rd2rk

Congratulations and welcome to the digital wonderland! Everything you NEED is in the Helix already. All you need to download is the updates (currently v2.71), and that's one download - the HX Edit DL contains the Editor, the drivers and the FW loader. I know you don't wanna hear it, BUT....when you DL the HX EDIT file, READ THE DIRECTIONS!!!! More that you don't wanna hear.....after you're all updated, READ THE MANUAL!!!!! When you look at the signal chain you'll see little space holder type boxes. Navigate to one. Select an amp+cab to start (RTM!). Do one in front of the amp. Select an Overdrive. Do one after the amp. Select a reverb. Confused? READ THE MANUAL! Highlight a device and use the knobs to adjust the settings. Use the PAGE button to see more. I keep harping on RTM because it really isn't rocket science, but there IS a learning curve. We're happy to help, but there's only a certain amount of hand-holding allowed. HAVE FUN!

I'm old. I wear a watch. But I also have a cell phone. It's clock is always accurate. A clock on the Helix, even with a battery that recharged when the Helix was plugged in, would require periodic checking and resetting. AND.... I may have been cranky that day :-) BUT....If it's a choice between a clock and a spigot for the HX beer I'm for the spigot!

You got it!

He even posted it on ideascale. I think it was one of the very few I've ever down voted. I DID vote for the free pony.....

I misunderstood your first response - I thought you were saying that the IRs in the Helix folder were actually MADE FOR HELIX (2048/50ms), as opposed to "OK to USE with Helix, because Helix will fix it for you". My bad.

The rear panel says that the 1/4"/TRS input is balanced, so you might need a balanced 1/4" cable, though it shouldn't matter for cable runs under 20'. Try it with an XLR if you don't have a balanced 1/4". If it's still noisy, your problem is elsewhere.

Well, DUH, I get that the "HELIX" folder means that the contents are "Made for Helix". That should, therefore, mean that the IRs therein are already at 2048 (50ms), and you can CHOOSE to further truncate them within Helix to 1024 to save on DSP. However, the Ownhammer readme says: "These files are no different than those in the Wav-200ms\48000-Hz Mpt folders outside of being placed here for organizational convenience." That would indicate that they ARE NOT actually "Made for Helix" , since the Helix manual says: ".....WAV type IRs of up to 2,048 samples are natively supported.......The imported IR is automatically shortened (or lengthened) to 2,048 samples. You may optionally choose a 1,024-sample version from the model list to save DSP, which fades out the IR halfway through." I also read somewhere that the algorithms from various mfrs that are used for that truncation are not always as efficient/accurate(?) as they could be, so it COULD make a difference? Whether or not humans could hear the difference is another matter. So, clear as mud!

Great video! Yep, 1024 (18.5ms) sounds fine to me. One more techie question I don't have to care about anymore. Only.... when an IR company has "L6/Helix" length IRs, what, EXACTLY, does that mean? 1024/18.5ms? 2048/50ms?

You'll likely want to use the Helix with headphones. There's an extensive discussion (or three) on here somewhere concerning best phones to use with Helix. The Reaper free trial is open-ended, so no, it hasn't expired, though if you've got the $65, Reaper gets minor updates almost weekly, so nice to support them.

With a little USB spigot.....

You use the Helix ASIO driver in your DAW, and set Helix as your computer's soundcard to get streaming audio (YouTube, Spotify,etc) to play through Helix.

This. Reaper also runs on OSX. While it has an unlimited trial period, it's NOT freeware. But when you get ready to buy in, $65 is still the best deal around.

