HonestOpinion

Agree with both of your points. In particular I am surprised not to see more people weighing in to support reorganizing the downloads page so that the only thing new HX device users see is just the HX Edit package they need to do an upgrade rather than also all the standalone files that can lead to a failed update. Let the standalone files live elsewhere on the downloads page where they will be available to everyone but not be a source of confusion, failed updates, and sometimes, at least temporarily, bricked devices. We users who have been through many upgrades have no dog in this fight. We have been doing the upgrades so long we are very familiar with the process. This is to benefit new users and cut down on unnecessary stress for them not to speak of bad PR for Line6 when an update results in what appears to a new user to be a bricked unit. This would also help eliminate device returns both to the retailers and to Line6 for totally preventable firmware upgrade issues. Not to speak of the fact that it would diminish needless noise and countless posts regarding failed updates on the forum. This one just feels like a no-brainer to me it is so patently obvious there is a better way to organize the Downloads page to accommodate not only longtime HX device owners but new ones as well. This is a simple clerical change that would reap instant benefits. Please just do it already. Btw, I also agree with your point, particularly in regards to FRFR usage, and think that as I have said elsewhere, at least for the Helix and LT, there should be some global monitor profiles such as "Combo Amp", "Stack", "FRFR", etc. that get people in the general ballpark of a usable EQ profile for their particular monitoring equipment before they start tweaking presets. It is significant how many posts there are from people regarding fizziness or taming the high/low end that I believe might be prevented with the simple addition of some starting line monitor profiles.

By default the Helix will output a dry signal for whatever sources you choose on the USB 7 and USB 8 outputs. You can configure the source on the Helix setting the 'Global Settings' --> INs/Outs --> 'Re-amp Src (USB 7) = "Guitar" for example. This will send your dry guitar signal from the Helix's "Guitar" input out to the DAW on USB 7. Now arm and record whatever tracks on your DAW you wish to record, for example USB 1/2 for the wet effected mix from the Helix and also record a track that uses USB 7 as the input. That will be your dry track from the Helix. Now you can set the output on your DAW for example to USB 3/4. Now go to the Helix Input block, scroll down and set the Helix Input block to "USB 3/4". When you hit playback on your DAW you should now hear the dry track you recorded coming back in through the Helix. The trick is to have the USB output channels on the DAW set to the same corresponding USB inputs set on the Input block of the Helix. Btw, if the problem is finding the input choices on the Helix Input block, just select the Input block and push the joystick down. That will present you with a list of inputs. If you are using the Editor just selecting the Input block will show a list of input choices including the USB inputs. The other main issues to be cognizant of with re-amping are how you are monitoring, e.g. using studio monitors via the computer or using the outputs on the Helix. This may affect how you use the "Live Input Monitoring" switch (or whatever it is called on your DAW). Take a look at page #54 for some specific instructions on how to go about reamping on the Helix.

The easiest way might be to just use the editor and copy a blank preset to the one you want to clear.

Good to hear! :)

The OP does mention he thinks he is thinking about getting back into recording again. You make good points about latency of software plugins and the simplicity of using the Helix's reamping capability. Have to say though that as a Helix and Native user I find them to be a powerful and compelling combination that offer a ton of flexibility for a guitarist in a studio and I find the latency in Native to be negligible. You're right he can just use the Helix going forward into his DAW but given the current(offer ends Feb. 28th) 30% discount + the $300 Helix discount, that is $70 he would have to pay for ostensibly a $400 piece piece of software. The fun factor alone justifies it in my opinion as well as benefits like running multiple instances of Native on different tracks in your DAW, copy presets back and forth between Native and the Helix, run ridiculously long signal paths with all the amps and effects you would ever want by combining the Helix and Native or just multiple instance of Native, etc.. And for those times you don't want to fire up the Helix you have it on your computer. Being a Native and Helix owner I have to say I would encourage getting both but you are correct, the Helix alone is also a powerful studio as well as a live performance tool. You can't go wrong with just the Helix, but Native is nice!

Some of this seems to be predicated on how or if the Helix is calculating multiple taps. At one point on the forum there was some speculation that it was only calculating the difference between the first two taps. Can anyone confirm whether Helix calculates tempo based on more than two taps? I don't do anything sophisticated with tapping but it only seems to me to calculate based on the first two taps. For example, two fast taps followed by a third one coming farther behind appears to me to give me the tempo of the first two taps, not an average of the three or some other calculation. I could be wrong though, have not experimented much with tap tempo beyond a couple of taps to synch up my effects usually in 1/4 time. Update: When I test with one tap, wait briefly and then do two fast taps it does seem to be averaging them. Have to admit I am not sure how the tap on the Helix calculates multiple taps? Also, I know if you wait too long between taps such that you are below the slowest tempo available on the effect, it is forced to use some kind of algorithm to conform to subdivisions that make sense with its slowest tempo setting so my quick and dirty testing could be erroneous.

