HonestOpinion

Generally I think the way it works is that the company, not the individual is on the hook for collecting state sales taxes. For many states unless the online company has a brick and mortar location within the state where the purchase is being made from, the company does not have to pay state taxes. Amazon is a good example of this. That is why for example if you have a Guitar Center in your state there is a good chance that even if you order from them online you will be charged tax when you check out. I think eventually you are right though, at the state and/or maybe even the federal level there may be a move to a model where an online tax is always charged. Then the trick becomes how to collect from multinationals who are set up outside the country.

What version of HX Edit are you using? I notice you mentioned you have "updated the Updater and have tried a dozen times". The Updater has nothing to do with backups, you need the correct version of HX Edit. If you are not using HX Edit 2.71 and are on the 2.71 firmware, I would install HX Edit 2.71 and try again, despite the fact that for example later HX Edit versions are supposed to be backwards compatible. Also if you try rd2rk's solution once you find the offending setlist you can export the presets by halves. Find the half that doesn't export and half it again, rinse and repeat. By doing it in halves you will be surprised at how quickly you will find the problem preset if that is indeed the issue.

Not that it really matters and I don't know if this was intentional by Line6 or not but I noticed that when you check the "About" section in Native 1.81 for the version number it says "Helix 2.80 Compatible". I would have expected this to say "Helix 2.81 Compatible".

Almost any large codebase will have issues when it is released or upgraded. If you didn't upgrade you would still be on for example the first ever release of Windows. There is a long list of fixes in 2.81(yay!) and it is also a best practice to list known bugs. That should not necessarily stop you from upgrading unless you can't live with them. For the more prudent or for those with a gig coming up this evening you may want to wait to see what gets reported on this update. Bravo Line6!

Hate being the grammar police but I think you meant to say "no" weird messages. Apologies, only pointing it out because it changed the meaning of your post.

A couple of notes here, first off this is just like any other update. START BY MAKING BACKUPS AND THEN DOWNLOADING HX EDIT 2.81. CLOSELY FOLLOW THE UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS. As usual there is new firmware that needs to be updated as well as the new version of HX Edit so after installing HX Edit(it will install the Updater) you will want to update the firmware as well. Except for rare occasions where you need to do an offline installation because of internet connectivity issues you DO NOT need to download the flash file, drivers, or Updater separately. These will get installed when you download and unpack "HX Edit" 2.81. For the people who have encountered installation issues going to 2.80 I think most of you will now find the install process seamless as you are already on the new CORE architecture. It was moving from the old architecture to the new in 2.80 that caused some people to panic when the update stopped midway(which to be fair Line6 had documented quite well and provided instructions on how to proceed). The update from 2.80 to 2.81 does not have that hard stop and could not have been smoother. Similar to rd2rk it took minutes to do the new update. Huge shout out to Line6 for finally posting HX Edit at the top of the downloads page so it is the first thing that someone downloading the update will see! This is how it should be positioned on the download page every time there is an upgrade that includes HX Edit. Also thank you for the lighting fast response time on fixing critical bugs! Things are really rolling at Line6! When you are finished with the upgrade your firmware should be 2.81 and your version of HX Edit should be 2.81. Make sure they match. Note: There is also a new Helix Native 1.81 that corresponds to the 2.81 Helix firmware.

