rd2rk

If you're still interested, here's a possible solution to the message timing issue posted by DBCROCKY in another thread: DBCrocky, on 19 Sept 2017 - 06:05 AM, said: FWIW, From John Fast of MIDI Solutions: Hi Dave, Thank you for your inquiry. I've also received requests from a few other customers to add some timer functions to the Event Processor, it's difficult to add as a one-off custom modification but I'd eventually like to make them permanent addition to the product, unfortunately I'm currently working on some other projects and may not be able to complete it for a while. However I thought a little more about this and it occurred to me that the footcontroller is likely sending exactly the same number of CC messages after each PC message, so if the Event Processor could count down a specific number of CC messages before allowing them to pass that might be another way to resolve the problem, and the Event Processor offers a sequence function which can do just this. Attached is a file containing the settings to program the Event Processor to filter exactly four CC messages after every PC message it receives. If you examine the settings you'll see that the sequence definitions contain six steps, this is because one step is required to allow the PC message to reset the sequence, four steps are for filtering CC messages, and the final step is the repeated step to allow all future CC messages to pass. You can modify the settings to count down any number of steps by right-clicking on settings #8 and #9. Best regards, John Fast, MIDI Solutions Inc. www.midisolutions.com F0 00 00 50 28 00 F7 { Clear All Settings - allow all MIDI events not specified below to pass through unchanged } F0 00 00 50 28 21 00 00 02 00 7F 01 03 00 7F F7 B0 00 00 { Setting #1: Filter all Control Change events on all MIDI channels. Continue to process settings (right-click to edit) } F0 00 00 50 28 24 07 09 01 06 06 00 02 00 7F F7 C0 00 { Setting #8: When Program Change events on all MIDI channels are received, jump to step #6 of the sequence beginning at setting #10, with 1 event per step, containing a total of 6 steps. Continue to process settings (right-click to edit) } F0 00 00 50 28 24 08 09 01 06 7C 00 02 00 7F 01 03 00 7F F7 B0 00 00 { Setting #9: When Control Change events on all MIDI channels are received, jump to the previous step of the sequence beginning at setting #10, with 1 event per step, containing a total of 6 steps. When the first step of the sequence is reached, remain at the first step. Continue to process settings (right-click to edit) } F0 00 00 50 28 45 09 02 02 00 7F 03 03 00 7F F7 B0 00 00 { Setting #10: Sequence Event: Control Change with the Control Change number obtained from the incoming X value and scaled to the outgoing range 0 - 127, and with the value obtained from the incoming Y value and scaled to the outgoing range 0 - 127, on all MIDI channels. Continue to process settings (right-click to edit) } -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If my earlier explanation worked for you (sending messages from Ableton didn't encounter the timing problem), please post back about it. Thanks.

1) If such a device existed, it might also solve the problem of doing bank/preset selection from an external device (my previous post that you referenced). Unfortunately......:-( 2) Yes, not worth the time/effort 3) I didn't know that you could control the LEDs using the latching function of NOTEs. Thanks for that! I also didn't know about the MIDI Solutions Event Processor. Thanks for that, too! Though the problem doesn't really justify the expense, knowing that a hardware device like that exists could come in handy in the future. I had looked into BOME, but the effort/investment/return ratio didn't add up. With your tip about the NOTE latching, I tried using the Filters in Cantabile to accomplish the transposition from NOTE to CC, but no luck. I'll try the Cantabile User Group on that, I could just be missing a trick. 4,5,6) Again, not worth the time/effort/expense I'll post back if I get it working in Cantabile.

