codamedia

Please take a picture of that and post it :) (photoshop not allowed) Until then, it did not happen - LOL!

Keep in mind that the stock tones were not created with your guitar, in your listening environment. At best, they will only get you in the ballpark. Be prepared to tweak them to your liking... don't expect it out of the box or you will be disappointed.

Two options.... 1: Don't choose an amp model (leave it blank) 2: Disable the amp model With my HD500 there were times I would use it in my home studio... but play through an amp live. In the Studio I had an amp model applied and it sounded great. When I played live I would use the same presets but with the amp model disabled.... leaving that duty to my stage amp. Of course... my live amp was always quite similar if not the same as the model I chose to use in the HD. If you are using the HD models for something you CANNOT do with your live amp this scenario is not ideal.

FIRST: I fully agree with the comments above from pianoguyy.... IMO.... don't bother with the output setting of the HD. Just leave it set to Studio Direct then follow these two general rules. When plugging into the front end of an amp, turn off the amp modelling in the HD. When plugging into a power amp input (or effect return) of an amp, you can leave the amp modelling on but turn off the speaker simulation. OR - alternatively, use a pre-amp version of the amp model. Yes you can break those rules if you want, but it is best to learn the rules before breaking them.

That has NEVER been the default for the Helix. It's always been WAH = EXP1 and VOL = EXP2. This practice of Line 6 goes back to the HD Line as well... maybe even back to the X3 and XT. I am pretty sure it was done that way for people that use an external exp pedal in addition to the build in one. The BUILT IN stays as EXP1 and the external becomes EXP2. This makes a WAH sit naturally under EXP 1 in conjunction with the TOE switch.

Unless Line 6 officially states that Edit 2.8 (2.81) is backward compatible I would think you are tempting fate. Maybe it connects and appears to work... but the two are following different roadmaps.

If you plan on using it with your Helix... the Powercab is the perfect compliment in terms of options/features. The Firehawk 1500 is a modeling amp (HD modeling).... and with a Helix you wouldn't have any use for those models and will just bypass them to reach the power & speakers. As for speaker compliment.... that depends on your preference. I tend to like 10's or 12's with my guitar on a stage... not a 2.1 stereo setup with smaller mid focus speakers. YMMV.

For presets that tie the output block to snapshots your method seems like a reasonable solution to me. For consistency among all of your presets I don't see any harm in using it all the time. I think you are right, I guess it goes with the territory of buying/downloading third party presets.

I set my Helix the same as @DunedinDragon and set my XLR Outs to MIC. Since I don't use my Global EQ for any room correction, I re-purpose it as a PAD on the XLR Outs... very useful if you have to work with many different techs and systems. This is accomplished by assigning the Global EQ to XLR only, leaving all EQ settings flat, and only adjusting the output level of the EQ. Normally I leave it set to -10 and it provides enough reduction to make most techs happy when/if they request a PAD.

Do you use the LA Studio Comp on any of your patches? If so, this is a known issue that is noted appropriately with the update. When I read the update notes for 2.81 and realized this problem existed I decided to delay my update since I am in the middle of a busy schedule.

The HX line always starts with the previously loaded preset. (ie: the preset loaded when it was turned off) Does the freeze always happen with the same preset... or with any preset? If it is consistent to a certain preset, that preset may be corrupted. I would expect it to ALWAYS freeze in that case, but that would be an assumption that is best avoided :)

Yes... I kind of went off topic with gain staging...it was only meant as a suggestion/method to solving snapshots that were out of balance. To adjust the balances of presets... as I already suggested the quickest and easiest way to do it is in the output block. If that block is tied to snapshots, then the author of the preset intended it that way and you may have to adjust it on each snapshot rather than once per preset. That's not how I would do it, but I am not the author of those presets :) I guess it all comes back to when you asked for an "easy way" to balance. IMO, the output block is the easy way... there is nothing "automated" in the Helix like Apple does with it's "sound check" feature in iTunes

I wouldn't say that, I'm pretty sure what you are saying is what I address in my bullet #6 and within my note. EDIT: I just noticed that my note is wrong.... I meant to reference bullet #6, not bullet #4.... which likely lead to a little confusion. I've fixed my original post. The vast majority that are in support of meters on this thread have made it clear they are to quickly set a reference level that matches the others... they don't say it replaces the ears as the final judge :) Myself? I cannot trust my ears to set the reference level without context... that's why I like to use meters for that job.

It is a fundamental understanding of how to keep your levels under control. It is not new with a Helix... it has always existed. Have you ever owned a pedal board? Did you not bend over and adjust the level on your overdrive so the volume stayed consistent whether the effect was on or off? That's all I'm trying to explain :) That's a great solution for balancing presets... but when adjusting parameters in snapshots you really need to keep each effect balanced. They are different...

For the record, I have never suggested to use the output block to balance snapshots, I said you need to gain stage snaps accordingly. I suggested you use the output block to balance presets! There is a difference. A parameter is only associated with a snapshot IF and only IF you assign it as a snapshot controller. By default, the output block will work as a GLOBAL level on the entire preset, not as a snapshot parameter. If you have a preset that has set the output block to snapshots you have the option of removing that parameter as a snapshot controller... or yes, you have to adjust it per snapshot. Although that is a valid approach, it's not the way I would do it... I would remove it as a controller and gain stage each snapshot properly myself. YMMV. Gain Staging 101: Every effect on the Helix has a level control. When that effect is turned on the preset should remain the same volume (there are some exceptions to this with boosts and such).... if it's too loud, turn the level down on that block! If it's too quiet, turn up the level! Repeat for any block you add. This is no different to how you would have to do it with a traditional pedal board... the only difference is you can save it with the Helix.

