HonestOpinion

On 12/9/2022 at 9:51 AM, mountfords said:

 

Same here. Unit worked fine, upgraded to 3.50 and shortly after there is no sound in or out (digital, variax and USB work fine). Overall the unit works fine in terms of the screen and controls and has been well looked after. I've reluctantly had to purchase a replacement as I have gigs coming up which I need the Helix for. Trouble is I now have a non-working spare which seems a complete right-off. Line6 said they would likely need to replace the boards out of warranty which could cost around £500-£600 :( 

Would really like to try downgrading the unit to see if that has any effect before I bin it.

I would definitely do a backup first and try reapplying the firmware and doing a factory reset and restore. Good luck with not having to do a repair, might still be worth doing if it comes to that. Especially if it turns out to be something less expensive.

Some of the benefits of the Helix: You get a microphone, Aux, and Variax, input in addition to Guitar. You get an L6 Link output if you want to be able to add and remotely control a PowerCab(+). Granted this can be done with more effort via MIDI. Extra pair of expression inputs. Scribble strips!!! Built-in expression pedal on the Helix. Lots more footswitches!!! Roughly twice the processing power allowing more complex signal chains with more amps and effects in a preset.

You may eventually find you want both the Helix and the Stomp. For me, the Helix does the trick. One of my goals was getting away from a pedal board with a ton of pedals and all the cable and reordering hassles that come with it. I also constantly use an expression pedal for volume, whammy, and pitch so I like having one that is built in. No fuss, no muss.

Anyway, the Helix is a so-called "all-in-one" solution although there is lots of I/O available for expansion. If cost is your primary consideration or the stuff in the above paragraphs, isn't that interesting to you maybe you might prefer the Stomp. If you are just looking to add some HX features/functions to your board and leverage your pedals, the Stomp might be a better fit. Either way you can get a great deal on the Native software. Make sure to check whether or not your used Helix comes with an unused/available Native license discount, so your expectations are set accordingly.

On 12/6/2022 at 9:23 AM, marmatkat said:

...

 

(Note that getting a fuller tone is part of my strategy, with the arguably more crucial one being coming up with great arrangements, working closely with the bass player, soloing differently, etc.)

 

Interesting topic. I think you nailed it here. The arrangements will go a long way towards making a power trio work. There is going to be more "space" in the music with fewer players, so use it to good effect. Space in the right places can sound dramatic. Listen to some of the trios you think get a great full sound and do what they do (with or without an additional singer who doesn't play an instrument), e.g. ZZ Top, Budgie, Black Sabbath, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Cream, The Doors, etc. - your choices may differ. Sorry, all the three-piece bands that leapt to mind were old school. Might want to find some more recent acts that are taking advantage of newer tech. Work on the arrangements and the rest will follow.

Just getting a big robust guitar tone is a great starting point. Recognizing that there won't be any other instrument to reinforce your sound other than bass & drums. Any effect that adds depth such as distortion, chorus, flanger, phaser, delay, reverb, etc., can thicken your sound. Anything that essentially spoofs another guitar as @theElevatorsmentioned such as doubler, octaver, harmonizer. Running them in stereo and panning the delayed or shifted sound to one side can give the illusion of two guitars. Jack White made a two-piece sound huge with nothing but hairy fuzz riffage and an octaver. Looping, freezing, pads, MIDI triggering can all provide another guitar/instrument part. Tapping in tempos can provide a sort of call and answer vibe.

You might work your pickup selector, tone, and volume knobs on your guitar more frequently than you used to, for more variety in your tone. If you use a whammy, that can add motion as can other techniques on the fretboard. Although not necessary, anything that changes the tone, dynamics, tempo, or feel of the tune (you know, the obligatory reggae vamp), can keep things more interesting. Tell your lead singer to jump around more, you have less personnel to fill larger stages :-)

On 12/6/2022 at 3:46 PM, NevenT said:

I saw on a you tube video how you can get the Helix LT to change channels on a head.

I've got the LT Ext Out 1/4 going to a Marshall JCM 2000 50 watt head, which is capable of channel switching.

