rd2rk

Answered in your other post.

Don't remember which update fixed it, but the way it works now is that if you set it to FIRST ACTIVE it sets the Input Impedance to the impedance of the FIRST ACTIVE effect, not the first effect. An effect like the Tube Screamer loads the pickups at <1M (varies with the specific TS or clone) and that attenuates the high frequencies from the pickups. This is why many fuzz pedals (such as the Fuzz Face) sound great with single coils but muddy with humbuckers.

Edit works because your tablet (in my case my iPhone) IS a Host. I don't use recording SW on my phone so I can't help you there, but someone MIGHT be able to help with your recording/multi-tasking problem IF we knew the details of the tablet in question. I tried Audacity once. thought it was crap. Get Reaper. FREE until you realize that it's a GREAT DAW and someone deserves to be paid for all the hard work they put into it. Then it's (currently) $60 for a lifetime license. EDIT: Reaper also has the most and best online tutorials and an active and helpful community.

As long as the model you choose has the USB Host function it should work. The Katana50 is similar to the Cat60 in that it does not have MIDI DIN connectors, and they have a model made for the Kat50 so I would say so. I would NOT (despite what some internet geek/wizards might say) depend on Bluetooth for ANYTHING! I have the Xsonic Airstep BW for use with my Waza Air Headphones, and it disconnects constantly. That's in the living room of my 1 bedroom apartment! Annoying and creativity inhibiting, to say the least!

When I'm making bulk changes, experimenting with complex CommandCenter configurations or performing file system operations I use HX Edit. When I'm playing and need to change this or that or set up a simple preset on-the-fly I use the HX UI. It's good to be comfortable with the UI because when you're out jamming or at a gig you won't have the crutch of HX Edit.

Ask yourself - do I need every amp under the sun, or will the following six amps fill the bill: Clean - Fendery, edge of breakup when you crank the gain Boutique - nice almost clean, more gain on tap than the Clean Chime - Like the Clean, but Voxy Crunch - I liken this to a JTM45 Marshally sound Dynamic - truly it's own thing, my favorite alongside Boutique. More gain, edge of Metal High Gain - Very gainy, but if you're a death metal dude, it doesn't chug enough for you If that'll get it for you, on to FX. I have a Helix and an HXS. In 4cm it's a natural pairing with either of these OR an HXFX if you don't need the amps. TBH - to save some money you could probably get great sounds out of this with one of the older L6 FX units like the M5 or M13. That's a consideration, as you're getting close to your budget and you'll want a decent MIDI box. BUT - see below. The 12 preset slots are accessed using MIDI Program Change messages. The way I use my Cat100 is to have the LFS2 control the A/B Channel switching (does that by default) and the BOOST. I always have at least some Room Reverb on so I just leave that ON and use Channel B as a LEAD Channel with Delay or whatever. I use Helix/HXS for the rest. I have a switch that activates a different Reverb on the Helix while deactivating the Catalyst Reverb. Same can be done with the Delay if desired, but it gets complicated when using Snapshots. I use Snapshots to switch the Banks. Using it this way I don't need a separate MIDI box. If you get an HXFX you're limited to 9 FX blocks minus the FX Loop Block if using 4cm, so practically speaking 8 FX. The 2 FX in the Catalyst give you potentially 10 FX, more than I usually need. There's a lot you can do with MIDI and CommandCenter, so it's possible that you won't really need a MIDI Box if you use HX Snapshots to switch the Cat's Banks/Channels, and the extra buttons on the HXFX and HXSXL add a lot of options. SUMMARY - Look for a good deal on an HXFX if you don't need all the amps, otherwise get an HXSXL. You'll also probably want a WAH or, depending on the FX box you get, at least an expression pedal. I use a Mission Engineering Line6 pedal with a toe switch with my HXS, but it doesn't work (the toe switch) with the HXFX. If I had an HXFX I'd get a real WAH. As to the PodGo. Helix sounded great when I got it in 2016. Every year it's gotten better. The PodGo is the sonic equivalent of Helix up to v3.0. In v3.1 they improved the oversampling and, while I couldn't really define the improvement that made, all I can say is that it made Helix much mo' betta! Some folks can't tell the difference and many people perform with the PodGo. The audience can't tell the difference. Considering the sonic improvements and what the HXFX/HXSXL add in terms of the MIDI capabilities, I would not get the PodGo for use with the Catalyst. Hope that helps!

No, it retains the currently installed FW.

Are you on the lates FW (3.15)? If not, update. Perform a Factory reset (backup custom presets first). If that doesn't fix it, contact support.

