Digital_Igloo

A well-known recording engineer friend and I were talking a while back and he mentioned that some older professional recording gear might get worse reviews today simply because headphone impedances have been dropping steadily. Back then, there was a much better chance that any over-the-ear headphones would be high enough impedance to sound great on gear at the time. Now it's all about blowing kids' eardrums out with their $200 Beats that are designed to push enough bass from a phone's puny headphone amp. Helix is professional gear—designed for professionals—and we weren't about to dumb down our headphone amp because everyone happens to have white earbuds in some drawer in their house. Feel free to use consumer cans, but don't expect it to sound great. BTW, a lower-impedance doesn't necessarily mean worse specs; it simply means the cans were designed for a different purpose. There are amazing-sounding, über-expensive low-impedance cans that sound amazing on phones but terrible on pro gear. And there are amazing-sounding, über-expensive high-impedance cans that sound amazing on pro gear but terrible on phones.

Each FX Loop block's Input and/or Output can be boosted by up to 6dB, in 0.1dB increments.

Note that if you touch the TAP switch, Knob 6 (BPM) briefly becomes a Tempo knob. A dedicated Tempo knob would just eat up panel space. Are we already talking about the next flagship? I suppose it was gonna happen sooner or later... :) Okay here we go: I've mentioned it many times in the past, but Helix originally had a touchscreen. We tested it with a bunch of users and literally everyone disliked the idea. Capacitive-sensing switches ended up being the holy grail because they brought focus away from the signal flow (engineer brain) and down to your pedalboard (guitarist brain). Context switching between thinking like an engineer and being a musician is a big reason why people don't enjoy using modelers. Touch-switches also allow users to—once Global Settings are set—quite literally never have to navigate through various menus, because any assignment (any combination of up to eight block bypasses, parameter toggles, and/or commands) is a touch away. To be honest, however, we've always sort of assumed Helix Mk II would have a touchscreen, because people would be used to the big color non-touch screen by then and the transition would be less jarring. I just really don't want people focusing or relying on a touchscreen, because again, that's an engineer's workflow, not a musician's workflow. That said, we have some ideas on how a touchscreen might not completely turn off professional users. The problem with 4 DSPs is that the latency would be pretty bad. There's a delay when hopping from DSP to DSP; that's part of the reason we made Helix's DSPs serial (Path 1A/1B always into Path 2A/2B, never the other direction), because two hops would add more latency. This is also why Helix's latency is lower than other boxes that dedicate a DSP to amps—whenever you have both pre and post-amp blocks, you're making two DSP hops and incurring more latency. It's not a huge difference, but with 4 DSPs, it'd likely be noticeable. More switches is tricky too, as there are notably more people who wish Helix were smaller and lighter than those who wish it had more switches (and therefore, was bigger and heavier). We have some left-field ideas that might alleviate the "too few switches" concern. More DSPs and more switches would also automatically mean a higher price, too. What's the max you'd be prepared to pay for a super-powered, super-sized Helix Mk II? Other than the hardware things you mentioned, everything else in your list could be added to Helix Floor/Rack/LT. I'd be lying if I claimed to not have preliminary designs for a Helix Mk II. Not sure if I'll still be managing the family by then (read: years from now), but if so, the beast is going to generate a lot of "WHOA, LINE 6 IS BUG-NUTS" sentiment.

Yes, but it's not called 4-Cable Method at the point, because you need seven cables. Fortunately, there's already a template included for this: 8 TEMPLATES > 02B 7-Cable Method.

You don't. You could always copy an empty preset on top of its location. From the editor, you can also save an empty User Setlist and import it on top of a Factory Setlist.

If you're going to vaguely paint a bug with a wide brush, PLEASE post it in the Helix Bug Reports thread, and if it's already in there, please post a link to it. QA and I honestly have no idea what this is supposed to mean.

You pressed MODE and are currently looking at Stomp footswitch mode (but haven't yet assigned any blocks to the switches). Press MODE again and you'll be sorted.

