datacommando

Well, that’s a real surprise! Who would have though that the problem originated from the software that shipped with your ROG Strix Z370E Gaming board. Guess those tech support people must have been right all along when they said, “Sorry, that device is not compatible”. I suppose that’s “bleeding edge technology” for you. Right, I’ve seen enough struggling with a self induced computer problem. I’m going to get back to doing some serious guitar stuff with my Helix. One final thought about tools to do the job, if you’re gonna spend several thousands on a computer for music production, you could do worse than an iMac Pro. Oh, yes - you did do worse! Well I did say I was biased.

Hmm... and this is with a “board that should have Zero difficulty with this minute task”. That’s a little bit odd, when you have already been advised by tech support - “Sorry, that device just isn’t compatible”. As I understand it, you are looking for troubleshooting advice, but not open to suggestions. That sort of defeats the object of seeking assistance. You ask for help, and you’re not wiling to consider a logical suggestion. Fine by me, I just love watching people struggle. Oh, yeah - I also thought that the first thing to try when confronted by the BSOD was strip out the drivers and re-install Windows. God forbid, that I would make that a suggestion. But that's not a journey you are on at the moment. 

Answer 1: Yes Answer 2: See reply from “codamedia” above. You could buy a dozen M-Audio EX-P units for the price of a Mission. I have 2 permanently hooked up to my Helix Floor box, although I’m a studio rat, so they don’t go on the road. Good enough tho’.

I tend to lose count and wind up banging my head on the desk!

You are not going to like this, but I just seemed to focus on one word in that post. “Gaming!” Sorry, I don’t play games - I play guitar. One serious suggestion though, revert to Mac for music, use a PC for games. Yes! I’m biased. Plus you also had the response, “Sorry, that device just isn’t compatible”. Sort of says it all, really.

Hi, Those Tesco socks would be the thing that I was going to suggest as the problem!

After reopening the “auto closed” support ticket, I asked this a couple of days back: “Any progress with this issue? A new thread about this has started in the Helix forum. Please advise.” Latest response from Tech Support: Hello datacommando. Your Line 6 Support Ticket was updated with the following message: Hi, Not yet, but i will escalate this again so this can be checked Best regards, Technical Support I just checked the ticket status and it says “assumed answered” Oh! Really? Escalated? Right!

Not again!

This thing has been driving me nuts ever since the new version of the forum became active. Somebody suggested raising a ticket about this. I did exactly that on August 14 and I have just checked and it was flagged as “auto closed” on Aug 29. I have updated the ticket to see if anything further happens. I guess that a another company (Invision Community?) is in responsible for the website and forum stuff. Line 6 are probably busy with Helix stuff (to keep us happy) and neither know, nor care about this.

I guess most folks would just use another guitar set up with the required altered tuning ready to go. Easy really.

Hi RD1967, I think the reply from “brue58ski”, above, is what you need to do. In the parametric control block, select either the Low, Mid or High band you wish to notch, the narrow the Q point by taking it to the max, then sweep using the frequency control to pinpoint your target. Rinse and repeat. Hope this makes sense.

Unless RD1967 really does want to sweep a specific range of frequencies. Simply assign the foot pedal to Low, Mid or High Freq and sweep away like an insane custom wah unit. No, no, no! Surely not! That's just crazy!

No point in asking. They are constantly testing.

Hi kalmigs, I wouldn’t worry too much, they are sturdy units and are designed and built for jumping on. If you can afford to do it - buy a full Helix Floor model, they are built like a tank! Whatever you decide, it will be fine.

Hi roccolapenta, Try using the reset options listed here: https://helixhelp.com/reset-options/ If none of these work, you could simply re-flash the memory in your LT. Although you don’t say what version of the firmware is installed, simply just update to v2.60 regardless and that will do the trick. As for the volume pedal, that is assigned to EXP2 by default and EXP1 is a wah pedal (or pitch whammy). When the red LED is lit, the pedal functions as a wah press down on the hidden Toe Switch and the green LED shows the pedal is now working as a volume pedal. Of course, you do need to have a volume block, or wah wah model (or pitch whammy) assigned to the pedal. Because you bought your Helix LT as a pre-owned unit I don’t know what was in the package you acquired, but if there was an owner’s manual, it would be good to familiarise yourself with it. If not, you can find the latest version here: https://line6.com/data/6/0a020a3e07b158e5548ea50d4/application/pdf/Helix LT Owner's Manual - English .pdf Hope this helps/makes sense.