As soon as I plug a guitar cable from the Helix Ext out 1/4 and go to the Marshall 1/4 that is for channel switching, I get a loud hum that won't go away.   I figured out how to make the channels switch, but I get a loud POP every time I go from the clean snapshot to the dirty snapshot.

I don't get any hum when I use the switcher that came with the amp.  I tried a standard guitar cable and a cable that came with a single button switcher pedal...same loud POP with both.   Also a really weird sound changing from Clean Snap Shot to Dirty snapshot.

Thanks for you replies.

First and foremost, you may want to check if your Marshall's switching input is "short to sleeve". See warning from manual below.

From the manual:

IMPORTANT! Connect EXT AMP 1/2 only to amplifiers that utilize “short-to-sleeve” footswitch inputs. Connecting to any other sort of input could cause permanent damage to both your amp and Helix! If you’re not sure if your amp has short-to-sleeve inputs, contact the manufacturer

According to the post on the link below, Marshall told this fellow the Marshall switching it "tip to sleeve". Don't know if that qualifies as "short to sleeve" but it sounds like it so maybe you can switch this amp with the LT. Proceed with caution and at your own risk. Would be a good idea to contact Marshall and ask first.

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/relay-switching-on-a-marshall-jcm-2000-dsl-100.145623/

Also, assuming your amp is safe to be switched by the LT, take a look at the "Ext Amp" parameters under the 'Command Center' section of the manual. You may need to modify these. For example the setting the 'Select' parameter equal to 'Tip to Sleeve'.

Are you using a TS or TRS cable? That can sometimes make the difference and I know some users have even made custom TRS/TS cables to get their external amp switching working properly.  Sounds like a TS cable might work for your purposes but not sure.

Maybe someone else on the forum who has the JCM 2000 and gotten the switching to work will chime in. I do know that I had a similar problem with a different modeler and my old Boogie amp and ended up getting an RJM switcher to resolve the issue. The LT's Ext Amp switching is more flexible than the external amp settings available for that modeler were though.

On 12/5/2022 at 3:42 PM, MojoAxe said:

On a somewhat related note, here's one thing that drives me nuts in the Helix.  

 

When I'm editing a patch and I want to move to the next block on the right or left of the current block, I often (by accident) turn the joystick knob rather than pushing it left or right. Doing so changes the current block to the next effect in the list.  When you turn the knob in the the opposite diection to get back to the original effect that was there, all of the its parameters have reverted back to factory settings.  The only way to retrieve the original settings you had is to exit from the patch and return to it.  If you had made multiple changes within the patch, those changes will be lost.

 

I know this is just a matter of me being a dumba$$ by turning when I should be pushing, but I've been using a Boss GT-100/GT-1000 processors for years now (I still use the GT-1000) and on the Boss units you turn a knob to navigate between patches, so its just second nature to me.  It would be nice if the effect parameters could remembered at least as long as you're still within a patch.  The instant that you turn that knob you lose all of the parameters that had been set for the current block. 

 

This also makes it difficult to compare one effect to another.  Let's say you want to add a delay to your patch but you're not sure which specific delay.  You pick one of them (we'll call it "A"), you adjust the time/feedback/etc to your liking, and now you want to audition a different delay effect (call it "B").  "B" comes in with factory default parameters which are all different so you must adjust the time/feedback/etc parameters similar to what you had on delay "A".  You listen to "B" and now you want to listen to "A" again.  When you turn the knob back to delay "A", its settings have all reverted back to the factory settings.  Its like trying to A-B compare two stompbox effects, but every time you switch between them some little kid reaches over and twists all the knobs. 

On 12/5/2022 at 3:45 PM, themetallikid said:

There is a global setting introduced a few versions ago where you can change the behavior of that knob.  I did that as well for awhile.  I think you can change it to 'relocate' a block instead of 'choose' next block or something.  

Go to global settings Preferences --> 'Joystick Encoder' and change the setting.

