HonestOpinion

@Noobian_Prince This is an astounding effort! Thank you! Do you have a Dropbox or other site where all these presets can be downloaded at one time?

There are several stereo amps/FRFRs available - SpaceStation, Line6 Firehawk, Mission Gemini 2, Roland Cube Street EX, Roland Jazz Chorus, etc.. Personally we always run a mono mix in the PA so stereo monitoring on stage is not something I typically do. Ideally I suppose if I did I would love to have two Powercab+'s so that I could position them any way necessary to get the best sound and stereo separation. A more frugal approach might opt for two PA speakers(FRFR) which could do double duty when necessary as conventional stage/mic monitors although I suppose the Powercabs could do that as well in a pinch.

Sorry no overriding insight on figuring out what is causing the glitch such that you can rely 100% on the tuning being correct. One basic tip is to make sure that the second page of the Variax input block parameters has 'Variax Settings' = 'Per Preset' and that all the alternate string settings are dialed in. I know your current workaround is less than satisfactory but I think you have it right and should continue engaging the tuner in mute mode quickly before tunes requiring the Variax so the audience can't hear your string check. Hitting one string on for example one of the detuned strings should confirm things. My keyboardist who was a mad scientist when it came to preset design was forever quickly auditioning his patches in his IEMs before launching into a tune and many a guitarist does a quick strum after switching patches before starting the next number. You're right, perhaps not the most professional process but not uncommon. Hope someone else can help provide a more elegant solution that better ensures reliable alternate tuning switches. One thing I would suggest, you may already be doing this, is testing the Variax alt tuning presets EVERY time during soundcheck before the gig. Although I know many use the Variax as their main axe, for me it is used infrequently for alt tunings, songs that require acoustic and electric, and alternate instruments (e.g. banjo, 12-string, etc.) Soundchecking my other guitars and neglecting to do so with my JTV Variax is definitely something I have done on more than one occasion to my detriment. Every once in a while you find yourself having to unplug and replug the Variax as you pointed out to get everything working correctly.

I think some of the comments here already are dead on. I would add sharing your presets with him and letting him adapt and adopt the ones he likes would probably be step #1. You may want to dedicate part of a band rehearsal to getting there early and just working collaboratively with your bandmate on designing or modifying a handful of presets that sound good through the PA system your band will be using. Whatever method he is using at home to design his presets is not as you say translating to the band's PA; refining that process would be helpful going forward. He may just flat out be using a difficult amp/cab to develop his presets although you can work around that, or as Cruisinon2 points out he needs to crank it up, modify the amp's EQ, or make some other adjustment that assists him to better anticipate what will come out of the PA. Bringing the amp he uses for preset design at home to practice can be helpful for seeing how they match up and what to expect as he moves from the amp(home) to the PA(stage). You may have more of a knack for designing presets or anticipating the PA and perhaps could give him a few tips on how to design them. Working collaboratively (pride allowing) should assist him in getting a couple of preset examples that sound good through the PA. He may be able to design them better himself after that going forward or at least clone them from a workable template. If all else fails, and I am a DIY guy so it pains me to say this, he could always buy some presets although those may require some tweaking for the PA as well.

I think he may be referring to the topic below. It appears pb-272 was one of the users impacted by this. There may potentially be a bug or issue impacting only a handful of users. Could be something in only some select users preset(s), hardware, or upgrade process that causes a problem. I have not seen this widely reported but I could be wrong. As always it is just step number one to create backups before a firmware upgrade so you can roll back if necessary.

I cannot replicate this behavior. The volume pedal is set to global and behaving normally for me across snapshots and presets in the 2.71 firmware. Is there any chance that your volume pedal is assigned to EXP2 in one preset and EXP1 or EXP3 in another preset? That might account for the volume block value changing. If you are only using the Helix's default assignment of EXP2 for volume block assignment to the expression pedal make sure that 'Global Settings' --> 'EXP Pedals' --> 'EXP 2 Pedal Position' = 'Global'. In other words perhaps you need to ensure that the global setting and the assignment on the volume pedal are the same in all presets you expect to retain the volume currently set on the expression pedal.

