datacommando

I’m surprised that Fred never mentioned that before. ;-)

Hi again, There is a dedicated noise gate on all the Helix input channels and, IIRC, it is off by default. The “Threshold” and “Decay” options only become available when the Gate input is turned on - AFAIK there isn’t a Global override. Noise Gates are one of those pieces of equipment that are often overlooked, but can quickly become an essential item. Simply adjust the “Threshold” until any background noise or hum is suppressed. Then strum your guitar and adjust the “Decay” to vary the time the gate remains open after letting through the wanted guitar signal. This helps to cleanup your sound, but it can also be used creatively by messing with the “decay” release time to create a choppy staccato effect. In recording studios, gates can be used in a “side chain” that can be triggered by another instrument. For example, a sustained synth chord being blocked by a closed noise gate which is then opened by the sound of a snare drum, this will create short bursts of sound locked in time with drummer. Hope this helps/makes sense. The Noise Gate is your friend.

Hi, I guess by the "tolerance parameter" to which you refer, you actually mean the input impedance option "Guitar In–Z" and the default setting is "Auto". Here's a quote from the Owner's Manual regarding this: `'Input > Multi and Input > Guitar blocks have an additional Guitar In-Z parameter. Helix has an impedance circuit on its Guitar Input that affects tone and feel by loading your guitar's pickups as they would by an effect pedal or amplifier. A lower value will typically result in some high frequency attenuation, lower gain, and an overall "softer" feel. A higher value provides full frequency response, higher gain, and an overall "tighter" feel." Essentially, you can override the Auto setting and use whichever you find best for the pickups you are using, eg: 10kΩ for active pickups. Play around to see if there is a setting more useful for your gear. Hope that makes sense.

Hi Carsten, Just a thought. You mention that you are connecting directly to your Win7 PC by USB, but don't metion trying to connect to another USB port. Some users have issues communicating with the Helix if they are using the ports on the front of their computer, because those slots act as a hub. If you haven't done so already, try connecting using the rear USB ports and see if that helps.

Hi, I doubt that you are covered by Line 6 warranty as that is limited to a year. Check to see if PMT supplied any additional cover when you bought the unit. Anyhow, the U.K. Service Department are excellent, quick and relatively inexpensive. There is a £48 diagnostic charge, but that will be deducted from the total cost of any repair. You can contact them here: http://www.eandm.co/line6.html# Recently, I had them repair/re-solder the connection tags of the joystick on my floor unit - there and back, done in a week - billed at £96 and then had my £48 refunded. Excellent.

Hi kafdik5, As it is the Fremen Presets that you are having issues with while trying to load, then performing a Factory reset is worth doing. You must have a backup copy of those Fremen patches, just go for it and see if it clears the bug. Here’s a list of all the options: 2 LED light Fun 3 & 4 Test Mode 5 & 6 Global reset 7 & 8 Reset setlists to factory, Keep IRs 8 & 9 Reset setlists to factory, Clear IRs 9 & 10 Reset setlists to factory, Global reset, Clear IRs 10 & 11 Upgrades existing presets to latest format 11 & 12 Clear current preset 5 & 12 Clear setlists, clear IRs, Return system settings to default 6 & 12 Safe boot mode

Hi again, Now I'm really confused! From your comment above it is not just your unit that is suffering from this "noise" issue. It maybe worth getting your friend to have his Helix checked out at the same time.

Hi codamedia, Apologies for any confusion I may have caused. I actually did know that this was really a "zombie thread" (it was already marked as solved), but my reference to the OP was meant to indicate the resurrectionist who had dug it up again. Anyhow It looks like Line 6 technical crew will have to solve this one. Strangest thing I've encountered for a while. ;-)

The OP doesn’t mention, but I also was wondering if he is the only person hearing this phenomenon Tinnitus?

Hi Jesse, Firstly, this is a forum of Helix users, very occasionally a member of Line 6 staff may chime in on a discussion, but this issue could be beyond our scope. I for one have not experienced the thing you describe in the 4 years of owning and using my Helix floor unit. After looking at the extensive list of things you have tried, I feel that I must agree with “crusinon2” and his comment above. This seems to be so complex it would probably be the best idea to raise a ticket with Line 6 Customer Support. Oh, yeah, there are a couple of things in your test list, that really are inexplicable. You have bulleted these points: I've tried multiple HELIX units entirely (both rack and floor models never been used in the same place prior both running on current firmware) I've tried HELIX native (latest version) I fail to comprehend how this is something due entirely to your Helix, because you have stated you have tried multiple units. Then you mention that you also are experiencing the identical noise problem with Helix Native - that defies logic as it is software running on a different hardware platform. That makes no sense at all. I have no no doubt that you are experiencing something extraordinary and I really do recommend that the best option would be to give it to the Line 6 technicians and let them solve the problem. There are many thousands of Helix users without any issues - instead of suffering, get it fixed ASAP and join the fun. Regards and good luck.

