PierM

On 7/25/2021 at 2:54 PM, BigJ2021 said:

Also make me a left-handed variax! Or point me to someone who can. Please!!!

 

You just need a guitar luthier, and a used Variax for the transplant. Not gonna to be cheap, but L6 isn't gonna do any lefty variax. That's the super niche of a extreme niche.

I agree with everything has been said (on paper is all correct), but happens many times that I use my HXStomp setup (a pedalboard with the HXStomp as core), running in the Helix Rack FX Stereo Loop. In all honesty I hear no extra noise, nor latency that I can feel (and I'm extremely picky with latency).

This setup is so clean in my experience, that many times I'm using my Rack as advanced routing mixer for recordings and, again, no extra noise/latency. I mean, I'm sure something it's there as nothing is free with DSPs and circuits, but it's not something ruining the tone or the playing feeling.

Said that, I'd also save for a full Helix if you need all its benefits. Two HXStomps can be a PITA to manage, as is everything*2.

Just use the Left/Mono OUT.

24 minutes ago, samiyounes said:

The tones that I get are hard to describe.

Instead of using hundreds of words to describe something cant be described, we only need to know few things to (try) to help;

1. How are you listening the Helix. Speakers, monitors, headphones etc. Give us details about that.
2. Describe EXACTLY your signal, from the start to the end. Routing and everything.
3. Describe your Helix Global Settings for the signal. In and Outs, and FX Loops if being used
4. Give people a reference, like a specific preset name you are using, something to put everyone on the same page.
5. Dont do comparisons with other things, like plugins or other devices, this never helps and sometimes may sounds a flame starter, especially on a first ever post.
6. If possible, keeps other stuff out of the equation (PCs, audio interfaces, pedals etc)

This could be a good start. :)

You dont have to add any audio interface gain to your Helix signal, since this one is already at line level. Just set your Focursite inputs at line level (adjust input volume if needed, NOT GAIN), and final levels in the DAW.

That's now pinned in the forums;

Impact of Global Materials Shortage

19 hours ago, gunpointmetal said:

. There still seems to be a lot of people that think something is wrong when a complete "Studio" tone through a PA doesn't feel like a 4x12 at 110dB.

Always been like that, since recorded music exists. If you isolate most famous rock guitar riff from '60/70, out of the mix, they sounds weird at best, when not totally horrible (yep, mixing voodoo). Problem is today many people play and noodle mostly alone (and waste more time chasing tone than playing), so they wouldnt really need that technology if they only want to enjoy that amp in the room feeling, especially for high gain stuff (for cleans, modeling is imho in general much better than amp in the room). Mic'ing an amp,  always meant to be for recording and mix, or for live. My opinion is, if you want just to noodle hendrix solos in your bedroom (if that's ok for the neighbors), just stick with a real amp, even small, and forget modeling.

I don't think you can judge a Fractal unit just because you don't like a JCM800, it's just that you prefer the sound of the model you are used to, which is fine. The rest is totally subjective. Like, for example, I never heard a JCM800 sounding good, either as real amp, or modeled. :)

Please, do yourself a favour, DO NOT USE the unit, and ship for repair!

I own the same pedal (just in the high impedance volume pot version). You need a custom TRS to TS cable, cutting out the ring and only keeping sleeve and tip. TRS side plugged into Boss exp, and TS plugged to stomp. You also want a Y cable for the stomp EXP port (TRS to TS/TS), and plug the pedal in one of the two.

While I do believe the step to go from a Poly Pitch Tracking to MIDI Note Out, isn't a huge leap from a developing standpoint, I guess we're not gonna see synth modules being added anytime soon. Niche of a niche, and plenty of alternatives already out there.

Said that, I'd be more than happy to see Helix doing Poly Pitch to six/poly MIDI Note Out. Would be perfect companion for my Zoia...Well, already is, but I'd say Zoia is the perfect companion for  the HX family devices...:)

There are so many different tones from Allan (you recognize him immediately thanks to his style, but really, overall tone changed a lot along years).

I'd suggest you to read that site (The Bible!), and specifically the gear section, where you can find plenty of great information about the gear he used, and schemes showing how the wired everything up. From there, I'd start trying to reproduce within Helix and see where it goes.

https://threadoflunacy.blogspot.com/p/material-real-gear.html

https://threadoflunacy.blogspot.com/

Hi,

you can use HX Looper commands to program a FS (the one you want) to only send the Stop command on Press action.

Page 47 of the latest version manual.

Stating the obvious, but if you use your pedal in front of HX Stomp, it will work as a main input volume pedal, and that's saving the EXP port for something else.

35 minutes ago, jet460 said:

I have been told by literally everyone,including line 6, that the updater is the first thing to install.