Not that I am aware of so far but my Helix usage is fairly straightforward. If you do something more arcane I suppose you could find something I have not. I would think the 2.71 firmware has been out long enough for most of that to have been reported although something could always slip through the cracks. A good place to check before updating is the "Helix Bug Reports" topic but I would keep in mind a certain percentage of that will be user error.

Some other things worth trying: Are you using "FX Loop 1" or for example "Send 1"/"Return 1"? Shouldn't make a difference but depending on your setup you could try one or the other. Check your Mix and Send/Return and levels if you are using the FX Loop or your ""Dry thru" level if you are using a Send/Return loop . Try putting the loop after your distortion and amp/cab blocks instead of before. This can cut down on noise particularly if you are using a high gain amp model Try adjusting the level in 'Global Settings' --> Ins/Outs --> 'Mic In Gain' A good post from MusicLaw showing a list of amp models he tested that proved to be on the noisier side.

It just occurred to me that I may have misconstrued amsdenj's meaning. After looking at his post again it seems to be saying that using the Powercab's output is another option for getting around the phantom power issue without using a DI or resorting to using a TS output on your Stomp or Helix. It would also indicate that the Powercab is not vulnerable to phantom power interference which is good to know. Sorry if I introduced any confusion although it would be nice if they had addressed the issue when they released the Stomp. Stating the obvious but ultimately you just don't want to be phantom powering any device where it is not required. Too bad some mixing boards don't provide an independent phantom control for each input.

True! Following Line6's firmware release notes and install procedure for firmware updates should leave your old IRs in their respective slots which saves a lot of time trying to restore them to the correct slots manually. Getting the firmware and HX Edit versions matched up should allow normal operation for importing new IRs.

Is this an issue with importing all your old IRs or just new ones you are trying to add? If it is all your old ones did you run the full backup using the "Create Backup" command under "File" on the HX Edit menu before updating? When you do a restore backup it should replace all your IRs in their respective slots. Also, I don't believe that the standard firmware process deletes the IRs from the last version any more so if you just did a firmware update they should still be there and you don't need to do a backup restore. Is it possible you are still on the old version of HX Edit? Make sure you upgrade to the one matching your new firmware version. Also it sounds from your description of the problem that you are not seeing the IRs import in the IR tab of HX Edit. If you are not seeing them on the Helix make sure to twist the "IR Select" parameter while you have an IR block selected. Also if importing the IR does not work through the HX Edit menu you may want to try dragging and dropping instead. Some users have even had to drag the IR to their desktop and then drag it to HX Edit but I have not seen anybody report needing to do that in at least a year or two. Check that your firmware version and HX Edit match and I hate to say it but reboot both the Helix and the computer.

This is an interesting observation by amsdenj. Does this mean that some or all of the Stomp devices are not as vulnerable as the Helix to phantom power issues on an XLR connection? Does this no longer apply to the Stomp?

Personally I would upgrade to 2.71. Probably not the best person to ask but I tend to rabidly embrace the bleeding edge and when feeling particularly patient usually wait no longer than the amount of time it takes for something egregious to be reported in a new firmware version before installing it (after taking precautions to back things up just in case). My overarching strategy is that I prefer to be on the latest firmware before I upgrade on the off chance that the new firmware doesn't translate/update something properly in the presets from older(more than one release behind) firmware versions. I know Line6 goes to great lengths to make the updates backwards compatible to older firmware releases but barring something being very wrong with a newer firmware I prefer to upgrade from the most recent baseline.

“To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up.” ― Dalai Lama XIV “Desire is half of life; indifference is half of death.” ― Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam “The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored. In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.” ― Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life

