qwerty42

If you're using a PC, another very important thing to check: in any DAW you're using, make sure the audio device is ASIO Helix. It sounds to me like your computer is struggling with audio playback for some reason, causing the playback to be slow and you perceive it as a drop in pitch. Although any time I've ever heard that happen, it includes a bunch of ugly audio artifacts.

It shouldn't, no. So there is most likely something else going on. Maybe you are overdriving your monitors with a signal that's too hot; maybe your output block is clipping from the output level being too high; maybe you're hearing doubled output because you're software-monitoring the signal too...? Those are some guesses. As for solutions, you need to go to the basics. Unplug EVERYTHING from your helix except your guitar and the outputs going straight to your monitors. Take everything else out of the signal chain. Now try it. Still hear a problem? Try some of the factory presets too. Still hear the same thing? Edit: I just noticed you're running the stomp into another interface. I'll put $2.50 on that being the source of your problem. Why not go direct out from the stomp, and also use the USB out from the stomp? You do realize that running through a second interface means A/D conversion happens all over again, and whatever final tone you hear depends on the quality of that interface, yes?

If the OP really wants to have so many stomps on tap, this probably is the best option, because even with a page-over option, he'll run out of DSP having 17(!) pedals loaded into a single preset. Extending it with the HX Effects in the loop gives you a mini-Helix that gives you even more pedals and footswitches to use.

I don't know of any way to do it with a single pedal, but here's one way you can do it with an autoswell and a tremolo block. Adjust the 'attack' parameter on the autoswell to change the amount of time before the tremolo fades in. Delayed_Trem.hlx

I won't say it in as harsh a way as some of the other posters here, but I agree that you're not reaping the full benefit of the device by trying to force it to work your way instead of using it as it was designed. I can't imagine how you're running out of DSP unless it's because you actually have a gazillion pedals loaded into a single preset which are bypassed 90% of the time. It's not a 20-stomp pedalboard. But it has a ton of flexibility and capability (and PLENTY of DSP) to do what you need. Work with the tool's designed features instead of trying to bend it into a new shape and you will probably find you appreciate it even more. Last point, even if you're running 2 amps, if you have them on paths 1 and 2 and use 1024-sample IRs, that should leave a lot of DSP to get whatever else you need on each path. I almost always run 2 amps, and I bring the signal in on path 1A, through any mono pedals in front of the amps, and then split it into 2 paths. From there split path 1A gets 1 of the amps, and the other split path goes down to Path 2B, where it gets the second amp. A picture is better than trying to describe those, so just see below... This is a patch with 2 amps+cabs as well as tonematching IRs after the amps, and there's still DSP to spare. This is an especially sloppy example because I even have some extra blocks that I ended up not using which are bypassed, and put a stereo reverb on each amp instead of combining it after they merge back together, so this could be done more efficiently. It's just an illustration of how much you can fit if you load each DSP chip equally.

Thanks for making this! I love the images you added for each model. It’s a nice reference to relate it back to the real hardware.

They’re models of the same real-world hardware. The fidelity of the modeling is different. Same hardware. Different accuracy to real hardware. Same. Different.

This is just a thread for users to discuss and verify bugs. If you're sure they bugs and want them fixed, your best bet is to submit a support ticket to get them on Line6's radar. Also a good idea to comment or edit your post here when you do, so that people know it's been submitted and aren't flooding their support system with the same bug repeatedly.

Hi, I have submitted this to Line 6 support as a bug via support ticket. I'm seeing the same, except there's more to it: I'm using a Helix Floor, firmware v2.91, HX Edit v2.90 The lag started after I'd been editing a patch on HX Edit and running USB in/out to Helix via my DAW. Helix had been powered on a couple hours. Not sure exactly when the lag began, or if it built up slowly or happened suddenly. Once I noticed it, I tried closing HX Edit, disconnecting the USB, and changing presets. Lag was still present. On DSP-heavy presets using both paths 1 and 2, the lag shows up on all the meters (input, output, compression). Lag is ~5-7 seconds between input signal and response on the meters. Lag is present on both paths. If I open a blank preset, it starts out laggy, but the lag reduces to almost nothing after about 10 seconds. But as soon as you send the output of Path 1 to Path 2, then the input and output indicators on Path 2 show the same long lag. Weirdly, Path 1 still responds fairly quickly. Audio isn't laggy. Sound doesn't appear to be affected; just the metering. I don't know if the initiation of lag is related to the USB connection, but it definitely persisted after the USB was disconnected. Will have to test more without it connected to USB and see if it still happens. After rebooting the Helix, the lag was gone.

I did some testing with really high input levels and low threshold, where even 3:1 was making an obvious difference. As soon as you drop below that, it stops compressing entirely. Definitely not just the meters.

Just FYI, I submitted a ticket on this as it's definitely a bug. Appears to be present in Helix Native too.

