DarthHollis

The amp channel and FX switching on the 5150 III series is kind of proprietary. It's not simple like most amps. RJM makes a few products that would help but I would highly recommend using MIDI. Midi really is much easier once you program the 5150. I used the Helix with my 5150 III 50 watt for years.

Does that help? You can reach out to me if you want more help.

First thing I would recommend is picking a midi channel and program change that you will use with your 5150 III. Then you program that and have the amp learn it for each channel. I use Midi channel 1 and green channel is program change 1, blue is 2 and red is 3. You can use whatever you want but this makes it super easy any time I'm creating new patches in the stomp or HX FX. If you are sending multiple the program changes when the amp is learning (like to other midi devices) it may confuse the amp and future programming may not work correctly. Using edit may be a little easier. Go to command center. Pick a snapshot, there is a drop down at the top. I will say 1 will be clean/green channel, 2 will be crunch/blue, and 3 will be the red channel. You want to use the Instant Commands which are the lightning bolts. Just click on one of them. You can only have so many per preset. HX FX has 6. Now on the right side choose Command - Bank/Program. Then below that choose Midi Channel 1. Skip down to program and change that to 1. When you click on snapshot 1 you are now sending a message to change to program 1 on midi channel 1. Don't expect your amp to change yet. Now repeat for the other channels. Change to snapshot 2, click on a lightning bolt, then Command - Bank/Program, midi channel 1, and change program to 2. Change to snapshot 3, click on a lightning bolt, then Command - Bank/Program, midi channel 1, and change program to 3. Now save the preset. Still don't expect it to work. I always recommend going to another preset and back to the original preset first. You have a basic preset now that you can use to program the 5150 to learn that Program change 1 is green channel, etc. Put your 5150 in learning mode (look at the manual). As you teach the 5150 just use each snapshot once and then get out of learning mode. Now your patch should change the channels when you change snapshots. If you go to a snapshot that has not Instant commands nothing will happen.

Approximate, yes, but you can't duplicate. That's because each guitar is playing a different inversion of the chord. I tried every way from Sunday and I don't believe it can be done easily. This will be a bit of a music lesson. Here's the reason why: First chord played is Bm (B, F#, D). One guitar is playing D, B, F# and the other guitar is playing the harmony of F#, D, B. The first two notes you can harmonize but the last note you can't. You need a harmonizer that can be set to chords, not to scales. The intervals cannot be set. A Bm scale won't work. The Helix doesn't have a pentatonic scale, I thought that might work for this chord, but it does not. Bm pentatonic would be B, D, E, F#, A. So when you played a D the harmony would be F#, then B would be E (not D), and F# would be B. So pentatonic would not work for the second note. Second chord is F#7 (F#, Bb, C#) and is a similar thing. One guitar is playing C#, Bb, F# and the other guitar is playing E (the 7th), C#, Bb. The last notes are F# and Bb (the root and major 3rd). You would have to change the scale between notes, not just chords. The only way I can think of to do this is using the whammy feature so you can whammy just that note. That's just the first two chords. The next 6 chords are similar in complexity. Anyway, if anyone figures it out I give you major cudos!!!!! Good luck.

If you unplug the footswitch the FX loop on the 5150 should remain on automatically. I have that amp and have used it with the Helix, HX Stomp, and HX effects. If you want to turn the FX loop off, you will need to send midi messages. I can help with that if you need it but I will need to do a little research. You will also need to send a midi message for turning it back on, which seems like a hassle.

Here is my list of advice from going that route for several years. Use external pedals that take up a lot of DSP in the Helix like a Drop Pedal or reverb. If you use lots of different reverbs you may want to make it Midi. Don't put any pedals in the FX loops of the Helix that will go before a dirty amp. They add noise to the signal and you may need to use additional gates. After a dirty amp is fine. If you use external pedals like a wah or Drop just put those in front of the Helix. It can be hard not to buy new pedals. Leave space. If you find a unique pedal that you like treat yourself. For example, the wahs in the Helix are good but none compare to my Jerry Cantrell or EVH wahs. Make sure your Helix is protected and that you have a backup. Even drunk bandmates can be a threat and cause catastrophe. Enjoy and have fun with it.

https://www.roadcases.com/

Thanks guys. All I needed to do was turn down the input volume on the Studio 1810c. I still have no idea what I'm doing.

