tedulrich

Oy, don't get me started on THAT. 10 seconds on a gun forum makes root canals and hemorrhoid surgery sound fun.

It's possible from what I've explored, but if you're already using Logic I'd suggest dropping the $30 for Mainstage as it's far more suitable for performance use.

Good to hear, I've been eyeing the SE215s myself since I can't currently swing for a pair of 64 Audio A6 IEMs that I really want.

It's everywhere. I'm also a photographer and there's GAS and kit wars in that world as well. In the end all this stuff is just the tools we use to produce art, and the tools themselves are insignificant compared to the way we use them. To coin a phrase, "amateurs talk about hardware, professionals talk about software".

Is it only possible to assign the S/PDIF jacks as input and output blocks, and not as a loop in the middle of a path? I'm not 100% familiar with the format, but I have an opportunity to pick up a piece of outboard gear that has a digital I/O option, and I figured using that as an FX loop or send return block(s) would be better than making another A/D/A conversion through one of the standard 1/4" loops. I just can't seem to make that option appear. I can make it work with the input and output blocks, it just makes my routing a little less flexible.

Granted I currently only play at home, and have a floor unit, not a rack, but I do use it with some outboard gear. I built my own rack by bolting a couple of rails inside a discontinued Sauder RTA microwave cart I picked up at Ollie's for $9. Helix sits on top for now. I'm using this as a prototype/idea center for building a higher capacity unit that will handle keyboards on top instead.

I've been eyeing one of those, I'm just waiting for one to pop up on the local used market at the right price.

I'm somewhat curious about this myself, as I have this habit of collecting old pieces of rack gear. I only really know just enough to be dangerous, but currently my plan is to tie it all together with a line level mixer to one stereo FX loop in Helix and handle program change and bypass of individual units via MIDI commands on presets and snapshots. As far as MIDI is concerned, I had the issue of too many "dead ends" in my MIDI chain. I'd found an old MOTU MIDI Timepiece-AV USB at a pawn shop, which I use as a MIDI hub. Even though the MTPAV will generate any of a number of time control options, I have it slaved to Helix's tempo for the sake of simplicity, and it feeds everything else from there. I'm under-utilizing its capabilities for sure, but I got the thing for a lot cheaper than I could get any other MIDI through box, so I'm good with it. Not to mention you have a LOT of flexibility with how the MIDI I/O is handled, which makes routing much less a nightmare.

I'd currently be running it from the MIDI repeater out on a Korg Minilogue, so that wouldn't work. It would be nice to use the Minilogue's sequencer, or that of the System-8 that I'm kicking around buying. I do have a CV sequencer that will modulate any parameter on the Helix (it functions as EXP3), which I've made work that way, and yes it takes some tweaking. Problem is it only outputs single values as a limitation of its design. It would work, as long as I only need one octave. I was hoping for something a little more in depth than that. I didn't think it was currently possible, but if there's enough user interest I may throw it on IdeaScale to see if the development team has any desire to take it on for a future firmware update.

I'm pretty sure there's currently not a way to do this, but is anyone aware of a way to trigger specific notes in the 3 Note Generator via MIDI note on/off messages from an external controller such as a sequencer or keyboard controller? I know Helix can transmit note on messages via footswitch assignments, but can it receive and interpret/apply them? If not, is that a feature that could be implemented in a future firmware release?

There's an app simply called "MIDI Monitor" for Mac that has helped me troubleshoot stray MIDI signals causing issues between Logic and Helix. It's free, and simple, and I've solved more than one issue with it. It's worth having on your machine.

One more time, for those in the back. That's one of the realest things I've read on this forum since I bought my Helix.

Did anyone else catch Lee's "fizzy tone" at 7:15? Rob sure did. :lol:

Disclosure, I just play in my house at the moment, so this isn't exactly a solution with gigging in mind. I used to run a single TS215 on a pole for everything. I wanted some stereo separation for mods and delays, so I picked up a couple of cheap powered 10" 2 way monitors for that. Turned out with some decent EQing they sounded a little better for guitar stuff and my Alto has been relegated to only when I'm playing bass or my Minilogue. What I end up doing is splitting my signal before the output with a crossover block, then routing everything 100Hz and above in stereo to the little cabs (which crap out around 90Hz anyway), and the low end summed to mono to the big Alto. This cuts the Alto's high driver, which ends up being a bit of a waste of talent. I've been considering selling it and replacing it with an actual powered sub instead.

