rd2rk

I'm setup like mike, using the G10. Even using a plugin (Sgear) and running thru a daw (Sonar, focusrite 2nd gen, i7), barely perceptible latency.

Sennheiser RS185 Digital, so virtually no latency. Excellent sound, little coloration. Comfortable. Not cheap, but I started with Best Buy and went thru two levels of Sonys before I settled on these.

I like ENGL amps. Used to have an E315 head that I wish I hadn't sold. So I might get another ENGL someday. I'm curious. How did your friend figure out which MIDI messages did what?

Most MIDI devices that are controllable from generic controllers respond to specific MIDI messages - PC,CC, NOTE or SYSEX. The mfr should be able to provide a "MIDI Implementation" chart to tell you which messages do what. I did a quick search online and at their website and couldn't find one. Your best bet is to check with ENGL support. If it responds to PC,CC or NOTE, then any pedalboard that can be programmed to send those messages should work. SYSEX is a different story.

The major wear on electronic circuits occurs during startup and shutdown, as the circuits heat and cool. Don't know about the screen and scribble strips.

mikisb - OP was questioning the properties of the Helix headphone out. This has come up more than once, so, no, the discussion isn't pointless. It's actually been rather informative. Also, I, and others, have stressed your point - High or Low Impedance, all our ears are different. The only way to find THE headphones for YOU is to BUY 'em and TRY 'em!

DaveDaveDave - It's all good! This is a great discussion. I never really looked into the difference between High and Low Impedance phones, just assumed it was another of those audio elitist things. I only ran across the Sennheisers when all of the cheaper wireless units either had too much latency or sounded like crap.

Oranges defined: AKG K-55 32 ohm 96db sensitivity 16hz-20khz frequency range Sony MDR-V6 63 ohm 106db sensitivity 5hz-30khz frequency range Sennheiser RS185 Digital/wireless - has it's own amp/transmitter 106db sensitivity 17hz-22khz frequency range The Sony, being higher impedance, takes more power to drive, has high sensitivity and wider frequency range. You'd think they'd be the best sounding. To me, they're irritating. The AKG is cheap and has the worst specs. They actually sound pretty good, but echoey. I like the RS185 best, AND they're wireless (digital, so latency is not an issue). All 3 oranges will bust your eardrums before they distort. Bottom Line - 2) Just like through the air FRFR (my Alto TS210 sounds totally different than my Rokit6 monitors), find a pair of headphones you like and go with those. AND - what cruisinon2 said. ALSO IF you can afford the 300-600 ohm variety of high impedance cans AND you like the way they sound THEN they're worth the MUCH higher price tag ELSE oranges might be just fine That said, my favorite (the RS185) was $400. Sometimes the expensive oranges just taste better B) !

I have 3 sets of phones: Sony MDR-V6 - I doubt if anyone would say that these suck. Yet, they sound the worst of the three with Helix. Small over ear design. Thin and unpleasant. AKG K-55 - purchased at GC for $20 back in the Pleistocene era. Ultra light, plasticky, very large over ear design. Nicer sounding than the Sony, but sound like you're playing in a giant, empty auditorium. Sennheiser RS-185 digital wireless - Smaller (between the Sony and AKG) over ear design. All around best sounding of the bunch. Also most expensive. Allowing, of course, for the subjectivity factor, and considering the A/B tests I did, I say: 1) There's nothing wrong with the Helix headphone out. 2) Just like through the air FRFR (my Alto TS210 sounds totally different than my Rokit6 monitors), find a pair of headphones you like and go with those.

https://smile.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Open-Back-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00004SY4H/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1492791117&sr=1-1&keywords=sennheiser+hd600 So, to get the headphone out from the Helix to sound good requires $400 headphones? I A/B'd my Sony MDR-V6 phones, direct from the Helix vs Helix through my Focusrite 18i20 headphone out. They sounded virtually the same. Awful. Methinks there's more to this than meets the ear!

I looked at the Engl manual. Your problem is that the savage uses a proprietary db25 midi connector, and can only be controlled via midi when using the Engl pedal board. You can probably change the channels with multiple 1/4" switches (see manual), but it looks like a royal PITA and you'll never be able to duplicate the (considerable) functionality of the engl controller. You spent a pile for this amp, get the proper controller and do it right!

Sounds like the MIDI Moose is on Channel 16. You can set the Helix to that channel, or From the MIDI Moose manual: The MIDI Moose is factory set at Channel 1. When you initially power up,“1c†will flash in the numerical display for a few seconds. If you want to change the MIDI channel on certain occasions but not save the change, hit the UP or DOWN footswitch accordingly while the channel setting is flashing.The MIDIMoose will then operate on the new channel until you disconnect and reboot.If the channel setting stops flashing before you have a chance to change it,disconnect the power source for at least 10 seconds. Reconnect the power source and continue as above. NOTE: the MIDIMoose will revert back to the last saved channel each time you power up. To change and save a different MIDI channel setting: 1. Depress the UP and DOWN footswitches simultaneously.The current MIDI channel number will flash (1c). 2. Use the UP or DOWN footswitch accordingly to get to the desired channel. 3. Depress the 1/6 footswitch to save the newly selected MIDI channel.When saved, the numerical display will stop flashing. After a few seconds, the MIDI Moose will display the last program number you were in. If you have two or more MIDI controlled processors linked together, be sure they and the MIDI Moose are all on the same channel. If you do not want a particular processor in the chain to accept program change information from the MIDI Moose, be sure to change that unit’s channel.