MIDI learn only works on Helix if you're sending it a CC message—PC, SysEx, or other MIDI messages won't work. If Global Settings > MIDI/Tempo > Receive MIDI PC is on, does Helix switch presets from your MIDI Moose? Also, it's not terribly uncommon for a MIDI cable to go bad; might be worth checking another one.

The editor must be updated to 2.20 as well. The 2.20 in the upper-left corner of the editor is your Helix's firmware, not the software rev.

Whoa—there's a huge difference between Prioritizing X and Not Caring About Y. Talk about putting words in one's mouth... Honestly, what do you think Line 6 should've done? Not released Helix LT at all specifically so a few people can continue to sell their Helices for as much money as possible, which in turn means we sell fewer Helices because people are buying used ones instead? Emailed every user and said "Hey! Top secret! In two weeks, we're releasing a scaled down version for less money so if you're thinking about selling your Helix anytime soon, do it now!"? Sent you a check for the difference? Look. It's totally cool if modeling isn't your bag and you prefer an amp and pedal rig. Everyone's on their own path to tonal bliss, and I'd never begrudge someone for selling their Helix if it didn't best fit their needs. But repeated complaints on Line 6's forum about the unfortunate bad timing of your personal Ebay/Craigslist/Reverb adventures—at the expense of thousands of guitarists who couldn't previously afford a Helix product but now maybe can—feels pretty misdirected, that's all.

If the concern is that Line 6—a business, after all—prioritizes existing and future users of the Helix platform over those few who've given up on it and left... Guilty as charged.

Yes. No official numbers yet.

Helix and Helix Rack have the same functions, just on separate jacks. With Helix LT, you globally choose one or the other.

Now.

HELIX LT FAQ Is this real or some sort of sick April Fools' Day joke? Helix LT is Helix's very real, more affordable little brother. Helix, Helix Rack/Control, and Helix LT all have the same DSPs (2x 450MHz ADSP-21469 SHARCS), modeling engines, models, A/D/A converters, op amps, and patented Guitar In with 123dB of dynamic range. They are sonically identical. Compared to Helix, the differences with Helix LT are: No scribble strip LCDs (middle eight footswitch assignments appear on Helix LT's new colorful Performance view) Fewer Ins and Outs: 2 Sends/Returns as opposed to 4 (can be stereo linked) No mic preamp No Aux In No S/PDIF In/Out Exp 2 In and dual Ext Amp Out share a single jack (function is globally selectable) No Exp 3 jack No CV Out jack Less expensive chassis: Folded steel top chassis as opposed to extruded aluminum Folded steel expression pedal as opposed to cast aluminum Impact-resistant ABS side panels with rubber overmolding (like those on Helix Control) as opposed to cast aluminum side panels No separate Phones knob (headphone volume is controlled by main Volume knob) No 10 Stomp footswitch mode; Stomp mode is limited to 8 switches Pedal Edit select view displays 8 blocks at a time instead of 10 So IR loading, Snapshots, Command Center, hands free Pedal Edit mode, up to 4 amps at once... all that stuff is included? Yes. Can I still custom label my footswitches? Sure; any custom labels appear in Performance View. Okay, but what about [feature or model found in Helix]? Read the top question again. If it's not mentioned in the list, it's in Helix LT. Will there be an editor? There's already an editor. The same Helix application (EDIT: Now HX Edit) works with Helix, Helix Rack/Control, and Helix LT. Just update it to 2.20 or higher. Can I use Helix or Helix Rack presets in Helix LT? Yes. Presets are fully transferrable between Helix, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, and the Helix Native plug-in. Will Helix LT receive updates along with Helix and Helix Rack/Control? That's the plan. Where are all the audio clips? There are already hundreds of clips, as Helix LT sounds exactly like Helix. Is Helix LT much smaller and lighter than Helix? Not really—it's about an inch narrower; depth and height are about the same. Helix LT is 2-1/2 pounds lighter (12.0 lbs vs. Helix's 14.6 lbs); it'll fit perfectly in Helix Backpack. If it's not that much lighter, what does LT stand for? Leo Tolstoy. Any plans to add LT's Performance View to Helix and Helix Rack/Control? Most likely not, as the scribble strip LCDs accomplish the same thing. You guys busted this one out pretty quick, huh? Development on Helix LT began before Helix and Helix Rack/Control were even announced. What's the price? $999.99 US MAP. What's the population of Slovenia? 2.06 million.

