theElevators

For me it’s the same as Pod HD 500 x. The step design and the little rail were good.

That is not possible. But you can use the Command Center to set up your buttons in Stomp mode to show different presets on the bottom row for example, and the top row can be for stomps. Therefore, you can use the upper row do different things depending on which preset you are in. So basically instead of snapshots, we can use presets. If you don't want an audio gap when changing presets, you can enable "preset spillover" which will make your signal path to half what it used to be. That's the only thing I can think of....

I just had this happen on my Helix LT for the first time in 4 years. For me, all of a sudden I had several "New Preset" presets showing with that sign. Also I had issues saving a preset--after the power cycle the preset would not load and appear as corrupted. The only thing I did differently than before is I had restored several presets from CustomTone...some of them were for a newer Helix version than what I have right now: 3.11. When I tried out those presets, it said "could not load IR". That caused the issue to appear it seems. To solve this: I took a full backup of my Helix, then did factory reset and then restore from the full backup. This issue went away. I have a feeling that just doing a restore would have fixed it as well, but a reset was done prophylactically. So try this out, and it should be resolved. Otherwise, it could be a hardware issue. Helix's firmware is very complex, and nobody at Line 6 can guarantee that all the different versions are completely compatible. Some new setting can get introduced, some new parameters are now different and then.... ERROR.

Create a full backup of your Helix. Save it on your computer. The full backup will contain your presets, which you can then upload after you upgrade.

You can connect one amp to "left" and another one to "right". Then you can save the stereo panning parameter, and assign it to snapshots. You can switch snapshots and have the stereo sound be panned hard-left or hard-right depending on which amp you want to use...

That's bizarre!! I can confirm that I do not have this ghost volume pedal syndrome. Just to confirm again. You start rocking the pedal and the volume fades in/out... If you don't want to accidentally switch your pedal between EXP 1/2, then you can just plug in a short patch cable to the external pedal, and plug it into an unused jack, such as your Send 1 or Send 2. This way your expression pedal will always be on EXP 1, the switch won't work. So you can do that until you figure out what the heck is going on.

Can you try a factory reset, but don't restore from your backup. And try the same experiment with a blank preset? Press the pedal in, and see if there is any volume drop, etc? Maybe this is some kind of a weird bug with HX Edit that is messing up the presets (not the first time). There have been multiple bugs in the past where when you restore presets, they affect unrelated presets. So let's try to rule out that first, by resetting the Helix to the factory settings, with all the factory presets.

Can you connect your Helix to the computer, run HX Edit, and take a screenshot what you have in the BYPASS/CONTROLLER ASSIGN section? If you have a New Preset, there should not be anything there. What you are describing is that you have some kind of a block (volume pedal) that is getting bypassed/un-bypassed when you use the toe switch. Try another blank preset, for example from USER 5 folder.

What to look out for? Bad foot switches that are barely working, that's for sure, loose/crooked expression pedal, things rattling inside.... I bought a mint "open box" Helix LT back in December of 2019 for $950 from eBay. I think you can find a better deal with the LT, where it's not going to be with green lines on the screen, etc. Maybe I got lucky, but I'm sure you can find something of higher quality and with less mileage for around the same amount. Helix typically sells for $1200, so something at $800 would be a red flag to me personally.

Check if you have cables that are going bad. A long time ago I was playing a gig and I started getting my sound fade in and out. It was bizarre. Ultimately, the issue was because of the cheap cable that started going bad because of the heat--the amp was very hot. So no issues at home, no issues during rehearsals, but at the gig it was horrible. So it is possible to have this happen if your cables are old/cheap.

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. 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. https://youtu.be/ulqdh3CQ9jY?si=bQMVDVs2xbhG0TBG This is all subjective, but I like the certain bark/boink that I have as part of my sound. Makes it feel and sound more tube-ey.

I believe the best screws to remove would be the ones where you have the rubber feet.

Try an EQ block. My favorite method is on a 10-band EQ, boosting 2K frequency. Depending on how loudly I want to cut through, I boost it 5-10 db. Then add some delay at the end.

No, there's no way to adjust the switch. It is what it is. However, you can use EXP 1 or 2 to control whatever you want. You can use EXP 1 to control volume and wah. Or you can use EXP 2. You can use snapshots to turn things on/off: in one snapshot, wah is on and volume is off; while in another snapshot wah is off, volume is on. You can also use percentage-based bypass for volume or wah, or any other effect. I hate that toe switch! I hate that I have to really step on the expression pedal and have Helix lift up on one side--that's how hard it needs to be pressed! On my Helix, I only use EXP 2, and never EXP 1. If I need a wah in my solo, I have a snapshot called "Wah Solo". When I engage that snapshot, the wah is already enabled. When I'm done playing the wah solo, I go to my "rhythm" snapshot, where the wah is disabled. Or if the wah constantly needs to be turned on/off, I set it up by percentage: over 5 percent it turns on and less than 5 percent turns off after 500 ms, or whatever value makes sense for the song I'm playing. I have a little video you may find useful.

yes, that is indeed me!

