codamedia

Please confirm the signal flow.... this is what I think you are asking. Guitar flows to the DAW through USB Guitar flows to AMP through 1/4" output DAW flows to speakers through the XLR outputs on the Helix. You DO NOT want any guitar flowing to the XLR outputs. If that is correct, then I do not believe there is an EASY way to accomplish what you want. But with some preparation, this should work. Insert a SEND at the end of each preset... (set the send to instrument level in the global settings) Use that SEND to feed your amp instead of the 1/4" outputs NOTE: if your tone is stereo, you need to insert a Stereo Send otherwise the final tone will collapse to mono. If you only use one guitar amp you can use a Y-Cable to connect it, or just use one side with the understanding it may "discard" some of your tone. Now go to the OUTPUT BLOCK of each preset... by default this is set to MULTI (xlr, 1/4", digital and USB1/2) Set that output block to to USB 1/2 (that is the same USB outputs used by the MULTI setting).

I don't want to pile on, but doubling the voltage was a huge mistake. Send it in for repair... and get your credit card ready for payment. I'll be very surprised if they fix it under warranty... even if the initial fault might have been.

Yes - that's what do. It's exactly the same as if you build a pedal board and plug it into an amp. If there is DIRT before the delay or reverb, whether it is from pedals or an amp, you are going to get dirty repeats and/or dirty shimmers. They don't become clean just because you put them in a loop. Delays and Reverbs take on the characteristic they are fed. (Parallel effects can be different... but that is not the topic of this thread) Have you ever owned a bunch of pedals and plugged them into a real amp? It works great! Don't over think it, the Helix is capable of this "simple/basic approach" as well. It doesn't have to be 4cm, 7cm, etc... etc... when using an amp.

The exact same way I did it when I ran a traditional pedal board and amplifier. LOADED PEDAL BOARD into the FRONT END OF AN AMP.... (no 4cm) The only thing that mattered was the order of effects on the pedal board. When the amp is a "clean pedal platform".... 4CM is of less importance than if the overdrive on the amp was being used.

Absolutely correct.... I wish the dual cab included a PAN control on each cab as well, or at least "mono" option. Sometimes we just want to blend the sound, not separate them. The nice thing (currently) is that ANY mono block after the cab works fine... most people will run something after the cabinet, as long as it's MONO you're not wasting a block just for that purpose. In the meantime... there is a request for this feature on IdeaScale... feel free to upvote it. https://line6.ideascale.com/c/idea/984779 ... and a similar request.... https://line6.ideascale.com/c/idea/865971

It starts by being able to recognize the waveforms... Saw, Square, Sine, Triangle & Noise. Take a look at this video starting around 2:20.... He briefs over the different wave forms and lets you hear them... in a very basic/simplified tone. The very basics of a synth are as follows.... Oscillator = Wave Form, the basis of the entire tone. Synths will often have 2 or more oscillators - the above video has a primary then a sub oscillator Filters = Alter the tone of the wave form. Anything from musical notes to sirens to thunder & rain, etc...etc.... Envelopes = This is where you control the "attack, decay, sustain and release" of the notes. LFO's = this is used to control modulation and can often be assigned to control any portion of the synth....

@themetallikid I come from an 80's synth background... and with an initial listen to this song, I'd simply turn to the the latest "legacy synths" added with 3.15 along with a few effects. I hear various "sine/sawtooth/square" waves throughout the song... it might take some trial & error, but I can't see why any of those sounds wouldn't be possible. The might not be "perfect", but they should be close. Can you differentiate the sounds in the song.... the "Sine, Sawtooth, Triangle, Square"? Those are sounds I can hear instantly both in the song & and in the legacy synths.... but if you are not familiar with them this entire endeavor might be much more difficult.

