HonestOpinion

I played through a Lonestar and then a Lonestar Special with one of my old bands for a couple of years and I can attest they are great sounding amps and also a great model on the Helix!

You may have already intuited this but just wanted to mention that if you want to use two guitars and a mic you can modify the template mentioned above by separating Route1 from Route2 instead of sending Route1's output to Route2. Then put Guitar1 on Route1, Guitar2 on Route2A, and the mic on Route2B. Or... if you want to be able to use more DSP but the same blocks for both guitars you could use a splitter before the Helix or even a different input jack on the Helix such as a Return or 'Aux In'. Snapshots allow you to modify the preset to suit each guitar optimally. The problem with using a Helix jack for the second guitar rather than a splitter is that the Helix jack probably won't be the right impedance unless your second guitar is an acoustic coming in via a Return or the 'Aux In' jack

Exactly, both DSP chips can be "linked' so that you can use up to the maximum available DSP of both processors with this setup for your guitar. This is due to the fact that the routes are set up in a super serial configuration. You will still may have to spread your blocks across the two routes(1 & 2) because although the two DSP chips are "linked" they are not summed. This method allows you to leverage both DSPs for the guitar which will probably require the lion's share of your DSP. As stated previously you will want to leave a bit of DSP for your mic processing (usually much less required for this). Btw, you may already have seen it but I edited my post above to include a link to a Template I uploaded a couple of years ago for just this purpose.

You can dedicate both DSP chips to the guitar and still have a separate path for the microphone using up to whatever DSP is not dedicated to the guitar. The easiest way to do this is to start with a "Super Serial x2" template. You can find this at 01D in the Templates setlist. Than just put your choice of effects for mic processing on the bottom line(path 2B) and then drag the Split down from the Split/Merge "block". This will create a separate path and a new Input block that you can set for the microphone. If you want to see a template already set up as described above I put one up in CustomTone for just this sort of use. Just adjust the Input and Output blocks to your preferred settings. https://line6.com/customtone/search/?submitted=1&family=helix&search_term=HonestOpinion

I think the issue may be your older version of OS X as it sounds like you have already upgraded to the 2.51 version of HX Edit. There may be a good chance that the problem you are running into is indeed related to your older Mac build(10.8.5) of OS X. The notes in the 2.50 release topic from DI say that 10.9 (Mavericks) is no longer supported. That would seem to imply that earlier versions of the OS like 10.8.5(Mountain Lion) might find themselves unsupported as well. In my experience "unsupported" does not necessarily imply that every piece of hardware running that OS flat out won't work but unfortunately there is a much higher chance that your OS version is incompatible. The best advice would probably be to upgrade your OS or use a different computer like a PC running Windows 10 with the Helix. Not ideal I know given your dislike of later OS X versions but either option(upgrade OS X or use alternate computer) probably means less headaches going forward. Scroll down to release comments: http://line6.com/support/topic/18284-latest-helix-firmware-250—out-now/?p=135735 Quote from Line6's topic on the 2.5 release: Mac OSX 10.9 (Mavericks) is no longer supported

Despite the reference to Headrush which will doubtless evoke a response on the Helix forum he does have a point. With all of the foot switches on the Helix the potential appears to be there for a looper with a much more full-featured implementation. This could include using more foot switches and advanced functions for the looper as well as a substantially longer total loop time. With at least eight foot switches to play with think how amazing a full-blown looper could be on the Helix(or its successor). Maybe this requires too many compromises on the current Helix depending on the memory and development time available but I think it would be a lost opportunity to not at least make sure that a more full-featured looper makes it onto the next version the Helix. Hopefully with an SD card slot that allows storage of loop files of long duration. As a bonus an SD card slot could also accommodate a large impulse response repository, additional setlists/presets, and provide the ability to allow backup and restore from an SD card.

So true. Even the most competent soundman will often do little more than to level up the trim on the channel for the guitar and if you are lucky dial out or add EQ where it is glaringly obvious it is required. As digital boards increasingly replace analog we will probably see some/most of the more diligent sound engineers showing up to gigs with more complex and comprehensive custom stored channel preset optimized for a guitar input. No matter what level of ear, taste, experience, and technology, different soundmen bring though, your best bet for most gigs will always be to provide the best sound possible to the board before you set your soundman loose on it. If you find one that is so good you can provide a neutral tone and they will do the rest, please send them my way.

