datacommando

Seems like "duncann" has gone down this path - and this is what he discovered. I can't comment further, I've never been there, too complex for me. Although, Peter, what you state here makes sense to me. I would think from what I've seen - the large volume knob controls the audio signal flow to the XLR or jack outputs to your monitor speakers, just like the small one sends a variable output through to your headphones, so it makes sense that the output flow to S/PDIF can be managed/trimmed via the Global Digital Output Level. I guess, that should be how you can balance the signal paths. This seems to be what is inferred in the latest Owners Manual Revision D. Please note I removed my Lab Technicians white coat earlier, so I may be well off the mark here. Later guys - I'm going for a beer! Let me know how it goes!

H twystedriffs, I too have an older/ancient (11years) Variax 600 model and it works fine hooked up on the VDI cable. Thing is, when I say "works fine" it does in as much as it is old technology connected to state of the art technology. What I mean is it works as a guitar with all the onboard digital models fully functioning, i.e.: the Spank is still a Spank, the Resonator is a Resonator in as much as they ever approximately did. If you have altered tunings assigned to the 2 Custom Banks, DADGAD, Open G, Hawaiian, Cross Note, Vestapol or whatever they will all work. I also have used my Variax Volume to control parameters within some effect blocks (delay feedback and such) no problem, just like an expression pedal. Plus I have it set so some patches load up with the correct Variax model selected already. There are a couple of caveats to this though. First up Selecting the model - that is determined by the Helix Patch NOT the actual Variax. I'm not sure that it should even do that, but it does. Plus I'm surprised that any of this works at all with this obsolete steam driven stuff. For me, I can live with the restrictions of using old gear, even if I have to repatch Workbench to do a few custom tunings. Ultimately, I have to concur with the observations made in the posing by "silverhead", above, "Since this is an unsupported behaviour there is no guarantee that this will work on other older Variax guitars". If you need all singing, all dancing - then sorry, you're gonna have to upgrade your Variax.

Hi Peter, Well, this S/PDIF thing intrigued me a little, so I went down to the studio and sparked up the Helix and had a poke around in the Global Settings options. Under the Ins/Outs section on the 3rd page, Knobs 5 and 6 are allocated to "Digital Output" and "Digital Out Level" respectively. Knob Five switches between the choice of using S/PDIF or AES/EBU and number 6 can dial in an output level between a low of -60.0dB and a high of +18dB. The default setting on these 2 items are S/DIF and 0.0dB. A little more investigation reveals that on the First Page, Knob 6 is assigned as a "USB In 1/2 Trim" option also with a 60.0dB to +18dB range. I would imagine this is bound to make sense you and other techno minded boffins alike - Me, I'm going to hang up the white coat and I'm off to make a racket! Hope this sheds a little light. Good Hunting

Hi again Peter, Well, ouch! You just hurt my head with all that physics stuff - I just mess around with my Helix until I think it sounds good. There are no index marks on the main volume control, so it may well go all the way up to eleven - I dunno, mine never gets past about one third of the sweep. Come to think of it, I don't even recall seeing a full tech spec, schematic drawing for the Helix so all that "attenuation" stuff is above my pay grade. There are a whole bunch of people on here that will have a much better idea, and be able to give you proper answer to your query. Here's a good example from another thread - It was posted by Digital Igloo (a Line 6 Product Manager), he would most likely know. Thing is, he got married recently and is otherwise engaged at the moment! This is from Helix's electrical engineer: The XLR outputs, when set to line level, are 20Vpp max, which is approximately +19.2dBu. So if you want to talk about nominal levels, you can say that’s +4dBu nominal with approximately 15dB of headroom. The ¼†outputs are exactly the same levels when set to line level, except unbalanced. XLR outputs are balanced. Another thing to consider is Helix's Guitar Input, which has > 123dB of dynamic range (due to patented circuitry), which is industry-leading. And here's another example response about "nominal output level". That's correct. If you switch your speaker to +4, that means it's expecting a hotter signal, so it'll turn down its input sensitivity and be quieter. -10dBV and +4dBu are just analog voltage level standards. Any given analog audio signal (such as the analog output of your Helix plugged into the analog input of your speaker) may be at, between, or outside these levels in amplitude at any given moment, as determined by the nature of the sound itself, plus any volume controls it passes through. As long as the signal does not overload the speaker's input and cause unwanted clipping distortion, you should be OK using either the -10 or +4 setting. More info (maybe more than the average person would care about) here: https://en.wikipedia...wiki/Line_level Let's hope one of these real techie guys on here can point you in the right direction - sorry I can't help more, than this. Right - I'm off now, and I'm just gonna make mine louder! Good luck.