You're dead right on the community response, it was a bit disheartening. Despite this, I hope you're wrong on the last part and the community can be a little more understanding the next time around. Some people were getting really immature about it.

I felt exactly the same way. The EP Booster was almost always on when I had my Mesa Heartbreaker, but once I got the Helix it just didn't have the same effect, either in line or in a loop. If I were to take a wild guess it probably has something to do with the whole analogue versus digital modeling thing.

Beautiful instrument. After years of wanting a PRS, I finally got my first, an S2 Satin 24 last year and I haven't looked back. It's like it was made just for all of my quirky needs.

Pelican cases are indeed heavy. I use two of the old 1514 (now known as a 1510 with divider kit) for my camera and production gear. Empty they're about 15 pounds each, and when loaded I'm using the rollers. :lol: It's not something I carry around on a photo gig, more of a travel/transport case, and when I get on-location I'll either shoot out of them if I'm fixed or transfer the specific gear I need to a backpack, sling bag, or belt rig depending on what the situation calls for. I probably paid $160-$180 each for them some years ago, so $200 for a 1555 with a foam kit isn't that bad a deal. I look at it this way, I rely on those Pelicans to protect around $15,000 worth of professional imaging gear, so the price is justifiable. While a Helix comes in at only a tenth of that, it's all in how valuable it is to you in spending around 13% of the product value for transport protection. I bought my cases from B&H Photo, shipping was free and there was no sales tax as they're only a two state company, as opposed to someplace like Amazon. If you watch their listings the price tends to fluctuate, especially when they need to move inventory or accidentally get an odd colour like olive drab (both my cases are OD). Helix is kind of an odd duck in that no two musicians are likely to have the exact same rig. As far as protection is concerned, the 1555 is probably the best solution I've seen come up yet, short of custom built cases that you can just throw on the stage and pop the lid. I'm still on the fence about which route to go myself, and I'm leaning more toward just trying my hand at building my own flightcase style pedalboard.

The concept sounds really cool on the surface, I'm interested in hearing how it pans out. Pun intended. :lol:

Quite frankly, I'd prefer to have more frequency range and have to dial it back to taste rather than it be artificially limited for me by default. It gives tonal palette options beyond the limits of normal equipment. Plus the Helix is designed to be used with more than just guitar (I run guitar, bass, vocals, and hardware synth through mine), so why limit its tonality?

I just bought the High Gain set and it was well worth the $25. Patches sound great, the IRs are very interesting, and it's given me some insight on advanced things I can do with my Helix. I'll likely return for more. Solid stuff.

I had a bottle of 3-In-One silicone lubricant kicking around the house when mine started to sound like a dying cat. I don't use anything other than silicone around plastic. I put a small drop of this stuff in a bottle cap, then loosened the pedal pivot bolt enough to get some lateral movement in the pedal. I then dipped the end of a paper clip into the drop, and gently rubbed it around the plastic washers, then re-tightened the bolt to my preferred tension. About 10 back and forth sweeps of the pedal later, the noise was gone, and it hasn't come back since. Note that I used barely ANY of this stuff, just enough to wet the end of the paper clip. Too much can get into the electronics or attract dust. Less is more.

Fellow photographer?

The loop issue is a bit over my head, but on the MIDI side, is there any other devices connected (including USB), and is the Classic/Chords switch on the Whammy set for the mode corresponding to the patch? Just trying to knock out the simple and easy to overlook stuff.

My biggest issue was Logic turning something or other on in another track that caused a stream of MIDI data to fly like crazy, which would prevent the clock data from reaching my Helix. Not sure if that's your issue, but it's easy to chase by turning the MIDI monitor on in the "LCD" panel or using a third party MIDI monitor app. The latter of which has saved me a TON of headaches over the last 24 hours getting my backing tracks set up right.