No need to apologize for "answers like these" when there are no answers: Something's hooked up wrong or set up wrong—it happens to the best of us, guitarlory! Your particular Helix is faulty in some way—it happens to the best of us, rest of Line 6! You're comparing apples to oranges; that is, Helix (a non-true bypass product like AX8, AxeFX, Kemper, and Amplifire) to straight wire or a true-bypass pedal Anything with an A/D/A conversion and op amps is, by its very nature, less transparent than straight wire, but the same could be said about every single digital pedal without an analog dry path. The true test of audio integrity is the summed phase reverse test (time-aligned for A/D/A converter latency). If Helix can zero itself out better than anything else in its category—which it does, and it's empirical and measurable—there's either a lot of hair splitting going on... or something else.

Given that so few people read the update instructions, is it any wonder we don't bother writing novels about every parameter in every model? ;) As far as the new Generators go, there's not much to it. You press BYPASS to turn them on and turn knobs until it makes a cool sound. If you know basic music and chord theory, you can create organ or bass lines to play with your feet while playing guitar with your hands. Start with the new preset 8 TEMPLATES > 05C Real Bass Pedals. It helps if Global Settings > Footswitches > Stomp Mode Switches is set to 10 Switches, so you can access the low C note. Each block is capable of playing three notes but this preset turned down notes/oscillators 2 and 3. Switching snapshots changes the waveform for all blocks; if you want a low sub bass, select Snapshot 4 for sine waves.

We have said measurement instruments. They're really expensive. Helix's dynamic range is empirically, measurably higher than the competition (by as much as 13dB!); we have a patent on the Guitar In circuit. Now whether or not your ears agree, that's another matter. Just know that we've had golden-ear, Grammy-winning engineers perform A/B/X listening tests in strictly controlled environments, and once you remove confirmation bias (like "a 'resolution' parameter must mean it sounds better than anyone else's stock 'resolution'!"), interesting things can be learned. At this point, you'll have to be very specific about what sort of improvements you're looking for. We can measure S/N, dynamic range, gain before feedback, clock jitter, and countless other things, but "it needs to sound better" does us no good, especially considering we improve our modeling engine every update (but choose to not wax poetic about it) and are constantly A/B/X'ing against the real amps and effects until we can fool our own employees (many of whom are ex and current studio engineers). As for raw signal integrity through the system, if you compare Helix in a properly gain-staged 4CM setup against straight wire in a 4CM setup (everything at 1M Ohm), flip the phase, and time-align everything for the sub-2ms of latency inherent in two stages of A/D/A conversion, you get all but a cancelled out signal. The splitting of hairs is more than likely due to conversion, and Helix uses the exact same A/D/As as Fractal's AX8. The FX8 is unique in that pre and post-loop processing can be independently true bypassed; that is, no A/D/A conversion when bypassing all pre—or all post—blocks. Pretty cool, but beyond what AX8, AxeFX, Kemper, or Helix are designed to be. There are also numerous Global Settings as well as Guitar In-Z that can affect your raw signal. By all accounts, Helix, when set up, connected, and gain staged properly—something one needs to do with any modeler or multieffect—is as pristine as you're likely to get from any product in 4CM, 7CM, 10CM, and 13CM. The only way to improve things would be to apply the same patented circuit on all analog inputs, not just the Guitar In, but that's not gonna come from a firmware update.

IIRC, a Moog-esque ladder filter has been somewhere in our gargantuan backlog since the beginning.

Change the Variax Settings parameter to "Per Preset" and your parameters should come back. Out of curiosity, what FW did you update from?

Updated thread to 2.20 (released March 30, 2017).

