ZenBalancer

So if I ask now, what's the head-count of guitar owners of confirmed afflicted Variax guitars, expecting an exact number of responsive users of registered relevant-gear, what's the answer? And how many per user? And how many have filed a support ticket and kept it open? That sounds annoying for some reason doesn't it? Most gave up on the process and went "rouge" with different degrees of success and failure. Edit: I didn't bother to file a support ticket for this since I saw this thread. I imagine others didn't also for the same reason. But now I will point to this thread until the Idea Scale entry for the deal appears, to count the affected users with no home-remedies as another user puts it, nor acceptable long-term workaround.

A mind that can't reproduce, might grab at straws.. Also for the customer/client.

I will demonstrate my senseless misdirected anger: If a company like Line 6 feels they can string us around like animals in the name of progress, since we took their bate, they are sadly mistaken! We will strike back with public "thunder" and reveal with fear the tretory of their masks! Now what I just said above is ammateur theater at best, and a vague threat at worst. Substance? Who knows. Now that is "BS" that might or might prardoxically not stink.

My coleage and once I too were accused. Indirectly. The company was accused. In my job once. While SW testing. I couldn't reprduce an issue that one time and he not the other. We were able to remain professional and understand the customer frustration, and not be "sucked in" moot experiences. Moot because something else solved the problem I think, without being able to reproduce it, and we could only appologize for a bug we didn't program it in the first place. If this was about whom is justified to feel or say what, then we would be having a dfferent conversation. I vote for that this is about achieving constructive consensus for constructivism itself. I have been aggressive imo also "justly" so incdentally on Line 6 forum and other forums. But I won't recommend repeating that approach by default. I don'know about your posts aout this issue in general, I don't remember atm. Also if we were talking a "class-action-law-suite" mentality or something (don't ask, too many law related shows in my mind) then we would not be having this conversation on a Line 6 forum, but instead on a "union forum" or something. Who feels justified (both sides)? Or what idea might resolve the problem (in the air)? Worst case, who will sue whom and for what? It's not about diminishing "victims", nor taking on more of the blame for the divide than necessary. Afterall I'm sure more than enough consumers of Line 6, have reputation and income that depend on their purchase and depended on Line 6 equipments. Not recreational experiences only. Collaboration that endures, might be feasible. Also not many accuse. We might imply or insinuate things. Justifications understandable, but angle for merit of some of the arguments are questionable.

