Cingaro

Hi. Hopefully I'm using the correct forum for this question. I have been using my Helix floor with an external looper for some time, but feel that I've never really established the best routing options for my needs. My main instrument is a violin, which I use heavily effected to create strings sounds, guitar and bass tones and even drums and percussion effects, so typically my first signal chain has the violin on guitar input with a separate send and return block for my aeros loop studio at the end before going to XLR output (usually panned left) L to mixing desk. I also loop sax and percussion on some songs, so have a separate dedicated signal path within the same preset using the mic input and incorporating a second pair of send and return blocks for the looper at the end of this path, with this one outputting on the R XLR channel and panned right. Within my aeros looper I have some pre-recorded loops and saved files (drum patterns for the most part) which I use on certain songs, probably in a similar fashion to the way some use the Beat Buddy. The set up works ok for the most part, but recently an engineer doing my sound at a gig suggested that things would be a lot better if the drum sounds were on a separate channel from the live loops I create off the violin and mic, which makes sense, but I'm struggling to configure the best way to route all this to make that happen. I hope this makes sense to someone and appeals to somebody's love of solving routing issues. I'm not tekky and find stuff like this confusing. Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help

Apologies if there is a thread elsewhere on this topic, but has anyone out there some experience with using the Helix with the Boss RC 500 looper, specifically sending MIDI commands from the Helix to the looper. I'm new to MIDI, but after watching a few YouTube videos felt I was doing ok in terms of getting to understand how the devices respond to each other, using Instant Commands in Command Centre for Snapshots and assigning Footswitches on the Helix to trigger other commands, etc. Where I've really hit the wall is getting the RC500's drum patterns to respond consistently to commands when I return to a snapshot or preset. Often the drum patterns have completely changed when I go back to, say, a chorus snapshot ( I have got Snapshot Recall on in Global settings). In some cases I've been able to work around this issue, but the biggest frustration is if I've set a loop up on say Track 1 of the RC500 and then go to Track 2 to record a new idea, any assignments I've made to create a different rhythm pattern in the RC500 change, usually to blank so I get left with rhythmic silence. If I then come out of the memory and go back in again all my assigned settings are still there! I'm not sure if this is a command from the helix that causes this or the way I have the looper configured. Either way I can't figure it out. I hope this makes sense to someone and any input on this would be most welcome Thanks

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but does anyone with more technical expertise know if it is possible to sync the helix looper with an external loop pedal, specifically a Boss RC 3. I have this pedal connected through send and return, and the external amp port which allows me to control stop and shift functions using switches assigned through Command Centre. The Boss pedal doesn't have any MIDI ports but it does have a usb connection. Cheers

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere but does anyone with more technical expertise know if it is possible to sync the helix looper with an external loop pedal, specifically a Boss RC 3. I have this pedal connected through send and return, and the external amp port which allows me to control stop and shift functions using switches assigned through Command Centre. The Boss pedal doesn't have any MIDI ports but it does have a usb connection. Cheers

Yep. I've had something back as well:- Hello Cingaro. Your Line 6 Support Ticket was updated with the following message: Hi, we have escalated this issue, it should be fixed in an upcoming firmware update (unfortunately we cannot tell when or in which version, but it is on the bugfix list) Best regards, Line 6 Technical Support Europe

So just read this with interest and also your other post and link to the unofficial helix MIDI guide. I have never used MIDI in my life and so don't really understand it, but I am wondering whether if I adopt the same procedure that you outline to create a separate Stop switch by changing Value=0 to Value=64 thereby creating a Play function I could potentially solve my issue by altering the linear process of the 1 switch looper. What do you reckon. Could this work? I would like to know before I buy a MIDI cable with excitement, only for it to end in crashing disappointment.

Yes I guess it depends on how fundamental the looper is to your work. For me this change, whether designed or a bug, has profoundly altered the way I've been constructing ideas using 2 loopers in tandem, enough to consider returning to an earlier firmware. I'm almost tempted to do it just to see if it coincides with the introduction of the 1 switch looper.

I have a Boss RC 3 looper hooked up to my helix as an external pedal. The Rc 3 also uses a double tap to stop which is a royal pain in the arse. I got around the issue by connecting the pedal to the external amp input on the back of the helix, and then selected external amp in the command centre to assign a separate footswitch to control the operation. I also used another switch to toggle between banks on my external looper. While I appreciate that the external amp input would be no use to you in this case there may be another option in command centre that lets you assign this to a footswitch? ...... and if so could there be one that allows you to save your loop on changing preset??

