HonestOpinion

When setting Preset Footswitch Mode to "Upper Row" or "Lower Row" (we call it hybrid mode), Helix doesn't move automatically move stomp switches to be visible—it's basically punching a hole into Stomp Footswitch Mode. So if there aren't any stomps on the upper row in Stomp mode, they won't appear in hybrid mode either.

 

Fortunately, it's really quick to move them:

1. From Stomp mode, touch the footswitch you wish to move.
2. Touch the destination footswitch for two seconds and press Knob 6 (OK).

Note that this won't move multiple assigned footswitches, nor will it move footswitches-as-controllers, Command Center messages, or custom labels.

 

We asked a bunch of people and the vast majority preferred stomps on the bottom row, which is why we assigned them there by default.

Being one of those players that likes my presets on the bottom row. It would be a very helpful feature if you could flip the bottom row and top row footswitch assignments from the Global Settings. Players who use the bottom row for their presets and top row for their effects have to manually reassign all the footswitches on every factory preset. This still requires hours or more likely days of manual reassignment, no matter how easy the assignment process is.  Why does Helix offer the choice of top row or bottom row for preset assignments, and then cripple it by making all factory presets only work with "top row presets/bottom row pedals"?  Manual reassignment is way more arduous and time consuming than just having a global preset to swap footswitch assignment rows, top to bottom, or bottom to top.

The other problem with not having a swap top/bottom choice is that once you make a choice of let's say pedals on the bottom row, if you decide you prefer them on the top it will be a ton of work to reverse it when it could just be one global setting.  And at least for right now you better choose bottom row pedals or you will have to reprogram all the factory presets (or at least the ones you want to use).

I have placed a suggestion for a new global setting that will swap pedal assignments from the top to bottom row and vice versa in Ideascale. Vote for it here:

http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Swap-footswitch-assignments-from-top-row-to-bottom-vice-versa/790520-23508

No.

might try a virtual machine if you dont have access to another machine.

TheRealZap may well be correct but I am wondering if there might be another way as the verbiage on the instructions from the Line6 firmware download seem to indicate that this is simply the easiest method (and definitely the one I use).  Here is what Line6 says "The easiest way to perform the update process is by installing the latest version of Line 6 Updater."

Can DigitaIgloo weigh in on this, is there another method other than the Line6 Updater to update the firmware?

You could measure the voltage of the amp switch input and then use that voltage as the off signal and 0V as the on signal. A switch shorting the input would place 0V in the input, and an open switch would not alter the voltage from the amp switching input.

 

The potential problem is that a switch is very low impedance and the CV output might not be able to drive the amp switching input if it's too low impedance. If the CV output is done with an op-amp it's very easy to protect it from overload by either placing a resister in the output or choosing an op-amp with built in current limit, so it would be foolish of Line 6 not to have protected the CV output from damage, but it's your call if you want to try it out. I don't think your Helix will be harmed, but on the other hand I'm not going to buy you a new one if it does.  :D

Good point, I hadn't even considered the possibility of damage to the Helix, I was more concerned about my amp.

I do have one question for folks regarding the info in this article ( http://www.gmarts.org/index.php?go=222), which generally reflects how I set up my pedal order. I tend to put my harmonizers early in my signal chain before distortion as I don't want any distortion pedal harmonics being "harmonized". I like to have as clean a signal as I can get go to the harmonizer which I find improves tracking and results in fewer ghost notes and unwanted artifacts. This article claims that it is better to put the harmonizer after distortion pedals because putting the harmonizer before the distortion pedal can result in "sending several notes to the overdrive input cause strong inter-modulation distortion where additional, usually low, notes are added."

Where do most players put their harmonizers before or after distortion?

Hello everyone,

Hope you enjoy your wonderful Helix like I do!

My question is how to use the blocks? I mean I don't know do I have to place Compressor before or after distortion? wah pedal before or after Amp?!

Is there any rule for pacing these stuff to get a better sound?