You might already be aware of this but if your talking about the part that first occurs in the intro and is also played along with each chorus it sounds to me like that sound is a combination of two guitars(or one guitar and one keys) as well as the bass. One guitar playing just the chuckas and another picking out the notes with the bass. The picked guitar and bass parts are so tightly synched it almost sounds like an octaver was used. However if you listen to subsequent choruses you will hear the bass vamping immediately coming out of the synced part so maybe it is just a very tight recording of the second guitar and bass, not sure. The picked guitar part that octaves the bass could also have conceivably been done on keys and not by guitar. If you watch this live performance of it you can clearly see that the chuckas are played exclusively by one guitar with someone else playing the other "guitar" part that the bass follows. No guarantee of what instruments were used in the original studio recording but at least in this performance there appears to be only one guitarist so the second synched bass "guitar" part appears to be played by keys here. My ears aren't what they used to be though so if someone hears something else I'm (ahem) all ears. As far as getting that tone for the chuckas I would start with rvroberts advice. You may want to try experimenting with some compressor settings to see if that helps. I think part of the key as mentioned is to get a clean guitar sound right at the point of breakup. The right pickups and tone settings help too. Scroll down on this link's page for some specific amp settings for palm muting: https://nationalguitaracademy.com/palm-muting/ Just for historical reference there was only one guitarist in the listed lineup on the "It's Your Thing" album so although it could easily have been recorded by one guitarist on another track I think it is a possibility that even on the original recording the second guitar was a keyboard. Lead vocals by Ronald Isley Background vocals by O'Kelly Isley, Jr. and Rudolph Isley Written, arranged and composed by Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr. and Rudolph Isley Produced by The Isley Brothers Drums by Woody Woodson Bass by Ernie Isley Guitar by Charles "Skip" Pitts Piano by Herb Rooney Saxophone and arrangement by George Patterson Horns arranged by The Isley Brothers

I think failing to install the latest version of HX Edit first (it also installs the latest drivers and Updater) is probably the single greatest cause of failed updates.

Good helpful advice to GC there in paragraph two. Repackaging and selling open/used items as new is loathsome and has caused me no end of consternation when I have been on the receiving end of it. I have received open box items being sold as new from multiple otherwise relatively "reputable" vendors. Unfortunately no one retailer has a monopoly on this practice. I don't think this is exclusive to GC and although it could be argued that GC has put some smaller brick & mortar shops out of business I like having at least one large brick and mortar store around as they are all at risk of closing from online sales. I also think GC's forty-five day return policy is more than fair so they get some props for that. Competition also helps keep prices down so the more the merrier.

No kidding, every time I turn around there is some new amazing feature in this release. Just using some of the new editor functions like undo/redo puts a huge smile on my face. If this is a "minor" release I can't wait to see 3.0!

I can only compare what you received to what I received with my Helix I got when they first came out. I suppose things could have changed since then but that sounds like a previously opened unit by your description. Did you receive a hex wrench for adjusting the expression pedal and USB flash memory with the manual(if they still provide this)? The plastic protectors provided with new devices on screen and scribble strips when I purchased my Helix are pretty obvious, particularly on the screen. Bags piled up in the box and hair does not sound right. Do you have a dog? Doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong with your Helix but it does sound like maybe you got a returned item.

One of the most compelling reasons IMHO to make the upgrade process as bulletproof and simple as possible is so that bug fixes and upgrades can be provided quickly. If updates result in a number of temporarily bricked units or prolonged troubleshooting I believe there is a tendency for any software team to delay release of for example a single much needed fix. Instead they are incentivized to wait until several or most known bugs are resolved before releasing the next fix. They are forced into balancing delivering bug fixes and new features quickly against the need to minimize the number of people experiencing problems executing the update . Like crusinon I have no idea how many people have actually had an issue updating, impossible to tell from the forum. I don't find my own experience of never having had an issue with an upgrade anything more than anecdotal either. There are a lot of variables affecting how smoothly an update will go including what computer and OS you are on. Like many others here I have found that I maximize my odds of a smooth upgrade by following the instructions closely and reading upgrade tips and gotchas from other forum members. I've said it here before and it may not be ideal but depending on your requirements, e.g. gig coming up in three hours, be prepared to wait for a subsequent firmware release, no matter how great the new version is(and I'm liking it!). Have backups and be prepared and have the time to roll back if necessary. You may want to check if any of the known reported bugs, both from Line6 and legit bug reports from the forum, are going to be showstoppers for you. Not suggesting anyone wait this long but to put things in perspective, large or mission critical enterprises often wait years and do comprehensive testing before going to a new version of an OS to make sure everything that relies on it is compatible or can be upgraded.

