Kilrahi

You'd think, except as he said, it worked just fine on 2.71 firmware. It was the update that killed it.

The Stomp seems to be known for having funny expression pedal issues. What's weird is that it worked for you before. It seems like it ought to be able to again. If the stereo cable is flashing "exp 1 active" and "exp 2 active" then that means the Stomp is currently setup so that it is seeing your movement of the expression pedal as a toe switch toggle. It's possible you can fix this by changing the global settings. Here's what I would try first: 1. Go into the "Global Settings" of the HX Stomp. 2. Global Settings > Footswitches > FS4 Function (Make sure this is set to "Expression 1." 3. Global Settings > Footswitches > FS5 Function (For now, set this to Expression 2." 4. Global Settings > Preferences > Exp/FS Tip - Set to "Expression Pedal 1." 5. Global Settings > Preferences > Exp/FS Ring - Set to "Expression Pedal 2." Test this with both the TS and the TRS cable. Does this stop the switching when you use a TRS Cable (it should)? Does it still bork out with the middle being 100%? If you are still having issues here, the last thing you can try is to reverse the polarity. To do that: 1. Global Settings > Preferences > Tip Polarity - Set to "Invert." 2. Global Settings > Preferences > Ring Polarity - Set to "Invert." 3. You can try to alternate between tip polarity being opposite from Ring polarity, but this would only matter if you use the TRS cable. If none of this works then I'd open up a support ticket and get Line 6's take on it. It's possible something about the new update messed up the functionality of pedals that used to work just fine.

If you do it after the LT then no, it won't show up in the recording. However, it is possible to make it so it does, and it's not very hard. I use an HX Stomp, but I have done things like this with the Helix LT, and the two are very similar with the Stomp restricted to only a "Path A", so while I am going largely from memory, the below should work. The first thing you'll need to do is plug the BeatBuddy sends into the returns on the Helix. If you want stereo then you'll use both return 1 & 2. So that routing would be: 1. TS Cable from BeatBuddy Output L(Mono) to Helix Return 1. 2. TS Cable from BeatBuddy Output R to Helix Return 2. (Skip if stereo is not desired) The next step is to design the Helix's internal signal chain. There is more than one way to accomplish this, and there are pluses and minuses to each, but the one below is probably the easiest. In the manual it is referred to as "Parallel Routing." When you first look at the Helix screen, you have TWO paths you can choose. For the setup I'm suggesting, you'll be using the guitar signal for "Path 1" and the BeatBuddy signal for "Path 2." Keep in mind this stuff is even easier to do with HX Edit, but I assume you'll be using the device itself in the instructions below. 1. Using the joystick, press down to move the cursor on the Helix from "Path A" to "Path B." 2. Press left with the joystick on "Path B" until you get to the "X." Turn the joystick to select an input block. 3. Select "Input Return 1" for mono, or "Input Return 1/2" for stereo. 4. If you want the output of the BeatBuddy to be separate from the guitar signal, then move to the far right output block on "Path B" to choose a different output than the source for "Path A." I would then go into "Path A's" output block and choose a different choice than what I did for "Path B." Keep in mind, this is only necessary if you don't want them mixed. If you run into trouble with the above, I would check out the LT manual covering the following pages: Page 8 - Shows the signal view and labels what the paths are that I'm referring to. Page 16 - Choosing inputs and outputs. Page 19 - True parallel path example, which is what we are doing here, except without the duplicate inputs and outputs. Page 22 - Demonstrating the type of input blocks you can select. The YouTube video below, while not trying to do what I did, also shows very well the mobility between all of the paths.

What Heavyville says above is spot on. The Helix LT is FAR more powerful than the Boss ME-80. However, the trick you have to ask yourself is if you are okay getting to a more powerful situation, or even just accomplishing largely the same result as before, in a different way. Every modeler has its own operating system, and Line 6's is different from Boss's. However, once you learn Line 6's, you can see the advantages and why they've set it up the way they had. I remember I was stuck in stomp box mode afraid to even touch snapshots because that was the closest mode to what I was familiar with. It worked great! Then one day I forced myself to look into snapshots and it completely changed my outlook. Even the idea that one footswitch in stomp mode can control SEVERAL different parameters is ground breaking (turn off or on multiple pedals, adjust drive levels, tone, phase, amp mic or treble, IR high and low cuts . . . all with one button press).

It's like any other pedal. If you don't want it chained after or before your Helix, your only other option is in an FX loop. The only deal is you probably won't want it to be impacted by your FX blocks, so you'll want to put it on its own path that joins at the very end of the guitar path, or at least goes out the same send.

