datacommando

Seem that this has been happening for a few weeks now - see other thread. http://line6.com/support/topic/23147-ot-desktop-version-of-forum-down/ I'm sure that I read somewhere that Line 6 are aware of the issue and are investigating. We shall see!

Just a suggestion. It may be a glitch over your internet connection. How about downloading the JTV Flash Memory to your Windoze machine, then use Line 6 Monkey app to do the update with the local file. Worth a shot, unless I misunderstood your post.

Guys - I don't know, but maybe this could be a little help. Interactive Frequency Chart - Independent Recording Network Hover your mouse over the section on the chart that says "Guitar" and you get all the necessary frequency info. eg: Guitar Fundamentals E2 - D6 (82Hz - 1.2kHz) Fullness 80Hz (Acoustic), 240 - 500Hz (Electric) Body ~ 240Hz (Acoustic) Presence 2 - 5kHz Plus a whole lot more about frequency ranges, ear sensitivity etc. Worth a look? Even buy the charts! It's like a point of reference for a 31 band 1/3 octave Graphic EQ

Hi FarleyUK, I think this also rotary selector joystick thing happened to Scott M of the YouTube Helix Channel. AFAIK, seems he arranged a swap out for a replacement Helix with his Line 6 dealership until his gets fixed. Check with your dealer and see what they say? Worth a shot. It could keep ya gigging!

Amen to that, bro. It gets my vote! You can keep all those crazy boutique amp and pedal requests, just make it communicate with the Variax - Dream Rig Style! Can't be that difficult - or, maybe it is? Although, DI says - it's in the pipeline - maybe a big "Thanksgiving" could be due? Beware - rumours spread like wildfire on the Internet according to Digital Igloo! Just an idea!

Hi David, AFAIK, Digital Village are a very reputable outfit (been around for years) and are usually on the ball, so should you up and running ASAP. Somebody there must be able to flash your unit for you - or replace it if it's flakey! Give 'em a call. dude. Good luck.

This is now drifting quite a bit off topic but... Damn, that's just like the Canon camera thing - only the Canon tech crew had it rigged so that their battery chargers would not work with a "clone" battery either - sneaky, uh? Those Hong Kong dudes got round that by supplying their own cheapo charger, although you still had a big chance of frying your camera! Some guy on a Variax (Standard, or James Tyler?) forum thread on here suggested using a Sony video camera battery but IIRC some one (Charlie_Watt?) warned him of the consequences of doing that! YMMV.

roscoe5, One more thing, you have been using Helix and the updater software recently - if you are going to hook up the Variax to your POD X3, you will need to go back to using the Line 6 Monkey for it to "see" the Variax. Latest version of Monkey v1.73 available to download. Remember to stick a 1/4" jack in the guitar along with the VDI, then run the needed updates. Good luck!

I don't know about the Line 6 batteries, but the ones I use in my Canon EOS cameras are "chipped" to keep track of how many shots and number of charge cycles etc. Attempting to use third party batteries would generate an "error code" and simply refuse to work - supposed to be a safety feature thing (or is that Samsung. oops!). Needless to say our Chinese friends quickly found a way of bypassing the microchip issue and sell "decoded" versions extremely cheap.

Check the other thread you started - http://line6.com/support/topic/23314-jtv-variax-controlpowerupdate-through-helix/?do=findComment&comment=177263 I think the answer is no - unless you have access to an older POD model which can be used as an interface for the Variax. Note: IIRC, Line 6 do not recommend the use of an Ethernet cable as a substitute for the VDI cable. May be some sort of Voodoo going on in there because other folks seem to have use LAN cables with no issues! Use at your own risk. What I don't understand is, if the Variax you bought is an ex-display model (BNIB?), then the guys in the shop should have just opened another box and given you the missing bits. If it's a trade-in, then I guess they have you there!

