codamedia

There are a couple violin players in my area that use the HX Stomp.... As a multi instrumentalist I use my Helix LT for everything. Electrics, acoustics, mandolin, dobro, banjo, etc... etc... If I could play violin I'd most certainly feed it through the LT.

IMO, nothing beats the real instrument regardless of what it is... so yes, I'd say if you want "a real sounding bass"... you should get a bass. That said - I hide a lot of "fake instruments" in some of my mixes :) It doesn't have to be a real sound to be a good sound.

You are not alone.... I used to get great tones on my X3 and was really excited when I "upgraded" to an HD500 only to find myself in a continual struggle to get what I wanted. I found it very frustrating to dial in. As @silverhead says above, the Helix is back to normal in every regard, and sounds much, much better than any of the former units. It's also a lot more flexible and easier to use. I would go as far to say that in 40+ years as a gigging musician, the Helix has been the single best purchase I have ever made.

IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND: When you add a volume pedal block it automatically assigns it to EXP2. When you add a WAH block it automatically assigns it to EXP1. To make life easy for yourself... don't alter that pattern or you will have to do some deep editing every time you need to add a Volume pedal or Wah. I always suggest.. KEEP IT SIMPLE! Since you plan on using it for volume the majority of the time... do this. Go into Global Settings > EXP Pedals Set the position for EXP2 (and maybe even EXP1 as well) to GLOBAL. This will retain the position of the pedal when you change presets. Now.... Just add a volume pedal block to any preset you want it in, and it will automatically assign it to EXP2. You only have to add the volume pedal block. When the EXP is set to GLOBAL... then you do this when you start the Helix to initialize the pedal. If the EXP is set to "preset" or "snapshot" then the pedal position gets "recalled"... and it may be "recalled" in the off position. Again... keep it simple, set the EXP position to Global so the position is exactly where the pedal position is as you change presets & snapshots. Probably not.... If for any reason the EXP does not work as you expect... then that is likely because something is not set correctly in that preset. Maybe the preset is loading the EXP as EXP1 instead of 2. Simply depress the toe switch to make it EXP2 and save again. Maybe the volume pedal BLOCK is not assigned properly to EXP2. Just remove the block and add it again. It will automatically assign to EXP2. The moment you step on the volume pedal you are "editing" the preset (the volume) which is why the "E" Symbol appears. Don't worry about it :)

Just to be clear... the pedal on the Helix is not a "global volume pedal".... it is assignable to do anything you want within a each preset. If you are expecting it to be a volume pedal all the time, it won't be. It might be assigned on some presets, but not on others. That is very normal. That's an odd statement... because that is how expression/volume pedals work. If you don't move them, they won't do anything. If you mean something different, I think we need more details.

Hard to say for sure... but this is where I would start. On the Helix try the "Brit J45 Bright Model" to simulate the POD 2 "Brit Blues" amp with the bright switch engaged. For extra drive, put a simple "gain" block in front of the amp and turn it up a few notches. For the cabinet you will have to experiment. Don't forget that each mic choice and it's position also acts like an EQ for the cabinet. For the delay try a "simple delay"... start with 2ms 13% feedback and a 30% - 35% mix. The MIX on the Helix peaks 50/50 at 50%, not 100 like the older POD's did (IIRC)

That mixer appears to have clip lights beside each input gain/trim.... are any of those clip lights coming on? If they are... turn down the gain until that stops. There could also be gain staging issues later in the "mixing chain" (bus, master out, etc...) That statement is confusing, and would appear to make matters worse if it's taken at its word. Please set the STOMP OUTPUTS to Mic Level (or instrument level) in the global settings then adjust the gains accordingly on the mixer. You NEVER want to see the input clip light come on at the mixer channel. Gain staging is critical with PA's, and if you have "line level" feeding "mic inputs" without proper adjustments this is exactly the type of thing that will happen. The HX Stomp and Helix are the same thing... just different footprints and features. I use a Helix direct 90% of the time and I've played with several players that use HX Stomps direct. What you are describing is never an issue. This notion of "two Stomps don't play nice together" is a waste of time and it is leading you the wrong direction in trying to solve the problem.

