rd2rk

PRESET sends internal Program Changes and automatically assigns an LED color - RED in the case of my HXS, probably the same on the other Helixes. Bank/Program sends MIDI messages to external devices. When the Switch LED Parameter is set to AUTO it assigns a DIM Gray color to the LED. This color does not change to the LIT state when you press the FS, but the Switch LED Parameter can be set to any of the 10 available colors. It can also be set to OFF. In Global Settings>Displays there's a parameter called "LED Ring Brightness". The default is DIM/BRIGHT. If set to OFF/BRIGHT the LED Rings of the regular BYPASS switches will be OFF when in the BYPASS state and BRIGHT in the activated state. Bank/Program switches default to OFF. They will not light up when pressed. Check Global Settings>Displays to see if that is the case.

In HX Stomp CommandCenter after selecting a FS and assigning the Bank/Program, press Page Right, press knob 3 (Customize), press Page Right, knob 3 is Switch LED. IDK about HXFX, don't have one. If that's your device, RTM :-)

We must be talking about different things because before I posted that I looked to be sure. On the board it's knob 6 and then knob 5. In HX Edit>Command Center>Bank/Program it's the 5th parameter between PROGRAM and the NAME field.

The CUSTOMIZE button (6) leads to the NAMING dialog which includes the SWITCH LED parameter (5) which allows you to set the color.

That's a setlist (.hls). Presets are .hlx. You probably hit EXPORT on the SETLIST line in HX Edit.

I messed around with this some more and I see what you mean. Apparently, the Snapshot default for Ext Amp is whatever state the circuit is in when the assigned FS is DIM. I tried to establish if that is OPEN or CLOSED, but the battery in my multimeter is dead! AARGH! Anyhow, I must have done my first tests with the switch in the DIM position on SS1, so nothing changed when I switched Snapshots. It's been that kind of day in my digital wonderland - nothing has worked the way it did yesterday. I spent all day running down problems and didn't play a note! Our favorite toy, the PC212+? Decided to stop accepting MIDI over the DIN jacks. Worked fine over USB. Drove me crazy until I finally did a factory reset which fixed it. Days like this make me long for the smell of hot tubes on a cold day...

I need better glasses...

I'm not sure I understand. You seem to be conflating two separate concepts. Instant Commands are always sent on Snapshot Change and AFAIK, always have been. Instant Commands cannot be assigned to footswitches. If you assign the Ext Amp function to a FS it is not affected by Snapshots. UNLESS... If you also assign that FS to a dummy Block (for instance, GAIN = 0db) you can have that function activated by Snapshots (by saving Snapshots with the FS active/inactive as you choose) WITHOUT using Instant Commands, or ON DEMAND by changing the FS status in different Snapshots and have the best of both worlds. See NOTE below! Attached is an example preset. Ext Amp is assigned to FS 11. A dummy GAIN Block is also assigned to FS 11. Snapshots are SAVED with FS 11 ON (CH A) or OFF CH B. Snapshots 1-4 are configured as above. SS 5-8 are NOT configured and default to OFF (CH B). NOTE: This is a situation where you should use EITHER the FS OR Snapshots. Combining the two puts things out of sync, depending on whether "Snapshot Edits" is set to Recall or Discard. For instance, toggling using the FS then changing to a different Snapshot might not behave as expected. Toggle BACK using the FS before changing Snapshots. The preset works with both FS and Snapshots either way, it's just when you try to use both methods (FS/SS) at once that it gets weird. HotRats73.hlx

Attach your preset and a link to the "guide" that you used to create it.

Place a SEND at the end of Path A and a RETURN at the end of Path B just before the Looper, and jumper the S/R jacks. Attached is an example preset. sherimhmood.hlx

You don't need to split out the end of Path 1b because by setting the SEND 2 Dry Output Parameter to -120db you're essentially shunting the entire bass path signal to the SEND 2 jack and no signal passes through the block, which is why I set up my example like I did. It doesn't hurt to split it out as you've done, it's just unnecessary as there will be no signal past the SEND 2 block to the Path 1b Output.

IDK why that would be a problem, but attached is an example preset. andysimmons.hlx

Get a Hum Eliminator to go between the speakers and the AI. $15-$30 on Amazon depending what type of connectors (1/4 or XLR) your AI/Speakers use. Works a charm.