Yup agree, complex products are going to have bugs when they undergo improvement, are re-architected/recoded to facilitate future development, and have new features added. Having a history in IT myself I would say that the best you can hope for is to minimize the number and seriousness of the bugs, report the known bugs when you release the update, and get fixes out in a timely fashion. If you don't you can expect push-back from some users, depending on how much impact a bug has on them, for the duration until it is fixed. If you consistently find that it takes you too much time to get out a fix for a critical bug you probably need to beef up your development team, realign some priorities and shift over some resources, or figure out how to improve your development process to get fixes out faster. Not saying Line6 has to do any of this, just speaking from my own experience. Too easy to be an armchair quarterback.

Thanks for updating us on this.

Using the Helix looper is a great way to free up your hands for adjusting the tone. I use an external Digitech looper that has storage on it too. I have several different guitar loops saved for setting up different amp channels or tones, e.g. clean, rhythm, lead, etc.. Every time I set up for example a preset with multiple amp channels I use the looper to dial in the different channels. My loop for clean might be an arpeggiated piece or a fragment from a song with a clean rhythm while the lead loop would be something intended to be more distorted or sustained...you get the idea.

I would call Musician's Friend back and hopefully get someone else on the line or try to escalate to someone who can honor your coupon.

I have used an L2m for years of gigging with my Helix as my guitar monitor. Works great although you have to EQ cut the highs and lows in the right spots as you do with any FRFR. Looking forward to purchasing a PowerCab+ though to replace it. If you have not purchased the L2t yet I would consider getting the PowerCab+ instead. It is much more tightly integrated with the Helix and provides a lot of options the L2t won't. For the price of that used L2t though I can understand why you might want to get both though. At the very least the L2t will provide you with a great monitor for vocals and guitar and could also be used for a small gig as a main (better to have two for that of course). You might want to check if the L2t that is being sold has that speaker rattle problem cruisinon mentioned. You can test it usually by turning up the volume on your guitar and the L2t and playing "E" type barre chords up the neck. I believe it was usually the F or F# that used to produce the rattle for me. Can't quite remember any more.

Have you tried some of the global reset options to get things started again? Maybe someone else will chime in with a fix., if not it might be time to open a ticket/call with Line6 and have them walk you through a resolution. I'm sure they can get you up and running again.

I suppose as Line6 seems to have the closest thing on the market to a genuine modeling ecosystem they could theoretically get the closest to having someone experience a preset as they did. They could for example say, all our presets are now designed using a Variax, Helix, and PowerCab+ and using those components will get you nearest to hearing the preset as it was intended;. Even if you use exactly the same equipment though you still won't hear a preset precisely as its designer did. To begin with no two guitars, even of the same make & model sound exactly alike, no two players play identically with the same attack, feel, etc.. As cruisinon alludes to they still can't account for the room you are listening in, your volume, the barometric pressure that day, the orientation of the speaker(flat on floor, raised on pole, etc.) and your distance from it, and most importantly your ears and your brain, as well as all the other factors that impact how a tone is perceived. Factory presets, third party paid, and CustomeTone presets are a recipe that will never taste exactly to you as it did the cook. "Other people's presets"(OPPs) are just a suggestion, sometimes they work for you exactly as they are, most times you need to adjust to taste. I have found OPPs can be really helpful for novel design and routing methods and tones, e.g. "how do I get a Hammond organ sound?", and for getting you partly or occasionally mostly in the direction of the tone you are searching for. I still design most of my presets from scratch though and when I use someones else's it is almost always after customizing it to my rig and tonal preference.

I think the reason you have not gotten more response on this topic is that there are already so many other topics addressing this. Just scroll back through a couple of screens of posts sorted on most recent and you will find a lot of help and tips from others who have hit this problem and resolved it. There is also a sticky post at the top of the screen that has lots of help resolving this. Here's one of many out there to start you off:

Did you upgrade to Native 1.80?