I just bought Helix Native and I am using Studio One. I have no idea what I am doing. How do I mute the original guitar signal so that I only hear what is going through Native while I play? Right now I hear both.

I do boost the send +3dB but that's all. I use 30 ft cables, so maybe that makes a little difference.

You should use an IR or cab block. There is no thing as power amp simulation in the Helix so just a cab or IR is the best you can do. The power amp does change the tone a bit but all you can do is mess around with EQ to get it to work. Your best bet might be to get a Torpedo Captor X or similar if want to use the 5153 to record. It's expensive, but you have to think of it as an investment. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TorpedoCapX16--two-notes-torpedo-captor-by-reactive-loadbox-di-and-attenuator-16-ohm 100-watt reactive load box allows you to play your guitar amp without a speaker cabinet.

Use the Headphones out of the 5150. When using the headphones out you don't need to be connected to a speaker. A tube head normally has to be connected to a speaker cab/load or you could ruin it. I did a wet/dry/wet set up just using the FX send into the Helix. Dry signal back to the 5150 and we signal going stereo into 2 power cab +. That sounded pretty good.

The EVH switching is "proprietary" so it does not work well with other switchers. You may be able to get it to work with an RJM product. Eddie had it designed to be seamless and as noiseless as possible. I would highly recommend using Midi to switch channels. It is very easy once you get the hang of it and works great for me. I am using the 5150 III 50 watt and the Helix Floor. I switch channels per snapshot.

I did this with my 5150 III 50 watt and two power cab + speakers. It was different than what you seem to want to do but your plan is totally doable with Helix. I used the 5150 and it's cab as a dry signal and as my main tone. It's actually 4CM but no post effects are going back to the FX return of the amp. I split the signal after the FX loop in the Helix so the stereo FX post the amp go out to the Power Cab + and they have cab sims built in but you can add that to the Helix also. I uploaded a patch to CustomTone that should work for you. 5150 3 4CM+FRFR I set it up so the XLR outputs will go to your FRFR speakers and the 1/4" out will go back to the FX return of the amp. My name on there is DarthHollis. https://line6.com/customtone/profile/DarthHollis/ Let me know if you have any question.

Donkelly, you are correct. If he's still hearing the original (dry) note of the guitar then something is wrong.

Don't assume that the Poly Capo, Digitech Drop, or any other harmonizer type effect is going to 100% replace another guitar that is tuned to what you want. No matter how good they are they are not going to be perfect. In a live situation I have used a Drop many times and forgot it was on when going to another song. You tend to not even notice you have it on. But in a recording environment there are artifacts that may be heard. For me it was much more noticeable with clean sounds and more complicated chords. Does the Poly Capo replace the Digitech Drop? For me it does. I will probably only use it once or twice in an entire night and I guarantee no-one will notice. If I was going to do more songs (like 5 or more) I would probably have another guitar tuned to D standard or whatever I need. If you want to compare poly effects to anything, the be all end all are Eventide products. They are kind of considered the best in the industry. They are still not perfect but they are amazing. I have to think the Line 6 has gotten pretty close to Eventide quality. Remember, the quality is not in the hardware but in the programming. Line 6 has created an algorithm that is supposedly faster than at tracking than any other out there. For more accurate tracking you can slow down the tracking but there is the trade off.

