codamedia

If you bought the unit new from a Line 6 dealer, they might update if for you if you ask them nicely. If you bought it online, or used - that's option may not be available.

Yes.... sorry if I wasn't clear but that is exactly what I meant.

I should have asked this first.... Is it the switch that is sticking (eg: the micro switch in the unit) or is it the actuator (what you step on) that is rubbing and getting stuck - thereby holding down the switch internally? My comment above was about lubricating the actuator. If it's the micro switch itself.. I'd have it replaced because anything done to clean it would just be a band aid.

I'm not convinced that a normal contact cleaner will work... but a cleaner with lubricant (made for sliders and pots) probably will. The button is just an actuator that triggers the micro switch that is on the PCB under it. If my unit were under warranty, I would have an authorized dealer fix it. If it were out of warranty, I "might consider" fixing it the way I used to fix my X3 and HD500 actuators.... with the tiniest drop of "3 in 1"... just enough to lubricate the actuator, but not enough to drip onto the circuit below. My reservation on doing this is the LED ring on the Helix.... I'd want to be very sure I don't damage it's operation. In other words.... please don't try this without getting more opinions on it first :)

Setup your tone at "stage volume" not isolated through headphones. That's the only way to induce the frequencies that are causing the problems so you can adjust them. As suggested above... an amplified acoustic guitar at stage volume will really benefit from a "feedback buster" (the rubber blocker in the sound hole).

The tuner return problem may have been a bug specific to that version number but in reality you shouldn't still be on that version. You are missing out on many of the Helix best features. You would do yourself a huge favor updating to 2.82 as suggested above by @silverhead

Perfectly stated!

What version of Firmware is running on your Helix? It should tell you the number during the boot up process. FWIW... the current version is 2.82.

Exactly... Here is something you can try. It is all stuff you would do if you were trying to capture a guitar amp in the studio. Insert the AMP and cab blocks separately For the CAB block, choose the dual cab option. I always set both cabs the same because I am after the different mics, not different cabs. On one cab put a dynamic. and leave it 1 - 2" off the grill. For this my favorites are the 20, 421 and 409 On the other cabinet place a ribbon or condenser (FWIW my fav is the 121), pull it back to at least 6" or even much further, then add some early reflections to capture a bit of room. Here is a gotcha! The Helix does not allow you to move the mic from the CENTER to the EDGE of the speaker. You can simulate this by inserting the TILT EQ after the cab block. Leave it with default settings and just roll back the TILT. Don't be afraid to get aggressive. I find DARK 50 is very similar to moving the mic halfway toward the edge of the speaker. DARK 100 would be like moving it to the very edge or even beyond... Insert a MONO version to blend the two cabs.... or a stereo version if you want to retain the "left/right" split of a dual cab If you only want to process the dynamic mic with the title eq, then you need to insert two mono cabs and run a parallel split... placing the title EQ only on the path with the appropriate cab. For an added studio touch... insert the LA Studio Comp near the end of the chain (after the amp/cabs). This is similar to adding an LA2A to the guitar in a studio.... pure magic! Studio monitors, PA cabinets, Stage Monitors, In Ears, etc... etc... They are all FULL RANGE with HFD's. FRFR is just a marketing term... it's just a powered monitor with varying degrees of features. There are certainly low end models of everything that will sound terrible no matter what, but to suggest FRFR cabs (as a whole) can't handle overdrive and distortion makes no sense at all.

The real issue is the vast majority of guitar players have never heard their beloved rig with a microphone (often a '57) jammed into the cone of a speaker and "monitored" solely through a stage monitor. If they actually did this, they would realize that the Helix (and the Kemper, and the Fractal) actually catch every imperfection that really exists in those rigs... including squirrels and fizz. It's not an inherent problem with modelers, it's that many guitar players have never heard their guitar tone delivered through anything other than their cabinet.

This is great info... but a warning should be added. If you are still under warranty this will void it.

The BOSS AC-2 was all EQ.... The BOSS AC-3 was a combination of EQ and Impulses (COSM). Plus the addition of reverb.... No, there isn't anything simple in the HX that will do this, but a decent acoustic IR (3 Sigma, Glenn DeLaune, etc...), judicious use of EQ and a splash of Reverb (to taste) will get you into AC3 territory. Glenn DeLaune has a Helix/LT preset available but not for the HX Effects. Maybe he'll sell you the "IR and settings" so you can create the patch yourself in the Effects.

We live in very different worlds :) Clubs, Festivals, Soft Seaters, Arena's.... my guitar strip rarely moves from "flat" at the console! I talk to every tech I work with... and aside from some very minor adjustments (plus or minus 3 db on the strips) there is nothing special going on. They can engage a low cut if they want... it won't effect anything because I don't send them those frequencies to begin with. If (and this is rare in my world) a system is so poorly setup that my guitar needs serious work... I know it's not just my guitar they are EQ'ing the crap out of... it's EVERYTHING! Usually one look at the FOH EQ is a dead give away of how bad the tech and/or gear is! Just like an engineer/producer creates recordings that sound good in "most" listening environments, I do everything I can to create my tones that way as well!