Your knowledge and experience not withstanding, try to understand that such statements are perhaps equally insulting to Line 6 Staff whom are doing their job! Knowingly or unkowingly. Again antagonism as a form of pressure is not helping your case. Like a forum moderator elsewhere once told me, that he repsonded on a weekend to the accusations I brought forward, he made clear that he responded despite my emotional rant back then against the Pulse team (not a music prduct, and name changed), not inspite of from what I remember, and definitly not because of it. I could have handled the situation betterhan I did. He gave me strong reasons to argree with their dedication to their product, and the time still needed in theevelopment process. I thought about your concern, and even though it made sense in more than one way, I eventually realized it only makes sense for the "victims" to be sceptical, not Line 6 about themselves. But I also thought of the following, which might change your mind as well. If Line 6 can palm mute without causing the plink, with your guitar which is proven with your video that it has the plink in almost all piezo dependent models, but not mags; then Line 6 would be able to prove with a video deonstrating with all effected Models on your guitar, that there exists a very specific playing technique that prevents the plink; hypothetcal, based on the proposed possibility that Line 6 will be able upload a vid proving your guitar works fine. The only way otherwise that would be possible is if they fix it (aside admittng the issue or not; that's besides this specific point), OR they cheat the demonstration with playbacking or some fancy post-production EQ. If they EQ a patch as the workaround without telling so, everyone agrees it would muffle all other strings. All these cheating possibilities are far fetched perhaps, and outragious for Line 6 to be seen as, but it's only meant for the sake of a good outcome of the argument. Whether a special playing technique, or special Model or Multieffects Patch, or they can actually reproduce the problem (have to; for them to need to apply a workaround), either way they will have to tell the truth about their findings with your guitar, because the argument until now was the Active Forum Support Engineering Staff can't reproduce the issue! The right team will have access to a relevant guitar. The effected users are not complaining about something that they can workaround acceptably; that much shou be already clear to Line 6 by now. Using an alternate guitar, is still a workaround, otherwise the users would not have bought a Variax to begin with to be able to do all it can. So I disagree about what the prpblematic part is. I think that now a relevant iser, an owner of an afficted guitar, has volunteered conditonally also for shipping costs, the next tough part that remain is convincing Line 6 to take the deal. This specifi deal or the general deal aside shipping costs. Now is the time for Idea Scale. I feel that this forum should be used to establish some pre-consensus about an issue, and about the specifca of an idea in that regard (pre-elections), and that I finally understand thanks to Staff, that Idea Scale is also a way to reach the Team's attention widely in the open (not incdentally here or only one most active Staff), so using Idea Scale for the actual election. But since this is different than running a country, lets say we users are not registered voters or that our stock shares are non-voting rights, but our votes are a part of public opinion for or against an idea. That overview serves the true registered voters at Line 6, or the shareholders with voting rights, to go for the idea, defer it, modify it, or regect it completly. Since you stepped forward with your condition, you might want to Idea Scale support from others that are effected, showing how many have the plink and are dependent on Line 6 taking the deal and honoring it. A different deal from someone with more money in their pocket, could sweeten the deal if necessarry and offer to take on shipping costs, and either reuse the Idea Scale entru or clarify specifics in a new entry. As a disclaimer, I refer to such a person as a hero, also to point out that I'm not responsible for the outcome. I'm only responsible for what I guarentee, which I don't here; I'm not in a position to garentee anything relevant here. This is a brainstorm with everything I read here, which isn't much, but is enough for me to get "a gist", and suggest "another gist". If anyone can contribute another spotted flaw in my view, please feel free to share that.