When you're controlling the HXS with the HD500 you're using MIDI. Appendix B in the HD500 manual tells you how to assign MIDI commands to the HD500's buttons and pedals. The MIDI section of the HXS manual tells you WHAT to assign to those buttons/pedals to control the HXS functions. Dividing the labor between the two gives you the best of both worlds. No reason I can see why you can't also use the external footswitch too! For instance, you might want to use the HXS to select presets and Snapshots, and have the HD configured to send CCs to bypass effects and control the wah and volume (See my previous post for why you might not want to use the HD to select presets on the HXS). Or, use the HXS for selecting Banks/Presets, and use 3 of the HD pedals for Snapshots and 5 for Bypass functions, as well as the Exp pedal for wah/volume. Lots of possibilities.

If you NEVER use the factory setlists, back them up (just in case you want them back without doing a reset), then write over them with a blank setlist. Now you have that many more presets available!

Yes. 1) yes 2) yes, with caveats. Any footswitches set as Stomps (sending TOGGLING CCs) on the HD will send their default values when you select a Preset. If the HXS preset called has an effect ON and another OFF, you'll need to be sure that when you call it (send PC#) from the HD, that the HD preset sends ON (127) for the effect that wants to be ON , and OFF (0) for the effect that wants to be OFF.

You're right, I missed that. The MIDI Channel you set in the Global area is equivalent to the Base Channel on Helix. Like Helix, each button/message can be on a different Channel, set in the Switches area. Hoping for improvements in 2.8. There's a number of problems that I know they're aware of (I made sure of it), but MIDI might not be a focus area for this update. I'm thinking from what you said that you want to manually start/stop clips, vs just starting a scene and hoping everything goes according to plan..... Triggering clips in Ableton is not difficult, but figuring out the logistics of doing it with the resources you have available (controller buttons) is the difficult part. If contemplation doesn't get it, attach a sample preset and a text file explaining what's going on, and I'll contemplate it too!

Amen to that!

I've occasionally run into seemingly inexplicable behavior, and a couple of presets have somehow become corrupted but for the most part, HX Edit has worked well for me. It's also not clear whether the problems are with HX Edit or with Helix itself. I use MIDI through Command Center a lot, and I KNOW there are a LOT of problems in that area, whether programming with HX Edit OR on the box itself. Hoping for improvements all around with 2.8. Open! Open! Open! :-)

Oh, I forgot to mention - the MC6 WILL pass messages from the Helix thru USB (MIDI THRU) if necessary. Only one USB/Computer connection required.

Not sure where you're coming from with that. You seem to be calling some of us "guys who suck the manufacturer wang" and "brand ball lickers" because we're laughing at the folks who are constantly whining about "where's my update" EVERY TIME there's an update due (not even OVERdue). Kind of like yelling at the sky 'cause it's raining. The sun will come out when it's ready, and the update won't get here any faster for dumping on L6 for not providing instant gratification. I've heard that turkeys sometimes drown because they stare up at the rain with their mouths open...... ;-)

Hey, it's Cowboy Troll, with a fresh pile of ill-humored negativity to dump on our party! You must be enjoying it, 'cause you keep coming back, but in case it's simply because you're technologically challenged, there's a black box at the top right of each page that says "FOLLOWING". Just click on it, then click "UNFOLLOW" at the bottom right of that dialog. BYE BYE!

I had some time to have a more in-depth look at the MC6 manual. So many people have been raving about this little controller that I wanted to find out more about it. In the context of what you seem to be trying to do, and the comments I made above, one big problem you might encounter is that the MC6 is not capable of assigning different messages within a preset to different MIDI channels. In fact, the device is only able to use ONE Global MIDI Channel! The problem will be the inability to separate DMXIS commands from Ableton commands. Now, since I don't know what types of commands/command streams you require for each device, it might not be a problem. For instance, most Ableton functions can be controlled with NOTE messages. If the DMXIS uses CCs, it might be OK to use the same channel for both. IOW - the devil, as usual, is in the details. Keep in touch as to the SPECIFICS of what you actually need to do for each application, this is an interesting challenge!

