rd2rk

Helix works really well as a MIDI controller for amp sims, and for controlling basic DAW functions in real time. For complex automated "show control" functions, not so much.

NOTEs are "toggling" type messages - NoteON/NoteOFF. When assigned to a FS, "toggling" messages are sent on Snapshot load/change. Instead of NOTEs, use a simple (non-toggling) CC with a Value of 0 (zero). I rarely use Ableton (prefer Reaper), and I've NEVER used Locators, so it took a bit of experimenting to figure out what was happening and how to fix it. Thank you for an interesting problem. I learned something new today about using Ableton!

Not missing anything. Copy All does not, in fact, copy ALL. Also, it only copies what it DOES copy for the active Snapshot. If the other Snapshots have different settings they need to be copied separately. I'm pretty sure this has been posted on Ideascale, do a search and VOTE! If not, post it and post a link here. I'll VOTE!

If you follow the Amalgam thread on TGP you'll see that lots of folks like the full captures, and just as many prefer the DIs with IRs. I'll eventually spend some more time with the DIs (I bought both where available), but currently the full captures are floating my boat. Then I get back to the Helix amps and lose track of time... It's all good!

I also wanted the stereo, so there were multiple reasons and I didn't keep the 112 long enough to prove that either way. Reality: a bigger cab has more bottom end. Other considerations - FRFR involves the HF Driver. That adds hi-end frequencies that don't exist in a real guitar speaker. Getting more bottom requires more power. If you add EQ and turn it up for more bottom in FRFR mode, you also get more of the unnatural hi-end. Try using LF Flat if you're using cabs/IRs in your presets. Try using the presets w/o cabs/IRs and use the cab emulations instead. Research the speakers they're based on to find out which are known for bottom. Don't think that your PC112 is EVER going to sound like a 412 cab. It's ALWAYS going to sound like a 112 because, duh... If your preferred genre is chugga-chugga death metal it'll NEVER work.

Record both, to separate tracks. USB 1/2 for wet, USB 7/8 for dry. Then do whatever you like with the dry track. Duplicate it multiple times, add several of your "ton of VST instruments and plugins" and mix'n'match in your final mix. Get Native and upload your Helix presets, try several. Try them ALL! You have the POWER! USE IT!

I just leave the ToneX Output level maxxed and have no shortage of return strength with the Amalgam captures. He at least employs a certain consistency - drive a bit louder than clean, hi-gain louder than that - but even there it varies a bit between capture sets. IOW - remember that output levels will vary between captures and between capture creators. The only way you're going to get them evened out is to dedicate Helix presets to specific captures. That's easy with my Helix, as I have a setlist dedicated to ToneX. But since I also have several sets of ToneX captures, that all goes out the window when I switch between them. Bottom line (for me) is that once I settle on a specific set of captures that I keep loaded in the pedal (so many captures, so little time!) I can level them all in the pedal and even transfer the names to my Helix so I don't need to have the computer hooked up to see the full names. It would be nice if IK made the pedal contents visible in the iOS app, since an iPad is easier to deal with than a laptop when away from home. It would also be VERY nice if they fixed the app so that it worked like HX Edit - changes you make in either the pedal or the app to be reflected and saved on both.

Yes. I tried DI captures with Helix cabs and with "matching" Powercab speaker emulations and, at least with the Amalgam captures, the FULL captures sounded best. I think it's because the capture captures the actual interaction between the speaker and the amp. Powercab "LF Flat" works best for me. I have the Amalgam Vox captures (I have almost all of his sets), but like I said, I'm not into whatever it is about Vox that other people like, so I'm not the best person to comment. But, again, Voxie people like his Vox captures. What's a "trip"? Go into the ToneX Global settings and navigate to "Trim In". Play hard (it doesn't register until you play) and you'll see on the right side of the screen "Low", "OK" or "HI". Turn up or down till you get an OK reading on all of your guitars.

ToneX in the HXS Loop. Send L = INSTRUMENT LEVEL Return R = LINE LEVEL Return R = INSTRUMENT LEVEL NOTE: I was incorrect. IK Support has affirmed that the Output is INSTRUMENT level. Yes, you use both loops and requires two Blocks - SEND L Dry Thru = -120db (OFF); RETURN R MIX = 100%. Use ToneX FULL captures. I like the Amalgam Audio captures. I don't use Vox anything, but Voxies seem to like the Amalgam Vox captures a lot. Set the INPUT TRIM on the ToneX so that hard playing shows "OK" with all of your guitars. CRITICAL! That's +7.5 for me - Strat, Tele, LP, PRS C24. My hottest pups are SD JB in the bridge of an Ibanez. Put the Powercab on either FRFR or LF Flat, whichever sounds better to you. Set the Output from the HXS presets to the Powercab Input so that hard playing just hits the amber on the clip indicator, but still mostly green. Be aware that if you have both the ToneX and HXS (and/or Powercab) connected via USB to your computer you could experience a high frequency noise. That's a USB ground thing. Get a Pyle PM400 Hum eliminator or equivalent, but don't spend a lot of money on it, the Pyle works fine (Amazon - $30). One side (it's stereo) goes between the HXS and ToneX (in the loop), the other between the HXS Output and Powercab Input. Some might recommend the expensive dedicated USB dongle thingies. The one I have made the problem worse.