I'll suggest something "outlandish"; it involves one of the "victims", "sacrificing" their guitar which is afflicted with this problem. The most vivid argument that the main Line 6 Staff on this thread relayed, directly and also essentially in so many other words, is that "THEY" don't have access to a "RELEVANT" guitar to troubleshoot and even if necessary to debug the problem. Don't jump to conlusion just yet assuming what I intend is clear, because I don't think so yet. When someone sends their afflicted guitar to a Line 6 service center, the service center is not offered a guitar for "RESEARCH", they're offered a guitar for repair. If they follow their protocol and training, as far as I can tell all they can most do in the end is replace components if nothing helps, or if it's not clear what the user is experiencing, at worst sending it back without any change, not even in replaced hw (which doesn't matter if it wouldn't fix the issue anyway). A user counter-argument is that the issue is frequencies which are present in any string 6 (other strings too?) of any guitar; the argument for whether pick scraping or even technique related or not, is not relevant atm. Any other guitar isn't the issue here. It's a Variax with sensitive piezos at least (not the 700, but the later ones at some point), with this specific issue, is the most relevant guitar. Because Line 6 has enough Variaxes that don't have this issue (as other users that pilled on), in fact according to their feedback, that's all that Line 6 has! Perfect Variaxes, in respect to not having this issue. And Yamaha aquired Line 6, they're not Line 6 experts. And if Line 6 internal experts can't memo all Support Engineering Staff that the problem can be solved by firmware, then challenging the Staff isn't going to change that. Now if the successfull, financially abled, guitarist who abhores not being able to palm mute without feeling sickened by the situation especially after this thread, and who has alternates at their disposal, if such a person would only "sacrifice" their guitar for "research", then everyone with this issue might be helped, including the bold person who dared to do so. The deal should be, the user sends the proven (video or it didn't happen) to be afflicted guitar directly to this specific Staff member in USA, for an unlimited amount of time, until the guitar is fixed with a solution appliable by everyone in need for it. Whatever Line 6 comes up with, any speculations or "knowing" about that currently is irrelevant at such a stalemate, and a push to buildup pressure with brute force against Line 6 reputation by everyone that "matters in the industry", lots of generously buying customers or even combined with famed ones, isn't really a form of collaboration. The pressure would have been a lot higher if it were a huge problem to a lot more than now, and it would still not have provided the right "research" team a relevant guitar for as long as necessarry. The world isn't perfect, and sometimes one has to compromise and work within the confines of the statues quo even as a consumer, to be able to change the status quo, as long as we're not talking about human rights violations. Seperate from the latter: at least if none of us is a genious of such caliber to be able to rival Line 6 in the guitar Modelling Arena. I'm going to assume that to be not the case for the forseeable future. Where does an afflicted guitar go, when you send it back to the retailer for money back, within return period, or for a replacement? Aren't they sold as alternative stock because they were returned? Are the ever returned to Line 6 in such a case? And does the service center ever send one of the afflicted guitars back to central for research? Diagnosing such a controversial problem by remote troubleshooting with words, audio and videos, is evidently not getting the issue to move forward towards a solution that doesn't involve abandoning the "modern models" Line 6 Variax until further notice. Now maybe Line 6 should have made the deal themselves, with their own innitiative (if they haven't), with a user that can miss their afflicted one, for an undetermined amount of time. Because the replacement offerings could go on forever; I stopped at 6th for different reasons and didn't care that this issue was present on the 6th one while not sure how many of the previous ones had it too, because I was testing other things, and have a lot to learn anyway. Understanding that there are trade secrets involved, should not be fueling the devide by antagonism, intellectual, musical knowledge and/or experience chicken-games. The question should be, imo, who from the relevant user-pool is the real hero that will make that deal with the Staff that promisses to "not stop researching that specific guitar" with everyone that can help over there, until the problem is revealed beyond any doubt by Line 6 in a way that all of us benefit from and this thread can "die in peace"! Again the heroic user proves with a video, then "gives up" the guitar. Then that Line 6 Staff at the receiving-end will have to upload a video proving that particular guitar had the problem when received, issue was reproduced, and when finally all said and done, issue resolved, and share the fix with us all. Not sending back the guitar to a random awesome certified god damned service center. Not for such an issue. Edits: clarity.

A "roundabout workaround" occured to me the otherday, but I haven't yet checked the concrete routes for its usage. The idea is general and fairly common for combining apps from multiple platforms on one screen, while not using any KVM hw tech, nor emulations or virtualisations. Using "remote desktop" sw instead, so it requires at least access to the needed target platforms with their devices. In the OP's case the main hw interface is MS Surface needed for his set, with Windows. So in that set the focus is on a single controlling touchscreen interface. And if FHfx is still a part of that set, any iOS or Android device, phone or tablet or even a tv-box perhaps, can be used for the FH Remote app, and then with any 3rd party app the target device "screencast" interactively to the MS Surface. The question is which target platform and main host you're using, and which necessary 3rd party software are currently available for this workaround? I remember a few solutions for Android, I think, but vaguely, no names. Sure there is the default MS remote desktop, Teamviewer and a few others, but those are normally to remote a Windows installtion, not the otherway around. If I spend time on this, then I will update this thread. So in OPs case instead of streaming audio from Surface to FHfx, instead will have to remote connect to the device that has FH Remote on it and is connected to the FHfx. The tricky party is perhaps Direct Wifi or some other way from MS Surface to the Android/iOS device, on stage. Or might as well pack a cheap router and create your private Wifi on the way, like at home, but for instance on stage with no internet connection. Perhaps you can even get a router with 3G or 4G support and drop an internet subscribed SIM in it, so that all of your devices on your mobile private Wifi have internect connection while also on the same intranet with interesting possibilities. But the used router is important, what was it, a less used frequency mode? I don't remember, there was 2.4 and a 5, not refering to the 1-13 channels normally available. It shouldn't interfere with your wireless audio system for instance. Sounds "hairy on face-value", but once the general setup is tested well, a world of possibilities is then right there with you "everywhere". Someone with a crazy setup, non-guitarist (she could maybe make a mockup air-guitar-"patch" for the mi.mu gloves), is Imogen Heap. Her early demonstrations were rediculously gear-packed. But oh, the world she has opened with the idea she picked up on and "ran with" from someone else there (PhD received, but her SATTA glove is more limited than Remidi, with similar approach, unlike mi.mu) on her visit to MIT. While still off-topic, mi.mu is much, much more expensive currently than Remidi T8, but the former has a lot more potential, especially for a guitarist or any instrument player.

