HonestOpinion

Just now, datacommando said:

I think this is aimed more towards the Katana, and Fender Mustang fans of trouser flapping guitar cabs...

 

...

Agree, should be a somewhat different target audience with perhaps some small measure of overlap. The continuing effort to offer a range of amplification options for pairing with a modeler.

1 hour ago, datacommando said:

This must be the hardware that has been hinted at for a while.

 

 

Nice amp! This is however quite a different beast from the PowerCab so I hope it doesn't force the PC(+) further into the apparent abandonware category. Don't see any reason why the Catalyst and the PowerCab can't coexist in Line6's lineup. Maybe Line6 will allay our PC(+) concerns with an update. Don't want to rain on this new amp's parade, however. It is appealing.

Not even sure that my biggest gripe with the Powercab, the fact that it has such a narrow optimal input level range, can even be remedied via firmware/software. Still love my PC+, just dislike dealing with the somewhat fiddly leveling efforts required from the device outputting signal to it. Often necessitating changing the gain structure in the preset. There are still a couple of outstanding bugs that need fixing from what I have read. An update to the manual would also be welcome, although @amsdenj and others have done a fine job of documenting what the various settings do and when they should be employed. IMHO the manual should be updated to be more informative. Anyway, I hope the PC continues to get a little love, at least for a bit longer. I really enjoy using mine.

Your topic is a veritable goldmine of freely donated presets. Thanks for all your work!

2 hours ago, medbad5150 said:

Just noticed after I updated on my Mac with HX Edit fully up to date. It states it's 3.15 but no Ventoux or other new features. I've Googled but no help. Any ideas please? Thank you

Did you update the firmware as well as HX Edit to 3.15? You didn't mention updating the firmware. They are two separate operations. Can you see the new amps/effects on your HX device? Doublecheck your firmware and editor versions in the 'About HX Edit' under 'File' in the HX Edit menu.

9 hours ago, Fenderbaby said:

@datacommando Hey man, I just want to thank you for all of your help. I followed your steps to the T, got to the step where I booted the Helix in Safe Boot mode, disconnected from the Internet, and closed all of my other apps except the Updater, launched that in Offline Mode, and the app still didn't detect the Helix. I tried different USB cables and ports, nothing. I'm beginning to think it may be a hardware issue like you said. I've tried reaching out to other forums and have heard similar advice. Maybe I'm just getting especially unlucky, idk. I appreciate your help regardless, I just wished it worked.

Probably already tried this(multiple times?) but also restart your computer. As @datacommando indicated your computer will not recognize your device if HX Edit and the Updater are running at the same time. So, clutching at straws here, you want to make sure HX Edit is not a hung process.

If the above does not work. I think it is time to give this a shot on a different computer if you have not tried that already. With the usual swapping around of USB cables and ports if necessary.

Any possibility you are not tightening the screw enough (don't overtighten). I also have never had this issue over many years of usage. That is definitely not typical behavior for the expression pedal. If it is still under warranty, I might consider having Line 6 resolve this. Almost sounds like the nut or screw is stripped. I would contact support.

21 hours ago, scotterp said:

Variax settings is per preset. Factory reset was done (twice to be sure) and reset from backup each time. 

 

This seems to work fine for the initial snapshot when coming into a preset. But if there is a " secondary" snapshot where the Variax should be "turned off" and let the mags take over, this is where I'm having an issue. The Variax is not turned off. 

 

I can always change the snapshots to use another Variax setting, not a big deal, but the behavior does seem to be different than previous releases. 

 

This is the only issue I have found. 

As far as I know you can't assign the Input block type to a snapshot. Are you using one of the snapshot strategies described in the two links below to switch between Variax and mag pups? Any chance you changed a setting on the Variax rather than the Helix?  Maybe one of the resident Variax gurus here can chime in.

How do I switch off the Variax model when changing to a different preset on Helix - Helix - Line 6 Community

On 2/12/2022 at 3:14 PM, jkuche said:

@HonestOpinion thanks for the guidance on the restore. Never had a problem before. - it worked like a charm!  I searched high and low on my machine for the latest  *.hils, finding all the old ones, but not this weeks. Where is it residing? Any idea why can't i see it anywhere on my machine? thanks

Glad to hear it worked! The backup that is part of the automated update process creates a comprehensive backup file with the extension '.hxb' that includes your presets, IRs, setlist info, global settings, favorites and defaults. The extension for a Helix setlist is '.hls'.  There is no "i".