Absolutely... but the same has always applied with regular pedals as well. The only difference is that most pedals don't mark where 0 is. IMO... on a pedal this would most often be 12:00 (noon). EG: Turn up the compression on a pedal and you often reach a point where you have to turn down the LEVEL to keep it unity. Same applies to GAIN on any overdrive or distortion.

Real dumb question here... but need to ask since I don't see it asked yet. Are you absolutely sure the Helix presets in question have their INPUT set to "Variax" or at least "Multi"? If it is set correctly, have you double checked to make sure the preset load is not "forcing" the Variax volume to 0? Based on everything you say, it sounds like the Variax works with the HD500 so it shouldn't be the guitar. Can you get your hands on another Helix to try? Or maybe backup your Helix then try a factory reset.

My apologies.... yes that is interesting. What I can't find for information is whether or not the horn is disabled with those settings like it is on the Powercab. If it isn't... then it's just an FRFR with preset EQ curves. You'll get the same (but more options) with Helix Cabs or IR's into an FRFR.

#3 (especially the 2x12 version) can provide anything the other 3 provide... with more options. #4 limits you from ever taking advantage of the "full range" options. Cab modeling, mic modeling, acoustic instruments (should you use them), etc... etc... #1 & #2 provides full range options, but won't provide you with a traditional "amp in the room" tone without really learning how to capture/create it... which takes time.

You follow this with a list of things to do in order to make it work. It is that list of things that many guitar players are NOT wanting to do... they just want to plug in to a power amp and guitar cab and have it sound that way immediately. What those player forget (or don't realize) is that their tone doesn't make it to the FOH, yours does! Don't get me wrong... I'm on your side. Like you I have great success with getting an "amp in the room" tone/feel from the monitors or FRFR. It is not an "unmic'ed" cab sound. In your list #2 is a "good cab IR".... that will include a cabinet, speaker and microphone(s). It is the sound of a "mic'ed up cab" that you are processing to sound as natural as possible. By getting that "natural sound" from an FRFR your tone will probably sound fabulous through the FOH. Far better than a real amp that sounds great on stage, but is much thinner and weaker in the FOH with a single mic jammed into the cone.

The actual OP was from 2016.... most are now responding to a later post by @jesseadamwilson ... Until this "single post" user returns for follow up it's impossible to help him. It's been 4 days now since his post... so I'm not so sure he actually wants help. Did anyone visit his bands web site?

That looks like Rosewood to me... but I certainly can't say that definitively. Most rosewood I have seen in recent years has been much lighter than that, but my older rosewood strat looks exactly like this photo. It's the grain that is making me question it... it doesn't look tight enough for ebony.

This took some getting used to after using an X3 and HD500 for many years prior to the Helix. The Helix doesn't tie the light to the same clock so it will not stay in sync. Certainly not a deal breaker for me, but it does seem like such a silly oversight.

I don't disagree with you at all... but there is another side to the discussion. This is an interesting conundrum, and really is the difference of approach and mindset between "amp in the room" and "FRFR". Not right, not wrong.... different. In the end you are right... it is "personal preference". For those that play live and are miced up through a system, the crowd doesn't get to hear that 4x12 sound. You can dial in the tone all you want for yourself... but the crowd will get tone of a mic (often a '57) jammed into a tiny 2" square section of a single speaker.... producing a tone that will pale in comparison to the full cab sound you hear on stage. A live tech does not have the benefit that a studio tech does with using multiple mic's and placements to capture that full tone as much as possible. My approach is to use cab blocks or IR's with multiple mic placements to try and convey the fullest tone possible to the FOH. I look at it this way... if I send a great tone to the FOH, then it will also be a great tone in my monitor, FRFR or in ears.

Yes - I'm glad you caught that. As you know the preset mode can be set any way you want it to be... but it's still referred to as the preset mode. It can be difficult to explain the options when there are so many options to choose from :)

At the root of the problem, is understanding the 3 display modes and how to reach them. There is preset mode, stomp mode and snapshot mode The MODE button swaps between "preset mode" and "stomp mode" Snap mode is accessed by pressing both bank up&down buttons at the same time Global Setting > Footswitches > Snapshot Mode Switches: This determines whether or not you stay in snapshot mode after choosing a snapshot, or if you return to the previous mode (preset or stomp) after choosing a snapshot. "Preset mode" can be altered in the global settings. Global Setting > Footswitches > Preset Mode Switches: This allows you to change the preset screen to several combinations of presets/snapshots/stomps. NOTE: If you set your preset mode so it no longer displays presets, pressing either the bank up or the bank down will display presets until you choose one.

Yes it does work that way :) If the HX LOOP is set to LINE level then the output of the SEND to the INPUT of your amp will likely be too hot at it's default settings. Simple, just turn down the send level in the HX so it better matches the input of your amp.