codamedia

If the only reason you want to run it into the front end of the VOX is to include a tube in the tone, I think you will be terribly disappointed. I think you would be better off just running the Helix into the EFFECTS RETURN on the Vox... and still keep the cab/mic modeling turned off. IMO... the 5150 model will sound more realistic that way than it will with the VOX Preamp imparted on it's tone. Just my 2 cents...

IIRC, all of those switches are on a daughter PCB.... more than likely, the connector between the daughter board and mother board has broken or come dislodged. If the unit is out of warranty and you are comfortable taking it apart to take a look, go for it. If not, take it a service depot to have someone else do it.

Make sure you are not connected to a USB hub, try different USB ports... and possibly even a different cable.

Sorry guys... you are correct in terms of unity. I tend to (incorrectly) associate unity with the final output level (eg: reaching 0 on a traditional input meter... - 14 or so on a digital meter), not the 1 to 1 relationship it truly represents. Sorry... I didn't mean to derail the thread!

I/O pairs are irrelevant. They are not meant to work as a team, they are meant to match the input and output device independently. EG: You cannot accomplish UNITY output when both I/O are set to instrument and you plug a LINE source (who's output is set to unity) to the input! In that case, changing the input to LINE will accomplish UNITY.

FYI: In a live situation I run a master preset for each guitar.... I create a full "serial chain" that can hold up to 32 blocks. I don't use all 32, but it is certainly around the 25 mark. Once I enter my preset the snapshots (8 snap mode) take care of all my fundamental tones, and I use stomps for the little extras I use on occasion such as chorus, phase, octave, etc... etc... Even though the processing power is reserved when you add a block, what you want to do will not make the Helix sluggish... and with careful choice of effects and placement (spread out between the dsp) you should be able to load what you need.

Further to this, there is a Global Setting that can change this behavior. "Global Settings > Preferences > Tap Tempo Pitch" By default that is set to "authentic" which copies the behavior from the real pedals and can create some very odd sounds just as the real pedals did. When set to "transparent" the tap tempo can be used WITHOUT the pitch variations and other artifacts.

Not to nitpick... but it's "OWNHAMMER" with an "N". As in... "I own a hammer" :) There is no right or wrong way to approach it. Some of us have enough "real world" experience with cabs/mics/placement to zero in on the IR's we are looking for, others don't know where to start - and that can be a little daunting. Every cabinet has a tone, every speaker has a tone, every mic has a tone, and every mic position has a tone. Ownhammer goes further by combining cabinets, combining speakers, combining mics, combining positions, etc... etc... If I'm not mistaken, the Marketplace set you bought has narrowed it down to ONE CABINET, but you still have a lot of speakers, mic's and positions to figure out. How much you want to learn is up to you. You can choose an IR that sounds good and call it a day until you decide to try something different, or you can read a bunch of articles and watch countless hours of videos about all the differences so you can feel more confident in your choices. Either way, over time you will learn and understand not only the differences, but what you actually like and don't like.

Based on what you are saying, this preset is just running a parallel cab/mic. The signal spits before the top cab.... BOTH CABS get hit with the signal, then the path merges back (blends) with the original. It is fairly common to run to different cabinets at one time... or two of the same cabinets with a different mic/position on them. Visualize this as two cabinets sitting beside each other. You are running out of DSP power. It's not a limit of the path/line itself. The same restrictions will apply if you try to add an effect to the top or bottom line.

The only time I use this setup is in a Live setting... I always go direct to the PA/FOH. I setup my patches on my studio monitors (2 sets) at relatively loud volume....and they translate well to the PA, Monitors, and this little pseudo FRFR I put together. Sometimes I need this setup to fill a small room (legion gigs in particular) and it does a great job, but on most gigs it only supplements what I hear through my monitor mix, and fools the musician snobs into thinking I'm playing through an amp :) I'd love a L6 Powercab... but even the regular one is $800 here in Canada. I also don't think I would use the speakers models.. I'd just set it to full range and use the cab modeling or IR's from the Helix. That is sort of what I put together with my little setup.

I run a simple rig on stage... I keep it mono. Add to that, I'm a cheap bugger that doesn't like to spend money :) I picked up an old Peavey Silverstripe Bandit a while back for about $50... then loaded it with an Eminence BETA 12LTA Coax full range speaker. I plug my Helix into the EFFECT IN which bypasses the Peavey pre-amp, but still gives me access to the T-Dynamics, Presence and Resonance which I may adjust for the room on occasion. 80% of the time I don't need that as I have an adequate monitor system / mix to use, but it comes in handy when I am playing a gig with a small monitor rig... or something with just one mix. At home I run the helix through my home studio setup which includes a couple of sets of monitors I can flip between.

Please correct me if I am wrong (I know that is possible)... I always thought the '63 Bassman was the Brownface Bassman... I know the blackface amps were being introduced in '63, but when someone says '63 Bassman I am automatically making the assumption it's the coveted brown face that Brian Setzer has immortalized. Whether brown or black.... it's still very different from the Tweed Bassman.

I would just create two paths in the HD500. The Variax inputs on one path, the Lapsteel inputs on the other path. Both paths are independent and can merge to the same output. Both work at the same... simply stop playing one instrument and start playing the other... no need to foot switch anything. Use the volume controls on the instruments to mute them when not needed.