Correct - it does need the green lights on from a charged up battery. Darn, I forgot about that one! Doh!

roscoe5, Yep, what Charlie_Watt said above is correct. You will need the USB interface to connect to Workbench HD - that's what is required to do the FW updates etc. Power and control Variax through VDI only - no problem. Note: you also need to have a 1/4" jack connected to the Variax along with the VDI when hooking up to Workbench - otherwise WB doesn't see the connection. Strange but true! Let's all hope that Variax/Workbench integration is fixed in the next Helix FW Update. LATE EDIT: Get them to lower the price a little more and buy a charger from Line 6 store @ $49:99, don't know about the USB gizmo!

Point made? No - I don't think so! This is the real world. Simplicity. Less clutter, less to go wrong? Jeez, there are already people on here complaining that the Helix does not have enough foot switches to cope with their tap dancing demands. Even "Snapshots" are insufficient for some! Ye Gods, WTF were these guys using before? If you were to bring all this extra stuff on board, then what happens when there is an issue with the Helix DSP and it falls over, by not being able to handle the load? You could still use your external units within another rig. Flexibility - yes? All your eggs in one basket come to mind? Why should Line 6 provide clones of FX units that are sold for about 20 or 25% of the cost of the Helix and then pass them on to you - free, just because you bought the basic model. It's the bottomless coffeepot again! Zooey, You already said it! "Helix is unique and proprietary hardware running a unique and proprietary OS" It seems that there is whole bunch of folks in these Helix forums would love to see Eventide and Strymon added, but as noted above why would Line 6 give you this stuff free - come on, get a grip on reality guys! Do you have any idea of what that would involve? Hope that Santa has word with elves that work for Line 6 and your wishes all come true - you never know! Ask the Digital Igloo! Oh, yeah! Who really cares who else uses Helix? We use it and that's all that matters! Nuff said! I'm outta here. End of!

Double damn. An aloe infused Helix - that's what we are all waiting for - soften up those metal guys a treat! ;) Erm! I reckon this is wishful thinking. Why would Line 6 bother with third party involvement! Did no-one read the blurb about Helix when it was first released. You remember. The stuff about having all those in and out options to allow you to connect all your favourite pedals to the Helix without tying up the main unit. You want Strymon, Eventide, Electro Harmonix FX - simple - buy them and stick them in the Helix loops like many other user on this forum have already done.

Damn, I should have realised when I couldn't get a decent sound out of this Helix thing - it's a bottomless coffee pot! :)

Must have been a worldwide phenomenon - but I have noticed it happen previously - IIRC around the same time Monday 3rd Oct. It only seemed occur on the Forum section of the site, because if you check the site status with, http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com or http://www.isitdownrightnow.com it appears O.K. Other areas, Customtone, Support etc all were fine. Maybe someone doing maintenance on the Forum database could be the reason for it?

steevo1977, What an excellent observation and I've got to agree wholeheartedly. That's just the sort of comment that also should really be added to the "Just for fun: What do you think is coming in the next update?" dreamers thread on here. Why did anyone bother to buy the Helix in it's original form if they think it needs continual and endless fantasy updates, forever and for free? Ridiculous demands from people who can never be truly happy! Dream on!

Glad you enjoyed it - Bill is a real gem, and I've been a long time fan of his stuff. I first encountered him when his band played my old Art School, Christmas gig - way back in 1968. That was when he did all the Hendrix and Cream covers (perfectly). That clip above is from an event back in 2011 and if you check out some of the other, clearer UChoob clips from the same night you can make out that Bill was still using his old Kidney Bean POD2, it's on the desk just behind him where he keeps his EBow. He's been a long time advocate of Line 6, but then I found this quote: In August this year, when asked, by a visitor to Bill's own website forum, to give his current gear run down, he said, I'll try to answer your questions as best I can: Yes, I've been using the Pod 2, the Zoom 9050S and the Digitech valve FX live for some years now, though nowadays, in the studio, I'm using just the Pod 2 and the Fractal AxeFX, with an occasional use of the Pod HD 500. That's it, no amps or analogue pedals, just digital straight to desk. In a live situation I use the Pod 2, Zoom and Digitech units as separate units, switching between them with a three way foot switch. So the thing of a signal chain doesn't really apply. Each unit goes straight to pa and monitors. I don't combine them but use each unit independently of the others, depending on the sounds I need. I've programmed them with my own taste in sounds. I haven't had a chance to use the AxeFX in a live situation yet...it tends to be reserved for more ambient textures in the studio, but it's an impressive, if somewhat complicated, unit. Nooooooo........ I think we really need to have him convert to the way of the Helix.

