rd2rk

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.

Let's say your amp is a Hot Rod Deville (HRD). Typically you'd use the 5150 preamp, replacing the HRD's preamp with the 5150 preamp. If you use the full 5150 amp, you're amping the full 5150 amp, pre and power, through the HRD power amp and speaker. If you use the 5150 amp and a speaker cab - hey, it's just a tone. If it sounds good, go for it! The joy of modeling is - NO RULES!

Is the output block set to multi or 1/4"? Either should work.

Maybe because I used to play semi-pro, maybe because my first teacher told me to, I almost ALWAYS stand up and move around when I play. And even just sitting down, wires are a PITA. Standing FEELS like Rock'n'Roll! Sitting down feels like sleepy time.

From Sennheiser's reply, my guess is that either they can't miniaturize the tech enough to get around the need for a belt pack, and/or they COULD incorporate the better tech into these large over the ear phones, but they don't see the guitarist practicing at home market as being worthwhile. Considering how many amateur players spend thousands on modelers and guitars that we only use at home, and how much more fun it is to do so without the upstairs neighbors calling the cops, I think they're missing the boat. LINE6 - there's a market here!

Well, shut MY mouth! From Sennheiser's VERY fast reply: "Latency occurs in all wireless headphones however the technology being used to create the wireless signal does affect how much latency is caused. For example a Radio Frequency (RF) model (like an IEM monitoring system) has a latency of approximately 3 m/s whereas an 8-FSK digital model (like the RS 165/RS 175/RS 185) has a latency of approximately 45 m/s. Usually the delay (even at the 45 m/s level) is not discernible and hence goes unnoticed when watching TV, but can produce an echo effect if being used in conjunction with wired or RF microphones/ instrument connections." I couldn't believe it! 45ms? NO WAY! So I set up a new preset with just a simple delay set to 45ms and 100% wet. Yep. 45 ms. DOH! I stand by what I said here: "With Helix set to a normal preset (with FX), at normal playing volume, pick noise inaudible, no more distraction. With backing track/streaming music, even KNOWING that the latency is there, it's no impediment to my practicing." It works for me, YMMV. However, I make no further claims to knowing what I'm talking about concerning latency. BTW - the IEM they referenced for comparison, the EW 300 IEM G3, is $999 at Sweetwater, and has the funky earbuds that jump out of your ears. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ gunpointmetal - glad it's working for you, it sounded awful to me. Maybe I'll give it another try, could've gotten a defective unit. Are you using the earbuds that came with it?

Peter - it was a joke. BUT... even quacks get it right sometimes, it's the mix of truth and fantasy that keeps their followers coming back. AND....the research, from prestigious universities and research groups IS out there. Google it! Personally, I'm more concerned about getting cancer from reading media reports on politics.... :) <----Smiley face

Most of this discussion has been carried out while I was on the road (I drive a truck, probably another reason my ears are less than perfect). Now I'm home, so I conducted further testing. With helix set to a pure, clean amp, no delay/reverb, no backing tracks/streaming music, with and without G10, XLR outs and S/PDIF going to the 18i20, Wired Sonys vs RS185: No difference between XLR and S/PDIF. No difference between G10 and guitar cable. Line6 apparently has excellent conversion tech. Thru the RS185 I can hear pick noise separate from the headphone content. That's latency. Thru the Sonys, none. At the low volume I used for this test it was mildly distracting. Don't know how much in ms, but I have a request in to Sennheiser support for specs. Not holding my breath. With Helix set to a normal preset (with FX), at normal playing volume, pick noise inaudible, no more distraction. With backing track/streaming music, even KNOWING that the latency is there, it's no impediment to my practicing. In summary: jnysen - Thanks for forcing me to test this, it's good to know, and now everyone who's been following this thread knows (there goes my free headset!). Considering your problem with return costs, you probably shouldn't bother with the RS185s. Someday, when miniaturization catches up with the IEM tech, we'll have TRULY wireless in-ears. I'm waiting with cash in hand! Meanwhile, if you find a better alternative (true wireless, no belt pack tether), please bump this thread. Thurston9 - Unless you have a similar problem with returns, go ahead and get the RS185s. They work great for practicing and, no, it doesn't affect my timing when practicing without headphones! SIDEBAR: Dr. Mercola (based on much scientific research), says that ALL wireless transmission tech causes cancer! SO, the question is - are we more concerned with brain cancer from our wireless IEMs, or testicular cancer from our wireless guitar transmitters? Food for thought..... :rolleyes:

What part of the world doesn't have Amazon? How much could the return freight be, even from Antarctica? Anyhow, more effort than I've time for to prove something I know works. How's this - my focusrite 18i20 has two headphone outs. With the RS185 in one and my wired Sony MDR-V6 in the other, I can't detect any difference in latency. They both sound good, just different. I actually prefer the sound of the RS185s, less fatiguing. Or this - As I understand this technology, digital wireless is binary (0 and 1) data encoded onto (into?) radio waves. Radio waves travel at the speed of light. At that speed, the only significant latency is that added by the AD/DA conversion at either end. You play a note. The analog signal goes thru the guitar cable to the Helix, where it's converted to digital (AD). After processing, the note is converted back to analog (DA) and sent out the Helix headphone jack, up the wire and into your wired headphones. Electricity (again as I understand it) moves at roughly the speed of light, depending on the conducting material. I could be missing something, I'm no rocket scientist, but it sounds like the wired connection could actually be SLOWER! In any case, at 10-20 feet, either method of transmission is damn fast! Using a G10 (or any digital guitar wireless) eliminates the guitar cable and adds an AD/DA conversion (2 conversions - G10 and Helix). I don't hear anybody worrying about guitar wireless latency. Adding the RS185 eliminates the headphone cable and adds another AD/DA conversion. Now you have 3 AD/DA conversions. At one time I'd've worried about how that affects the sound. But after comparing the S/PDIF from Helix to 18i20 (1 AD/DA conversion using cables) to the analog signal, with and without G10 and RS185, I can't hear any difference in latency OR audio quality. Now, I know there are people on this forum who can hear .05 cent difference in their guitar's tuning, and those folks can probably hear the difference an AD/DA conversion makes, never mind 2 or 3! but for most of us mere mortals, especially those of us who've spent years on stage in front of multiple Marshall stacks and animal drummers, it don't make that much difference. And finally, lest we lose sight of where this all began, we're talking about PRACTICING AT HOME, with CD's or streaming audio that's already been digitized, pasteurized, homogenized and osterized! Make the leap to total wireless freedom NOW! DISCLAIMER: I don't work for Sennheiser, but, considering the time I've put into this thread, if three people buy a set of these headphones based on what I've said here, I think they should give me a FREE second set. OH, BTW - did I mention that you can use 2 sets at once from one base unit? That means that, if your band is a duo, you CAN use them for rehearsal, or even performance if you don't mind looking really dorky!

A DAW measures the latency between the time the sound is converted (AD) at the interface input, and the time it's converted back (DA) at the interface output, as reported by the ASIO driver. It has no way of knowing how long it takes the signal to get from the guitar to the interface, or from the interface to the headphones. All I can say is that with G10 and RS185 (same basic transmission tech), it FEELS every bit as fast as a guitar cable and wired headphone. When I upgraded from i5 to 7th gen i7, my reported round trip latency (Sonar and 2nd gen focusrite 18i20 improved by about 7 ms, and I could tell, so I'm somewhat sensitive to latency. As I've said before, if you're seriously looking for this type of solution for home practice, buy them somewhere with a good return policy (you're not gonna find a try before you buy situation), and return them if they don't meet your requirements. Whadda ya got to lose?

Thurston - The high latency numbers for the Sennheisers were pure speculation by someone who had no direct experience with them. IT'S NOT TRUE! This from someone who actually owns them and uses them every day! YES, they ARE expensive.

Before I got the Sennheisers, I tried one of the "affordable" UHF IEMs, the Galaxy Audio AS900k. The rig was $200 on Amazon, and was getting better reviews than the comparably priced Nady rig. What I got was lots of noise, dropouts (in my living room!), and severe compression. The in-ears were not as good as the $35 earbuds I was using with my mp3 player. When I looked into what real in-ears cost, cheap ones are more than the whole unit, and forget the kind of custom mades that don't fall out of your ears! I returned the Galaxy the next day. If you'll be using IEMs with a band, it's like with any other pro gear, you suck it up and pay for the best you can swing. I won't be messing with the cheap ones again. Someone earlier speculated 20-30ms latency with the RS185s. Not! Full wireless with a G10, I can't feel any latency unless I concentrate on looking for it, and then I'm not sure it's not my imagination. And the sound is what you'd expect from quality headphones. They're not cheap ($400), but for home use they're great!

For performance or full on band rehearsal, I agree. It's not what they're designed for. But for personal practice with streaming audio, they're absolutely viable. Maybe, when you tried them (you DID try the RS185s, right?), you didn't like them. Me and mike like them just fine. If you're seriously looking for an ultra low latency wireless solution for personal practice, pick up a pair at Best Buy or somewhere else with a good return policy. You might just be surprised!