From the manual:

"Joystick Encoder - Determines the joystick behavior when a block is selected within the Home screen - signal flow. For “Model” (the default), turning the joystick knob scrolls through available models for the selected block. For “Selection,” turning the joystick knob quickly navigates selecting blocks across the signal flow. SHORTCUT: Pressing while turning the joystick reverses the current joystick behavior"

On 12/5/2022 at 5:16 AM, datacommando said:

Hi,

 

This is the probable cause of your issue. 
 

The Release Notes for the Firmware Update specifically states the factory reset, and restore from backup, are a required part of the update process.

 

The reset/restore are essential to ensure your presets are fully compatible with the new firmware. This is even more important with the v.3.50 firmware as there were significant changes to the Helix Core.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

Good point regarding the restore. The setlist that is currently failing to load when attempting to import, may well succeed upon a restore. @thedoctormoshould have a backup, particularly if the upgrade was done from within HX Edit, as it is part of the editor's upgrade process. Another possibility per the recommendation to do the factory reset, is that it may allow the import of the setlist, unless it is corrupt.

@thedoctormoFollowing the release notes and just doing the backup, factory reset, and restore is the most trouble-free way to execute a firmware update. Winging it without a compelling reason has the potential to introduce complications. The factory/template setlists can always be unchecked during the restore to enable retention of the firmware version's new setlists/presets. Saving any presets in the current factory/template setlists the user wants to retain should be done before executing the factory preset. 

Try following the instructions at this link to use the Line 6 Updater to reapply the firmware. I might try this using safe boot mode if regular boot mode doesn't work.

On 12/4/2022 at 4:41 PM, stratblue said:

Ulp!!...no one?

Have you upgraded to 3.50 firmware and 3.51 HX Edit/3.51 Native yet? Your initial post may be moot.

On 12/4/2022 at 6:08 PM, thedoctormo said:

Yes, 3.51 and 3.50.

 

Usually after a firmware update, I do not restore a backup.  I make note of my global settings, export all presets to individual files, and update the firmware.  Then, I review and reset the global settings (and review any new settings) and import the presets.

 

However, in this instance, Set List 3 contained presets that were created from scratch in 3.50.  They were not imported from a previous version.

 

Set Lists 1/2 contain presets that were created with earlier firmware versions.  They imported without any issues.

 

Just one set list of about 15 presets is corrupt.  However, I can't even get to any of the presets in that set list to remove a corrupt preset.

When you say "reset the global settings", do you mean you manually set them from "global setting notes", or you do you execute a factory reset? If you are not doing a factory reset after firmware upgrades - bad plan and it could easily be the cause of your issue. The factory reset needs to be part of your upgrade process.

On 12/3/2022 at 6:28 AM, SaschaFranck said:

And fwiw, I even wouldn't care if it was nitpicking (which it obviously wasn't) as I'm pretty good at those things myself. Give and take and all that...

 

And fwiw #2: I didn't realize @datacommando mentioned this before already, sorry. Anyway, it's edited now.

Just scrolled up and also noticed that @datacommandohad already mentioned this. Compliments to him for posting on this much earlier. I would say "good catch" but that might sound self-congratulatory :-). Thanks for correcting it!

On 11/30/2022 at 11:13 AM, Ldv07 said:

Hello everyone, HX effects user, I use snapshots to modify my sound. I did the 3.50 update and that changed things at this level. Before I selected my preset, I click on the two buttons to enter snapshots and I could switch from one to the other, it was great. Now when I click on the two buttons I always go into snapshots mode but they flash and as soon as I select one it works but it immediately comes out to return to the preset mode which means that you have to click on the two buttons again to return to snapshots to change. I tried all the possible resets to unload/reload my presets but it doesn't change, my snapshots are still blinking and as soon as one of them is selected, it automatically returns to preset mode. Is there something I missed or is it a new mode in the firmware update? If anyone knows the problem, thank you in advance 

Did you do the backup, factory reset, and then restore, as instructed by the 3.50 upgrade release notes? If not, the issue may just be that your global settings have changed or are not working properly. Make sure you restore from a backup that is hopefully recent but had your old global settings.

