ricksteruk

I guess you could use the Helix Dual Cab block instead of an IR? I'm pretty sure that would preserve the stereo path. A lot of people find that Helix's cabs can be tweaked to sound as good as third party IRs - and in a live gig situation I'd say the differences would not be worth worrying about.

I'd say what you're trying to do is perfectly normal - and yes I would say it's a bug - either that or a design flaw in the snapshot recall process. I suppose the algorithm compares the new snapshot to the old snapshot and makes any changes necessary - but it needs to be able to compare the new snapshot to the current state also - surely all the other FX blocks recall properly upon snapshot change if you've manually toggled them?? I would expect that when I select a snapshot it will recall the snapshot. Period.

+1! Your patch levels need to be set to suit the song - not the same for all songs - or else you'll be too quiet on the loud songs, and too loud on the quiet songs. And OK on the medium ones. Unless of course your band has zero dynamic range in which case set them all the same ;) This was perhaps the main reason that I moved away from traditional pedals to Helix - so that I could have the exact same amp sound and effects at a different volume level for a different song! The best way to set levels (if you have the facility) is to make a good live multitrack recording of your band with a dry guitar signal (USB7 or a DI box maybe) and then reamp your recorded guitar signal back through Helix and adjust as needed.

I have my Helix Send & Return set to instrument level and then just turn the Return Block level down to about -15dB to account for the fact that my amp's FX send is -10dBV level not instrument level, so that I get basically the same level with the FX loop bypassed as engaged. Works fine for me :)

Good stuff! :)

I think it will work. Helix should be able to sync it's clock to the (48khZ) SPDIF input from your Focusrite - as your other connections to and from Helix are analog there should not be any problems... ... as long as the focurite is able to successfully output SPDIF whilst slaving the clock to it's SPDIF input from the Torpedo. I remember my old Lexicon MPX1 struggled to do this :( EDIT - although it's worth mentioning that there is apparently a bug in Helix firmware that causes SPDIF dropouts... but that might only apply to using SPDIF out from Helix - the SPDIF in might be ok.

Yes the HD32a are better speakers than the 7 series - they will have much more clarity to them due to the better quality HF drivers... but the thing you have to remember when using them for electric guitar is that you'll be cutting most of the frequencies above 5hKz so it will probably make little difference! Acoustic guitars and vocals will sound crisper though.

I have a pair of RCF 712A. Mainly use them for PA - in which case they can handle the FOH for a full band (including miked drum kit) and cover small to medium pub gigs no problem without subs and have plenty of bass end. I have used one of them just with Helix sometimes, in which case it works very well - but is probably overkill - the 710 s would still have plenty of bass for use with guitar.

Using the Return to feed your stage amp still seems to be the only option at the moment if you need to use the paths for parallel FX processing :( Vote for my ideascale: https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/SEND-Block-to-more-places-e-g-1-4in-for-easy-IR-bypass/818624-23508 IMO the ideal solution would be that the Send block could feed the 1/4in outs (as well as other places like USB and Digital)

I think you'd get much better results by plugging the vocal mic straight into the vocal live. Then you could take the output from the vocal live into helix if you want to. (Probably into a return socket) If you want the guitar to control the harmonies you'd best feed a guitar signal from a Helix send into the Vocal live guitar in. If your vocal live works like my old Vocal live touch then you'll need to plug a jack into the guitar thru socket, or the vocal live will mix voice and guitar together on its main out. - you probably don't want to feed the guitar signal back into Helix.

^ I tend to agree Peter If you have an iPad or an iPhone it's dead easy to connect it to Helix's USB via a Camera Connection Kit. Then just get either LoopyHD or Group The Loop app and you're good to go! Either of those apps cost less than £10 and have more features than almost all hardware loopers.

What are your global settings? Also it's worth remembering that on the BE 100 the FX Loop is after the amps master volume - so basically the amp's MV is now an "FX send level" - according to the manual you have to set the BE100 Master to 5 to send a good level into your FX unit, and then use the BE-100 Return Level as the Master Volume My Laney AOR works like this, as did my Marshall 4210, but my H&K has it's Master volume after it's FX loop. I use INSTRUMENT level for the Helix FX Loops with 4cm on my Laney AOR and H&K, so that the Helix SEND 1 level is about the same as comes from my guitar, and when setting up a 4cm patch on a new amp I will A/B between the actual guitar and the Helix SEND 1 either by unplugging cables or using an external A/B box and then adjust the Helix FX SEND 1 Level to that it matches the dry guitar. (I do this with nothing else connected to Helix yet - not the amp's FX Send and return) Then I connect up the amps FX LOOP to the Helix Return and the Helix 1/4in output and set that up. My Laney has a -10dB FX loop, but that it is still a bit louder than the INSTRUMENT level coming out of HELIX send 1, so I usually turn down the HELIX FX LOOP Return level to about -15dB so it matches the level going through if I bypass the Helix FX LOOP block. My H&K is switchable from -10 to +4, so I leave it set for -10 and I only need to adjust the level fractionally from the Laney. Then to the Helix 1/4 in out level. If I choose INSTRUMENT then this will be lower than the -10dB FX loop setting, but if I choose Line it will usually be louder than the -10dB loop is expecting... but I usually just use INSTRUMENT as I find I never really need to push my amps power section to full. If your Be-100 has a +4dB loop then you might be better setting HELIX's 1/4 outs to LINE.