I'm also not seeing this. The looper is consistent in its refusal to play once stopped and exited from the current preset. However, I did have erratic behaviour in the looper previously which turned out to be an intermittent triggering switch problem. Are you having other issues or just erratic looper behaviour?

I wanted to check it wasn't my machine because it has just come back from a switch repair, but from the outset I thought this was a firmware issue, confirmed further by another 2.82 user I know encountering the same problem. I've relayed these issues back to tech support, but should I now be taking a new route to pressure a firmware update? I know my helix dealer here is on the case but I am a relatively new user.

Quick update. This is what has come back from tech support:- Hi, it is still the same when switching presets the looper must be : the same type of looper block (either 1 switch or 6 switch, (mono or stereo) cannot be mixed -on the same path (1 or 2) -and is assigned to any footswitch are you using parallel path or switching serial routing ? (output block path 1 to path 2 etc) ? the Helix should also be resetted after the update: create a backup and switch off your Helix then press and hold foostwitch FS9+FS10 (two middle lower ones) and switch on your Helix then try with an empty new created preset again, if it works as expected you can import your backup otherwise we'd need some example presets to test with (you can upload files via Browse file in the support ticket) Best regards, Line 6 Technical Support Europe This suggests no change in their eyes, although they don't seem to refer directly to the issue raised, more a general checklist of how the looper should be set up. Anyway I performed a reset and experimented again with 2 newly created presets containing just a looper block. Same outcome. This definitely represents a change in function. rd2rk refers to a guy on YT operating an older firmware and using the looper to switch back and forth between presets. I checked it out just to make sure I wasn't going senile. In the video he's even stopping the looper and moving to a preset that doesn't contain a looper block and is still able to come back to his loops! I haven't got round to uploading presets for tech support yet but I will do so shortly. In the meantime I've asked the guys where I bought mine to see if they can perform this function on their shop model helix which is also running 2.82. In the meantime I would welcome any more observations on this from 2.82 users just to 100% confirm it is the firmware and not my machine. Thanks.

Doesn't 'Undo' on the 6 switch looper perform this task in the way you want?

The issue came to light while I was using the 6 switch looper. As a result I tried using the 1 switch looper instead but effectively the same process occurs. Hit the switch you enter record mode (red), hit again you get playback (green), again for overdub (amber). From there on if you stay in the same preset you can toggle between playback, overdub and stop (white) with a double hit, but if you stop and change preset the next hit on the switch puts you back into record mode. With the 1 switch looper I can see why this scenario makes sense but not with the 6 switch layout where in looper mode you have record or play in front of you. This is how I was using the looper previously and this is what has changed since I updated because I can't construct ideas in the same way now. With regard to your display issue for preset and stomp I have the same configuration on my device, except for reasons beyond this thread I don't use snapshots. I'm not finding the same issue that you describe so maybe this is related to snapshots or something else in global settings?

Thanks for the input. I've opened a support ticket....let's see what comes back.

Apologies if this issue has been discussed elsewhere. I have been using the helix looper alongside a Boss Rc 3 looper (which allows you to save and store recorded loops). So this has allowed me to build a loop on the helix from various presets, stop the loop, change preset, switch to the rc3 to play a pre-recorded loop and then return to my helix constructed loop and add to it further. In this way I've been able to construct ideas in a live situation with a little more structure and variety. A recent issue with footswitch 8 malfunctioning (the switch controlling record and overdub in looper mode) meant I had to send the helix off for repair. I took the opportunity to download version 2.82 (previously it was operating 2.0 I think) and well as performing a back up. Since getting the machine back I've noticed I now have the option of a 1 switch looper as well as the 6 switch version I am used to. Unfortunately I am also finding that when I now build a loop as described above, stop it..then move to a different preset (even though it contains the same looper model on the same signal path) and try to return to the looper and activate play again(footswitch 9) nothing happens! I can stop and restart the loop in the same preset though so it doesn't seem to be an intermittently triggering footswitch problem. It appears to be a change in function since downloading the updated firmware , or as a result of something occurring in the repair shop? Can anyway shed any light on this issue?

Thanks for the input on this. I've had a quick play around with your suggestion and have had some success in setting up a command getting the rc3 to stop. Getting the memory shift (bank up/down) to respond consistently is proving more challenging at the moment but I'm going to have another go on it now.

Can anyone tell me if it's possible to configure the helix to replace a Boss FS 6 footswitch? I am currently using the footswitch to perform stop and cue bank up and bank down functions on a RC3 loop pedal in live situations, and would like the helix to perform this task instead so I can reduce some hardware. I imagined it should be possible via Command Centre but I'm unsure how to go about setting it up. Thanks