rd2rk

Nice!

Maybe I'm misunderstanding "looper mode". From the manual: "Looper Footswitch Mode Looper mode is only available if a Looper block has been assigned to a footswitch in Stomp mode. Nearly all factory presets in Helix have a Looper block assigned to a footswitch, but your custom presets may not." When selecting any preset, including new (blank) presets, Helix sends CC#61 (I verified this using MIDIOX). Since there's no Looper block in a new preset, no CC should be sent, and yet, it is! Am I missing something?

OP was asking about SPDIF. Different animal.

Agree, no audible difference, except that SPDIF added dropouts AND extraneous noise, even on a decent interface (Scarlett 18i20) and even at 44.1. I thought that there might be a latency improvement (conversions take time), but not that I could tell. Go analog!

Most ABY boxes go both ways: https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_3?url=search-alias%3Dmi&field-keywords=aby+box&sprefix=aby%2Caps%2C362&crid=1HFB1RG4AHS7K I have 2 of the Live wire units (<$50), passive unless you want indicator lights, then either 9v battery or adaptor. If you look down that page you'll see that there are several that look identical but for the brand names. Probably all made in the same Chinese factory. I've heard it said that they are noisy. That's nonsense. I've been using them for years, no noise. There's a higher priced Morley that is 2 into 2 and has preamps . I thought it would be useful for input balancing Strat/LP/Acoustic. THAT unit is noisy!

In Global Settings - MIDI/Tempo, set MIDI over USB to ON. You didn't mention what app you're using, but I do this in Ableton to jam along to Mp3 tracks. You just need to configure the Helix as a MIDI device and know what MIDI commands the app needs for Start/Stop.

I called up a New Preset, ran XLR Left/Mono to one input, and 1/4" Left/Mono to the other. Dead quiet unless I turned up the Alto input past halfway, then it started to get noisy. That's normal, as the Alto TS210's input rotary is actually like the Line/Mic control on a mixer as opposed to a Volume. Could be the way your interface handles the different connections?

Nobody can tell you what the levels "SHOULD" be. You'll have to experiment, as every FX addition/subtraction from the signal chain will affect the gain staging downstream. The routing I presented will allow you to duplicate the setups as close as possible, and compare them in real time. HOWEVER..... "The idea is that I can test the tones at home with headphones and hear it with the cab sim, but in a live setting, I can just take a cable from Send 1 to the Return of my amp, and hopefully the resulting sound will be much the same (slight cab differences aside)." Gain staging and final sound/tone are separate issues. Your headphone signal with cab sim will ALWAYS sound SIGNIFICANTLY different from helix preamp(or full amp)->Bugera power amp->REAL cab. Just the nature of the beast. The routing I suggested will help with GAIN STAGING issues UP TO the output to the Bugera. That final level needs to be set with the BIG KNOB if you're using the 1/4" out, or the Send Level if you're using a SEND. There's been much discussion about the lack of level indicators in the Helix, and there are a number of entries in Ideascale if you'd like to add your vote on the subject. Best workaround is to send your signal to a DAW and use the level indicators, spectrum analyzers, etc that are available in that realm. Here's a couple of links that you might find helpful: https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/whats-the-difference-between-mic-instrument-line-and-speaker-level-signals/ and a Google search on Gain Staging: https://www.google.com/search?q=gain+staging+effects&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS655US656&oq=effects+gain+staging&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0.9471j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Maybe someone else would like to chime in on tips specific to Helix?

If I understand what you're trying to do, try it like this: Helix Guitar IN->A/B Split route 100% to B->A->FX->AMP+CAB (or amp+IR)->FX->whatever OUT you monitor from ->B->FX->Preamp->FX->SEND1/2 (or 1/4") to Bugera RETURN Setup a switch for the A/B. Now you've got totally separate paths with many gain staging possibilities on each.

All explained here: http://line6.com/support/topic/27791-pod-hd500x-and-4cm/?do=findComment&comment=215829

Sounds like you've got it! Have fun!

NO! Speaker out will fry your Helix!

OOPS! Meant POD, not Helix. Works the same, I've corrected it. Sorry!

Guitar->POD Guitar Input (FX if desired)->Send/Return Block POD Send->Amp Input Amp FX Loop Out->POD Return POD Amp->(FX if desired) POD 1/4" Out to Amp FX Return When the Send/Return Block is ON (POD Amp OFF) the signal (maybe after a distortion placed BEFORE the Send/Return Block) goes OUT to the Amp Input. You're using the Amp's Preamp, back to the POD. After the POD Amp (which is OFF) maybe you've got a delay. The signal then goes out the 1/4" to the Amp's FX Return. When the Send/Return Block is OFF the signal goes straight from the POD Guitar Input to (thru FX if desired) the POD Amp (which is now ON), thru the (FX if desired) and out the 1/4" to the Amp's FX Return, thus bypassing the Amp's Preamp section.

