gbr13697

Many fuzz boxes and other effects are sensitive to input impedance. Wireless systems intrduce a buffer, so the fuzzes were unable to see the impedance of the pickups, and the fuzzes sounded crap. Initially this was a problem with the Helix because some of the effects were similarly sensitive. You could always adjust the input impedance, or set it to Auto which matched the input impedance to the first block in the chain, whether that block was active or not. That meant you could put the fuzz in as first block, making the impedance around 22k, and the fuzz sounded fine. Trouble was that the low imput impedance badly affected subsequent effects and the amp when the fuzz was off. Many of us devised a solution where the stomp button for the fuzz also switched the impedance to low, and switched it back to 1M when the fuzz was turned off. After some long and heroic battle by a few users, Line 6 introduced an update so that the Auto Impedance could be set to that of the first Active block, not just the first block. This meant that the impedance changed automatically as the fuzz was switched on and off, so the problem was solved. If the treble booster emulations in the Helix are impedance sensitive (though I have never noticed this), they should be fine as long as you place it where it will be the first active block when it is on, and set the Auto Impedance to "First Active Block".

Nothing is "dummy-proof" to a sufficiently qualified dummy!

My Dell XPS15 updated to Windows 11 a few days ago. No problem connecting to HX Edit.

I usually find that a 15mm square at each corner of a normal pedal is enough. It will lock down with a definite click, and I need to get a blade under to prise it off.

I use the expression pedal with most of my amp models as a gain control. For instance, I may have the pedal set to increase gain and treble, whilst also decreasing bass and channel volume. Today I was tinkering with an AC30, trying to solve the perennial problem of ice-pick bridge pickups on Strats and Teles. With the pedal heel-down, I increased the Tone Cut until I got acceptable tone from my bridge pick-up. I checked that I wasn't over darkening the neck pick-up, and kept adjusting the treble and cut to get a nice clean tone. Then I put the toe-down on the pedal, and found that my gain had vanished! After a while it clicked that the Cut control is not part of the pre-amp tone stack, but operates further down the line. If you use too much cut, it also drops the signal and reduces overdrive. A bit more fiddling, and increasing the maximum gain to 10, got me a decent compromise. Incidentally, I also found that swapping the AC30 Bluebell cab for Greenbacks or Creambacks, and using a ribbon mic further out instead of dynamic close in, also helps. It still sometimes comes as a surprise to find that the modelling works as it should!

I never had a problem with USB connection to my Helix Floor with 2 previous laptops, but I have with a new Dell XPS15 that has only USB-C slots. This obviously means that I have to use a hub or adaptor. I have always used long cables without issue, but the cable that works fine with my older laptops would not work on the new XPS. I tried the shorter cable that I use with another Multi-FX and that failed as well, along with a couple of other cables. I dug out all my printer cables and tried them in turn. One of the 1m cables, and a 2m cable worked fine, and I then found a 5m cable that worked. A bit of cable swapping, and everything is working again with the cable lengths that I need. There does not appear to be any logic to it - around half the cables I tried worked, and the other half didn't. Length did not appear to be critical - just luck. In case it helps anyone, 2 cables that worked (including the longer one) were DTech Shielded - the outer is clear plastic and you can see the shielding through it.

I did the update last night. I saw the instruction saying: How do I update to 3.10? Any chance you've already updated HX Edit to 3.01 (released on Feb 2, 2021)? If so, just connect Helix/HX to your computer via USB and launch HX Edit. The software will walk you through the entire procedure, including updating HX Edit 3.01 to 3.10 and backing everything up to your computer. I opened HxEdit and started the update process, and it did update the Helix firmware. I assumed it had also updated HxEdit but, when I checked this morning, HxEdit was still on 3.01. I had to download and install the 3.10 HxEdit update separately. I don't think this is working as intended, but it does explain why RChatfield1977 isn't seeing the new amp.

The method I use for "do-it-all" stomp box patches is to divide the paths almost throughout. I have a divide as the first block, so 1A and 1B flow through to 2A and 2B before merging near the end. The divide and merge blocks are set to switch on each alternate snapshot, with all through 1A and 2A on odd numberered snapshots, and all through 1B and 2B on even numbered snapshots. Then I populate each of the 2 paths with similar blocks in respective positions, e.g. FuzzFace, EP Boost, Klon, Flanger in Path A, and Muff, KWB, TS808, Tremolo in Path B. Each pair of pedals is switched on and off by the same footswitch (marked on the scribble strip FuzzFace/Muff etc) but only the pedal that is in the active chain has any effect on the signal. I would generally use only Snapshots 1 and 2 (Paths A and B) for humbucking pickups, giving me 2 different ranges of 8 pedals. The snapshots for 3 and 4 are identical, but I have a 5db boost at the start to equalise the volume for single-coil pickups. Snapshots 5-8 are repeats of 1-4, but all the time based delays and modulations are set for dotted 8th instead of quarter note. With one guitar, 2 snapshots are all you need to get 2 ranges of 8 pedals - 16 in all. With carefull positioning, choice of pedals, and descriptive scribble strips, you can get a reasonably user friendly pedal board with 16 effects. How you make use of the other snapshots is up to you - I use them to equalise for different guitars and to give me more options for tap tempo with time based effects. If I am using amp emulations the 2 paths merge in front of the amp and cab combination, and I might also have reverb, EQ, compression, etc in this position, effecting both chains. You obviously can't have 16 effects at the same time, but you can choose complimentary combinations. You would rarely need a compressor and a wah at the same time, or 2 fuzz types, or a flanger and tremolo together, or a Klon and a Tube Screamer together. Snapshot 1 or 2 will get you in the ballpark for a range of 8 pedals, and you only have to click up one snapshot to get another complementary selection.

