HonestOpinion

I think @cruisinon2 gets to the heart of the issue. Using an FRFR at rehearsal at something resembling gig volumes, is probably the most accurate predictor of what your Helix will sound like through a PA, although as @DunedinDragon pointed out, older analog PAs introduce additional possible variances to the sound that would be produced by a modern, powered speaker, PA. As you state you don't own an FRFR and you seem to like the sound and "pressure" you get with your tube amps. Given your almost entirely analog signal chain - both PA and monitor - at least with your current setup, miking your amp might actually be a better approach for you than direct to FOH. Personally I prefer going direct to FOH from the Helix. There are many advocates on the forum for using an FRFR monitor(at or close to gig volume) to design presets that will translate most easily to stage. It is a fairly simple equation, powered FRFRs just sound more like a modern PA, they are essentially PA speakers, so it is more like using a PA from the gitgo to design your presets. That is the approach I have used for years and it works well but it is not the only way to go about things. If you want to stick to a more analog approach there is no reason you can't if that is what best suits the equipment you will be playing through. If you do decide to go direct to FOH rather than miking your amp, you will almost definitely find that you need to EQ things differently and make modifications to your patches, although some players get lucky, and the tones they dial up for their tube amp represent a compromise and sound great through the FOH as well. Ultimately the formula is, the closer the monitor you design your presets on is to your PA, usually, the less tweaking and translation your presets will require when playing out.

I'm all for the additional flexibility on the pad, as long as they retained a global setting with for example, "Global", "Preset", "Snapshot" options. I suspect many people use the pad globally when they switch guitars, sometimes for the duration of their gig or recording session, and want it to impact all presets.

You don't really delete a block on HX devices, you either clear them by selecting 'None' from the menu or alternately by selecting 'Clear Block' from the 'Action' menu, or you can replace the block contents with another effect, amp, etc.. Are you saving after your modification? If the process you are using works on your other presets I would just assume the preset is corrupt and copy a new/blank one over on top of it. If this is not the case and the problem is procedural you should provide details, as Silverhead requested, as to exactly how you are going about clearing or editing the block and what you expect to see when you are done. Does this occur on the device and/or in HX Edit? If it only happens on the device is it possible that for example the click function on your joystick is not functioning? If this is indeed a recurring problem, did you do the global reset and reload of your backup after you last upgraded your firmware. If not, do that, or even consider running through the entire firmware update process again, making sure to do the global reset and backup.

Coincidentally that is exactly the same duration of my memory for forum posts ;-)

I hear you about Line 6's core strengths and I definitely don't want them to stray from them but there is no reason they can't beef up their looping functionality in future hardware efforts. Shouldn't dilute their focus too much. Some other modelers out there are incorporating more powerful loopers in their modelers - from low to high price points. I think, by default, most modeler manufacturers will eventually be delivering a level of looping functionality significantly beyond what is currently available on the Helix. I have seen the pattern repeated over and over, both in the hardware and software world, where something that starts as an additional add-on, eventually gets incorporated into the hardware, OS, application, or whatever. Have no real dog in this fight though as my looper requirements are minimal and the Helix suffices. Where it doesn't I have a Digitech looper.

The looper has a 120 second limit in mono at half speed. A veritable embarrassment of riches(written with not a small smattering of sarcasm). The looper is not the Helix's strongest attribute. I suspect that at some point that will be addressed but probably any major gains in this department will have to wait for the next generation of hardware. There are other modelers that do looping a lot better but may lack some/many of the features of the HX line.

Even if the input wasn't clipping(after the OP switched on the pad), if the guitar's active electronics were overly accentuating certain frequencies, the compressor may be catching those, lowering their levels, and preventing them from causing unpleasant things to happen to the tone as the signal proceeds on to being processed by the other blocks. With that said, sure, you could be right, might be issues with something else in the preset but as has been pointed out many times on the forum, if it works, even if it doesn't seem like the "correct" solution it might be right for you(or at least a good workaround).

