codamedia

IME... any modern CPU is capable of low round trip latency. My home studio still runs on a Quad Core "pre i series" CPU.... I don't have problems with latency unless I set my buffers too high. Chipsets and their associated drivers (motherboard firmware) are a much bigger culprit. I have also seen video card drivers/settings disrupt audio latency, network cards and I've even seen latency change from DAW to DAW on the same machine. I can go to any forums for any audio interface.... there will be a dozen or so people struggling with latency and a bunch of others saying they don't have any problems. It's not always the device and it's driver... it's a combination of 100 other things that can effect it as well. Just my experience and two cents on the subject!

Nobody is suggesting a plugin and a laptop is an equal or better way to tour the world. If this is how you read our posts about Native, you have taken them out of context. We are talking about the SOFTWARE and any limitations related to that. Native does not have the 6 block limit that the Stomp has, nor does it have a 9 block / no amp limit that the HX Effects has. You get 32 blocks and 2 stereo paths to work with... just like it's hardware big brothers! I will also reiterate... I agree with you that L6 should offer Stomp and Effects users some sort of discount on Native... proportionate to the discount LT, Floor and RACK users receive. If someone has invested in the HX Line... I believe they should get a better price on Native than someone that is just buying another plugin for their studio.

I don't understand why Fractal is part of this discussion.... Fractal does not offer an equivalent to Helix Native.... it's hardware only and the Helix Floor and LT are the Line 6 equivalents. I'm puzzled.... aside from the hardware options (footswitches, pedals, etc...) it is indeed as powerful as the hardware version. The power and speed of your computer if the only real limit - and in general, computers have a lot more horsepower than the Helix does! I agree, there should be a discount of some sort for HX Stomp and possibly HX Effects buyers. But you should not expect the same discount as the people that put out 2 - 3 times your investment.

I certainly cannot speak for Line 6... but most likely it starts with the tiny market share it holds, and secondly because you cannot support Linux in general.... you must support the various distributions of Linux. That 2% - 3% market share that is tiny to begin with is also fractured into Centos/RHEL/Fedora, Debian/Ubunto, Gentoo/Chrome/OS etc... etc... Linux is a great developer platform... but it's the developers that put out the usable interfaces and obscure the inner workings. The TV Box might be easy to use.... the smart phone might be easy to use, and the Chromebook might be easy to use... but a white box computer loaded with a Penguin and no recognizable tech support is utter chaos to the vast majority.

The best way to get to know the Helix is into a full range setup. This can be studio monitors, FRFR box, quality headphones, etc... When used like that you get to hear all of the amp/cab modeling. How good is your gaming "headset"... and/or do you have a decent set of full range speakers for the computer? If that is not an option, then plug into the power amp input (or effects return) on your amp. When you do this, you should use Helix amp models without cab/mic sims since you are already going through a cabinet. You can try the full models, just don't expect the best results in doing so. Of course there is always the 4 cable method... but that is like running before you learned how to walk.

Do you have snapshots set to "discard" or "recall" in the global settings? I found that I had to set that to "discard" in order to get the "expected" (programmed) results every time with snapshot changes. With recall... I would often forget that I changed guitar positions... and the new model was retained when I returned to that snapshot rather than loading the programmed model. In that case it's not the fault of the unit... it's working as intended. It's just my brain that gets confused. Once I went to "discard" the snapshot loaded the programmed model every time regardless of whether or not I changed positions. My brain accepts that much easier :)

1/2 of the banjo tone (or more) is playing it like a banjo... you are absolutely correct!

I'm not going to be able to help with your problem.... I run the Kinky Boost (always on) on all of my Tele and Strat patches. I don't use it to boost, it's just there imparting it's tone - adding what it does! Currently I own a Helix LT so I'm not limited with blocks, but before that I did own an HX Effects. I always found a way to utilize the Kinky Boost... I just loaded it in a hidden slot, never accessible by a footswitch.

Just a reminder... the Stomp does not have a VDI port... only the full size Helix units do. You would need to connect the Variax with a standard guitar cable.

Fair enough... I just recently picked up a Helix and didn't notice this. My older HD500 did not have this option... FYI: I wasn't comparing a 2 way speaker to a guitar speaker... I'm comparing the inexpensive 2 way FRFR to a quality full range system (PA, Monitors, Studio, etc..) you may eventually have to play through. As I understand it... the Headrush is derived from the Alto... and that video posted earlier clearly shows how "hyped" that low end is compared to the other solutions, and it's not the first time I've heard that. Yes... absolutely! My tones are always setup on neutral sets of speakers (2 sets of decent home studio monitors) at fairly high volume.

I do not own a Headrush 112 so please take my comments as "general knowledge".... not necessarily an answer to this problem. This is not the first time I have heard the Headrush, Alto, and several others have hyped bass. This has been a trend with some company's with how they built their speaker boxes... likely in an effort to make them sound more appealing when first plugged in. BUT BEWARE.... High quality PA systems, even better quality PA systems along with quality sound tech's do not Hype Bass. They want the system(s) as flat as possible so they can manage and manipulate it to their liking. Why does this matter? If your Headrush has no control over the hyped bass, and you EQ your Helix to sound good through it... you are compromising your tone sent to the FOH system. If you have to roll off (or worse, completely remove) the low end because the box adds to much, then you will send a tinny/thin sound to the sound tech to work with. If you only play at home... or never put your setup through a PA... don't worry about it. But if you are wanting to send a signal to the PA you should setup your tones on a system that translates better to other system, then apply some EQ that is only sent to compensate your speaker of choice.. not widely sent to all outputs.

