rd2rk

This! Seriously. Helix is a computer. If you've been using computers for more than a week, and ESPECIALLY if you use them to make your living, you SHOULD know better than to install updates, especially MAJOR updates, before they've been run through the wringer by the second line (bleeding edge) testers - in the case of Helix, that's us amateurs who use it primarily at home for fun! ;-)

1) Expression pedal 1/2 switch 2) XLR Out Line/Mic switch on startup 3) Broken Presets 4) LA Compressor at end of chain loses volume intermittently 5) FS2 fails to reflect Bypass status after switching modes 6) Thump when loading preset with Kinky Boost ON 7) Audio gap when changing cabs with snapshots 8-???) OK, this is me apologizing for claiming only 2 bugs. After reading the Bug sticky (the proper place to put bug reports), there's apparently a lot more than I'd noticed elsewhere. Not a lot of show stoppers, but if you're using Helix professionally, enough to consider the wisdom of updating before at LEAST 2.81!

I'll have to load up some of my older presets where I did that. I've been having so much fun with the new toys I've been neglecting my old standbys! So: 1) Expression pedal 1/2 switch 2) XLR Out Line/Mic switch on startup 3) Broken Presets 4) LA Compressor at end of chain loses volume intermittently Any more?

Apart from the problems some are having with the actual install process, we seem to be up to 3 (4?) actual bugs: 1) Expression pedal 1/2 switcheroo 2) XLR Out Line/Mic switch on startup 3) Broken Presets 4) ? I'm thinking there's a 4th, but having a brain fart. Anybody got any others?

This was happening once in a while before the update. Seemed to happen when opening HX Edit. Shutting down and restarting Edit (sometimes 2 or 3 times) seemed to fix it. Since it started happening right after a Windows update, I put it down to that. Interested to see how many others have seen this.

575 words to tell us how if only L6 let everybody in the world be beta testers (as suggested in a previous rant) then this horrible crappy update would've been SOOO much better, but L6 doesn't care, just a bunch of incompetent money grubbers. The only people who like this upgrade are amateurs (bedroom and church players), and here come all the brown nose butt kissing "protectors of the realm" to hate on poor me for having the nerve to tell the unvarnished truth! You just don't get it. DI keeps a list of everybody who posts mean-spirited, know-it-all, critical rants. The SW is designed so that when they (you) try to install it, it fails and has all sorts of bugs, thus confirming your speculations and contributing to your sense of your own personal worth. How many companies care enough about their customers to do that? And for FREE! BTW - my update was flawless, my Helix runs (and sounds) better than ever, and the two actual bugs that have been reported are IMO, NBD. But then, I'm just a lowly amateur and obviously a brown-nosed protector of the realm. Love you Mark!

This is a known bug, acknowledged by L6 over on TGP. Scheduled to be fixed in v2.81.

While you're sleeping I'll have a play with the preset, but just a couple of thoughts... If you crank the old tweeds and then add distortion on top, you WILL get a "flubby" bottom end. That's how the real amps sound. When I listened to your sound clip I thought that it didn't really sound BAD, like digital distortion bad, it actually sounded kind of good, like J Mascis/Dinosaur Jr good. Not my favorite sound, but of a type that some actually seek. I thought, maybe there's something in your setup that's adding digital nastiness, which is why I got into all that gain staging talk. It could just be, as you've suggested, you just need to play around with it some more. You might try the new shelving and tilt eqs to tighten up the bottom end. Helix is a great design, HW and SW, but there is a learning curve, especially if you have little experience with the real deal. As to pickup height on your Strat, google for the Fender recommended settings and start there. The Mexi Strat PUPs are not especially hot, certainly not as hot as basic HBrs, and I'm pretty sure the PUPs in my Highway1 are hotter than your Mexi Strat. As long as you're keeping your meters in the green, you should be good.

benetbenet - You haven't sent the preset, so I freed up a setlist and imported the setlist you sent. It's your Factory 1 setlist, and there's no preset called JTM-45 cranked. Can you send the preset for me to look at?

Don't know about MAC stuff, PC guy here. Anybody?

