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craiganderton

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Posts posted by craiganderton

  1. Okay, what you want is very different from what's commonly called upward compression. With upward compression, the signal increases at a faster rate above the threshold, rather than decreasing above the threshold. Very different things! I use upward compression with acoustic guitar to emphasize attacks and strums, so I thought that might be what you were trying to do. Since your main issue is reducing peaks, try the Studio Comp in Limiter mode.

  2. On 2/10/2024 at 12:47 AM, Dubuyu said:

    I read before that threshold on most compressors only reduces the volume of notes above the threshold, not raising the ones below. Is this not true?

     

    Basically, yes, but there are two fine points. If a compressor has a soft knee, compression actually begins below the threshold, and doesn't reach full compression until a point above the threshold. Also remember that in most cases, people apply makeup gain due to the level loss caused by compression. So, this brings up all audio. The audio under the threshold isn't compressed, but it is louder than it was originally. That's why some say that technically speaking, as soon as you apply makeup gain, you're raising the level of audio below the threshold. This is how compression brings up low-level sounds, like room sound with drums.

     

    As to upward compression, there is a workaround for Helix but it's a little touchy to set up. Insert a Studio Comp set to Limiter mode in Path B, with Mix set to 100% wet, in parallel with your dry signal. Invert Path B's polarity. If you get the balance of the two just right so that audio below the threshold cancels partially with the dry audio, then when the compression kicks in, there will be less cancellation between the two, and the dry audio will be louder for as long as the compressor is above the threshold. This isn't as precise as proper upward compression or transient shaping, but it may do enough for what you want. Good luck!

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  3. On 12/27/2023 at 4:41 AM, gk001 said:

    Thanks Craig, appreciate the update. I just clicked on the download link in the original purchase email from Sweetwater and it downloaded the updated version

     

    Thanks for circling back, I'm glad to know it's working as expected. As you can imagine, companies that sell things may not have mechanisms in place for giving away substantial amounts of stuff for free :) 

  4. If you already own any version of the Helix book, you can download version 1.4 for free from your Sweetwater account. Here's what's new compared to version 1.3:

     

    • 534 pages (45 more pages than v1.3)
    • In-depth analysis of v3.70’s nine new Cabs
    • In-depth analysis of v3.70’s ten new Amps
    • Complete parameter descriptions for the new effects (Prize Drive, Regal Bass DI, Feedbacker, Dynamic Bloom, and Nonlinear)
    • 27 new presets featuring the new models in the v3.70 update
       

    I'm particularly proud of the new presets. Even if you don't read the book, just import the presets and have fun :)  All except for three of them work with HX Stomp.

     

    I also did something a little different this time. I described the preset creation process for the new presets, and why particular blocks and parameter values were used. Also, many of these are oriented toward lead sounds. I felt the book needed more of those.

     

    And of course, I'm always interested in your feedback for when I start work on v1.5!

     

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  5. On 12/19/2023 at 9:28 AM, datacommando said:

    Think yourself lucky - you could have bought into Apple's FireWire (I did way back) - check this out:

     

    Wow. Many years ago, Apple orphaned a Universal Audio DSP card by changing the PCIe spec in their machines. So, I bought a Universal Audio Satellite, which uses FireWire. Now that won't work with Apple computers. At least it still works with Windows.

     

    As to support for older Line 6 gear, I assume anything that existed before the Yamaha acquisition was eligible for the chopping block. Yamaha already had a line of pro-level interfaces from the Steinberg acquisition. 

     

    On 12/19/2023 at 9:29 AM, silverhead said:

    from printers to Roland/Boss audio/midi interfaces.

     

    I had a Roland VS-700 controller that worked with Cakewalk Sonar. When Windows 10 came out, it no longer worked. However some smart Sonar user figured out how you could change a few characters in the driver's code in a text editor, and have everything work just fine. Why Roland would not put a revised driver on their website mystified me. They could have even said "We don't support this driver, but if it works for you, great."

     

    I had a Matrox video card that no longer worked with Windows 10. Matrox said it was incompatible and I'd need to buy a new card. Their driver specifically said it wouldn't work with Windows 10. Well, I poked around their website and found a driver package for servers, and it had a driver for the card that worked perfectly.

     

    Welcome to greed. On the other hand, I've had Helix for 8 years, and it just keeps getting better. You win some, you lose some.

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  6. On 12/18/2023 at 1:29 AM, carlosvladi said:

    ...and i get "This download code has expired. Please reach out to Sweetwater Tech Support for assistance with your download." I´ve sent a mail and waiting... (I´m from Spain and i don´t think about call them)

     

    It sounds like you bought an early copy before they had the updating procedure totally nailed down. This has happened to some other people, and they'll take care of you. 

