HonestOpinion

The thing that exacerbates this is that for several of the effects the taper is not gradual enough. They seem to become audible all of a sudden at 11-13% and then there is not a gradual enough change in the direct to effected mix. Sort of like the difference between a linear and logarithmic expression pedal taper. The mix control becomes a little to much of an on/off control rather than a subtle and gradually increasing mix control. Might be the nature of the beast but I have noticed this issue particularly on the delays.

Just thought I'd mention this as I had not seen it brought up yet. The first thing I check when a note is cutting off early is the noise gate setting on the Input block.

Yep, another gig this weekend, three different guitars, one of them a Variax, not one of them worked with the Helix tuner. If even a Line6 guitar does not work with a Line6 tuner, something is definitely awry. I even tried ignoring the upper bar entirely because there is no hope of it settling down. Still too jumpy. The tuner is just one of the best looking ones ever designed but is flat out awful and needs fixin'. A constant source of irritation and an incredibly broken core feature on an otherwise very gratifying and useful device.

I totally understand your situation if you are only a month in with the Helix. It already takes a while to get your sound right with a device as feature rich as the Helix and these column speakers add another layer of complexity and can be a bit trickier to get a great sound out of than a conventional PA speaker. Once you get there you will be quite happy with both your sound and the incredible portability that these speakers offer in combination with the Helix.

If you can't seem to get enough bottom end out of the Turbosound for the drum and bass tracks using the TouchMix parametric and graphic EQ, and input level adjustments, I would recommend turning up the sub and/or bass directly on the Turbosound speaker's menu to get a little more low end out of it, too much though and I find they get boomy, flubby, or muddy. I don't see any reason you should not be able to use the TouchMix with the TurboSound to get a great sound. I have used similar mixers with the Turbosound iP2000, although not that particular mixer. I would probably start with the TouchMix's EQ pretty much flat and then work on getting unity gain and the sound levels as good as possible from the Helix. I would experiment with the settings for the Helix output levels (mic, line) and would also tweak the presets being used. The usual - find the right cab,mic, and especially EQ, etc.. Only when I was fairly satisfied with the sound from the Helix would I start changing the TouchMix's EQ. Although if you find you need to jockey back and forth to the TouchMix EQ to get you in the ballpark there's no rule saying you can't. Also make sure you are not adding any effects from the TouchMix mixer to the Helix until you are getting close to the sound you want solely from the Helix. Apologies if you know all this stuff already but just trying to reassure you that these speakers can sound great with various mixers and the Helix. If you absolutely cannot get a good sound with the TouchMix you can try going direct to the Turbosound with the Helix to eliminate the QSC as the problem. Keeping at it though will probably pay off. I am positive there are good sounds to be had with both the Helix and your mixer in play.

When I have had to mix sound in direct sunlight for an extended period of time I bring a fan to cool off the mixing board and rack-mounted gear as well if necessary. If you can't get any shade on the Helix a small fan running next to it might be a good idea. Just a small unobtrusive black Vornado or the like would do the trick. Even if the Helix is resistant to overheating and has good heat dispersion, getting hot enough to be difficult to handle would make me bring a fan for peace of mind. If you wear sandals or go barefoot it will cool your feet too. :)

I've used them with and without additional monitoring, they work great with the Helix. They are perfect for a duo in small to mid-size clubs as well as smaller outdoor gigs. Two are better than one, especially if you want to run the Helix in stereo. I assume you have already checked out the alternatives like the Bose.

I can see where there are plenty of users who would love a second expression pedal (akin to the Behringer FCB1010 layout). I must admit I prefer that the Helix only has one. I am glad it does have the one as it provides an ultra portable solution that guarantees that I always have at least a volume, wah, pitchbender, etc. available but anything after that seems better left as optional. It decreases the overall footprint, weight, and cost of the Helix for those who infrequently use a second expression pedal. Additionally an external expression pedal for those who do prefer two is more easily repaired or replaced and less expensive to ship back for out of warranty repairs. Expression pedals almost inevitably go bad or require servicing eventually, at least in my experience, like almost everything else that has moving parts, so it seems like one less thing on the Helix that might require a repair. I could see where having a second pedal on the Helix itself might not only increase the cost of the unit by its inclusion but also because the delayed cost of in-warranty repairs would have to be included in the selling price.