Does changing the 'Guitar In-Z'(impedance) on the Input block help? If neither that nor the pad make it better, lowering the pickups on the guitar may be an option. You could also try inserting a compressor block in the first position in your signal chain, cut the makeup gain, set the threshold to catch any peaks, and see if that helps everything else downstream. The '3-Band Comp' might be ideal for this purpose as it may help you hone in and just compress the offending frequencies without dulling your dynamics. A different guitar cable may also help, some cables suck more tone than others. If none of this helps it may be that your active electronics may just, as you noted, be too hot at their more aggressive settings for the Helix.

Glad you got it working properly again. If this issue does resurface in the future at least you know how to test for it. If I had to guess, given your subsequent testing and resolution, I would think one of the following issues probably occurred: Always possible to forget the global reset and/or backup restore after a firmware update. As you mentioned firmware reset and/or restore didn't take the first time. You discovered a bug caused by some arcane combination of global settings. Maybe you took note of your global settings to see if you could recreate the bug after global reset and restore. Some kind of cabling issue or defective cable caused the automatic summing of the Left output to mono to fail until plugged in while the device is on. Some kind of hardware issue on the Helix caused the automatic summing of the Left output to mono to fail until plugged in while the device is on. Points #4 & #5 seem unlikely since the issue did not persist after you did a global reset & restore.

You might try reinstalling Native. Also, as a sanity check, if you do have an HX device I would probably try exporting the IRs from there and then attempt to import them into Native. Perhaps you are trying to import a different format into Native now, than you did last time, when they worked.

Yes to all of your suppositions. Certain powered speakers are inherently more prone to this "interaction" than others. I use to have some old JBL powered monitors that loved to pop - loudly - if you failed to turn them either on/off in the correct order. I had JBL subs that literally made a prolonged shutdown sound like an alien ray gun if you got the shutdown order incorrect. Other powered speakers I have owned were less prone to popping. Might just have been the way their amplification sections operated or were set. I hate to belabor the turning off/on order thing as it has already been mentioned a couple of times, but really that is the way to go if you want to minimize the risk of damaging your speakers and have a silent shutdown. Shutdown order is proper procedure, not a workaround. I understand being concerned that it could be a problem with your Helix and only testing with multiple powered speakers, cables, varying the speaker's settings, and trying different Helix presets, can definitively answer that question. For me that would be a lot of work to do just to figure out if my Helix made a sound when an incorrect startup/shutdown procedure was executed. I find it unlikely that this is a hardware issue with the Helix but anything is possible. Btw, do you have the Helix's output set to line level? Looks like your Presonus Eris 5's expect that. If you put a volume block at the end of a preset, set your expression/volume pedal to global, and have it all the way heel-down when you turn on the Helix, do you still get the pop? How about on a New/empty preset? Just a couple of variables that might help eliminate the preset or global settings as the culprit. Lastly, and certainly not limited to Line 6, you would think by 2021 the industry would have figured out an inexpensive and standard/required piece of included circuitry to stop pops from occurring between different speakers and devices, regardless of startup/shutdown procedure. I will say it does seem to be less of a problem now due to changes to the equipment that is commonly used than it used to be where your Crown power amps could blow out your PA speakers in a hurry.

I have multiple PCs so I figured I would test HX Edit 3.11 out on one that I upgraded to Windows 11. As @waymda and @datacommando pointed out, HX Edit does not appear to have been certified on Windows 11 yet. Along with the documentation which does not include it, the 'Downloads' section of Line6's website does not list Windows 11 yet, only Windows 10. However, I installed it with zero glitches, created a backup, and did some cursory testing that included creating and editing presets with no problems. It is even working off the USB ports on the front of my PC which are essentially a hub. You may want to try restarting your Surface and experimenting with some different USB ports. Disconnect any unnecessary peripherals and make sure you don't have a flash drive or SD card inserted. If that doesn't work then I would thoroughly uninstall the Line 6 software and reinstall. Make sure all checkboxes are checked when you do the install. If none of that helps you could test the manual Updater as detailed by @SaschaFranckwithout following through to a firmware upgrade to at least see if the Updater can see your Helix. Btw, what version of HX Edit are you installing? So... although I would never recommend running a piece of software on an OS it has not been certified on, it appears to work perfectly for me. I also can't speak to all of the available hardware/driver/OS permutations out there including your Surface. I will most likely continue to use my Windows 10 PC for my Helix until Line 6 certifies Windows 11 but for those who don't have that option and absolutely feel they must upgrade to Windows 11, or perhaps purchased a new PC/laptop with Windows 11, there may be a good chance that depending on your hardware, drivers, etc., that it will work just fine. I would definitely create a backup or two before and after installing on Win 11, just in case HX Edit is doing something undesirable under the covers to your presets. Unlikely but definitely worth taking precautions against when you are running an app on an OS it has not yet been certified on.