Thanks in advance 

Here is another good article on effects order, as always just a guideline, let your ears be the final judge:

http://www.gmarts.org/index.php?go=222

Have you tried it? It might work, especially if your amp reads momentary impulses. I'm not sure though. But with a dim value of "0" and a lit value of "100" it might just work with some amps?

Great suggestion!  I have to admit I am a little nervous about damaging my amp experimenting given that I don't have enough information about how a CV output might impact the electronics on my amp. If there are any electrical engineers or experts on amps who can chime in on this idea I would love to hear their feedback.

No loss of power, it did said "could not complete update, please power off and try again" (not those exact words). Now, the problem is that since it doesn't boot anymore (it gets stuck at error -28) the USB is no longer recognized and therefore I can't do anything firmware wise, at least through the Line 6 updater :(

 

I tried the 9+10 switches on boot, it says it will "reset Globals and restore stock Presets, Setlists and IRs..." but the ":(-28" still shows in the left top corner and it has been sitting there for the last 30 minutes.

 

Is there a secret Kung Fu Grip that will make the Helix go back to v1.0 or anything that I can do before returning it? Helix gurus help me, you're my only hope!

 

Right now it's the most expensive door stop I ever bought... I'm so glad I waited after my Halloween gig before trying to update the firmware!

You might also try holding down the 7 & 8 footswitches (two switches on the far left bottom row) while powering up, release the footswitches after you hopefully get the firmware message on the screen. Good luck!

Allow "CV" output to double as a 2nd "Ext Amp" controller.

Submit your bug in whatever manner communicates the issue best but here is a suggested format. If Line6 wants to weigh in on a preferred format please do. What would be most helpful to you guys?

Firmware: v1.03.0 (Make sure to include your firmware version, hopefully the latest, don't want to waste Line6's time with bugs that have already been fixed)

Global Settings: Bottom row presets, top row pedals [assigns]   (Include any global settings you think may pertain to your bug)

Bug: When saving preset to another list, pedalboard reverts to Factory 1 list song 1 ("WhoWatt 100") after save.   (Short description of bug)

(Step by step description of how to reproduce bug)

1. Use Preset knob to select preset from Factory 1 list (I selected 21C "Almost Not Fair")
2. Save "Almost Not Fair" to User 5 list in the first position, 1A.
3. After Save Helix home screen reverts back to the first song in Factory List 1 ("WhoWatt 100").

Enhance labeling function on scribble strip above expression pedal. It would be great to have it be either able to toggle between say "VOL" and "WAH" as well as retain and enhance the current functionality such that the toeswitch setting could be indicated by highlighting "VOL" or "WAH".

Vote for it here:

http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Enhance-labeling-for-scribble-strip-above-Expression-pedal/790022-23508?submitted=1

The switching is still there, but admittedly, if you custom label the scribble strip, it won't tell you which is active—You'll have to look at the blocks on the main screen.

 

To be honest, assigning a custom label to the EXP Toe scribble strip works best when not toggling EXP 1 and EXP 2.

Looking at the blocks on the main screen seems like a less than ideal solution. I hope there is an update in the future that enhances the labeling function on the expression pedal scribble switch.  Lots of potential for this scribble strip, I am confident Line6 will take advantage of it.

What I would prefer is a switch assigned to toggle between Wah and Volume AND it update the EXP1/2 to the state of the pedal (WAH  or VOL). Is that possible?

Could not agree more, this is precisely how many people will want to use it!  It would be great to have it be able to toggle between say "VOL" and "WAH" as well as retain and enhance the current functionality such that the toeswitch setting could be indicated by highlighting "VOL" or "WAH".

I submitted this suggestion to IdeaScale, you can vote it up here http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Enhance-labeling-for-scribble-strip-above-Expression-pedal/790022-23508?submitted=1

I'm using the updater with Helix on Windows 10 (ugh...). Helix is working fine and a fantastic product -- really. But the updater program won't connect me to Line 6, telling me I've got a wrong password. I've logged into my Line 6 account and changed my password to be sure I have things right, but still no luck.