Hi Peter, I really only just skimmed over your question - maybe I should have gone deeper, but it's a little late at night here. At first glance this look to be overly complicated when the Helix should make it all really simple. I cannot understand the need for 3 different options for DAC. That's signal chopping gone to the extreme - keep it clean! The Helix makes 8 channels of digital audio available in/out on your computer or within the DAW of your choice, then simply connect your KRK monitors to the XLR or jack outputs on the rear of the Helix, jam your headphones in the Helix dedicated jack socket and your good to go. Play along to YouTube clips, iTunes, whatever, it just works. Everything else seems superfluous to me. That is unless I am completely misunderstanding this post. I've had my Helix (floor unit) rigged up like this since last November and it all works fine with the audio side of things. As for MIDI - well, don't get me started on that. Download the user manual and check some of the options - it's free. http://line6.com/support/manuals/helix-rack Hope this makes sense and/or helps. Good luck.

Hi treater99, Simple answer - no! It's a completely different architecture that is used to create the digital tone stuff in Helix - it's a whole world (galaxy) of difference. I feel your pain, I ported patches from the old kidney bean POD to the XT Live, then to the HD 500 - a thankless task - and they never really fully work! At least with Helix everything is a lot quicker when it comes to editing and getting a decent/good tone from scratch. Also, check out "Customtone" for some starting points, all the usual suspects are in there. They will just need tweeking to match your set up. Have fun.

Nope, you have to create the detune function to get what you want, but beware some can be good and some can be klunky. IFAIK, none of the pitch shifting options in the Helix is polyphonic - and some people on this forum have certain issues with the quality of those that are included. I think for my needs they are O.K. I did the "Eb" switch thing as a novelty effect, the dual has some useful tricks by shifting each channel just a few cents to get some of those old style Eventide Harmonizer chorus/thickening type tones, (+ or - 10 or 12 cents per side) which I like. I found that one shifter model which works very much like the one in my old, and well loved rack mount Yamaha SPX 90, which was mucho simple but worked a treat. Oops! Much like the pitch shifter - we are drifting a little off topic here. Experiment, enjoy and have fun.

Jeez - if you can't select any reverb, then is sounds to me as if are running out of DSP power!!!! That's what Helix does when it goes too far - you can't select anything that won't run. What are you trying to do in there dude? Without seeing what you are trying to achieve makes it kinda awkward to come up with an answer. Plus you want to gig this beast tonight? I have seen some complex patches made in Helix (even one with 10 different delays) but it still had some processing steam left. I suggest that you have a look the built in "TEMPLATE" No:01B Parallel spans to see if that type of layout helps free up some DSP for you to use. Also a quick read of the Owners Manual pages 17 - 20 regarding Serial vs Parallel Routing and DSP allocation may help. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LATE EDIT: I have just copied the Factory Preset 01D to an empty slot on my Helix and removed the Looper, swapped the Reverb from Room to Plate, changed the Phaser to Uni Vibe and the 808 is now a Minotaur. All functioning perfectly. Maybe you got a glitch and need to reboot?

Hi Mongo79, Simple answer - you don't! If you have selected the Dual Cab option in the menu effectively you could choose, for instance, a 2x12 Blue Bell as one cab and maybe a 2x12 Silver Bell as the second option. Trouble with that is they are both still on the same path. I think what you want to achieve is put a single cab on one path (e.g.: 2x12 Blue Bell) the use the Action Button and Joystick to move it down to a second parallel path (dotted line). Create another cab (e.g..: 2x12 Silver Bell) back on the top path. Helix will automatically generate a Y Split and a Merge Mixer in the active path. Hope this helps.