First, let's get my goal straight. DEVICE SENDS NOTHING BUT A PC ON LOAD! The rest of this is academic, but interesting nonetheless. "I looked at the S-Gear Manual here: https://www.scuffham..._usermanual.pdf It seems it says you use PC messages to send presets, and you use CC messages to control amp parameters, like Volume, Tone, or Delay Time. This is typically how PC and CC messages are used. "So again, perhaps you explain to me exactly what CC messages you need to send to change presets, and why a toggling CC is needed?" From the S-Gear manual: Switch Controllers are used to apply on/off status to an S-Gear parameter. There are two ways in which a typical foot controller will send switch messages, some are ‘latching’ where the device sends a value of 00 = off and 127 = on. Others are ‘momentary’, where the foot control sends value 127 whilst the pedal is depressed and then 00 when the pedal is released. The two S-Gear switch modes allow you to handle both types of message. ------------------------- What that means is that, if when I load a preset, I also send a 000 or 127 CC value, depending on the saved status of the function assigned to that CC, it'll toggle ON (if saved OFF), OFF (if saved ON), or do nothing if I send OFF or ON to a function that's already saved in the corresponding state. This is how we use configuration of the controller's messages to sync the LEDs. But suppose I don't CARE about the LED sync, I just want the preset to load the way it's saved, but turn things ON/OFF afterwards? Using S-Gear's MOMENTARY setting combined with a NON-TOGGLING CC on the controller, I get what I want because the controller (in this case the Helix) DOESN'T send NON-TOGGLING CCs on preset load! Whereas, if I use toggling, I have to configure each preset because the Helix SENDS toggling CCs on preset load. See? It's the difference between messing with every preset to match up states to get synced LEDs (which I don't care about), or just plug and play! One of the differences between S-Gear and Amplitube is that you can't choose momentary or toggling mode for global control purposes. You can configure presets to work like that, but only by messing with EACH preset. And yeah, good luck finding any info on the Amplitube MIDI implementation. My experience with their support folks is that they don't know either. Now I have to go to work. Continue later?

No offense intended. I appreciate your desire to help. I don't use amp sims live, that's what the Helix is for, so I'm not carrying around an expensive, finicky, fragile computer. Helix, guitar, TS210, GO! Amp sims I use for playing around with at home. Different sounds. Load a sim, hit a preset. Do I like that? No? Hit another preset. Do I feel creative yet? "If I understood why you need Toggling CC's but sending the default on preset select was an issue, perhaps I could help with a workaround." I have several amp sims, acquired over more than ten years. THOUSANDS of presets. Every amp sim implements MIDI differently. Certain sims, like Amplitube and S-Gear, ONLY work with toggling CCs - and implement them differently to boot! Because the Helix insists on sending toggling CCs on preset load, it would require configuring each and every sim preset to a Helix preset, this on, that off, defeats my purpose - FREEDOM! SPONTANEITY! I TELL THE ROBOT WHAT TO DO! For the robot to do whatever it wants is a violation of Asimov's Second Law! :angry: The FCB/UNO takes no such liberties. As a dedicated MIDI controller, it allows for a degree of programming power that the Helix, as a MODELER first and a CONTROLLER second (or third or fourth after audio interface and mixer) is not designed for. If the FCB/UNO only allowed for 10 stomp type pedals (and had decent expression pedals with toe buttons, and had scribble strips, and wasn't so butt-ugly....) it would be perfect! I looked into the VooDooLabs Ground Control, doesn't even do toggling, no editor. The Macmillan SoftStep, way overkill for my purpose. So for the time being - until Xavier, creator of UNO, finishes his rumored upgrade/redesign/replacement of UNO - or Line6 provides a DON'T SEND option for the Helix (HA!) - I'll use the Helix for the sims that don't require toggling CCs, and use the FCB/UNO for the rest. If I ever come up with lists of "GoTo" presets in Amplitube or S-Gear, I can always set up a Helix bank specifically for them, with syncing lights and specifically labelled scribble strips and all the bells and whistles! But for now, I JUST WANNA ROCK!

DB - I know how it works. What I want it to do is NOTHING on preset select, while still allowing me to use toggling CCs ON DEMAND. Helix sends TOGGLING CCs on preset select BY DEFAULT! That's what I DON'T want! Apparently, as jbuhala pointed out, there is no way to turn off that behavior. This differs from the uno equipped fcb1010, which is fully flexible and programmable in that regard (see my previous post). Since your next question will be "why not just use the fcb", because it has less buttons available for this purpose, and it's as big as a small car! It would be nice to be able to consolidate all of my needs with the Helix. Since synced lights are not in that list of needs, my workaround (non-toggling CCs and NOTEs) will suffice for TH3 and BIAS FX, but S-Gear and Amplitude require TOGGLING CCs, so I'm S.O.L. on those.

DB - I get why this was included as a feature. I do this all the time with my fcb1010_uno board. The difference is that uno allows you to CHOOSE whether to implement it (per preset), and which signal (on/off/no change) to send. Unfortunately, uno only gives you 5 buttons to use like this. Helix has 10. Much better, but annoyingly inflexible, and therefore less than useful to me. As noted previously, I can use NOTEs to control TH3, and I think I can use non-toggling CCs (neither of which is automatically sent on preset load) to control BIAS FX. No LED syncing, but the scribble strips are GREAT.