Reposted('cos this seemed like the right topic for it): Would love to hear a comment by DI, phil_m or someone with some actual knowledge as to the nuts and bolts of how setlists and presets are updated in new firmware. You know I could be wildly incorrect here but I have seen so many posts and topics regarding problems with legacy presets from a prior version of the firmware. I know some of those bugs have turned out to be legitimate but I am also thinking one of the first things that anyone who is having wonky behavior with prior firmware presets should try is the procedure below. There have been some previous firmware versions where this seemed to help a lot of people. I know that the Helix is supposed to handle an "upgrade in place" for prior firmware setlists/presets identically to reloading them afterwards but I am not absolutely sure it is. Has this notion crossed anybody else's mind? I think it also may have something to do with exactly what blocks, routes, and settings were used in each individuals former presets. Some may be more problematic for upgrades than other. Maybe reloading setlists from backups is handled differently in certain circumstances than just leaving them in place for the firmware upgrade process. It seems like maybe more than a few people have had issues go away after explicitly reloading their backups. I suppose it could also have something to do with how closely they adhered to Line6's upgrade procedure or whether they had any bumps in the road while upgrading. Lastly there is always the possibility that both methods, "upgrade in place" or reloading from backup, miss something in translation and the only method available to fix certain presets, at least until a later firmware update, is to rebuild them from scratch. Make sure you have at least two sets of good backups of your old setllists!!!! I would save the setlists and/or presets individually as well as doing a "Create Backup". If you have good backups from a firmware version before 2.80 you may want to try restoring those instead of the ones that are potentially already corrupted in 2.80. Run the global reset procedure (get the new Factory and Template setlists if desired). Restore your user presets, either from HX Edit menu's 'File'--> "Restore From Backup" process or one setlist at a time. Line6 if this post is incorrect please chime in. Obviously I have no actual technical insight as to whether there actually is a difference in processing of legacy presets by the upgrade process versus reloading them.

You know I could be wildly incorrect here but I have seen so many posts and topics regarding problems with legacy presets from a prior version of the firmware. I know some of those bugs have turned out to be legitimate but I am also thinking one of the first things that anyone who is having wonky behavior with prior firmware presets should try is the procedure below. There have been some previous firmware versions where this seemed to help a lot of people. I know that the Helix is supposed to handle an "upgrade in place" for prior firmware setlists/presets identically to reloading them afterwards but I am not absolutely sure it is. Has this notion crossed anybody else's mind? I think it also may have something to do with exactly what blocks, routes, and settings were used in each individuals former presets. Some may be more problematic for upgrades than other. Maybe reloading setlists from backups is handled differently in certain circumstances than just leaving them in place for the firmware upgrade process. It seems like maybe more than a few people have had issues go away after explicitly reloading their backups. I suppose it could also have something to do with how closely they adhered to Line6's upgrade procedure or whether they had any bumps in the road while upgrading. Lastly of course there is always the possibility that both methods, "upgrade in place" or reloading from backup, miss something in translation and the only method available to fix certain presets, at least until a later firmware update, is to rebuild them from scratch. Make sure you have at least two sets of good backups of your old setllists!!!! I would save the setlists and/or presets individually as well as doing a "Create Backup". If you have good backups from a firmware version before 2.80 you may want to try restoring those instead of the ones that are potentially already corrupted in 2.80. Run the global reset procedure (get the new Factory and Template setlists if desired). Restore your presets. Line6 if this post is incorrect please chime in. Obviously I have no actual technical insight as to whether there actually is a difference in processing of legacy presets by the upgrade process versus reloading them.

Make sure nothing is connected to your HXFX other than the USB. Make sure that you downloaded the HX Edit 2.80 version and installed everything when you ran it and did not just update the firmware. Then I would try the USB and restart shuffle. Try different USB ports, maybe swap out USB cable, and restart both the HXFX and your computer. Rerun the latest 2.80.1 firmware update following Line6's instructions including their "failed firmware update" procedure displayed on the screenshot above if necessary.

Have not tried Reverse delay in the new firmware but I believe 100% should be only the wet(effected signal). I know some people who have reported this problem in the past were surprised to find out that when they were playing at bedroom volumes their unamplified string volume was actually loud enough to compete just enough with the reverse delay signal to be annoying/disconcerting and make it sound like it was coming thru in the mix. It was actually only coming directly off the string.