codamedia

It's a good question.... maybe toss it over on "ideascale" (line6.ideascale.com)... with some traction they might add it back in. I suspect they wanted to get this update out.... and simply didn't have the time to add everything they wanted without holding it up longer.

Core tone updates.... nah, that's placebo or so subtle very, very few would notice. The cabs are something different. In a real world set up... any change to a speaker, cabinet or mic makes a difference. Better or worse.... that's always subjective. Some people will love this cab update, others will wonder why it was needed. IMO... Peoples knowledge of speakers/mics/placement will be a large factor in how they feel about this new option. Just in case it's not clear... L6 didn't replace anything, they just added options. All those old cabs & mics are still there and sound like they always have. When you fire up your Helix after the update your presets will sound exactly the same until you choose to try a "new cab block". At that point it WILL be different, and it's up to you if you like it or not.

You are not missing anything... they didn't include it. Remember... they didn't take your old cabs away. If you prefer the sound you get from an old cab with that mic vs a new cab with different mic(s)... you can still do that.

No they aren't... they would be fine additions, but I wasn't commenting on those. I simply like that fact that L6 continues to deliver models users are not expecting, and wouldn't want that to stop just because some users have no experience with it. I would never question your "wish list"... or anyone's wish list.

^^^^ THIS ^^^^ .... is exactly why I left the Cakewalk/Sonar platform 10 years ago Sure, this may be a legit problem with the L6 driver, but it always amazes me that Cakewalk/Sonar is the first one to fail, and fail miserably in these cases.

I fail to understand how you're lack of experience with a model makes you question it? Even after you admit it "sounds good"? Please Line 6.... do not follow this advice.

This thread is not the update instructions.... it's an attempt to help you when your update goes astray. For every problem post on this forum there are countless others that successfully update.... the instructions are fine, FOR MOST users!

I'm one of those users that reads the notes, follows them to a T and never have any issues with the updates. That said, computers are finicky little buggers and there are thousands of variables at play... we don't all have the same experience. What tends to bother me most is seeing the same post titles over and over again. Nobody takes the time to search for a solution... even when it's lurking on the same "1st page" of the forums.

Drag and drop as suggested... or.... I keep my presets in a single "working" set list. I just export that setlist then import it into Native. As stated already... be mindful of the IR's, those need to be loaded separately.

I second the words of @k-grimm403 I bought an HX Effects when they first came out and the returns had a noise issue. That issue has since been addressed by Line 6, but some stores could be sitting on old (original) stock. https://line6.com/support/topic/32964-hx-effects-audio-artifacts/

Page 20 of the Boss IR-200 manual gives you it's midi implementation. From there, simply program the HX Effects to control the parameters you want. It can send almost any message you need it to.

That is your problem.... the HD and the Helix are NOT the same so you cannot set them the same to expect the same results. Do yourself a favor, and learn how to dial in tones on the Helix.... only use your old settings as a general guide, nothing more.

IMO... it's easier to just buy the right product for your needs than worry about stuff like this. It doesn't matter if it's theoretically possible or not.... you nailed it with your opening line.

Don't disregard the manual. There are a lot of things this unit will do that you might not stumble on without reading through it... or reading through sections of it. Even though the Helix dominates You Tube, there are still plenty of HX Effects tutorials to be found. Keep in mind that many of the Helix or HX Stomp videos are interchangeable with the HX Effects other than the amp models and some of the programmability. Once you know you way around the HX Effects there are a lot of tricks to be learned from the videos on those other models. An then there is the Line 6 videos.... listed in a small section on this page. https://line6.com/support/page/kb/tutorial-videos/line-6-video-tutorials-r202/

Just an FYI... if you went from Windows 10 to Windows 11, software will "sometimes" see that as a new computer and need to re-authorize - thereby consuming another license. The same could apply to a hardware update within a computer. Every company uses a different strategy for identifying a system.

Nobody here will know... L6 has a place to put feature requests, that's your best bet. https://line6.ideascale.com/ Yes... something big is on it's way in regards to an update. As always... it will get some people excited, it will disappoint others, and within a week of it's release someone will ask where the next update is.