Don't remember if there is a default directory for exported setlists as I long ago created a custom location but if I had to guess it is probably under the "Line 6" directory or subdirectories. I would just search for *.hls on my drives to find it if you lose track of where they are located. Keep in mind that going forward you don't have to export setlists, but it never hurts to have them if a backup file(*.hxb) ends up corrupt.

I used to export all my setlists before every update but have gotten lazy about it as the backup/restore process seems to work pretty well these days. Hopefully being slack on that doesn't come back to bite me. One thing I do is manually create an extra backup with the 'Create Backup' command, in addition to the one that is created during the automated update, just for insurance.  I also use the 'Extract Files From Backup' command (under the 'File' heading in HX Edit) to give me all my presets in separate files. 

1 hour ago, tallinn1 said:

Thanks,now it's working.

Glad to hear it(literally)! 

On 2/12/2022 at 1:20 AM, skipsimpson said:

Hello guys,   I'm having trouble getting the Favorites Tab to show up, in HXedit 3.15,

perhaps my OS X (El Capitan 10.11.6) ?? Any ideas? Thanks very much.   Skip Simpson

First step, make sure both HX Edit and your firmware are at 3.15. Did you do the factory reset & backup restore after updating? Which HX device do you have?

50 minutes ago, scotterp said:

OK - So  I have gone through the update process a couple of times and have reset things from my backup and I'm having one issue in particular.

 

I only have 2 presets where, within snapshots, some snapshots are using Variax settings, and others are using the built in pickups. For instance:

 

Snapshot 1 uses the spank setting #2, where snapshot #3 uses Variax mags, wherever the switch may be positioned. 

 

What I'm finding is that when I switch to snapshot #3 now, it maintains the spank setting. It used to turn off the Variax and just go to whatever the mags were currently positioned to. The Variax no longer turns off when I switch to a snapshot where it used to do that. 

 

Anyone else seeing this?

Go over to the second page of parameters on the Input block of any preset using a Variax input block and make sure 'Variax Settings'="Per Preset". Once you set it in one preset it will apply to all, that is actually a global setting located in a preset. Also, if, as @datacommando indicated, if the problem is in your global presets, make sure you did the factory reset and restore backup step recommended by Line6. If you use the backup that was made by the update process, it will restore all your global settings to their state prior to the update(as they should be).

11 hours ago, lance135 said:

...I had to do the firmware update twice, but the second time it worked and didn't erase my presets. Thanks, Helix team!

If it "didn't erase your presets" that might mean the factory reset didn't take on your second update. Might not be a terrible idea to backup, do a factory reset, and restore your backup per the update notes' recommendation. 

1 hour ago, Axxxeman said:

 

Well, that would not concern me, it would only concern these two musicians, who WANT the FOH mix. With my individual monitor mix no fader move would affect my monitor mix, it would stay as it was at sound check.

True dat, would only be a potential issue for them, so if they can manage it to their satisfaction, your mix will be unaffected.

On 2/9/2022 at 9:25 AM, tallinn1 said:

Hi ,I just updated HX Edit - HX Stomp to 3.15 and now I have no sound.

I have Mac OS Catalina version 10.15.7

Did you do a factory reset and then restore your backup? My first guess would be that your global settings were reset to default. Restoring the backup will also reset your global settings to your preferences from before the update, as well as ensure your device is ready for prime time. Recheck your physical connections as always.

On 2/10/2022 at 1:25 PM, DunedinDragon said:

I'm confused then as to why, if Monitor path 1 is the FOH mix and the actual FOH mix is being sent from the main outs on the mixer, why you wouldn't just use the daisy chain output from one of the FOH speaker to the monitor used by the bassist and drummer, which would then provide two open monitor outputs for you and the keyboard?  Clearly it would be nice to just have more monitor outputs, but if not you'd get the same effect and everyone would get what they want.

The one consideration with this setup is any changes to the FOH mix, will also be reflected in the monitor mix. Volume changes being the one you would probably most be concerned about.

7 hours ago, theElevators said:

I used to use button toppers for the top row, but ultimately got rid of them.  It simply takes practice to angle your foot correctly, and once I used the Helix enough, I no longer have any issues.  The button toppers get crooked over time, so that's why I stopped using them; they are more trouble than they're worth. 

