mkornell

No way around the dropout if you use it in an FX loop. That's just part of the inherent latency in how the Helix switches patches. But if you hook up it to the output of the Helix (1/4" output would be easiest; you'd need some kind of DI if you use the XLR out), there won't be a dropout.

Vic, I build my patches so that at full volume, they sound the same level. Approximately, I'm just going by ear. For those patches which I want to use the pedal for volume control, I set the pedal at 100% when I match the volume level.

It entirely depends on the sound I want to create. You have complete flexibility in where you bring it back (of course!), no hard and fast rules. I usually like it running through at least some reverb, but that's just me.

Spikey, My HOG works fine with the Helix, and I'd guess that the pitch tracking algorithms are similar (if not identical) to those used in the 9 series. The key is sending a fairly clean signal to the unit, without chorus/phaser/reverb/etc - it gets pretty funky if you do that. I typically do a send to the HOG as the 1st or 2nd block (1st might be compression), and then return it somewhere later on in the chain where it makes most sense for the sound I want. Haven't tried it after a ring mod - that might be interesting. For external stompboxes, use "Instrument" level for send/returns. Basically, anything designed to have an instrument directly plugged in (like a stombox) is designed at instrument level.

And Tomn Sawyer would have to be Rush.