Don't expect your existing presets to just sound right. Just like with a regular cab, they'll need to be tuned to the PC112. As for the bottom end, I traded mine for a PC212+ for that reason. However, what sounds awful at home often sounds perfect in a band context. There's a bunch of "dialing in" vids on YT, but in case you haven't seen it, this illustrates what I said about context -

Yes, if you want to use the post amp fx in the Cat vs using HXS blocks for these. In Power Amp Mode the signal bypasses the FX. When you do this you can use the Cat's 12 presets for different delay (or other FX) + reverb presets which you can load using MIDI when you load your HXS presets. It's like having the 8 blocks of the HXS + 12 x two effect satellite boards with a choice of 6 reverbs and 18 other fx. That could allow you to use certain high DSP HXS fx that you otherwise couldn't use. Very cool!

Try all three and use the one that sounds best TO YOU. I have found that, FOR ME, the full amp model without cab works best, USUALLY. When using a cab/IR in this configuration, the cab/IR functions as another type of tone control. That's all. The Cat's speaker is designed to be used with 6 different amp types. It's flatter than most guitar speakers. Try it. Try different cabs/IRs. Try different mics and mic placements. It's just a tone control. If it SOUNDS GOOD, it IS GOOD! NO RULES! Yes. Just build your preset the way you normally would. The Catalyst is just an amplification system in this configuration. However, you can save HXS preset blocks by using the Cat's post amp effects such as delay/reverb. Leave the Cat's FX Loop ON and the MODE switch in the FX Loop position. Set the Output Level (Global Settings Ins/Outs) on your HXS to INSTRUMENT (do this anyway when using the Cat's FX Return as input). Connect L/MONO OUT to the Cat's FX Return. Set whatever Cat FX you want to use to POST. These FX are now LAST in the signal chain before Reverb and the poweramp/speaker and can be controlled using MIDI. The MIDI CC#s are listed in the Pilot's guide and are assigned to FS/SS in Command Center. CC#28 bypasses the EFFECT, CC#29 bypasses the REVERB. Make sure that the Cat's MIDI Channel matches the Channel you're sending on from the HXS. The HXS "BASE" Channel is, by default, Channel 1. Unless you have a reason not to (complex MIDI chains), set the Cat to Channel 1. That's the default, so it should already be set.

Heat rises. Have you ever touched a tube that's been on for 5 minutes? It HURT, didn't it? Yet, millions of fender tube combos have played for years with a full complement of 12AX7/6L6 tubes hanging upside down with the heat rising thru the circuits. Catalyst is a solid state amp. Even if you ran it at full-tilt for 8 hours in direct 100 degree sunlight I doubt it would be affected. If you're playing at the County Fair and you're really worried, you could always get one of those cheap battery powered clip-on fans. Back in the days of yore I played bass through a 300 watt SS Peavey head. The heat sink weighed more than my Catalyst. It was a Country band and we played LOTS of County fairs. Never a hiccup. Don't worry about it. Only thing I'd do is get some kind of pad for the side you stand it on, keep it pretty!

Pages 11-12 of the Pilot's Guide lists the CC#s, pages 8-9 list the order of the VALUES. Though the PG numbers them in human-speak by "TYPE" 1-6 (page 11 column 4), the MIDI VALUES are 0-5 (page 11 column 2).

You may also need to include "WAIT" commands between messages. I tested the effect swaps using MIDI from Helix (or my FCB1010/UNO2 thru Helix) and it works fine in both cases without WAITs. I didn't test the FCB direct.

Being specific is important when asking for help. Be EXACT - make, model? Assuming that it is, in fact, PRO level, then it's essentially a mixer and you have lots of I/O available. You also have a mixer app to control it. Take the output from your audio source (computer, phone, ?) into your AI. Use the AI's mixer app to balance the levels from the audio source and the HXS. This is how I do it using my Scarlett 18i20.

You've got the FX Loop itself introducing latency, and a digital effect that adds even more latency, being mixed with the direct signal on path A. To prove that as cause, eliminate the split by moving the FX Loop to path A.

I just noticed that you're using HXFX, not HXS. MIDI info should still apply if not Global Settings.