If needed, I can recreate this sound. But basically you arrange your oscillators so that you have a starting pitch and the ending chord. You have 2 snapshots: 1) and 2). One has the starting chord, and the second one has the ending chord. When you switch between the two snapshots, it plays the Lucasfilm sound thingie... Each (4 pitch generator 3 pitch generator) has portomento effect when changing between the pitches. You can set it to immediately change, or have the notes glide from one pitch to another. You assign each pitch of the tone generators to the snapshot, and save the pitches in snapshot 1 and snapshot 2. That's really it, that's the gist. You have the "sheet music" in the video above.

I have not used it, but this effect is capable of faking guitar feedback on demand: in the studio, when you are playing at low volumes, or on a completely silent stage with in-ear monitors. There are several algorithms of what note you want, including random. I will not be using it because I am already getting feedback naturally by having max'ed out distortion that I engage with a snapshot I call "FEEDBACK". It is NATURALLY feeding back: sometimes unpredictably, and there's always an element of surprise. I love the fact I can turn my guitar and get a different note: 1, 5, 7, 1.... Sometimes when I play live I get feedback without engaging my "FEEDBACK" snapshot because I run a physical power amp + cab on stage, and some stages are more prone to feedback. So in short, if I used FREQOUT live, I'd get unruly noise, because I would get natural + artificial feedback. I have no use for it. However, if you are thinking about using FREQOUT live, please make sure to test it out thoroughly during sound check. This type of an effect can completely become unruly/noisy unless you run through the motions. There have been several other sounds that worked perfectly fine at home for me, but live got out of hand; and I needed to tweak them and tweak them... so plz be prepared to adjust how it works at sound check, plus after a couple of shows. If you want to just have on-demand feedback the old-fashioned way, you can watch my video. I've been using this method for as long as I've owned the Helix.

Where are you placing Poly Capo? It should be placed in the beginning of the chain ideally. Try to place it in the beginning, if you're not already doing that.

I solved mine by spraying a little tiny bit of graphite spray. I did not have to take it apart. Just sprayed where the hinge is. Do not spray all over, or you may get it in the photo element and that can break your expression pedal.

I assign feedback to the expression pedal. So it goes from like 35% to 99%. 99, so that I don't accidentally create a noisy mess inadvertently.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/line-6-limited-edition-helix-multi-effects-guitar-pedal

Use Pitch Wham, and control the pitch with your expression pedal. You get this Hawaiian Guitar Looney Tunes sound.

Maybe you have a cat or there is a lot of dust... I have not had that issue. Try vacuuming the pedal :)

I own two Helixes: LT and Floor. The Floor had 2 foot-switches that stopped working properly after about 1.5 years of occasional rehearsals and playing 2.5 hour shows. I think I played about 20 shows in total. These 2 foot-switches were for my solo boost snapshots. And there was no abuse, excessive stomping... simply pressing the buttons to change my sounds throughout my set. After cleaning the micro-switches, I went on the road for 4 weeks, so that's around 35 shows, and the buttons were absolutely fine. They still are fine a year and a half later. I always test every single foot-switch before playing any gig. The LT(which I had bought used a year prior to getting the Floor) got way more use. I use the LT pretty much exclusively to practice at home, plus all the questionable outdoor jams. The LT did not have the same issue as the Floor! Yet still the same 2 foot-switches were not as reliable as when I first got it. Still a lot better than what the Floor had. I opened it up and cleaned the micro-switches and a year and half later everything works just fine. If your Helix sits on your desk and does not go on the road, it's one thing. If you play 2.5 hours where you frequently switch sounds, that's something else. The Helix is not something that gigging bands can use without a backup. I bring 2 Helixes, because I cannot wing it if my sounds do not switch properly, absolutely no way. Every song has very specific sounds, tempos, etc. Plus it's pretty clear that Helix build quality varies. How else can you explain that my LT was more intact than the Floor, that was more babied?

What I do from time to time is vacuum all the buttons. Just take a vacuum cleaner hose and suck all the dust out of each button. Then take window cleaning product of your choice and a paper towel, and just clean it so it's nice and shiny. Make sure to cover the unit when not in use, otherwise dust can get into the holes.