codamedia

This should be easy with the Helix.... I don't use Ableton to I can't help you on that end. Connect your Helix to the computer via USB Global Menu > MIDI > Midi over USB (< Make sure this is turned on) Command Center Choose EXP 1 or EXP2 whichever one you run your wah on Set the midi channel Choose the MIDI CC # that you want to transmit Now match the midi channel and CC# in your DAW to record the movement. When you are sending the messages back to the Helix.... you need to set your wah to understand the midi message from the DAW Open your patch Select the wah block Push and hold "position" Set controller to "midi cc" Set the CC number you wish to use note: be sure to double check that the Helix is listening on the correct midi channel As for the digitech bass whammy... can't help you there, but the principle should be the same.

What firmware did you have previously? Maybe it was a bug that you and your friend took advantage of :) If so, going back to the previous firmware and restoring your backup should bring it back. Of course... then you would lose the Friedman Amps. Actually... what you are describing for operation sounds like a great option. You could make a feature request at ideascale (line6.ideascale.com)

This problem is a little disturbing but I sure would like to see more details surrounding it's occurrence. It "stopped working" is pretty vague :) When this happens.... Did this occur when the Helix was hooked up to the computer? Did this occur when HX Edit was running? Did this occur when disconnected from the computer? Regarding attempts to resolve..... Has anyone attempted to reload the current firmware to see if that corrects it? Has anyone attempted to reload a previous (eg: before 2.8) firmware to see if that corrects it? Has anyone tried inserting a return block to see if the signal gets in that way? Has anyone tried inserting a really high gain noisy amp or distortion to see if any "noise" is generated at the output? Let's clarify that to avoid confusion on the forums. Line 6 is not offloading this aimlessly. You live in Canada... Yorkville is the distributor for Canada and through agreements they handle all service and warranty for Line 6 products in Canada. Their "sub contractors" are actually all Long and McQuade stores across the country. Yorkville and Long and McQuade are the same entity... so they are not exactly "sub contractors".

It is actually a very practical request... Having this ability allows you to setup paths very similar to "Aux Sends" on a mixer. Anyone with experience in mixing/engineering knows that keeping certain effects on separate sends has huge benefits. One very practical example of this is keeping a reverb and delay on separate "sends" so one is never processing the other. No need to create a new request at ideascale.... there is already one you can up vote... (adding another just dilutes the voting pool) https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Multiple-Parallel-Paths/860595-23508 ... and there are several others that suggest more advanced options in the parallel path that will virtually allow the same thing.

At the Upper Left corner of edit is "send & receive" boxes.... The patch you load or edit will be in "italic text"... Highlight that patch (click on it once), then under SEND press "selected" It will then be saved to your HD500 I hope I understood the problem. I am in Canada :)

Great tip.... I'll have to try this myself!

If you are clipping... turn down the output in Helix Native.... then google "gain staging" :)

Breath Read the Instructions... Read the instructions again... Attempt update If you run into problems... contact support WITH SPECIFICS... not just "it doesn't work" IME... those steps work nicely for almost anything that fails to work as expected, not just a Helix update!

Although I am a huge fan of FRFR I can understand those that prefer the "amp in the room" tone from a standard cab rather than FRFR. I'm not so sure the standard Powercab would give you any real benefits since you have to manually change the settings.... but the Powercab Plus (or the newer 212) has the ability to jump between several speaker simulations and full range (FRFR) from preset to preset on the Helix.... that is a huge benefit. Imagine a Marshall amp model pumping through a Celestion Greenback or Creamback... change to a VOX model and the powercab shifts to a Blue Bell... change again to a Deluxe Reverb and the powercab shifts to a Jensen. If you ever play acoustic instruments... you will love setting a patch on the Helix and having the powercab use the full range (FRFR) mode. Another benefit is that you can take a direct out from your powercab straight to the PA... no longer having the need for another live mic on the stage.

As flexible as the Helix is, sadly you have hit on the one limitation within the routing that I have also noticed. There is only one parallel split per path and the "dry through level" of one block will have an effect on the following block(s). I don't think you can do this with individual block on/off, but you can utilize snapshots to accomplish this. Stomp mode is quite limiting compared to Snapshots... that's the nature of this beast. Different options for different jobs. Within a preset.... an assignable parameter or on/off state can be controlled by "1 stomp" or by "8 snapshots". Preset: Loads the blocks with specific effects. Snapshots: Sets the parameters and on/off state of those blocks.... with very few limitations. Stomp Mode: Manual control over a limited number of on/off states or parameters.

