codamedia

Seeing that you claim you own a cheap Zoom G3, then make this claim directly above regarding use in the sun. I AM CALLING YOUR BLUFF! I own both as well... please don't even try to go there! Yeah it is... but that doesn't make it cheap or poor quality. IMO, It's a lot easier to adapt to known issues that it is to complain about them indefinitely :)

There was a design oversight that causes "possible" degradation of sound when phantom power is applied. That doesn't mean the XLR out is "cheap", it just means you can't run phantom power on a Helix line. You know that, so it really is a simple solution!

Great story...Your boss example is very similar to how I discovered my problem with the X3 Live years ago. I don't get worked up over "gear quirks" anymore. All gear has quirks.... find the problem, replicate the problem for confirmation... then work around it! When I buy gear (including the Helix) I read the forums to learn about the quirks... then if I come across them myself I won't be surprised. This one took my by surprise... but I still had a hunch of what it might be so I didn't panic :)

I just took the time to do a couple of tests... and have come to the conclusion this was indeed a "sun related" incident. I took a flashlight to the area around my expression pedal.... and sure enough, without moving the pedal (leaving it in a fixed "full on" position I was able to vary the reading of the pedal with the flashlight alone. Not a lot (I could drop reading from 100 to high 80's) but enough to convince me sunlight (at the right angle) could certainly have an effect on the expression pedal. This is not a problem I am overly worried about... the light angle and strength has to be very specific. In my case it was a "setting sun" hitting the side of the unit dead on... a position I may NEVER find myself in again! Unless this rears it's head with regular sunlight, or stage lights - I'm not concerned about it.

Yes it is an LT.... and I do believe it's an optical issue, not a mechanical or software problem. At the precise moment I had the problem the sun was at a particular angle, hitting EXP side of the helix. That is why I thought about the issues I used to have with my X3.... the EXP would not work at all in the sun. Even though things worked for the night and still work as expected right now I still did a Global Reset, and manually entered my global values. We'll see how it does at this weekends "outdoor" gigs!

Me too.... We differ there... for 35+ years I have battled on stages when sunlight is a factor. Aside from some pedals with "super bright LED's" (which completely blind you on dark stages) I could never see the status of my effects in sunlight. Same experience with all the different multi effects I've owned.... such as Roland/Boss, Digitech, Zoom, and earlier Line 6 products. Sunlight has always been my nemesis. Maybe implementation can be improved such as your suggestion to have the ability to invert the scribble strips... or maybe a brightness control can be added, or more contrast options. But TBH, this reads like a passive aggressive "cheap shot" in the middle of an otherwise helpful post.

Your numbers are flawed. You are missing a key point... and it throws quite a monkey wrench in your theory. Business 101: Line 6 doesn't sell them for $1500.... the retailer does! That means it's gone through 2 or even 3 stages of markup... and Line 6 is only responsible for one of those, at the lowest level of profit! L6 profits are likely about 25% - 30% of what you assume they are! And those profits need to pay for the salaries, the R&D, the marketing, the support, the business taxes, the office, the warehouse, the office supplies, the hand trucks, the toilet paper, etc... etc... etc...

The latest version of 32 bit JAVA should be fine.... If you try the auto installer it will try to install the 64 bit version, you need the 32 bit version.

Although the 108 would be considered a budget FRFR.... it should not sound bad, just not as good as higher end models. Many people use the Headrush successfully... so it should work for you. I use a "budget" FRFR myself but not the headrush.... I have no problems getting what I need out of it. A few suggestions to try.... Do not engage the contour button on the headrush. You want this unit to be as flat as possible. Engaging the contour might give you a false sense of "bigger" at first.... but it actually will thin out the tone substantially.... especially as you play louder. Try and decouple it from the floor as much as possible. I usually find the "monitor position" is enough for me with these types of boxes, you may need to actually lift it. "Louder" will always be perceived as "better"..... are you attempting to listen to the FRFR really quietly.... or are you able to actually push it a little? And here is one to be aware of.... Headphones are stereo, the FRFR is mono! Just like the volume I mention above, stereo will almost always be "perceived" as bigger and better.

Without seeing or hearing your actual preset.... I can only lend my general opinion on Strats. I have always found them to sound somewhat "compressed" compared to most other guitars. This is more pronounced on the 2/4 positions and/or if the pickups are set too high (or strings to low).

Every patch I have includes a volume block w/audio taper with the internal volume pedal connected to it. I don't swap out for wah or anything else... just volume! This EXP is set to global, not preset or snap. At yesterday's soundcheck my rig was running normal during monitor checks... but when we went to do a song I had nothing! Quick troubleshooting reveals that my expression starting going from 0 (heel down) - 100 (middle) - 0 (toe down). It did this on ALL presets, and multiple restarts did not solve it! It's never done that before! Knowing it's behavior I figured I would get through sound check, then do a global reset and see if that solves it. We ran a few songs, and I pretty much left the EXP pedal at the half point. During our last tune (about 20 minutes later) it began working as it should. It restored itself as fast as it died, right out of the blue! No issues during the two set show last night, it performed flawlessly. I never had to do a global reset! Has anyone else has ever experienced such a thing? It got me thinking about my old X3 Live.... where the SUN LIGHT would sometimes render the Expression pedal useless. The brightness of the sun was certainly hitting the Helix from the side at the time, where light could enter under the pedal.... it wasn't that hot (about 75 degrees) so it wasn't a heat issue, but the light was certainly a direct hit when it started happening. Any chance this old X3 Live problem has returned.... or does anyone have any other thoughts?

