codamedia

Just an FYI.... I loaded up your preset (and chose an IR of my own) and like the others I don't hear anything out of the ordinary in regards to sustain. Using a vintage output Tele everything sounded normal with the +12 gain block turned off..... with it on I was in Santana territory. FWIW... I leave my input imp set to 1M (fixed). So yeah.... either something is wrong with your Helix and/or it's global settings, or we have a very different understanding of what sustain is. That's why I had hoped to hear an audio sample of what you are hearing.

Silly question... but are you "choosing an IR" after you "load the IR block"? You can't just load the IR block.... you have to open that block then choose an IR. Can you provide us a better description of your set up? I'm getting lost with that statement.

It doesn't work, or you didn't try? The latest version of HX Edit indeed works with Windows 11.... even if the website has not included "Windows 11" in it's drop down menu yet.

Input impedance only matters to the guitar.... the JHS will not be fighting with the input imp of the Helix. With that test you just gave the guitar something different to look at... if nothing changed, then there is nothing to take away from the test :) (actually, that's a good thing) Can you post an audio example of your preset so we can hear what you are hearing? Nobody that has tried it seems to hear a problem, but we haven't actually "heard" your problem to compare it to.

Sorry for the "is it plugged in" tech question :) It's probably nothing... but I notice in all your screen shots that the Pattern Trem in the Helix is turned off. Can we assume that's just the moment that you took the screen shot?

That's just not right... Here is a couple things I would try if you haven't already. Earlier in the thread you say you have your input impedance set to "Auto (first on)". Have you tried the 1M fixed value yet during your tests? If you have a Boss pedal laying around (single pedal, not the multi-fx)... try placing it before the Helix but leave it turned off. This changes the buffer your guitar/cable is seeing... and is worth noting if it makes a difference. (not meant as a cure, just for troubleshooting) I will load up your preset today now that my Helix is back home from it's weekend gigs. I could have loaded it into Helix Native but that's an entirely different input chain on my setup.

Thanks for the detailed response.... obviously you've been troubleshooting effectively and that's the key start. This is the one that makes no sense to me.... it shouldn't be needed. Sure - use it as another gain shaping tool "at times" if you want, but it shouldn't be needed "all of the time". EG: I already find that many overdrives/compressors and amps have inherently more gain than the hardware models I've owned, I can't imaging hitting those with 12db extra out of the gate. Nothing down chain would react as expected any longer. I can't help but think something is being overlooked somewhere. Playing through my Helix is equally as natural as playing through one of my amps... there is no inherent loss of sustain. Let's keep that in perspective... it's ONE of Richie's presets, not what he runs on ALL his presets. Let's also keep something else in perspective... Comfortably Numb has never been a normal amount of sustain :)

What are you monitoring your Helix through and at what volume? Those "long notes held forever" are often the result of volume... at least enough to regenerate through the pickups. I can coax out most of the sustain I need from my Tele using IEM's (in ear monitors... aka ear buds... ie: no volume on stage) by finding the right amount of overdrive and/or compression, but I cannot do the "notes held forever" without a cabinet to lean my guitar into. Many of us are keeping a "feedbacker / sustainer" on our wishlist for a future update. Do you set your pickups too high? Magnetic pickups (including the Fishman Fluence) pull on the strings.... the higher they are set the louder your signal will be but it will be at the expense of sustain. Lowering your pickups will result in more sustain and IMO, a nicer overall tone. As you lower the pickups are you lowering them ALL a little at a time. You can't lower just one pickup because any other pickup in the guitar is still pulling on the string as well.

I have the Scream 808 loaded on every electric preset. I set it the EXACT same way I set any Tube Screamer I've ever owned in my life and it performs the same with minor tonal variances aside. It is not part of my core tone, I use it to "goose" the overdrive that follows.... which may sometimes be an overdrive model and sometime it may be the amp model. FWIW, my experience with Tube Screamers goes back to the date of their initial release. They all sound a little different and the SCREAM 808 is just another variant. It won't sound exactly like any other Tube Screamer... but it does sound and behave like a Tube Screamer. Maybe you just don't like the particular unit Line 6 modelled. I was in a studio not long ago that had a nice collection of TS boxes.... I rolled through all of them until I found the one I liked best for that recording. NONE were the same! Think about it... those vintage boxes (and even some newer models) used components with up to 20% tolerance.... that means values could be UP TO 40% different from pedal to pedal... exponentially multiplied by the amount of components in the pedal.