I like techniques done well that come out of a real speaker cab, but the vast majority of any guitar technique is the player. Techniques done badly sound like lollipop out of modelers or real amps. Anyway, it sounds like we ruled out that idea. I just wanted to be sure.

The reason I ask is the issues you described sounded more technique based to me, and so I wondered if you'd tried it on "real" high gain amps before and had no problems. The first time I tried palm mutes on high gain, with real amps I might add, I got some sounds I really didn't like.

Did you get this on a traditional high gain amp?

Another option is to download the HX Stomp manual. While you don't have the Stomp, the manual has most of the Helix's effects updated within it, including the legacy effects. I printed off those specific pages.

It's just plain better across the board. Yes.

It's not a life changer for me, but I have to say after hearing Spikey mention it 3 million times, dismissing it the first 1 million, but then thinking about it over time . . . I kind of agree. I'm a Stomp user, so maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm often in snapshots mode and the tuner isn't as easy to bring up, but I think part of it is also that once you start working on one screen you largely want to stay there. Having HX Edit include ALL of what you'd like to see is just easier and nicer. It's a first world problem, yeah . . . it might not even qualify as a first world problem, but it would be a nice feature.

If you are using the looper with the Stopm and headphones, your best bet is probably to put it in the FX loop. Simple TS cable from FX send to Input A of RC3, then TS cable from Output A to FX return left/mono.

Are you opposed to a similar solution now?

Why "better?" I suppose it's simpler if all you got is a TRS cord. It is a nice feature of the Stomp, sure, but the headphone amp doesn't pack as much juice as the regular ins and outs.

I'd kind of have to see how you feed it all together, but one of the primary reasons people use the four cable method is they are amp purists. So they want the tone and sound of the pre-amp, which they then want colored by the Helix effects (in that order) and then back into the amp. From what I understand of what you're doing, it won't sound the same. Now, that doesn't mean it will sound bad, or won't sound amazing, or even that the difference will be significant. I'd say try them both. If you prefer it the way you did it, cool.

Did you download the manual? It shows numerous connection methods. As for the crashes, I'm not at all sure what is happening there, sadly. Make sure HX Edit is the most recent version. If it still won't work maybe try a friend's PC with Windows 10? It only takes a few minutes.

You can't have two delays AND two drives and dynamics. It's either one drive and dynamics and two delays or two drives and dynamics and one delay. The exception is there's an old preset you can download that will nuke the FX block and give you an additional choice for effects choices. You could try that path. I don't know the preset but it's mentioned in one of the recent posts.

No. None.

I've done cleans with tons of amps, but when I'm felling really lazy it seems like just grabbing the amps with the word "clean" in them often tops whatever anything else did. Then you just gotta figure out what you want to put on top of that clean tone to make it sparkle a bit. Reverb? Touch of chorus . . . some slight delay? Maybe you just need to split the amp signal out into two different styles of cabs? It depends on the style of music you play I suppose as ambient stuff often is heavy effects, but what I usually mess with it's all about having a wisp of additional effects on top of a clean amp.

You sound very much like an LT guy to me. As for quality compared to the Pod XT Live, in a straight up metaphorical barroom sound brawl, the Helix will hold the Pod's head in a horse trough until it drowns.

I would not, personally, recommend skipping one of the full fledged devices over Native. If you really don't want to spend a lot, and your needs are small, I usually recommend the Stomp. Still, for some people an argument could be made that you could get by on just Native. YES you need a DAW, but Reaper is only $60 and works great. A person who already has an audio interface could easily drop $460 total and get some great tones for home playing.

What are the outputs you are using? Do both of yours go out the left/right main outputs? Headphones can either monitor ALL of the left/right mains, or ALL of the left/right send. So if you have both signals going out the left/right mains you're going to hear both signals in a pair of headphones and there is no way around that at the moment other than perhaps killing one of the paths temporarily while you're tuning the other (the feasibility of that would depend on what your signal path looks like). As for snapshots - try it. In my opinion the absolute best way to use the Stomp to its fullest and nuke that tap dancing feeling.

What silverhead said above. You have to sacrifice one of your other blocks to also become a delay block.

Whoa . . . no I'm just a moron. I've always wanted the ability to do a blank Path B but it never occurred to me that you can do a blank Path A and in some cases that's preferable like this one where you're going to be doing both signals out of the main outs). Thanks for the idea!

I believe you could do this so long as you split it into Path A and Path B. You would then need to pan the two channels hard left and right. I'd put the amp model on Path A but in reality it doesn't matter. In Path B you would need at least a dummy block (EQ, something - you could deactivate it if needed). Then at the very end of the chain rejoin them, but at the join point again pan hard left and right. I believe that would work. I haven't tested it though, but I did similar things with dual instruments and it worked so it seems like it would.