mitchellisdumb

Hey y'all, I've been building an iOS control template for my Helix, and wanted the ability to set the key of the harmonizer from my iPad. To do that, I needed to map the available keys to MIDI CC values. I did some experimentation and some quick math in Excel and came up with these values: Key MIDI Value C = 39 C#/Db = 51 D = 63 D#/Eb = 75 E = 86 F = 98 F#/Gb = 110 G = 121 G#/Ab = 127 A = 4 A#/Bb = 16 B = 27 These are tested and work. Hoping this saves somebody a bit of time and aggravation.

I can't give a timeline. But I can say that Line6 has been laying the groundwork for a "Helix 2" that's an incremental upgrade from the Helix Floor. With the 2.8 update, they're bringing the codebase together for all of their HX products, even Helix Native. That means they can treat HX less like a product family and more like an ecosystem, in which continuous development of a single stream of software can keep an entire line of products up-to-date. So just like the HX Effects and HX Stomp are feature-light editions of the Helix, a new flagship "Helix 2" could be released without obsoleting the existing Helix Floor. The 2 would probably have additional DSP to allow for more complex signal chains, and maybe it will have some hardware upgrades—like a larger display, or (my most wished-for feature) a Bluetooth module for iPad control. Maaayyyybe some additional I/O, but... honestly, the I/O is pretty exhaustive already. If I'm right, then those sorts of hardware updates can keep being released, and us O.G. Helix Floor owners still won't need to worry about missing out on future software upgrades.

I really don't understand the resistance to metering. I'm a professional audio engineer, and while it's true that you want to mix with your ears and not your eyes, meters serve several essential purposes. One purpose is to make sure nothing's clipping, though as noted above that's really only a concern on the output. All the same, there have been times when something just sounds "off" and I'd really like to know with some certainty whether I'm clipping the input. Another critical purpose is to normalize levels. When I'm building a patch, I don't want to have to constantly flip back and forth with my other presets in order to check the levels. I want to focus on building the patch. Having in/out meters would let me build the patch to a certain output level, and be reasonable assured that it's not going to be horribly mismatched with my other patches. Sure, if you're comparing the Helix to analog pedals and amps, you're right that few of those devices have metering. But those devices also don't have recallable scenes, each containing dozens of different gain and level parameters. Any audio processor with detailed presets, a mic input, or interface abilities needs metering, and the Helix has all of those things.

I'm happy with the Helix's modeling, but ever since I got it I've been a little disappointed with the dry signal path. Let's be honest, there's a lot of I/O and processing power in there for the price point, I wouldn't be surprised if they had to cut a few corners. I probably won't spend $500 on the BLA mod, but I'm not going to knock it. They have a good reputation, and it probably does make a difference.

I had the same thought, and I started using EXP1 for volume on all my presets for a while. But then I kept getting screwed up when I used factory presets or downloaded user presets, so I've since resigned myself to using EXP2 for volume.

Yea, it's amazing how many people don't know that. I do live sound, and I bring a mint box buffer to every gig. I've had a few violinists and cellists buy them from me on the spot, they've never heard their instrument sound so good plugged in.

Thanks everyone. I'll just have to use a small buffer in front of the input.

I can't find this info anywhere. I don't have a Helix yet, but I'm considering purchasing one. I know the guitar input impedance is adjustable, but I don't know how high (or low) it goes. I've got a few instruments with piezo pickups that like a lot of load—up to 10 MΩ. Can the Helix go that high?