codamedia

^^^ THIS ^^^ That will confirm whether it is the HELIX having a latency issue... or if it is something further down the XLR chain (mixer, effects, speakers, distance, etc... etc...) causing the problem.

This is an old thread, but since it's been re-opened I'll add my thoughts on the MIC input. For some people the HD is their primary Audio Interface for recording... having the mic input is no different than having a MIC input on any other interface. It's great for someone doing a single act. Carry the HD and a powered speaker... that's all you need. Setup a dual path (one for guitar, the other for the mic) and send them to the powered speaker... no need to carry a mixer. As a multi-instrumentalist I find it never hurts to have another input. None of my additional instruments use mics but that doesn't matter... I often plug my mandolin or dobro into a direct box, then run an XLR from the DI to the mic input.... adjust trim as needed. Added features are never a bad thing... even if you don't see the immediate value in it.

Unfortunately, there is no way to assign the MIC input to a return only. What you are looking to do can be done using dual paths but it will be MONO only (each path uses one side of left/right) and you will need to be careful not to create a loop by properly adjusting your pan controls in the HD mixer. EXAMPLE: Upper path set to guitar input.... add effects to taste, send that side to the amp/iso cab. Lower path set to mic input (adjust trim for appropriate gain) .... add processing to taste, send that side to the Board/Monitors. WARNING: The 1/4" outputs collapse to MONO if only one side is plugged in. If you are sending to Board/Monitors via XLR, you need to insert a dummy jack into it's 1/4" output or the mic will also get sent to the amp and the results will be a continuous feedback loop - it could hurt :)

The difference between a Floor Pod and an HD500 is that the exp pedal and toe switch are not "fixed" to anything on the HD500. You can assign these to anything you want making it extremely flexible. More options can make it more difficult to figure out at the beginning, but it is worth the effort. What you are trying to do is possible... and it does work flawlessly. Close.... very close. But why assign the WAH to a footswitch. Assign it to the TOE switch that is located under the pedal.

Sorry, I don't own a Kemper and can't give specific examples, but I'll try to help. If you are new to midi then you will want to keep this simple. You can do a lot with MIDI but my advice is to walk before you run. By default, devices will usually setup MIDI to listen on all channels (omni mode) and program changes will be on. If you hook up a midi cord from the "midi out" of the HX to "midi in" on the Kemper every time you change a patch on the HX the Kemper should follow. That is the easiest way to line things up... just store your amp presets in the corresponding patches that follow the HX. If the Kemper does not follow the HX program changes, you may have to set the midi channel. You will need to check the Kemper documentation to see if you can turn on Omni Mode.... if not, just set it to channel 1 and make sure the HX global Midi is also set to communicate on Channel 1. The HX Effects operates very similar to the Helix... so if you can find videos or topics about controlling the Kemper with the Helix most of it will apply.

If you are not, then I apologize.

Do these L6 forums have a policy about starting new accounts with new handles for the sole purpose to troll the forums? It doesn't take much effort to figure out that "northerntwang" is "ddmilne".

Can the editor do this yet for the HX Effects? I didn't think it could... Be careful with presets... they are created with different guitars, different amps, different monitoring situations, etc... etc... With past devices I have NEVER succeeded in finding something I like from someone else's preset. Even with the HX - the moment I got it home I loaded a blank patch into every location so I could start fresh :) I don't mind seeing peoples chains and settings as a guideline... but I'll use that info to build my own patches because I know "their settings" will not work with my gear! I was just looking at the settings in a text editor and see Variax settings, two DSP's, etc... etcc.... Isn't that a Helix preset? I thought the OP was asking about the HX Effects?

An FX loop with nothing connected to it should produce a dead signal (no sound) unless you set the mix control to allow the dry signal through. If you were to patch a short cable between the send and return there should be no difference in the sound when engaged. No added noise, no lost signal, etc... etc... I'm confused because this contradicts what you said earlier "I dont even have anything connected to it". That's a very logical assessment... I just want to share my past experience with loops. A loop with just a small patch cord is a very transparent cut/boost when you adjust the in/out levels... and it uses very little (pretty much zero) DSP power.

