PeterHamm

The outputs are specified as unbalanced in the manual. The loops are not specified, but it FEELS like it's unbalanced when I plug something into it.

PeterHamm...I haven't experienced any distortion with it in the send/return of the helix. As I said, I make sure NOT to overdrive it using the input and output levels on the ART itself.

​The only coloring of the sound I'm hearing is a nice warmth that was lacking before that. The cleans are still clean, and the hi-gain amps sound nice and warm and "gooey" like melted butter. :)

You haven't experienced "clipping" but that warmth is a tube distortion that simply sounds really good to you. The "coloring" of sound is technically a "distortion" of it. But even my cleans have some grit in them, so it's not necessarily a bad thing.

I just hope your MP lasts better than my buddy's and mine did.

I'm glad you guys loved the ART MP. I hated it. Did something like what you are all describing with my HD 500 years ago. The Tube MP ended up being something that was altering the tone in a way that I just got fatigued with. It is literally distorting your signal, and if you like that, awesome... but that's all it's doing imho. Everybody's different, and it's only 50 bucks.

Also... me and a buddy each had one. They didn't even last a year before they broke. Ugh.

And, for me, it worked better as a DI from the output of the HD 500 into the system than in the loop, so try it that way, too.

There is a "mix" function in certain FX. There is a "mixer" for the different channels and paths possible... it is accessed a channel at a time by selecting the output block.

Does that help?

I think every one is TS, not TRS. in other words, the outputs are only balanced if you use the XLR.

How about acoustic and electric at the same time. Some of these principles will apply directly to your JTV.

https://pietrosquared.wordpress.com/helix-2-voice-guitar/

Ok you've convinced me, placed the order. (I guess I'm lost already and became a helix addict)

The good news is that once you receive it it will not satisfy your addiction, but fuel it further.

It really is an amazing product and exceeds expectations in surprising ways.

Remember that these are retailers changing their dates, not Line 6. L6 is very careful about dates in general.

Imagine this scenario.

You're a retailer.

Amalgamated Musical Stuff is selling the Whiz-bang 2000 XL Mk II. It is a big step up from both their Mk I and the Whiz-bang 1000. 

They tell the reseller that they can provide you 10 units per month.

Then they tell you that they should be arriving starting in January.

On Jan 1, you put on your site "available now", and you get 20 orders.

So, you update your site to say "available march 1", and people get in line and you get 50 orders.

So, you update your site to say "available June 1".

30 people cancel.

Now your site says "available March 1."

Then, you get a call saying that they'll be getting 20 a month.

Now the site says "available soon".

Find your favorite reliable dealer, order... and wait... that's probably the best way to get it.

Select the block, press ACTION and then Knob 1 (Copy Block). Choose the destination—even in a different preset—press ACTION, and then Knob 2 (Paste Block).

This is, btw, my very favorite thing about programming in Helix. such a game changer for me and my workflow.

3 guys rehearsing through one piece of gear? Ugh. Yes, you can do it... but SHOULD you... that is another question.

If that was the MAIN reason for getting a Helix, you're better off with 3 500-dollar pieces of gear bought used and an old mixer...

...With great power comes great responsibility, as they say.

Thanks,does this comparison with quality of  with the GT100 also apply to the HD500X & translate to higher quality audio?,

sorry i'm a bit old & dim,what does physical interface apply to?

Cheers.

I like the workflow and features of Line 6 stuff myself... but I have heard a couple guys make AMAZING sounds with a GT-100. You can't lose with either. Guys that say one sounds better than the other either haven't learned enough how to use both (why would you if you only own one?), or they are simply trying to justify their purpose or something. If you buy any of these current boxes and can't get a good sound out of them, imho, it's not the box's fault.

Of course, Helix is a different animal than those. For the price of Helix, you can get an HD 500 AND a GT-100 and even a Digitech RP1000 if you want...

Does anyone knows if the DSP chip is changeable or it is like pod hd? (with the algorithms to hit red even if a better chip is installed)?

I doubt any of us know how everything is wired in there... but maybe somebody from L6? Maybe some day there will be a Helix Plus?

SO, on that piano doubling - here is an idea.. Can you route a copy of the clean / dry guitar signal through a 'piano' IR?

OMG I WANT TO MESS AROUND WITH THAT!

I may get some push back for saying this but I don't think you should have to be juggling things to prevent a "...DSP Full" message, particularly with so few blocks employed in a path whether those blocks are "DSP intensive" or not. The Helix like several other manufacturers units (not singling out L6 here) simply does not have enough processing power under the hood to allow you to implement all that the software has to offer. Software optimizations may help but I think we are still a hardware generation or two away from not seeing these messages at this price point. Your only option right now is to work around these limitations as best as possible by using "Super Serial" routes that utilize both DSP processors or alternatively you can use less DSP intensive blocks.

