genesound

It's just a guess, but I think it's entirely possible that either the VDI circuit (when using the RJ45 connection) or the analog circuit is on but should never be both. The VDI gets it's power from the Helix, Variax power supply, or battery, but was never intended to be able to power both digital and analog systems onboard the axe at the same time. They probably designed the current draw for the necessary converters and output amps for the analog out to be shut off when there is no phone plug in the jack, which saves power. There isn't an endless supply of power available, even when plugged in. I also want to do this, but after reading what seems to be a big issue with it, have decided not to go there.

Awesome! First time I've checked for months and here it is!

Yes the aftermarket cables made with Neutrik connectors work fine for me on the bass to Helix, they just don't work from helix to control. The ones from Line6 work fine, but I don't always want a 25' cable. Go figure.

I'm having great difficulty in getting aftermarket Ethercon cables to work reliably between the Helix Rack and the Helix Control. The connection acts intermittent and power disconnects if I wiggle the cable, and often the Control never hooks up at all, however a genuine Line 6 Variax cable works fine. The cables test fine on a cable checker or on other audio gear. And this isn't just one cable, I've tried 4 different ones, either made by myself or other wiring professionals and they all exhibit the same bizarre behavior. (I've been a pro soundman for over 40 years and have made thousands of various kinds of cables, including network and digital audio cables). Regular CAT 5 cables will also often not work between the Rack and Control. The only one that worked reliably was the stiff nasty one that shipped with the unit. Other standard CAT 5s might or might not work at all as well. The issue is I don't really need or want a 25' cable from the Rack to the Control when I'm setup in my house, 10 feet would be fine. It's a real PITA to have an extra 15' of cable to hide somewhere. Any ideas?

" ... on this forum" was not part of the question. I'm aware of the age of the thread, but it is an age old question now... This issue has the most votes of any requested feature on the Ideascale (and more than one thread there) for years now, and I'm still wondering if anyone has ever heard of Line 6 commenting on creating a level meter feature for the Helix / Helix Rack. Not necessarily a mention here, or in this thread, or even on this forum, but ever... anywhere?

Good, it's sorted then!

If you're having a ground loop issue, it can present kind of like that, USB is a notorious cause of this. I can't run my H9s direct on USB or I get a big loop with the Helix, H9s, computers, DAW, so I always hook up the H9s on bluetooth for configuring and control... A total lack of ground so there is excessive RFI getting in the digital can also corrupt unbalanced digital audio (SPdif) like that. I've even had properly grounded and shielded AES balanced audio quit in a high static environment doing audio for MNF... Static Guard became my friend. If you are in a situation where you get static zaps quite a bit, it can raise hell with digital audio streams. Not saying you have any of these, just offer the ideas to consider...

Quite a few? Yes, I think it's the #1 ongoing ideascale issue at 1554 votes! If you also include the #4 issue which is asking for a clipping indicator at 1168 votes, then having a level indication of some sort has 3 times as many votes for these two issues as the next contender in the Helix ideascale AFAIK. Seems awfully popular. I'm wondering if Line 6 has commented on this?

Awesome! Thank you to everyone involved! I hope to try it tonight, it's updating now.

I've now created a trouble ticket as well. Since nothing concrete and/or obvious has happened regarding this issue in the 10 months I've owned my Helix Rack and Controller, I think it's prudent to make my issue officially known while the primary warrantee period is still in effect. Oh, and a product recall doesn't necessarily need to be a matter of a legal necessity or mandated by the government. A product recall could be issued for limiting other corporate exposures to liability. It could be for safety, but could also be for maintaining corporate reputation, non-compliance of advertised specs, or other factors like, prevent a lawsuit, or as a remedy for a lawsuit. https://www.google.com/search?&q=product+recall+meaning

Frankly, any dropouts at all in the digital audio outputs are unacceptable, and to have digital audio sold as a working feature, and then not have it work is probably quite an exposure to liability. How many of their customers actually use it is completely irrelevant. We all use different features of the equipment, nobody uses it exactly the same, and all the features need to function correctly. They sell the product and it needs to work. Waiting for years for a solution is totally unacceptable. I think they really need to address this, and sooner rather than later.

:lol:

Yes, I'd be interested to know as well. I thought about getting some to try, I can always use them on my Liquid Foot pro controller... maybe after the holidays.

Thanks for the informative and helpful info! I would like to point out that the metal caps you linked seem to have rubber/plastic between the cap and the switch

Google it. https://www.google.com/search?q=Mooer+Candy

Are you using either Multi or Digital for your output block? How do you know you're not getting clock on the Helix AES out?

Previously I didn't think my Helix Rack had the issue, but apparently I just hadn't noticed it yet, as I do not yet always use the spdif path, and previous tests may not have been long enough to hear the dropout. I've been planning on implementing the spdif path for recording all along, so I decided I better try a longer test. I played about an hour while monitoring the spdif out feed via an M-Audio Profire 2626 using headphones, and sure enough, after about 50 minutes there was a about a 1 second silence. All units are word clocked at 96K from a BLA Micro Clock MkII... Helix Rack is running fw v2.30. There aren't any noticeable ground loop or RFI noises on analog feeds.

Oops, I forgot the Helix Floor doesn't have external WC capability. More info in this thread... http://line6.com/support/topic/19234-helix-spdif-out-loses-sync-too-often/?p=236511

If you're going to use the Helix's spdif out, make sure that the input you're putting it into gets it's audio synced to the spdif feed, or use external wordclock. I use external wordclock on the Helix (setup in global settings) and all my digital audio devices, and have no dropouts using spdif.

Egads, this is something I may well use in the future, but don't presently, so I have no idea if it's a problem with my HxRack or not. I suppose it would be prudent to set up something to run audio through the aes and s/p dif interfaces for a while and monitor it, just to be sure...

I know this is old, but a real answer to 110Ω AES/EBU cable length hasn't been given. 110Ω AES/EBU should go 150m (492') with a decent 110Ω audio cable, twice that with high end wire. http://www.mogamicable.com/category/bulk/dig_interface/aes_ebu/ But for short ( like ~ 6' ) jumpers, I've used standard 50Ω balanced audio cables for years without issues. It won't hurt anything, but at some length, it just won't work due to loss. I also use yellow ended (for video) RCA cables for S/PDIF, they're 75Ω. BTW, Helix Rack has a wordclock input for syncing the Helix to external clock.

Cool, I've also had blocks in what I thought was proper order, but had things work out better in a different order, especially where amps are concerned. Just make sure you save that sound for next time you want kazoos! :lol:

You could control it with a midi controller.

Yes absolutely! I'd also like a momentary MIDI, that would return the value to the preset default or (preferably) the previous value when letting go of the footswitch. I tried to register for the IdeaScale account. Never received an email, never allowed to put in a password either. Tried to register again and then it said I was registered but not verified... ???

I wish Line 6 would publish actual Technical Specifications of the inputs and outputs like real audio gear. I'd like to know nominal dBv levels, noise floors, and impedance specs of all the I/O ports.