I'm using the HX Effects with Pedal Steel. What you are asking about is certainly possible. There are two options. 1: Insert one of the loops where you want it in the chain and connect your volume pedal to that. This is perfect if you have a really nice volume pedal such as a Goodrich or a Hilton, not to mention this method is foolproof and will work every time. 2: Insert a volume pedal block where you want it in the chain, and connect your volume pedal as an expression and assign it to control the volume pedal block. This works well if your volume pedal isn't high end or if it has a dirty pot (scratchy) since no audio passes through the volume pedal. NOTE: Not all pedals are compatible with this method. Myself.... I use a 250k VP and connect just the output to EXP2 and it works perfectly.

Yes - that is exactly what I am doing... glad to know my approach is suppose to be right. The problem is that out of nowhere the patch (during recall) will reflect the state of the comp rather than the overdrive which inverts the meaning of the LED and scribble strip. I will troubleshoot this a little more today and see if I can narrow down the problem.

I use a toggle to switch between a compressor and a light overdrive (Timmy). They both assign to the toggle no problem, and the toggle works fine. BUT - the LED is inconsistent as to which state I should be in. I give the toggle a custom name of "Light OD" so the thought is when the LED is off the compressor is engaged and when it is on the Overdrive is engaged. The problem is... the HX has a mind of it's own which state it will show. I get it working right, save it. Come back to that patch later and it shows "OFF" yet the overdrive is the one engaged. I know that by touching the toggle I can show the states of the two effects... but I would think after saving the patch it should always RECALL the way I saved it. For the record, I am not using snapshots. Any idea's why it is behaving this way? The HX Effects is up to date with firmware version 2.54 EDIT TO ADD (this is one of my post further down the thread, but may get missed)

First, I use an HD500 not a 400 so I'm just trying to help out here... I really don't have any way to test this :) According to the manual, dual mode should do what you need.... plug your 1/4" out(s) to the power amp in on your amp, and the XLR to the PA. Based on this statement below, I would EXPECT (expect is the key word) the XLR output to use the cabinet/mic modeling from the HD, and the 1/4" outputs to discard the cabinet/mic modeling. Are you saying that the cabinet and mic modelling is still being sent to the 1/4" outputs in this mode? From the manual "When set to dual, direct signal meant for a guitar amplifier will be sent through the UNBALANCED L/R Outputs, and mic and speaker simulation meant for a mixer or recorder are sent through the BALANCED L/R outputs."

Yes - that is what I was referring to... Auto Save was a poor choice of words :) Thanks for the detailed clarification of how the two modes operate. I agree the discard would likely be the most common and least confusing but recall certainly has it's advantages as well. It always depends on the workflow of the player.

Late spring was the announcement. So - most likely anytime between now and June 21st.

The HD500 volume pedal is fixed to linear taper which is actually very unnatural. Most people prefer an audio taper for a volume pedal. The Helix has the option to set the taper to linear or audio and that is likely what you are experiencing from patch to patch. Find the setting used in the patches you like and go with that for all the others. The same way you would have on the HD500.... insert a volume pedal block and assign the exp pedal to it.

I could be completely wrong on this... but I'm throwing it out there anyway. Aren't snapshots "auto save" by default? If it isn't default, maybe it got changed? This could cause a lot of confusion. Example 1: Setup snapshot 2, save it. Now If you edit that and save it to Snap Shot 3, both 2 and 3 will be the same because 2 auto saved and won't recall as expected. To get around this, you would need to switch to snapshot 3 before editing and so on. Example 2: You play snapshot 2, move to snapshot 3 and play a bit.... maybe turn on/off an effect or two, move an expression, go back to 2 - all fine, come back to 3 and it is the state you last left it, not the perceived "saved state". Now, that said.... it should reset to the "saved state" if you leave the patch and return to it. If that is possibly the problem, there is an option to change it so it won't auto save. Off the top of my head, I don't recall where.