Sweet!

????? Link to that discussion, please?

Did you run memtest86 for at least 12 hours? There were LOTS of threads on the Nvidia problems. Keep searching. Unfortunately, random BSODs are really tough to track down. Taking it to a shop could cost more than it's worth. Best to eliminate as many of the most common problems as you can first.

Why are you using ASIO4ALL? If you're using the POD as Audio Interface, use the POD drivers. In fact, just about any AI will have it's own drivers. ASIO4ALL dates from a time when vendor drivers were sometimes flakey. Problem was, it was even flakier. Dump ASIO4ALL, load the POD drivers, you should be good to go. You didn't mention if your computer is a laptop or desktop, but since flakey video drivers are a very common cause of BSOD, I ran a search on your Nvidia and found this, among others: http://www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-3172231/bsod-nvidia-gtx-950m-driver-power-state-failure.html The other most common cause for BSOD besides flakey drivers is faulty memory. If all else fails, DL Memtest86 and run it for at least 12 hours.

XLR cables work too, though 1/4" cables are good up to 20'.

Speaker cables are meant to carry significant voltage from power amp transformers to passive speakers. For powered speakers you want cables designed for line level signals.

To find the problem you need to connect your THRU MIDI port on the Helix to a computer running a MIDI Monitor (MidiOx if you've got a PC, ??? if you're using a MAC). Step on the SoftStep pedal 1 that you think sends CC1. MidiOx Input Monitor will show all messages received. You probably want to set the display preferences to not display in HEX - Options\Data Display uncheck Monitor Input: Hex.

From the Rig Kontrol Manual: 6.2 Using MIDI Controllers with the RIG KONTROL MIDI Interface While being capable of sending MIDI messages to control other applications, the RIG KONTROL communicates with GUITAR RIG 4 directly via USB. Nonetheless, it features a standard MIDI interface with one input and output channel. ------------------------------------------------------- Have you tried using a midi monitor (like midiox) to see what the RK is sending over the USB or MIDI OUT connections? I'm pretty sure it's just sending standard MIDI messages. Worth a try before you spend more money. Also, don't discount the FCB1010. With the UNO chip and ControlCenter Editor (total about $40 plus the FCB), it's a very good unit. I've used it for years to control Amplitube, BIAS FX, Guitar Rig, S-Gear and TH3. It's not an AI, so if you're looking for an all-in-one solution it won't do, but if you're considering a separate AI it's worth looking at.

One of the differences between the Helix and the HD500 is that L6 removed the MP3 input. In order to use the SEND/RETURN jacks on the Helix to add external audio sources (YouTube, MP3,Drum machines, keyboards) you need to dedicate a path to that purpose, setting the INPUT to SEND/RETURN 1/2 or 3/4. If you're using both paths for your guitar sound, Guitar/Vocals, whatever, that's not an option. You could use up an INPUT BLOCK for it, but in any case you're diminishing the capabilities of a $1500 device to save $40 on an external mixer. Plus, having your Helix tethered to your monitors can be inconvenient.

From the Audiobox manual: In Studio One: 9. We recommend that you create a mono input for each of the inputs on your AudioBox USB. If you plan on recording in stereo, you should also create a stereo bus and assign it to the appropriate set of inputs. If you're not using a computer, then why not run your monitors straight from the Helix? If you are using a computer, Studio One is FREE, and it beats buying a new interface. BUT...the free version doesn't allow VSTs, so if you're waiting for Helix Native, you're SOL. There's always Reaper (big fan base, but I hated it). Ableton LIVE Intro is $99, and full function except for a track# limitation. There's enough tracks available (8 or 12, I forget) for basic recording. Focusrite 2i2 ($150) comes with Ableton Live Lite and a lite version of ProTools. Another hardware only solution would be a small mixer. I have a Behringer Xenyx502 ($40) thats quite nice, and that'll let you mix in YouTube, MP3s, drum machines or any other audio source to practice with.

I'm thinking that the helix database is probably a very simple flat file model without much of a query capability. But I totally agree that there needs to be a better way of dealing with IRs than we have now, and this has been brought up here before. There's probably been an idea scale entry about it, but I haven't seen one lately. Go for it! I'll vote it up for sure!

I'm thinking that the helix database is probably a very simple flat file model without much of a query capability. But I totally agree that there needs to be a better way of dealing with IRs than we have now, and this has been brought up here before. There's probably been an idea scale entry about it, but I haven't seen one lately. Go for it! I'll vote it up for sure!

There's no noise on any of the other devices plugged into it, and it totally worked to get rid of the noise coming in thru the surge strips I'd been using (reason I bought it). My guess is that the USB ports bypass all filtering. I suppose I could plug the wall warts straight into a wall socket to test that, but who cares. They're into one of the surge strips that the UPS replaced, and no noise, so it's all good. Having the USB ports was just a plus, I'd have bought the unit anyway. The Lithium USB pack does sound like a good gig solution. How long will they run the G10 for? Would I need one for each G10, or will one power two G10's long enough for an all night gig?