stephane_dupont

:D

I don't know what the hell @Robert is saying, but they are not.

? What misidentified commands?

Since firmware 2.10, MIDI for the Helix Looper is broken (and it has broke my setup...) Indeed, we can't send two "looper MIDI messages" anymore. For example, we can't send two MIDI messages like "Looper:Stop" and then "Looper:Rec" anymore. Only the first message is taken into account, following messages are ignored. I guess it's an unexpected behavior resulting to the "When sending/receiving Looper MIDI CC messages through external devices, MIDI feedback could occur - FIXED". Note: it's really easy to reproduce this bug, just take any MIDI controller that can send several MIDI messages with a footswitch, and send messages like: [CC#61 0] [CC#60 127] : supposed to stop the loop playing and launch the rec of a new one, doesn't work. Only the stop command works. [CC#61 0] [CC#61 127] : supposed to stop the loop playing and play the loop again, doesn't work. Only the stop command works

If it's the case with Helix (not saying it is, but if), the HUGE difference is Fractal warns about it and Fractal users know about that. That would indeed be inacceptable if upgrading Helix results in a change of tone without any warning from Line 6.

Not at all. Conceptually maybe, tone wise, absolutely not :)

There's a lot of effects on M5 not available on Helix. The two I miss the most: Lo-Res delay Growler For the MIDI thing, I don't use it like that, but in case it can work for you: I use instant commands on the Helix with a MIDI channel dedicated to the M5. The advantage is you can change it by snapshot, so each snapshot can call a different preset on the M5.

Yeah, but isn't it strange that 3 switches are dead? I mean, 1 footswitch, it's a faulty one, but 3 faulty switches out of 12 seems really high, so I suspect it might not only be the switches :(

(and yes, these problems should not appear on 1500$ boards, especially when the repair center can't give you a temp Helix while waiting or making an exchange!)

I've got 3 switches that are doing the same (recognized as double presses 10% of the time), and I can't send the Helix in repair, because here in Europe, it will take at least several weeks, and I can't find a time where I don't need the Helix for a few weeks (rehearsal, gigs, studio, ...) Can you keep me posted if you got more infos on it? (software, hardware, if hardware how has it been repaired, ...) Thank you very much!

Line 6 know this problem since May 18, when I submitted this bug and they acknowledged it. And yes, they still didn't resolve it after almost 4 months. It drives me mad that an annoying bug like this one take that long to be fixed. By the way, I think you're using MIDI over USB? In my experience with the Helix, MIDI via USB is far less stable than MIDI via MIDI cables, and that particular bug doesn't occur with MIDI cables in the MIDI In/Out ports. Also, if the Helix is connected to a computer to send MIDI signals via USB, and the computer is connected via an USB soundcard to the PA to launch samples, use virtual instruments, etc, if your electric system is not top notch, there will be a lot of noises. And those noises are disappearing when using MIDI cables instead of USB. (Also, on a not-so-far topic, I'm pretty pissed right now, because I found plenty of these bugs, and I lost a lot of time because of them, and now I've got two options: loose lot more time by trying to reproduce them, identify them, and then submitting them one by one to Line 6 - Line 6 that doesn't seem to be quick to fix them anyway, so why bother? -, or selling the Helix and try another setup. People at Helix team: you've got a great concept, you should not allow that many bugs - better test procedure? -, or at least, you should be really quick for fixing them. At this price point, part of your customer base are professional musicians, when you can't save a preset and restore it because when it's restored the snapshots are not restored correctly and it destroy your preset, and even in some cases make the Helix freeze, for frack's sake!)

Any programmable MIDI controller will do.

Thank you but yes, indeed, I don't think you read my posts. (I'm not asking for anything, was just "+1" some post, explaining why and then answering some questions. And no, no MIDI controller comes close to a computer with Bome MIDI translator on it, even the mighty Gordius Little Giant. And certainly not the FCB1010 that is really limited.)

Not possible at all with my setup. Just the fact that you have to have one row of each type is not viable. As we can't change a preset during a song without a silence (that huge 80ms sound drop...), and I'm playing sometimes 14 minutes song where I don't have any silence, and where I must launch at least 10 different samples, etc., I often must think about a good way to make it 12 footswitches only. So if I lose the liberty of chosing what footswtich does what, and I must have one row of each type, I'm dead. Not saying I don't have specific needs. Not saying the Helix should do all that. The snapshots have made it really better. But not enough to being able to use it without a computer handling the MIDI work.

Just go and check any good MIDI foot controller, while these controllers are allowing you to do almost anything, with the Helix, you pretty much can't do anything but sending ONE message by switch (apart from changing preset/snapshot where you can send several, but that's not a viable option to launch samples during a song for example) Take for example the great Gordius Little Giant, a few features that I'm missing: - Send as many messages as you want from any footswitch - Timers to delay actions - Global variables to do specific actions depending on conditions - Random function to randomize some events I'm not saying the Helix should propose these features, absolutely not, but I think that the absolute minimum for the Helix to be called a MIDI controller would be that we can in stomp mode make any footswitch do what we want (change snapshot, etc.) OR being able to send several MIDI messages. That would not make a great MIDI controller, but a whole lot better.