HonestOpinion

I agree with you that a sticky thread with the release notes (new features, bug fixes, etc.) would be great to have, especially until a new revision of the manual comes out. If you are interested in finding them now, go to the Line6 download section where you will find them somewhat redundant and somewhat split out in both the 2.10 'Helix' app as well as the 2.10 'Flash Memory' release notes. Some of the new features are not detailed in the the 2.10 'Helix' app notes and can only be found in the notes in for the 2.10 'Flash Memory' download.

That is so 1980's. I say only buy gear for what it will do in the future. This is the new millennium. I love a good surprise. If it is a relatively newly released and expensive modeling/effect device with no plans for improvement I am not even interested. Can't wait until the learning software starts coming out on these things and actually customizes itself to your playing style. :P Btw, I wouldn't be surprised if MIDI clock sync makes it into the Helix at some point although perhaps not soon enough for some users. You are definitely right in one respect though, and for some people perhaps the most important one. We know new features are coming to the Helix but not what they will be. What is coming next is a spin of the roulette wheel. If someone has a must-have feature then they are taking a huge gamble that it will be on the short list or for that matter any list to make it into the device. If they have to have MIDI clock sync now or as a sure thing, they are better off buying another device that already has it.

This situation is easily remedied. If you have the floor Helix you can use a volume block in any preset and set the Global Settings --> EXP Pedals --> 'EXP 2 Pedal Position' parameter to 'Global'. This will allow the Helix's internal expression pedal to correspond to the current position of your expression pedal in any preset rather than a saved preset value for the volume block. External volume pedal options would include using one in a send/return or in-line before or after the Helix. Ultimately I think what you really want though is just to change the setting I referenced to 'Global'. This should configure things the way you want them.

Ah, yes I see your dilemma. Line6 needs to fix this. I hope it does not require a hardware fix.

I know this is less than an ideal solution and it concerns me that this bug with the pedal jumping to 1% keeps popping up in multiple contexts, but I was wondering if in the meantime as a workaround if you can set the 'Position' parameter for the auto-engage to 2% or 3% to prevent the wah from engaging incorrectly.

I know what you mean, intuitively it would have made more sense to me to have the volume block's default be 'EXP 1' and the wah be 'EXP 2' but that is not the way they are assigned on the Helix, it is the reverse.

Pretty much yes. As long as there is a volume block in the preset and it has not been reassigned

'EXP 2' is the default for the floor Helix's internal expression pedal assignment for the Volume block. You have to set 'EXP 2' to 'Global' in the global settings if you want the pedal position for volume to be global for all your presets. Unless of course you have a preset where you have reassigned the default for the volume block to an alternate EXP input.

That is intriguing! You would think 'backdoor' would refer to resetting some FS combination that the Line6 techs could use to get into a locked up Helix and/or perhaps to manipulate diagnostics, parameters, settings, or commands not ordinarily available to users. Maybe akin to the backdoors built into many video games. If so I would like the backdoor combination for the unlimited IR slots and the two additional unused Tiger SHARCs please... :D

Did you set 'EXP 2' to global? There are separate settings for the various Expression pedal inputs in the global settings now. It is working fine for me. Also, did you do a global reset after your firmware update (do backups first)?

LOL. I know I am in tune when the flickering back and forth between the upper yellow block and the green center block gets most rapid and frequent... :(

I'm confused now too. Are people using the phrase 'backdoor parameters' in reference to the reset options found at the link posted originally by jshimoski on the HelixHelp website or is this referring to something else? http://helixhelp.com/pmwiki.php?n=Main.ResetOptions

Unless you restore the IRs to the same slots they were in you may have to re-select them. Can't help with that but (and I am not sure from your post if this was a secondary issue) you may not have lost your Variax settings. There is a quirk (bug?) in the Variax implementation on the Helix. On the Helix go to the second page on the Input block for any Variax preset and set the value of the 'Variax Settings' parameter to 'Per Preset'. You can also do it from the Input block screen on the Editor. The quirk/bug is that even though this setting is found locally within a preset it acts like a global parameter and makes all Variax presets revert back to their respective 'Per Preset' settings. All your Vairax presets should now display the proper settings (other than perhaps pointing to the correct IR).