 

I can work around by downloading firmware manually, but just figured I'd raise this issue.

You may have already tried these two suggestions but here goes..  Closely double check your Login as well as your password. If the Login is close but not quite yours and it actually exists on Line6, you might be getting a bad password message back when the issue is actually your login is misspelled. Another potential issue although I doubt it is that the dialog box in the Line6 Updater cannot handle some character in your Line6 password. You could try changing to a password with no funky characters and if it works you can change it to a stronger password afterwards that hopefully avoids the problem characters. 

Firmware: 1.02.2

Global Settings: Bottom row presets, top row pedals (assigns)

Bug: When saving preset to another list, pedalboard reverts to Factory 1 list song 1 ("WhoWatt 100") after save.

 

 

1. Use Preset knob to select preset from Factory 1 list (I selected 21C "Almost Not Fair")
2. Save "Almost Not Fair" to User 5 list I in the first position, 1A.
3. After Save Helix reverts back to the first song in Factory List 1 ("WhoWatt 100")

Shouldn't the Save action return you to the new target preset destination ("User 5" 1A). Or alternatively shouldn't the Save return you to the preset currently selected and being saved? Reverting back to the first preset in the "Factory 1" list seems incorrect.

I can confirm this bug... Well, somewhat. It looks like what's happening is after you save a preset, the name of the preset displays the "WhoWatt100". The actual preset made is still loaded, but the title is wrong. If you switch to the next preset and back, the name will be correct with whatever name you just gave it.

Thanks for the clarification phil_m. That is the same behavior I am seeing.

Is there no way to assign input channels globally? On my Vetta I was able to set it up for reamping, then twirl through presets til I got something I liked, then tweak to taste. It was pretty cool for finding tones I wouldn't normally have gravitated to. Having to setup each patch separately is going to kill that. 

 

I just realized I could copy a bunch of patches to a user bank and set all the inputs up for reamping but that will be rather time consuming in itself, unless someone knows of a shortcut?

I don't see any way in the documentation to set the input for every preset globally, for instance to USB 3/4. This would easily allow you to re-amp and scroll through the presets which is what I think you are trying to do. You may want to put a feature request in for a global input assign to Ideascale. A global looper that does not require being within a preset, would be nice for previewing all presets as well. I would vote for it.  I did notice that the current looper does allow you to record your loop and then allows you to scroll through other presets with the loop running, essentially acting as a global looper. Other than wild volume jumps this works pretty well for scrolling through presets. I wonder if once you have recorded a track to your DAW if connecting out of your DAW's output and into the Guitar or Aux input on the Helix might be a somewhat cumbersome work around for now.  It would at least allow you to loop through and sample all the presets. 

Sounds like these Line6 instructions only allow you to reamp from one preset rather than your goal of scrolling through the presets. Thought I would include their instructions on re-amping. These instructions are from page 46 of the Line6 manual from the section "DI Recording and Re-amplification". There is an illustration which I could not cut and paste that shows how to connect the Helix to your DAW and studio monitors:

Re-amping Through Helix

If your DAW software provides options for routing individual audio tracks to outputs other than just the main Helix USB Out 1/2, then you can use these steps for re-amping a dry recorded DI track back through Helix.

1. In your DAW software, set the DI track's Output setting to a Helix stereo USB Out other than USB Out 1/2. For this example we'll use Helix USB Out 3/4.

2. Create a new stereo track in your DAW project and set this track's Input and Output both to USB 1/2 - Let's name this track "Re-amped." Arm the track for recording.

NOTE: In some DAW software it may be necessary to also activate the software monitoring feature on this "re-amped" track to monitor the Helix-processed signal when playing back your project. See your software's documentation

3. On Helix, select the Input block and set it to receive from the same USB stereo pair (USB In 3/4) and keep the Output block set to "Multi." Load your choice of amps and effects on the current Helix preset.