If you use @DunedinDragon's routing suggestion(which is what I would do) you might find yourself needing the lion's share of your DSP for your guitar. Don't know how DSP hungry your guitar presets are? If you need some extra DSP for your guitar's route, I put a preset/template in CustomTone a few years ago that enables both DSPs to be used for the guitar route but also shares the second DSP with a microphone(mic routes generally consume much less DSP). Essentially it is an adaptation of the 'Super Serial x2' routing. https://line6.com/customtone/tone/1460280/ Depending on the mic you plug into the LT you may find yourself needing to add a volume or other block to get the level hot enough. A mic preamp would probably be handy in this setup.

You probably will not have to use the Command Center to control the Powercab+ unless you decide to connect via MIDI. Use the L6 Link instead! You can always assign Powercab parameters to snapshots for more granular control. For a simple and powerful setup using the Powercab+''s onboard speaker models(your stated objective) I would use do the following: Connect your Helix and PC+ via L6 Link. Select any blank preset on the PC+. This will be your "workbench" preset and all your Helix presets/snapshots will use it. Go to the Output block on your Helix preset and page over to the second page in the parameters. Set 'Powercab Remote' = "Per Preset" and 'Powercab Mode' = "Speaker". Select your preferred speaker and mic type & mic distance in the 'Speaker 1+2 Type', 'Speaker 1+2 DI mic', and 'Speaker 1+2 Mic Dist' parameters. Note: The 'Speaker 1+2 Mic Dist' parameter is on the third page of parameters. There are other parameters you can set such as the low and high cut but those mentioned are probably the most pertinent. Optional: If you want to change your speaker, mic & distance between snapshots, as waymda referred to, you can assign the 'Speaker...' parameters(mentioned in step #4 above) to snapshots either from HX Edit, or directly on the Helix using the usual method of pressing and turning the parameter's control knob(snapshot assign). Then just select the values you prefer for those parameters as needed for each snapshot. Note: You may want to at least experiment with trying the Powercab+'s FRFR modes or even loading it with some IRs as well, and determine whether you prefer the speaker models, IRs, or FRFR mode on the PC+, or the modeled cabs or IRs run from the Helix.

The Variax can use standard Ethernet cables but it is better to get a VDI cable with an Ethercon connector end. VDI are RJ45(Ethernet) cables but much sturdier, tend to be better insulated and coated, and are terminated with the much superior Ethercon connectors. As Silverhead alluded to they, are more robust and attach to the hardware on the Variax and Helix/LT. This exerts much less strain on the more delicate parts of the Ethernet jack than having only a standard Ethernet cable plugged in. Granted, it is no tragedy if you damage a standard $10 Ethernet cable. Quite another matter if you have to repair the jacks on your guitar or device. A VDI cable is road-ready and presents far less risk of yanking out in a live situation. Line 6 makes a good one and there are third party Ethercon cables to be had as well. So...for purposes of testing or even as a backup for your backup VDI cable you could use a standard Ethernet cable. No one can recommend it though due to the risk of equipment/cable damage. Would hate to have to get a repair for lack of a sturdy cable.

Don't remember that episode but then I didn't see the "Human Centipede" film either. Point well taken though.

