rd2rk

If no one had responded at all, would that have made you happier than hearing a truth (no one KNOWS) that has now been repeated to you multiple times by multiple people. Or would you have thought that we were unresponsive, unfriendly, uncaring and mean? That we didn't care ABOUT THE DETAILS doesn't mean that we didn't care FOR your question. YOU inferred that. No one KNOWS. BUT...somebody famous once said that "it's better to know than to not know" (Spenser?). So maybe you're right! Why don't you open a support ticket, then come back and share the results. Then we'll all KNOW, even if we DON'T care....

Not to mention that you've insulted everybody that's TRIED to help you....

The THON or the SWAN?

The Alto is 1100w Peak, 550w rms, 127db SPL, 28.4 lbs. Headrush is 2000w Peak, 1000w rms, 131db SPL, 35.8lbs. I have a TS212. It's LOUD and, so far, dependable. If I was buying today, I'd go for the Headrush. It's LOUDER. Time will tell on dependability.

Likewise, I thought the THON with the space at the back of the helix looked good. Also looked better fitted to the unit. The Swan looks like the helix just sets on the bottom of the case, not nested in. When you get the Swan, post back with quality comparison to the THON. For the extra bucks, is there a real difference in build?

Looks like the same case to me. $50 more than the THON, and doesn't look as well fitted as the THON.

Is this the one you're talking about? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Flight-Case-for-Line-6-Helix-FX-Pedal-Board/222359567785?epid=2120237740&hash=item33c5a9bda9:g:wFkAAOSwxyJaoBF5

Details?

Did I hear a rumor that Yamaha is hiring programmers from the Microsoft Update team? (Insert emoticons for TERRIFIED! and tongue-in-cheek)

Unfortunately, rolling back to 2.53 UN-FIXES the S/PDIF dropout problem. OK if you don't use S/PDIF, not so much if you do (I do!). Hope they fix it soon. Or, they could eliminate the NEED for external tuners by fixing the D@#$%d Helix tuner.....

Me too!!! I have the floor model. They fixed the S/PDIF problem and broke the tuner! AARGH!!!

You've now heard from many of the most active members of this forum, who mostly agree that: 1) We don't KNOW/don't much CARE, because 2) We think that the defaults are what L6 considers the norm, and 3) No one from L6 is likely to answer your question on this forum Here's an idea - maybe you're asking in the wrong place? Why don't you open a support ticket and ASSERT YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW! I, for one, would LOVE to see how THAT turns out.....

The ways of the Dark Lords are mysterious, to be sure. But it is said: , Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger. The choice is yours: to go (tweak) or wait!

I think that what we're all trying to say is that it IS straight-forward. If it sounds good, it IS good. If it doesn't, HELIX gives you the OPTION of tweaking things that you don't even have access to with a REAL amp. If you're looking for a definitive answer from Line6 about the defaults, forget it, ain't gonna happen. As to tweaking for hours to get a good sound on Monday that sounds awful on Tuesday, I blame barometric pressure differences and the alignment of the planets....

If you're using a Helix preamp only amp version into your Blackstar's fx return, try using a full amp, with and without cab. Logically, a preamp into your amp's return should be ideal, but I always thought that sounded thin and buzzy/fizzy.

Anytime you use a PC for sound applications, you need to optimize the PC for that purpose. That includes (but not limited to) setting the POWER PLAN for HIGH PERFORMANCE, turning OFF wireless (hardwire seems to be ok), and making sure in device manager that none of the USB hubs are allowed to turn off to save power. If you google PC AUDIO OPTIMIZATION you should come up with several articles on the subject. I know there's one on the Steinberg site, and most of the DAW sites will have at least one.

This goes to the question of why people buy a Helix. When I plug into a real amp, I tweak the front panel tone stack to taste, done. There are no DEEP parameters to mess with. Over time, I might try rolling tubes or swapping speakers/cabs, but the amp is what it is. Helix, of course, is reproducing a sound that reflects a mic'd amp, so regardless of the real world amp-in-the-room considerations, a user ALWAYS has to deal with that. Add that no two "identical" tube amps are going to sound exactly alike, and even if they did the sound would vary with the room acoustics, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, ear wax build-up...... Bottom line, Helix is NOT a real amp. There's no way that the engineers could possibly design it to sound like a real amp-in-the-room. If you're using it as a real amp-in-the-room (or even as a recording tool), they've provided the deep parameters so that a user can tweak it to sound as close to what the user THINKS that real amp in the room the user is in at the time SHOULD sound like. I watched an interesting Anderton's video last night in which a blind-folded Rob Chapman was asked to rate, on a scale of 1 to 10, six $1000+ amps, all played thru the same Marshall cab. Being Chappers, he felt compelled to try to also identify the amps. He managed to correctly guess ONE, the Victory amp (surprise surprise, he liked it best), and he couldn't tell the difference between the REAL Victory and the Kemper profile! Could be the answer for anyone who wants the real amp-in-the-room experience is the Kemper (and a separate cab for each favorite profile), not the Helix? Me, I ain't got that kind of bread, so a tweaking I will go! If it sounds good, it is good!

There must be at least 3 postings on Ideascale asking for some form of metering or clip indicator. VOTE!

https://line6.com/allure/ Don't worry if you're already signed up, just put in your email and it'll download.

Globals/Preferences/PresetModeSwitches=Stomp/Snap Use CommandCenter to assign MIDI to switches 2-5. You'll need to set commands in each preset in which you want this functionality.

It isn't going to sound good with chords because it's not polyphonic, it's monophonic - tracks one note at a time.

Check this article: http://www.harmonycentral.com/articles/keyboardaftertouch Cubase may have a similar aftertouch filter. It sounds like the problem is in how Cubase deals with the incoming messages. When you select a preset manually on Helix, by default Helix sends CC#61. I've asked in a couple of places about this (including support), but no one has yet been able explain it's purpose. It's possible that Cubase interprets it as aftertouch? In this list of midi commands: http://www.nortonmusic.com/midi_cc.html the author says: "46-63 may be in use as the LSB for controllers 14-31 in some devices, but I have not seen one yet"

If you're looking for a good metal tone from the factory presets, you may be disappointed. However, Helix contains pretty much all of the amps from which the metal genre was created. Load up any of the high gain models, throw a Scream 808 in front of it and there ya go. Add one of the EQs for fine tuning. Just like the real world. Metal heads argue endlessly over which real-world amp is best for djent or doom or Swedish black doom death metal or whatever. It's all very subjective. Don't believe what anybody says, try it yourself. If you feel that you absolutely need presets, there's Customtone for free. If you've still got a few bucks left, Fremen has great sounding (to me) heavy presets. Worst comes to worst, as surfsup said, you can always return it.

Put this on Ideascale, I'll vote for it!

Considering that they acknowledged the problem 2 yrs ago, you're likely right about it being a hardware issue. One bad chip spoils the board! :rolleyes: What happens, though, if they admit it? Odds are it's not something that your local tech can just, you know, take out the bad chip and solder in a new one.