Guitar players usually have the knowledge of how to get a good sound from their pedals & amps. What many don't understand are the stages "after the amp" - which are critical to getting good tones when going direct to FOH/Monitors. The most important is the one many take for granted (ie: never explore) and that is MIC choice, positioning and distance. Every mic sounds different, choosing the right one for your sound can make or break a tone. Increasing distance opens more "space & dimension" to the sound and depending on the mic, low end may be reduced due to the proximity effect. Sadly, positioning is not yet an option on the Helix which leads to (IMO) unnecessary EQ tricks. Rather than reach for extreme "high cuts", I apply the TILT EQ after the cab and slide the tilt back toward the dark position until I reach the desired warmth I am looking for. The result is very similar to moving the MIC from the center of a speaker toward the edge of the speaker. Good sound techs almost always have an HPF (Low Cut) applied to a guitar strip. Some boards are fixed at 80, some at 120, some are variable. I just apply my own low cut on all my presets. It won't do harm if the tech also does it, but it can save the day when a tech doesn't.

I created IR's from my Fishman Aura and JD Aura. That saves me from dragging two extra hardware boxes to a gig. I also captured the 4 settings from my old Rockman X100. I still have to load up a Marshall (or similar) and some effects... but when I apply one of those IR's the tone gets recognizable immediately. I also captured some cab sims such as the Palmer PDI-03 and the Mesa Cab Clone. Hardware sims sound different than a normal CAB IR's since there is no microphone involved... but when you make an IR from them, they retain that tone. Keep in mind that effects impart tonal color beyond the effect itself. Your question about the TS808 is a great example. Even though you can't capture the overdrive from the tube screamer, you can capture the tonal quality of that effect.... the proverbial "mid hump". The same thing applies to the Rockman IR's I created and would also apply to something like a compressor that imparts "magic" on your sound. It won't capture the compression, but it captures the tone of it.

1: You need a legacy (original) copy of Line 6 Workbench on a computer. 2: You need a Variax Digital Interface cable (a regular 1/4" cable cannot do it) 3: You need a legacy device to connect the GUITAR to the COMPUTER. The 700 cannot connect to the computer through a Helix. You will need a "variax USB interface" that is difficult to find, or a legacy device such as an XT Live, X3 Live, X3 Pro, HD500 or HD Pro. IMO... an XT Live or X3 Live can be purchased for pretty cheap these days. FYI: There is some info on the LEGACY Variax forums... https://line6.com/support/forum/38-variax-guitars-bass-workbench/

The VARIAX 700 does not have the same capabilities as the JTV, the STANDARD (Yamaha), or the SHURIKEN in regards to tuning on the fly. The Helix shows the option, but it won't do anything. The only thing you can do is save a custom tuning to one of the CUSTOM on slots on the Variax, then call that preset when you need it. Every 1st GEN Variax is like that (500, 300, 600 & 700).

I plug straight into the INSTRUMENT input on the Helix.... my impedance is FIXED at 1M for all of my presets other than my BANJO which I set to something lower, but I can't recall at this moment. My DOBRO has a passive Fishman PIEZO... and I do have that preset set to 1M. IMO... Start with an input imp of 1M... if it's too bright for your liking, lower the impedance until you get the tone you desire. The IR itself is not going to care about impedance, it just wants a nice signal to work with. I have never had a problem sharing something I use, as long as it's legal and moral. In the past I didn't want to share "Fishman's" work, but as it's been pointed out to me... I had to rebuild it, and it might not have the exact same results (although I do appear to get the same results). I can't seem to attach a ZIP file so here is the LINK to download the ZIP (MOD's... if this is not permitted, please just let me know and I'll remove the link)

I sure did... I've created IR's from every setting in the JD Aura and my favorites from the standard Fishman Aura. It works 100% and it saves me from carrying around extra gear. I used Voxendo Deconvolver (free version) and followed their basic instructions. Create 13 MONO Tracks in the DAW. Start by recording a 12 second sweep... Deconvolver gives you the signal, just record it in the DAW. Set the pedal so the only thing you are capturing is the effect tone... no blend, no added compression, etc... etc... Play the Sweep tone you created back into the pedal, and record it's output on a separate track NOTE: The two sweeps should be identical in start time, end time and length. They just sound different and appear on their own tracks. Repeat this process for each setting on the pedal Export the original sweep as the "ORIGINAL FILE" Export each of the other sweeps... Run those files through Deconvolver to create the IR Trim the IR to the correct length. I used SoundForge for this, but you can use Logic as well. I believe I exported the final to 48/24... but don't really remember for sure. All I know is they sound just like the pedal did.

A lot of power amps are still relatively neutral... while others are not and most power amps impart very little color until they are pushed hard. Trying both options to see what you like best is never a bad idea... at times it can lead to some unique results.

I agree... I wish I could add even just ONE stomp to the Snapshot screen... But - here is how I worked my way around the problem you have.... Create a midi loop back by connecting the MIDI IN/OUT with a cable. In Command Center, set the TAP button to toggle the BOOST block. One step on the TAP will toggle the BOOST ON You could toggle it again to turn it off, or if your snaps are set to "discard" you can just reload the snapshot which has the boost off. NOTE: One press of the TAP will not trigger the actual TAP Tempo... so turning it ON didn't cause any damage. Caveat: When you do need to TAP in a tempo... you will be toggling the BOOST at the same time... make sure you tap 2 or 4 times or the boost will land in the wrong position. While tapping... you will have a bit of a manual tremolo effect happening. Caveat 2: You need to program this into every snapshot.... it doesn't just carry over. It's a bit mind numbing if you have to do a lot of presets this way. I have since moved on to a more intuitive and streamlined approach that works for me... but that did work very well for the year or so I used it.