Yes, you need the app to adjust deep amp parameters (sag, bias) and FX parameters. Sooner or later, everything that connects to a computer will be obsolete (including humans). When the day comes that the app won't run on anything I'm pretty sure that the Annualized ROI will still show it to have been a great deal. And it'll still be worth more than the chemical contents of my discarded meat sack.

I'll try to provide some basic advice and usage hints, on one condition. When you reply, DO NOT mention your Fender Mustang unless it's to say "I sold the Catalyst and kept the Mustang". I really don't care and don't want to hear it. So, my first piece of advice is to sell the Catalyst and keep the Mustang. You seem to like it a lot, why not go with what you know? If you want to keep the Cat, and you bought it at a store with a proper return policy, take it back and swap it for a Cat100. You'll see why below. Assuming you've decided to keep the Cat, here goes: Start on Bank 1, Channel A. See Page 8 of the Pilot's Guide. DL it if you don't have the hard copy. Once you've done that, start by pressing the MANUAL button. Use the Amp Selector Knob to select an amp. Turn GAIN OFF (full counterclockwise). Turn all of the Tone knobs to noon EXCEPT Presence. Turn Presence OFF for now. Effects and Reverb OFF. Set Wattage at .5 watts, Channel and Master at noon. While strumming, slowly turn up the gain to a pleasing level. Starting with BASS, while strumming sweep each tone knob end to end and back, noting what they do and stopping when it sounds nice. The tone knobs are somewhat interactive, so note also how they interact. Certain tone changes, especially around the midrange, can affect the GAIN, so keep that in mind as another potential interaction. When the amp sounds nice, press and hold the Channel A button until the LEDs start blinking. Now press and hold the Channel B button until the LEDs start blinking. Switch to Bank 2 Channel A. Repeat the above process with a different amp. When you reach Bank 6 you'll have 6 2-channel amps, each with both channels set identically. Now, grab a beverage, sit down in your recliner and READ THE PILOT'S GUIDE! Pay special attention to the Catalyst edit section. While you can select FX/Reverbs from the panel, you can't set their parameters from there. The whole process of dealing with the FX/Reverbs is SO much easier from the Edit Screen. Overwhelming? IT'S ONE SCREEN with a couple of dropdowns! As to the footswitch and two FX limitation. This is not a modeling amp in the same way as the Mustang, L6 Spider or Peavey Vyper. Your two button FS controls the Channel and either the FX ON/OFF or BOOST ON/OFF. If you use it for BOOST you can set the B Channel to have the FX ON, and thus mimic an FX ON/OFF Switch. ITRW, the second channel of a two channel amp is usually the LEAD CHANNEL. Think of it that way. Also, if you MUST have more FX available at all times, you can put OD/DIST/FUZZ pedals between the guitar and amp, and you can put Mods/Delays/Reverbs either before or after the amp in the FX Loop. NOTE: The FX Loop is NOT between the pre and power sections in the same way as a traditional amp. The power amp of the catalyst is more like taking a line to a PA. FX placed in the Cat's FX loop function more like Rack FX in a studio. While I'm sure that somebody has done it, it's rare that someone would put a FUZZ in a Rack in the studio! Keep in mind that you don't HAVE to use all 6 amps. You might only use a CLEAN, a CRUNCH and a HIGH GAIN amp, but use two or 3 Banks for each, with different settings and FX in each Bank. Once you've become familiar with the amps through the above suggested procedures you'll be able to narrow it down to your favorites. For instance, I mostly use the Boutique, Crunch and Dynamic amps. Which brings us to the question of switching Banks. You either do it manually from the panel (not practical in performance), or you get a MIDI FS. The MIDI knowledge required here is neither VooDoo nor Rocket Science, but MIDI switchers are an extra expense. It doesn't sound like you're ready to jump into a gigging band just yet, so worry about it later. For now just consider what I said above about swapping your Cat60 for a Cat100. You can't just plug a MIDI controller into the Cat60 without being tethered to a computer like you can with the Cat100, and the external host box required to use MIDI with the Cat 60 away from a computer costs about the same as the upcharge to a Cat100. Earlier in this thread I posted a couple of summaries of what's NOT in the Pilot's Guide. You can also find a lot of info here: VGuitar Forums - Index Posted by Elantric, who also posts in the Digital and Modeling Forum on The Gear Page. I've given you a lot of homework to do. Do it and you'll be happy with your Catalyst. Or not. But at least you'll know why, and you'll have learned a lot in the process.