Your first loss is your cheapest.... buy a genuine L6 Power Supply for $50 and never worry about it again. There are cheaper alternatives on eBay and Amazon.... but I'm not one to trust the knock offs. I've seen a few people running an HD off a One Spot... BUT... by the time you buy a One Spot and the necessary adapters you are still "experimenting/settling" and closely reaching the cost of a genuine power supply. Why bother?

IMO: Option 4, which you seemed to have missed :) The HX Stomp which includes all Helix amp models as well as effects and also works as an audio interface. It's about the same cost as the HX Effects but seems to be a better fit for what you are after. No amp models, and it won't work as an audio interface like the X3, HD500 or HELIX will. It should be noted that you also need a DAW.... although there may be a free platform or two that may work.

The older version of Edit for the HD series and even prior all had OFF LINE mode... you could load a preset even if you didn't have a device connected so you could analyze it, and try to replicate it. Sadly, HX Edit does not offer this mode... Preset files are just TEXT files in a json format. You can open these files and learn how to read them... the settings are all there once you learn how to find them. When I moved from an HX Effects to a HELIX LT this is how I had to transfer my favorite settings. It worked fine...

Your two questions are related to each other... There are two volumes (sometimes more) on each amp. The channel volume toward the end, and the drive volume is toward the beginning. For prestine cleans, keep your channel volume really high and your drive volume lower. For a touch of grit (responsive to picking), find a balance between them. The higher you put the drive volume, the more gain there will be. The Lester positions are louder than most others on the Variax.... that is the same in real life with a real Les Paul. If the guitar output is louder, that is exactly the same as "raising the gain level" on the amp model. Reduce the gain level, and raise the channel volume to keep it clean. Of course... all of that varies from amp model to amp model, and gets even more complicated as you add effects. Everything worth while takes time :) There are so many variables to consider. I actually find that the Helix is remarkably close in this regard. There are three AC30 models in the Helix... try them all to find one you like most. There is the Fawn Normal, Fawn Bright and Essex A30. Check out the You Tube lessons from Jason Sadites on setting up some of these amps on the Helix.

The volume pedal block "bypass" doesn't need to be on any toggle.... just remove it. When you do that, the most the volume will ever go to is the MAX setting you set for EXP2.

You have learned a very valuable and difficult lesson... when something is visible, thieves will take it. I'm sorry this happened to you. ... and thanks for understanding that the go fund me link could be taken the wrong way.... I see that you did take it down. Is name calling necessary? I came onto this thread to lend some advice to your plea.... then after 36 hours from your initial post I merely said I was "cynical".... I never called you out! Just in case you might not be aware, Go Fund Me is not proof that anything happened :) I do wish you the best of luck...

Are you asking about the HX Effects? As far as I know, you cannot re-assign the MODE and TAP on that device,,, just as they cannot be re-assigned on the Helix LT.

The fact that the op has only had one post and has not returned to take part in the discussion on solutions that may help him leaves me feeling more and more cynical.

OK... maybe I'm confident that I will never blow up my gear... and a drunk will not have the chance to... but I see your point. OP: Let me rephrase how to get your product loud enough (if it is capable). You never want to clip the input stage... so you need to make sure that is set to a safe limit. Turn the master all the way off for now so you don't damage your hearing or your speaker. Turn the HD500 all the way up... then adjust the input gain on the speaker until the clip light shows...then back it off a couple of notches and make note of the setting. This will give you full play on the HD500 volume if needed. You can turn the volume on the HD500 down if you want, but turning it all the way up should NEVER clip the input of the speaker. Now turn up the master on the speaker until it is loud enough. Don't be bothered if you think you have to turn it up to high... it doesn't do you any good if you can't hear it.

I wouldn't expect that powered cabinet to have an abundance of power, but it should have enough to keep up in most situations. The balanced out on the HD500 is suppose to be mic level, so that selection should be correct. Set the input gain on the speaker so it never clips no matter how high you turn up the HD500. Then run the MASTER VOLUME on the speaker at FULL and use the volume on the HD500 to adjust how loud it is. There should be enough power there without clipping.

Helix products are finicky with expression pedals. The one you list has a TRS plug, the Helix line wants a TS plug... that doesn't mean you can't get it to work, but it's not a good start to compatibility. When I look at the product, it looks like it could be a cousin to the M-Audio EX-P. It's easy to get those to work, but I don't want to steer you down the wrong path if it's not the same.

https://line6.com/software/index.html Under software choose POD HD500x EDIT, then choose Windows 8... your software will appear for download.

From the trunk? That sounds like an inside job, or a stroke of luck for a thief who got a lot more than they were expecting. IME... thieves usually break in when they can see something of value to them. They don't usually smash a window to get into a vehicle that has nothing to grab. (saying that... loose change on the console could be enough to some) Insurance varies from plan to plan, state to state, country to country, etc... but where I live, I would have limited coverage for something like that. I might not get everything replaced, but I would likely get one major piece replaced. Check with the vehicle insurance company. Was the vehicle parked at home? Again, plans vary, but my home insurance will help cover items lost in a vehicle if it happens in my yard... to a limit! As soon as I drive my vehicle off my property, they won't cover it. Sorry to hear about this... I've lost a few items in my day, but nothing to this value. However... you should take your "go fund me" link off your post. It's OK to say you started one, but direct solicitation will make people wary of your intentions.

OP: you still won't have a Tweak or Tweez... Tweak and Tweez on the original DL4 were parameters that varied from model to model. For the "Auto Volume Echo" they are as follows from the manual... so adjust your settings accordingly. "TWEAK sets modulation depth. TWEEZ sets ramp time for the auto-volume swell."