rd2rk

Either or both using USB?

Right now you're plugging your guitar directly in to the Quilter (or through FX first), using the Quilter preamp and power amp. If you use the 4 cable method with the Helix FX Loop and the Quilter's FX Loop, you can use the Quilter's Preamp and/or Helix Amps, switching between them (bypassing the Quilter Preamp section) at will, and placing effects both before the Quilter preamp (or Helix amp) and between the Quilter preamp (or Helix amp) and Quilter power amp.. The Quilter Power Amp is (as I understand it) basically a clean Class D amp. It should sound just fine with the Helix amps. You can use either Helix preamps or full amps. The full amps have the pre/power amp interaction baked in and, IMO, sound and feel better than the preamps alone. YMMV. Some people use the Helix preamps like an "AIAB" in front of their guitar amps. LOTS of possibilities. No rules, and sounds more complicated than it is. Helix comes with templates to show how it's done. People here are happy to help. The Quilter has a built in Cab Sim that you use for FOH, using your regular guitar cab for stage monitoring. You would design a Helix preset with the 1/4" output sending to the Quilter WITHOUT a cab/IR, and a separate (XLR) out WITH a cab/IR going to FOH. Same as you're doing with the Quilter, but taking the XLR from Helix and having a choice of Helix's built in cab sims or THOUSANDS (millions?) of IRs, vs the baked in cab sims of the Quilter.

You're already "maximizing" your equipment. If you wrap your cables into a color coded snake it's not that big a deal at setup/teardown time. You could eliminate cables by taking the 1/4" out straight to the Quilter and take an XLR from Helix to FOH. Of course, your Helix presets have to be designed (each and every one) for that, the advantage being that you can use any IR you want for FOH, vs being stuck with the Quilter cab sims.

The Morningstar is a nice device, and is indeed small and programmable, but don't write off the FCB because it's "old". Keep in mind that much of the MC6's "programmability" is there to compensate for the lack of footswitches, and that expression pedals are extra. The stock FCB chip is pretty limited, but with a proper editor, still quite powerful. And you get TWO expression pedals, which is part of the reason for the size. The replacement UNO chip is more powerful, and with the new UNO2 chip and basic (actual) programming, can do pretty much anything you might possibly want it to. You can find a lightly used FCB, plus get the UNO/UNO2 chip and graphical UNO_ControlCenter Editor (code editor for UNO2 free with the chip) for the price of the MC6 (without expression pedals) or less. Write off the FCB if BIG and CLUNKY is a problem, or if the UNO chip won't do what you need, or if the idea of basic programming on the UNO2 frightens you, but don't think for a minute that the MC6 is better because it's "new".

You obviously like the ambient thing. These (esp the DrZ) are very busy presets. Without knowing exactly what it is that you're hearing in your head, it sounds like everything is working the way I'd expect it to. We can't fully troubleshoot a problem that has IRs because we likely don't have the same IRs on our machines, but the IRs I have in those locations actually sound pretty good with these presets. FWIW, I listened to these presets through a PC112+ set to the Flat FRFR mode. They sounded pretty good. Maybe your playback system and IR choice is accentuating what you don't like? I'm actually not sure what you mean by "ducking"? Your MIX setting determines how much of the clean signal you hear. You won't hear the effected signal on delays until you first hear the clean signal, and on reverbs if the clean signal is much higher than the effected signal, you might not be hearing the reverb at all, or lower than you can easily perceive. Troubleshooting: First thing you want to do is turn off all FX. Still having a problem? Turn the FX ON ONE AT A TIME, then OFF before moving to the next one until you find the problem. Alternatively, start with a blank preset. Add your amp and IRs. Then add FX one at a time until you find the problem. Your problem is very possibly a combination of FX that doesn't play nicely together. It could also be the order of FX in the signal chain. I notice that you like the Glitz reverb. Maybe play with the settings? That's all I can offer. The presets, in all the configurations I tried, sounded either pretty good or totally off the wall, but pretty much as I'd expect them to sound. Good Luck!

Please attach sample presets so we can see what's what.

1) Connect shielded 1/4" cable (instrument cable) to Helix Left/Mono 1/4" out. 2) Connect the other end of the cable to the Amp's Fx Return. 3) Most MODERN amps are designed to put normal stomp type pedals in the effects loop. In Global Settings>Ins/Outs. set the 1/4" outs to INSTRUMENT level. If the level is much lower than the level when plugged directly into the amp (no Helix) then you may have an older amp designed for Rack effects. Try the LINE level setting. Depending on your amp, the MASTER volume (if it has one) may be before the FX Loop. If that's the case, it will have NO effect, and you'll get full power amp output INSTANTLY. Start with the BIG KNOB (set in Globals>Ins/Outs to control the 1/4" outs) all the way down and turn it up slowly to prevent ear damage. If the MASTER volume on the amp is after the FX Loop you can set the BIG KNOB to something other than 1/4" or leave it full up (UNITY GAIN) and control the level from the MASTER on the amp. Your choice.