From the owner's manual, I thought this was interesting. The Effects Loop is basically a circuit bridge from the end of the preamp to the Driver stage, with the SEND interrupting the signal at the preamp’s end and the RETURN feeding the power section just before the Driver tube. Using this patch point usually ensures the best sonic performance as well as signal to noise ratio with your outboard processors. That said, it is important to point out that this is a critical junction in the TRIPLE CROWN’s circuit path and whatever is inserted here can have an effect on the overall performance of the amplifier. The Effects Loop is a Series Loop, meaning that the entire signal goes through it, unlike a Parallel Loop where a percentage of the unaffected pure signal is taken around the Loop. Therefore, the quality of the devices used in the Loop and their performance is critical to achieving the best sound and performance from your amplifier.

Mesas are a different animal. They sometimes have parallel FX loops which causes problems. Most amps have series FX loops. http://www.diamondamplification.com/blog/2016/9/18/series-v-parallel-effects-loops The other thing I would suggest is to make sure the FX loop you are using on the Helix is set to the correct level and matches your amp. Go to the Global Settings - Send/Return (FX loop #). Normal setting for amps is Inst (instrument) but some amps will work better with Line level which is considerably louder and what yours may be set to.

Not all amps work this way, but on some amps the master volume is pre the FX loop. The 5150 III works this way. I set all my volumes on my three channels so they are relatively the same volume. Then I use the Helix volume as a master-master volume. That way, if I need to turn up or down I only change one knob, not three and have to balance them out again. Generally speaking, if you max the volume on the Helix and you turn off the FX loop on your amp, which means the Helix volume will not work, then you should hear no difference. You can set it up many different ways to achieve what you want. In my opinion, changing the master volume on the Helix has little to no impact on "tone." Another reason I keep the volumes constant on the amp is so the noise gate I have after the pre-amp does not need to be adjusted for volume changes. I've done similar with my "analog" board by adding a JHS Little Black Amp Box Signal Converter which is a basically a master volume I can control in the fx loop of the amp.

The Control Center is not yet available in the HX Stomp. That is how I was able to set up snapshots to control the 5150 III with my Helix Floor. I thought I saw that it was coming in the 3.0 release but don't quote me on that. You can set it up with presets but that is all right now.

Another option is to use the Simple Pitch shift. Only change the pitch by 5-15 cents. I like 6.9 cents. Then change the delay to 20-30 ms. Mix to 100% if you put it to one side and want a stereo image. In my opinion, this sounds better than Double Take but still not quite as good as the Mimiq.

I've found that the IRs I was using in my Helix sound great in the PowerCab + but are muffled with a band. Problem is I'm listening to them through headphones and when I practice with my band they sound good but don't really cut through the mix. I tried the Allure IRs that are in the PC+ (you can download them for free) and they are much better than I originally thought. Then I went back through my OwnHammer IRs and found some with the mic formation "CUT." Those seem great also. Next practice I'm going to do some experimenting. In the past I have always run the sound but I'm going to have less control of that with our first couple gigs so I want to be giving the soundman the best signal I can.

Yes, but I couldn't figure it out in Edit. On the floor or rack here is what you need to do. Go to the output block and page over to the right. Just like any other snapshot change you need to push down on the knob and then move it to the other IR. It will have [parentheses] around the number. That will be the number set for that snapshot. Hope this helps.

Get this: https://www.americanmusical.com/daddario-pw-wg-02-wireless-transmitter-instrument-cable/p/DAD-PWWG02?src=Y0802G00SRCHCAPN&adpos=&scid=scplpDAD+PWWG02&sc_intid=DAD+PWWG02&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_j1BRDkARIsAJcfmTH5FlP4IaxW5h5vP-LZ9DFyW9xtvr91oTIMgTrjva0XaRXAuie8IwkaAs6TEALw_wcB Should last a long time.You can make it however long you want. Also, there is a lock on the 3-pin so that should not come out easily like you describe.

The Helix range of devices are not polyphonic. That means that it cannot handle more than one note at a time. Also, the further you change the pitch the more of a difference you will hear. Your settings look OK for a full step drop. If you want a more accurate reading you will want to get a Digitech Drop or other polyphonic pitch shifter. I have a video that compares the Helix to the Drop pedal.