Only within a vivid imagination :) Lets move on! No it does not rule out the PA. What is the PA/MIXER you are using? You mention earlier that the stomps are LINE LEVEL and that when you MIC AMPS the issue does not occur. That is a very big clue as to what is happening. MIC'ed AMPS feed the mixer at MIC level which is a lot quieter than line level. There are a few options to solve this problem If MIC Level is not an option on the STOMP, set the output to INSTRUMENT level. Use the input gain/trim on the mixing board to reduce the input level coming into the board. (on the Stomps channels) Place a direct box with a PAD engaged between the stomp and the mixer.

USB Midi requires a HOST which is what a computer is when you connect to that. Usually when you connect to other 3rd party midi gear it is done through standard midi ports (DIN). Disclaimer: I do not use, or know anything about the MioXL so I do not know if it can operate as a host or not. If it can... then it should work.

Great advice is already given by rd2rk... I just want to add an option. If you don't want to use two effect loop blocks.... you could very simply add it to your existing 4cm setup. You can choose to place it before or after the amp... but you will have to manually turn it on/off separate from the stomp. The only issue here is that some amps "send" at a line level, and the DD8 is not going to like that very much. That would force you to place the delay before the amp.

Regardless of it's architecture, the Pedal Baby is setup to simulate a tube power amp, therefore "in theory" you should only be using the PRE AMP model of the amp you choose in the Helix. What I've provided is the "rule of thumb" answer.... but let the ears be the ultimate judge of what you like better. There are no set rules, just suggestions. @rd2rk has answered your other questions already.

Yeah.... good point. Rather than "True/False?" I'd just call these "odd assumptions" :)

FALSE: Line 6 is known to add a new variant rather than overwrite the core tone of an amp/effect that already exists. They are well aware that some people depend on those staying consistent. Example: People have complained for years that the RAT had to be modelled from a "unhealthy" pedal because it didn't respond like a real RAT. Line 6 did not "fix" the existing RAT because some people were using it, instead they added a new RAT variant that was more authentic. The only time I know of a "core sound" changing was the REVERB depth increase in 2.6 or 2.7. Even then the sound didn't change, the amount of reverb you could attain did. Line 6 warned everyone that their presets would be wetter and require the blend to be turned down on each preset. I'd call "false" on this one as well. I find the gain structure on stock presets and default settings to be rather "hot".... as if they were prepared with low output pickups - but that's just most of the stuff I use... which is likely different from the stuff you use. In reality, the stock presets and default settings were likely set by different people at Line 6 over time - each using different instruments. Now they added some "artist presets" which expands the possibility of instruments used. IMO... this is why PRESETS SUCK! It's not because they actually do (well, sometimes - LOL)... it's because none were made with MY GUITARS! You need to roll your own if you truly want to be happy with the Helix. Just my 2 cents.

A standard Peavey switch (not counting Vypers, and maybe a few others) the switches are a basic latch. If the proper pin is shorted, the amp moves to a new channel.... when it isn't shorted it returns to the other channel. Repeat for reverb, loop on/off, chorus, phase, boost, etc... etc... (this is dependent on how the amp is setup) Please bare with me.... I don't use channel switching on the Helix so I can only suggest what to look for. When you assign the channel switch.... can you explicitly say "send an OPEN" or "send a CLOSED" signal? If so, that needs to be set depending on the channel you want. If it is just toggling between an open and closed switch every time it is invoked, that is when you get the behavior you are describing. EG: You're on the right channel already, but it changes channels when you change the preset/snapshot.

@soblivion ... that is the exact diagram I use whenever I have to modify something for use on a Line 6 product... it works great every time.

@wlaycook... that's a great sounding preset. I'd say you've captured the vibe you were going for to perfection.

Line 6 spec has always been a TS cable (not TRS) with a 10K pot. The Helix can work with other expression formats, but it does become "hit and miss".

