phil_m

You could use a pair of the 1/4" sends (or just one if you're running in mono) for your monitor output rather than the 1/4" out, and just insert the Send block in your chain right before the output block. This way you can set independent levels for the output block and the send for each snapshot if you want.

The only input the FS6 or FS7 would work in would be the Exp Toe Switch jack, but that's kind of not the purpose it's they're for. It would work, though. The other expression pedal inputs are looking to be connected to something that sweeps between to resistive loads - a potentiometer, essentially. That footswitch I linked to above is that. And Silverhead is correct, there aren't six external controllers. The jacks on the Control are the same thing as the ones on the Rack - that's to say if plug something into EXP2 on the Rack and EXP2 on the Control, they will always be controlling the same thing. The Helix sees those both as EXP2.

The rack has more inputs for external expression pedals, yes, but it lacks the on-board expression pedal and toe switch. So the additional expression pedal input and the switch are there to provide that same functionality. As far as using using the external pedal jacks for switches, there is a way you can do it, but a normal latching footswitch won't work. There are a few companies that make footswitches that let you toggle between the min and max expression positions, like this (select the Switchable Latching TS version). So with the auto-engage feature, you actually could use these as additional switches to turn effects on and off if you want.

You can't delete presets. You just overwrite them. Smart enough for ya'? B)

Do you have the latest firmware installed? In 2.10, this problem was addressed in that the state of EXP1/EXP2 is now saved with the snapshot. That should mean that whenever you change snapshots, everything should be lined up correctly when you enter the new snapshot. The other thing is you'll want to make sure you have the Snapshots Edit parameter in the Global Settings menu set to Discard for playing live, cause otherwise things can get misaligned again.

You won't need the USB interface. The Helix will do what it was doing, plus you won't need a separate 1/4" connection for audio. The Helix's VDI javk will provide power, communication and audio for the Variax.

Yeah, actually Line 6 isn't make a left-handed version of Helix Native... They just don't care.

The M9 doesn't have any sort of editor or librarian software, but I don't think that really matters. As far as what you can do with MIDI and the M9, you can call up scenes via PC messages, turn individual effects on and off with CC messages, and control the looper functions. You can also access the tuner, control the tap tempo, and control the expression pedal via MIDI. I believe the Morningstar MC6 allows you to assign multiple MIDI commands to each footswitch, so you could easily set up your presets on the MC6 to call up a certain M9 scene along with another preset on the Chase Bliss. It should be pretty straightforward. The M9's MIDI implementation chart is at the end of the Advanced Guide: http://line6.com/data/6/0a060b316ac34f0593fca717b/application/pdf/M9%20Advanced%20Guide%20-%20English%20(%20Rev%20A%20).pdf

I'm not sure what you're saying the issue is... What exactly are you wanting to do? I don't get what you mean by saying turning on one of the pedals makes the others redundant.

$99 for Helix owners.

Seems like there is probably a bit of humor getting in lost in translation here, but I'm sure that nothing anyone said above in regards to left-handedness being cured or fixed was meant to be taken too seriously... It was all in good fun. I think most of the people commenting said they actually are left-handed.

Writing is pretty much the only thing I do left-handed... Sometimes I'll hold a spoon with my left hand. But other than that, I throw right-handed, shoot a gun right-handed, and pretty anything else I can think of. I remember when I was in elementary school, teachers always tried to give me left-handed scissors, and I could never use them because I just naturally tried to hold them in my right hand. So when I started playing guitar, I guess I never even considered not playing right-handed.

Because the frequency response of a guitar speaker/cab is simply a physical property of its construction. It can only accurately reproduce frequencies within a certain range, so if you're trying add sonic information outside that range it won't work. It's why trying to get an acoustic electric to sound good through a traditional guitar amp is pretty much impossible. If you start off with an FRFR system, on the other hand, the IR is really working more in a subtractive manner. It's actually filtering the signal and making it so what the speaker is reproducing is more guitar cab-like. Basically, a guitar cab is limited frequency playback system, and that's a built-in limitation. It's not a perfect analogy, but it's a bit like trying to create an enlarged picture if you're starting with something like a jpeg compressed to a small size. You can't add detail that's not there.

I'm left-handed too... I just learned how to play guitar the right way. :D

It's not a matter of caring, I'm sure... It's a matter of the market realities and Line 6, like any other company, having limited resources and getting the most out of those resources. I don't know of any company that would invest a lot of time and energy into integrating new functionality into a product that's over a decade old. What you're asking for with alternate tuning and the original Variax is a functionality that has never been there. The XTL, X3L or POD HD couldn't change the tuning directly on the original Variax. It's a feature that was never supported anywhere other than through Workbench.

Sure, we're talking about the firmware of the guitar and the way the code is written. The original Variax handled alternate tuning completely differently than the JTV and newer ones do. That's all I'm saying. Would it be possible for Line 6 to change that firmware? I imagine so, but I can't see any company opening up the firmware for a discontinued product to make that sort of fundamental change. It might not even be possible for other technical reasons. I think you're thoroughly underestimating the amount of work involved, though, from everything I have seen. The Workbench HD compatibility is just being added with this new firmware... Do you really think that if it were a matter of hours, it would have taken a year and a half for it to be added?

Well, I suppose it would be technically feasible for Helix to support the older versions of Workbench, but it's probably wouldn't necessarily be a simple task from what I understand. It simply comes down to a matter or resources, I'm sure. But, yes, alternate tuning are baked into the models in the original Variax. Apart from changing them in Workbench and saving that custom model, there's no way to change them. With the newer Variax, you can apply an alternate tuning from the guitar itself or just by calling sending it out through the Helix or POD HD. The original Variax simply doesn't have the architecture to allow that behavior.

The alternate tuning limitation with the older Variaxes is a limitation of the Variax itself, not the Helix. In the original Variax, alternate tuning was baked into the models themselves, and could only be accessed by Workbench and saving the re-tuned model in a preset slot. With the JTV, Standard, and Shuriken models, the tuning exists as a separate variable outside of the models, hence the Helix (and POD HD models) can change it remotely.

The 1/4" line level inputs are unbalanced.

The Variax model itself is kind of like an IR in a way... It's taking the raw input from the piezo's and doing some sort of processing (probably a mixture of convolution and filters and other proprietary stuff) to make it sound like a miced acoustic. It's kind of like when people try to run a cab model or IR though a real cab.

This isn't true for these sort of purpose-built DSP loading devices. The power switch on the Helix is on the line side, so whenever you flip it, you're simply opening the line voltage circuit feeding the power supply. It doesn't initiate a shutdown sequence or anything like that. It just kills the power.

The short answer is it won't work. Any acoustic IR you try with the Variax will sound worse than the Variax' acoustic models.

Sounds like ghost notes to me... What amp model is this?

The backpacks haven't been discontinued... Pretty sure this was a Line 6 promo, not a GC one. The GC website even says they're in stock: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Line-6/Helix-Backpack.gc

Aren't they all?