Last time had problems with Windows 10, while BlueStacks did work on Windows 7. And I never checked BT connectivity through it, also not the Remote, since I had upgraded to Windows 10 around the time I got the FHfx. Do you have any experience with the Remote app with it? Edit: I shared a bug report with the generated logs on Windows via e-mail, but I never got an answer. Edit2: Okay so the good news is that the latest BlueStacks version now installs fine on my Windows 10 installation, on which I had the installation problems with the previous version. And although the installation process and setup is pretty slow, even slower than before, even on a fairly fast SSD drive with i7 and ample free RAM, at least Firehawk Remote can be installed. The bad news is that even if an old version supported BT, the new version doesn't YET (fingers crossed!): -- http://support.bluestacks.com/hc/en-us/articles/208203083 I tried finding the BT options in the Emulator, but couldn't. Signs that it might have ever existed and fairly worked for at least a number of users: http://forum.thexuan.com/showthread.php?tid=2789 (Edit3: no, no.. there was no sign of more hope.. just a delusion. It never, ever, existed. In BlueStacks. Blue, blue, stacks..) If someone gets it working, please let us know what we're missing. But kudos for reminding me! I had totally forgotten about it! Edit4: and there is the "do-it-yourself treadmill" option, for which I'm too lazy (the later suggestions): http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2175076/how-to-use-bluetooth-in-android-emulator I'm sticking to the cheap (perfectly adequate) tablet. One of the primary reasons I got it (working ok touch-screen, tons of apps). The FHfx starts much faster than Helix (yes yes more takes more time, give me less for now), and so is the tablet (practically always on anyway) compared to a traditional Windows laptop. Just VDI and GO! Fun time! Heck, I'm too lazy to even do that most of the time! And just listen with the "raw guitar" alone. Until I want to test something and hear how it sounds, BT the thing, and go crazy despite sounding bad; having fun. Mission accomplished; small dreams these days. My big ones are best kept in the background, on a safe distance from me, to keep my sanity.

BT and the Remote are seperate things. The Remote app uses the BT connection. You should even be able to stream audio from any Linux installation if you can establish the BT connection. And that's what you've marked in your post. You might have wanted HD500X.At this stage the FH line is not everything for everyone. Nor is my suggestion here. If you want "the best" out of "all of the worlds", as cheap as possible, and affordably, join the club. Not even Helix at this point supports all major platforms for everything. And that's currently priced around 3x times more than the FHfx or HD500X unit. Although different introduction dates and more HW for your buck. Edit: clarity.

For iOS only for now since a few months? Cloud library supported in the Remote app? I'll check later for Android. http://line6.com/support/forum-83/announcement-82-stream-songs-from-the-cloud-with-firehawk-remote-130-for-ios/ I had overlooked the anouncement.

