After using the HX effects for a while I've realised there are quite a few things that I'd love to see added to the device. I'm hoping none of these would count as asking too much of the hardware as obviously the HX is a lower cost item than the helix and hence any expectations should reflect that. All these ideas and more have been posted at the Line 6 Ideascale website where there take notice of suggestions, please follow the links to register and vote on these and other ideas.
1. Allow a 6 snapshot view
It would be so useful to have more than four snapshots for some songs so why not have a '6 snapshot' view option in the same way as there's a 6 preset view? As to how to navigate after removing the UP/DOWN buttons please see point 2.
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2. Change the snapshot mode buttons
Having to press the UP and DOWN buttons at the same time to navigate in and out of snapshot mode and then use the Mode button to switch between snapshots and stomp modes is really clunky and unintuitive. It would be so much easier if the mode button simply toggled between all three views (Presets / Snapshots / Stomp).
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3. Rise and Fall times on Footswitch effect controls
Its great that you can define parameter changes to be controlled by a standard switch, pitch shifting for example is good as you can press a switch and have the note shift accordingly with a momentary function. This however would be so much more powerful if you could define a rise and fall time so that when you press the switch it takes the defined time to reach full effect and then a defined time to fall again when released.
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4. Reset Snapshots with a 2nd press
I really enjoy having the snapshots set so that any changes made stay active whilst remaining in that preset. It would be nice however to be able to revert to the saved settings when required. This could be done by pressing the current snapshot button again once it's already active.
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5. Grouped switches
It would be great to be able to define specific switches as a group so that when one switch in that group is enabled, the others are disabled. One example of this is controlling a 3 or 4 channel amp in stomp view. At the moment you have to define an on/off switch for each of the channels on the amp and then switch one off before turning the next on. The ability to set a group parameter for each switch would solve this. For instance if switches 1 - 4 were all set to (Group 1) then pressing any of the switches in the group would switch off the other three. You could even have multiple groups if required.
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6. Add a 'neither' option to Instant Message Ext Amp commands.
At present it's possible to send three states to each of the Ext Amp output jacks via instant messages, Tip, Ring, or Tip + Ring. There is however no way to send neither tip nor ring meaning that one of the control options is not possible. (note, this can be achieved by defining two switches to do the same function so it is possible in the hardware).
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What about you, any suggestions? If you agree on any points please leave a comment.