Have to respectfully disagree, I find toppers invaluable. I have been using them for years on the top row only. I am a lead guitarist and a vocalist, and for up-tempo tunes where I have only a brief moment to glance at the Helix and make a switch I find them invaluable for upping my accurate switching hit rate. Never had them go crooked on me either although maybe you were gigging more frequently or using a different brand. Mine are just some inexpensive no-names.

8 minutes ago, adam79 said:

I'm trying to download the 3.15 update, but the only file link I see is for 'HX_Edit_315'.

 

Is this update just for the HX Edit software, or for Native as well?

 

If it's for Native, where is the link???

 

No, they are separate pieces of software. Go to the Downloads page. Make sure you leave the hardware dropdown set to the default, "Choose Hardware". Then select "Helix Native" from the software dropdown(middle) and then select your OS in the third dropdown.

44 minutes ago, FusorHawk said:

Thank you for your replies 

 

I reinstalled HX Edit again

This time it worked

 

Note: For the second re-install I deleted HX Edit from Applications using Finder and from Trash as well before downloading and reinstalling it

Rebooted for good measure before downloading and installing it again

 

Heliosphere is now there as well as the other new stuff (Ventoux etc.)

 

Next, I downloaded and installed Helix Native again

 

Then, in Logic I went into:

-Logic Pro

-Preferences

-Plug-In Manager

-Highlighted ‘Line 6’

-Clicked ‘Reset and Rescan Selection’

I rebooted for good measure

 

Everything is now there in Helix Native,

all set

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glad to see it resolved!

6 hours ago, silverhead said:

 

I expect Line 6 has factored in the (largely unquantifiable) prospect of lost sales due to poor factory presets. Seems they have decided it's not worth the effort to try to 'improve' them further, whatever that means, at least not now. It takes resources to do that and it's not clear it would push any tire-kickers over the line in a retail store. It's like pinning the tail on a donkey. Every user's ears, equipment, and style preferences are different. A change one tire-kicker likes would be hated by another. Like you, any serious buyer (and the $ involved means serious) understands that factory presets need to be tweaked.

 

If Line 6 thought they could drive increased sales by improving factory presets instead of adding new functionality they would do that.

New prospective buyers have a lack of experience in dialing in a preset to their personal tastes. Combine this with the fact that you cannot control for what they will be monitoring with, and it makes it difficult to provide "universal" presets that really do a device justice. I suspect that if you took the Helix and loaded the Factory presets with the best of the preset packs being offered by third parties along with the top-rated presets from CustomTone you might still get a similar tepid response to the Factory presets. 

Part of the challenge in populating any new device with presets is somewhat the same for the creators of the device as it is for the users. It takes some time to get good at preset design. With competition and the speed of innovation accelerating the time to market for all manufacturers, the time available to surmount that learning curve is getting shorter all the time. We all got better at preset design with time.

Creating great presets is inherently an evolutionary process, highly subjective, and acutely dependent on being listened to with the same type of monitoring setup they were created on. The ROI of devoting time and resources to that, as @silverhead alluded to, no doubt figures heavily into how much attention a company dedicates to preset design. Would it be great to have preset packs and the best of CustomTone make their way into the Factory presets. Maybe. But how do you go about compensating those preset designers and is it worth it? We have seen celebrity/pro designed presets on a range of devices, most notably the TC Electronics pedals, and I suppose they sell more devices but there is no doubt a point of diminishing returns. Lastly, some devices just seem to lend themselves to playing better with a wide range of monitor setups right out of the gate. The rub is that they may lack features, functionality, or even the ability to sound great, not just good, when a bit of experience and knowledge is applied to them.

Btw, this evolutionary element to a modeler's presets also has a similar impact on amp and effect design. If a product is lucky enough to have the time to mature, the developers tend to get better and better at emulating various amps and effects. The problem is that in many instances, if you were to just swap out older versions of a block with a newer better one, it can easily and adversely impact presets constructed with the earlier version. That is why they tend to issue the amp or effect as a new variation rather than changing them under the covers; with the exception of those occasions where the block had a demonstrable defect to begin with.

59 minutes ago, Axxxeman said:

 

Well, I do sympathize with this solution a lot, especially, because it seems to be the only way, to get a decent (guitar) feedback, when needed. Nore the bassist, nor anyone else in the band should hear my special helix output as they get all the guitar signal, they need, in the monitor mix, which is exactly identical to the FOH mix. Still the problem would remain, that at my (narrow) position, the DBR12 might be overpowering the wedge output of our common monitor mix. We'll see, the wedge still hat not arrived, loads of stuff is stuck in China or on sea, due to corona ... So far, many thanks for sharing your experience!

