cruisinon2

Then you're sh!t out of luck, as they say ;). Like it or not, they chose to model a couple of dozen widely acknowledged "classic" instruments and pickup types...but I'm sorry to say that list does not include a "beast lord", whatever that may be, lol. The list of guitars and pickups out there in the world is of Biblical length at this point. They can't model everything under the sun...it is what it is. It's also worth noting that the current Variax platform (JTV, Standard, and Shuriken) is just shy of 10 years old now...yes, the Shuriken is a newer form factor, but aside from some different factory-provided alt tunings, the modeling is the same as all the others. The first ones debuted in 2011...don't hold your breath for anything new getting added. There hasn't been a firmware update for anything other that bug fixes since ~2014... they're obviously not developing the current iterations anymore. One would assume that there will eventually be a new Variax generation, unless the powers that be decide there's not enough money in it. Who knows....

I doesn't.

This is really your only viable option... any patch(es) that you create on that playback system will sound completely different through any other FRFR speakers out there in the world...it'll make taking your Helix anywhere else (gigs, rehearsals, or just jamming with a friend through a different setup) more or less impossible without significant editing to every patch. A decent pair of studio monitors can be had for as little as $200/ pair, and will solve many of the issues you're having.

If the problem is really ONLY happening when connected through a 1/4", but you can toggle the modeling on or off with the knob...as opposed to sending the guitar remote commands via the VDI...then something else is going on. A mechanical issue that prevents the knob from engaging the switch properly, will manifest itself no matter which output you're using. Now it might be intermittent, as mechanical problems often are...but if it's occurring solely with one output but not the other, then you have a problem somewhere else. The knob itself is either the root cause, or it's not.

The interface is not your problem, and it's highly unlikely that there's anything wrong with your Helix. You are experiencing the same growing pains that we all did when transitioning from "real" amps and cabinets. Using cab and mic sims into any sort of FRFR speaker or headphones, and running through a real amp and cabinet with no cab simulation are two entirely different worlds. Modelers are not guitar amps...setting all the tone controls at noon and letting it rip isn't gonna work. Successfully dialing in tones that you like requires you to think like a recording engineer, not a guitar player... because what you're emulating is exactly what you'd have in a recording studio: a mic-ed amp in another room, heard through studio monitors in the control room. The solution is learning what EQ you need to apply to get the results you want... and what works for me won't necessarily work for you. The guitar, pickups, chosen means of amplification, the acoustic environment, and especially the volume at which you're listening all contribute to your sound... the same patch played at a comfy living room volume will sound VASTLY different when cranked to window rattling levels. This cannot be stated enough...it's universal, and there's no escaping it. You must create your patches at the volume at which you intend to use them. YouTube tutorials are a good place to start (I recommend Jason Sadites' channel), as are discussions on forums like this one (there are enough of these threads here to keep you reading for the next 2 years), but they're only useful for understanding the process of creating your sounds. Copying someone else's individual settings verbatim guarantees nothing but more frustration, because in most cases you will NOT get the same result that you're hearing in the video... they're are simply too many other variables beyond what's going on inside Helix. Ultimately you have to experiment yourself to find your own "secret sauce". There's no shortcut... mic choice is especially critical. You'll find that you'll get night and day differences just from choosing another mic model, pwithout touching so much as one other parameter.

Yes and no...see reply above. Helix pitch shifting is not polyphonic. You can pitch shift single notes, not multiple notes simultaneously, so trying to drop the entire guitar a half-step currently requires an external device capable of polyphonic shifting, such as the one you mentioned.

No... the old firmware is gone, and it ain't coming back. Like it or not, the chosen "fix" for the overheating battery battery issue is limiting charging capacity across the board. It is what it is.

Minus a Variax, the only solution is a polyphonic pitch shifter like the Digitech Drop. As you've already discovered, Helix's pitch shifting algorithms are not polyphonic and cannot reliably shift more than one note at a time, which makes them useless for chords. They are intended for creating harmony parts for single-note lines.

The reply above will help, but you no longer need L6 Updater anyway. You can now update Helix firmware directly through the latest version of HX Edit.

Who knows, man...I have no trouble getting exactly what I want from this device, but other guys' patches are 100% useless to me. Factory presets, free Customtone stuff, even some of the oft- praised paid ones that I bought just out of curiosity. All garbage without significant editing. Maybe it's me...

Believe me, you're not missing anything. As wonderful as Helix is...I'll be diplomatic... the factory presets are somewhat less than inspirational. Oh the hell with it, all factory presets suck. It's the nature of the beast. ;)

Copying and pasting stuff is convenient, but sometimes unreliable, it seems. I used to copy and paste entire patches all the time to edit one and A/B with the original, etc etc... but apparently if you do it enough, make copies of copies, or with certain combinations of blocks, weird things can happen. I've noticed that some FX will behave erratically in certain configurations with a copied patch, or if you edit the copy in certain ways, some stuff might not work properly. The original patches generally continue to sound fine, as do identical patches that I've re-created manually block by block. It takes longer, but there's less chance of a hassel down the line.