Yep, an important historical note for anyone reading through old posts. The old manual had an error. It is corrected in the Rev D. version of the manual. Excerpt from Helix manual Rev.B: "21. AUX IN (10MΩ) Connect a secondary, active-pickup equipped guitar or bass here. " Excerpt from Helix manual Rev.D: "21. AUX IN (10kΩ) Connect a secondary, active-pickup equipped guitar or bass here. "

Agreed, awesome that L6 added the bypass MIDI functionality!! :) I used to use the FCB1010 fairly successfully with my Fractal Ultra but found that the main issue was visual feedback regarding the state of the device being controlled, for example properly reflecting the block's bypass states on the Fractal from the FCB1010. For simple switching and access to a couple of extra expression pedals it is just fine though. Probably preaching to the choir here but nothing IMHO replaces getting the correct or matching foot controller for a given device that will require minimal programming and receive proper feedback from the modeler such that pedals show the correct corresponding block's state, e.g. lit, unlit, the preset name is displayed properly, etc... For example, if you own the Rack, get the Helix foot controller. You can always use the Behringer in addition. I personally don't want to require two full pedalboards worth of real estate on stage although it may be perfect for some. I think the FCB1010 makes a great addition in a home studio to the Helix and perhaps some power users on a stage with plenty of room available. You do get two more expression pedals and several more stomp switches for a bargain price. I prefer a smaller footprint and more compact MIDI controller for stage if I require additional MIDI switches. Currently though I find the provided switching on the Helix to be sufficient to my needs. Most people who own the Behringer FCB1010 are probably already aware of the free editor as well as the UNO firmware chip and licensed editor alternatives but in case you aren't here are a couple of links. Using an editor to program the FCB1010 is infinitely easier than navigating its native functions for setting up MIDI commands. The UNO firmware chips offer some nice options as well. Free version: http://www.mtnsys.com/?path=faq-fcb/PCEditorBeta.htm%3f UNO version: http://www.fcb1010.uno/

There are multi-core DSP chips but until someone opens up a Headrush or the company provided more details on what chip they used I will remain curious as to what is inside the box.

I think you are right. Recording skills and techniques are very complementary to live sound skills and definitely provide additional tools and ideas for perfecting your live sound on a device as complex and flexible as the Helix. Options typically available and learned from in a DAW can be especially helpful when you employ blocks that use more controls than a typical three knob stomp. The reverse is also true, live sound skills can contribute to studio applications. All of that should probably be balanced with making the Helix as plug & play as possible but also providing depth and options for more complex operation. Not every musician is inclined towards being a techie and there is a point of diminishing returns where designing presets starts to monopolize playing time. However, the more you know the faster you can get to a great tone. Like you, I feel I am always learning something new from this forum and others and unfortunately also forgetting something I will have to be reminded of.

I strongly agree with these two posts. This has been my experience as well and applies to mixing sound at the board as well. If I am not judicious with my EQ as well as low and high cuts it can result in a very artificial tone. As soon as I hear a tone that is too "digital" one of the first things I go looking for is an EQ cut or boost (usually a cut in my case) that is too severe. I also try to keep in mind what my tone will sound like in a live setting which keeps me from overdoing the cuts particularly on the high end that may sound fine when I am designing my presets but fail to cut through or have any character with a full band. It took a while but I have finally internalized to some extent what that difference needs to be for a preset intended for stage. Sometimes the final sound still needs tweaking once I get with the band but it tends to be closer than when I first started setting up my presets.

The cap sensitive switches are definitely your friend for locating assignments. Complex assignments or issues like tracking what the expression pedal is assigned to are why it would be great if the Helix provided some kind of an assignments screen where you could see all of your assignments in one place. That would be a nice addition to the Helix and Editor although I have been able to navigate easily for the most part without a screen like this. Assignments screen Ideascale: https://line6.ideascale.com/a/idea-v2/824908

Another vote for the Valve Driver, I like it. Similar to the rest of the overdrives it just needs to be paired with the right amp and preset.