Set up a switch that turns the effects loop OFF and turns an HD amp ON. Easy peasey.

The Helix will send midi over USB. In the Crystal Preferences (or whatever it's called), select the Helix as MIDI input device, OMNI for RECEIVE Channel. Set up the Helix for MIDI THRU. You can set the Helix Base Channel for a different channel than the Korg, or the same Channel, depending on what you're trying to do. That's the easy part. I had a look at the Korg manual, and what it will do depends in part on which version you have X5 or X5D. A quick look thru indicates that it will send most any MIDI required. BUT...you'll have to read the Crystal manual to find out what MIDI messages it requires from the controller to make it do what you want, then read the X5 manual to find out how to send it. HAVE FUN! NOTE: After you have the hardware connections made, you should probably find a MIDI monitor application, so you can verify that signals are getting thru, and what EXACTLY is getting thru. I know there is one for the MAC, but I don't know what it's called.

Get a decent pair of studio monitors. I use Rokit6, but if you've got a GC nearby, go and try out different ones till you find one you like the sound of. Also, if you've got a high quality home stereo, don't sell it short. Just be aware that if you start playing out, whichever route you take, the sounds you create for home use will NOT sound the same on stage. As for presets, I bought both the Glen DeLaune and Fremen packs. I was disappointed with GD, but Fremen has some very nice sounds and, to me, his way of building them is much easier to figure out, which makes them a very good learning tool.

A modeled cab is really just another kind of tone control. Heck, a REAL cab is just another kind of tone control. A Basketweave Marshall with Celestion 25s sounds WAY different from an Oversize Mesa with V30s. As many have noted here in other threads, sometimes you can get the same results using a different cab/mic combination as you could get using one or more EQs, which would free up those blocks for other uses. So, if using a modeled cab through your REAL cab sounds good, go for it! NO RULES!

In the wonderful world of digital modeling, the only parts of the signal chain that are "real" are your guitar, the physical speaker, and your ears. Everything else is an effect or a tone control. If a modeled cab does the same thing as one or more EQs, why not? NO RULES!

First, words have meanings. "Scam" does not mean what you think it does. Second, since thousands of people use this product without issue, could it possibly be a problem with YOUR computer, in connection with which please see my previous post concerning video drivers and memory. It would be nice if OP posted back on his progress/solution.....

I use a Focusrite 18i20 USB into a 7th gen i7 HP laptop with 16gb, Sonar Platinum DAW. Round Trip Latency is 13.1ms, 44.1/128. Just for kicks I switched to the Helix driver. RT Latency went to 22.8ms.

"Can you prove me wrong?" Want proof? Buy a Helix. Compare it to your Babyface. If you like it, sell the Babyface. If you don't like it, return it! THAT'S the ONLY proof that matters!

Andy1175 - They told me 45ms. I thought that was way more than I was experiencing, but with no practical way to disprove it, I wasn't gonna argue. Then they told you 21.5(.5?)ms, which seems more like my perception. But i'm thinking, if we can get somebody else to ask them, maybe we can get it down to under 10ms, which should be good enough for even the pickiest among us! I may get my free set after all! :D Keep us posted if you try that gaming set.

Having discovered that my wireless headphones (Sennheiser RS185), which employ 8FSK transmission, have a 45ms latency (per Sennheiser Tech Support), I'm wondering if the Denon system, which employs GFSK transmission, would also have such latency? I tried to research this, but it's all technical gobbledygook to me.

I used MIDIOX to confirm that the Helix was actually sending MMC (sysex) messages. Using Sonar, I was totally unable to get it to work. I'd try getting their Support involved, but they're useless since Gibson bought Cakewalk. I've been using a Korg nanoKontrol2 for transport control. The Korg is recognized as a control surface by Sonar, and by using MIDIOX I was able to see what it's actually sending (NOTEs) and program the Helix, no problem. I'm going to try the Sonar forum to see if it's possible to use the MMC method, and will report back if I succeed. There may be a correlation with what you're doing. In the meantime, you didn't say what DAW or other apps you're trying to control. Check their documentation, you may be able to use NOTEs or CCs instead of MMC.