jroseberry

The USB controller (the Helix is connected to) is an important factor. Prior to Z77 series motherboards (and derivatives), literally *all* USB3 controllers were 3rd-party (as USB3 had not yet been integrated into the Intel chipset). Connecting audio/MIDI hardware to 3rd-party USB3 controllers is akin to using a Firewire audio interface with a non-TI chipset Firewire controller. If you have two USB devices sharing the same root-hub, the pair may simply not work together. In that case, put each device on a separate USB root-hub. There's also power-management for each USB root-hub. If the OS decides that you haven't used a particular USB port for a while... (by default) it can disable that port to save energy. This is obviously not what you want on a machine used for DAW purposes. Best Regards, Jim Roseberry www.studiocat.com jim@studiocat.com

Loss of clock would be the only way for the Helix to affect the Saffire in this scenario.

If you're talking about using Helix as an audio interface... where the audio eventually degrades into A-sync distortion (almost a ring-mod type sound), that's most likely driver related. It's best to avoid extra stages of A/D D/A ... but if running analog to the MOTU works, you're not losing a huge amount of fidelity.

Read my first post. I'm not suggesting a clean install as a first option. ;) But if the OP goes thru all normal trouble-shooting and comes up "empty", a clean install of Win7 is a logical/practical next step. If a proper backup is created beforehand, it's quick/easy to get back to his current install. FWIW, Booting into Safe mode won't shed much light. With bare minum drivers loaded/running, the BSOD won't occur.

Those small "ticks" are usually the result of combining two digital audio streams (each on a separate clock). What happens if you set the Helix as the clock master... and have your audio interface slave/lock to it?

Good advice on trying a clean install of Win7. You can also use Acronis True Image (or similar) to create a backup image file of the existing OS install. Then, the OP could perform a clean install of the OS on the existing boot drive (knowing it would be quick/easy to reload the previous install).

What's most likely happening is that the Helix driver is crashing to machine to BSOD (which by default will automatically restart the machine). You can go into Control Panel>System>Advanced System Settings>Startup And Recovery>Settings and disable (uncheck) "Automatically Restart" (under System Failure). Now, if the machine experiences a BSOD, it'll stay on the Blue Screen. At the bottom of the screen, the culprit will often be listed. If you're connecting Helix to an older motherboard: All USB3 ports on all motherboards prior to the Intel Z77 chipset provided USB3 via 3rd-party controllers. Many USB2 audio and MIDI interfaces have issues with these 3rd-party USB3 controllers. Liken the situation to using a non-TI chipset Firewire controller with a Firewire audio interface. Newer Intel Motherboards have USB3 integrated into the chipset. Long story short, there's no advantage to connecting a USB2 device to a USB3 port. If you're using an older motherboard, connect Helix to a USB2 port. The Helix driver has been pretty stable for most folks... so it's not a blanket problem with the BSOD. It's something specific to your machine/configuration. As was mentioned, I'd make sure your Win7 install is completely up-to-the-minute. Also, make sure to update the component drivers for your motherboard. Then, see where you are with the BSOD.

If you're running straight into a power-amp, you'd use line-level on the output. If you're going into the front of the amp, you'd want to use instrument level on the output.

Yeah, getting each IR back into the proper "slot" is (currently) the tedious part. There needs to be a way to save them as a bundle (just like presets)... so you can (re)load them and they're automatically in proper place.

I get what you're saying... but I'm not exactly a novice PC user. ;) I've built literally thousands of DAWs over the past 20 years. Folks on this forum may not know me... but I'm generally considered one of the more knowledgeable folks in the US regarding PC DAWs. IOW, My success with Win10 isn't luck or happenstance. I know what hardware to choose and how to configure it... running under tightly controlled conditions. If someone is less tech-savvy with no support system, I'd absolutely recommend holding off upgrading to Win10. When dealing with initial release hardware/software (especially running a brand new OS), you do increase the odds of issues. Lots of folks are trying to run Win10 on 5+ year-old hardware. In this scenario, if older motherboard/component drivers have issues, they won't be resolved. There's no money being made on old hardware... so development moves on to the next.