Also, unrelated (probably) to the snapshots issue, make sure you download and install the 3.51 version of HX Edit that was just released, either from within HX Edit or from the downloads page. If you already did the backup, factory reset, and then restore, you do NOT have to do it again.

On 11/4/2022 at 6:05 AM, SaschaFranck said:

After posting the same advice over and over and over throughout the last years (and for several times just during the last hours), I decided to post this here, so I can just link to it (it's also missing in any official Line 6 documentation, at least in a direct, straight ahead form).

 

So, your update to whatever firmware failed? The following steps helped TONS of people over the last years, so give them a try.

 

Note: I am assuming that you've backed up your HX family device already. In case you haven't, now is the time. But as your update possibly failed already, you won't be able to do so, then just proceed (and let's hope you've backed up before).

 

1) Shut down HX Native (using it was likely the reason for the update not to work in the first place, so don't use it this time). Windows users *need* (<-!!!) to make sure no traces of it are running in the background anymore. You can either kill the process by using the task manager, in case you don't know how to do that, just reboot your computer. Again: It is ABSOLUTELY mandatory for the following steps to work that there's NO HX Edit or traces of it running. ...

 

 

 

This is without a doubt one of the most useful posts ever on the forum so believe me I am not nitpicking here. Under your first step "1)", thought you might want to correct the following text "1) Shut down HX Native" from "HX Native" to "HX Edit". Or I suppose you could mention not having either running. I don't think Native interferes with an upgrade but not a terrible idea to shut any running Native instances down. Anyway, thought you might have intended to put "HX Edit" there.

On 12/2/2022 at 7:01 PM, datacommando said:

.... If the Firmware was physically damaging specific parts of the hardware, I would seriously expect the internet to be alive with complaints.

 

I get it. Human brains (zombie baiting) are big on pattern recognition. A useful survival mechanism since we crawled out of the primordial ooze. If two things occur in close proximity or time to each other, we often assume cause & effect or correlation. Sometimes confusing one for the other. But sometimes it is neither, just coincidence. Also typically, it is more difficult to prove a negative like "this firmware upgrade NEVER caused a hardware failure".

Without more evidence I find it difficult to jump to the conclusion that this firmware upgrade caused a hardware failure. Particularly when it can't be remedied by either repeating the upgrade steps or rolling back to a previous version, as well as also lacking confirmation from Line 6. One possible exception perhaps would be a part/PCB that is so stressed already that just being reinitialized caused it to fail. In which case, it would have probably failed in short order under regular usage or perhaps the next time it was turned off/on. In other words, it wasn't the firmware update specifically that caused the failure, but more generally any action that addressed/stressed that part. I would think this to be an incredibly rare occurrence. 

On 11/29/2022 at 7:55 AM, theElevators said:

And, I'm guessing you tried experimenting with the various parameters, like the X-fast is what I use.  What exactly is the issue with the Helix's poly capo in your opinion? 

 

Just for fun, try other transposition blocks.  Before 3.00, I used Pitch Wham and it was decent enough to transpose my guitar into D standard.  Try out every single transposition thing that the Helix has and play around with parameters -- they can make a huge difference. 

 

Also, where in the chain do you keep it?  Try in the beginning, and maybe even at the end of your chain (after the amp block).  In my experience, Helix transposition is very accurate, so much so that I use a 3-voice harmonizer that I place after distortion/amp/cab. 

 

Try adding a compressor beforehand, etc... let us know!

Good advice regarding working the parameters! Various reviews seem to demonstrate the Helix pitch blocks are excellent. I tend to use them infrequently. The question is, does this apply to bass as well as guitar? Are you using this with bass as @Aged_Cheddaris? Tracking for lower frequency notes has historically been more prone to latency or glitching for almost any transposition or synthesis effect, on any device, as the lower notes have a "slower" waveform. Maybe there is also more potential for glitching as there is lots of room for harmonics over the fundamental. 

It occurs to me that I have not seen a single user report back here that downgrading their firmware fixed the problem with their knob not working. Four possibilities immediately occur to me.