From what I saw the flexibility to load blocks on the Headrush is much more limited. I believe there is a maximum of 11 spaces available for effects and amps/cabs. So in return for far less flexibility and what looks to be less blocks allowed in a preset you get gapless preset switching. I don't pretend to know the internals on the Headrush but perhaps what they did was dedicate two of the four cores on their four-core DSP processor to switching and two to the signal path. Helix went the other way and dedicated both DSP chips to allowing a more complex signal path and perhaps more DSP dedicated to amp and effect models. Very different approaches. I prefer the Helix approach, particularly since the addition of snapshots, but I look forward to modeler designs in the future with cheaper more powerful multi-core DSP chips that may be able to provide a compromise that offers more flexible signal chains, high-res complex modeling, and also gapless switching. However, there will probably always be room in the market-place for throwing all the DSP power at flexibility and pushing the limits of resolution and complexity on amps/cabs and effects; much as the Helix is currently designed. I know it has proven to be an unpopular idea on the forum but I would still love to see future generations of the Helix include a touchscreen.

Good point, I forgot about that capability, definitely some excellent design by Line6 there. That does make using an external tuner considerably less painful. Still should not be necessary though. That is what gets me, a brilliantly designed tuner with a fatal flaw that seems eminently fixable. :(

You can select either mic or line level in the global settings for the Helix outputs, but as has been mentioned, neither use a Hi-Z input on the board.

Great tip! Thanks!

Your point about the refresh rate is relevant but I am not sure that is the whole picture. Even if the response is delayed somewhat there should be a way to account for it and provide a stable reference point for the tuner where it settles for a moment. Even if slower screen refresh times make it more difficult to tune quickly I am glad that it works for you and others but for many of us it does not. I don't think any of us are going to stop "getting on with our lives over this" although there have been some too-long pauses and muttered expletives as I have struggled onstage with this tuner. ;) Not to mention the time spent writing posts to advocate for tuner improvement. Since you are happily using your Helix tuner for gigs you can probably easily appreciate how much the rest of us would like to enjoy that as well. The alternative is having an unsightly clip-on tuner, not my favorite headstock adornment for anything other than campfire jams, or you can put an external tuner in line or in a send loop (both of these methods require extra cabling and an additional device). If you use an external tuner in line you compromise your direct signal path from guitar to Helix. If you use it in a return loop you have to dedicate a send block and maybe a dedicated footswitch in every preset. Neither are ideal solutions, particularly when there is already a dedicated tuner footswitch and tuner on the Helix. I would rather be using the Helix's beautiful internal tuner, just as you have been able to do. So although your advice is sound and pragmatic - use an external tuner for now, I can't help but still hope that Line6 improves this, to me, very critical feature of the Helix.

I am not seeing a "reorder" option in the Helix 'Save' screen although it would be handy and maybe I am missing something. You may be recalling the "Insert" button which is only for inserting a blank into the preset name. Let us know if you have a method for this on the Helix when you get back to yours. The easiest method I know of is using the Editor and simply highlighting all the presets you need moved at one time and copying and pasting them into the new location, for example, one slot further down. Not quite as elegant perhaps as a "reorder" or "insert" option but it really is quite easy and only takes a moment.

Have to agree with the comment about "rushed double check". I wanted to see more time spent on repeated confirmations of the tuning as well although I do want to acknowledge the fact that fenderod was doing his best to try to show that he was able to tune quickly. The two test requirements - tuning quickly and also demonstrating that your tuning is repeatable, accurate, and stable are somewhat at odds with each other but I hope the next video does keep the confirmation process in mind.

No worries, that ever present pitfall in which the written word can fail to convey facial expression or tone of voice. I can definitely see where not only would the "OCD" comment have have been funny in conversation but might well have been just the kind of joke I would have made. Just struggling to find humor with this tuner, so it is welcome to some extent. No offence taken and thanks for the clarification.

Well said and that gremlin seems to have an extended family because one of them is living in my tuner as well.

So because you see what this user saw everyone else must be suffering from OCD? Utter nonsense, bad science and an erroneous supposition, not to speak of insulting. This is not about OCD, it is about different results. This is not what many of us are seeing. It is like that picture of the dress that was floating around that appeared as gold on some computer monitors and blue on others with each half of the country accusing the other of being color blind until it was established that it actually was different colors on different monitors. Too early to tell from a single video but judging by this one people are seeing different behavior with the tuner.