Start shopping elsewhere...I guess L6 doesn't want to sell you stuff anymore...;)

Helix is wonderful. Customtone is not. When the only common denominator is the patch, and absolutely everything else is different and/or a complete unknown...the player/playing style, guitar, pickups, the monitoring method used, the acoustic environment, and most importantly the volume at which the patch was dialed in...any hope of continuity from one guy to the next is a pipe dream. If you want proof, download anything you want from Customtone, and see how closely the description fits what you're hearing. It might have sounded glorious to the guy who created it... with his rig, under the unique conditions outlined above. But the odds of it working for you without significant editing is almost zero... and if you do happen to stumble upon one that's perfect as is, it's just dumb luck. What's the moral? Create your own sounds. You'll get to where you need to be faster and with lot less grief, and without wasting hours searching, downloading, and auditioning dozens of patches to finally hit the one that you'd find useful.

Lmao... Who knew COVID would provide the world with a new excuse for delaying warranty repairs? I'm in healthcare, so I'm keenly aware of just how serious this is, and I've had a front row seat for the carnage for months now, in NY... it hasn't been pretty. But this is just plain ridiculous. You quarantine infected people for two weeks, not inanimate objects. And if they're that worried about touching things, then any and all doorknobs in the building should be off limits, too. Your G10 isn't going to cough on the guy fixing it.... Now perhaps they're shorthanded and this is the excuse they've dreamt up, but it's thoroughly absurd.

Stop jumping....;)

The 4CM is only necessary if you want to continue using your amp for your basic tone. If you don't care about that, then you can just plug Helix into the amp's FX return, bypassing the preamp and using only the power section to drive the cabinet. Other than that, the only option for driving a traditional guitar cabinet is a dedicated power amp... we'd be here all day discussing the options. There are dozens to choose from, tube or SS, in every form factor under the sun...EHX makes one called the "44 Magnum", which is no bigger than the average distortion box, and you just stick it on your pedalboard.

How much does anyone want to bet that the majority of the "this update process is horrible!" crowd are all wandering around town with their COVID masks dangling under their chins? ;)

The FX loop block itself will flash if its clipping... if you have a burning desire to watch the meter bouncing around in the absence of clipping, toggle over to the FX loop with the joystick and it'll show up on the display. It's fascinating for about 0.83 seconds.

If you're never gonna leave the house with it, get a good pair of studio monitors and call it a day. Stereo FX are glorious... you'll thank me later. Size will be dictated by the size of the room and/or the footprint you want. JBL LSR305's or LSR308's are excellent, and not terribly expensive. There are tons of good choices... these just happen to be the ones I have the most experience with.

+1 to all of the above, especially the use of global EQ. Don't get in the habit of using it to create your patches. Different tones will almost always require varying degrees of EQ, sometimes substantially different curves from one patch to the next...particularly when it comes to clean vs dirty sounds. If you rely on the global EQ for this, every time you create a new patch you'll ruin all the others which you've spent hours dialing in previously. The parametric EQ has high and low cuts, as do the cab blocks. The "Tilt EQ" is great for this, too. Global EQ is for making subtle overall adjustments to different acoustic environments... not creating your tones.

Nothing... other than the having somebody else do the grunt work for you.

Bars are all closed anyway...;)

1. Set-ups are a balancing act between, string tension, truss rod tension, vibrating string length (individual bridge saddle position), string height, and sometimes the nut itself if it's been slotted poorly. It is 100% impossible to diagnose remotely. You need hands and eyes on the instrument, and appropriate tools (at the very least a precision straight edge for evaluating neck relief, with emphasis on precision... in other words an 18" metal ruler that you'll pay $60-$80 for) to diagnose which parameters need adjusting in relation to the others, and to what extent. There are numerous books and YouTube tutorials that can guide you through the basics of setting up a guitar, as they're all subject to the same environmental changes, and they all periodically need the same kinds of adjustments. But trying to guess at what your particular instrument needs sight unseen, is a complete waste of time. The wrong suggestion is guaranteed to make things worse, and may or may not do lasting damage to your instrument. If you're not familiar with what to do, take it to someone who is... any competent local tech or luthier will do. 2) Neck radius, profile, and nut width are entirely personal preference... What I might avoid like the plague, you might think is the best thing since indoor plumbing... and neither one of us is "right" or "wrong". If you like the way a particular neck feels and can play on it comfortably, then that's all there is to it. If not, experimenting with the myriad options that exist is really the only way to find out what you like. If music stores ever open again, spend a couple of hours on a Saturday playing a bunch of different guitars, and see what feels good in your hands.

You could buy one really absurd Mercedes, or 3 Honda Civics... either way you'll still get to work (of course that assumes that there are any jobs left after the world is done ending, but I digress ;) ). But do you want really want to spend all your time maintaining 3 sets of tires, wiper blades, and brake pads, doing 3 oil changes, getting 3 annual inspections, and paying the state for the privilege of registering 3 vehicles, etc etc etc? Willful redundancy is not time well spent...