The visualization part isn’t the challenge. It’s the way data is communicated back and forth between Helix and HX Edit. The live I/O metering in Native is apples & oranges compared to linking real-time data from Helix to HX Edit. To have a useful real-time tuner or metering in HX Edit requires a rapid, low-latency data stream which apparently isn’t the basis on how HX Edit was originally designed. In the meantime, if you’re already editing at your desk on your computer, why not just get a spare chair or stool and put the Helix up on that, if you can’t see the meters at ground level? Meters in HX Edit would of course be best, but there are plenty of easy solutions to this that only require limited creativity and slight inconvenience.

Thanks DI!

No, I'm refuting your statement because it's as much of a logical fallacy as you claimed the other was. If you go up in this thread, I posted a link to another post on this forum where a mac user had a similar problem from his computer entering sleep mode during the update. This person's problem could have just as easily been the same thing. That's the point--yes, there are things that can happen that are isolated incidents. Your leap of assuming more about me at the end of your reply, after accusing me of 'attacking you personally', is another logical fallacy, and a hypocritical one at that.

ONE user having this issue on ONE computer makes it 'much more likely' that it's an issue with Mac versions in general? You described your own logic with your first sentence.

That tone sounds killer! Nice!

Yep, everything said above. When the Stomp is connected to your Mac, it *becomes* your sound card, and if you want all the benefits of using it, you should not be listening through any of your built-in ports on your Mac. Also, I don't know how this is done in Logic, but in general with DAWs there is a way to turn on/off software monitoring for an audio input. When using your Stomp, you also want that to be OFF, or else you'll hear the direct hardware-monitored sound doubled with the software-monitored sound, which will usually have a small delay and make things sound odd. When configured correctly, you'll hear your guitar signal with no perceivable latency, and after you record something, it should all be aligned in sync with everything else in Logic.

Adding this link to another post about update failure on Mac and how to fix it. In this case, failure was because the Mac went into sleep mode at some point during the update:

I don't really agree with your commentary on this, but FYI, V3.0 will have that capability. Pasted from TGP from phil_m: "User model defaults are kind of self-explanatory... If you want to have the default settings for the Litigator be at certain values when you plop it in a preset, you can save the settings you like as the defaults. The Favorites is kind of adjacent to that, but there will be a new main block category called Favorites where you can save up 120 (was it 120 or 128?) of your favorite block of any type and name them whatever you want. I could create a Favorite called "Phil's Space Echo" using the Cosmos Echo, for instance, and then plop that in whenever I want it. So rather than having to navigate through the menus to find that block, I'd just go to the Favorites menu, select it and move on. So if you wanted to create a preset using your favorite settings, it would be super fast."

That's not Helix LT, that's HX Edit connected to your LT. Did you update HX Edit to version 2.9, along with your Helix? If you disconnect the USB cable from your Helix, re-boot it, and look at the preset list on the LT itself (*not* your computer), are you seeing the same errors?

Well, I'm glad you got it fixed, but before you go ragging on Line 6, consider that if every Mac user 'bricked' their devices during update, we'd be seeing a LOT more about it. So far, you're the only one. Since the common link in all this was your Mac, I'd be a little suspicious about something specific to your computer (flaky USB port? cable used? old/out of date OS?... )

Ah, ok! If you're using a hardware preamp for the mic, then nope, this won't give you any benefit. This was assuming it was just an unpowered mic of some sort that was simply being routed through the Stomp. "Is this suggestion for flexibility with mic input volume to the DAW mainly?" Yep, that was exactly the intent, but you don't need it so disregard :) Anyway, glad you found a working solution for your setup!

Glad you found a solution! It might still be worth your time to experiment with that last suggestion I gave, about splitting your path into two outputs and using a Return block on that second path. I looked through the Stomp manual carefully and I'm pretty sure this will work. This should accomplish the same thing as your current routing, except it'll give you a way to boost the Mic output before it gets sent to your DAW, giving you even more flexibility. One last note to help: 'in' and 'out' are relative to where you see them. For example, 'USB In' for your Stomp refers to an Output from your DAW. 'USB In' within your DAW refers to an Output from your Stomp. The In and Out labels are relative to the hardware or software that is calling them by those terms, not absolute. :)

Yes. If LT is like the Floor (pretty sure it is), you have 8 USB output channels. 7&8 are reserved for dry re-amping signals, but you can use 1+2, 3+4, and 5+6 as separate stereo sends from the Helix to your daw. I don't use your daw so you'll have to look up the info on how to use them. I also strongly suggest you go through the relevant sections in your LT user manual. It's explained well in there including a signal flow diagram, and if you don't familiarize yourself with the user manual, you're probably missing out on a lot of the capability of your LT.

I've intentionally not replied to this thread to let it go back to the graveyard it was dug up from, but... since @molul mentioned it--I saw Smashing Pumpkins on the last stop of their tour last year, and their sound was AMAZING. Not kidding, it was the best audio I've ever heard for a rock concert. Now maybe it had more to do with the venue than anything, but their guitars sounded EPIC, and all the levels were so perfectly balanced and crystal clear. I'm not even a big fan of theirs, but they sounded so damn good I was completely enthralled by the whole performance.