^ Really good explanation of how to get the best out of OctoVerb and ParticleVerb.. Thanks Duncan :)

I'm definitely in the NO MORE AMPS category! (Or rather that is very low on my list of priorities.) Here's my wish list for what it is worth.... Number 1 IR management system. To be honest I never use IR's just because I don't want to deal with the organisation problems!! Number 2-5 There are many usability upgrades that forum members have been suggesting like extra path splits/merges , output assignability, reassignment of footswitches etc that would be way up on my list. People who use Helix on a regular basis have come across limitations and made these suggestions... obviously they would make a difference for a lot of users and enable more complicated patches and functionality to be built. Number 6 HX Reverbs. I don't have a massive problem with Helix reverbs, but I would love to have HX versions. Number 7-10 NEW FX - Filters, synths and also more cool and unusual FX - things like the EHX Freeze, SuperEgo, B9, and the new FreqOut spring to mind. Number 11 New amps (and cabs) ... Having said all that I am pretty happy with Helix right now :) Good work L6

Yeah now this is interesting me - as I noticed that the new iOS Garageband is able to run AU plug ins! that's what I'd call a nice portable practice rig - guitar, cable, iPhone (running Helix native), headphones

Some great stuff coming in this update! :) I've not really used Helix with my bass guitar yet - only my double bass - so maybe 2.20 will be a good time to try it out. The Swell delay FX look interesting, and MIDI sync will be great for keeping delays and mods in time with my loops - I'm using and iPad/iPhone with Loopy and Group The Loop, so not too fussed about sync of the Helix looper - though I guess the option to get it to quantise starts and stops to MIDI beats might be useful. What I would like is the option for Helix's Looper foot layout to be able to send MIDI notes or ccs to external loopers and disable the internal looper - it would save having to use the Stomp Footswitches to control the external looper.

Wow thanks for replying DI! I was only joking - just a bit of forum humour on Spikey's behalf. I can see that Helix Native might be especially useful for those of us with laptops who do bits of recording in various places.

I guess the big question is.. Will it have a tuner ;)

Very happy to see the v2.20 MIDI since announcement :) Thanks L6

It would be easy to add outboard Reverb (on Mac/PC or iPad/iPhone) via USB in a FX LOOP - if the Send and Return blocks could be set to USB.

Yeah that would be really useful - would be good if a Path out had more options - sometimes I am wanting to send to both to USB and 1/4 but not XLR.

Yeah AUM might help in the iPad side of things - it's the Helix side that needs help.

I've been experimenting using Helix with a Camera Connection Kit and iPad / iPhone. There is so much an iPad can do and it's so easy to USB to Helix it up thanks the the CCK! LoopyHD or Group The Loop are fantastic looper apps that make looping so much easier and fun than using the built in Helix looper - especially as they cab be MIDI synced (and Ableton Live synced)... so I can sync them with a iPad drum machine like Vatanator or Drum Jam and have drums in sync with my loops.. But also I'd love to be able to run the MIDI Guitar app with a synth app to create string pads and so on. Complicated? Yes it can be as crazy as you like - but just one simple CCK and USB lead does it. This would all be so much easier to set up with Helix if the Send / Return blocks could be set to USB - as it is I have to use a path output to send the guitar signal to the USB to MIDI guitar, but then it can't also continue on it's way through helix - so I can't use it just as a send. One way for the time being is to use the "re-amping" outputs USB7&8, but of course those are just dry copies of the input. So just to re-state my case from some time last year - can we have improved routing for the Send/Returns blocks please - and also more options on the Path ins and outs. ;) http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/SEND-Block-to-more-places-e-g-1-4in-for-easy-IR-bypass/818624-23508

Lovely Peter! :) I've just ordered a piezo tunomatic bridge and rosewood base to try on my old 1966 Harmony Meteor ... if it sounds as good as yours I will be very happy! I love the way Helix can so effortlessly combine both sources.

It's probably because the level gets boosted by going through the Marshall in the FX loop - the Helix FX send should be sending INSTRUMENT Level to the Marshall Front Panel input jack, and then the Marshall FX OUT sends -10dB (or some do +4dB) level to the HELIX FX Return... which is basically line level. So you get a large increase in volume. What I do is set the Return level on the Helix FX loop Block in my patch to about -18dB, so that when I bypass the FX loop the volume doesn't change. I usually try to test this out with a clean & loud tube amp setting so that it's easier to tell if the volume is the same when I bypass and engage the Helix FX block. Then after that I dial in my tube amp to a more dirty tone and then set up a Helix amp block and set the channel volume so it also matches with the real amp as bypass the block.