Yes it is... Like you, I pieced up a good in-ear system at a decent price. My modest setup is perfect for the smaller shows that the artist insist we do "in-ear". When I do tours and/or larger festivals & casinos the packs are often provided and all I need are my ear pieces.

Why would it be disappointing? These are user forums. Users helping users. You have direct access to LINE 6 through the TICKET SYSTEM which is much easier for them to keep track of. Log into your account and open a support ticket. This was a recent WINDOWS UPDATE that started this mess, not a Line 6 update. Microsoft changed the rules, and now developers are playing catch up yet again. At least this time Microsoft provided the ability to TURN OFF their new feature for the time being.

Cab IR's are measured in milliseconds, and not many milliseconds... Reverb IR's start at several seconds long. I honestly don't believe the Helix has enough space or resources for those. But - it never hurts to ask.... over at ideascale.

I really don't know... I always use a dedicated pack with my own mix. Never a problem.

Has anybody noticed that Windows 11 just DISABLES the new feature and provides you with a notice... it's not DISABLING the driver. They know they changed the rules and are giving company's time to catch up. There is nothing to get uptight about.... it's the equivalent of a "bump ahead" sign.

Ignore those people.... seriously! The SE425's you use are a decent set of buds... they should not sound like dog poop. No, but you can do things to get it much closer. There are many great "recorded" guitar tones... iconic tones.... they are the tones we love! Stop and think about it.... none of us have ever heard the "amp in the room" of those tones, we just heard the final product and we love it. That's the result of a studio engineer working diligently to capture the "amp in the room" as much as possible, then seasoning it a little. As guitar players we generally understand pedals and amps but not much beyond that. With a modeler it's worth the time to expand our knowledge to the engineer stage.... Engineers start their job with microphones. One close mic, often one mic a few feet back, and on occasion even a third mic deep in the room. The Helix does one mic on a stock cab and is capable of two mics when using the dual cab block. Every mic has it's own tonal quality, and every inch of movement alters that tonal quality. There is a lot of learning to do when it comes to mic choice and mic placement. IR's often have multiple mic's baked in and can make this process easier, but finding a great IR that works "for you" can be a fatiguing task. FWIW... I chose to buy the MBritt IR pack. He's a live and studio player that created very good sounding IR's from multiple cabs, mics, placements. Sprinkle a little reverb and/or delay near the end. These should not be used as an "effect"... it's there to sweeten the tone and add some ambience (ambience = room, end result - something akin to "amp in the room") (@themetallikidalluded to this in the post above) NOTE: That doesn't mean you can't add additional reverbs and/or delays as effects. (Optional for live) Those great "iconic tones" on recordings are "studio compressed".... for that I like to add the LA Studio Comp after the cabinet. Don't squish the sound... you just want the gain reduction meter to barely register. YMMV, but when using those approaches my live tones are as close as possible to "amp in the room" when listening through FOH, stage monitors, FRFR or IEM's. To me that's the joy of a modeler, you can get that final tone as close as possible to the sound you really want. With a real "amp in the room"... you might get something you like on stage, but that final sound at the FOH (foh, monitors, iem's, recordings, frfr, etc...) is left in the hands of others, because the amp cannot do it alone!

A little of topic from this thread, but here's something to consider.... I would connect directly to the ALTO using an XLR cable. There is no need to go through the ART since the ALTO doesn't have phantom power. I would then connect the 1/4" output from the Helix to the ART, then send an XLR to the FOH/Monitor from the ART. That keeps the two outputs separated and allows me to apply the VOLUME and/or GLOBAL EQ to which ever output I want (usually just the XLR out to the FRFR)

In your 3CM setup... set the HX Effects IN/OUT to Line Level. Now you can stop guessing about the configuration... it's matched regardless of how you set your amps loop. I'd usually set the amp loop to +4, but since you are encountering "possible" clipping, set it to -10, at least for testing. Start with a blank HX Effects patch. I don't mean turn off the effects, I mean nothing in it, not even a noise gate. If there is no clipping sound on the blank patch... slowly add one effect at a time to see where the problem begins. If the "clipping sound" is there already... then there are only a few possibilities. Try engaging true bypass mode on the HX Effects (it's in the manual) to see if it goes away. If it does, you may have a faulty HX Effects. If the problem continues in true bypass mode, the fault is likely in a cable or within the loop of the AC30. Test the loop of the AC30 by inserting a small patch cable between the send/return Don't assume your cables to the HX effects are good. Properly test each one of them. If you follow those steps, it will pinpoint the exact spot the problem arises and will take any guessing out of the equation.