4. Now play your DAW project and you'll hear the DI track "re-amped" through your Helix! Adjust the DI track's volume slider to make sure the signal feeding into Helix is not too hot. Tweak your Helix amp & effects as desired while listening with the playback of your project mix.

5. Once you have your re-amplified guitar tone they way you like it, Solo both the DI and re-amped tracks, rewind to the start of the project and hit the DAW Record button, allowing it to capture the signal into the new re-amped track in real-time.

Allow the DI track to play to the end, stop recording and you've created your new re-amped guitar track!

TIP: Note that you still have your original Guitar DI track, and you can repeat this process to create additional re-amped tracks with different Helix settings, add plug-ins, blend with your original guitar track and more.

Firmware: 1.02.2

Global Settings: Bottom row presets, top row pedals (assigns)

Bug: When saving preset to another list, pedalboard reverts to Factory 1 list song 1 ("WhoWatt 100") after save.

1. Use Preset knob to select preset from Factory 1 list (I selected 21C "Almost Not Fair")
2. Save "Almost Not Fair" to User 5 list in the first position, 1A.
3. After Save Helix home screen reverts back to the first song in Factory List 1 ("WhoWatt 100").

Shouldn't the Save action return you to the new target preset destination ("User 5" 1A). Or alternatively shouldn't the Save return you to the preset currently selected and being saved? Reverting back to the first preset in the "Factory 1" list seems incorrect.

Well, if Helix had seven knobs below the screen, Master would certainly be on the same page.

Chuckle, certainly would make the solution simple

I personally use the channel volume a lot more than the master. Once I've dialed in a decent amount of grit, I rarely go back to the master, especially on the vintage models that had no master volume. But the channel volume is the best and most accessible knob to level volume between presets.

I set my volumes by singing and playing to backing tracks and recording to make sure the guitar volume is just right. I can kind of tell from doing it so much how much I need to adjust the channel volume to sit better in the mix. The master volume is far less predictable and impacts the drive and tone.

agreed - when writing tones I usually tweek the "master" and gain along with EQ to match what I am going for, then just use the channel volume to balance against the other presets I am using. I rarely (if ever) adjust the "master" after that point, but I'll tweek the channel quite a bit depending on other factors

I can see how given the way you and probably many others are using the Helix you would want easy access to the "Ch Vol". I still find that adjusting the "Drive" or the "Master" tends to impact the amp's overall tone. The "Ch Vol" does not provide an adequate substitute for the "Master" as it adjusts the volume for everything (amps, effects, etc.) in the chain and not just the sound of the amp block. I guess in a perfect world I would love to have seen either seven knobs for parameter changes or better yet a separate knob dedicated to "Ch Vol". Always thought that a separate knob would be the best solution for changing the volume on the fly when playing live. No menus or selecting the proper block, just straight to the "Ch Vol". I guess the "Volume" knob sort of provides this as long as the preset is somewhere in the ballpark, but a knob dedicated to "Ch Vol" as well would be nice. Anyway, I am into wishlist territory for Helix V.2 now, so turning back to reality I am just hoping for the most intuitive and usable interface possible on the Helix I have.  The closer the first page on the amp block is to the controls on real amps, and more importantly, the more access I have to interactive controls (Master, Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence) on the same page, the easier I find it to use.

Agreed, a configurable delay on the joystick scrolling would be ideal, I simply threw the one second suggestion out there as a method of addressing the issue in the event that the amount of turn before scroll can't be adjusted. I have no idea how many milliseconds the right delay would be and it may vary as you point out from user to user.

Just noticed we seem to have gotten a bit off topic here. Back to:

Will Helix have the 'on the fly saving' that the M-Series had?