     

    I submitted the v1.4 PDF and free presets/files last Friday. They usually get a new version up in a week or less, so they may wait to reply until the latest version is live so you don't have to download v1.3 and then download v1.4 a couple days later.

  7. I'm having the same problem with Studio One 6.5. If you know the MIDI Controller number and you specify it under the Controller Assign function without using MIDI Learn, then it works. It seems the problem happens as soon as you click on MIDI Learn.

     

    At least in Studio One, sometimes it's easier to choose a Knob as automation, and then assign the controller (e.g., footpedal) to the knob.

  8. On 12/14/2023 at 9:55 AM, Kidwags said:

    Lost All Factory Presets and most (but not all) of my installed presets.

     

    Once you get 3.70 working, you can reinstall from the backup you made prior to attempting the update.

     

    Regarding Helix Native, I never uninstall, I just install on top of any previous installation and that seems to work fine. I highly recommend first checking for Windows updates before installing anything, and at least creating a System Restore point in Windows before installing any new software or drivers. Even better, image your drive. Then you can always return to a working state, and start troubleshooting from there. Glitches can happen during an update process. Sometimes updating a second time from what you had originally will do the job.

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  9. On 12/10/2023 at 10:05 AM, Euripide said:

    But that's the way it is now in the digital world.

     

    The worldwide breakdown in civility/tolerance is a problem, although I do believe this forum is better than most. There are a lot of helpful people here doing their best to assist people who have Helix issues, as well as pass along tips. There will always be some noise, but I feel the signal-to-noise ratio here is way better than average.  

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  10. On 12/6/2023 at 9:29 AM, theElevators said:

    One way I get more "warmth" is to use a '63 spring reverb block.  I basically dial it out almost completely, leaving just the initial "boink" sound, not the full splashy reverb.  I put it right before the amp. 

     

    That intrigued me, so I gave it a try. I'm curious what you use for the reverb's Mix parameter. The amps I tried had enough gain to bring up the reverb, so I dialed the mix down to 15% or so and it seemed to add that kind of "warmth" you mention. In any case, it's a cool trick.

     

    On 12/6/2023 at 9:29 AM, theElevators said:

    Also I take an envelope filter and also make it very very subtle, placing it in the beginning of the chain.  It adds a certain degree of warmth, movement, if it makes sense. 

     

    This is off-topic, but what you're doing can also sound good with vocals. Have very subtle variations in the 3 kHz range where articulation happens. It kind of makes the voice sound more lively. FWIW I think Helix is underrated as a vocal processor.

  11. On 12/8/2023 at 1:02 PM, cruisinon2 said:

    I fail to see how that's any more "creatively stimulating" than doing the exact same thing without the image of the fuzz box on the display. Just my 2 cents...to each their own, I guess, lol.

     

    Exactly. It's totally personal preference, the same way some people want to learn through text, and some through video. But if you look at how the brain processes information, you can make certain generalizations about the different ways the brain's two hemispheres process information. Much of this understanding is based on research that won a Nobel Prize in 1981. (Fun fact: The corpus callosum, the bundle of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres, tends to be more robust in musicians. I theorize this is because musicians need to use both hemispheres in order to play music, but in the immortal of words of Herman Cain, "I don't have facts to back this up" haha).

     

    Here's a simple example: being able to colorize mixer channels in a software console. I use a standard set of colors for my tracks - green for vocals, blue for guitar, yellow for percussion, etc. as well as track icons. When a project has lots of tracks, I find it easier to zero in on a track using color and/or images compared to reading text at the bottom of the channel. This speeds up my workflow, which helps by creativity. Others think colorized mixer channels look unprofessional and have a "Playskool toys" vibe. For them, colors interrupt their workflow because they find the colors distracting or annoying.

     

    "To each their own" is so true...

  12. Here's an interesting article on the subject of skeuomorphism. 

     

    For some, images stimulate creativity because parsing images is largely a right-brain function. For others, images are a distraction. For example, with something like a picture of an amp, it can take longer to locate, say, the Treble knob on an amp image than text that says "Treble." 

     

    Typically, skeuomorphism's main purpose is to create a bridge between a user's knowledge of something in the physical world that can translate to a computer screen. The floppy disk icon is a good example. People could relate to the picture as "this is how I save data, got it." However, as more people become familiar with the virtual world, images can actually get in the way. This is why companies like Apple have gone from a full-on skeuomorphic approach to a flat design.