Sub-atomic particles from deep space are constantly bombarding earth. They pass right through most substances with unknown effect. They are likely the cause of the old saying - "$h1t happens". ;-)

I'm happy to help, but I'm not into pulling teeth. Without specifics, I can only give a crash course on how the Helix snapshots behave. Attached are two demo presets: DMXIS2 and DMXIS3. DMXIS2 uses Stomp Buttons and Toggling CCs. That means that after the preset or a snapshot loads, you can use a Stomp button to change values for a specific CC. When it loads it will load Snapshot 1 (because that's the one that was active when the preset was saved) sending CC#s 1-5 with Values of 0. When you press Snapshot 2 it will send the same CC#s with Values of 127. TOGGLED. When you press Snapshot 1 again, it will resend CC#s 1-5 with Values of 0. TOGGLED. Helix Snapshots ONLY send CHANGED values. If, in either Snapshot, you manually change the Value of a CC with a Stomp button, that CC will no longer send ANYTHING on those changed CCs on Snapshot change, UNTIL you go back and manually change the value in the Snapshot that you changed. If you manually change those same CCs in the OTHER Snapshot, all 5 CCs will send, but with different values. Example: Snapshot 1 on Preset load sends CC#s 1-5 with values of 0. Snapshot 2 will send the TOGGLED values (127). Change CC#s 3 and 5 using Stomp buttons. Snapshot 1 will ONLY send CC#s 1,2 and 4 with values of 0. Snapshot 2 will ONLY send CC#s 1,2 and 4 with TOGGLED values (127). Manually change CC#s 3 and 5 BACK and the original values will be restored (CC#s 1-5 TOGGLING per Snapshot). BUT....if you were instead to change the values of CC#s 3 and 5 in Snapshot 1, the the following would happen: Snapshot 1: CC#s 1,2 and 4 = 0 CC#s 3 and 5 = 127 Snapshot 2: CC#s 1,2 and 4 = 127 CC#s 3 and 5 = 0 Reloading the preset restores all of the SAVED parameters. NOTE: There are a number of "GOTCHAS" (bugs really) in the process of setting up Snapshots using Toggling CCs. VERY ANNOYING. IF you NEED to use this method, I can go into more detail. It's MADDENINGLY STUPID! DMXIS3 uses Instant Commands and NON-TOGGLING CCs. When the preset loads, Snapshot 1 sends CC#s 1-5 with values of 10,20,30,40,50. Snapshot 2 sends CC#1 with a value of 15, CC#3 with value 35 and CC#5 value 55. It sends NOTHING on CC#s 2 and 4 because those values are the same in both Snapshots. Helix Snapshots ONLY send CHANGED values. When you go back to Snapshot 1 it will send CC#s 1,3 and 5 with their ORIGINAL (Snapshot 1) values, but it will send NOTHING on CC#s 2 and 4 because those values have NOT CHANGED! SUMMARY: L6 touts the Helix as a perfect MIDI command center for your studio. It is anything but. A perfect MIDI controller does what YOU tell it to do, it does NOT have poorly documented, poorly thought out and inflexible pre-programmed behaviors. I could probably do ANYTHING you need to do with my FCB1010/UNO pedalboard, because it has very few programmed behaviors and they are WELL DOCUMENTED. Helix is only going to work for you IF you can work with the pre-programmed behaviors in your application. Don't get me wrong. I love my Helix, as a modeler and effects unit. As a MIDI controller it leaves MUCH to be desired. FINALLY - A quick look at the MC6 product page indicates that the MIDI DIN OUT port, while not labelled as THRU, performs that function. Whether or not the the USB port does the same is not clear from a quick look at the manual. Try it and see (see below). Again, a quick look at the manual leads me to believe that the MC6 is flexible enough to do all of what you need. You should use the Helix to send PC (program change) messages (using Stomp buttons) to the MC6 and let the MC6 do the heavy lifting (MIDI THRU not required). Just configure it so that Ableton Commands are sent on a different MIDI Channel than the DMXIS Commands. DMXIS2.hlx DMXIS3.hlx

Might be helpful to know what kind of amp you're using?