I don't see why it's so bad. If you want to do two amps, one on each path, even if you use the really intense models, you can still add plenty of FX.

Nobody's going to promise that any possible scenario you can imagine can be had in a product that HAS to be made at a price point or else you won't sell it. just a few years ago, if you wanted dual amps, you bought two units...

The fact is, the early firmware updates for Helix seem to have caused a certain segment of the population grief. I have only done one update on the Rack, and it did, in fact (as they promised it would) not work the first time, but needed to be run a second time to be "done". Kind of like Windows updates that you have to run multiple times to get everything done.

But on another forum somewhere I learned that it's not just if your Helix is connected to a hub that you can have problems, it's if ANY hub is connected to your computer it can be a problem, even if Helix isn't connected to the hub. That's every PC with ports on the front that are essentially a hub.

And don't get me started on the Yosemite/El Capitan fiascoes on Mac. Apple has screwed the pooch on anything that connects via USB or firewire in their latest updates. I won't update past Mavericks for the foreseeable future because of it.

Of course, I have no complaints. Actually my update went pretty smoothly for the Helix, thanks to my unwillingness to update my Mac's OS right now...

I don't understand what "scenes" mode will do if it ever comes along, but here's another way to do it, the way I do it.

I use only one amp. I use EXP1 to go from clean to edge of breakup (and I change all the parameters of the sound, not just the drive), then pile on more distortion with a drive pedal (current fave is the Minotaur, used to be the Tube Drive). That gives me four tones. Clean, clean with Klon, dirty, dirty with Klon. Then I have a comp/boost for a little extra push. Unless I need metal toanz (I don't), I can use one patch for every sound I really ever need out of a given guitar.

In a way, I feel like this question is somewhat of a red herring. All you're going to hear is anecdotal evidence from a people who answer. It's not exactly useless, but it's pretty close...

Yup. I will tell you this "anecdotal evidence". I am a beta tester for the rack, so until a few days ago, I've been dealing with pre-release firmware, and even with THAT I found Helix to be totally stable for 7 or 8 church services so far (I work at a church so that's my "gig") and rehearsals, too.

Even the niggling little "bugs" that were there at the very beginning didn't get in the way of stability.

The easy answer is an old cheap used Mackie 1202 mixer of some sort.

Yes - I kept the same IR in your patch for the Variax acoustic. I have been using that set of 7 IRs in the Taylor file with the Variax acoustics in several presets since I got Helix. It sounds much better with one of those than with nothing, or with any stock guitar cab in Helix.

very cool. I wish I still had a JTV Variax just to try with this, but alas, it is long gone...

Problems downloading the patches? I think I fixed it if you're interested...

I still don't see your Helix patches on Customtone so perhaps there is a website problem. Can't help you there.

 

But I have seen your patches in another post (http://line6.com/support/topic/17643-acoustic-and-electric-at-the-same-time-with-helix/?do=findComment&comment=130426) and I have to say that your detailed explanation and video is hugely helpful and probably wouldn't be accommodated in Customtone even if it were working properly. I think what you've done in the other post is what you (hopefully) will continue to do. Perhaps a link to the 3rd-party website descriptions in the Customtone comments area would be supported? I don't know.

Thanks, I was, in fact, hoping to link to the article with the explanation. I think it's because Helix Rack isn't in the system.

Peter, this is a great setup! Thanks for sharing.

 

I've modified the patch(es) for a Variax JTV-59 using the Acoustic-1 Model instead of Return1 input, and using Variax Mags instead of the Guitar input. I only have two expression pedals so I've also modified the Vol controller on the acoustic path to use EXP2 and inverted min/max values so I can control the electric/acoustic blend using just EXP2.

 

Works great!

That is really really cool.

I wonder, do you even need the IR with the Variax, though. I DESPERATELY want to hear you make a clip of that, too. I think that would be cool to hear.

https://pietrosquared.wordpress.com/helix-2-voice-guitar/

Video with audio sample recorded directly from helix, instructions on what I'm doing, and links to download the patches for you.

Hope you like it.

I think it just may take some time for uploads to propogate and be recognized. As far as I know Helix and Helix Rack tones are fully compatible so I don't think there's any classification issue. If your upload appeared to be successful I expect we'll see them there soon.

 

.... but I may be completely wrong about this..... :)

Yeah, but I don't ever even get any kind of screen to input my info, just the patch upload. My patches are useless without instruction.

Help me out, gurus.

I have a couple Helix (Rack) patches I want to upload so people can use them if they want.

I can upload, but they don't appear and I can't edit any of the fields (these patches require specific instructions). I don't even get a screen to give me a chance to...

Is it because It's from a Helix Rack and the system doesn't know how to classify that yet?