Yep, this is extremely common, and all modelers behave this way if you plan on using their full signal path (Amp and Cab blocks). It's the difference between your wife whispering in your ear, and a recording of your wife whispering through your speakers. The latter will never convince you it's actually your wife in the room. The cool thing about modelers, and Helix in particular, is that you can use them in many different ways. If you want that amp-in-the-room sound, bypass any Amp and Cab blocks and run Helix straight into your amp! Once you're happy with the results, try running both pre and post effects with your amp in 4-Cable-Method. Once you're happy with those results, try swapping out your real preamp with one of Helix's modeled preamps, but still through your power amp and cab. And once you're happy with those results, maybe add a fullish-range speaker along with the amp for wet-dry (or two speakers for wet-dry-wet). Transitioning to FRFR can be a long process for some people and there's no reason you EVER have to go there completely. If you're happy with Helix as a pedalboard, or 4CM, or whatever, stay there and make music. :)

That's why I found my IR in Austin. :wub:

Hi ZSchneidi, Welcome to the forum! Everything is subjective of course, but there are many, many people who believe Helix is indeed the best-sounding system out there. As your playback system is easily 50% of your tone, a Kemper or Fractal product (or whatever you've heard rumored to sound the best) is also going to also sound thin through those same hi-fi speakers. The sonic difference between top-tier modelers is never glaringly obvious, even to golden-ear engineers and first-call session guitarists, so if something sounds radically off, don't always assume it's Helix: Modelers (including Kemper, Fractal, Amplifire, POD, and Helix) represent the mic'ed, recorded sound of an amp, not the experience of actually standing in front of a real amp, pointed at the back of your knees. This is not a limitation of modeling; it's a limitation of the laws of physics—you can't emulate the sound of a speaker without recording the speaker with a mic (which affects the sound), a cable (which affects the sound), a mic pre (which affects the sound), an A/D converter (which affects the sound), the acoustics of the room (which affect the sound), and some sort of speaker system to hear it all (which is at least FIFTY PERCENT of the sound!). Studio musicians and professionals used to in-ears or stage monitors gravitate to modelers with ease; musicians accustomed to a real amp generally have a harder time—and this is totally fine. In the meantime, there's nothing wrong with connecting Helix to your real amp, either as a pedalboard or in 4-Cable Method. Later you can try out a decent, flat-ish PA speaker (like those mentioned by others above) to see if a fullish-range system is enough to scratch that amp-in-the-room itch The notion that modelers sound "digital" is a misnomer. Here's the Helix listening challenge; a few people can reliably call out which is Helix and which is the amp, but zero indicators are based on any sort of digital artifact. If a Helix, Kemper, or Fractal model or profile sounds digital, the "digitalness" would have been present in the original tube amp or effect that was modeled (like how harsh and cold a real Plexi can sound on record, especially when cranked) Modelers almost always require some setup and knowledge of gain staging. An amp is easy—you just plug in and go. Modelers are at the mercy of whatever you plug it into. Nine times out of ten, your speaker system is the weak link. Barring that, setting input and output levels is key. DunedinDragon's post above is a good starting point If you have a decent pair of high-impedance headphones connected directly to the back of Helix, they'll be a much better gauge of how recorded tracks sound through Helix Helix has a high-quality 8-in/8-out audio interface built in; depending on your needs, you may not need to connect it to your Focusrite at all All presets suck. They'll always sound sub-par unless your guitar, playback system, hearing, playing style, and musical tastes are all similar to the person who made the preset There are many, many people who don't require IRs to get the most out of the system. However, the real practical advantages of IRs are two-fold: Many IRs are made up of multiple mics through tube mic pres and other outboard that impart a bit of juju—that is, they purposely color the sound of the actual cabinet. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's different from Helix's cabs, which were designed to be extremely transparent and accurate The sheer number of IRs almost guarantees you'll find exactly what you're looking for. It's the difference between dating in a small town and dating in LA. (But much like dating in LA, finding the right IR can be a huge, time-consuming effort!) It's also important to note that Helix's own cabs are IRs. Don't give up, and there are tons of people both here and on Chad Boston's Helix Users Group Facebook page that can help you along the way. Good luck!

Yes, and there's even a video.