MonkeyXT

LOL - I missed the reference the first time, and now I can't get it out of my head. Butt POD. An apt name - I hadn't thought of the shape in that way before. I adopted the standard 'Bean' reference... but now I think that's changed - thank you =] I used a PODhd bean - Butt POD - prior to Helix, and that set the bar for me for that clean front with just the controller (and two expression pedals, same as you). It made me willing to go Rack/Control even with the extra expense... just because I /really/ feel more comfortable with the minimal approach to what's up front. I also got the tougher cable for that connection for Helix also - the Ethercon cable it's made to use. In fact, I'm using a Line 6 branded Variax cable for that purpose, being as that's exactly what it is, and one of the best deals I found available to me for a quality made cable. Again, feels more secure that way; more girth to the cable locks, and more robust protective jacket on the cable itself. Butt POD is the best thing I think I've heard today...

... not 8 full signal paths per se, but think of it more like having the ability to store the 'state' of everything in each Snapshot. Meaning; the on/off status of your various process blocks, the specific parameters of those processes, and a number of other advantages you can leverage, including midi signals and such. There's no lag; the preset itself is already loaded. The states are configurations controlled by the Snapshots. By dividing up the load between the two main processors (path 1 A&B, path 2 A&B) you can create some high functioning presets which employ a couple of amps and cabs/IRs to go with them, and so on... And because Snapshots can change the states of the parameters, often effects blocks can be - as I think of it - repurposed to cover far more ground. When Snapshots were introduced to Helix, it was a massive game changer for many - myself included. Arguments for Helix over LT - one of them is simple; there's no such thing as a Helix LT Rack =] Study the I/O and such to see if it would run you into any shortcomings... Myself I would steer you toward 'full fat' Helix - and I'm with you on the Rack versus Floor to be honest. I like a clean floor, and with Rack you can have just the connector cable going out to the front... everything else tucked away at the back.

Absolutely true. In fact, I have often 'custom' assigned red JUST so that it would be dim as well - at a glance at angles from my Rack Control I can see how many active Snapshots exist in my patches that way. =] And this reads in the pre-release notes as being spectacular and, as noted above, a generous effort on the part of Line 6 to be ready to hand this immense trove of sonic fun to us. This coupled with the release of the amazing-seeming HXFX strengthens the Helix platform tremendously, as that will continue to attract 'other' segments of musicians who would be interested in this streamlined effects-focused device.

Good to see you gave Helix that 'second chance' to convince you. Good luck on your upcoming performance - and please do report back on your experience afterward.

As I suspect in the real world, I find certain ones react to different amp models better or worse - subjective of course to what I personally am looking for in that particular sound. I have long been a Screamer fan through my Line 6 usage going back quite a few years... with Helix, I've also found myself using the Minotaur a LOT (owing very much to its potential to do a very clean push while being able to 'stay out of the way' as much as I seem to want, while also lending that 'tightening' effect (especially in the lower end) which can really redefine an amp sound's results for me). The Screamer imparts its character in a more strident way - and is almost always to the betterment of the sonic result. It all seems to come down to how the end result (pedal -> amp) reacts to playing dynamics and volume roll-offs and such for me. That seems to be what I test out to see what recipe works best together. I've experimented and used others, but those two are my go-to gain pushers - and often times they're essentially on a stomp switch and waiting in case I feel that need for the 'push over the cliff' effect. But in general, I'm quite pleased with the many options for dirt - and I'm yet to really explore the latest goodies in context, like the EP boost... Gravy on top of gravy as I see it.

One of the most perfectly worded comments I've read in my personal history of reading on the internet. Perfect summation. (We now return you to the thread topic, already in progress...)

Enticing observations - I'll be looking more into that. Thanks for posting.

... though not a huge difference, I am using the Line 6 Variax connection cable for my live applications (since it's a beefier Ethercon CAT5e cable with locking ends), which is 25' without issues to date.

This control stomp flipping of LED status has been going on for me for every update I've applied - no matter what method of restoring patches. I even fixed a patch, saved it, and exported it with the new HX Edit. Then reimported that patch into a new spot - flipped. I have a GREAT many patches which use control stomps I've assigned, unfortunately. I reported this previously, including submitting patches. It seems to have defied correction to date.

Most direct way is to make use of the blocks which are present in your signal path already, and tie the values of the effects parameters you want to control to the expression pedal controller, and set their ranges at the same time. So you'd be, for instance, pushing forward toward toe-down to raise - level - gain - delay level - on/off status of whatever is required ... or if you didn't need that to be a graduated thing via expression, but instead would work as an on/off scenario, you could either: - assign the above functions to a function on/off switch you could create, or - create a 'Solo' snapshot with the characteristics you wanted to adjust appropriately bumped in that Snapshot state. ... plus the options outlined above, but using what's there without tying up a second audio path is more conservative on the horsepower required to accomplish what you're after. That's not a big deal if your patch is not heavily populated with processing blocks. If it is, then taking the approach I've mentioned is easier on the DSP requirements.

Couldn't agree more with the above; I couldn't even fathom the idea of my Helix Rack without Control minding the store...

This is an awesome idea. I became very much used to this type of setup when my gear was controlled by a Rocktron/Bradshaw RSB-18 system - that has preset and song/setlist mode, which works exactly as you're requesting - pointers to the presets required. That way, if you modify/evolve that preset, ALL song/setlist entries which use it will call up that version. In the case of that system, the title on the board displayed the 'Song' title input by the user. The only thing missing then was details about the presets - honestly, I was calling for 'scribble strips' back in 1988 when I got that system, as it was the only thing missing as far as I was concerned - variable switch labels built into the software. Now it's the other way with Helix - have the strips, just need the 'pointer' system for songs/setlists =]

That's the one - thanks for linking this here.

