phil_m

Well companies are interesting in mass production because they have to be... It's the only way they make these sorts of products at volume and at affordable prices. I obviously can't tell you what to do. All I can say is that after working in music retail, I've seen issues arise with virtually every manufacturer we sold. The only thing that matters is how companies deal with them when they arise. Things like a broken knob are actually a pretty minor thing, imo, because that has little do with the overall build quality of the product itself. It usually just means that part has failed, and those things are usually very easy to replace.

Do not tempt the Helix...

Do the delays you're using have really high feedback settings? I think that when trails are on, the wet signal of the delay remains on in the background, and when you turn it back on, it taps into that again. So if you have a really high feedback, that signal could remain pretty strong, and when you tap into it, it's kind of like what you say - like plugging into a hot amp. Do you have a volume pedal in your patches? One workaround might be lowering the volume of the patch prior to going into tuner mode.

From getting an amp with one bad component? These are mass produced products, and there will be failures. There's always a chance that suppliers will send a bad batch of parts or something like that. It's simply not possible to test every single component or even every finished products. That's why manufacturers offer warranties... I guess all I'm saying is if you like the amp, you should let one bad part turn you off altogether, especially when it would be easy enough to return it and get another one.

Not sure this thread can be derailed... You do realize that the OP has posted essentially the same thread here three times and at least once over on the Fractal forums? Several people have gone out of their way to meet his challenge, but he doesn't really seem interested in an actual answer. I'm not really sure why anyone should feel compelled to spend time on the question anymore.

Sorry, couldn't resist... :D

If you insert the combined Amp/Cab block, the amp and cab that are paired together will show you what the default pairing is.

Yeah, it just depends if you notice it or not. Using one of the effects returns might actually be a better option than using the Aux In, because I believe they're actually 1 MOhm when at instrument level. Using the Guitar In will give the most flexibility, for sure, though.

Yes, that is the latest one. There are few features added in 2.10 that aren't mentioned in that manual, just fyi. The auto-engage feature for expression pedals being the main one. Line 6's position is that they will release a new manual for every major release (major meaning the first number, so the next one would be 3.0), and not the smaller ones.

Have you opened up a support ticket at all over any of this? Needless to say, what your describing is not typical... I have had a few hiccups with the editor in the past, but nothing like what you're describing. In any case, Line 6 can only fix problems they are made aware of, and it's not necessarily a safe assumption that just because you're experiencing something and wrote a post about it here, that Line 6 is aware of it. Nor can you assume that just because you're experiencing it, others are to. It really would be best for both you and Line 6 if you opened a support ticket about these types of issues.

That isn't necessarily how the HD500X works, at least not connected to the editor... It does retain changes made on a preset if you power down and power back up without saving, but if you switch presets without saving changing, any changes you've made to the preset will be lost. The Helix doesn't maintain preset changes through a power cycle because its system architecture won't allow it, but not having changes saved unless you save the preset when you change presets it pretty much how all multi-FX devices work. The only ones that offer something different that I know of are the M13, M9 and M5 with their autosave feature. If you're talking about using the editor, I do believe you could flip between presets in the editor without saving them. I think the way the HD editor works is that it maintains a local buffer of your patches. So you have to send the saved preset to the device when you're done. Like I said above, the Helix editor is really a remote control.

Well, not really... The Aux In is a lower impedance input and doesn't have the variable input Z like the Guitar In on the Helix does. The Aux In is designed more for higher output pickups. But because you're using a wireless system, your guitar pickups are only being loaded by the transmitter, not the 1/4" input on the Helix, it shouldn't really make much of a difference.

I would try the Aux In first. That should work OK. You could also use any one of the effects returns (set to instrument level).

It's definitely there... The one thing is you have to have it set to the Split Y option. Once there, you'll see "Balance A" over Knob 1 and "Balance B" over Knob 2.

One thing is that prior to the 2.10 update, the Split block didn't have the panning options. It would split the stereo signal into two stereo signals. So I'm not sure if that's playing into some of the confusion or not. It's hard for me to completely going on in the presets you're talking about without actually seeing a screenshot of it.

If you have a dedicated buss output for your monitor mix, I don't see how running that back into the Helix will be of any benefit to you. You'll have a channel for the Helix in the XR18, so just turn that up in your mix to your liking.

Well, they just came out with the Shuriken Variax, and that's using the same modeling tech as the JTV and Variax Standard, so it seems self-evident that they aren't just walking away from it... Any number of things can cause companies to have to deprioritze one project over others.

My only point in commenting is that I think you're ascribing nefarious motives to Line 6 that aren't there.

Well, their exact quote was "Due to a variety of reasons, we were unfortunately forced to deprioritize our research into this issue. We will report any pertinent findings at a later date." There's a very simple explanation you're overlooking. Not trying to be coy, even though I'm sure it comes off that way. I'm bound by an NDA, so I have to be careful about what I share and don't share.

There are other possible reasons...

As others have said, asking for a copy of the original receipt is standard operating procedure for any company doing warranty repairs. When I worked in music retail, it was one of the first things we asked for when someone brought in anything for a warranty repair. If you bought the guitar from on online dealer, you should be able to get a copy of your invoice pretty easily, either through your email or through your account online. Did you buy it yourself, or did you get it as a gift from someone?

Hmmm... That's not how the editor works... The editor is like a remote control for the Helix, and there's not any sort of automatic syncing (in fact, there's nothing for the editor to sync, because it's not like it's keeping a local copy of your presets on your Mac) or anything like that. Are you didn't inadvertently switch to a different setlist?

If you click on the knob to get into the menu that shows you the list of setlists and presets, does it respond quickly when scrolling through those lists?

Controlled chaos... I like it! The Helix as an existential agent... Mind blown. :D

Thanks! For whatever reason, I've not used ping pong delay that much, like ever, and I think I should start using it more... :)