Spikey - you got me there! Though my C64 with 28.8 and Quantum Link comes close! Those were the days!

I remember how fast Compuserve seemed on my IBM 8088 when I got my new 56Kbps modem. WOW!

Plain old Centurylink 30Mbps, ancient Core2Duo, got no problems.

Spikey - I'm controlling amp sims. I'm using a setlist of blank Helix presets with the buttons configured to toggle the devices in the amp sims' presets using Toggling CCs. Helix automatically sends the PC associated with that Helix preset, which changes the sim's preset, that's good. But all of the Toggling CC values are sent along with the PC#, which turns off (or on) all of the devices in the sim's preset. That's the problem. If I could get the Helix to send ONLY the PC# when I call the Helix preset, then I can use the buttons to send Toggling CCs as needed. You can suppress the sending of the PC#, but NOT the Toggling CCs. I thought that I'd worked this out when I had my HD500x, and even told someone how to do it, but I can't seem to find that (ancient) post. I could also be hallucinating. I normally use an FCB1010 with UNO to do this, but you only get control of 5 CCs in Stomp Mode, and 10 would be better. I've been able to get around this in one sim, TH3, by using non-toggling CCs or Momentary NOTEs. For some reason, Helix doesn't send the momentary signal when changing presets, as opposed to the Toggling CCs. Unfortunately, all of my other sims require CCs, and some of my other sims require Toggling CCs, else you need 2 button presses to make it work.

When I select a preset, it sends a PC#, that's good. It also sends the CC#s and values for all of the other buttons. That's bad. Is there a way to prevent that?

Many people believe in something called "Computer Science". It's a sort of religion. Those of us who've worked with computers long enough to have learned BASIC on a Commodore64 know that everything having to do with computers is actually magic. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who believes in CS to explain the Quantum Physics that underlies computer chips. There's also (Arthur C.) Clarke's Third law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".

Just change the output assignments of each path to the USB outs that you want to use, and set your DAW to record accordingly. By default, the outs are set to send on USB 1/2, so you could set Path B to USB 3/4. You can use the hardware outs for monitoring. If you need more outputs for monitoring than the combination of the Helix and Scarlett provide, just add a send block to one of the paths.

The graphics components of many computers, particularly inexpensive "net" computers, often don't have their own dedicated memory. They share the main memory with the CPU, and don't have all that much to share in the first place. Could be that a year ago it was on the edge, and updates to the editor pushed it over. Check your startup settings for anything that might be starting automatically that isn't actually needed. Running Task Mgr (ctrl-alt-del) and checking which processes are using memory could also provide clues. Depending what you've got for hard disk space (free some up if necessary by deleting unneeded programs and files), you could try increasing the swap file size.

"Home theater speakers color your sound the most, but are totally OK for just practicing at home." Is what I actually said. Try it, you might like it! If you have a really cheap home theater setup, it likely won't sound as good as a top shelf setup, but you won't know till you try. I have a Sony bookshelf system, 6" speakers and a 10" sub, sounds pretty good in close quarters. In my bigger room I use 6" Rokit monitors w/o sub, would kill my neighbors (apartment) if I cranked them. Much of what a system sounds like depends on the environment it's used in and the levels expected of it.

FRFR means Full Range Flat Response. Most speakers, PA, monitor or home theater, are Full Range. Flat Response means that the speakers don't color the sound, that is, no part of the frequency spectrum is enhanced or attenuated. What goes in is what comes out. ALL speakers color the sound in one way or another. 1 - What's your favorite color? 2 - How much can you spend? Home theater speakers color your sound the most, but are totally OK for just practicing at home. Computer monitor speakers usually sound like crap, they just aren't designed for this. For home use with most accurate reproduction of your Helix, get proper mixing monitors. Go to a GC and try several to see what your favorite color is in your price range. For live use, your options are nearly unlimited, but the idea is that you want your sound to be close to what your audience will be hearing, so most people go for a PA type powered speaker. Alto makes a very affordable ($250-$350) range - TS210 (what I use) and TS212. Yamaha, JBL and QSC also make pricier but very popular units. Again, go to GC and try them out.