 

That's a thing of the past.

Today, just follow the Phil advice, and install the HX Edit app. It will install everything you need to communicate with Helix (drivers), to update the firmware and to make/edit/download/upload the patches from/to your unit.

Just carefully read all the instructions before to proceed, and everything should be fine.

51 minutes ago, circu5 said:

Thanks for your insights, everyone. Pier, what make and model of power conditioner do you use?

Adam Hall PCL 10 Pro for the Rack, and Furman AC-210 A for the pedalboard. It'EU stuff, if you are in the US, you need to find the correct models for your AC.

If you manage to control the main output from Helix to FOH (to avoid a loud pop), from your position, you can quickly reboot as soon as you have a similar problem. With latest firmware, it takes ~10/13 seconds to reboot. I do have all my rig plugged to a power conditioner, so if anything goes freezed, I just do a superfast OFF/ON on the conditioner, and restart everything. Still a bad thing to happen, but better a hole of 10 seconds than dropping the entire performance 'til the end of the piece.

Then, as said above, avoid overheating your units and, probably even more important, take care of the quality of the power feeding your system, using a power conditioner (this is not just for the Helix, but anything digital, works better with a clean and stable power). Even the cheapest Furman, is better than nothing.

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but hard reboots, with a shut down in the middle, are typically referred to hardware problems (you are not reporting a software crash, just a random shutdown/reboot, so I do agree the firmware reinstall doesnt make much sense), and the more you use it, the more the risk to damage more parts, if the issue is related to current leaks, shortages, supply problems or even just a defective controller, etc etc etc...It can be LOT of things, but I doubt it's just software level. Of course the support guys from l6, have to try the standard procedures, like firmware reinstall etc, before to proceed with other steps.

Helix are just fine products, but as any other electronic/digital device, they can face issues. Good news is they can be repaired, or better, replaced. Send it for repair. GL!

Hardware reboots (with a shut down in the middle) aren't funny and I don't really think you can "fix" this just messing around with firmware reinstall or a reset.

Support ticket, and I also would stop using it until properly diagnosed. 

Something ready to go doesn't exist, but you can build your own grabbing a Rack Panel with just Neutrik D Type holes, and then buy the Neutrik panel connectors to mirror the back of the Helix. Every Neutrik panel connector has a Front/Back port. Back port it's to connect your Helix ports with the Neutrik port, which will be then available on the Front.

Something like that for the panel (12 ports);

https://www.thomann.de/it/adam_hall_rackblende_neutrik.htm

Or a 24; https://www.thomann.de/it/adam_hall_872214.htm

Then you can grab the Neutrik that you need, depending what ports you want to mirror. They do cover basically everything, from XLR to Jack, from CAT to Midi, from USB A/B etc etc...

https://www.thomann.de/it/search_dir.html?sw=neutrik+panel&smcs=95a60f_2730

Between patch panel, patch cables, and Neutrik panel connectors....isn't gonna be cheap.

Last friday I had a recording session (live/studio) with some friends musicians, and a good part of controllers, plus a drum set, were working via BT (mostly live controlling), and a set of other devices were linked through WiFi.

Half of the BT devices didn't want to re-link to their previous companions, and two of the WiFi devices were disconnecting all the time. We've wasted more than an hour to find out how to solve this situation, and move to the job. As a VERY BT/Widi enthusiast, I can say all this mess wouldn't have happened with standard cables.

I guess some wireless protocols (not talking mics here), aren't yet solid enough to be trusted for "professional" use (talking mostly BT, and intra-connections happening within a WiFi network). Then I agree, the "Pro" term means nothing more than being paid for the job. And in all honesty, if this were a paid job, I would have wired everything with cables. (Not that with cable is all always safe, but the time to debug a cable issue is usually less than the time you need to debug multiple wireless glitches, and once you solved you can relax as you're sure problem is gone). 100% imho.  :)

Molte grazie, thank you. 

22 hours ago, datacommando said:

10 "Downvotes"

...56 and counting. 

Hi,

Display on the top isnt same nature as the scribble strips. A scribble strip has a very strong backlight, also leaking on the boundaries, while the main display looks like a dim lcd.

I do have the same output as your on my Helix Control. Never seen one with main display bright as the strips, I dont think it's possible.

Even in promo shots, the difference is evident..

Mine;

9 minutes ago, z3albw1rr said:

There's no way to tell which combination of effects will be possible and which won't based on the manual.

If you download the trial of Native, you can test all the combination you'd like to test, using the plugin in compatibility mode. The only thing that you can't test are FX Loops, as they are hardware, but those are basically DSP free.

It's LOT OF FUN, and does really give you a realistic overview over the hardware counterpart.