Real amps? Not all effect loops in real amps are line level. If it isn't stated in the manual of the amp, then you need to check with the manufacturer. Helix AMP Models will have no bearing on whether or not the effects loops are instrument/line. The loops are set separately in the global settings. Regarding Instrument Level, Consumer Line Level (-10), Pro Line Level (+4) and even Mic Level. The key word is at the end.... "level"! Aside from "instrument vs line" for the Helix Loops, each also has a "send and return level" you can use to compensate for the many differences that can occur.

That is a key statement ... Can we assume you used the SAME expression pedal (with the same settings) when it didn't happen in 2.7? If so, something has changed in the firmware which might explain past threads where some people get that expression pedal to work, and others can't. Well, I don't really want to be "that guy" but someone has to - LOL! It's actually pretty complicated. Line 6 products generally want an expression pedal with a TS connection and a 10k pot, wired a certain way... although it will work (hit and miss) with a variety of others as well. There are several different ways to wire an expression pedal... that is why a company like "mission" makes them specifically for certain devices. Blindly buying an expression pedal is a crap shoot unless there is a claim that the devices are compatible. This is the wiring diagram for a Line 6 expression pedal...

I have only looked at custom tone once or twice over the years.... but the process should be straight forward. 1: Go to Custom Tone and download a preset you want. Remember where you save the preset on the computer. 2: Connect your HD500 to the computer and open HD Edit 3: Edit should recognize the HD500 and you should see it load the presets from the unit 4: Find a place you want to load the new preset (you will likely have to overwrite something) and double click it 5: IMPORT the preset you downloaded in step one to that location and "send it to the HD500". NOTE: If you don't "send it to the HD500", it will only be temporarily loaded to hear it then when you restart the HD it will be tone.

That 2nd picture is HD Edit.... According to Monkey, you do not have HD 500X Edit Installed. Just highlight "HD 500x Edit" and press update selection. Then open HD Edit once it's installed.

Well.... there is a method to decide what gets controlled by the master volume knob, so that is a non-issue. If you want software control over the XLR outs separately, I have mentioned a work around a few times in these forums, and even in this thread. Of course, this does not help if you are already utilizing the global EQ. Assign the global EQ to XLR only and leave all EQ settings flat (no cuts or boosts). Now you can adjust the volume of the XLR outs with the "level" parameter in the Global EQ.

My recommendation for the OP is baby steps... don't try to accomplish it all in one shot. You don't know exactly where the breakdown of tone is occurring so you keep twisting knobs hoping to resolve it. You need to break that cycle by creating a tone you can trust... That amp has a power amp in doesn't it... try it! Plug the Helix into the power amp input, and run the speaker cabinets you are used to. Now learn how to create the tones in the Helix using the same power and speakers you are used to hearing. The only caveat to this is that you should use a "pre-amp only" amp or the full amp with no cabs... stay away from any cabs during this stage. This will help you find an amp model that does what the Ampeg does, and the effects to replace your existing effects. The side benefit is that through this process you are learning how to use the Helix. Take all the time you need... it doesn't have to be done in a weekend. Once you have replaced your effects and pre-amp of the Ampeg with a tone you trust from the Helix you can begin to replace that poweramp/cabinet(s) with the Powercab and possibly some cab blocks and ir's. That will be another learning curve but you have a foundation to start from! You are already aware that it won't sound as big or move as much air... but volume compensated (ie: at lower volumes) you should be able to equal the tone... now just learn to let the PA do the heavy lifting. Just my 2 cents....

Hard to say for sure ... there could be several reasons. Playing to soft? You need to play "through" the note or you will get a scratchy string noise. Don't underestimate the role of the fretting hand... it has a duty to mute as well! Strings vibrate a lot, even behind the fretted note. That's the job of the fretting hand to control. Guitar noise... springs, lose parts, a single lose bridge adjuster, etc... etc.... Something you cannot hear acoustically can come through loud and clear when amplified... especially with higher gain. If you can find a way to share an audio sample, I think many of us could identify the possible issue and fix.

Ahhhhh, I miss the 80's and the midi implementation charts that came with it :) I often wonder what these forums would be like if the Helix interface and operation was more like a DX7!

