phil_m

I don’t have the Axe FX III, but I have the FM3. I don’t think it feels any different than the Helix. I think this whole debate is something that guitarists argue about on the internet, but it’s overblown. The big thing is that hearing a modeler through monitor is just a different experience than hearing an amp through a guitar cab.

Well, it doesn’t affect the dry tone. It could just be the way the high end of the reverb is mixing with the dry tone.

Well, none of the reverbs will affect the dry tone, even if they’re not in a a parallel path. As long as the Mix parameter is at 50 or lower, the dry signal will be the same entering a reverb block as it is going out.

There’s no such feature. There’s not really any issue with leaving it on. It won’t cause anything to degrade faster. It might actually be a little better for the electronics to not be power cycled in the long run, but it does of course use energy while powered on. The LEDs start to get a little dimmer based on their runtime as well.

No.

You have to hit the Page > button to get to the Variax tuning page. Or in HX Edit, you just hit the tab that says Variax.

It's still there. It's found in the input block.

Just reinstall the Helix drivers... If you download and install the latest version of HX Edit, that will get you them.

There's not really not many implementation tables to sort through. If you want to automate parameters via MIDI, you just use the Learn function, and you assign whatever CCs you want for that parameter. You can also automate snapshot changes via MIDI very easily (CC#69, values 0-7). I agree with the other here... The chances of Line 6 developing a specific automation plug-in are nil... Not saying that to be mean or shut down conversation, just saying it as someone who's familiar with how Line 6 work and how they're development resources are being used. It's simply wouldn't be a high value item for them.

1. The firmware remains unaffected by doing a factory reset. 2. There are a few different factory reset options available. Some of them leave the IRs. If you want to clear them out, hold down FS9 & FS10 while powering up. That will reset everything and clear the IRs out.

Contacting customer support via a support ticket is your best best: https://line6.com/support/tickets/add.html

Really? What was wrong with the other units? And where are you getting them from?

Try holding down FS7 and FS8 (the Tap switch and the one to the left of it) while powering off up. That will initiate a factory reset. If that doesn’t work, I suspect there’s some sort of hardware issue.

No.

Open a support ticket: https://line6.com/support/tickets/add.html

USB ground loops are quite common when you connect a processor to an amp and a computer at the same time. Sometimes USB isolators can help. As far as the bypass, you’re correct. You can’t use the Bypass All setting with the 4CM because you need to leave the FX Loop block on. You could create a bypass snapshot where everyone but the FX Loop is off.

Yes, there’s only one version of Native, and it’s not limited to the capabilities of the hardware (it can be if you run it in compatibility mode, which lets you transfer presets back and forth). And, no, the hardware doesn’t need to be connected for it to run. The license isn’t really tied to the hardware at all. Although, the discount for the license it, and there are requirements as far as how long you need to keep the hardware and still keep the discount.

Have you tried downloading and installing it? The release notes say it works for OS X, but it doesn't specify how far back it goes...

Open a support ticket: https://line6.com/support/tickets/add.html

The M5 was released after the 2.0 update was out, so there was never any firmware update for the M5. The firmware it shipped with is all that’s available for it.

You need to download and install the newest version of HX Edit.

Yes.

I guess the Kemper Profiler Stage, is the closest competitor to the Helix. It's from 2019! 5-6 years is a long, long time. Even in the Professional Audio market. And NO! I don't want to be forced to buy the Kemper. I much prefer the Line6 technology. It’s ironic you mention the Kemper Stage in this conversation. The Stage, as far as I know, is running the same processor as the Kemper toaster and Rack, and the Kemper toaster was released way back in 2011. Other than the form factor, the Stage isn’t really an upgrade to the original Kemper.

As I mentioned before, the amp blocks are mono, so any stereo effect in front of an amp block will get summed to mono.

Yeah, the Wah, Pitch Wham, Volume, Gain and Panner blocks are the exception. Even when you insert them from the regular menus, they come in with control assignments tied to either EXP1 or EXP2. That’s Line 6’s way of trying to make them a little idiot-proof. I believe if you change their control assignments from the default and then save the block as a Favorite, that the Favorite would still come in with the default assignments, although I’m not positive.