PeterHamm

8 hours ago, regalpierot said:

Of course what would a new purchase be without a few wish list things. As it’s hardware, not happening, but v 2.0

 

1. A VDI input, really like to run my Variax that way. Nice to have 

 

2. A dedicated button for switching between modes (Preset, Stomp, Snapshot etc). If one more footswich could have been fit on the upper right or the likes that would have been great. Hopping between preset and stomp mode is big for me and hate leaning down and fiddling about on stage. 

 

And actually worth asking, does HX Edit have an Undo. I keep doing stupid things like getting a block perfect, then by mistake having it highlighted as I select another effect and immediately overwriting. Even a message for ‘want to overwrite existing block’. Too easy to do. 

1. VDI input would raise the cost (and size) of stomp so much that... (wait for it...) it'd be darn near as much as an LT. If you need VDI, I don't think it's making its way to something that small anytime soon.

2. I LOVE that idea. put it on idea scale!

and no, no Undo, as Edit is just a remote control for the unit. Save often.

When I first got Stomp, I thought it would be way less useful to me as it has turned out to be. I play at my church, and now it's the only thing I ever bring.

Sorry, there isn't something hidden in there that you don't know about. If you split the path, you can use panning to help you out here, but you might be best off just unplugging from one guitar and into another.

8 hours ago, Wondo said:

Just an update. I sent back the faulty unit and received my new one. Works great. I am just very surprised that a brand new Helix arrived and was shutting down all over the place. Very disappointed and still a little scared as to just how solid this unit will be. 

 

Every product ever made has the occasional defect. The odds of you getting two bad units in a row are really small.

Line 6 has been insanely reliable for me for 20 years. I've owned 11 of their products, never one failure... just an anecdote... but...

Sounds like you need to assign the FX to footswitches on some of the patches is all.

 Do you have the recent 2.7.1 update? It specifically addresses some expression pedal issues.

1 hour ago, Wondo said:

Thank you. I installed HX Edit last night and I also installed the updater, but you are saying that HX Edit has the upadater in it already? I did not do the firmware upadate because I was unsure if I were keeping the unit or not. I would think that right out of the box, plug and play without hooking it to my computer yet, that it would work, but it kept shutting down on me. Kind of scarey that this would be how it is right out of the box. I would like to keep the Helix, it looks very promising with lots of fun and creative things to do with it. But, hard crashes right out of the box is not a good way to start a relationship. 

 

Update the firmware in any case. You may have a defective unit, but that's the only way to know for sure.

8 hours ago, Wondo said:

Brand new Helix. Arrived yesterday. Keeps shutting down on me. I have the guitar plugged in to the guitar input. I have two lines going out with 1/4 adaptors to rca cables going into a stereo amp with rca inputs and this amp drives two Behringer Truth Passive monitors. Brand new and crashing like this multiple times. 

 

 

First thing I'd do is re-do (or perform for the first time) an update to latest firmware.

Follow the instructions carefully. Install HX Edit (latest version) FIRST, then run the updater (which installs at the same time), follow instructions carefully (BACK UP ANYTHING YOU DON"T WANT TO LOSE FIRST!).

1 hour ago, zolko60 said:

What I've heard they were fired year ago. ;)

Who? I don't know that anyone was fired.

54 minutes ago, zolko60 said:

https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/independant-power-amp-sim/897075-23508

You can go ahead and idea scale that, but they've explained why that's problematic, if even possible, as the amp models they use now have much that is tied between the two parts of the amp.

Totally new models of a preamp and a separate power amp might be possible, though.

9 hours ago, shanecgriffo said:

i just bought an IR and tried to import but edit is saying all ir slots are empty (the helix is fully loaded with ir’s tho!) and i cant access the import button- it is just greyed out ..helix v2.60

Update to the very latest HX Edit, then run the Updater to update the firmware to the very latest. Should solve this.

15 minutes ago, MGW-Alberta said:

Yah, I already anticipated they will likely ask me to do some sort of general reset which I suspected would likely remove my patches.

I plugged the unit into my computer, which is something I do very rarely and I figured out how to back the unit up but about a quarter of the way through the process I got an error code

(- 8606) and the back up stopped.

Having no idea what that means I changed my tactic and backed up my six main patches individually using the export function.

I got no error messages during that operation.

If I lose the rest of the presets I don't care but those 6 patches are the ones I use for 99% of my playing.

They also represent a lot of my time and effort in tweaking and balancing.

 

I bet that's a corrupted preset. Do a reset and load just what you're using if you can afford to, and I bet it goes away.

Also, make sure both the unit AND HX Edit are on the same version. This is easy to miss, and causes stuff like this, too.

27 minutes ago, MGW-Alberta said:

As I said above, I can detect no common factor.

It can happen on any patch or in any mode.

I create and edit my patches right on the unit so I don't know how I could use an illegal character as I only use what the Helix gives me the option to use.

 

I have not raised a ticket with support.

How do I do that?

 

I think it's on here somewhere.

Have you tried backing up everything, re-flashing the firmware, resetting the unit, and then restoring your patches and IR? They might ask you to do that first.

5 hours ago, MGW-Alberta said:

I had a bug and thought I'd fixed it with a firmware update. (2.6 .... now 2.7)

Unfortunately no.......