Good job on this.... Not to sound like a geek, but I sure miss the days that any gear with MIDI included a "MIDI Implementation Chart". It was fast and easy to find out what was supported, and what wasn't. The Helix isn't bad... it includes the basic info in the manual, but it's still not the same. Many others company's keep everything as a closely guarded secret.... which makes no sense being that the whole purpose of MIDI is for "Musical Instruments" to talk to each other - universally!

I actually keep a few amps around for this very reason. Given a choice, I always use the Helix > Direct to FOH & Monitors > FRFR if needed for myself. BUT - there are times the band/artist/tour demands an amp. Like you, I just comply - get a pay day/week/month and get through it :) Our situations may differ... please keep that in mind.... I always use an amp as a clean platform, then use pedals/effects to shape the tone. I got used to doing this with my old pedal board because I do a lot of fly in gigs and rely on backline amps. I never know what I'll get... so I don't depend on it. A clean amp with enough volume is all I never needed to sound like ME. I carried that over to the HELIX when setting up tones. (Studio is very different, I am talking LIVE tones) So with that in mind.. this is what I do. Every preset I have has a "amp/cab disabled" copy saved I use those "no amp" presets into the front end of the amp I am using.... The amp I am using is set to be a "clean pedal platform"... then let the Helix do it's thing with effects.. including all dirt sounds. RESULT: My tones just work... with minimal basic adjustments to the amp. FWIW: When using an amp as a Clean Platform this step is not really needed... it's one of the many reasons I do things the way I do! I just plug into the front end of ANY DECENT amp.

All the suggestions above are very good.... I'm just offering my approach as another option. The simplest method I have found which is also extremely flexible is the TILT EQ..... Place it early in the chain. Since you want to change the characteristic of the guitar, change it before any effects or amps. The Center Frequency default is 1K, you can start with that..... (this is the frequency that the EQ "teeter totters" on) Set the TILT to about a Dark 50. Raise the gain about 4db DB (humbuckers are usually hotter than single coils... this accounts for that) That's just a starting point.... you still need to tweak it for your guitar.... TILT: Use the TILT to get the tone "about" right.... lower it to get the shrill off the strat and make it a little thicker/meatier. "Dark 50" is a good starting point in this situation. CENTER FREQUENCY: If the low end is a touch muddy at this point... I find that raising this a little helps define them better. Continually tweak 1 & 2 (a little) until you find a sweet spot. If you do any graphics or photography work at all... this is how I describe the controls on the TILT EQ.... TILT acts like a BRIGHTNESS control CENTER FREQUENCY acts like a CONTRAST control. Get the brightness right.. then clear it up... NOTE: This is just a simple workaround. Given a chance, I would ALWAYS grab a humbucking guitar if that's what I needed.

Are you saying you would like an EQ Block that is similar to the "Global EQ"? If so.... the Parametric EQ is the same aside from the fact it isn't "visual" in HX Edit like the Global EQ is. This is why many Helix users have a Parametric EQ toward the ends of their chains. If it's a part of every preset, the cuts can be adjusted for each preset which is especially handy for multi-instrumentalists requiring different cuts. Correct you are!

On the Helix... an AMP Model that doesn't normally have a master volume is usually set to 10... which is correct for a default setting. A modern style amp which includes a master volume is often set much lower in the Helix. I don't think 5 is out of line when tone hunting.... in real life people would run it lower for "volume reasons only"... given a chance they would love to open it up more. On the Helix run it where you want... you have the channel volume to control the level. My understanding is that 5 on these settings would reflect the "normal" operation of the amp in question. A fixed value is not equal on all amp models. EG: On a Hiwatt it won't sag at all (at 5), but you can tweak it if you want. On a Tweed Deluxe it would be loaded with SAG (at 5)... but again, adjust as you want. The same would apply to hum, ripple, bias and bias x.

I'll have to refresh my memory with that one... Another that comes to mind is the KORG WAVESTATION "Ski Jam".... I believe it is the first preset in the first bank. I used to hear that on every recording that came out during that time and was reminded recently when I heard Dire Straits "Planet of New Orleans" and instantly knew what keyboard was used.