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure I've read that when it is set to auto the impedance is set by the first "on" effect in the chain. This would make for a very natural setup as you engage/disengage effects. EG: Guitar > Fuzz > Wah > Amp In that simple chain, normally the guitar would see the impedance of the amp... but when you engage one of the other effects the impedance will change accordingly as it would with the real pedals. The option to override that with a fixed value is great for those that used to run a buffer at the front of their pedal boards or an "always on pedal" that would keep the guitar isolated from the rest of the effects. The guitar will always react to the fixed value regardless of the effects that follow. FWIW I come from the later camp and prefer a fixed setting for consistency... but with some vintage effects (fuzz, wah, etc... etc... ), that take over of impedance (when first in chain) was part of the magic that makes them work at their best.

If nobody has those patches to share you could downgrade your firmware, do a factory reset, then export those presets individually. Then you would have to do the update again, do another factory reset, then restore those presets.

I have no idea about the Lunatic model.... I'll stay out of that one. The JMP-1 was a classic pre-amp, I think you best bet is to make a feature request for it and hope others (including the folks at L6) agree. Line 6 uses ideascale for feature requests... so don't ask for it here. (http://line6.ideascale.com) FYI: I just took a look and there is 1 request for a JMP-1 already there... you could just upvote that... https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Marshall-JMP-1Valve-Midi-Preamp-model/925906-23508 The JMP-1 was just 4 pre-amp models of their already famous amps. Do you know what channel was modeled in the X3? I'm thinking they went for channel 4.... but this is how I would approach each channel. Channel 1: Pre-amp version of the "Brit J-45 Nrm" Channel 2: Pre-amp version of the "Brit J-45 Brt" Channel 3: Pre-amp version of the "Brit Plexi Jump" Channel 4: Pre-amp version of the "Brit 2204" or "2204 Mod"

There is nothing "as usual" about updating to 2.8 (or 2.81) from the earlier versions. There are comprehensive instructions on how to do it.... did you read those? Did the error state "Boot Failure. Entered Update Mode!"? If so... that was also part of the install process and is clearly laid out in the instructions. If that looks familiar, then this is how you recover.... Turn off the Helix Download the latest HX Edit (2.81) and install it When you get to the options section of the install... LEAVE THEM ALL CHECKED. That is safer than unchecking something you need in error. DO NOT Open HX Edit after it installs... if it is open it will interfere with the updater. Start the Helix with FS6 and FS12 pressed (this will force the Helix into update mode) Now start the LINE 6 Updater and it should guide you through a successful update. TIP: Pay attention to the messages on the computer screen, not on the Helix itself!

Sorry, I missed this question earlier. One great option with standard 4cm is the possibility to toggle between your amps pre-amp and different pre-amps in the Helix. You have completely eliminated this option. You have locked yourself into 8 effects before the amp, and 6 effects in the effects loop (2 blocks are required for send/return on the loops path). With standard 4cm you are not tied to a specific number in either location.... you just have a 32 block overall limit. You have tied yourself to 1 processor for all your guitar effects. This may result in DSP limits.

I have gathered that.... it seems you are grappling with having a SEND go to the input of your amp and an OUTPUT go to your return on your amp. SENDS are OUTPUTS that can be placed wherever you want them to be in the signal flow RETURNS are INPUTS that can be placed wherever you want them to be in the signal flow An EFFECTS LOOP is just a single block that handles both the SEND and RETURN... both in the same position in the signal flow. By why? That's what many of us are trying to figure out... and most gave up trying :) Whether you recognize it or not you have just added complication and limitation. Someday you may hit a brick wall (limitation) and the "aha" moment will hit you. As I said earlier... if it works for you then that is all that matters :) There really is no right or wrong to creating good tone.

If you really want to keep it modular... adding a 2nd HX Effects will work and yes you can control it with the first one... If you wanted to mix it up a little, you could add an HX Stomp which would give you some different options and it would also work.... BUT..... ^^^ This ^^^ 2 HX Effects... 18 blocks total w/2 processors and 2 power supplies 1 HX Effect + 1 HX Stomp ..... 15 blocks total w/2 processors and 2 power supplies Helix LT.... 32 Blocks Total w/2 processors, no power supply required... just a standard power cord. For the cost of 2 HX Effects (or 1 HX Effects and 1 Stomp) you can have a Helix LT. All in one... more switches, build in expression, no midi required.... no muss, no fuss. If you don't need the amp models, don't use them. I know a few guitarists that use the Helix for effects and routing... there is no harm/shame in that.