Hi, The Bitwar Data Recovery software that you mention is a tool for rescuing data that has been deleted or damaged by being overwritten. Basically, when you delete a file it is still there, but it’s simply not visible to the user in the regular manner. The file will still be recoverable until the physical disk space it occupies is overwritten by a new string of zeros and ones. The issue here is slightly different here as the file is still available, but may have suffered from some minor corruption. The Helix files are essentially JSON text files and can be edited with any editor that can open those type of files. Usually one of the reset methods described above will fix the problem, although there is no guarantee that they will work. These things are likely to happen after a firmware update when the presets need to be rebuilt inside your Helix, which makes them usable by the new FW. The other thing which has been know to happen is a mismatch in the revision number of the Firmware and HX Edit. You may notice that the Helix will perform a “rebuilding presets” routine if you load any of your older patches, or patches downloaded from Customtone - this is to make them compatible with the new system. Also, as the last revision to v2.80 made major changes to the Core of the system in Helix, some of this stuff is inevitable. An interesting free option for data recovery if you actually need it - it even works with iPhones, which is worth knowing, so thanks for that.

Hi Gary, I’m a little surprised that you didn’t find anything in the forum regarding this issue, as I posted a couple of times recently. Anyhow, I suggest that you take a look at the post I made here, for a possible solution and it saves me typing everything again. And also here: https://line6.com/support/topic/48426-hx-edit-28-firmware-28-and-native-18-now-available-for-download-in-case-you-missed-it/?tab=comments#comment-304013

Maybe this would work - if you have a spare block you could try this which uses very little DSP: Mono Gain block at the end of the chain to collapse any stereo paths.

I didn’t mean to preach and have no doubt that you are experienced using digital equipment. I understand that software and firmware need to be updated, but I wouldn’t want to use it in a live situation without fully testing it first, is what I meant.. As for your problem patch, it look like you have found the issue - you have run out of DSP power! The clue is that greyed out items aren’t available to use. You may be able to free up some processor power if you swap any stereo blocks to the mono versions, that will help. These toys are great, but it’s still possible to try and push them beyond the limits of their specifications.

Try this: Reboot your Helix while holding down footswitches 10 & 11 which should rebuild your presets and update them to the latest firmware spec. Note: if this doesn’t fix it, then you need to supply more info. We need to know important stuff like: what hardware, what computer, what OS , what firmware, etc. It’s a big help. Hope this helps/makes sense

Good to know that you have found a work around for this situation and I hope you make safety copy on your computer using HX Edit. Another piece of advice that is always appearing on these forums is “never update to a new software/operating system/firmware before a gig”. If you are taking your Helix out into the big wide world of live performance, then you need to be working with a tried and tested rig. Furthermore, it is advisable to have some sort of “fail safe” backup, like another Helix, or amp, cab and pedals. Remember, if it can go wrong - it will. Good luck.

Another good rule in computing is: “always work on a copy” - you did make a backup, didn’t you?

True, I also have lots of multi FX and digital outboard, but some computers/systems crash more or less often than others and who knows why? It’s the nature of the technology, I would guess. You have posted that your Helix suffered a random “Freeze” event. That’s not such a big issue and a restart should fix that. The time to worry is if your unit starts to freeze on a regular basis. If that happens it should be reported as a serious bug. You don’t want to have that happen during a gig. If it happens while editing then I would regard that as acceptable because you’re inside the units brain poking around with the zeros and ones. As for what causes a “badly formatted preset”, your guess is as good as mine. There could be millions of reasons why. In the early days of computing there was an acronym “GIGO”.

Well, if your Helix freezes, simply restart - that would be normal for anything digital, because sometimes they just get stuck. The “Failed to load preset” message could be due to a badly formatted preset or a simple glitch. Helix is a computer.

Hi Sascha, Have a look at this thread from way back and see if you are experiencing the same “problem”. It maybe just the limitation set by the model. https://line6.com/support/topic/31876-250-elephant-man-delay-time-issue/ Hope this helps/makes sense.

Hi, This is now normal behaviour for Apple Mac Operating Systems - you have just encountered the “Gatekeeper” which is built into the OS to protect you from malware. Rather than go through typing out the process of getting past this situation, I will give you a link to Apple’s own page on how to deal with this stuff. https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202491 Hope this helps/makes sense.

Hi, This has cropped up previously in another thread and rather than type out everything again, here’s a link. Hope this helps.

Hi, As you have a box fresh unit that you have given a test drive, I guess that you will have no custom presets to backup. Therefore, you can go ahead and update straight to 2.82 using the Updater that you installed along with HX Edit 2.82. Make sure that HX Edit is not running when you start to update. In fact don’t have anything on the USB that may interfere with the installation. As mentioned in the release notes - about half way through the process you may encounter the “Boot Failure” message, simply click OK and continue. The post from “phil_m” in answer to FunnyUser’s post may be worth a read also. Have fun.

Shame that this information wasn’t put into the pinned thread, along with all the other firmware update posts. It would have made it easier to spot for a newbie poster, such as brother Thomas, above. In fact it would have made it easier for many more Helix users, both old and new.

I thought we had already passed the Event Horizon? ;-(