No need to get snippy flash. Maybe either or, but we're both just trying to help the OP, so maybe you should get a few more posts under your belt before you start telling me "how this whole forum/community thing works". You posted info that seemed misleading. I commented on it and linked to my source. You seem to have inferred some snarkiness on my part. None intended. That's part of the problem with internet forums, intent doesn't always translate well. PEACE! :-)

Sorry, being old-school (I make my own Ethernet cables and still have a tester from techie days), I just assume everybody has a just-in-case wire. It's probably OK (I updated my Stomp over wireless, my floor on a wire, no problems either way), but considering all the folks having problems with the update hanging, eliminate as many variables as possible I say!

-7.5 is HIGHER than -12. You'll be peaking too close to 0. The settings I gave are the L6 recommended settings. If you're not getting enough signal in your DAW you can always turn it up, but start where I suggested. No offense flash, if it works for you, cool, but for troubleshooting purposes I'm thinking that L6 knows what they're talking about. https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/helix-native-plug-in.1786588/page-113#post-25887560

No need if you've nothing saved. Update tips: Make sure( if you're using Windows) to Change your power settings to MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE so the USB ports don't go to sleep during the update. Set Processor Scheduling to Background Services. If you don't already have one, set up an L6 account, you'll need to Log in when you run the Updater. Download and Run Helix Edit v2.80. Make sure that HX Edit (and ALL OTHER PROGRAMS) is CLOSED before running the Updater. Follow the directions on the Download page and in the Updater. Have Fun! Oh, yeah, turn off wireless.

I was just looking at the Scarlett Solo 3rd gen (I have a 2nd gen 18i20) and noticed it has a Phantom power button. You don't have that ON, do you?

I duped your preset - JTM45 Amp+Cab, Drive dimed. Set as I described with a Hiway1 Strat (slightly higher output PUPs than yours). Sounds exactly like it should. I think your problem is in your DAW. Download Reaper (FREE unlimited trial) and try it there. If you need help with the setup let me know.

You sent me a setlist. Be sure to select export from the PRESETS line.

Attach a copy of the preset and I'll have a look at it. What guitar are you using? Any pedals between guitar and interface?

Then assuming you're going straight into the Scarlett (or through pedals), use the INSTRUMENT switch, but all the rest remains the same. If using pedals, start clean, then pay close attention to the gain staging in the pedals, keeping the Scarlett's meter in the green with a clean signal and at all pedal settings. Getting Native to sound like a real Helix is all about the gain staging.

Set the Helix out (I use an XLR) that you're connecting to the Scarlett to mic. Set the Big Knob on the Helix to NOT control that out (UNITY). Set the Scarlett's Instrument button OFF (or use one of the mic inputs on the back). Turn the Scarlett's gain all the way down. Play as loud as you normally play (BIG LOUD CHORDS!), turning up the Scarlett's gain till you hit a Yellow bar, then cut it back. In Native, set the Input around -36db. That should have you peaking around -24db, leaving lots of headroom for transients. Works for me!.

That's a great article. Unfortunately, for the majority of Windows users who've already skipped Windows 101, it's TMI, eyes glazed, TL;DR. Most important simple rules: 1) Audio applications are processor intensive. The less stuff you've got running in the background the better your performance will be. SIMPLIFY! SIMPLIFY! SIMPLIFY! 2) DON'T USE WIRELESS! Constant processor interrupts cause all sorts of odd problems. 3) If you don't read anything else, read about optimizing your system for audio. The MOST IMPORTANT thing to do is to set your Power settings to MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE. That prevents the USB ports from going to sleep (to save energy) when you need them to be awake. Also, set the processor to maximize background operations: (Control Panel-System-Advanced System Settings-Advanced-Settings-Advance-Processor Scheduling-Background Services). 4) Don't use a hub. I keep reading posts where people say it works fine. Then it doesn't, and they post about how "It worked yesterday!" and expect someone to tell them why it doesn't work today. It doesn't work today because DON'T USE A HUB!

You install the update by FIRST running the HX Edit Installer. That installs the latest versions of HX Edit, drivers, and the Updater. When you run the Updater, HX Edit MUST be closed, as well as any other programs. Closing all programs before installing new software is Windows 101. As Andy pointed out, it's silly that the Updater doesn't check to see that HX Edit is closed. That does seem like a sensible thing to do, since few Windows users bother with Windows 101 :-).

No problems in Reaper.

Interesting - I installed using HX Edit 2.80, and it installed 1.93! Which is not listed separately on their Download page. Weired. Did you install the update using HX Edit 2.80?

Then that's who you should ask - maybe he hadn't had his coffee yet? :-)