     

    I know, TMI but it's an interesting topic.

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  13. On 12/6/2023 at 8:54 AM, molul said:

    I could only add one amp+cab block to the preset. Not sure if I'll use it :-/

     

    You might want to give it another try, you can do quite a lot depending on what blocks you choose. The following all fit into HX Stomp. My current favorite preset is a parallel path:

     

    Heir Apparent > Brit 2203 Amp+Cab > Stereo Simple Delay
    Feedbacker > Studio Comp

     

    But I also like this parallel preset:

     

    Parametric EQ > Line 6 Voltage Amp+Cab > Stereo Simple Delay
    Feedbacker > Soup Pro Amp+Cab

     

    You can do weirdass creative things with Feedbacker, too. This preset generates ambient background music all by itself: 
     
    4 OSC Generator > Tremolo > Tremolo > Feedbacker > Low and High Cut EQ > Mandarin 80 Amp+Cab > Legacy Particle Verb

     

    I put it on in the background when I've had a rough day :)

     

     

  14. On 12/2/2023 at 10:03 PM, MGW-Alberta said:

    DSP-intensive is right.

     

    Yes, but there are workarounds. I've even done some presets where the Feedbacker is in parallel, going through its own amp. It's a cool sound! BUT, I do have to pay serious attention to the processing power of the modules in the presets. Sometimes it's worth dipping into Legacy World for effects that are more miserly about processing power.

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  15. On 11/30/2023 at 9:15 AM, boynigel said:

    the original manual has a color-coded master list of all amps, effects, etc 

    is there a new version of this anywhere that is current up to 3.7?

     

    In addition to the resources mentioned above, the Helix Native Pilot's Guide 3.70 manual at https://line6.com/data/6/0a020a3f1542654ead6ac7570/application/pdf/Helix Native Pilot's Guide 3.70 - English .pdf includes an updated, color-coded list of all the Helix blocks, including the ones that were just added in 3.70.

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  16. I've had this happen too, because I got Helix floor when it first came out and created an account. I created a second account for Helix Native when it came out, which probably wasn't a good idea :)

     

    When I update Helix Floor, for some reason Line 6 stays with that registration so when I try to run Native, it says I'm not registered. So I simply sign in to Native using its own account credentials, and everything works. Hopefully there's an equally easy solution for you. Good luck!

  17. Just found a crazy application for Feedbacker that doesn't use a guitar (!). Insert the 4 Oscillator block before it, and insert a Gain block between the oscillators and the feedbacker. Set the Feedbacker trigger to random, then vary the Gain block. When the gain goes up high enough, the oscillators trigger the feedback. Bring the gain back down again, and the feedback stops. Bring up again, and get a different note. You can also use a tremolo instead of the gain block to change the harmonic triggering automatically. Put a Legacy Particle reverb at the end...it's a pretty wild "electronic music" effect. It can even be pretty relaxing if you place two Tremolos in series to randomize the note generation.

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  18. On 8/23/2022 at 10:16 AM, theElevators said:

    Instead, try this legacy effect.  I place it after the amp/cab.  The best thing about this block is that it doesn't need to be "reset" between notes.  This setting works for me for distorted sound, for long-ish notes. 

     

    Like the previous post, I'm also in the "better late than never" category. Of course, the sound can't give that "snap" at the end of the decay like real backwards guitar, but it's a very cool effect on its own. I'm glad you posted this. 

     

    Clearly, I need to spend more time checking into the legacy effects :)

  19. I'm having a LOT of fun with it, but I've been distracted by applications other than feedback itself. With Unison mode and a little editing, you can get E-Bow sounds as mentioned in the release notes. But it can also work well as a mono guitar synth (anyone remember the Korg X-911?) if you play cleanly. Going through different amps, I've been able to obtain different oscillator sounds (very much like sine, triangle, saw, pulse, square). Changing Drive changes the waveform, which adds interesting animations.

     

    I've also been able to dial in fretless guitar and slide effects, as well as a pretty cool Theremin preset. Of course, there are limitations (e.g., you have to play the "theremin" on a single string, and there will always be at least a 150 ms attack time). However, it's important to note that Feedbacker is a squirrely effect unless you find just the right settings - it takes some effort to make it do your bidding. You really have to understand what all the parameters do, and how they interact.

     

    FWIW I'll be including several presets along these lines with v1.4 of The Big Book of Helix Tips and Tricks. (I'm working on the updated version now, and expect that it will be done in December. Like previous versions, it will be a free update to current owners.)  

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