datacommando

Hi TexLefty65, Thanks for the input. Yep, I'm convinced that it's a problem with the USB data stream getting interrupted and/or corrupted, as the USB is carrying both the audio and data streams between the Helix and the Mac. Plus I did notice that my old project tracks were being re-sampled on the fly, that sort of stuff I can live with, but losing MIDI connectivity is a pain. I stated out thinking (and thanking) Yamaha must have suggested the DIN plugs for all us antiques that still have vintage sound modules in the rack. Regarding OS X - well when I took my Retina out of the box and connected to the internet the first thing it did was update from Yosemite to El Capo. That was on the day that it was fist released (Sept 30th 2015) and I've applied all the incremental updates ever since then. When the Helix arrived (mid November) straight out of the box it was patched in as the main interface, and as noted previously, everything just worked - and has done continuously until a couple of weeks back, when this madness started. Theoretically, nothing had changed for this strangeness to start - although, I may be charged with too much negative energy. This is, as stated above - pure voodoo! Hi zooey, Seems to be mainly an issue for Mac users AFAIK. Hi BobTheDog, See what I mean about "blame culture" - no one wants to take responsibility for the problem, even though both Line 6 and Apple are aware of this. As noted above, my first tests with the latest update v1.10.0 Helix and the latest OS X Hell Crapitan seems less lumpy on the audio chain but MIDI it seems is still a wipeout. More investigating to be done.

@ zooey That's actually very helpful. I guess I should get this back to base for a proper health check. I just don't like the idea of being with out the box of tricks if I can fix it another way. But hey!

Many thanks for the insight and response "soundog". Yep - I'm thinking that it's some sort of issue with the clock/chopper, but for the life of me cannot figure out why that would create the MIDI failure. Although when you think about it, it is simply a bunch of ones and zeros shooting down the USB wire. re: item 1) - I don't reckon it's an issue with the Roland or the DIN cables - noted above, everything works fine via FW interface to the old iMac, it's just a basic dumb controller squirting out a bunch of binary data. 2). The 48kHz sample rate issue on Mac OSX is noted on many other threads on this forum and, this far down the line, I thought should have been addressed and fixed by the tech crew! I'm wary of hooking the Helix to my wife's MacBook Pro to test it any further, cos if it screws the pooch - my life is over (I think you know what I mean). 3). Next on the list, I'm going to wade through and trash the whole OSX Audio MIDI setup plist, prefs etc. and clean the whole thing out, but I still suspect Helix as the culprit. Having said that, Apple will blame Line 6 and vice versa - we live in a blame culture. 4). I'm prone to suspect it's a software rather than hardware prob, but this sort of "voodoo" usually can't be replicated. You know what they say about any known computer problem - it will cease to exist in the presence of another technician. UPDATE FYI: I downloaded and installed the latest Helix Editor and Firmware v 1.10.0. Rebooted Helix and reset the Globals. Testing thus far shows that the audio seems to be more stable, even though it is still locked at 48kHz, and the MIDI data is a total loss in LogicProX and really flaky in GarageBand. I also have a copy of ProTools First which I wanted to check out as a test bed and it doesn't want to play nice on the MIDI. Some where down the line, stuff from the MIDI DIN to USB is getting corrupted. Thanks Right now I need a beer!