Happy camper. Did you know, with the new forum software you can mark a thread as answered? And you can (since the old one possibly) change the title of existing ones you are the OP of? Your thread will get a pretty and green "Answered" sign. It's neat. Also I don't know if the TRRS for Apple products would work correctly even on an Android. Not even sure they will work with normal TRS/Stereo connections of most multimedia devices with a headphone connection. Do they? Edit: you can post the resolution in a new post and mark it as the answer. I don't think semantics matter on the whole for using that. The thread title doesn't have to be a question. Just using the color mark makes the threads' list clearer.

What I also tried to elude at between the lines of all of my posts, now concretely: shouldn't Line 6 create a Pinned Anouncement and auto-email all relevant registered users of this precaution? Idea Scaling something that is based originally on Staff recommendation for new users not in the know, doesn't help current users not in the know about this. Although I appreciate the interactivity. Mars, the candy, millions of bars, of candy, were called back, because they may contain plastic inside. Just recently. Now that, is taking responsibility for "new information". Not burried in a thread, however informative it is to the one's that - "also accidentally" - read it. It's criticism on my part. I hope it's constructive.

Maybe it's a good idea to recommend to your team to add a cheap free TRS to TS splitter and reflect the situation in the manual? You know. Just to be safe..

Does anyone remember that TS cable being discouraged anywhere else in Line 6 Variax manuals or knowledge base? Because regardless of design limitations or incidental bad protection mechanism component, clay-man has a point. All the Variaxes using a TS cable all around the world are at risk? Time to be paranoid.. and suggest something comedic: But the current of the guitar signal going from tthe Tip also back to the Variax Power-Ring, should be too low for a real challenge to the protection mechanism. Although no invisibility is involved. The worry is not completely baseless and is scandelous to the brand imo. No one will notice as long as the protection mechanism doesn't fail. I would imagine much more returned guitars on that basis alone if it wasn't incidental component fail of the protection mechanism. It's much lower risk than simultaniuos audio-signals from the Variax outputs according to the staff most active on the forum. Edit: grammar.

Black is the Tip according to the label in the picture. But multimeter when used correctly is your friend. Edit: grammer.

An adapter to ensure S never get connecteted to R is cheap, but it could suck estatically for instance. Normally a TS "socket" by design doesn't have a Ring connector to make contact with the Ring portion of a jack, so the Ring remains electrically open; no closed circuit; no electrons circulation. https://youtu.be/cVRlkUPgP3U One could use a multimeter with a TRS cable into the Amp one is interested in, and then measure whether there is any resistance (Edit2: through the Ring portion, in contrast to a closed circuit) with the approperiate test current setting on the multimeter? Edit: spelling.

TS and TRS end to end, connected with a TRS cable, Ring remains open. Removing the burden on the Variax protection mechanism, whether diode or something. That seems to be the staff recommenation in this thread. TS cable the Sleeve/return-ground is over the entire supposed Ring space up to the Tip, so RS of Variax are over the same line. It works, but it seems staff says it's not risk-free no matter the technological precautiomnthus far. Whether design limitation or incidental bad component. I also understand the confusion. And I agree that it doesn't have to be rediculous to be robust with existing connections on the Variax t audio equipments, out to in.

Some things are timeless..

That last link/page to me is a very interesting read indeed! A fairly extensive GK-centric tracking-speed overview. Edit: so is the comparison of "FTP" and Jamorigin Midi Guitar (v2 Beta iterration x now). I read above or somewhere else that an Axon with th GK even supports pick-splitting, which only the GraphTech Ghost System I know supports. Unlike Roland's units and "FTP" so far. Assuming now that pick-splitting can be achieved with a GK, then waiting on a future product that also includes improvements in latency and COSM(-like) quality, that wait is even easier now. Jamorigin, we've a deal! Edit2: I'm sure I read first on VGuitarForums.com (kudos) about the Axon sensing of pick position, GK-compatible, unlike the Ghost System invasiveness for most guitars. Edit3: A recent post from someone still in posession of and using an Axon with a Godin MIDI, states a very positive impression of the Jamorigin.com MIDI Guitar 2 Beta, even in comparison. But as far as I know picking position tracking isn't supported yet with the latter. At least it's not discontinued unlike the Axon, so maybe one day it will support it too. Will look forward to further developments in this market too over the next decade. -- referenced post: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/11625962-post5.html

As someone with no musical skills worthy of an audience, I think the drunk would be doing me a service at the expense of their own in the case of banging their heads for instance. Of course that instance could also be because I'm practicing still in my early stages and they're actually not drunk enough. I will put up a warning and disclaimer sign before I start next time.