Save the preset to your Templates bank, or to another safe location, as well as to your working preset bank. You can then copy the effect from the template, and paste it into a new preset.

The Heir Apparent and Tone Sovereign you mention are emulations of the AnalogMan Prince of Tone and King of Tone pedals. The King of Tone is essentially 2 Prince of Tone pedals in one box set up as a 2 stage drive. Either side can be set for Boost, Overdrive, or Distortion. There is a huge waiting list for the King of Tone, and I recently got mine after 3 years and 3 months on the waiting list (Yes - you did read that right!). I am currently using my Helix into a Katana Artist Mk11, though I also have a couple of nice valve/tube amps. Unfortunately I have a very electrically noisy house, and I just can't cope with the constant background noise from the valve amps when used in the house, particularly when using the Effects Loop and the 4 cable method which seems to make the noise 3 or 4 times worse. I had to return a PRS amp because the noise made it totally unusable - 60db! - it was fine in the shop. The Katana is quiet unless the gain is way up. I have tried the Helix emulations against the actual pedal, putting the pedal in a loop in an otherwise empty signal chain in Path A, and 2 Heir Apparents in Path B. My King of Tone pedal is set for Overdrive into Boost, and I adjusted the settings so that I was getting 3 nice options of Boost, Overdrive, and Overdrive into Boost. I then replicated the settings onto the Heir Apparent emulations, and A/B tested each of the options just by switching between Paths. My ears are not the best, but I could not detect any appreciable difference. In fact, I frequently lost track of which path I was using. It is quite possible that there are significant differences between the real pedal and the emulations at more extreme settings, or using the Distortion setting, or into different amps. I am sure that tone freaks, or those averse to digital modelling, would only want the real thing. However, for me, the difference is too insignificant to worry about, and I would use either. I will probably use the King of Tone in a mostly analog pedalboard into my valve amps, and use the Helix into the Katana.The Helix is a perfectly reasonable alternative to a 3 year wait, or the double-the-retail prices for second hand pedals.

It will only ever be worthwhile if you have two separate poweramp/speaker systems - stereo, wet/dry, clean/dirty - whatever. Just having two amps in Helix and mixing them together into one mono sound output will never really achieve anything.

I have an Artist Mk2 and the Power Amp in works OK, but you are still working with a guitar amp speaker so it won't be FRFR. Good enough for most purposes. I tend to just put in a pre-amp block rather than an amp, cab, IR etc, on the basis that the Katana power amp and speaker will colour the sound anyway. It gives a variation of sounds, but not necessarily an accurate representation of the amp/cab modelling. I normally use the 4 cable method, and I actually can't hear much difference between the Power Amp input and the Effects Loop Return. Using the Power Amp In means that I have to unplug the Guitar In and move the Helix Out from Katana Effects Return to Power Amp In. If I leave the 4 cable method wiring as it is, I can just switch from a Helix preset with a Send/Return to one with a pre-amp, and not bother switching cable around.

Hank also used a multi-head tape echo with everything. Different delays for every song. You really need to nail down the times of each delay. On Apache there are two - one at around 450ms, followed by another at 150ms that also repeats the first. Most are set at a level that you don't really notice them, but you really do notice when they are not there!

I am also getting the "The Helix device failed to recall snapshot data properly" message occasionally. It does not always happen, and seems pretty random, but only when I am connected to Tone Studio. The message appears as an error over the Tone Studio screen. Nothing happens on the Helix itself - that just freezes. I have to reboot it to correct the problem. I It will reboot into the same preset, and I can change snapshots without any problem. Other freezes when not connected to Tone Studio may be due to the same problem, but I obviously don't see the message. It is not a frequent issue, but enough to demonstrate that there is an issue.

Using the Helix to control the Variax has always been rather unpredictable in my experience. I have this tuning as one of my custom models on the Variax. This means I can customise the body and pickups etc, and just switch tuning between Model and Standard (which is just a one click position change on the Variax Tuning knob). I also have one of the Variax custom models set to Rick Parfitt's version of Open G with both the Low E and A strings tuned to G - it saves having to avoid the low D of the normal Open G and gives a real low end thump on power chords.