Agree, in-app purchases might be the issue here. Not too inclined to purchase something that is working already, albeit more clunkily. Not a huge fan of in-app purchases in general although I buy 'em if I need 'em. Didn't I already pay for the app? I suppose they allow basic versions of the apps to be more affordable and provide more R&D money for developers for additional features but I absolutely draw the line at the sub-innermost-post-in-app purchases ;-)

That is why I believe we need to adopt a model where every consumer owns their own personal data. You and only you should get to designate how and by whom it can be used, and receive commensurate royalties, goods, and/or services in return when you do allow its use. Resale of your data to(currently mostly unspecified) third parties should be strictly prohibited without your express knowledge and permission. And let's get rid of these blanket, vague, legalese, fifty page user agreements in microscopic print which you are forced to sign to use almost any app or service that allow sale and resale of your data to anyone and everyone. I think Europe is heading more in this direction but the U.S. appears to be far behind on privacy concerns and way ahead on the wholesale commodification of personal data. Some of it for some very unsavory purposes that do consumers great harm (including purchase by outright criminal enterprises). Simple example, nothing criminal here, just business as usual - There is nothing necessarily stopping your health insurance company from buying access to the data history on your fitness watch and adjusting your health insurance rates accordingly; your car insurance company from using your Google Maps or Waze data to determine your driving habits and apply them to your vehicle insurance rates. You should have the right to make an informed decision about how your data will be used, and if you agree, be fairly compensated. The sad thing is those are examples of some of the more innocuous potential uses of "personal" data. They get a lot worse. There is a whole new generation now that has been born into this model and is ignorant of the value and incredible revenues their personal data generates. Something I believe they are entitled to a piece of the action on. Younger folk increasingly place less and less of a premium on privacy and no longer even expect it, just as they have been conditioned to, even though it is a highly valuable commodity. It can be considered legal tender in the information age. Legality and fairness have yet to catch up with the technology. Apologies to the OP for veering a bit far afield and probably off topic. Off to the lounge with me(who am I kidding? I'm never in the lounge).

This is terrible for consumers and third party repair centers as the article notes! It generally costs so much more to get a phone repaired by Apple, at least out of warranty. I suspect this will be justified by Apple citing enhanced security. Even if it does legitimately enhance security it will also drive increased out-of-warranty repair revenue for Apple and probably much more significantly, AppleCare plan revenue.

Thanks for the reference to "right to repair". I was wholly unfamiliar with it. Some really interesting reading on the subject out there. Lobbyists and lawyers can end up spending a lot of their corporate client's money lobbying on K Street and trying to craft contracts that bulletproof their EULA agreements to indemnify themselves and avoid culpability as well as discourage theft of intellectual property. These agreements can also help to protect consumers from themselves and better ensure ongoing and safe operation of purchased items. Perfectly understandable for the company in the interest of avoiding a frivolous lawsuit or a tragedy. Not so much when it is a legitimate case of corporate negligence or error, although there are laws in place to help hold companies accountable in those cases. Sometimes they protect the consumer but we all know how that can end up working out in the real world though when your rumpled suited, mail order degree lawyer is sitting opposite a top tier corporate law firm. It might or might not help if we were not such a litigious country in getting a more rational compromise hammered out between corporations and consumers. The other side of this though is just greed and profit motive. Sure, there are individuals who make their living off of "slipping" in the lobby and have a dozen outstanding lawsuits going at any one time against any company or individual unfortunate enough to come into their orbit. From my limited reading on the subject though, there definitely also appear to be areas where companies are using the legislatures to pass laws that allow them to unfairly monopolize or increase repair revenue or compel a new purchase by charging unreasonable prices for out-of-warranty repairs and essentially forcing a new purchase as the only sensible cost-effective option, rather than a repair. To be fair though, we live in a throwaway cultural and technological paradigm where often it is cheaper to buy new than the bottom-line economics of repairing an item, regardless of well-intentioned efforts by the company to restrain repair costs. I have personally experienced the frustration and difficulty of trying to procure a service manual or a part when not being an authorized repairman but this issue extends far beyond that. Third party repair centers with legitimate credentials but unanointed by corporate HQ, apparently have also had difficulty getting service manuals, parts, firmware, etc. from a variety of companies as well as sometimes being legally prohibited from performing service without the corporation's permission. It does make sense to me to deny the DIYer access to repair information on some items that pose a serious risk of fire or electrocution but I admit to always finding it frustrating to be denied access to critical repair information nonetheless. Not sure how much safer it makes consumers either. Consumers who are inclined to attempt a repair themselves may decide to wing it, which can be considerably more hazardous than operating with a manual with appropriate warnings and correct procedures. Limiting access to service info may also be more ineffective these days when a lot of those same service manuals are for sale now on various third party sites. Probably operating outside borders where they could be prosecuted or perhaps sometimes serving as a source of publishing revenue for companies but limiting their legal exposure? From my cursory reading on the subject so far though I can definitely see where there is a need, particularly in the best interests of the end user, to find some more rational middle ground. The laws governing this issue appear also to vary widely by state/country. Gonna read up some more on this. These are just my initial impressions. It is easy to see the complexities and challenges involved on both sides of the issue - corporate and consumer.