Entertaining looking back at this topic as at the time we knew Legacy effects were coming any day in the next firmware update but hadn't tried them yet with the soon to be added new "Legacy" category. Discussion got pretty animated and seeing as how the new firmware with the Legacy category had not even come out yet I rested my case until we all had a chance to check it out. Just wanted to follow-up after about a year of using the Legacy effects in a separate category and I have to say I would still prefer to see them moved in with an altered look with the rest of their respective HX effects in the existing HX categories e.g. Distortion, Modulation, Delay, etc.. Having to navigate into the separate Legacy category just means I use Legacy effects infrequently and it still seems like an unnecessary extra few steps to check them out. Makes it impossible to spin through one list and quickly compare the Legacy and HX effects at the same time. Would like to see for example all of my distortion options, HX and Legacy, under the "Distortion" category. Same for the Legacy effects in all the other categories. Just indicate visually which ones are Legacy and which ones aren't (e.g. highlight, brackets, reverse font color, italics, asterisk, whatevah). Vote 'er up! https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Move-Legacy-Effects-in-with-the-rest-and-make-em-look-different/921132-23508#idea-tab-comments

There is a good amount of preset space on the Helix but adding real setlist functionality to the Helix and editor would be a huge win and would make managing setlists infinitely easier no matter how much room is available on the Helix. Vote 'er up! https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Add-Setlists-to-Helix/911976-23508

Pretty much agree with DD here. There are the technical specs that claim one method is better and theoretically I suspect leaving the large volume cranked is technically the "ideal" setting. In real time most people will hear little or no discernible difference. Reaching down and changing my monitor's volume from the Helix is hella easier than trying to poke around behind my monitor during a show. For most players having some room to make on the fly adjustments where needed to the master volume is a substantial functional and practical benefit. One that will generally far outweigh what may be an extremely marginal or even more likely inaudible improvement to the sound gained by leaving it cranked 100%. YMMV

General Note on Speaker Screw Torque: A lot of speakers have frames which can warp when you over-tighten the screws and degrade the sound and performance of the speaker or cause rattles. If you start to see the metal around the screw indent or feel like it will over time you probably have applied too much pressure. Your typical Celestion speaker would be a good example of one that can be damaged that way so you want to get the screws snug but avoid getting out your air powered impact driver. Some tips on how to remedy a problem with a speaker frame that has warped from being over-tightened(other than loosening it). https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/warped-speaker-frame-what-to-do.1580509/

I use a single preset with a snapshot for each different part in a song for many songs, particularly covers. The presets are named after the song and the snapshots are labeled for example, "Intro", "Rhythm1", "Solo1", Rhythm2", "Outro" or whatever parts are demanded by the tune. I arrange them sequentially so I can switch from one snapshot to the next. That works most of the time and leverages the fact that snapshots include trails on the delay/reverb and have little to no latency when switching. For those reasons I find it best to switch snapshots rather than presets wherever possible. You can cram a surprising amount of stuff within a single preset. Depending on how DSP intensive the blocks are, I can fit three amps and a cab, or some other combination of amps/cabs and a host of effects in a single Super Serial(X2) route. That gives me multiple amps or amp channels as well as a healthy selection of cab and effect choices within a single preset and covers a whole lot of potential scenarios. For those very few songs where the guitar parts are so different or the blocks are so DSP intensive that I can't fit all the necessary blocks in one preset then I switch presets. Just about never require that though. Switching presets may also be useful in the rare instance where you are switching from acoustic to electric within one tune. You may be able to make even that work though within a single preset using snapshots, separate routes, or just make it simple with a Variax. I also have a few general use presets like amsdenj which I use whenever I don't feel a song requires setting up snapshots. Often just switching an effect block or two in is all a song requires.

Posted a link below to another discussion on this point on some other website; interesting and worthwhile but exhausting. Like others here the OCD part of my brain does want to know what the ideal volume knob setting is but is the difference audible or "significant"? Gotta trust my ears 'cos there's enough science involved in this when you really start drilling down to terraform Mars. Like others here I use my volume knob only for my stage monitor where cranking it up and down as needed works great, despite any potential bit depth changes. I generally keep it at least around noon or a bit higher and adjust my monitor's volume down if necessary. I send the Helix's full output(not controlled or interrupted by the volume knob) to FOH (easy to set up in global settings for anyone who has not tried it). This ideal volume knob setting debate has been batted around for years now and yet still somehow it remains interesting (I need another hobby). I certainly think in many(most?) scenarios at least the ones I have encountered, the quality of the sound does not vary significantly enough to my volume deafened ears to demand any one approach. It makes sense to me to go with whatever works best with your setup if it does not significantly and audibly degrade your sound. Note: I do recall there was a time or two when Line6's DigitalIgloo posted that the best sound was to be had with the volume knob maxed. Link to alternate websites's discussion regarding digital(sometimes called "software") attenuation: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/effective-number-of-bits-or-why-you-have-to-keep-software-at-full-volume-is-nonsense.671220/