 

Another way I might approach this would be to use the DBR12 as a fourth stage monitor, set up on the side, space allowing, if there is not enough room in front.  Then run the Helix direct to the board via XLR, and the Helix's 1/4 output to the DBR12. Run a monitor mix from the mixer of everything you need to hear except guitar. Set the master volume on the Helix to only control the 1/4 output. You can do this in global settings. That way you can control your guitar's volume output yourself to the DBR12 without impacting the FOH. Bonus, you don't have to share a monitor with the bass player anymore.  Don't know if this would result in excessive latency between the board mix and the Helix direct going into the DBR12? Might be fine.

For a completely different solution, compact monitors like the Hot Spot or the Behringers in the links below are very small, can be pole mounted, and provide perfectly adequate monitor mixes in tight spaces. I know bands who use them for all members for both space, weight, and price considerations, and love 'em. 

Behringer B105D 50W 5 inch Powered Monitor Speaker | Sweetwater

Behringer Eurolive B205D 150W 5.25 inch Powered Monitor Speaker | Sweetwater

I would be interested to see any suggestions others might have.

14 hours ago, FusorHawk said:

Running MacOS Monterey latest version

Intel 27” 5K

HX Stomp DOES show Heliosphere etc. 

HX Edit does not

Helix Native does not (in Logic)

I checked everything suggested in the post and all show 3.15 version in every location

Re-installed both softwares and updated Stomp firmware again, no go

Stumped

 

 

Edit: The one thing that gives me pause is the fact that you say it isn't showing up in Native either despite the fact that you have double-checked the version(3.15). I can confirm it is there so forgive me for asking but are you absolutely sure you are looking for it under the 'Delay' mono or stereo category(not Reverb)? Short of your computer having some sort of a personal vendetta against any word referring to the sun's atmosphere I can't see why it would not be showing up in Native. I am running Windows though so I suppose it could be different in the MacOS version.

Note: Heliosphere shows up 16th in the list under Delay --> Mono in Native 3.15 right after "Multi Pass". At least for me on Windows.

Anyway if you still can't find it...

Have you done the backup, factory reset, and backup restore? The most important factor being the factory reset.

Are the other new effects and amp models from 3.15 showing up? Critical question. If so, maybe that effect did not make it into HX Edit with the Stomp. Seems highly unlikely but I have the Helix so I can only confirm it shows up on both that device and HX Edit 3.15.  Can someone else with a Stomp please confirm the Heliosphere is showing up in HX Edit 3.15. A confirmation that it is showing up in Native on a Mac would be great too.

If the factory reset and restore don't fix it, uninstall the Line6 software and download and reinstall HX Edit 3.15. If that doesn't work I would do the manual install with the Updater. You may want to wait for someone here to confirm that this is not a bug with HX Edit 3.15 and specifically the Stomp(just seems like we would have heard about it but it's early yet). Still before you do all this, I would triple check to make sure you have not just missed it in the list. Good luck!

22 minutes ago, FusorHawk said:

I updated my HX Stomp to 3.15

I updated HX Edit, it shows 3.15

I do see the new effects like Heliosphere in the Stomp

but not in the HX Edit software

Any Ideas?

MacOS

Where are you seeing HX Edit showing 3.15? Any chance you are seeing the firmware version instead? Are you are looking for the new effect "Heliosphere" in the correct category under Delay(mono or stereo)? 

It sounds to me like you upgraded the firmware but did not download and install the new HX Edit software or it did not take. Go to 'Help' --> 'About HX Edit' flash screen in HX Edit and confirm your version. My wager is that it does not show HX Edit 3.15 in the lower part of the screen but does show the 3.15 firmware in the upper part. If it doesn't, just download and install HX Edit 3.15. Btw, just to confirm, I do see it under mono and stereo, any chance you just missed it buried in the list? Quite a nice selection of delays we have by now, a lot to scan.

7 hours ago, richardcuccia said:

Silverhead, Thanks. I did restore my backup file, I think. However, I will again restore my backup file, with special attention to the Global Settings. Here I go. Thanks again.

If you have not already make sure you do a factory reset, per the update notes, before you restore your backup. To restore use HX Edit and under the File entry in the menu select 'Restore From Backup'.