Hi John_A_Moran, What you need is this Link to Helix Custom Presets which is on FaceBook - Admin Chris Beaver: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1618760245111752/?hc_ref=ARQH-0CIx4JZbPeLO5aLXPxW2zo8obR4C6BxTrtJNM6uFiMC5482wo3X88eAwrj6nNk&__xts__[0]=68.ARB-Mvah-ZCwQPosGmxLz4mQIBP6CNKRTmNvs6uLUgD45dB9gYSTDTfeK3nTCjHbV9955XdbkEBsGf-03Z9hVpDRHv4KdeKDUHa9xVQVB_jEI-sXO51JGLHYe82vv41jrrp4DnQ_YX-uoXrCjj3L2vUu_ugS-zy2HcVrbpv-lzJPBCP_kF_88g&__tn__=C-R Chris has a link on here also: https://youtu.be/ASoQ0dxP4m8 Hope this helps, but FarceBook is.......

Hi RQuesenberry, Best guess is that the blocks have not been allocated to any of the foot-switches. To assign an effect block to a foot switch, use the joystick too navigate to the block you require, which will highlight with a white box. Lightly touch, for a few moments, the the footswitch that you wish to assign as the on/off for the effect. Simply press the button (at the bottom of the main screen) below the green box marked with a tick. Repeat for other block as necessary. Hope this makes sense.

Hi, I guess you must be the person who posted about this on the Helix FB page, that I pointed to the thread on here. As I mentioned in my earlier post above, another forum user “Dshow” was able to remove the offending block (a wha) from the preset and resave the file so that it could be loaded into v2.60 HX Edit with the top line restored. As the preset ***.hlx files are JSON “JavaScript Object Notation” text files, it may be simply a question of opening a copy of the problem file in a text editor, then delete the offending “bad block” and then save back the modified file. This worked in that particular case, but since then it appears that presets that contain the “Kinky Boost” are particularly prone to this phenomenon. Here’s a quote from another thread about this: “I received an answer from Line6 but they just told me there was an issue importing presets containing the Kinky Boost.” From what I have found out about this problem, it seems that it occurs when a preset has been created that using almost the limit of DSP power. These patches work fine in v2.53 but will not load into v2.60. More info here: https://line6.com/support/topic/34671-update-260-_-loss-of-dsp/ It appears that since then, Line 6 have said the a fix for this will be implemented in the next update. Although for the present, your options seem to be, revert back to v2.53 and edit your presets to free up more processing power then re-flash your firmware back to the latest v2.6. This may be a little excessive if you only have a couple of preset files that refuse to load. Other option is, it may just be faster to recreate the patch from scratch. You can probably put this down to pushing the limits of the technology currently available. Personally I can’t see why the Kinky Boost would cause the problem. User Malhavok (Ben Vesco) has done an analysis of DSP allocation in Helix, but only up to v2.50, and it doesn’t appear to be excessive compared especially when to the Cosmos Echo. Anyhow something changed to screw things up. As someone noted "upgrade at your own risk". Check Ben’s results here: http://benvesco.com/store/helix-dsp-allocations/ Hope this helps/makes sense

Hi again, No problem. Happy to help out. You need to set up your footswitches under the Global Settings menu. Best thing to do is have a look at pages 38 and 39 in the Helix Owner’s Manual, which saves me having to type all the info here. The thing you mention about simultaneously pressing FS1 and FS7, that combination cycles through BANK UP /DOWN, PRESET UP /DOWN , and SNAPSHOT UP /DOWN. If you have globally set up for 8 Snapshots when you press the UP /DOWN switches you should get your 8 snaps ready to use just like regular stomp boxes. Here’s a link to the pages you require: https://line6.com/data/6/0a06439c975d5787c3e351aa0/application/pdf/Helix 2.0 Owners Manual - Rev D - English .pdf#page38

Hi Jay79costa, It certainly can be a little bit confusing, because the name changed on the last update. In fact, so many people were confused that a whole thread about updating to v2.60 was posted at the top of the forum. https://line6.com/support/topic/34393-helixhx-effects-firmware-update-instructions-please-read-before-posting-a-new-thread/ Guess you must have missed it, so try this: Firstly, using your currently installed version of HX Edit - make a backup of the stuff from your Helix.  Now, from the Line 6 downloads page, you should select HX Edit under the All Software tab and then whatever version of Windows or Mac OS you are using from All OS on the dropdown menus. This will take you to the correct download page. This is the only thing you need to download.  When you install HX Edit it will also install the latest Line6 Updater v1.14 and any other drivers etc., that you may need. After the new HX Edit software has been installed, reboot your computer. Doing a clean install should clear any glitches that were linking to any old versions of the software.  When you’ve done this, ensure HX Edit is shutdown, then launch the new Line 6 Updater v1.14, click the about button to check the details. If all your connections are good the Updater should see your Helix. You can now proceed with the firmware upgrade, over your internet connection. Do not disconnect or turn off the power to your Helix during this process. When completed your Helix will reboot and rebuild the presets, then you are good to go, no hardware reset is required. Hope this helps.

