phil_m

Where are you seeing instructions that say hold FS 4 and 5? The instructions in the release notes clearly say 5 and 6.

One other thing - you need to make sure that the phantom power is off for the channel you're using for the Helix. If it's on, it can cause a significant drop in level (it can also cause quite a lot of hiss).

Yes, it appears there's some confusion in that thread. I'm not exactly sure what the issue is. You do have to have something assigned to a footswitch before you can apply a custom label to it. So, you'd have to make control assignments before you go into the Command Center, but you don't have to assign toggle control. I have custom labels on footswitches used as controllers in a number of my presets, and I've never had to assign on/off control for it to work.

If you set the Helix's XLR outs to be at line level, you should have plenty of volume. The HD500X's XLR outs are mic level only, so I'm surprised there would be that much disparity. Where do you have the Helix's master volume knob set at?

You can. You don't have to have on/off functionality assigned to footswitch to change the label. You can change the labels of ones used only as controllers, too.

I believe I may know what is happening. When you insert the Pan block, the pan parameter is set to be controlled by EXP2 by default. So, assuming you aren't using an external expression pedal, you are probably using EXP2 to control a volume pedal, and you also probably have the expression pedal position parameter in the Global Settings menu set to "Global". So if you have the on-board pedal in the toe down position when you enter the preset with the Pan effect, the actual position of the expression pedal will override the saved position. So instead of going to "left", it will go to "right". If the pan parameter has brackets around it, it means it's assigned to a controller. To un-assign it, hold down Knob 1 above that parameter to go to the Controller Assign menu, and select "None" with Knob 2.

Well, third party IRs are more DSP-intensive than the Line 6 cabs, for one thing. I think the thing is that product development is always about making decisions as far as cost and flexibility. It's my understanding the SHARC chip Line 6 used in the Helix was (may still be) the most powerful one in the category. The Tiger SHARC like the Axe FX II uses is like an order of magnitude more expensive, and if Line 6 used two of those, it probably would have put the cost of the Helix over $2000. Interestingly enough, the Fractal AX8 uses the exact same chips that are in the Helix, but it doesn't allow nearly as much flexibility. You are stuck with one amp model. You could load a stereo IR with dual cabs, but you couldn't even do anything like what you mentioned on Path 1. To answer your question, I don't feel that the Helix is lacking in power. I very rarely run into a situation where I hit the limit. If I do, it's one of the processors, and I can move things down to the next path to do what I want to do.

You need to install the latest version of the Helix app. You get this error when you trying running a new firmware version on an outdated app.

It matters in the sense that if you put it after your delay and reverb, those trails will affected by the volume pedal. Sometimes you want this, and sometimes you don't. The other thing is that if you have a volume pedal before the amp model, the tone through the amp model will change as you adjust the volume. Backing the volume pedal down will cause the tone to clean up. Again, it just depends on what you want. Between the amp and the delay and reverb is good place to put it you want to maintain those trails and also have your amp tone remain consistent.

Does Fractal announce its plans ahead of time? I haven't really spent time on their forums, but I don't suspect they've announced their road map, either. People assume they will continue to head a certain direction, but I suspect that like any business, future plans are always contingent upon what happens now. It could be that there are multiple different roadmaps laid out and that sales and customer feedback determine where a product ends up. I think even beyond legal or ethical things, the simplest reason companies don't announce their future plans is that they know there's always a chance things will change. In the end, it gives them more flexibility to not be tied to a certain path. I actually know for a fact that this has happened with the Helix already. In the end, I think customers will be happier for it.

I don't really use the volume pedal as a way to regulate patch volume, really. I use it to mute patches when I'm playing, but I use it for volume swells a lot. That's why I typically put the volume pedal as the first thing in my chain. I like having the delay and reverb tails ring out with a volume swell.