All true. Just wanted to add that although I don't believe the Template setlist changed in this update there have been new or modified template presets added to the Templates setlist in the past. The Templates setlist, as well as the two Factory setlists, also receives the latest Line6 presets when you do the factory reset Joepeggio describes above. So when you do the HX Edit "Restore from Backup", as he mentions, you are going to want to scroll down to the 'Preset' entry on the initial backup screen, expand the arrow icon, and then uncheck the Factory and the 'Templates' setlists unless you want those to be overwritten with the Factory and Templates setlists from your backup file.

I agree the compressor at the end of the chain is key in this setup. Btw, I think the '3-band Comp' can be used for even more subtle compression than the 'LA Studio Comp' at the end of the signal chain as it is able to compress only the frequency band that is exceeding the threshold without impacting the other 2 bands. It is however definitely trickier to set up correctly. The LA Comp can be much simpler to use but there are real sonic benefits to be derived from using a multi-band compressor at the end of your signal chain.

Heh, reminds me a bit of the original in that respect. It has been decades since I owned the Roland but essentially the buttons went from most subtle to most obvious level of chorus from 1-4 as the current Helix model does. My memory is a bit hazy at this point but I seem to recall that even on the original pushing multiple buttons simultaneously could be subtle or even undetectable can't quite remember at this point. The original Roland Dimension D manual is completely lacking in any detail on using the buttons in combination which might have been an omission or perhaps it was due to the fact that the buttons were really intended to be used one at a time. Haven't put in enough time yet playing with various button combinations with the Helix version to have a good sense of how the buttons interact with each other. Will have to do some more experimentation there. The Helix Dimension chorus does capture some of that subtle chorusing effect that the original was so famous for and truly made it different from every other chorus I have owned or tried since. As stated in the manual the DImension D adds a subtle spatial effect without "the apparent movement of sound produced by most other chorus devices". This was truly what differentiated it from other choruses. Almost as if the rate and depth on a typical chorus was dialed all the way down but with a "better" sound than those settings often yield on other choruses. The modulation on the Dimension D was quite "gentle" for lack of a better description. Was very happy to see this effect arrive on the Helix.

That's what I figured, a nifty trick.

Did not understand at first how he was using two volume blocks in this video to "boost the highs and cut the lows" as he puts it. Assuming he accomplished that with a crossover split type which he doesn't mention in this video. Does he mention this in a previous video?

Not currently using either of these and it may not be what you are looking for but here are a couple of free tuner plugins for your DAW. http://www.gvst.co.uk/gtune.htm https://www.meldaproduction.com/MTuner

Are you not seeing the new amps and Legacy effects on your LT or in the Editor? My first guess would be that you have not installed the 2.51 version of HX Edit. Without that you will not see the new Legacy effects and amp models in the editor but if you are on the 2.50 firmware you should see them on the Helix. Once you get HX Edit 2.51 installed you can check the menu in the Help --> 'About Helix' selection to make sure you have the 2.50 firmware and the 2.51 version of HX Edit installed properly. Follow the procedure listed elsewhere on the forum if you want to get the latest Factory presets.

I am really enjoying taking a look at the output from my Helix on an RTA and oscilloscope both of which are built into TrueRTA. You can run it simultaneously with HX Edit and make adjustments to your Helix blocks on the fly. Very informative and may well give you some ideas on how you might EQ differently, where the strongest/weakest parts of your signal are, etc. Also gives you a better sense for how the various parameter settings on an amp or effect impact the sound. Of course your ears do a fine job of that but it is nice to get some synesthesia rolling and get some visual cues as well. If you have wanted an RTA(Real Time Analyzer) to use with your Helix here is a great chance to try one out for free and upgrade if you want more advanced features. It takes one click to route the Helix output through TrueRTA and there is your Helix's output showing up on the screen. Just go to the menu and select 'Audio I/O' --> 'Audio Device Selection' and select the Helix. It is a standalone app so you don't even need to have your DAW engaged. Nice! https://www.trueaudio.com/rta_down.htm Of course if you prefer a free RTA plugin for your DAW you can find those as well here's one from Voxengo: http://www.voxengo.com/product/span/

Bump(see link above), just wanted to let any new Helix, LT, or Native users know that there is a free pack of assorted 'Allure' cab IRs available through Line6 if you haven't downloaded them yet.

