rd2rk

While the explanation is a bit confusing, I do see what you're talking about. This is a strange is bug/not bug situation. If I'm understanding correctly, your goal is to be able to switch channels within any Snapshot from Stomp Mode, regardless of the Channel selected by the Snapshot, then have the next SS selected select the status as saved in the SS? The NOT BUG part is that Helix family CommandCenter remembers the LAST MESSAGE SENT. If you do something that sends that same message, the message is not actually re-sent. If this were a TOGGLING type message, it would work as you desire, but it's not. It simply tells a function in the HXFX CODE to OPEN or CLOSE a circuit. It does NOT directly OPEN or CLOSE the circuit. If the circuit is already OPEN, the CODE knows that the message has already been sent, so nothing happens if you tell it to OPEN again. The IS BUG part is that the FS changes even though the message is not being sent. Preferably, that would not happen, but there may be other reasons why it works that way. We MIGHT be able to work around this and make the IS BUG work in our favor. Please specify the EXACT models of the amps being used so that I can see how their FS/Channel switching works. Hopefully their manuals will be better written than most, and actually provide some useful info.

Not the cheapest one you can find.

Google is your friend. MIDI Basics :: MIDIWORLD.COM https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/midi-basics-part-1#:~:text=that you need.-,What Is MIDI%3F,(Musical Instrument Digital Interface). The Complete Beginner’s Guide to MIDI Basics — Pro Audio Files (theproaudiofiles.com) There's dozens (hundreds?) more. For the text challenged there's also lots of poorly done YT Videos. Once you've grasped the basics, look in your device's manual to find out how to apply what you've learned.

Attach the actual preset so we can troubleshoot it.

Demo preset attached. Check the Panning on the Mix Block. Take the L out to one and the R out to the other. Mettec01.hlx

MIDI is your friend. The device needs to be able, at the very least, to send Toggling CC messages. Check out Morningstar (MC3) and Disaster Area (MIDI Baby) for small devices to handle the job.

That -12db is ONLY a levelling tool. 85-95db allows your ears to hear all frequencies <> evenly (I hope you googled Fletcher-Munson). Next step is rehearsal to see how your presets fit in the context of the whole band. THEN comes the gig...

-12db is a good recording level. Trying for that is a good goal for live presets, keeping in mind that your final Output level will be set at the Poweramp/Speaker, not saved with the preset. Configuring the SOUND of the preset (your TONE) should be done at 85-95db (again, Fletcher-Munson) in a room that approximates where you'll be playing or at least tested in the context of the entire band. You'll always have to tweak at the venue, that's inevitable, but that'll get you in the ballpark.

Music streaming from a Windows PC with Helix selected as Playback Device in the Sound Panel enters Helix over USB 1/2 at the Output, bypassing the entire signal chain. To prove this, just place a radical effect in the signal chain and stream music w/o playing over it. The only way that streaming music can be affected by the signal chain is if you connect a streaming device to a physical input or specifically route it over USB to a Helix Input Block with FX in its Path using a DAW with Helix set as the DAW's ASIO Device. IOW - by design, it's not something that can happen accidentally or through a wrong Global setting. EDIT - seems @datacommandobeat me to it, but there ya go, confirmation from the silly manual.

Yes. An amp sim into a real amp or, worse yet, an amp+cab into a combo, is definitely not best practice. Also not best practice is creating presets at low volume. Google "Fletcher-Munson".

You won't because the Cab/speaker emulations are ONLY active on the XLR and USB 1/2 Outs. The MODE switch is irrelevant. Connect your Cat to a mixer and/or monitors via XLR. Turn the Cat's Master volume OFF (or use the MUTE setting on the attenuator switch). Open the app and swap cabs and/or mics. NOW do you hear a difference?

Just to be clear, the "speaker emulation" is ONLY active on the XLR and USB 1/2 outs. USB 3/4 is DI, so I THINK there's no speaker emulation there. There're 3 cab sims - 1x12,2x12 and 4x12. Each can be used with a large number of different mic simulations (one at a time). The cab/mic configurations are saved with the channel settings, so up to 12 configurations at a time are possible. They can be changed on-the-fly via MIDI (USB HOST required for Cat60). I do not think that these are actually IRs, they're just generic EQ curves like the Powercab speaker emulations use. AFAIK, the only difference between the Cat60/100/200 apart from the obvious power/speaker/physical cab size is the lack of HW MIDI and stereo HP Out. If you think it sounds "boxy" it could be that: a) the cab is physically smaller b) it's a guitar speaker and, even though it seems to have a wider/flatter frequency range than most, it's still not intended to be used with IRs c) you need to try a different IR

And yet, my system and startup sequence violates all of the above. I have two hubs and over a dozen USB devices connected. Some devices have 10' USB Cable extensions (Amazon Basics!). The only real rule I follow is to not have Helix (or anything that requires FW updates) connected to a hub when updating. And using a Power Scheme that ensures nothing ever enters "Sleep Mode", especially the USB ports/hubs. I also use HW Hum Eliminators at various points in the system to eliminate USB Ground loops. All my power for everything comes from one electrical circuit with a quality AVR UPS. I'm constantly changing my studio configuration. From time to time Windows scrambles it's USB Port assignments. The only cure I've found for that is to delete everything USB and reboot. I rarely turn off the system, only when I'm out of town or during a severe storm when the power is up and down. When I come home or the storm is over I power up the computer first and anything with a speaker last. With Windows, every system is different, and the current spate of Windows 11 problems have to do with new security features. I'll stay on Windows 10 until the demands of my system mandate that I upgrade the HW!