Hi John, On El Cap 10.11.6, which I am also running, I would suggest that you use the Line 6 Updater Software to flash your Helix. It's designed to work seamlessly between the 2 bits of hardware. If you have downloaded the firmware via Safari you should now have a file named: HELIX_FLOOR_v2_01_0_bundle.hxf Obviously this is a file type unrecognised by Safari, but should be seen by your Line 6 Updater. I would imagine if you double click on the file it will bring up a screen stating: "there is no application set to open the document..." and ask if you would like to search for the app. If you know that you have Line 6 Updater 1.09 installed on your Mac, simply navigate to where it is and open the file. If not, then I guess you need to install the Line 6 Updater Utility which is included as part of the package with the software editor. You will need to download and install Editor package first before you can flash the Firmware. You can D/L the stuff you need as Mac OSX disk image - "Helix2.01.dmg" - and then run that from your desktop. Several users have been caught out by trying to install different updates by not having the correct Updater utility installed. Please read carefully and follow all the instructions to the letter and everything will be fine. Remember - Fail Safe - back up everything from your Helix which you think you may need, just in case. Hope this helps.

Hi WickedFInger, Not sure what you referring to with that comment about "this Eb thing". If you want to drop your guitar tuning down to Eb you can do it using a pitch whammy block with the heel and toe positions set to -1 and 100% mix. Here's one ready to use in a patch I made a while back - find it under FS2 named Eb Drop. Line 6 CustomTone Have fun.

My guess is, Line 6 must have stolen the Infinite Improbability Drive from the Starship Heart of Gold and that's what is inside this black box. Infinite Improbability Drive - YouTube Well, it's as good a theory as the others - now, where did I leave those mushroooooooooooooooms! -:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:--:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:--:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-

Yep. It sure is less robust - it's designed for a small mixer and 19" rack mount equipment. I went with a cheap temporary option - an old snare stand. Don't think it would be tough enough on the road, but for just me and studio tracking - it's fine.

Hi VIIyears, The one thing I don't understand is why you have Helix going into an interface and then into the Mac. Helix is an 8 channel USB audio interface. Your set up is just adding an extra layer of unneeded signal processing. Keep everything as clean as possible, then you have the option to re-amp with lots of different settings, amps, cabs, fx whatever. You still have your untouched original version that you can come back to anytime. Experiment - enjoy!

Ha ha ha! Oh damn, glad that was not me! I was just waiting to have someone say place the speakers further apart - LMAO. That's a real gem Spikey - classic! You're real star, man!

Hi ChristThePhone, You don't mention where in the signal chain you are adding the pitch shifter. This may seem obvious, but if you have inadvertently placed it before an amp/cab block it will collapse the signal to mono. Likewise, the same will happen if it is placed before any other block that is working in mono. I'm not really sure why you don't think you are getting a good stereo image because I can send myself nuts with 1/8 dotted and 1/4 note delays bouncing around my near field monitors. It gets even more crazy in headphones. If all else fails - you could split the final output into 2 paths and pan the signals 100% left and right. Not sure if this helps any because I'm not really sure what you want to achieve. Whatever it is - it's a Helix so it should be possible. Good luck.

Slick! Very, very slick! Ye gods - It's no wonder that you're prone to snapping wibble sticks!

Did I see someone on here make mention of a foolproof way of running a Firmware updater application? Well, I really think you should be aware, that nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool!

Hi willc, No doubt someone on here will be able to sort this out for you very quickly. Although regarding multi pedal set ups, have a look here and see if it gives any clues to help: http://line6.com/support/topic/20573-expression-1-toe-switch-question/page-1?do=findComment&comment=155232 Good hunting.