Turned out that Sonar is simply incompatible with MMC. You should try Support for your applications, though my experience with NI (for Guitar Rig) was not encouraging, Maschine is one of their mainline products, so support for that might be better. I've heard that Propellorhead also has less than stellar support, and my experience trying to use Re-wire seems to support that. You would probably have better luck trying to get help through the respective forums. As I wound up using standard Note messages to control the transport functions in Sonar and Ableton Live, you may be able to do that in Reason and Maschine. A quick look at their respective user guides indicates that Maschine uses Notes to select scenes, and that Reason uses CCs to control it's devices. I don't use either program, so your best bet, if you can't find solutions in their user guides, would be their forums. BTW - Ableton Live uses the same Notes for the transport functions as Sonar - STOP=Note A6/093;Start/Play=A#6/094;Record=B6/095 Here's a screenshot of my Preferences in LIVE EDIT: Image removed to reclaim Attachment Allotment

I run my guitar into an aby box, one side to the Helix, one side to my 2nd gen Focusrite 18i20 set to Instrument. Helix goes to one channel of my Alto TS210, Focusrite to the other channel. To record the Helix direct, I send the mono XLR to the Focusrite too. Native should eliminate that need, unless I need to switch presets or turn fx on/off on the fly, and if they incorporate midi in Native (like all the other sims I use), I won't need to do that. To A/B is as simple as pressing a button. I can't discern ANY difference in sound quality between the Helix hardware and Native. Either thru the Alto or my Rokit monitors. It's anything BUT muddy. Nor can I DETECT the additional 3.6ms that the Helix driver adds over the focusrite (16.7 vs 13.1). As mentioned, I use a 2nd gen Focusrite 18i20 USB into a 7th gen i7 HP laptop with 16gb, Sonar Platinum DAW. If you can't afford a UAD or RME, and you don't need the extra routing options (the 18i20 has all I need and more), stick with your Focusrite, it's terrific bang for the buck. At the same time, Helix is perfectly acceptable as an interface for us commoners. As for the muddiness, look elsewhere, it's not the Focusrite. BTW - the 2nd gen Focusrites addressed the Instrument input problems that previous versions had.

Like, around 10x the size of 3sigma and Ownhammer. You may have hit on the problem right there!

My tests were run using the IRs within Helix. I'm sure that if I run into the PC, any of the IR loaders I have would work, but the whole point of owning the Helix is for simple take-it-out-and-play use. Fact is, most of the computer amp sims I use sound better than the Helix (to my ears), and without near as much tweaking. Not that I don't get good sounds out of the Helix, but the learning curve is much steeper. However, the Helix goes out to jam while the computer stays home. Strangely (or not), once I start playing with the Helix in a live mix, it sounds great! When I started looking into this, I first loaded up TH3, which I hadn't used in a while. I always forget how good TH3 sounds, and how flexible it is. It's pretty, too! :) I use an FX only TH3 preset in front of S-Gear for some really nice sounds. That also allows me to use MIDI from an FCB1010-UNO pedalboard to turn things on/off. So, just to be thorough, I loaded up Native and tried the Diezel IRs. No joy. Baffling how a simple wav file works everywhere except in Helix land.

OK, very strange. I loaded the 6505 IR into a new preset with the PV Panama (seemed appropriate). Nothing. Pulled it down into a split and BANG! It won't work in a straight line, but in the bottom of a split, bingo! Then I put the Soldano IR in the top and assigned a switch to toggle them, both work. BUT....Can't tell the difference between them! AND...If you turn them both on at once, NOTHING! If you bypass both, you get the harsh sounding amp-without-cab tone. Listening to all three configurations (amp only, top on, bottom on) consecutively, it sounds more like the amp sound thru identical filters but not really cab IRs. Thinking it was my old R'n'R ears playing tricks on me, I set up a similar test with S-Gear, using the STEALER amp. Both 6505 and Soldano versions sound GREAT (thanks for turning me on to these), but VERY different! Conclusion: these IRs don't really work with Helix. I'm going to try posting in the GuitarAmpModeling forum that I got these from and see if anybody has any ideas, maybe the author? I'll get back if I hear anything.

This is where it lives online: http://www.guitarampmodeling.com/viewtopic.php?t=3373 You'll need to register first. I'll try it out after lunch.

Here's what I see in TH3's IR selection. You mentioned alternative DL sites? EDIT: Image removed to reclaim Attachment allotment

I couldn't find it in TH3 (v3.4.2 64bit). Looked in ProgramData/Overloud/TH3/IR. Is there someplace else it could be hiding? Other DL locations?

Sure seems like mostly MAC folks having problems. Maybe Native doesn't play well with MACs?