brue58ski

If you have the recent version of the Variax, you want to use the VDI. You're missing out on a lot of features if you don't.

That definitely is weird. If you're comfortable doing this, it may behoove you to reseat all of the connectors you have easy access to. Just to do something that might correct the issue. This is the first time I've heard of this. Have you fired up Workbench just to see if somehow the Golbal level got tweaked without you're knowing it. I don't know how that would happen but I guess it would be worth a shot.

Line 6 has incorperated this feature before. One product that I believe had it was the Vetta amp and the Pod at that time. The XT I believe.

I agree. Vote it up hear on ideascale. https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Ability-to-save-default-blocks/741187-23508#idea-tab-comments

Just a side note. I have a Vetta amp head that I was looking for a Line 6 FBV footcontroller pedal for. I had the small one and a friend of mine was looking for one of those but I was looking for the big one. I told him if he ever came across a full size one to buy it and I would trade him. So he finds a full size one and goes to the guys house to get it. He said the room he was led into had black light posters, a lava lamp, beads in the doorways, etc. and it turned out the guy had just gotten done touring with Iron Butterfly with his Vetta. I still have that footcontroller. I'm pretty sure his name was Charlie Marinkovich.

The incomapatibility of Phantom Power with the LT has to do with the outputs. It won't destroy your Helix, but if Phantom Power is on while you use the XLR outputs, it will sound terrible. I'm just assuming it also means it can't be good for it but if you accidentally do it, you'll be OK.

But make sure you grab all of those classic amps and guitars on the way out!

When you connect the 1/4" outputs to the RCA inputs of the speakers (via a 1/4" to RCA adapeter of course), make sure the 1/4" outputs on the Helix are set for line level output and not instrument level output. As was alluded to earlier, also make sure the main volume knob is turned all of the way down on the Helix when you first hook up. Turn up after everything is powered up. Should be good. Don't forget the equilateral triangle. Try to create one with you and the two speakers as the three corners of the triangle as much as possible. Not critical though.

That's what I was thinking. I think that would work great.

One more, yes it is true. Do NOT have both things plugged in at the same time.

The presets themselves could be corrupted. It's not really common but not that unusual either.

One of the, if not the, best sounding concerts I saw was Pink Floyd. The Momentary Lapse Of Reason tour. It was in Seattle at the now replaced Kingdome stadium. This place was notorious for absolutely hideous sound. Basically a huge concrete upside down bowl. Insanely reflective. I knew Pink Floyd had a reputation for being anal about their sound but to make one of the worst places for a concert sound the best I've ever heard was an amazing feat to me. Spent the first 1/2 on the 200 level in the stands. The second 1/2 after intermission on the floor (there were 8 doors and only one guy trying to check tickets at one floor entrance after the intermission. Of course we were going to try and get on the floor and we did. Was that wrong? Yeah, I guess it was. I feel terrible. The poor guy). It was perfect (and I mean perfect) sound in each location. It proved to me, any place can sound good with the right equipment ($$$$$) and spending enough time to set it up right. They had to have all of the state of the art, phase adjusting, speaker timing and whatever other sophisticated sound reinforcement equipment there was available at the time as well as draggin' along the people that knew how to use it and letting them take the time, to get that place to sound that good.

I think this speaks to the subject and speaks to Rush. I saw Rush on the Presto tour in a sports arena and they had four speaker arrays hanging over each quadrant of the floor. Where the four faceoff spots would be on a hockey rink. I don't know how it was all mixed; quad or stereo. I had heard it was a quad mix which would have been great if you were in the middle of the floor, but we were on the 200 level (middle) of the stands in a corner of the arena. It sounded terrible. Worst sounding concert I've ever been to. I mean it, the worst. You could not even make out many of the songs. The next Rush concert I saw didn't have that anymore. Any kind of spatial audio requires sitting in the right areas to get the full effect of it. Sadly, the Rush concert days are gone.

Try all the Vox amps if you haven't yet for the crunch.

Well I am able to run it and not be connected to the internet. I'm using a VST player called VST Host, Sonar X3 DAW and this is on a computer running Windows 7. When I get home I'll try it on my Windows 10 computer.

I have gotten several Variax's starting with the original technology to the current tech. Given how much I have spent on them and my recent Varaix 89F purchase, it would be nice if they would make the next one retroactive. i.e. make it so I can just swap out a board or two with my current Variax. If a Varaix with better tech comes out, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get it if I can't just stick it in my current Variax. I'm gonna have a hard time justifying that kind of purchase again.

Oh wait. Not sure about installing. You definitely have to download it from somewhere so obviously you have to be connected somehow to get it. I'm going to guess you do have to register it in some way online before you can use it. Once it's installed, I have run it offline. Just not sure about the install procedure. But, again, I'm pretty sure you have to be online to install it. I'm old and foggy. I don't quite remember.

Yes

You cannot use it a standalone program/app. It is a VST plugin so it's meant to be used in a DAW. There are free programs out there that will run VST plugins alone but none of them (that I tried) were very user friendly. Here's one that I haven't tried that looks promising. https://www.cantabilesoftware.com/free-vst-host

Yes, you would select insturment/Line/Mic levels for the outputs in Global Settings. In fact each Effects Send/Return can be individually set to Instrument or Line.

Just look at the screen. There are two paths. And each path can be then split into two stereo paths. So one main path would be the piezos The other the mags. Just click on the far left icon and the input parameters should come up. I'm not at home so I can't confirm this. One thing you can do with the Helix is use the FX sends as outputs. Assuming the dry is just the guitar and amp, you could create a split point just after the amp but before the effects. That can be your dry signal. You would then put an effects send block at the beginning of your path after the split point. That's your dry signal that you would get from the effects send 1/4" output. You then would get your wet signal from the two outputs, the 1/4" and the XLR. The slight issue with this is only two outputs (one stereo path) would be XLR. All of the others would be 1/4". So the FOH mixer would have to be able to do both. I think most do. FYI All of the 1/4" outs (1/4" outputs and Effects Sends) can be set to Instrument or Line. The XLR outputs can be set to Mic or Line. I am confident this can be done to your specs.

I think I know what you want. The first thing is forget the TRS going into the Helix. You will have to split it before the Helix and then put the piezo into the Aux In and the Mags into the Guitar In. Everything else as far as I can tell is possible. I think you're going to have to be creative with your panning and outputs but, just looking at it, I have some ideas. Do you want the piezo out to the FOH to be stereo (L/R) as well?

Well that's all fine and everything but when are they gonna fix the tuner? I mean c'mon, it's been....ow...hey stop hitti.....ooooof.......SMAK. SMAK... Sorry about that folks. We'll be having no more outbursts from this guy anymore.

I'm pretty sure this won't allay your facist paranoia but here's what I do know. The Line 6 engineers are working on things. When they are done working on them they give them to us. They aren't having a smoke laughing at the fools that purchased their product because it's so much fun to hold things back and watch people squirm. They work on it. They finish their work. Then they present it. Should they whip them more so they work faster? Perhaps yell louder at them. I know, how about a nasty post in one of their forums. That'll make them think and program and test faster. I mean what is it do you think they're not doing to get the stuff out? Better yet, what brilliant way do you have of working and programming that will get them to work faster? The whole programming world would want to know that. Is it that they don't work on what you want them to? Hey, shoot Yamaha an email. I'm sure they'll be open to any input you have to get your needs promptly met. You said you were a music teacher? Boy, please let me know where so I can NOT send anyone I know that want's to learn music to you. If you are a music teacher, and I doubt it, you must still have to live with your parents.

Line 6 doesn't have to. The OP tenorkeith did it for them.