- Allow both the bass and melody signal chains to access the BigSky in the effects loop, but with a separate send level for each (i.e. I want the bass channel to have less reverb than the melody)

- Via USB, be able to record the stereo melody and stereo bass sides separately at the end of their effects chains, as well as the dry signals if re-amping is necessary later

- The main 1/4 or XLR output would still have the combined stereo signal from the bass and melody sides

I couldn't quite tell from the manual if something like this is possible?

Thanks!

This looks amazing. I've been happy using an HD500 as the center of my solo Chapman Stick rig and always appreciated Line6's support for dual inputs (for each pickup of the Stick). I assume the Aux input will continue to support instrument level/impedance (at least 1 MOhm?) Variable Z on that input would be great too but I suppose overkill for most people (the passive Stick pickups tend to like input impedance at 2-3 MOhms, but it's a subtle difference).

Having parallel effects chains on EACH pickup (4 chains total) was something I used to do more but gave up for the sake of simplicity (didn't want to carry around a rack of effects or two floor pedals), and it looks like this will be possible now on one floor unit! Very cool.

I added a Strymon BigSky to improve upon the reverb quality of the HD500 and find I use it quite a lot as a sort of "sustain pedal" (using the Freeze function), and there's a lot of cool stuff on the BigSky (like the chorale and cloud modes) so I think I'd continue to use that in an effects loop, but if the reverbs have been upgraded on the Helix even better.