LT owner here with latest (2.92 as of today) firmware installed.... I just created a blank path and assigned a footswtich to Ext Amp TIP and another footswitch to Ext Amp RING Tip On = 2.97v Tip Off = 2.97v Ring On = 4mv Ring Off = 4mv Those numbers are very similar to your numbers.... NOTE: Voltage is irrelevant. For EXT amp switching, a dead short is suppose to be created between "tip / sleeve" and "ring / sleeve". On my LT, both the TIP and the RING properly dead short to sleeve when I press the corresponding foot switches. IMO... You need to test for dead shorts.... if those are working as expected, then the problem is at your amp, not from the Helix. If those are not dead shorting, then the problem is at the Helix.

IMO ... Tone is great, playing is great! You've captured the essence of the original track... although a little dirtier. As mentioned already... I'd prefer to hear it sit more in context with the song, not overwhelm it. It's OK if we hear the original track a little :)

Fair enough.... without a link to the video I would have never known that is what you meant by modded :)

Those tones are not hiding in modded gear.... if you are discounting the "guitar tone" mentioned just because that guy doesn't "nail" the tone (I haven't seen/heard that article by the way) then you are discounting the most important part of the puzzle of getting Clapton's tone. Send me a link to one song you are wanting the tone for.... I will try to help you out. (with all the variations and remixes out there I will only work from the LINK you send me) It would also help if I knew what kind of guitar you were planning to use, which helix product you own, and how you plan to monitor it?

It applies to single coil pickups as well. The peak resonance of a pickup makes a big difference to the tone and reaction from an amp. This is why an old school "fuzz" is debated so much... when first in line & engaged the impedance completely changes the peak resonance of the pickups on the guitar. The tone control does something very similar. You can dial in some really magical sweet spots with a little experimenting.

I think the only thing custom about the JTM45 was that he wanted something he could throw in the trunk of his car so Jim Marshall made him a 2x12 model. For that tone I would just dial up a JTM45 on the Helix, get the gain level right and dial in a usable tone. It's not possible to give exact settings, as it will be different for every guitar. IMO.... there is more magic in how EC used his guitar than the amp. During that era he stayed on the bridge pickup a lot, but rolled back the tone a fair bit... by half or even more. That changes the peak resonance of the pickup which cannot be simulated by amp - the tone needs to start at the guitar.

Another example as to why I really need to stop making ANY assumptions ever - LOL! My Helix has OFF, TOUCH, PRESS, TOUCH & PRESS.... I assumed the stomp also had the OFF setting. Sorry for confusing this matter. I would submit a ticket to Line 6, point out the problem and see what they have to say about it.

You are right, this may be a bug.... setting it to PRESS should stop a touch from toggling the LED. Have you tried setting it to NONE or OFF (whatever the wording is... I'm not near my machine right now to check)

That just adds more headache and an extra cable :) One of my favorite features of the Helix is it's I/O flexibility. phil_m provides the easy answer above. Just insert/use a return block as per his instructions!

It's a coax speaker (full range).... When using the power cab in FRFR (full range) mode, full range is used When loading IR's in a PowerCab Plus, full range is used When using speaker simulation in the PowerCab or PowerCab Plus... the high frequency driver is disengaged and it's more like a normal guitar speaker.... at least that is my understanding (I don't own one) It's all about choice and versatility. Just like the Helix itself, multiple options are provided to accommodate a larger market, not necessarily for a single user to use everything included.

Because the music we listen to was recorded/mixed/mastered by professional engineers that know how to capture the tone of an amp with mics, compressors and EQ's. Guitar players often don't realize what goes into to making that tone "after the amp".... and it's an art in and of itself. Let's say a guitar player has dialed in the amp to sound good in the studio (and even live).... here are the next stages most guitars players are blissfully unaware of, yet are vital to completing the chain "as we hear it". Mic choice Mic position, angle and distance Multiply that by multiple mics in different positions (this is optional, but a standard technique in the studio) Mic Pre-amp / often accompanied by filters (LPF/HPF) Compress (like it or not, there is compression on everything we hear, it does effect the tone) EQ... as in "channel strip EQ" on a mixer. Season with additional effects as needed.... reverb, delay, doubling, etc... etc... Steps 1, 2 & 3 (if used) are extremely important... it is the fundamental EQ for the rest of the chain! Steps 5 & 6 can be swapped if preferred.

Something is wrong! Although the X3 is a nice sounding unit, the POD Go should eat it for lunch :) Don't let a good conspiracy get in the way of the facts :) The units you see in demos, is the same hardware you have in your hands! Did you accidentally use the AMP out instead of the main outputs? If that isn't it.... I suspect you have a faulty unit based on your description Most people complain about Helix FIZZ, not muffled tones! Did you try creating one of your own?

As you will see in my posts.... I fully understand the lack of actual numbers. But you are right.... this is shrewd! It was like a slap in the face to those of us that do use meters... it's a sabotaged system without scale, there is no other way to put it. That said.. the gain reduction meters on the compressors and the clip lights are done to "near perfection"!

In digital... 0 = the end. You cannot go higher. In analog.... 0 left room for more because the technology would degrade (distort, compress, etc...) some more before completely dying. For reference.... 0 on a VU meter (analog) is often compared to -12 to -24 in the digital world depending on the metering system used. This is just ONE reason I suggested numbers are arbitrary earlier, and I can see why they are not used! Exactly why I recommend a LINE (or a change of the shade of green) about 2/3rd or 3/4 of the way to the end. You can read that line as 0, I can read that line as -12, @cruisinon2 can see it as a waste of time, and nobody can compare it to anything. It's just a reference line :)