If the backup restore doesn't restore your footswitch arrangement, you can do it manually by going to global settings --> Footswitches --> 'Preset Mode Switches' = "Stomp/Snap".

2 hours ago, SaschaFranck said:

 

I'm pretty sure it's the case. I had similar things happening before already - and apparently HX doesn't have much of a "download timeout safety net" (aka download manager alike feature) built in, so once any server errors occur, it might as well just keep trying to resolve whatever temporarily invalid request instead of just stoppimg and starting a new attempt (which is what download managers usually do - or offer - once they realize there's no chance to resume). I mean, I could download HX Edit from within itself just fine (which is like around 14 x the size of the actual update), I could as well grab the flash file in a matter of a second (it's just 5.x MB), so it's possibly not so much about the servers getting slammed but more about how HX Edit is dealing with temporarily rejected file requests.

 

So, basically I agree with what you said in your second paragraph. And yes, it's good that there's an alternative - but from all I gather as an "armchair quarterback", I think it should be possible for L6 to kind of build that manual process into HX Edit. Alternatively, they could (well, they rather should) post the alternative Updater workaround along with their update instructions. I mean, it's not for the first time this happens. In fact, it happened with each and every update ever since I own the Helix (and before as well, I've been reading about these issues before I got my unit already), my post describing the L6 Updater workaround (in another thread) got a whole plethora of likes by now. And no, I'm not proud of these likes by any means as I was just posting something very obvious - which I think should be L6's job.

Just wanted to make it clear that I was accusing myself of being an armchair quarterback, not you. I agree, Line6 would probably be well served to formally document the manual Updater process as the standard alternative when the automated update process fails.  And lastly, that bulleted list you put out on how to recover from a stalled update using the Updater has been a great thing for the Line6 community that has garnered you a lot of good will. A lot of people had put out similar instructions to you previously, but you managed to do it in a very concise manner that seemed to be very easy for folks to follow. I know I was one of the people that upvoted it and I think it should be pinned.

7 hours ago, SaschaFranck said:

 

Was the same for me (I suspect server issues on Line 6's end). Quit HX Edit (including shutting down possible background tasks in case you're on Windows), download the latest Line 6 Updater if you haven't already, download the approproate flash file for the update, start the L6 Updater and do an offline update. Bob should be your uncle.

Glad you mentioned the potential server issues on Line6's end. This thought occurs to me whenever I see update failures being reported within the first couple of days of an announced update. Servers are getting slammed. Don't know if it is the case but it is such a common cause for failures in other vendor's updates that have a large user base and one as enthusiastic as Line6's to get the latest.

Other than phased rollouts to your user base in limited batches, for example by region (hate that), one of the best ways to guard against overloaded servers causing failed upgrades from the perspective of the developer writing the update, is to make sure that the only part of the process that requires connectivity is an initial download that is viewed as a single transaction. It either completes successfully within a certain preset amount of time and the update continues, or it exits and maybe kicks back a message such as "server busy, try again". If the download of the new editor/firmware is successful, only then does it proceed to the rest of the process completely offline (no more internet connectivity or acks from the server side required once the initial download is completed, only connectivity from the HX device to the computer). This is essentially how the manual Updater process operates, so good on Line6 for providing the alternative to the automatic update.

Easy to speculate on things like this as an armchair quarterback. I have no insight into the automatic update processes' legacy code or various requirements to ensure a proper upgrade. If it is possible to do everything offline once the new editor and firmware are downloaded though, it might cut down on failed and stalled updates. No idea. I suspect the majority of failures are downstream on the users end though. One option if there are problems server-side, is over-allocating server resources on the back end. That can get expensive and connectivity issues with an ISP can still cause problems that have nothing to do with Line6. Services like Amazon's AWS can sometimes be more economical for providing connectivity and server resources that expand and contract automatically according to demand. For all I know Line6 is already using them.  Whatever method they have chosen to manage the back end they have probably made a conscious decision balancing between not over-spending on server resources and total number of failed updates. 

I like that they also offer the automated process as I have been lucky with it working consistently for the most part and the ease of use of it appeals to me. After all the hard work I know they have put into it, it still has room to improve. Very cool though how it has evolved to include the backup and downloading and installing of HX Edit before proceeding to the firmware update. They keep this up and it will be booking gigs for your band soon with every update.