IIRC, USB 1 is processed out, USB 2 is unprocessed for recording a DI track. USB 3 is a Return for re-amping (gets processed). USB 4 is a Return that bypasses processing. I could be wrong, I never use the Cat as an AI.

You attached a .php file. No comprende php.

Still not really clear, but unless you're using both FX loops for stereo which would be pointless unless your 4cm amp is stereo, just put the SEND from the unused FX Loop (set to INST) at the end of path 1b. Either set the Output of 1b to an unused Ouput or set the DRY THRU on the SEND to-120db.

Is there a chance of new stuff? Always. A Helix successor in the next year? Eric Klein (aka Digital Igloo - Chief Product Design Architect at Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. / Line 6 / Ampeg) says no. For those who don't believe him, he has an ongoing bet over on TGP - losers donate to charity. Are they working on it (and/or something else big)? Yes, per DI. Is there any way you're going to find out more about L6's future plans than I've just revealed? No. That's not how they roll.

I've never noticed added noise using USB for anything, but latency might be an issue using Helix as your AI with Native. Best RTL I can get with Helix as AI is 12.6ms. That's on a 7th gen i7 with 16gb and compares poorly with the 7.6ms I get using my 2nd gen Scarlett but still might be useable depending how sensitive you are to latency. BUT... if everything works except the screen just play through the Helix as you normally would and use HX Edit in place of the Helix screen. Having a laptop at a gig is a PITA, but if you can't get it fixed you do what you gotta do!

OK, don't know what was happening when I tried this, but now with HOTKEY>Space assigned to the Toe Switch it works (starts playback) when EXP 1 is first activated. It doesn't work over the MIDI ports because Helix is not sending MIDI, it's sending a keyboard action. There's technically no reason you can't run HXEdit and Cakewalk on the same machine. Is there some reason why you need two machines? As to the snapshot thing, it has to do with the way that the toe switch switches the Exp pedals. I'm sure there's a programming logic to it, and maybe if you mess with it long enough you'll be able to figure that out, but I just spent an hour on it and every time I think I've got it working I find some other combination of which Exp pedal is active in what snapshot that puts it out of sync. I see three choices: 1) Mess with it until you figure it out. Good Luck with that! 2) Use a regular FS (not the Toe Switch) for this function. 3) If you MUST use two machines, assign MIDI to the Transport in addition to option 2. In Cakewalk I THINK that would require ACT, which is a PITA. Good Luck with THAT! Let me ask you this. Is there a REASON that you use Cakewalk? Have you been using it for years and have a lot of time invested learning it and a lot of saved projects? Is it just the first FREE DAW that you tried? If the latter, DL a copy of REAPER (COCKOS). It's VERY powerful, FREE until you want to pay for it, and IIRC it's currently $60 for a lifetime license. It's a WAY better DAW than Cakewalk (though not as pretty), and you can easily assign MIDI to just about any function OR use Hotkeys. HUNDREDS of YT tutorials and an active and friendly user community. You might also consider auditioning the FREE version of Ableton LIVE (Lite). Lite has track restrictions and the full version is MUCH more expensive than REAPER but again, assigning MIDI to functions is easy. Its primary mission and design is Electronic Music creation, but it works well as a regular DAW also.

The thing about noise is that I can't hear what you hear without a recording of the noise. What you call "8k ringing" I interpret as what I call a high pitched "whine". If we're talking about the same thing, the Hum Eliminators I use work fine. Buy one from a source with a proper returns policy and try it. Then you'll KNOW.