1. No one has rolled back to a previous firmware version and reported back.
   1. We have no evidence that rolling back fixes these reported hardware failures and therefore no cause and effect with the new firmware can be concluded.
2. Rolling back does not fix the hardware issue.
   1. As stated above, no one has reported here after rolling back but if the rollback does not fix the issue, it is highly unlikely the problem is the 3.5 firmware.
3. The upgrade either damages the switches/knobs, or leaves something in place that impacts the hardware that is persistent even after rolling back.
   1. This seems so unlikely to me as to verge on the absurd. I categorically reject it but thought I would mention it in a universe of infinite possibility.
4. This topic risks becoming a magnet for users with purely coincidental hardware issues, conflating them with the new firmware rollout. To me this seems like the most likely scenario for the affected users.
   1. Coincidence seems to me to be the most likely explanation for these hardware failures, at least currently, until and if more evidence becomes available, such as confirmation from Line 6.
   2. There are very few reports on the forum of hardware failure reports after the firmware upgrade. If this were a problem caused by the firmware update, I would expect to see many more.

So, in conclusion, I have to trot out the tired old car repair analogy. You get your car back from the shop after a repair, and much too your chagrin, you notice something else on the car is no longer working. The temptation to assume your mechanic "did it" is overwhelming but not necessarily true. The same might be going on here. As of now, the evidence seems compellingly to be pointing to coincidence, NOT the firmware upgrade. I say this, not to discount these users' conclusions, but just to spare them and other users with hardware problems, potentially spinning their wheels looking at the wrong cause. If anyone discovers differently, please report back. Anything is possible, if unlikely.

On 11/18/2022 at 6:33 PM, craiganderton said:

 

...

 

People often say "don't mix with your eyes," but I think Bart would have rephrased that as "mix with your eyes open," so you could correlate what you heard with what you saw. It certainly served him well.

I truly appreciate the quote above! Would love to have had this at the ready every time I saw a comment to the effect of "only amateurs need gain reduction meters for a compressor". R.I.P. Bart Walsh!

Anyone had any luck treating the switches externally, without opening the device? Now that trick I want to know!

On 11/30/2022 at 1:09 PM, hillbilly92 said:

How do I copy one snapshot from one patch to another patch to put into an empty snapshot block?

 

If you are talking about copying a snapshot from one preset to another, you can't do that. The blocks may be, and frequently are, different from preset to preset so that action is simply disallowed. Even if the target preset has exactly the same blocks.

Heads up. A new bugfix editor version HX Edit 3.51, and Native 3.51, are now available for download. There is no 3.51 firmware version (yet?), so you DON'T have to do a factory reset or restore. Just download and install HX Edit via the editor or the downloads page, and Native 3.51 via the downloads page (if you own it or want to trial it).

Would recommend downloading and installing these, particularly if you have one of the issues listed in the 3.51 release notes.

On 11/28/2022 at 12:47 AM, dickmannma said:

Hi there.

I upgraded to 3.5 and it seems I can no longer control the model of my Variax from the bypass control. As you can see in the screenshot below, I split my path A/B for electric or acoustic, assigned to footswitch 1. I also have a variax (preset) model assigned to footswitch 1.

 

The expected behavior is when footswitch one is disabled, the variax is set to spank-1 and the top route is selected (wah, dist, amp, cab). When it is enabled, it switches to the lower path (comp, gain, eq) and sets the variax model to acoustic-5. The model knob on the variax can override the set models, but they will always reset when pressing footswitch 1.

 

This was all functional before 3.5. Now the path switches, but the model never changes from what is set on the guitar knob. 

 

 

Is there a new setting or something I am missing that is preventing the helix from setting the model?

 

Thanks

Did you take a backup and do the factory reset and restore after your upgrade? If not, execute those steps.

In the Input block do you have 'Variax Settings' = "Per Preset" on the second parameter page?

Note: Once set in one preset it is set in all.

Btw, the following is a known bug in the 3.50 release notes

• In some cases, the Input block's Variax Tone Knob setting is not recalled across preset changes

On 11/27/2022 at 11:25 AM, toddkc said:

...

 

-random edit also:  Am I the only one with no options for emojis?