Helix Bag.... Helix LT w/power cord External Expression Pedal 4 x 1/4" patch cables (3 in use, 1 spare) 2 x Phantom Power blockers Shure SM58 Small box holding strings, winder, cutters, nail file, slide, capo & picks I also carry a second case that holds extension cables, guitar stands, tape, and my old HD500 as a backup modeler.

I find it easier to break the Variax models into "generations"... The 1st Generation includes the 500, 300, 600, 700, bass and acoustic. The 2nd Generation includes the JTV, Standard and Shuriken. Anything in the 2nd generation is fully compatible with the Helix. The 1st generation works with "limitations and quirks". Once you understand those it's still quite functional.

Of course there are exceptions.... If 2.81 does not address a problem you are having with 2.8... or if 2.8 is simply not a problem for you.... then nobody is twisting your arm to update. But the same would apply to a gigging musician wouldn't it? He doesn't HAVE TO update if he doesn't have a problem with the previous version. Myself (as a gigging musician)... I approach a major release with extreme caution... I approach dot releases a little more openly. As for bricked units.... Line 6 has provided a lot of fail safes to work around that. Any of the threads I ever see about a bricked unit is resolved by procedures that can be done at home without the need of sending the unit to a service center. Again... there may be exceptions to this... but not nearly enough to make me afraid to update.

Well... I'm a gigging musician so you are not officially asking "me"...but I'd like to give my 2 cents on this. I really think you have this reversed. There is no "need to upgrade" for a gigging musician.... actually it's quite the opposite since they already have a setup that gets the job done. Many (if not most) gigging musicians will stay behind the "cutting edge" to allow the release to mature (via dot release) before diving in to do the update. A hobbyist does not have this worry. Outside of a little aggravation they are free to experiment all they want without consequence. Why wouldn't you upgrade? This is the same that happens in the business world. Major business' do not update their software just because a new release came out... they wait until it matures first. The home user will usually push "update" the moment it's available. 2.81 is known as a "dot release". It does not introduce any new features of it's own, instead It fixes the bugs from the previous release (in this case 2.80). Dot releases are the ones you should update to with the least hesitation. Even if it still isn't perfect, it's still a more stable version of its predecessor.

Did you restart the Helix after the update to 2.8 is complete so it could rebuild the patches as required? If not, then the patches have not been rebuilt and I would expect chaos if I tried to back it up at that point. I am pretty sure that is a misunderstanding.... the HELIX does the rebuild.... restart it and let it do it's job.

How many times have I convinced myself of that over the years only to be proven that I am not as perfect as I thought I was. Suggestion... keep an open mind and don't make assumptions, especially about your own abilities. Read the update instructions 3 times.... follow them faithfully, and throw any pre-conceived notions out the window. If you assume, you will miss an important step. GUARANTEED! This does not just apply to the Helix and 2.8... it applies to everything. A computer, a battery in a car, an IKEA desk, a dog, a wife, etc... etc... etc... just sayin'

I made that statement (100% success) in response to your comment... so I really don't think you were "asking that" from me to begin with. Now that you are really asking me, this is my method.... Hope it helps someone else, but it does require access to a meter... then a good set of ears :) Disable the volume knob Set the input gain on the mixer to unity (most mixers show this spot). Set the channel to SOLO so it's input is shown on the meters. Set the level of the preset to reach 0 on the meters. NOTE: This is ANALOG 0, not DIGITAL 0. Translated it is about -18 on digital meters. Adjust the levels from past knowledge... EG: I may want some presets a few DB lower, others a few a bit higher. If you know the results you want you start to get good at this. Take the helix to rehearsal.... fine tune the levels with the band at full volume. When I get to the stage... I NEVER have to adjust a single volume on the fly. This is 100% success in my book! NOTE: Sometimes #6 is not an option.... in that case I make a mental note during a live performance and tweak it after the set/show. It is NEVER a huge problem... just a small tweak here and there.

+1.... EVH used an Echoplex pre-amp like many others before him and many others of that era did. On the Helix... inserting the "kinky boost" (default settings) is a quick and dirty way to do what you are suggesting but there are dozens of other options as well.

I am not in a debate with you about meters, lufs, rms, peak, etc... etc... I have my method of balancing patches (you can read my posts in this thread if you want) and they work 100% for me so I am not having an issue. That is NOT what I am talking about in the response you have quoted and decided to argue with. I am simply trying to explain to somebody that to balance a preset (however you want to measure that balance) is easy.... adjust the level at the output meter and save it. You DO NOT adjust it with the volume knob from preset to preset, snapshot to snapshot as the person I replied to is doing.

But there is a simple way. The output block has a level control. Balance the two presets and you will never have to touch the volume knob between presets again. If the snapshots are out of balance within a given preset... then it's a gain staging issue between snaps. You would have the same problem with a pedal board if all you did was crank up the gain on the overdrive without adjusting a level somewhere else to compensate. You cannot change a bunch of parameters (Helix, Multi FX, Pedal Board/Amp) and expect the level to remain the same without compensation. If you want an automated solution to this.... try setting a hard limiter at the end of each chain. No chain will EVER get louder than the settings you set there. Problem is... you will soon realize the perceptional differences still exist and there is no automated solution for perception.