I don't know of any way to do this by pushing a preset switch twice. It is fairly easy though to assign any block's level parameter, or a gain block, a snapshot with increased level, or even the output block's level parameter to a footswitch. I run my Helix with snapshots on the top row and stomps on the bottom and I always assign a gain to the same stomp footswitch. That way it is always right where I expect it to be. Maybe not quite what you were looking for but it works pretty well. Snapshots and multiple stomp parameter assignments in particular give you an even more powerful way to do a boost than the method you describe above because you can for example ratchet the presence or highs down simultaneously when hitting a boost, or the reverse if you prefer, change the parameters of your EQ, etc..

If you have "Global Settings" --> Preferences --> "Snapshot Edits = "Discard" you will have to save before switching to another snapshot or any changes made in the previous snapshot will be discarded and the snapshot will revert back to the state it was last saved in. If you don't like this behavior then just set "Snapshot Edits" = "Recall" and you will only have to save once before you switch away from the preset.

My first guess would be that something has changed in your global settings or your monitoring setup but sometimes it is just your ears. Perception and what constitutes a "great" tone can definitely change from one session to the next, particularly if you get ear fatigue from a long tweaking session.

Good point, could be that these oddities exist as well for users who are migrating their presets/snapshots from an HX device to Native and we just have not noticed them yet. If so I am sure that will get worked out in subsequent releases. Just noting that there could potentially be a difference between the "rebuilding" process when it is done on an HX device versus when it is done by a computer in the case of Native. Or the processes could be pretty much identical. Without Line6 weighing it is hard to know for sure.

That is fine. For other products where the Updater is not distributed as part of a package, as it is in the case of HX Edit, it can be listed without the archive flag. I believe in the case of the HX product line it is causing needless confusion and failed updates. I don't think people generally go to, for example, the "Helix" entry on the download page, when they need the Updater for another device unless they do it in error. Each device generally has its own named entry on the "All Products" dropdown menu on the Downloads page. If there is not an entry there for that device it would probably be easy enough to add one. I suppose you could even give the Line6 Updater its own entry under "All Products" or even add a new checkbox on the Downloads page in addition to ""Beta" and "Archived" named something like "Standalone" but that seems like it might add a bit of unnecessary confusion as well. If you did add a "Standalone" checkbox that would be how you would pull up the Line6 Updater and firmware files. Few people would bother though, they would just download the HX Edit package with no checkboxes checked and proceed happily through their upgrade. One thing that to me seems self evident though is that those standalone files do not need to be listed separately under product entries where the preferred procedure for a firmware upgrade is to download the entire package(HX Edit which contains everything you require for an upgrade - the Editor, Line6 Updater, and the driver). The usually unnecessary appearance of the Updater and firmware as separate entries is causing failed upgrades. Put the Flash and Updater files somewhere else and I think new user confusion about upgrades will drop dramatically. Just my opinion.

You only have to do the global reset if you want to see any new Factory or Template presets. New amps or effects will show up on the Helix as soon as the firmware is updated and will show on the Editor as soon as you update to the version of the Editor that matches the firmware, for example HX Edit 2.51 currently is matched with the 2.50 firmware.

Chuckle, see page #58 of the Helix manual for Duncann's "CC128" reference. :D

My 2.52 install went fine too and since I upgraded the firmware last night I was able to upgrade to the 2.52 firmware as well. I also decided to let it ride unless instructed otherwise.

As has been pointed out you can use many of the delays to good effect for slapback by dialing down the delay time and getting the mix percentage right. Depending on the sound you are trying to get you can also focus on a couple of the delays that were designed with short delay times from jump like the 'Bucket Brigade' or 'Elephant Man' and hence are extremely easy to dial in.

I always liked the CE-2 as well but the Chorus, Trinity, and the Plastichorus models all sound great as well as my favorite the new Legacy 'Dimension' chorus. Not a huge fan of the 70's Chorus model but it is modeled after the Boss CE-1.

Voted! Btw, there are a couple of other entries for this Idea already. Vote 'em up. https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/HELIX-guitar-input-global-EQ-presets/895552-23508#idea-tab-comments https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Input-EQ-with-User-Presets/916013-23508#idea-tab-comments

Good question. It might be fine but personally I would roll back to the 2.51 HX Edit version and restore my 2.51 backup until the new HX Edit is released with the corresponding new firmware. Might be unnecessary increased risk rolling back though. No clue.