I experience the same thing when loading a large group of IRs. Sequential names are placed out of order... One other thing: We can export IRs, but we need a means of backing them up as a "bundle"... where the IRs are placed in the correct slots when reloaded. Otherwise, we have to manually keep a running tab on which IR belongs in which slot. Not a big deal with a couple of IRs. Major pain if you make heavy use of IRs. All that said, I'm really liking Helix. Fantastic job by Line-6.

I'm well aware of Steinberg's warning. ;) Cubase 8 actually runs well under Win10. Video playback was an issue... so those scoring to video shouldn't run Cubase 8 under Win10. Reaper 5 also runs well under Win10. Have worked in it numerous times the past couple of weeks. ProTools 11 runs fine under Win10 (don't have 12 so I can't speak to it). As I said, Win10 really isn't a dramatic change. ie: Many older audio/MIDI interfaces (even those without Win10 specific drivers) install and work fine. NOTE: I'm not saying everyone should run out and be an early adopter of a new OS. :) It does open the door to potential (early) teething issues. ie: Mackie Firewire audio interfaces are currently having issues (glitches) running under Win10. Steinberg et al are trying to minimize tech support issues. That's sound logic... especially for those who are less tech savvy. But those warnings don't blanketly mean that Win10 can't be used. I've been running Win10 for a good while... with all the major PC DAW applications and plugins. Line-6 updater and Helix app work just fine here under Win10. The issue is specific to particular configuration. One thing to note: Many audio/MIDI interfaces don't work well with 3rd-party USB3 controllers. Prior to the Intel Z series motherboards, all USB3 ports were provided by 3rd-party add-on controllers (USB3 had not yet been integrated into motherboard chipsets). Using 3rd-party (non Intel) USB3 controllers is akin to not using a TI chipset Firewire controller with Firewire audio interfaces. It opens the door to potential compatibility issues. Another thing that might be causing issues for some folks is power-management on the USB port to which Helix is connected. If Windows decides to shut down that port to conserve power, it'll cause Helix (or any other audio/MIDI interface) to disconnect. Power-management type features can/should be disabled in a DAW.

BUG: First preset in User1 scrambled (altered/completely different) when upgrading to latest firmware and restoring saved bundle of presets. Rest of the presets are restored fine...

FWIW, I build DAWs for a living (have done so the past 20 years as owner of www.studiocat.com). Win10x64 has been working well for many of our clients. Note this is running current generation hardware. If you're running hardware that's 4+ years old, I'd stick with your current OS. Win10 is really more like "Win8.5". The changes weren't that dramatic. There were memory and performance optimizations for use with tablets. As a side benefit to tower/rack users, the memory footprint is smaller and the OS is a little more snappy.

You might consider trying a clean install of Win10. The Updater and Helix application are running fine here under Win10x64.

Got a Helix Friday. Spent some quality time with it today. Created a patch for piezo pickup using one of these mic'd Taylor impulse-responses. Figured this would be a good/simple way to get started. Taylor IR Simple EQ (2dB cut at 195Hz, tiny boost to bottom/top) Chamber Reverb (just a smidge) I was literally laughing out loud while playing. It sounds amazingly good... and it was so simple to setup. I had been using a Kemper profile of EQ preset 2 on an Avalon U5 DI (which works pretty well). There's a lot of talk about comparing the Kemper, Axe-FX, and Helix. I've got a Kemper... and I'm not (yet) ready to say the Helix is a 100% replacement. I'm sure Axe-FX owners feel the same. That said, I've played thru and tweaked some of the raw amp-models... and found numerous good sounding heavy-crunch options (most important to me). Once the amp/cab is dialed-in for the specific guitar, you can almost feel the response of the cab. Nice dynamic response! As to whether the models are completely accurate, that's hard to quantify in a meaningful way. I think the amp/cab models are good. Enough so that (to me) 100% accuracy takes a back seat. The above acoustic patch was enough for me to decide Helix is a keeper. I want to program my own sounds, import some quality cab/mic impulse responses, and use Helix in rehearsal and live. From what I've seen/heard thus far, Helix can hold its own with the best of the best. To that end, I see Helix being very popular. For Kemper users, Helix can be used in tandem for more advanced EFX and advanced remote control.