If you're comparing the sound of the Helix version played through an XYZ playback system to the sound of the real thing that you played through a JCM half-stack for years..... I've never had that pleasure, nor do I have your ears. Played through my PC112+ and FRFR112 with a good IR it sounds great and I use it a lot. Recorded, it sounds like the kind of R'n'R that people I like make with Marshalls. To me. Of course, I always thought that Jimmy Page used a Marshall in the studio, so what do I know?

Also, what Helix configuration? Amp/Cab/IR?

Yes. BUT, if you do use both outs, you simply get dual mono, unless the last block in the signal chain is stereo.

Glad you got it working. $50 is a big OOPS!

From their website: "GGD libraries are licensed Kontakt instruments which work with the latest version of Kontakt Player (free) and Kontakt 6 (Invasion). We also provide TCI files which work with Slate Trigger." And "GGD comes with multi-out templates for Cubase, Logic and Pro Tools, and users have posted unofficial templates for other DAWs (Reaper, Studio One, etc) in the GGD Forum. You can also check out this handy tutorial." I don't see anything that indicates compatibility with Helix. Did you see that somewhere?

Do you have any other IRs that work?

My comment about being flexible and creative wasn't intended to be insulting, just reality. There's so many variables, specific solutions that work with one person's setup likely won't work for others. The suggestions offered were exactly how I work around the problem you presented. I'm sure others will chime in.

WELL! Told me!

Now that you've vented (or whatever), hopefully, you feel better and, since it's NOT an obsession, we won't have to hear about it again?

The real facts don't make your concerns less valid. They simply make your obsession seem excessive to the rest of us who understand that if you want to go 200mph, you buy a Lamborghini, not a KIA. Like the KIA, Helix accomplishes the primary objective, recording HELIX, quite well. A small company's development resources are apportioned according to the most requested features and bug fixes, not according to the special needs of a vocal minority who's requests/demands (as voted for on ideascale) "nobody cares about". And before you start in about how Yamaha is not a small company, L6 is OWNED by Yamaha, but they are NOT Yamaha, but Yamaha likely agrees with their resource apportionment strategy as stated above. Lastly ( I hope), I wouldn't be at all surprised if L6 improved the drivers in a future update. They've surprised us before. But I'm not counting on it. For sub 10ms latency I use my Scarlett.

It looks to me as though you need to install it as a plug-in in a DAW or VST Host. From there you can create custom mixes and export to a format that MIGHT work in Helix (.wav). RTM.

Also, you've previously posted about L6 monitoring this forum. If you check on TGP (even if you can no longer post there) you'll find that @DigitalIgloo has more than once explained WHY posting on Ideascale is the way to go for wishlist items, as well as why (may have been someone other than DI) better drivers is not high on their priority list. If "nobody cares", well, that tells you something, doesn't it? And, FWIW, on those rare occasions when I feel the need to play a VST or test IRs, the <13ms@64 RTL is NBD.

No. If you have the full fat Helix (not the HX Stomp), you may have enough DSP to use up to 3 amps. If you use the same FX in all your presets, or have enough DSP left for all the FX you use, you have 8 Snapshots to play with. Each Snapshot can choose a different amp and selection of the FX used in that preset, with the ability to control up to 64 parameters of those amps and FX. If you have "Snapshot Edits" set to RECALL, any on-the-fly edits you make will persist unless you change presets without saving. How creative/flexible are you?

Found this over there: "Just got one of these today and had the same issue. I've maybe played it 20 min but I started playing around with the deeper settings on the powercab and found that mine was set to a -32db setting on most speaker settings (including the full-range). This increased the output significantly! " Worth looking into.

Yes. And I THINK the problem I mentioned earlier had something to do with editing the second cab. Again, check over on the Powercab thread.

Are you running HX Edit and HX FW 2.92? It should look like this:

As far as I can tell, you can do most everything from the HX Edit Screen, including setting the mic to be applied to the XLR out (to FOH) when you're in Speaker Mode. L6 Link automatically sets One PC Left and the other Right, you control level to each (or both Linked) from the Output Block's Powercab Tab, and you control the balance from the Output Block. You can also do all of that from the Helix's UI. No need for two paths, and the PC SW is only necessary for loading IRs on the PC and saving PC Presets. You might want to check over on the Powercab thread. I seem to remember that there was some sort of problem with PC112s in stereo, but I don't remember what it was. It may have been fixed in the latest update.

Keep in mind that a 212 cab will sound different than a 112 cab, and a pair of 112 cabs will still not sound like a 212. Add that not all 212 cabs with V30s will sound the same. A 1:1 match between the Powercab and any other cab is not likely, and add tubes to the mix..... In the end, you either like the sound you get or not. Just don't give up too quickly. The powercabs are meant as a jack-of-all-trades solution. Your GMs just have to sound good with one amp.