I salute your bravery and question your sobriety. You should be fine, I had a rehearsal last night on 2.11 and hit no issues. Good luck! :D

Nope, if I am envisioning it properly you should be fine the way you have it setup now. As long as there is a stereo block on 2A after the cabs you should get a stereo signal at the outputs (unless of course you only use one (left) output in which case it is automatically summed to mono for you). One note is that the stereo separation and effect will be generated from for example the reverb or delay blocks. The cabs will not remain separated left and right unless you pan/route them accordingly. One way to think of the way Helix routing works is that an output block can always deliver a stereo signal if the last effect block before the output is a stereo block. You can also create a sort of faux stereo effect yourself by creating dual output blocks, panning them left and right, and outputting a different mono signal from each. Just to complicates things, perhaps needlessly, If at any point in your signal chain you have a mono block, every effect before the mono block is collapsed into mono, even if it is a stereo effect. You can however still get a stereo signal by placing a stereo block after the mono block but all the blocks (even the stereo blocks) before the mono block will still be processed as a mono signal fed into the subsequent stereo block. So for example if you have a stereo delay that feeds into a mono distortion block, and then into a stereo reverb and on out to the output block, only the reverb will truly be stereo. The stereo delay will have been summed to mono by the mono distortion block that was placed after it. At least that is the way I understand stereo on the Helix. Please feel free to correct me ye gurus if this is incorrect. Here is a blurb from the Helix manual regarding mono/stereo: Keep the following things in mind when building tones: • All Amp+Cab, Amp, and Preamp blocks are mono, so any stereo signal sent into these will be collapsed to mono. As such, it’s a good idea to add only mono blocks before amps and preamps • Adding a mono effects block will collapse any preceding stereo blocks on the same path to mono • If you’re only ever connecting Helix to the front of a single guitar amp or PA/ FRFR speaker, there may be no need to use stereo models at all (except, of course,for models that are only offered as stereo!)

Not necessarily, amp and cab blocks are mono. The two cabs in the route you just described sound like they merge back into one after the merge block. Hard for me to visualize it exactly without seeing your preset. You need to either have a separate output block (created by dragging down a merge block) for each cab in the simple preset you just described, or for true stereo, have a stereo effect block of some kind set up after the cabs. Otherwise even if you connect to both the right and left outputs you will have the same mono signal in both outputs.

Yes any of the stereo reverbs or delays as well as other stereo effect blocks (e.g. Chorus) at the end of your signal chain should deliver a stereo mix to your output block. You could select XLR or 1/4 to front of house although XLR is generally preferred, especially for longer runs. You would generally pan them hard right and left although you might experiment with partial panning depending on how the audience is situated in the room. You could specify either 'Multi' or 'XLR' for your outputs if you are connecting via the XLR outputs on the Helix.

Cheers :)

As zooey pointed out if you only plug one output (left/mono) into your amp the Helix will automatically sum to mono. In general, if you want to run a stereo path out to for example a mixer or two amps (or one stereo amp), place stereo blocks after any mono blocks and make sure you use either USB, digital, or both outputs, left & right, if you are using XLR or 1/4. You might also want to keep in mind if you place a mono block in your preset after all of your stereo blocks you will end up outputting a mono signal. A mono block after all stereo blocks will always sum the stereo signal to mono.

A couple of things you may want to take into consideration. By loading a bundle from a previous firmware version you have overwritten any new Factory presets and Templates in the new firmware with the ones from the previous bundle version you loaded. A lot of people here load Setlists or even individual presets when they upgrade instead of bundles to avoid this. Also, this has been the case for at least the last few firmware versions, you will always see your presets rebuilt on the first reboot after loading them. Any subsequent loads of presets will also rebuild after a restart. That is why I think it is a best practice to always reboot after loading presets before you start editing them. Note: This rebuild behavior will also usually occur on your next restart after loading a preset downloaded from CustomTone as well.

You have been able to change the Footswitch color for stomps from the 'Bypass Assign' tab/screen of the Editor for a while now or directly from the Helix using the Bypass Assign --> Customize or the Command Center --> Customize screens but you can now change Snapshot colors as well but only from the Helix device, not the Editor. The instructions were under the release notes for the 2.10 'Flash Memory' (not Helix app) download. From the 2.10 Flash Memory release notes: Snapshot footswitch LED color—You can now choose a color for each snapshot footswitch. Press the PRESETS knob and then Knob 6 (Rename Snapshot). Turn knob 5 (LED Color) to select the desired color. “Auto Color†is the default red. NOTE: There is currently no way to set snapshot footswitch color from the Helix application.

Some great info in those links, thanks!

Is this only happening during the boot sequence? My first thought if it is would be to reflash the firmware. If reflashing the firmware does not help and especially If it is happening all the time and not just during the boot, then it may be time to open a ticket with Line6 customer support.

Along the same lines as your post I think perhaps even more important than 'accurate' modeling is just incorporating the degree of nuance and subtlety from the multitude of factors interacting in the old technology. That level of detail in a sound is ultimately what I hope we capture even if it is not used to emulate old amps and effects but instead constructed in a completely new way and composed of different elements and as you mentioned may yield completely new sounds.

As others have stated this firmware revision was intended for several bug fixes. I welcome Line6's effort to put out bug fixes quickly and not feel like they have to be accompanied by new features. :)