Thanks as always for this generous contribution Roscoe5! http://line6.com/support/topic/17076-links-for-free-impulse-responses-ir-here/?p=140936 Here's another link (to a link) for a bunch of free bass cab IRs as well as quite a few free guitar IRs. Don't know what format they were saved in or how well they will work with the Helix but they might be worth a look. Even though its native resolution for IRs is 48kHz 16-bit mono the Helix does a pretty good job of converting IRs to their own format from others. As they say in the Helix manual. "...but the HX Edit app allows you to import IR .WAV files of different sample rate, bit depth, length and stereo format, and the app will convert these attributes automatically before sending to the HX Effects hardware."

:)

Two more incredibly simple options for bypass. Just engage the tuner with the tuner's 'Output' parameter set to Multi or your choice as long as it is not 'Mute'. This will output only the guitar's signal without the rest of the blocks in the path. The signal will however still be passing through the Helix's tuner so that may not be the "true" bypass you are looking for. Just switch to an empty preset with no blocks.

I didn't see him mention using the 4CM method either which is why I also did not propose that type of solution although it is potentially a good option if he chooses to go 4CM. :)

If you are using the term "stomp switch" generically and you are actually referring to a snapshot then you are correct. Otherwise your method would require assigning all his effects to a single stomp switch. Assignments for a single "stomp" switch are limited up to eight(at least that used to be the limit) which might not encompass all his blocks. Additionally the bypass for a block can only be assigned to one "stomp" switch, not multiple switches, which means he would not be able to use other stomp switches individually to control those blocks. A snapshot would be a better way to accomplish bypassing all blocks at one time where all of his blocks could easily be bypassed. That or one of the routing solutions proposed above.

I think jbuhajla has the best answer right now. With the external headphone amplifier being perhaps being the easiest. If you use a separate path on the Helix I would imaging having to use a Send or the 1/4 output to a headphone amp rather than the Helix headphones output if you only want the IEM feed in the headphones. The global setting 'Headphones Monitor' determines which of your inputs feeds the Headphones output. Maybe I am missing something but the problem with the separate path solution is that right now the parameter choices for Global Settings --> Ins/Outs/'Headphone Monitor' only include Multi, 1/4, and XLR. There is no for example 'Return 1' parameter option for this global setting. If you used a Return for the IEM feed from the mixing board you would not only get the feed from the Return for your IEM but potentially the signal from at least one of your other inputs as well. I seem to remember people figuring out how to get around this in other posts on this subject but I don't remember how. Really feel like I am forgetting some critical nuance of how to set up the separate path thing. I can think of a couple of firmware changes that would enable this without requiring a separate path for the IEM feed from the mixing board. It would require first adding an Output parameter to the Returns. The Output parameter would have options such as Multi, XLR, 1/4, S/PDIF, Headphones, Send 1, Send 2, and Inline. The Inline parameter would be the default and maintain the current operation where the Return's output is passed to the next block in the signal chain. You would select "Headphones" if you wanted only the Return input's signal shunted to the Headphones. The second thing you would need to do is add the various Helix Returns (e.g. Return 1, Return 2, etc.) as choices to the following global setting - Global Settings --> Ins/Outs --> Headphone Monitor. As stated previously currently the only input path options for the Headphone Monitor are Multi, 1/4, or XLR. Adding the Return 1, Return 2, etc. inputs would enable you to select a Return as the sole input to the Headphones output. These two firmware changes would essentially add a more flexible way of sending specific blocks or a separate path from a certain input to specific outputs, in your case, sending the Return 1 input directly to the Headphones ouput. This would be extremely useful for IEM users getting a feed from the mixing board but I can see many other potential uses for this kind of functionality that allows more control over which inputs go to which outputs. Maybe I should add this idea to IdeaScale but I wonder how many people would use it? IEM users certainly would but are there enough to warrant the development time required? I recommend you search for IEM in the forum. There have been some fairly good solutions proposed in the past for how to accomplish your goal. Maybe an IEM user here could post their best practice suggestion and save you the search. I'm just spitting into the wind as I don't use IEMs.

The only potential challenge with this method is that you require a second input to your amp in addition to the one being used for your signal when it is not bypassed. Otherwise this would work fine.

There are a lot of ways you could bypass the blocks in your Helix. One of the easiest would be to use a snapshot with all blocks bypassed and assign the Level parameter on the Output block to the snapshot as well to compensate for any loss/gain in volume when the bypass snapshot is engaged. You could also use split/merge block(s) that split right after your Input block and merged right before your Output block when activated which would route your signal around all your blocks You could also go with a low-tech solution and use an A/B splitter box in front of the Helix and physically bypass it when not in use.

LOL, when are we going to see the first Cruisinon2 HBO Comedy Special? Somebody needs to start compiling your comments. Thanks for the laugh! :D