I’m not sure if this is a software or hardware problem but now it’s really driving me crazy. Since acquiring my Helix at the end of November 2015, I have been using it at the heart of of my studio set up, effectively replacing my old POD HD500 and Focusrite Saffire Firewire interface recording system. Essentially the Helix is connected via USB to my 6 month old, 3.3GHz iMac Retina 5K (with 32GB of RAM installed). From new the Helix has had every update done, up to the latest firmware v1.06.5 on the release date16th Feb and the Mac is now OS X El Capitan 10.11.14 (installed 28th March, a while after problems started). My near field powered monitors are cabled to the Helix 1/4†out sockets with gold plated jack plugs and my Variax then hooks up on the dedicated input. In addition my, very old (if it’s good enough for Brian Eno then it’s good enough for me), RolandED PC-180 MIDI keyboard controller which uses the old school DIN plug to input MIDI data to the various software synths available in GarageBand or whatever, goes to “MIDI in†on the rear of the Helix. I have to say that the swap over was quick and painless (i.e. no drivers etc.). Everything simply worked perfectly normally, as it should, until about 2 weeks back (early March) when things started to get very weird. Any audio from iTunes or via the internet seems to function normally. It’s when I playback a GarageBand/Logic X track, it will start out O.K., and then after very short while (less than a couple of minutes) the audio degrades to the point where it sounds like it is running through a bit crusher effect, spluttering and popping until it ultimately fades into silence. This then becomes a system wide problem, screwing any and all up audio coming from any other source, iTunes, YouTube etc. The only way to clear the bug is by switching back and forth to the iMac onboard audio, except on returning to your favourite DAW it happens again, and again, and again. Apart from the audio output being screwed, the MIDI has also ceased to work properly. Any pre-recorded MIDI played back O.K. until the audio channels start to go flakey. Using the PC-180 keyboard I can get soft synths to trigger intermittently on single notes in GBand, but in Logic - not a sound, nada, zip, zilch, zero. It’s totally bizarre, because nothing has really changed - once the recording system had been set up, it was, fire and forget, nothing else required. It just worked! O.K. To try and figure this out I wanted to go through everything in the chain. First hurdle - cannot test the Retina iMac and FocusRite because the interface is FireWire400 into the module and the Mac is Thunderbolt to FW800 crossover. ARRGH! Right! I decided to connect everything up to the old iMac, how it had been pre Helix days. So I have the Focusrite patched to the MIDI keyboard on DIN, that sends/receives audio and MIDI via FireWire and outputs audio to the monitors. Yep - that works just fine, no stuttering, soft synths respond to slow swelling chords and fast single note sequences. So, now I use Helix as the hub, in the way listed above except this time it’s the old Mac running GarageBand. Well, I think you can guess what happens - correct we are back with the spluttering, stuttering, crackling popping and fading audio and flakey MIDI. Now don’t get me wrong but, when it comes to this hi tech MIDI sort of stuff, friends and associates usually ask me to fix it for them (hence the handle “data commandoâ€). I’ve been using computers and MIDI for over 30 years, in 1984 I owned an early Roland JX3P - the first synth with MIDI - which was hooked up to a Yamaha CX5M II MSX Computer System, and later to an Atari 1040ST (1986) running Sternberg’s Pro24 Sequencer (early version of Cubase). I still have a collection of rack mounted vintage synth/sample,FX modules e.g., Roland U110 and D110, Yamaha TX81Z and SPX90, Kawai K3M and K1M plus an AKAI S950 and XE8. Oh yeah, there is a Roland GR33, BOSS GT6, PODXT Live and a HD500 along the back wall, and a Korg digital drum machine in a box somewhere in here. Please note: on the iMac I have done all the usual “fix it†stuff - repair permissions, reset SMC and zapped the PRAM/NVRAM. There must be someone out here in Helix land who can maybe give me a clue has to WTF is happening - please help! And while I’m at it - why does Line 6 and the Helix state audio sample rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96KHz. On the Mac only 48 can be selected - surely some mistake? See attached png. At the moment this whole shebang is totally FUBAR!

@ billdutcher Have a look in the custom tone section under Helix. I just uploaded a very, very basic extremely quick and dirty "SRV Lenny" patch which should give you somewhere to start. I also have to agree with the comments in the other posts here. Remember, It isn't down to just a single "magic" tone, SRV used various amps 'n' FX - Tube Screamer, Leslie, Marshall, Fender and of course the legendary Dumble. He had heavier gauge strings, plus lots of finger strength and a great deal of experience and technique and the semi tone drop in tuning. You could spend a fortune on replicating the gear he used and you'll never, ever sound like him - only an approximation. Helix is only one tool to start you on the path, let us all know how you get along with it - Enjoy!