If all you want is a "stereo" FRFR 212 cab, any 212 cab will do. The Powercab 212 has a lot more going on than that. A regular 212 guitar cab wired for stereo doesn't allow for much "spread". At best you might get an enhanced sense of "motion" when using stereo modulation or "ping-pong" type delays. The Powercab 212 does some sort of aural trickery that enhances the perception of stereo spread so that not only is that sense of motion greatly enhanced, but if you have one speaker set to emulate a V30 and the other set to a GB25 (a classic 212 cab setup) you get a perception of that split vs just a meld of the sounds. This aural trickery is VERY effective. It sounds to me like the speakers are at least 6ft apart at 200% spread! Powercab also allows you to have different speaker emulations which do not involve the HF Driver. Whether or not those emulations fully succeed in emulating a RW V30 or GB25 is debatable, but the idea is to provide a more AITR (cab in the room?) experience. The Celestions you mentioned have the HF Driver incorporated into the cone design and it (AFAIK) cannot be defeated. EQ only goes so far to ameliorate that situation. The Powercab speaker emulations are basically EQ but incorporated into the design. You would need an encyclopedic knowledge of the frequency/performance characteristics of 12 different speaker types to come near that. Since the HF Driver is actually a separate driver, it also allows you to control the level of the HF Driver vs the LF Driver. This allows you another way to fine tune the FRFR sound when using cab sims and IRs, possibly removing "fizz" without applying EQ which generally affects a wider range frequencies around the center frequency than just turning down the component that's amplifying the undesirable HF noise. I'm pretty sure(?) that the Celestions you referenced have no such capability. And then there's the user configurable Output options, on-board Hi/Lo cuts and MIC emulation for the XLR outs to FOH and USB recording. Lastly, cost/practicality. Celestion FX12-X200 = $200 x2 = $400 SD Powerstage 100 Stereo (100w/ch vs Powercab 250w/ch) = $600 You're already at $1000 w/o considering the cab cost, wiring and labor. And what happens if the used cab you buy has a nasty vibration or resonance that you don't like? A proper guitar cab is "tuned" (dimensions/porting) to the speakers it's designed for. IIRC, Celestion even provides plans for building such a cab for its speakers. I doubt that would be cheap even if you can DIY. And the weight factor? The Celestions weigh 9lbs each. Add that to the cab weight. An empty Seismic Audio 2x12 cab weighs 37lbs. The PC212 is tuned for its speakers, weighs 48lbs, is very solid (wood construction) and has side and top handles. So, to repeat, if all you want is a "stereo" FRFR 212 cab, any 212 cab will do. The Powercab 212 has a lot more going on than that.

The HXS and HXSXL both have only one setlist, but both can export and import setlists. I've never tried importing a setlist from Native, but I don't see why that wouldn't work as long as the presets in the Native setlists are made in HXS compatibility mode.

A few things to consider. Catalyst is an open back cab. It can sound great with Helix amps that model amps that use open back cabs ITRW. IMO, using it with clean to edge of breakup/mid-gain amps is as close to AITR as it gets with modeled amps of that type. Powercab is a closed back cab and when using the speaker emulations with mid to high-gain amps is as close to AITR as it gets with modeled amps of that type, keeping in mind that a 112/212 cab will NEVER sound like a 412. Using cabs/IRs with full range speakers ("FRFR") might sound good but is NEVER AITR. I actually hate that term because if you can HEAR it, it IS AITR! The point is that FRFR is simply not the same as a guitar speaker. The HF Driver adds a hi-fi element that simply doesn't exist in a guitar speaker/cab that starts to roll off HF at around 5k, and though you can use EQ to do that, it's just not the same. Another consideration is cab placement and room acoustics. Catalyst or Powercab at 3ft off the floor has less low end than when it's ON the floor due to the lack of floor coupling effect. But, depending on the room acoustics, you may prefer that and the added effect of the HF "beaming" effect that you get when the speaker is aimed at your ears rather than your knees. Then there's the fact that, if you live in an apartment, your neighbors might not appreciate the transference to their ceilings when your amp is on the floor! Speaking of living in an apartment (I do), there's the evil duo of Fletcher-Munson. Catalyst is designed to compensate for that when used at the lower attenuation settings, Powercab is not, though you can use EQ to compensate. What's a poor guitar slinger to do? Before selling one or the other, take all of the above into consideration as well as the style of music you play. Experiment with different cab placements relative to your room acoustics. Then consider keeping both! I keep my Catalyst on top of my PC212 which is on a small 8inch "step" stool. The closed back Powercab gets some of the effect of "floor coupling" with less vibration transference (for the neighbors), the Catalyst is aimed at my chest (closer to my ears) for better HF reception and the larger speaker surface allows a bigger sound with less actual volume. IOW, win-win! Keep them both!

Before you update, select and export your user presets. After your update restore everything EXCEPT the presets, then copy and paste your user presets from the folder you exported them to.

With due respect, I'm not surprised that the best AITR sound you've gotten was by using an Amp In The Room. Considering that thousands of others get perfectly satisfactory results with any number of other solutions, I can only say that we all have different ears and some are more picky than others. Everybody should use what makes them happy. Rock On!