Should "Master" volume and "Drive" be on the same page? I submitted this suggestion to Ideascale and it has only been getting a moderate response. I am wondering how others perform the balancing act between the "Master" volume, "Drive", and "Ch Vol" parameters. Is my understanding of these parameters incorrect? I thought this suggestion would get quite a few votes: http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Put-Master-volume-on-the-same-page-as-the-Drive-in-amp-model/788502-23508

To dial in the right amount of grit/distortion on any amp block you need to have the "Drive" and "Master" knobs on the same page just like a real amp. "Drive" and "Master" are highly interactive and require tweaking the two together. The "Ch Vol" is where the "Master" should be. Right now you have to page over every time you want to change the "Master" volume. This is akin to having to turn your amp around and adjust the back of your amp to set "Master" volume. It is the "Ch Vol" that should be set on the second page, and the "Master" volume should takes its place on the first page, so that it and the "Drive" can be adjusted together. The "Ch Vol" is the parameter you tend to "set and forget" once.

The only reason I can see for leaving the "Ch Vol" on the first page is if you spend more time adjusting the "Ch Vol" as various effects and other blocks in the signal chain impact overall channel volume.  Even if that is the case, having the "Drive" and "Master" volume on separate pages still causes dialing in the right volume to grit/drive ratio be a tedious process.

How about making the Joystick detection give "priority" to the Joystick side motion over the down press or the turning motion? The firmware could check whenever the joystick is rotated, whether there is side motion or downward press within 1/4 - 1 sec before or after (maybe configurable in 1/4 sec intervals to adapt to each user?). If so, then it ignores everything other than side motion. The reason I said "configurable" vs 1-sec fixed is because 1 sec is on the "probably too long" side... Whenever I have turned the joystick by mistake while trying to cursor up/down/left/right, the turning occurs within a +/- 1/4 sec of me pushing towards the side.

 

If Line 6 sets the delay too long and it is not configurable, then there will likely be a whole set of users complaining that turning the joystick is not responsive anymore and also there will be the usual trolls demanding that the change be rolled back on the next release of the firmware under pain of getting DI tarred and feathered... and I don't think anyone here wants to see that :)  or I'm sure "eye bleach" prices will go up due to the spike in demand.

Agreed, a configurable delay on the joystick scrolling would be ideal, I simply threw the one second suggestion out there as a method of addressing the issue in the event that the amount of turn before scroll can't be adjusted. I have no idea how many milliseconds the right delay would be and it may vary as you point out from user to user.

perhaps a decent pc editor wld resolve this mistake....

I am sure an editor is coming and that will be a huge plus but it still seems as if it would be easy enough to make the joystick less prone to accidental changes.

The first day, I moved the joystick by pushing in the desired direction from the opposite "side" of the joystick. I could not, for the life of me, get it to move without turning the knob and therefore, changing the model. I realized then that, if I pressed from the "top" of the joystick, at the very edge of the knob in the direction that I want to move, I can make the cursor move in the direction I want, without rotating the joystick. It took very little getting used to it and now I can move all over the screen without worrying about changing the model. Try it, it works very well.

Great tip but I would still love to see Line6 either make it so the joystick had to be turned further before it starts to scroll the amps and effects.  Or, alternatively if that is not possible, would love to see a delay of a second before the joystick starts scrolling.

Seems to be running pretty slow, but it eventually loads. They might be doing some maintenance or something.

You may be right but if so it has been a fairly long maintenance window. Was wondering if we managed to bog them down with Helix requests. :D

It appears as if the Line6 Ideascale site has been having some kind of outage or slow performance issues for the last day or so. My browser keeps timing out trying to reach the site.  Was wondering if anyone at Line6 has contacted them. Is everyone else having this issue as well?

I just submitted this to Ideascale please vote here http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Put-Master-volume-on-the-same-page-as-the-Drive-in-amp-model/788502-23508 if you agree.

I would like to see the "Master" volume on the same page as the "Drive" in the amp models.  Right now you have to page over every time you want to change the "Master" volume. This is akin to having to turn your amp around and adjust the back of your amp to set "Master" volume. It is the "Ch Vol" that should be set on the second page.  This is the option you tend to "set and forget" once. Changing the "Drive" to "Master" volume ratio is something you constantly tweak until you get the right balance, just like you would on a real amp. It makes no sense for the "Drive" and "Master" volume to be on separate pages.