Absolutely... I can be added to that list as well but It's a petty issue that doesn't affect me in any way. Do you remember the days of buying and amp that came with a manual including suggested settings? Those settings never worked! Same with effect pedals trying the same. How are modelers that come with a default setting any different?

When both the FRFR and the FOH is boomy - that's a good indication that the preset needs to be adjusted... providing the FOH is properly tuned (EQ'd) for the room. Are you using any "Low Cut" filters in your preset? It is very common to include an HPF at 80hz - 100hz... sometimes even higher depending on how you want an acoustic to sit in a mix. Often with an acoustic 160hz (the octave of 80) can be troublesome and requires a notch as well. IME this is more prevalent with a real acoustic vs a Variax model with the main symptom being a "D string" that is taking off.

My old Tele with vintage pickups sounded really good when I loaded up that amp with default settings... just sayin'. User defaults to the rescue. I'm pretty sure that's why they were introduced several updates ago. and you bought it...

Not going to happen..... When Line 6 releases a new "flagship" product it will surely contain more DSP, until then - you will need to learn how to optimize your presets. There is NOTHING the public is aware of that suggests a new product is in the near future - so don't bet on it anytime soon. The sad reality is.... once people are given more DSP, they will quickly consume it and begin the cycle of wanting more DSP once again. Optimization is critical.

@VmusicV .... I do not know the amount the Low Cut applies, but I do know different "blocks" are different. EG: Low Cut in the cab block is not equal to Low Cut in the Parametric, etc... etc.... I believe they have very different slopes. What I do know... is that their is always enough to handle any problem I have, but that just my experience. If you run "pink noise" through the Helix and monitor the results (graphically) in a DAW you can get accurate measurements of how much the cut is... what the slope is.... and where the slop begins. A guitar signal won't give you accurate readings.... use Pink Noise. I could easily get the numbers for you... but I have no need to do it myself. You seem to have a need, so go for it!

I couldn't agree more... I haven't really had a chance to dive into much on this update yet, but this is one UNIQUE AMP in the way it functions. Not sure if I'll use it anywhere or not yet... but it's "different", and I like that! I would still LOVE to see an Ampeg V4 or it's combo version... a V22.

No - it is needed for the program to run.

It is futile to feed the troll. "VmusicV" is only hear to express his superiority over all of us.... he isn't asking for help, and he won't accept any.

VDI cable is required for any interaction between the guitar and the Helix.... and for the Helix to provide power to the Variax. However, there is more to consider. INSTALLING THE ORIGINAL WORKBENCH TAKES SOME STEPS THESE DAYS How to: https://line6.com/support/topic/59142-how-to-install-the-original-workbench-on-windows-10/ NOTE: You cannot connect a 1st gen Variax to Workbench through a Helix... you need a Variax Interface or supported hardware like an HD500, X3 Live, X3 Pro or XT Live. Also.... there are limits to the 1st GEN VARIAX guitars with a Helix.... (the below info is copied and pasted from my post in a 4 year old thread. It is still valid for 1st Gen Variax guitars...) Custom Tunings cannot be set VIA Helix on a 1st Gen Variax. You must store the custom tuned setting in a custom location, and call it from there. PRESETS and SNAPSHOTS are both capable of changing variax 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.

@pierpatrip ... I'm glad you seemed to solve it, but I really wanted to point something out from your original post. The HX Edit Image that says it can't find a compatible backup file is looking for it in "Tones > Helix > Backups" The image showing the backup file.... shows it is located in "Tones > Backups" Those are two different locations.... that's why HX Edit couldn't find it.

Thank you for the wonderful lesson on how a "solution architect" writes a report.

I'm confused.... the goal posts just got moved. You asked about controlling the global volume (eg: like the big volume knob) with a midi CC Value so I replied to that. If this post was actually about changing "input volume with a guitar pot" I would have responded very differently :)