This is almost exactly how I tend to set up my signal chain with one difference. I set up the volume after the amp/cab and right before any delays/reverb. That way I don't change the tone of the amp/cab when I work the volume pedal. I use my guitar's volume knob for that. One of the significant aspects of Kilrahi's signal chain or the one I use is that the volume pedal does not kill the tails on the delays or reverb when your ratchet it down and lets them finish naturally. Also setting up the volume pedal right before the delay/reverb means it acts primarily only to affect the overall volume of the preset while the the volume knob on my guitar continues to serve its usual purpose of providing more push to the initial signal which drives effects like distortion/overdrive as wells as the amp/cab harder and changes the overall tone of the preset. If you don't tend to use your guitar's volume knob very much you may prefer Kilrahi's setup or even putting the volume pedal in front of the distiortion/overdrives as it will change not only the volume but also the amount/tone of the distortion effects and the amps/cabs. As everyone has pointed out though, the only rules are what sounds good to you and what serves the tune and your playing style.

What I did was to lift the foam out from the top, it is held in place by Velcro. Then just cut off enough foam lengthwise such that the knobs across the top and especially the large volume knob does not get pressure when the case is closed. You can use a scissor to do the cutting. Removing just a bit over 4" inches of foam for the entire length of the case - lengthwise did the trick for me. Then stick the large piece of foam that remains back to the velcro in the case. The rest of the foam keeps the Helix snug, it will not move around at all but now it will have room for the expression pedal and the row of knobs across the top won't get crushed. When you place the Helix in the case you just center it oriented with the highest part of the expression pedal and case under the no-foam gap above it. Works perfectly! You can save the foam you cut away and Velcro it back in if you ever repurpose the case for another use. I suppose there might be a way to selectively cut out pieces from the foam but why bother. Just cutting the foam in one piece that would have crushed down the top row of knobs and expression pedal is quick and easy and allows you to pretty much restore the case to original condition should you ever want to. Good luck, that case is a tank, very sturdy and really protects the Helix well. Just don't let it apply pressure to that volume knob joystick assembly.

Which amp do you have? If your amp has MIDI channel switching take a look at this video.

Not a top priority for me but I've always thought the more flexibility when it comes to what a footswitch can control the better. The player can then place things like the bank switches, or even tuner and mode switches, where they see fit, or assign switches to another function entirely such as extra stomps(two extras stomps already available via the Helix's "Stomp Mode Switches" global option but only in the Stomp layout ). Ideally you could retain a few pre-configured footswitch layouts(as we have now) and also have the option to let users assign the footswitches in the layout and positions that works best for them . Any footswitch, any available function. That level of flexibility easily accommodates anybody's favorite footswitch layout - the left-footed, large-footed, club-footed, bare-footed, fetid-footed, etc..

I think I can hear the phase effect you are referring to although maybe it's just the power of suggestion. Is there a possibility that if you are in stomp mode one of the footswitches is not reflecting the bypass state of an effect or other block properly such that an effect block is actually engaged? I would check the LT screen as well as the footswitch to see if a block is unexpectedly engaged. Also as part of the troubleshooting I would delete all blocks from this preset one by one until you only have the amp/cab and see if the phasing effect continues. You could also try changing the amp/cab model without changing anything else in the preset and see if the phasing sound persists; that might help you determine if it is only occurring on the Matchstick amp/cab model. If it turns out to just be the Matchstick model you could try adjusting amp parameters such as 'ripple'. Is there anything in the signal chain such as stereo effects or splits after the amp block (which is mono) that might have your left and right outputs getting out of phase? Btw, how did you monitor and record this? Are you outputting in mono? Direct recording to PC? If for example you are monitoring with a 2x12 or 4x12 physical cab, one or more of the speakers could be wired out of phase. Recording with two or more mics at different distances can also cause this.