robbieb61

Hey I posted last month about a way to make the Helix sound GREAT. Here's the post: http://line6.com/support/topic/16817-question-about-pre-and-power-amp-models/?do=findComment&comment=124346 ​Trust me on this. It will change everything for you and get the Helix warmed up right with overdrive tones. EDIT: If you read on past that post in that thread you'll see that a few other guys took my advice and loved it!

Happened to me today in the studio. It SUCKS!!! ​I had done several takes of a lead break and (of course) when I finally nailed it, the S/PDIF on the Helix cut out on me on the last note! ​That needs to be fixed ASAP!

My Helix backpack shipped from Sweetwater yesterday. :)

Excellent video. This is what Line 6 should have put out back when we were all begging to hear the tone of the amp models without a ton of effects and backing tracks or people noodling instead of just playing chords and solid leads

That is a great sounding pedal.

What new update? I was using the latest one when it happened. 1.04.2 as of this writing. EDIT: I just saw the new 1.04.3 update came out. Sorry, I didn't see that when I first replied. :)

I just put in the ticket for it. And for what it's worth...we played 3 one hour long sets. My theory was that perhaps when I hit a certain number of times of using any combination of footswitches that perhaps that triggered the audio loss of the XLR output.

Oh no! I was hoping that you guys had it all figured out already

theKennyG, you just described how I use mine live. I had no problems with it the first gig I used it with. But this last one was a nightmare. I read in one of the threads that Line6 has acknowledged the problem and are fixing it with a firmware update.

If you read my replies in those threads...it happened to me without using the toe switch. Like when using a footswitch for a lead break or a patch change. I think it happens after you use any switch x number of times. EDIT: I didn't notice it until I played it live at a gig. At home I don't do a whole lot of switching. But at a gig I'll do a lead in every song or change patches for clean sounds and crunch, etc. And under that situation (THE most important one)....my Helix lost audio from the XLR output a couple of times per set (we played 3 sets). Can't get ANY audio to come out of the XLR until you reboot the Helix. Which meant the band is up their playing rock music with no guitar while I waited for The Helix to reboot. :( I do have a wah pedal assigned to the toe switch in my patches. But I didn't use it at all that evening except on one song in the last set for a lead.

Maybe because of the random audio cut off from the XLR. Made my life hell at my last gig. Having to stop and reboot the Helix a couple of times per set is no good.

Yes sir. I have the wah pedal in the first position of all my guitar patches (except acoustic). But I only use it on certain leads. The thing shut down on all 3 sets a couple of times. Including sets that I didn't use the wah at all. But it DID shut down each time when I was using one of the footswitches to either change a patch or boost a lead or add an effect. I'm thinking it can be ANY footswitch that triggers it.

But as I said...it happened to me a couple of times per set at my gig. I wasn't using the wah when it happened on any of the times. So it's not just the wah pedal causing it.

I had this same thing happen to me on Dec. 4th at a gig. I don't know what caused it. But the output from the XLR to the board for the P.A. would just randomly stop having any output. Didn't matter what I tried I couldn't make it work again. ​ I wasn't using the wah pedal at the time either. I tried to figure out the common denominator of why it's doing it...but it seemed to be a random thing. We played 3 one hour sets that night and in every set it went out on me a couple of times. All I could do was turn the damn thing off and then wait for forever while it rebooted. It was NOT cool to have that happening during a live gig. :(

I felt as though I was channeling Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison simultaneously as I wrote those lyrics... LOL But seriously...I was just wanting to record something real quick with the Helix without spending too much time. And I was out at a club the other night and Claudia Marie said something to me, I misunderstood what she said and THOUGHT she said "I stirred up the funk" (the music was loud in the club). When she explained what she really said, I exclaimed: "There's a song there with what I thought you said!"

I used the Helix for the vocals and bass guitar. Used the Helix with my DT 50 amp like this for the rhythm and lead guitars: Guitar -> Helix -> Send from Helix to 1/4" input of DT50 amp with topology on I for the clean sound and IV for the lead (with all preamps, cabs, and mics turned off in DT 50) -> Speaker cable from DT 50 Amp to Riviera Rock Crusher Power Attenuator-> Line signal 1/4" out of Rock Crusher back to Helix Return-> Marshall Cab IR 3" from cone -> XLR out of Helix into VS2480 Digital Studio Here is the result: https://soundcloud.com/robbie-boyette/stirred-up-the-funk

I've been using my Helix for a few weeks now including on live gigs. I'm not noticing any discernible delay between patches.

I sold my HD500. But I don't see any reason it wouldn't work. I never tried it because I always used my DT 50 amp with my HD500.

I put it in an effects loop right before the speaker IR that I'm using. And I made sure not to overdrive it and got the volume level so that it's the same if I bypass it.

I'm thinking that the reviews you are seeing are probably comparing it's "noise" to other high-end super expensive vocal preamps in a pristine studio environment. But the way I'm running ​it in as described...no, it's not noisy at all. As I said, it really makes a HUGE difference and just sounds great. It's too bad that Line 6 didn't install a tube preamp in the Helix itself like some of the preamp multi-effects units from the 1990's did. That little tube preamp changed the Helix from sounding like a good modeler into sounding like warm hot butter running down my guitar neck. lol

I've found that to install the app on my computer (win 10) I have to uninstall the older version or it will give tons of errors. Once you uninstall everything, then the install goes nice and easy.

I had never thought of it before because my Pod HD500 always sounded great with my DT50 amp providing the tube juice. But this is a really easy way to get that tube sound coming straight out of the helix without the amp required. :)

Well...I just tried it with the ART MP real tube preamp pedal. The thing is just $49 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TubeMP Very simply just created a send/return effects loop. Instead of going to the DT amp....I went in and out of the ART MP right before the cab model in the Helix signal chain. BOOM! Instant tube magic! It sounds freakin' GREAT. This is a very inexpensive way to make your Helix come to "life" with tube tone. The basic patch is: Amp model->Send/Return->Cab->Helix Out And of course you add in your effects to it. Just that little cheapass pedal preamp REALLY gives the Helix that tube "coloration" that all digital equipment is missing. And the cabling is simple. Just plug into Helix. 2 short 1/4" cables for send/return. And then whatever output from Helix you are using. Trust me on this...you will be VERY happy.

I also picked up an ART Tube MP pedal sized tube preamp. I'm going to try running it in the effect loop and see how it sounds. Hopefully that will get the tube mojo in there as well for gigs where I can't drag in my DT amp and cab.

I was thinking Joe Walsh's "All Night Long" :) Do you have a sample of you playing through the patch?​