True but wouldn't that apply more to not profiting by putting out a competing product based on the one you reverse engineered? Does the EULA expressly forbid tinkering for your own fun and folly? Maybe it does to some extent just to indemnify the company from things like accidental electrocution or setting the thing on fire. In that case intended more to prevent a lawsuit against the company than to provide an opportunity to sue the consumer. The EULA doesn't forbid part swapping as far as I know in products like PCs, that are expressly designed to be upgraded. Guess you have to read the fine print. You will in many cases however void your warranty and perhaps create a very expensive doorstop.

Undeniable! I am shuddering even now at the mere contemplation of the potential torrent of posts that would ensue concerning bent pins, incorrectly seated RAM, and the insertion of incompatible hardware. However, somehow the PC industry managed to pull it off and I think it could work in the modeling world as well. I would be shocked if some intrepid manufacturer does not at least attempt it at some point. Maybe one without a forum... or a warranty :-)

To state the obvious, in many respects current modelers are a computer specialized to generate and process sound. Although modelers have in common with each other the identical goal of emulating amps and effects and often providing a recording interface, where they differ from computers is the higher degree of specialization in the UI, firmware, and software that sit on top of the hardware. These can vary wildly from one manufacturer to another and seem, to some extent, have lent license to companies not being particularly forthcoming about the hardware that underlies them. You don't just slap the identical version of Microsoft or Mac OS and Office onto every single modeler. There is no comprehensive benchmarking application for modelers. Not having an identical yardstick applied to all hardware makes it less compulsory to provide hardware details that make it easier to predict how different hardware platforms will perform . In many respects this is a good thing as hardware is hardly the sole factor in providing the mojo that makes for a great modeler. Protecting intellectual property probably plays a role here as well. Although modeler manufacturers tout certain specs they are particularly proud of, often they are not very comprehensive about listing just what is inside the box. When you purchase a computer/laptop there is almost always a description that informs you, in some measure of detail, exactly what parts it has inside - make, model, type, and speed of the CPU, memory, storage, I/O, MTBF, etc. Those specs give you a better idea of how much you should be paying, what kind of performance to expect, how long till the devices EOL, and what sort of processing and storage it may be capable of down the road. Generally speaking, although few/none of them do, it is also a good thing when modeler manufacturers list at least the more vital core components and specifications in their modelers such as the DSPs used, capacity and speed of memory/storage, signal processing latency at the inputs and outputs when used for playing or recording, etc.. For many devices you have absolutely no idea how many presets, IRs, minimization of latency, degree of algorithm complexity, or often even the potential max number and types of effects in a path the device may ultimately be able to deliver. Although you can hope for more/better in a subsequent firmware update, you have to, as has often been stressed on this forum, go strictly by what info you have at the time of purchase. Definitely not trying to imply anything nefarious going on here but it feels like modeling companies have largely gotten a free pass on full disclosure on their hardware. Many musicians didn't used to have expertise in that area or flat out don't care as long as it sounds good. Due to the subjective nature of sound there is something to be said for not getting into a DSP measuring contest, if it sounds good to you that may just be enough and specs can become meaningless. There is room for additional visibility as to exactly what is inside the box when it comes to comparing tech and pricing across multiple devices and manufacturers or even just to assist the ambitious DIYer. More emphasis on hardware components may eventually lead to modelers which are designed to be expandable from the ground up to allow users to update and enhance their functionality, according to their personal requirements, with component swaps rather than buying an entirely new device. Much like you can do now with a computer by throwing a new motherboard, graphics or sound card, faster types of additional memory/storage, or a faster CPU into it.

I believe one cubic inch for every finger of scotch or can of beer consumed per evening is the rule of thumb.

Heh, thanks but my OnSong version does not even have that icon. Wonder how you got that to appear?