If you want to try it, you can use a DAW or a decent MIDI Monitor to route MIDI from Helix to your Cat60 through your computer.

Factory reset usually cures this sort of thing.

The Cat's Channel Level controls the output level of the Channel to both the XLR and Master (Master does not affect XLR Output). Using the High-Gain Channel with the Channel Level dimed does not overload the Input on my 2nd gen Scarlett set to 0db (Unity). The Cat's XLR Out is fixed at LINE Level. Maybe your SSL's Input level is set wrong?

What does it sound like when you use a stock Cab or Amp+Cab? You know not to use those WITH IRs, right?

There's no Global Gate.

The PC+ series has 5 modes: Flat Stereo - in this mode the HF Drivers (tweeters) are active and the LF Drivers are EQ'd to be as FLAT as possible. Use this when you have an HXS Cab or IR in the HXS Signal chain. You can sometimes get a more AITR sound by using MIDI to adjust the HF TRIM setting (HF Driver volume). LF Flat - in this mode the HF Drivers are OFF and the LF Drivers are EQ'd to be as FLAT as possible. LF Raw - in this mode the HF Drivers are OFF and the LF Drivers are not EQ'd - the natural sound of the Eminence speakers and the most AITR. Speaker Emulation - in this mode the HF Drivers are OFF and the LF Drivers are EQ'd to sound like the selected speakers - V30, GB etc. - second most AITR. EDIT: From the manual - SPEAKER MODE PARAMETERS Intended to respond like a real guitar speaker for a traditional "amp-in-the-room" experience. This mode applies different tonal characteristics of the selected speaker model to the system's coaxial driver, with the following adjustable parameters. IOW - What makes a Speaker Mode sound like the speaker is the EQ applied TO THE COAXIAL (HF) Driver, NOT the LF Driver as I previously thought. END EDIT USER IR - this is the same as FLAT STEREO but uses IRs loaded on the PC+ itself. You can (and should) select the desired mode using MIDI, which you can also use to select the Speaker Emulation Type or USER IR. RTM!!! You weren't clear on how you are doing this, but you should not be using the HXS Volume Knob for this. SOP (IMO) is to leave this dimed, especially when using the PC+ XLR Outs to go to FOH. The PC+ Volume Knob does NOT affect the XLR Outs, but the HXS Output level DOES. This is why you level your presets with the PC+ Input Level LED, so you ALWAYS have the same level out to FOH. Use the Channel Level on the HXS Amp models and downstream Cab Levels or Output Block Level parameter to set the PC+ Input Level. Since SOME FX that would typically be downstream of the Amp Block can be affected by the level they're hit with, start with them all OFF and once your PC+ Input Level is set add them back in and see how they sound, remaining aware of how they affect the PC+ Input Level and using their Output Levels to adjust as necessary. Regarding the LED - if it's EVER in the red it should only be for the briefest of moments. When the signal is amber (yellow?) you have achieved optimum input level. Yes. Use the Factory Presets to see how different amps and FX sound in various combinations, but you'll go crazy trying to make them work as "working" presets. If you find something you like you can use it as a starting point with the above points in mind, but that's not what the designers were thinking about when they created them. Learn to create your own presets as soon as you can. I'm not really sure what you mean by this. The PC+ comes stock with a small selection of "Allure" IRs. There's hundreds of FREE IRs available on the internet and tens of millions more are available for sale. Metalheads seem to prefer Ownhammer and York Audio are very popular for more general styles (what I prefer). Start by finding out what speakers and cabs the Amp Model you're using originally came with and select an IR accordingly, but keep in mind that unless you're looking for "authenticity", the sound in your head could turn out to be a really strange match - a Fender twin with an Orange PPC412 for instance. Experimentation is FUN and often the source of the most creative, innovative sounds. Link Wray got his sound by taking a razor blade to his speakers! Much of what I've said above comes from my own experience, but much of it comes from the dozens of excellent videos that Jason Sadites has made about using the Helix products and the Powercabs. Check out his videos on his YT Channel, especially the ones on GAIN STAGING. Priceless (and FREE)! Last thought - the PC Edit program sucks. It's buggy as hell and a PITA to use. Get used to using the panel for everything but IR loading and preset management.