This is the basic premise of amp modeling, when you get down to it. What is being modeled is a signal chain of a specific amp with specific effects and a specific mic. The idea is that if you compared two channels at a mixing board - one modeled and one "real", they would sound identical. And, indeed, this is a big part of how Line 6 actually tests their modeling. The thing that is different is that when you play through a modeler, you are hearing this tone through a stage monitor or some other FRFR system, and this is a different type of sound that what you would hear directly from your amp. You don't typically listen to your amp through the filter of a microphone. You typically hear it in whatever acoustic space it's in.

The GSP1101 is the opposite of a good example, imo. Digitech only supported it for a few years years with firmware updates. I believe the official firmware versions stopped at 2.0. The additional firmware that was available that allowed for IR loading (truncated to 128 samples, fwiw) was released as an unsupported beta by Digitech employees, on their own time and dollar.

I have been using Windows 10 with my Helix ever since I've had it, and I've never had any issues with updates, and being involved in the beta testing, I've done a ton of firmware updates - like 3 or 4 times a week or more.

That means that you don't have enough DSP left on the processor serving that path to load that amp model. This is the whole "Dynamic DSP" thing. Line 6 allows to use the DSP resources of each processor however best you see fit. If you are trying to load everything onto Path 1 and aren't using Path 2, try spreading things out over both paths to use all of the DSP available to you.

On page 3 of the Global Settings menu, you can select what outputs you want the large volume to control or not control.

To quote Chet Atkins, they happen to be "simultaneous and also at the same time..." :D

You can use your PC to update the amp. You use the Line 6 Updater app. You should also be able to run the Android version of the editor on your Samsung tablet. What is the problem you're having exactly?

Well, yes, technically the Kemper can profile and amp and mic combination you feed it. But that's not really the same thing as a full amp model. There's limited tweaking that can be done with a profile after the fact. I've actually read that the Kemper patent spells out that it uses 7 reference amp models to accomplish all of its profiling, which is actually quite remarkable, in a sense. On the other hand, I think it just goes to show that even though there's tons of amps out there that can be modeled, there is a ton of tonal overlap in those models, and that even a relative small handful of very good models can provide a ton of flexibility.

Line 6 historically hasn't obsessively tweaked existing models in the same way Fractal does, at least not in a public way. They do make improvements, but most of the time, these are simply listed as "miscellaneous bug fixes and improvements" on the release notes. Cliff at Fractal, on the other hand, gives details as to every improvement he's making. Cliff kind of reminds me of the guy who keep a bunch of muscle cars in his cars and is constantly tweaking them. Not that it's a bad thing, per se. At some point, though, it seems there's a point of diminishing returns when it comes to tweaking the modeling itself. I can think of a dozen other things I'd rather have than changes to the amp modeling.

Not trying to tease anyone or hype anything, but the editor is really close to being ready. I know Frank, the Director of Operations, who posts over on The Gear Page said they are aiming to have it out by the end of the month, and I've heard nothing that would make me doubt that's still not the case. Your patience will be rewarded shortly!

You don't have to register the Helix to use with it any of the software. You may be prompted to do that, but you can always say no.

The USB port can be used for recording now. On a Mac, it's a class compliant USB audio device, so you don't need to install any additional drivers. On a PC, you will need to install the drivers. You can download them from here: http://line6.com/software/ You just need to make sure you have the latest firmware installed on the 75.

Nope, they can actually sell it for whatever they want still. They just can't advertise it at a price lower than MAP. Some manufacturers don't allow an advertised price lower than MSRP. This is why If you ever see a Rickenbacker guitar offered at a discount online, the website will say, "email for price". And none of this is mandated by law. It's part of the dealer contracts manufacturers sign with dealers. If dealers don't follow them, they risk losing the line.

MAP doesn't mean advertisers can't sell an item at a price lower than that price. It just means they can't necessarily advertise at that price. Back when the Helix first came out, there were some retailers who were giving people 20% discount off of MAP. Others simply refused to go that low. MAP is really a way for manufacturers to protect smaller dealers, in a way. If a large dealer decided they were going to charge less for items just because they could afford a smaller profit margin, it would make it so there was no incentive for anyone to ever buy from a smaller shop.