Mini MIDI tutorial: The MIDI numbering system, for both Continuous Controllers (CC) and Program Changes (PC - patch/preset) has 128 numbers, referred to as 000-127. Continuous Controller Values likewise - 128 values numbered 000-127. Certain CC#s are "reserved" for specific functions. Bank Changes (where a device has more than 128 presets) are called using CC#000 or CC#032. ToneX Pedal can contain 150 presets. That's 128 in Bank 1 (MIDI Bank 0) and 22 presets in Bank 2 (MIDI Bank 1). A ToneX "Bank" is 3 presets. Like your HXS. In human-speak they're referred to as 00A-00B-0C (HXS 01A-01B-01C). Silly humans. In MIDI-speak they are called using: CC#000 Value 0 Program (PC#) 000 CC#000 Value 0 Program (PC#) 001 CC#000 Value 0 Program (PC#) 002 ToneX Bank 2 (MIDI Bank 1) in human-speak starts at 42C, called as: CC#000 Value 1 Program (PC#) 000 And continues 43A-43B-43C called using: CC#000 Value 1 Program (PC#) 001 CC#000 Value 1 Program (PC#) 002 CC#000 Value 1 Program (PC#) 003 49A-49B-49C are called with: CC#000 Value 1 Program 019 CC#000 Value 1 Program 020 CC#000 Value 1 Program 021 In an unusual (for IK) moment of insight into the human condition, they actually made this stuff visible in the otherwise (for some people) very confusing app. In the LIBRARIAN screen, the last column in the pedal preset info area is called "Program Change", and shows the actual MIDI required to call the human-speak presets. The first number is the MIDI Bank # (0 or 1), followed by the PC#. NOTE - the default MIDI Channel for both ToneX and HXS is Channel 1. If the two are not communicating that's the first place to look. In your HXS Global Settings>MIDI/Tempo be sure to set MIDI PC Tx to OFF in order to prevent the HXS from sending the default PC#s when you change presets. If you're using ICs they should override the defaults, but I always turn that OFF since I sometimes want to change a Helix preset without changing the ToneX preset.

Test - when you hear the "high pitched electronic noise", unplug the USB cable. Does it stop? If YES then you have a USB ground loop that you only notice when you change snapshots because there's a gain boost or frequency change happening that makes the noise more apparent. You can search for the offending USB connection or do what I do - get a Hum Eliminator to go between the LT audio outs and whatever comes next in the signal flow (speakers?). I use the Pyle PHE400 and, as I have several USB connected audio devices, I have several of them. They're $30 US at Amazon and work with both 1/4" and XLR. As to the freezing, have you re-flashed the FW? if NO, then do that using L6 Updater (make sure you have the current version), and be VERY careful to FOLLOW ALL OF THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY, including repeating the Factory Reset AFTER the FW installation is completed. If any of the above fail to solve the problems, open a support ticket.

Yes, it can stack FX, as stated above, up to four at once - NG, OD, Your choice of delay(6) OR mod(6) OR pitch(6), and Reverb(6). BUT... If you're looking for an all-in-one multifx/modeler/amp/cab that will do everything you might ever need or imagine needing to do then, no, Catalyst is not the solution. You might try looking at a Katana. I had one (two actually, Katana MKI and Artist MKII). I didn't like them, specifically, the way they sound (fx are great) and BTS, but they ARE, possibly, the ultimate all-in-one solutions. Katana doesn't sound BAD, I just preferred the Catalyst. YMMV. I opted for Catalyst100 (sounds great) and HX Stomp (great fx, grab'n'go) or Cat100 and Helix Floor (great fx, ultimate routing flexibility, studio). Both HXS and Floor also win out in ease of use, both directly on the device and with HX Edit vs BTS.

Depends how you look at it. Major effects - OD, Delay/Mod/Pitch, Reverb - one of each. Minor effects - noise gate - makes it four at once. But no, you can't have delay/mod/pitch all at once, just one at a time.

Re: Helix "Dual Cab" matching - in Preferences there's a setting - "Link Dual Cabs". It only applies when you load the first (on the left) cab, the second cab (on the right) can be set independently.

Good video! Fractal seems the most flexible/sophisticated. If money were no object... Till then Helix works well enough for my limited needs.

Spoke to Josh at L6 Support. There's no way (currently) to save user defaults in place of the factory defaults. If I get around to it I'll post this over on Ideascale, along with a request to expose all of the parameters of the effects to MIDI by assigning CC#s. Changing the factory defaults or storing user preferences might be beyond the capabilities of the Cat, but I can't see that it would be a big deal to expand the CC list. But what do I know, I have no clue about the code or the memory restrictions of the HW. FWIW - I've always used my Cat 4cm with Helix/HXS, so not an issue for me, and this might be the only real solution.