Search the forum for Windows 11. Read 'em and weep.

Yes.

That's a little more revealing. What DAW are you using? In most DAWs you need a track with Input set to USB 3/4 for Audio, and a separate track set to MIDI and the proper MIDI Channel. You then route the MIDI from that track to the Native track. Be aware that unless you're using Logic you won't be able to change presets using PC messages. Here's what it looks like in Reaper:

I think you may have nailed it. When you only need a few sounds for what you do in the studio or need to have a million possibilities available on demand to get a perfect fit in any mix for any client, captures/profiles/tone models and IRs might be the way to go. Especially if the client has deep pockets ;-) Live, when ITRW you might just turn around to your amp and tweak the Presence or some other tone stack setting, bending down to do it on whatever Helix amp you're using for that song might be the way to go. Sure, I can make gain/eq adjustments on my ToneX pedal, but it isn't really the same. IF L6 gets into this area, I hope that what they do is come up with a way to treat captures like the new cabs - a dial that can morph slowly between several captures to get those in-between tones. I think KPA has something like this, but maybe L6 can do it better?

When there's nothing in the physical FX Loop the switch is irrelevent. The signal passes through the entire chain from Input to Poweramp/speakers. When there's something in the physical FX Loop the switch determines whether or not the signal passes through the physical FX Loop and Cat POST FX or goes straight to the Poweramp/speakers, bypassing any Cat POST FX and applying a 6db cut to allow headroom for external FX processors. The Cab Emulation (IR?) is always ON. What "functionality" is it that you think is not being used? .

As @datacommandosuggested, please attach the actual preset so we can see what's going on.

Now that I've watched the entire video I'll comment on my first impressions of the whole unit. NICE! I especially like the "Practice Tool" and the very visual Looper vs the very minimal and difficult to use (for me at least) Helix looper. I could be won over to the touch screen. The general user-friendliness of the whole UI is impressive! The tones themselves sound OK but of course that's something, along with "feel" and "responsiveness", that requires hands-and-ears-on time to properly evaluate. The capturing process was impressive. When I first got ToneX I made captures of the 6 amps in my Catalyst (my only physical amp). When I FINALLY figured out how to hook it all up I was VERY impressed that the captures were indistinguishable from the originals. The very well done instructions for the Prime's capture process, combined with the entire process being done ITB vs ToneX's reliance on a computer with a specific GPU for reasonable capture times places this several steps above ToneX and, if my needs included capturing the 300 classic tube amps that I wish I had in my warehouse sized music room I'd be regretting the ToneX purchase. Looking forward to the comments from the bleeding edge adopters who will no doubt soon be flooding TGP with their astute(?) observations...

I've been using ToneX for a while now (SW and Pedal), with stock (ToneX MAX) and 3rd Party (Amalgam and Jason Sadites) tone models. It's nice being able to try amps that I'll never even see ITRW, even if they are restricted to what somebody else thinks sounds good. Some of them really do sound good. I have a Helix preset configured so that I can use Snapshots to quickly switch between Helix/Catalyst/ToneX for comparisons. Bottom line - the "Golden Ears" crowd can rave all day about how "night and day" superior "captures" are vs "models", and the "I've been playing tube amps for 700 years" bunch can yammer on and on about the "vastly superior feel and responsiveness" of captures vs models. My evaluation thus far is that ToneX is a nice toy and fun to use, and as the community gets better at making captures it will continue to improve in usefulness, but the excessive hype is just that. The main thing it succeeds in doing is expanding the "which of my 10,000 IRs is PERFECT for THIS tone" rabbit hole into "which of my 10,000 IRs and 10,000 Amp Captures is PERFECT for THIS tone" rabbit hole. My Helix ain't going nowhere. Zappa was right. Gracie too. "And if you go chasing rabbits and you know you're going to fall Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar has given you the call He called Alice when she was just small..."

Are you using the desktop version or the mobile version of Tonex? If you're using the mobile version then you'll need to get a copy of the AUM recording SW to use the Cat as AI with ToneX. If you're using the desktop version, then when you select the Cat as your ASIO Driver the drop-downs will show all of the I/O options.

The Cat's USB 1/2 outputs are processed, USB 3/4 are not (DI). As to the ITB outputs, USB 1/2 is returned to the Cat's poweramp, bypassing the Cat's internal fx. USB 3/4 returns to the beginning of the Cat's signal chain. If you want the pure amp sim, use inputs 3/4 as inputs to your DAW/Amp Sims and outputs 1/2 back to the Cat. If you want to use ITB fx before the Cat's signal chain, use inputs 3/4 and outputs 3/4. The above applies to both DAW Pluginsand standalone ITB amp sims/fx.

Works for me!

That sucks. If it's any consolation, depending on where in the outback you are, the nearest competent tube amp tech is probably next door to the L6 Repair Station... :-(