All of the red statements above are currently still true. They don't contradict, because "the" reference isn't used both times for the song that isn't stored on the device. From the "sound" of it, you don't even need an offline copy for the suggestion, if you can search for the artist after using a temporary "example" song first (you will only be presented songs present offline on your device, then loaded into the Remote app) to get the manual search option, if I understand correctly. I don't remember the manual search that well atm. For any file-content analysis based suggestion, you've to get the offline copy of the specific song itself and play it through the Remote app. Edit2: I agree that integration with a massive cloud streaming service would be awesome, if they improve the analysis algorithm. Otherwise it would be more for a less taps and app switching avoidance/convenience to search and play a song in the same app and get available tones for it that are specifically made before hand for that song, and not results based on early-stage associative data tables or even a fuzzy-logic algorithm. Currently you have to load the test Tone in the app and then switch to for instance Youtube to play the actual song or backing track. OtherEdits: clarity.

My wondering is whether there are more staff members that support the strain notion. Or if it's an unconfirmed fear/precaution theory. Any specific link to a Knowledge Base page anyone? Edit: minor grammer.

I forgot a downside of the feature: simultanious multi-user batch-operation loads! Their "free Tones cloud" costs will rise, in IO-time and storage, and/or operation processing time will increase, because users can more easily save and load much more at the same time. But they don't have to limit it to the cloud alone imo. Local storage for them should be equivalent to the cloud private "My Tones" like silverhead mentioned, so strain on their servers would be minimum, if they allow local storage and/or set a free-quota per user per day, week or month. Or make it a global task-queue for batch operations! Everyone should see that their batch operation is waiting for the ones before it, and we would be inclined to only perform it when worth it. But at least we would do something else in the meantime while the relative grunt work is automated! "Category/directory", tag filters, something, has to be added though to help in navigating and deal with the increase of the list sizes visually.

The guitar signal is so weak that a headphone can't relay the sound from it without at least a headphone amp. Please excuse my series of questions. Why does a 2nd signal of equal low current put such a strain on the electronics? You said it can handle only that much, would the costs be too high if designed to handle both simultaniously? How many overload cases is Line 6 aware of from returned guitars? Is it common? And why isn't it prevented somehow if that dangerous to the point of shortcircuits at worst-case sometimes, if a TRS isn't used when simultanious with VDI-power/-audio-signal according to one report? Any possibility for future improvements? Against shortcircuit risks according to another's post if combined with VDI-power-and-audio-signal, but it wouldn't help against the "strain and possible eventual guitar-electronics' demise" argument. How often do you use both outputs simultaniously? Anyone else? Because the argument is about strain by repeated over-heating. I tested in the beginning for a few minutes and it works, but there is no easy way for me to measure the temperature of specific components in the proces. I've a bad experience with passive cooling when overloaded, especially when it happens often and for too long. I want to use both outputs for recording a clean signal simultaniously with the FHfx Tone. Since FHfx unlike HD500X doesn't have that feature (a second signal chain). Is it possible for a new FH/fx firmware and Remote app release-combo to allow bypassing of the Tone to for instance to the Right channel out through a setting? Or can the FX block be set first and the FX out be used to record a clean signal? Any downside if the latter is already possible? Thank you all in advance.

I'm curious, did you notice anything else in particular while working with the FHfx units using the same Remote?