Hi, Page 6 Helix owners manual: 16. Expression Pedal Move the expression pedal to control volume, wah, or a combination of amp and/or effects parameters. Activate the hidden toe switch to toggle between EXP 1 and EXP 2. (The scribble strip above tells you which one is active.) If an external pedal is connected to the rear panel EXP 2 jack, the built-in pedal becomes EXP 1 only. What they don’t tell you how difficult it is to get the switch to engage. You need to have the Helix on the floor a press down on the toe end of the pedal. Some users have found that using the supplied hex key tool, loosening the pedal a little may help. Note: If you have a volume or pan block in your preset it will be auto assigned to EXP2, likewise if you add a wah or pitch shift pedal, that will be on EXP1. Hope this helps.

Hi again, Well if you have tried everything else, the re-install is definitely worth a try. If it is still giving you problems after that, then the best thing to do is raise a support ticket for it. Your HX can't be very old, and it could well be still under warranty, so may be you can just have it swapped out for a new unit. Line 6 are very good about this sort of thing. Good luck.

Hi Rubenandrea, I’m a little confused by this, and I say that because, you start by telling us you love the HX and then mention the problem and finally ask if this could be caused by the latest update to the firmware. How I interpret that is, it sounds to me that what you are saying is the HX was working fine, but you have updated your firmware and this occurred since? If this is the case there are a few things that you could try first. Factory Reset Options while Booting the HX 1. Holding FS3 + MODE - Will clear all Presets and IRs 2. Holding FS4+FS5 - Will reset Global Settings 3. Holding FS5+FS6 - Will reset Presets only 4. Holding FS6+TAP - Will Perform factory restore (reset, Globals, IRs, and Presets) 5. Holding the right arrow ">" Will put the unit in a fail safe update mode. Use this when the HX Effects is in a un recoverable state Still not working? You could re-flash the HX by running the latest firmware installation again. Always worth a shot that one. Also, one thing more. You say that your HX enters “pedal edit mode” when touching or pressing a switch. When that happens have you tried holding down the MODE switch for 2 seconds - that is what you have to do when exiting pedal edit and want to save changes. May be a glitch that might be keeping it in edit mode. Hope this makes sense.

Hi Phil, I asked that specific question in my first post, but it went unanswered. The OP did state that the pedal had a knob on the side which didn’t seem to make any difference to the situation. My guess would be he is using a Boss FV500H which has an additional volume control on the side. They are a little unusual because they can be used as a volume or expression pedal or even both at the same time. IIRC, a couple of years back, a few people were having problems with those pedals. There were reports of odd percentage values being shown on the Helix, some didn’t actually start at a zero point then went up to 100% at around three quarters of the range and then went into reverse beyond that - most bizarre. This was at the time when the Helix firmware first changed to auto calibration for volume and expression pedals. Those were the days!

O.K. Here we go. The answer to your question is no you can’t calibrate your pedal using the HX. The HX Effects, as others in the Helix range, is designed to auto calibrate whatever is connected. The early versions of the Helix units could be calibrated, but that was dropped due to a lot of compatibility issues and “auto” was initiated as the way to go. Without going into a whole bunch of physics stuff (but I will), in its simplest form your expression pedal is a variable resistor in a metal/plastic box. All you are doing is sweeping that potentiometer from one end to the other, typically 0 to 100%. Different manufacturers use components with different ratings, therefore it may work perfectly well with you Memory Boy, but not the HX. Much, as you have found to be the case, many early Helix users found their pedals produced unexpected results. Some had readings of around 11% in the heel position going up to 100% at just beyond mid travel and then rolling off again at the Toe end. All this is due to the pedal presenting too much, or not enough, current to the input. I imagine the pot in your pedal is topping out a 59% of of the current that the HX expects to see. Hope this makes sense.