phil_m

http://line6.com/support/topic/16727-assigning-parameters-use-case-question/

Yes, you can do that, and it's really easy to do. You can actually assign up to 8 control functions to one switch (each parameter and effect/on state is a control function). To assign a controller, you simply hold down the knob under the parameter you want to control, hit the "learn controller" knob once the controller assignment screen comes up and then hit the button or move the expression pedal that you want to assign it to. Once the assignment is made, you set the min and max values you want. You'd do this for both the gain and mid control in your case.

Yeah, the definitely seems like it could be a hardware issue. Seems like a loose connection or something. I suggest you open up a support ticket: http://line6.com/support/tickets/add.html

Well, yes, I do... The other thing you can do is set up the same sort of toggle thing as I mentioned above, but rather than control the output block level, control the channel volume parameter in each amp block and again set it up so they're volumes are opposite of each other. That would give you trails for any effects after the amp block. Setting up a split block as mentioned above is an option, too. The method I'm suggesting is for when you want to completely separate paths with the same input. Because you can select the same input for multiple input blocks on the Helix, you don't actually need to start off with a merged path. But if you want to use the same effects before each amp, than that's the way to go.

There are a number of ways to do it, but the cleanest way is probably to set up a controller that controls the level control of the output block of each path to the same switch. Just set it so the min and max values for each path are opposite of one another, i.e., when Path 1's output is at the max, Path 2 will be muted and vice versa.

The mix knob is blending the dry and wet signals. At 50%, both the dry and wet are 100%. If you turn the knob to 100, you'll have no dry and all wet.

Are you sure you selected the full amp model and not just the preamp? That would indeed sound a lot different.

How would you know when you're at the middle position with your pedal?

Is it really that hard to turn the tuning knob or model on the Variax? The thing is you can't have it both ways. You can use the Helix to force preset changes on the Variax, or you can have the Helix just leave the Variax alone. Helix doesn't know what preset you have the Variax set to, though. The Variax isn't constantly communicating what preset is active on it though, and that is what would be necessary for the type of behavior being described. So I think this more a limitation inherent with the Variax than with the Helix.

The Helix has no output modes.

The Helix is very transparent. It uses top of the line converters, and I don't notice any tone suck with mine in front of my amp or in the 4CM.

Sounds like you have the volume pedal effect after the delay. If you want the delay trails to ring out, you need to be put the volume pedal first in line, or at least before the delay. And, yes, you could do this with the 4 cable method.

It's right - per the manual, the Variax Settings parameter, "Determines whether Variax settings are applied per preset or globally". If you want to have some presets that just use the current Variax model, and some that change it, you set the Variax Settings parameter to Preset, and select "Don't Force" on the presets you just want to use the current model. For other presets, you select the specific Variax model and tuning you want. Setting the Variax Settings parameter to Global is really just a quick way to override the Variax Model setting in each preset. Say if you decided that you wanted to do an entire show with the Strat model, you could just change to Global and Don't Force, and you'd be good to go without having to edit every preset you wanted to use.

I see validity in both sides. The behavior of the joystick was something I brought up as well during the beta period, and they actually did work on the mechanics of the knob to make turning it accidentally a little harder. It can still happen, though. I don't know that just because something takes some getting used to means it's a bad design. One example I can think of is the typical touchpad setup on a PC laptop versus a Mac. I've used PCs for so long that when I first tried my wife's MacBook Air touchpad, I felt almost lost with it, and it was pretty frustrating. After a little bit, I got used to it. In some way, I actually prefer it a little bit now. I'm not saying the current implementation is perfect. "Perfect" probably doesn't actually exist when it comes to this sort of design. There's always going to be personal preferences. I think the one thing is that I think companies are always a little hesitant to change the mechanical behavior of things once they're "in the wild". It can be a challenge to communicate what was done to all users, and there's going to be some percentage of people who were perfectly happy with the way it was.

The thing with the tone/volume controls for the Variax is a bug, as far as I can tell. The Global/Preset setting isn't a bug. Setting the Variax Settings parameter to Global means the settings are applied globally. Setting it to preset means they're applied per preset. If you have a preset where you don't want the Variax model saved with the preset, set the Variax Model to "Don't Force".

Yep, that would be correct.

I have a feeling that some of those samples were created before there was consistent way of backing up patches. Maybe Sean remember how they were created.

The method varies according to what tools you'd use, but this article does a good job of explaining the concept. http://designingsound.org/2012/12/recording-impulse-responses/

Actually, impulse responses can be made from any acoustic instrument as well. I've used an acoustic IR with my acoustic/electric and the Helix, and I was very pleased with the result. You can actually make them on your own if you have mics and the right plug-in or a piece of hardware like the Fishman Aura pedal.

The factory presets should sound better with the 1.03 firmware. There was a bug in previous firmware a that set the mic for all the cabs to be the SM57 at 1". This is a pretty harsh sounding mic in many cases, and it's not what most of the factory presets were actually meant to have.

Yes.

Commercial IR files are typically shot at line level, whereas the signal going through the Helix is closer to instrument level. The -18 dB makes it so the IR files you bring in are more or less the same level as the Helix's cabs.

The other thing that you can do with the Helix in regards to delay time is assign note values for delay times and still have them controlled with an expression pedal or footswitch. So if you wanted to set up a delay that could toggle between 1/8th and 1/4 notes, you could. It's a nice feature that wasn't available in previous Line 6 products.

You can do this without having to resort to a Y cable, especially in the setup you describe above. You'd put the FX loop in path 1 prior to splitting it into 1A and 1B. After the split, put your amp in 1A. Set the output to 1A to be 2A, and the output to 1B to 2B. You'd put the second amp in path 2B then. So you would still have each processor being used for one amp, and you could feel one FX loop into both

It could be that there's a max time for the rate for that, so those values might put it over for most tempos. Some of the delays are like that.