PeterHamm

Pro Tools is still the industry standard. Windows, Mac and Linux "suck"? Why? A lot of people are successfully making great music with them. I use MacOS and I haven't had any real impediments to my creativity with that and Logic Pro X in a very long time.

So. Much. This...

I just answered you on the fb page if you haven't seen.

it is behaving differently than a "real amp" will and it MAY sound better to you, to YOU... and that's awesome, go with God and do it! But, the input of the Aux into the amp models doesn't sound totally "right" compared to the real thing because the impedance is different. The interaction between guitar and amp is different. If you like it, that's GREAT! But it's still different and distinctly not like the "real amp".

If you are a guy who has to have the "amp in the room" then nothing else will do. If your idea of success in modeling is to have the modeler going through an FRFR sound exactly like the amp through a guitar speaker, the modeler will fail. If you want to model the whole signal chain, or need to go direct, or need to record mainly, or never have your amp right near you when you do play live with an amp, a modeler can be as good or better than a tube amp on many levels. But the OP says... I will be honest. It sounds like the way you are evaluating the sound that only a real amp will do if that's the way you think. And there is nothing wrong with that. Helix is definitely better than an XT, a 2.0 Bean or an HD 500. But it's not a real amp. If you, however, send the Helix using preamp only models into a real guitar cabinet moving real air in a real room... it might be very satisfactory to you.

Any time you edit raw data for ANYTHING that goes into a digital device like Helix... you run a risk I'd never take.

You may also have a short in one end of that XLR cable.

I doubt you will hear the difference between using Helix direct and going into your current interface, but there might be some ease of use to it. I found that there was and got rid of my (now used) interface. If you use XLR into your interface, be sure that your interface's Phantom Power is turned OFF! Just be sure to use a USB port that is NOT on a USB hub for this, unless (MAYBE) the hub is powered. Helix doesn't like USB hubs.

Oh, and here's the acoustic sound I get from solid-body or hollow- but not acoustic- guitars. This one is just cheating, because the Crowdster is a TRUE acoustic guitar AND a TRUE electric guitar at the same time.

I always try and steer clear of phase cancellation as an integral part of my sound, though, as it's unpredictable. When I use an IR (or a pair), I find that if I cut those low end boom frequencies, then cut the upper-mid (almost always 2.7K), and boost 6K or 8K just a tad, that the piezo quack takes care of itself. But... ...some IRs are better than others at taming the quack. A lot of the free ones out there (including the Mama Bear ones that I made myself) are NOT good at this, whereas the 3 Sigma Audio ones that cost 10 bucks a set are AMAZING at taming the quack. I always use the 3 Sigma Audio ones now.

put a touch (just a few ms) of delay at 100% and no repeats in and cut some (but not all) of the highs on one side and some (but not all) of the lows on the other and pan them, but not hard, only about 30 or 40% each way. You're welcome.

Not only is the volume dropped, but the tone is probably washed out, right? This is because the Aux input is, in my experience, NOT a place to plug in a standard electric guitar, active or passive. Only the "Guitar in" behaves JUST like the input on a real guitar amp. The Aux input is very nice for an acoustic guitar with a preamp built in and it works very well for active bass, too. But not an electric guitar. It's not just changing the gain. You can try that, but since you went with Helix I'm guessing that you are enough of a tone snob that you'll never be happy. Either switch the cable from guitar to guitar or get an A/B box imho, preferably the former if you ask me. Just changing the gain won't cut it. I already tried.

re-arrange where that cable is going?

I will just concentrate on this one. You are a power user. Anything other than Control will frustrate the hell out of you. If you're getting the Rack, get Control. Don't even THINK about not doing that... I don't know enough about how you are using Electric Violin, but you have options. use a return jack (I do this successfully with totally passive piezo bridges), use the Aux in (I don't think this is going to work well for you) or use a DI and go into the balanced XLR mic input. I hope we are helping.

I can't believe I haven't tried this... Thanks.

Put it on the floor and step on it!

Yes, it is a standard cat 5/6 cable.

We know all about it. It's been posted. Mostly some bass stuff, some swell fox and midi sync.

There are some IRs out there that are designed specifically to help you with this, 3 Sigma has some.

Yes, although if you did this... ​It should have worked the same...

Just to be sure I'm explaining right. This is what I did to use the Zoom pedals.

No. 9 on that diagram is wrong for the zoom cable in my experience. But if you attach the red to the ring on the left hand TRS side, it works, at least for me here.

It is also possible that there is a difference in how this pedal behaves with the Rack vs. the Floor.

Before you do that, try this. Take an ordinary guitar cable, TS -> TS. Plug it in, but don't go all the way into the exp. Just enough for the first click. If that works, then my custom cable will, because it's essentially the same thing.

I'm sure if you're sending it by using one of the Send jacks, it is coming from one A/D and D/A conversion. Can you hear the difference? Not very likely. This is one of the very few features that is handy on the rack (although I never use it) as the Rack has a buffered guitar out which takes the guitar in and sends it right out wherever you need to go, and I'm reasonably sure that's before any A/D D/A stuff. Still, I bet you can't hear the difference.