3 years with an LT and I've had no issues with the expression pedal. I'm a gigging player that usually does about 100 - 120 gigs a year. Obviously that's been light the past year and half.... but I certainly have at least 200 gigs on this Helix so far.

The INPUT level for Helix Native is NOT adjusting the preset itself. It's just making sure that NATIVE see's the exact same input level as your hardware does directly from your instrument. Try this.... Record the processed sound from your Stomp and the Dry Signal onto a separate track at the same time. Load Native on the DRY track Load the same preset into Native Playback the two tracks.... toggle between them If they don't already sound identical... adjust the INPUT GAIN on Native until they do match. Make note of the adjustment you had to make to make it quicker/easier the next time you do this. Once you got that level correct.... the preset can be freely adjusted and moved back and forth with confidence.

There is no way to tell an output to "ignore" the IR or CAB blocks... but there are a couple of methods. My favorite way to do this is to insert a SEND just prior to the IR block(s)... and use the send to feed your amp. If you are already using the loops/sends for anything else, then this option probably won't work. The other method is to create a parallel path at the end of your chain.... where you want the cabs to be. A merge block will automatically appear, so you will have to move that down as well then you can assign the 1st output (without cabs) to the 1/4, and the 2nd path (with cabs) to the XLRs. In a Stereo setup this option will only work with dual cabinets, but it will not work with IR's because there is no stereo IR block (yet). A stereo IR will require use of the parallel path just for that.

That is precisely what I was referring to... sorry if I wasn't clear. If I load the exact same tone in both my Helix and my DAW/Native..... I use the INPUT LEVEL of Native to match the tones. I am very aware that the input level has a massive impact on how presets respond/sound, especially in regards to compression and gain/dirt levels. For me both products sound the same.... it's how hard you hit them that varies... and thank goodness, Native has an INPUT level to adjust for that.

I just adjust the input level on NATIVE as required... no need to touch the levels in the STOMP itself. Native is non-destructive, it's great for little adjustments like this.

I've downloaded the preset and gave it a try through Native.... great job! I have one suggestion... Everything after the CAB should be a stereo block (chorus, delay, reverb). That won't effect anything if you play in mono, but for those that play stereo it will be closer to the original Rockman - especially when the chorus is engaged. It's probably just the way you worded it... or the way I am interpreting the wording :) .... but I'm a little confused by this statement. I owned an X100 for decades and it has never had any reverb. The only "verb / delay" effect was the bucket brigade delay which you also include. IMO, the preset you made sounds more authentic (to an X100) with the reverb turned off and only the delay is used . Of course.... that doesn't mean you can't sweeten it with reverb, it's just not authentic to an X100.

User error is a distinct possibility..... it most certainly works exactly the way you want it to work - so something else was at play! If you walked into "trying a Helix" with a pre-conceived notion of how it works, then that would be a big mistake. There are many ways that you can "accidentally" create a "dry through" on the Helix and if you try to fix it in the wrong block or location that could explain the type of frustration you are describing. If this was a problem in the past, it certainly doesn't appear to be now. I just loaded your setup into a SINGLE path on my Helix... and when I went to load an amp all but 3 amps (Supro, JC120 and US Small Tweed) were greyed out. So... I loaded one of those three amps, turned on all effects and made noise for a few minutes. Nothing froze. FWIW... I use quite a few legacy effects and my live preset(s) are usually one giant serial path - some up to 25+ blocks. I have never once had my Helix freeze or require a reboot. I'm not suggesting it can't happen... I'm just pointing out that it's not the norm.

I don't disagree with anything stated here... but as an LT user I would like to clarify a couple points. The LT isn't nearly as flimsy as it is is often made out to be. It's not a Helix Floor, but it's still pretty rugged. Granted, I use gear hard... but I'm not hard on gear :) The LT has "performance view" to compensate for the lack or scribble strips. There is no guessing when it comes to footswitches.... performance view is a great roadmap that is easy to get used to. FWIW - I did own the HX Effects (with scribble strips) and when I moved to the LT I didn't miss them at all.