Can you let us know what your chain is... and possibly share a picture of it? It would be nice to hear an example of what you are talking about as well. I have some ideas, but without knowing more details I could be taking you down a rabbit hole of misinformation :)

@spikey... I agree in full. I don't particularly like the business model of letting older "guitars" die off without support, but have come to realize there is nothing I can do about it. Hence my efforts to always find a way to get the most from it. When I got my Helix LT I knew there would be some compatibility issues with my old Variax, but once I figured them out and learned how to work around them (rather than fight them) I've come to learn that despite the limitations it is still a very practical and useful setup. Sorry, I kind of derailed this with my last post on other things to watch for and didn't really address this. You have two options.... Buy a new Workbench Interface for your old Variax. They are still available through many retail outlets. Buy a USED compatible product that can work as an interface, and also be a usable piece of gear. IIRC, compatible products include the XT Live, X3 Live, X3 Pro and HD500. As I stated earlier, I kept my HD500 when I got my Helix and it now serves as a backup to my Helix at live gigs, and as my Variax/Workbench interface when I need that. An XT Live or X3 Live can often be found for about the same price as a "new" Workbench Interface, about $100 USD give or take a little. IMO... if I didn't have an HD500 already, I'd be looking for one of those two units.

^^^ this ^^^ When I upgraded to the Helix I kept my older HD500 as a spare... and when I need to connect to Workbench that is what I use. You cannot connect an older generation Variax to Workbench through a Helix. No... but it is far more flexible than you may first realize... PRESETS and SNAPSHOTS can change patches are capable of changing presets. Therefore.... from within a single preset you can use snapshots to call up a new patch on the Variax... even ones with different tunings, different tone positions, etc... etc... GOTCHA #1 If you have snapshots set to "recall" and physically change the model on your Variax you are screwed until you re-load that preset. For that reason, I set my snapshots to "discard" so they will always reload the model you want it to. GOTCHA #2 I don't know about the new models, but older generation Variax guitars have two layers of guitars in all presets other than CUSTOM 1 and CUSTOM 2. The guitar always calls the forefront layer... but the Helix can only access the "factory settings" layer. This is why "Gotcha #1 exists". If you change your guitar selection on the guitar it will work, but the HELIX can't remember that access and defaults to one of the CUSTOM patches. (I think custom 2 / 5) GOTCHA #3 (Similar to #2.... but it has to do with customizing guitar models) Any changes you make to a Variax in Workbench and save to the ORIGINAL location (eg: You open TELE 1, change the body and save it back to TELE 1) cannot be saved or reached from the Helix. They can ONLY ACCESS the "factory settings" layer on the guitar... so recalling TELE 1 from the Helix would call up the factory patch, not your custom patch. For this reason - always save your custom guitars into the CUSTOM 1 and CUSTOM 2 locations.

X has an upgraded processor so the DSP limit is increased by about 20%. X has upgraded footswitches that are more reliable, and have the O rings. This is an advanced difference... but it's always worth noting. The X cannot make a connection between older Variax guitars and Workbench on a computer.... something the original HD500 could do with no problems. So even though the units are suppose to be running the same software, SOMETHING has changed under the hood :)

Please clarify... are you looking for a good MULTI EFFECTS or did you also want amp simulation? If you just want effects, look at the HX Effects... just a few pennies more than the HD500 and you get the HX (Helix) technology. That would already exist... it's the HELIX LT. Similar size, similar "hardware" (in/outs/switches/pedal) just with the latest technology. If you want something more lite on the pocket book then there is the HX Stomp or HX Effects (effects only) mentioned earlier which are both closer to the HD500 in price.

Whether or not you think it belongs in the Helix is a matter of preference/opinion...I have no issue with that. What I find surprising is that the two of you (and others in this thread) think the Tweed Bassman (already in the Helix) and the Brown Bassman are the same amp. They are the same by "name only". They are very different amps. The Brown Bassman has a tone of it's own in the Fender lineup, and would have a tone of it's own in the Helix. I think it's a legitimate request.

I don't want your results, I want YOU to experience that the results can differ :) EXACTLY... if you don't test this on real world amps your experiment is just "one example" not a "scientific approach". Your ONE EXAMPLE COUNTS... absolutely! But it is not the entire picture! I'm just asking you to open your mind on this subject.

Helix Native sounds just like a physical Helix (I own both)... providing it's played through the same speaker setup. I also own an HD500 which is now my backup... YES, the Helix sounds better. The HD500 as an interface should not be imparting any of it's own tone into the signal... there is nothing to worry about there. The setup you have would be great for home/studio use. If you ever get to the point of playing live, that's when the hardware version of the Helix comes in very handy. You don't generally want to haul a laptop off to a gig :)

This is not black and white! You need to understand, it is quite common that with certain setups the HX units can introduce more noise than it may with YOUR setup. It is not measurable unless you have the same gear everyone else does. There are many people that have noise issues, there are many that do not, and the topic has been discussed ad nauseam in these forums. It is NOT simply a case that these people are hearing things, or don't know how to setup their gear! Now take that same procedure into a music store and test 20 different physical amps instead of testing with amp models in the Helix :)

When it was made means nothing for warranty... it's when the product was originally purchased that matters. Keep in mind... if you buy a used unit, you MUST get the original bill of sale from the seller, and it must clearly show the date of purchase. This is from the Line 6 Warranty Info page.... The only way to redeem warranty on a used item is to have the original purchase receipt, dated within the product warranty period. So if you fail to get such a receipt, the manufacturers warranty will not be honored. https://line6.com/warranty/

This is probably one of the most "back to the basics" video I can point you to...

@amsdenj... that is certainly a valid viewpoint in your post directly above. To be clear though, my original post was in response to him already trying the guitar directly into an IR and NOT getting good results. If the signal from the guitar is not good, you will not be able to fix it with an IR - you may actually compound the problem. It is important to optimize that original signal first. SURE... stay away from reverbs, effects and maybe even compressor until the IR is included... but I would stand behind using some EQ, filters and possibly even a pre-amp prior to an IR so the IR has something usable to work with. Just my 2 cents...