That is why I suggesting taking notes with every change. In a studio, producers/engineers spend more time selecting and placing mics than anything else. They will get out of their chairs 30 times to adjust a mic a 1/2" before they will reach for an EQ knob. This is a world many guitar players know little about, but it's worth taking the time to learn.

Think about it for a moment... that's how you hear your favorite guitar players tones as well. You aren't hearing their "amp in the room" sounds, but you still strive to achieve them because you love them. It takes time, but eventually you will learn how it's done. Yes and no. A good IR is a blend of speaker, cab, mic choice and placement. You need to understand how all of those work together before you dive into the rabbit hole or you may end up with nothing but ear fatigue. IMO... if this is new to you, experiment with the stock cabs to get a feel of how it works. You will quickly develop some favorite choices. Start with choosing a trusted cab model... one that suits the genre of music you play. Now change the MIC and take note of the tone differences. Seriously, "take notes... as in... write down the difference" as you encounter it. Repeat step 2 for each mic in the Helix toolkit. Next.... play with the "distance" and again, take notes. The further away the mic is, the more "air/ambience" will be introduced to the tone. In some mic's you will notice a drop in low end due to the proximity effect of that particular mic. Don't touch "early reflections" or the "hi/low cuts" yet. Figure those out AFTER you get the mic's and distance sorted out. IE: One step at a time. Once you begin forming an opinion on which mics you like & at what distances.... the IR rabbit hole isn't nearly as deep and/or you may find you are quite happy with the stock cabs.

It doesn't have to process audio, it needs to process the information for the tuner graphics. My cheesy BOSS GT-1 editor doesn't process audio either... but the tuner works quite well. It's just getting it's info from the GT-1 itself and displaying it. I get it... there is obviously a reason they can't do it. Maybe it's because of the USB communication but it may also be as simple as "why bother, just turn around and look at your helix" :)

I'm going from the OP's mention of the Journeyman album which was the late 80's... I didn't think to ask the OP which tones from the album - LOL! "Before You Accuse Me" certainly has the sound you are referencing... but I was thinking more about the big hits from the album... BAD LOVE and PRETENDING in particular. On those tunes I'm clearing hearing Wah (often fixed position), Chorus OR rotary/vibe & overdrive on the core tone... then compressor, delay, reverb applied during the mix.

Half true... There is also an option that uses the "1st active block" when set to auto. That was introduced in a relatively recent update, but I'm not sure which one. Keep in mind it's the guitar that is affected by the input impedance not the effect directly. The effect only changes because the guitar tone did. A demonstration provided by me and my guitar will not show you how yours's will sound. Watch the videos that already exist on this subject, and use them as a general reference.

For the comp... just insert the LA Studio comp near the end of the chain and forget it... it will impart a little magic but for the most part you won't really notice it. For a chorus I'd try the "Legacy > Dimension" with all switches (1-4) OFF. It will be a very subtle chorus tone. Not washy, but present. Use the blend/mix to fine tune the amount of effect you dial in.

Reverb has never been a part of my sound. I have a basic hall reverb on my presets... but it's only there for a touch of ambience. It's not enough to interfere with the natural reverb of a room, nor will it interfere with how a tech might want to process the mix. But it does give me a little space when I'm in a bone dry room, monitoring with IEM's, or practicing at home.

Sounds like you have the amps to produce the overdrive.... in that case all I would do is kick on a Tube Screamer for solos. On it's own the TS is not noisy, but it will increase the noise of your guitar. It's important to recognize where noise comes from. Also... (IMO) the default settings of the TS models are way too hot, you will likely want to decrease the gain and/or level once you add it.

What AMP are you plugging the HX Effects into? As for effects.... in that era he used Chorus, delay, compression (studio style, not stomp) and wah.... If your amp is not providing the overdrive, I'd use a combination of the Heir Apparent (always on) goosed with a Tube Screamer for solo's.