 

If it happens on the same patch, or just a few, check to see if you have named the patch, scribble strips, or snapshots using a Helix-illegal character.

If you do that, this kind of behavior can result. I tried using the • character in a patch one time. All hell broke loose.

6 minutes ago, zolko60 said:

OK. Some of your sources missled you. So what is the reason for insisting this is the case when it is sorted out? You can even pull out your ohmometer and check.
Again - there are no specifications for 1/4" outputs in the manual. You can clearly check it with no eqiupment by reading the manual.

Well, it matters not a whit to me, as I use it with a DI anyway and like that solution.

The fact that the TRS to XLR cable changes the signal might not be because it is balanced. Something else could be going on perhaps?

I don't know,  to be honest. Someone from L6 might have to chime in, but it's not really a performance issue is it?

2 minutes ago, zolko60 said:

What are you reffering to? What knowlege sources?

I've known this for so long I don't even know where to look, but when it's been asked either on facebook or here, the unbalanced nature of the outputs as noted in the manuals has been confirmed.

It is possible that something electronically is happening when you use a TRS to XLR cable in the output of Helix, but it is not a balanced connection. Line 6 has confirmed that the only balanced inputs or outputs on any Line 6 HX product are the Mic input on Rack/Floor and the 1/4" outputs on Stomp.

12 hours ago, Propower said:

After both measuring and testing, the line outputs on the Helix are impedance balanced IMO. If they were unbalanced the "ring" of the 1/4 inch would read shorted to the sleeve. It does not - it reads ~680 ohms (IIRC). I hooked three connections to my Bose mixer and L1 stick; XLR, 1/4" Left via TRS and 1/4" R via TS. Adjusted all gains on the mixer to the same place (made XLR out Mic level, 1/4" Line level. Results; XLR small hiss - no Hum, TRS same - small hiss no hum, TS small hiss small Hum.

 

Impedance balanced is a method of simply placing a balancing resistor in series with the ring contact to ground. If you feed such an output into a balanced/differential input (most decent mixers line inputs including the BOSE) you get a reasonable amount of Common Mode (hum many times) rejection. It is even better with a true balanced output (either driven (solid state) or transformer based. 

 

Couldn't this also be because you are lifting the ground somehow? Can you compare 1/4" -> DI to all that?

Yes, what is happening is that you are touching (but not pressing) the Tap Tempo switch. Easy to do, easy to learn to avoid, too.

31 minutes ago, zolko60 said:

Are you sure? The only official spec I found states that 1/4" outputs are impedance-balanced TRS. I know this is not true balanced, but this type of balancing gives fair CMRR and is commonly used nowdays.

 

The manual for Helix makes no mention of TRS at all. I do not know where that info comes from, but the manual states directly that the outputs are TS unbalanced.

I have no idea about the link you shared.

48 minutes ago, GarrySimmons said:

Personally, I have lots of mic cables and would like to use them to connect my Helix to the PA.

 

Is there any reason not to put an XLR-F to TRS adapter (I happen to have several of these) on the mixer end of a mic cable and plug it into a balanced line input? Wouldn't that avoid the phantom power issue? Just set the Helix to send line level?

 

Agreed that a 2-channel DI would accomplish the same goal of not having two long 1/4 to 1/4 cables (plus a spare) just for the Helix.

 

 

Garry

Helix LT, Floor, Rack and HX Effects all feature no balanced outputs. Every 1/4" audio connection on those is TS.

HX Stomp is the only product in the line that has TRS output, and is the only one that this plan will work properly on.

1/4" guitar cable to DI is a fine and professional way to connect to a PA.

Look, when you restore from a backup JUST before a gig, this is what you have to worry about.

We've established that, right? So I think we have to adjust our expectation. Never do that? Yup.

2 hours ago, Dunk888 said:

Thanks guys for getting back to me and thank you for the info on the heat, how are you using the HX stomp ? are either of you in a Band using it live or just home use ?

I'm currently using it live with acoustic guitar basically.

Not currently in a band, play in church one or two times a month.

It gets warm and there are absolutely no heat issues. I've had mine on for days at a time. It gets warm to an extent, but no warmer.

10 hours ago, rd2rk said:

 

I must be missing something.

 

1) use a phantom power blocker (unless the DOD does this and OP is trying to avoid buying a PPB?)

2) how would that ever be an issue with direct from Helix XLR at mic level, big knob assigned to 1/4"?

3) bad FOH guy can FU a free lunch!

4) see 2

 

What exactly is OP trying to accomplish?

1. Any DI automatically gets rid of phantom power issues. There are SO many "my Helix sounded bad last night, first time live, why did this happen?" posts on the facebook forums it's dizzying.
2. Sometimes, it is, believe it or not. And if you are sending mic level and turning your output way down, you're probably introducing hiss that would most likely not be there if you just used the DI.
3. You have to be friends with your sound guy or you will sound like $#!†. Even if they are idiots.
4. Since the DI signal sounds the same, and there is way less chance you'll have any connection or sound guy issues, why wouldn't you go this way all the time? XLR outs? Use them for your onstage FRFR and in the Studio when necessary. Not live unless you already know before you go in that you are not going to have an issue. That's my philosophy.