Nope! Your EBow won't (no moving parts) but batteries do! Remove from velvet bag (or blow the dust off it), switch it on (up or down from central position) - no blue LED, could be battery has snuffed. Replace battery, put ebow back in velvet bag and forget about it for another 10 years. Next time you come to use it – change battery! ;) Watch a real master of the ebow at work here: Dedicated to another Master Of The EBow - Stuart Adamson "Big Country" and "The Skids"

Glad to hear you got it working, but not glad to hear you're suffering the duck effect. I sort of suspected 2 octaves would push it beyond the usual "demented pitch shifted warbling noises". Guess this means you will have to change your fingerpicking technique/pattern and try using the 1st string - see if that works? I think I will steer clear of "High Strung" and stick with all the other altered tunings I know – I have hundreds collected in an old Variax Workbench Library the I haven't looked at for a long time. I must have a look and see if there is usable variant of the Nashville and let you know. Meanwhile - Good luck!

Hi knoxdaz10, Simple solution - buy one and put it into one of the send and returns on your Helix. Then you will have that exact "Duck in Box" sound. Get one from here: WR-3 WAH ROCKER® : Buy Online from Godlyke Distributing That way you can add the Helix auto filter stuff to the Wah Rocker for complete funked up lunacy. ;)

Hi Dave and CBTL So guys, it looks like we are agreed that this a fairly important issue that needs to be addressed. Even Line 6 Product Manager, Digital Igloo, (hi, Eric), agreed with this way back in Feb 2016 when he commented on my Ideascale request for the Workbench integration feature. Helix to Variax USB communication feature QUOTE: "No, you're right. Helix doesn't currently allow Variax to communicate with Variax Workbench software via USB. It's something we'd really like to add." Please note, several other people have also requested this in other Ideascale slots, one from almost a year ago has over 160 votes and the idea is currently listed as "in review". Let's hope we see it in a update in the very near future, unless everyone has been sidetracked and too busy with the new Spider V launch! :P

No problem. See the comment above from "taylorbeats" - these Variax edits seem so breathe a new life into his JVT69S acoustic models! Even his wife is impressed! WoW!!!!!!

Amen to that! Although I am surprised that you cannot communicate the necessary edits to your Variax directly from WorkBench then hook up to Helix for the final effect. I guess you must be missing that plastic hub thing? Mine has to communicate via the old POD HD500 Dave, You right about the ability set up, and to have the tuning altered on a newer model Variax from within the Helix input blocks for a whole range of options - my old 700 is a bit hit and miss about some changes. In fact it should not work at all ...although somethings do function! What you mentioned would cover all the open and modal stuff, cross note, sawmill, Hawaiian or whatever, (so Stefan Grossman or Duck Baker should be OK), but the thing about this particular tuning is that in the real world the low E, A, D and G strings are swapped for the lighter versions from a 12 string set, ie: tuned one octave higher than normal. In this case I think what the OP is trying to achieve is the well known trick that Dave Gilmour used on the track, "Hey You" (The Wall Album), where he actually replaced the low E string with a second high E (not a 12-string set low E octave) such that it was actually tuned two octaves up (ouch!). It's the 2 octave shift on that string that is the problem here. I don't see a way of doing it directly on the input blocks as it seems they are tied to a + or -12 semitone shift. Unless I missed something?

Hi CBTL, Sounds like a sorta curious way to approach the High Strung Tuning (Nashville) sound, by shifting everything on the input block and then using another pitch module block. Why don't you create your octave above custom tuning in Workbench and do the single E string shift on the Helix input. Possibly could be less of a "warble" in the sound than using just the pitch shifter effect. Try it and let us know if it works. EDIT: You could simply just do an octave shift on your first string using Workbench the move everything up an octave on the Helix Input - same result?