Hi ninjamedic, This a very old thread from 2015 - you may have more success in getting an answer elsewhere. Try this, it seems to have a similar topic. http://line6.com/support/topic/21866-my-helix-is-dead/?do=findComment&comment=166012 Or, try a search for "Bricked My Helix" - Sorry, I can't be more help on this one Good luck

Hi Texas Dave, Regarding your "special sauce" trick - here's a link that may be informative for you or anyone else who may be interested in this compressor after amp stuff. Check this link: http://www.barryrudolph.com/pages/compdirectory.html That's the audio engineer's notes on compressors! Essentially what you have with the model of the Universal Audio LA 2A is a "classic tube leveling amp". Transparent and tasty - yep - It's the "mutts nutts!". There are a couple of other studio compressor classes and all have their purpose and particular uses - eg: I am a long time (big) fan of Drawmer DSL 424 units which were regarded as an industry standard compressor/noise gate unit. Enjoy!

Ah ha, enlightenment! This could possibly explain why you were unfamiliar with the compressor after the cab technique, what TexasDave calls his "secret sauce". Example: In a recording studio situation a guitar player is generally stuck in an acoustically treated room, along with all his stomp boxes, amp and cab, which are mic'ed up by an audio engineer. The captured sound is feed into a mixing desk where it probably has to pass through a noise gate, maybe a compressor/limiter and a whole bunch of variable eq on the input channel. The subsequent signal can then be processed by various other bit of analogue or digital jiggery pokery; tape delay, chorus, flanging, reverb etc. This modified guitar sound can then further treated prior to "mastering" where who know what else may be done to it to achieve that final "sheen" on your recording. That's why you can add any of the Helix effects blocks after the cab. Your signal doesn't end there - it finishes when it hits your ears - you decide what it sounds like! As the man said, "You can't polish a turd - but you can roll it in glitter!" Experiment.

There you go - now you've got it - its easy! The only trouble with doing it through a pitch shifter as opposed to actually re-tuning your strings is if you can still hear your un-amplified and un-shifted strings. It can be rather confusing when you hear both together, if you understand what I am trying to say. Never mind - you will know when it occurs, it's very strange. Ah, who cares - play it loud! Enjoy.

Hi Nippyjun, First off, I think we need to differentiate between Alternate and Drop tunings. Alternate tunings are where the various strings of your guitar are retuned across the whole instrument e.g.: Accepted standard tuning is EADGBE which can be modified to DADGAD by dropping the pitch of the 1st and 6th strings down 2 frets. Likewise the 2nd string is retuned down to A. Simple! You now have what Jimmy Page used to refer to as his Celtic, Indian and Arabic tuning, others refer to it as D Modal. Try it - you'll like it. Listen to players such as Davy Graham, Bert Jansch, Al Stewart, John Martyn, John Fahey, Andy McKee, Pierre Bensusan, Michael Hedges and you will get the idea. Tunings such as Open G, Open D and Open E are great examples of tunings that are used a lot in bottleneck slide Delta blues stuff. Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones are great exponents of Open G. The Allman Bros are also renowned for this stuff. Buy yourself a Variax and a whole heap of this stuff is already built in, and you can edit even more - Easy! Now I will state that "Drop Tuning" is slightly different (IMHO) and is the sort of thing more associated with our "Metal Brethren" although many rock masters have been known to drop down half a step - Jimi, for one. So, dropping a guitar semi tone is ridiculously easy using modern pitch shifters - no more tweaking machine heads part way through a gig. Simple solution: Pitch Wham block set with position 50%, Heel and Toe Pitch both at -1 and Mix 100%. Assign it to a FootSwitch and custom name it "Eb Drop". Now whenever you are playing and want the your guitar to go down a semi tone - jump on that switch - Simple. A small caveat to this stuff: this is a real basic explanation of tunings - can take a life time to understand but, I once had a guy playing slide blues in less that 30 mins. He didn't know that a guitar could be tuned to anything other than standard. Also, another guy once told me that my guitar must be out of tune because the tuning pegs were all facing different directions - genius! Here's a link to a tone I made that already has an "Eb Drop" switch for you to play around with. http://line6.com/customtone/tone/2031305/ Have fun! PLEASE NOTE: A lot of users have complained that the upgrade to FW2.0 has screwed up the pitch shifting quality. Digital Igloo states that Line 6 are aware and a patch to revert the shifter algorithms will be made available.

Just stop faffing about and spark up the spliff, Canuck! That should make everything sound different Maaaaannnn! Ya ain't seen nuthin' yet!