In the output section of the unit (in the menu, not a switch on the machine) there is a setting for Output Mode. Make sure that is set to Studio/Direct. They always will. No two sets of headphones sound the same, no two sets of speakers sound the same, and no two PA's will sound the same. As long as the quality of each item is sufficient, and as long as nobody has EQ'ed the PA system to death (eg: big smiley face EQ) you should get good sounds. Is your sound too thin, or is his sound too thick! It is important for guitar players in a double guitar band to work with each other on developing tones. Your friend is likely steeling all the headroom from the system, leaving nothing for your tone. A BASS will do this in the heartbeat if the system can't keep up... but I full bodied guitar tone turned up to loud can also eat up the space.

This shouldn't limit your routing. The worse case scenario should be that you have to use up 2 blocks. If DSP is an issue you could just load 2 x 1024 IR's. I could be wrong about this... but I'm pretty sure that any stereo effect prior to the path split would just separate to left/right down the two paths. At the end of the path you will have to set the output pans to keep it stereo.

I just want to add one more option to the table... If you try a Variax and don't like the neck, you might be able to replace it. I don't know about the 500 (original Variax) but the 300 and 600 necks can be swapped with a regular Tele or Strat neck. I believe this can also be done on the JTV, but not on the Standards. About 8 years ago I bought a 300 just to test the waters of a Variax. The sounds in the 300 are the same as the sounds in the 500, 600 and 700 - but the guitar itself is a much lower quality. I found a nice Fender Tele neck from the 80's, bolted it on and that changed everything.

They released it and told us it was a limited version... then they told us they would do a full release late in the 2nd quarter. This gives them until Jun 21st to deliver. Before I bought my HX Effects I did my homework and knew all of this. I can't speak for everyone, but I am glad they released a limited version so I could load IR's and backup my HX. Those are the two things I cannot do from the HX itself, so IMO - those are the two most important things to deliver quickly, and L6 did! Beyond that, the editor will just be a graphical version of the HX itself. Although that will make it easier for "some people" to program the HX, it is not a necessity for the HX to operate. As for the OP's problem... I think the suggestion by phil_m is the best route to try.

I thought about mentioning the Input Z... but I didn't bother because I thought the default was 10M. Your're right, the default is auto making this is a very important step... thanks for the heads up.

I am pretty sure the line level on the HX is +4... but I only base that on using it in my home studio. FYI: The line levels (-10 & +4) are compatible with each other as long as their is an input/output levels to accommodate. The HX has all kinds of ways to accommodate input/output levels to match gear. Line/Instrument level just puts you in the right ballpark to get started. Caveat: When I think about this, you may need to use both loops in a 4CM. I think the loops (send/returns) are adjusted as a pair and you need instrument level going into your amp at the start. Example: Guitar > HX Input (instrument level) > HX SEND 1 (instrument level) > Amp Input > Amp Send > HX RETURN 2 (line level) > HX Output (line level) > Amp return

Sorry about the silly ending to my post. I was trying to explain how I use the Variax but it read more like a biography so I gave up. I'll try again today. I'm a part time professional. I don't do it full time anymore, but I still hit the road a few times a year and try to keep busy around town with multiple gigs and studio work. Since the mid 80's I've been locked in the country scene, but I play rock and pop gigs as well. I was a child of the late 70's punk scene so nothing scares me :) I bought a used Variax 300 about 8 years ago to test the waters. I loved the tonal capabilities, but the neck on the 300 didn't do it for me so I replaced that with a tele neck. For the most part I use it in specialty situations. I may pick it up for 1 song, I may pick it up for 10 - it depends on the show. When I need to bounce between banjo, acoustic and electric song to song, or even within a song I will play the Variax. When I can see a long list of electric songs coming up I tend to grab one of my primary guitars. I may prefer my other guitars, but I don't think twice about playing my Variax. I hook mind up through my HD500 with a VDI cable. This allows me to change patches on the Variax by simply programming it into my HD patches. I can go from a banjo to an ripping lead solo with one push of a button.

The Variax is a specialized product.... but it is certainly used at the PRO level if that is part of what you are asking. John McFee (Doobie Brothers), Corey Churko (Shania Twain/Kelly Clarkson, Steve Howe (Yes), Richie Castellano (Blue Oyster Cult) all use a Variax as part of there regular setup. Right there is a diverse set of usage.