I wonder if this will work properly if you use the L6 connection from the Helix to the two chained L3t's and then just use two Helix return inputs with an RCA-->1/4 adaptor cable from your stereo source?

What device are you on Helix, LT, HX Effects? When you updated to HX Edit 2.51 did you also update to the 2.50 firmware? On the face of it it sounds like your version of HX Edit and your firmware are not matched. If you are using HX Edit 2.51 you should be on the 2.50 version of the firmware. You can check your editor and firmware versions in the About entry in the menu of HX Edit. Another thing to try would be switching off your HX device(Helix or whatever) and then restarting it after importing presets. If you watch the boot up process you will see your device display a message showing that it is rebuilding the preset(s) you just downloaded, e.g "Rebuilding...".

I don't know if an amp emulator output is necessary but I do think the Helix would benefit from a choice of global profiles for each exsiting output targeted to the specific type of monitoring equipment the Helix would be outputting to. You see this option on some other modelers. These might include profiles such as "Combo Amp, "Stack", "FRFR", "PA Speaker", etc.. One could argue that "FRFR" and "PA Speaker" would be redundant but you get the idea. The intention of these settings would not be to replace or negate the need for proper EQ'ing but just to get you in the general ballpark hopefully minimizing the need for excessive or arcane EQ adjustments. It would be especially useful for new users although I think all users could benefit from it. It would also potentially make the Helix sound much better in the guitar store showroom and help sales and prevent returns (assuming the user or salesman had the setting dialed in properly).

Yep, I can confirm this bug still exists on the 2.52 firmware as well.

Just saw this. If you are only going to be playing and recording to a computer a good pair of studio speakers and/or headphones and maybe the analog effects you absolutely can't part with may be all you need. As has also been mentioned you should seriously consider taking advantage of the current 30% off sale on Helix Native in addition to the discount you already get as a Helix owner.

This is good advice as some players find that they still prefer using a traditional guitar amp on stage for monitoring. Others take the leap (myself included) and go FRFR to maximize the ability to authentically model all of the great amps and cabs in the Helix. Either approach has its advantages and disadvantages. Using a traditional guitar amp means every amp and cab model (assuming you are not only using the Helix for effects) gets colored by your Marshall, Boogie, or whatever. Many players love that sound however. Using an FRFR involves a bit more of a learning curve, particularly on the topic of how to use EQ properly but is well worth it IMHO. Deciding which pieces of your old equipment to keep also depends as others have mentioned largely on whether you intend to primarily play out, home, or in a studio as well as determining which effects either don't appear on the Helix or have such a singular sound in their analog version that you can't live without them.

Knowing Line6 they have already thought of this and have a good reason for why they chose another strategy. Nonetheless I would like to propose a change to the way the Flash and standalone Updater files are stored on the Line6 'Downloads' site. As many experienced users are aware the HX Edit application includes everything you need for a firmware update including the editor, Updater, and driver file. I think it would be a lot cleaner looking and less confusing for new owners of HX devices if the only thing they saw when they searched their device on the 'Downloads' page for new software was the HX Edit application. Maybe even only the latest HX Edit version. The flash, standalone Updater, and driver files, as well as older versions of HX Edit would be stored with the archive flag such that only checking the 'Archived' box during your search would bring them up on the Downloads site. This would help prevent the relatively frequent occurrence where users new to the update process either download the incorrect firmware file or run into issues because they are unaware that they need to be running the version of the editor that matches their firmware. A fair number of new users use the standalone Updater to upgrade their firmware but are still sitting on an old version of the editor and are then at a loss as to why they can't see the new features in the editor or are having issues with their presets or editor operation. Or worse yet, end up updating their firmware with the wrong version of the firmware for their device. I believe putting the standalone flash, Updater, and driver files in the archive section under 'Downloads' would largely eliminate this issue. For the rare user who has such a poor internet connection they need a local copy of the firmware, need to revert to an older editor/firmware version, or have such an incompatible computer that they cannot install HX Edit they can be instructed to use the archive section to download only the Updater and firmware file. These would hopefully be infrequent exceptions. Btw, I believe the same strategy might also apply for instance to the Variax download of Workbench which I believe includes Workbench, Monkey, and the Variax driver and therefor these files don't generally need to be available separately other than in the archive section. Less opportunity for users to get confused means less support required, fewer bricked units returned, and more Line6 resources dedicated to new devices and updates. ;)