Navigating the convolutions of CommandCenter, I've come up with the attached solution. It's rather expensive in terms of resources used - 4 Snapshots and 4 ICs - but it allows you to be in either clean or crunch mode and toggle the HXFX snapshot so that the Octaver (or whatever) is ON or OFF in either mode. By studying the CommandCenter IC settings the basic principles should become apparent. You MIGHT be able to come up with a more efficient solution for your specific needs once the principles are understood. For instance, I used a separate Snapshot to toggle the HXFX Snapshots depending upon the Helix Mode (Clean/Crunch) because I tied the DRIVE parameter of the amp to Snapshots. Using OD/Distortion FX with simple Bypass MIGHT allow you to simplify it, but I opted for simplicity and flexibility as I'm not privvy to your specific needs and the solution could vary with different preset configurations. As @DunedinDragonsaid, the more complex your needs are, the more likely it is that you'll need a more advance MIDI Controller. Understanding the PRINCIPLES is what matters with Helix. HXFX Snapshot 1 is FX OFF, Snapshot 2 is FX ON. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you employ a MIDI MONITOR to observe EXACTLY what is happening. Global Settings: MIDI - MIDI PC SEND = OFF Preferences - Snapshot Reselect = RELOAD I did this using Native in place of an HXFX but it should work fine. nbiglin.hlx

Try adding a "WAIT TIME". Added in v3.10 Instant Command Wait Time Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL On the Command Center page, Instant commands (lightning bolt icon) have a new "Wait Time" parameter, letting you delay certain events by up to 1000ms. This is to help Helix/HX control older MIDI gear that may behave incorrectly when receiving multiple commands very close together. Unless you specifically need to delay a message, leave this set to "0 ms."

If you think about it, many of us PAY (the price of complicated modelers) to be promoted to our highest level of incompetence! :-P

My theory: Middle managers are appointed by upper managers, who are in turn appointed by Vice Presidents. The average life expectancy of a VP is one fiscal year. They appoint incompetents to protect their positions, and they in turn promote incompetents to protect theirs. And so it goes. There's also "The Peter Principle" - promotion to one's highest level of incompetence. So true!

IDK - your preset sounds fine even without all the trickery, the length of sustain is about on par with any of my hi-gain presets. Just for kicks I loaded up some hi-gain profiles in ToneX and THU and it seems to me that if anything, Helix sustains longer, but here's the main thing I noticed. The "bend and hold and sustain forever" technique is not something I do a lot. I messed around with it on 3 guitars, the Squier I mentioned, my PRS Custom 24 and my Ibanez ARX140 with a JB in the bridge. Different notes sustain longer, but it was pretty uniform across all 3 guitars and regardless of whether I used Helix or profiles (through my PC212+) or my Catalyst100 on the hi-gain channel. Different notes sustain longer, and my technique has more to do with it than the actual amps or gain levels. At volume, positioning the guitar so that it was on the edge of feedback made it SEEM like the notes were "sustaining" forever. I always thought Satriani's sustain technique was magic, turns out he uses a Sustainiac pickup! Sorry I couldn't be more help, maybe someone else can school us both!

How long are you expecting a note to sustain? When I read this I just happened to be playing my weakest HB guitar, a 2020 Squier Affinity HSS Strat, through the Uberschall, no boosts, no IR, gain and master up a bit, straight into my PC212+. Notes on the B and E strings above the 12th fret (D,E,G,A) give me at least 5 seconds before starting to decay. I'd say start by looking at your compressor settings. Attach a sample preset and I (probably others too) will have a look at it.

MIDI CC#1 does indeed emulate Exp Pedal 1 WHEN TRANSMITTED ON THE HELIX BASE CHANNEL - Channel 1 by default. If you change the BASE CHANNEL to something other than CH1 or set the pedal to transmit on another channel and tell your synth to listen on that channel, that will solve your problem.

Is the jack configured properly in Global Settings>Preferences? 1 Pedal 1 Jack Determines whether the rear panel PEDAL/EXT AMP 1 jack acts as an additional expression pedal input (EXP 1) or as a dual amp control output for switching channels on external guitar amplifiers (EXT AMP 1 tip and/or sleeve). 2 Pedal 2 Jack Determines whether the rear panel PEDAL/EXT AMP 2 jack acts as an additional expression pedal input (EXP 2) or as a dual amp control output for switching channels on external guitar amplifiers (EXT AMP 2 tip and/or sleeve).

No. You're using two FX LOOPS. all you need is a single FX LOOP L Block with the X3's OUT returning to the HXS RETURN L. IOW, you're wasting a Block and an entire FX LOOP unnecessarily. In previous threads I've explained how you can use that other FX LOOP for 4cm, which you once desired to do. I sometimes use FX SEND L and FX RETURN R for 4cm to reduce noise from an amp's FX Loop, but there's no reason to do that with a simple pedal. Unless, of course, that pedal has a noisy FX LOOP, but most don't.