Nobody has access to emojis. They used to be available on the forum years ago but when they overhauled the forum, sadly :-( , they did away with them.

On 11/23/2022 at 3:29 PM, themetallikid said:

Oh yes, I apologize, I figured out it was the cable tone, but I was curious why it affected my acoustic snapshot/sound so dramatically compared to electric type sounds.    And has anyone ever graphed how the different settings attenuate the high end?

Pretty good article on the impact of cable length on tone below.

It would be interesting, strictly from an inquiring mind would like to know perspective, as you requested, to see some graphs as to what impact different simulated cable lengths has on various instruments. I think the rule of thumb is though, the higher the setting, the more muted the highs and high-mids get, and I suppose, depending on how the 'Cable Tone (length)' emulation is implemented, other parts or the whole of the frequency spectrum. Long cable lengths in the physical world can also attenuate the signal's strength in addition to altering the frequency range. I suppose that could also be being emulated by the 'Cable Tone' setting.

So, the cable length can essentially attenuate the signal and change the frequency range being transmitted as more capacitance is introduced. You can see where, depending on the signal strength and content of the source (e.g. acoustic vs. electric), your tone could be impacted quite differently by the digitally emulated setting (or in the physical world by the cable length).

This would lead one to believe that always leaving the 'Cable Tone' setting set to minimum/shortest would be the way to go as this would provide the maximum, cleanest signal. However, if for example, you want a quick and easy way to diminish the brightness of your tone, you might opt for a higher 'Cable Tone' setting. Similar to the way some players find that they prefer not only a certain range of length, but also a certain brand of cable because of the tone they get from it. Probably due to different materials, jacks, shielding, etc..  Not that the cable is necessarily inherently better quality, just that they prefer its tone.

https://gearaficionado.com/blog/does-guitar-cable-length-affect-your-tone/

The new amps are great! IMHO this topic focuses on entirely the wrong issue. It is the potential of provoking an anxiety attack via grammatical OCD brought on by the egregious use of so many orphaned close parentheses in the new model names that we should be concerned with! It's a slippery slope from here to amp names with stranded closed brackets or curly braces, or in an ever more dystopian descent, and I shudder even contemplating it, multiple umlauts ;-)

#Märshäll800}}}}]]]]]

On 11/22/2022 at 10:56 PM, soundog said:

If you own a Helix hardware unit (any model, I think), you can't beat this current deal. It's the cheapest price I've seen for Native. Price is good  through 12/5/2022.

Definitely the least expensive I remember. Such a great piece of software. This is an absolute no-brainer for anyone who doesn't have Native yet, jump on it!

On 11/21/2022 at 4:03 AM, tastyguitar said:

Hey guys, 

 

I showed up to my gig tonight, set up and noticed the volume knob on the back of the unit was missing, weird. Turned it on and quickly discovered the top 3 footswitches(bank up, and C, D) are not working. Turns out the sound tech on the ship gig I am currently on accidentally knocked my Helix off a piano it was resting on, so it took a pretty hard fall. aaarrrrggghh!! 

 

I have 3 nights left on this gig and need all the switches to work for my patch setup.

 

Any ideas? I tried to do a factory reset to see if it could help but that requires the C and D switches to work so no go there.

I was able to move some things around to get me through the night but its a pain.

 

Any ideas on a fix or workarounds would be very helpful as I only use this unit on travel gigs and dont know it that well.

 

Thank you!

Don't own the XL so this is coming from a Helix-centric perspective.

• Create a backup and try a global reset. Maybe that will restore switch operation.
• Edit a few critical presets to use the footswitches that are working. Reorder your presets for your set so everything can be reached using bank down. If you do this than also keep a laptop available per the next bullet point in the event that you accidentally jump a preset.
• Keep a laptop available and connected at the gig with the editor up and running for things like bank switching or stomp activation.
• If you are feeling particularly intrepid you might try opening the case and seeing if maybe a ribbon cable (if the XL has 'em) got knocked loose or something equally obvious.
• Ask your sound tech to go buy you a new Stomp XL and restore a backup from your damaged unit to the new one ;-)