Interesting. It seems the same remains true today. He describes that he does just about everything for himself on his basses except for hard-core fretwork, and he's definitely very aware of what's going on in his signal path and why. As a musician in general he's been a strong influence for me.

Billy Sheehan posted about needing something to allow him to do his Talas reunion show as a fly gig in the midst of the Mr. Big tour; he had wanted something relatively portable, and he's had a long-time relationship with Line 6 (he routinely uses a pair of Relay wireless units for his live signal). So he brought a Helix LT with a setup based around his personal #1 Pearce BC-1 preamp which Line 6 modelled and added into the Helix firmware a couple of revisions back. There's a video of him quickly going through that setup which can be found on YouTube. Soon after, I noted that he had begun using that setup on Mr. Big shows after that - apparently the Talas show was pretty convincing for Billy. He's quite specific about his gear and how it responds to what he's doing; I consider that a strong endorsement in the pool of artists using Helix in various capacities.

As above; if you set it to a custom colour (even if that 'custom' colour is still red), that gets the Snapshot switches to behave in the Dim/Lit fashion, similar to the Stomp switches (if that's how you're set globally as well). That might suit your purpose to some degree.

The ANGL has been a big fave of mine; as a result, I've spent a LOT of time tweaking it for various results... I've found it a very dynamic amp model for detailed high-gain sounds. The Litigator - ditto, more for mid-gain, but I've enjoyed pushing that one hard as well. Recently, I've been taking a sort of 'second run' at the various Plexi type amps, the Park channels, JTM... interestingly, what I found was that there seems to be some common DNA in these Plexis, Parks and JTMs, and the ANGL... as though the sort of cross over one another in a 'middle ground,' and then the ANGL continues on into outright higher gain without / with less 'assistance' in front of the amp. I've been enjoying the nuances of that exploration. Oh, and the Divided amp has been a point of fascination for me lately; I push moderately and harder, and get some interesting textures which have had me practising and 'keeping me honest' with my playing. Clean; I've long relied on the WhoWatt for core clean tones (try it if you haven't - surprisingly good with body; mind the gain =]) but recently did a deeper exploration of the MK IV clean channel, and WOW, I got a result with a lot of nice body, and a nice dreamy chorus/delay/reverb ... inspiring. I also did a Blackface (or was it one of the other F-type amps?) test which I've got to revisit, as it felt like the first time I got something really nice started. I think all of this is evidence that, after spending the last year and a bit with my Helix Rack/Control setup, I'm starting to hone my abilities with dialing and tweaking with a broader range open to me. I began using it to do my small gigs within a week or two, and shockingly successfully at that... I can just see that I can arrive at what I'm after more directly now.... I think that's fair to say. I also feel like I need less 'massaging' blocks in the signal paths to sort things out... Hope that makes sense.

There's no way to change that globally, unfortunately... Unless you're saving from a single preset and modifying copies of it, I'm not sure why you're getting a single Snapshot which is defaulting to anything other than the non-dimming Red. That could actually point to an issue in the firmware or even hardware. But try changing it on one preset and see if it 'sticks': - Go to the preset you want to change. - Push in the Preset knob/button. - From the resulting screen, turn knob 5 to select the Snapshot you want to change (assuming it's not already on the correct one). - Once selected, push knob 6 ('Rename Snapshot'). - Knob 5 ('LED color') can now be rotated to cycle through the LED colours. 'Auto-color' will get it back to the default red. NOTE: IF YOU MANUALLY SELECT RED, YOU WON'T GET THE 'DEFAULT' BEHAVIOR; YOU'LL GET RED = ON & DIM RED = OFF - a very handy feature if you want to show with DIM LEDS the available Snapshots at a glance, even if you want them to remain Red. - Select OK (Knob 6). - Save your results. - If required, change back to the Snapshot you want to Default to when selecting that preset, and re-save after that. See if that works AND stays as you intend it. If not, there's a deeper issue at work here. If this works, you'll have to go through this process on each preset you want to change in this manner.

I'd suggest this experiment (if you haven't already done it): Take note of the settings of your delay in the relocated copy you saved. Delete the delay block. Add it back manually right from there, applying your preferred settings. Save the result. Test as you did before; jump away from that preset, then back. Post about your results. (I'm assuming this never happens with the original version of the preset.)

No, in that the Auto setting is reactive to the first processing block in the internal signal path, whatever that might be. That first processing block will inform that 'auto' setting of what value it should change the input-z to. And that informs the impedance characteristic from there onward.

Thank-you. Now I sort of recall it from the release notes. I wonder if he was being literal - did he loan him his preamp to be modelled? If so, extra-cool. As a guitarist, I count Billy in as an influence; he's got some approaches to music and playing which definitely have made an impact on the player that I am as a result. There was a time when I almost shifted over from guitar to bass, mainly inspired by Billy.

Nice to see him showcasing Helix - he's been onboard with various Line 6 devices for a good while now. Nice to hear he sounded very much 'him' with that pared-down setup. I wonder - is his preamp in the firmware we're using? Or was that something special for him? (I recall that Line 6 modelled Pete Anderson's own amp and put it on unique POD chips for him, and eventually they released it in a later generation POD model pack add-on for the masses... I think I'm remembering that correctly.)

Similarly employed, yes - works from a percentage of sweep parameter rather than the 'midi-style' 0-127 / 1-128 parameter, but the very same thinking otherwise. Very handy feature.

The Helix Mission pedal has a second jack just to handle the toe-switch - the rest of it is the same as the regular Mission Line 6 EXP pedal.

Do you have the Input section noise gate on? Could be something there. Is the Guitar In Pad on? Along with this, are your pickups particularly hot? These things meant to be considered along with the various on-point responses above, especially regarding the power section sag/bias etc.