cordelero

I agree with the bass response issue. I put my speakers up on amp stands and it cleaned up the bottom end quite a bit.

I experimented this weekend and I discovered that I just wasn't outputting enough level to the speaker to get the volume I needed. I took a brand new patch and inserted a Deluxe Normal (I think that's what it's called - I'm not at home right now) into the patch and, without touching anything, played it with my Les Paul with the output knob on the Helix set all the way clockwise. I also double-checked the global settings on the Helix and made sure the XLR output was set to "Line". I set the volume on the K12 to 0 dB and watched the clip light on the back. No clipping - not even close. I then upped the output at the far right of the patch to +20db and played - definitely clipping! I backed off to +10 dB and found that even with distortion boxes and whatnot, I was not clipping. At +10db, the speaker was way too loud, which is what I would expect of a 1000 W PA speaker of this quality. Problem solved. This brings me to the point where I wish there was a global output level. Stock output level is too quiet for a rock band, if you're only using one FRFR speaker. I'd rather have the output knob at 12 o'clock for normal use, just knowing I could get stupid loud if necessary. I am very cognizant of my hearing and I'm constantly begging the drummer to stop using his crazy metal shell kit for the sake of all of the band members' ears and the audience. If he can't tone it down, it may be time for a new drummer.

I have a QSC K12 and I can confirm that it just doesn't push enough air to compete with the animal drummer in one of my bands. It's perfectly fine for my Wilco-esque band, but just can't get it going for the loud rock band. I'm going to purchase a second K12 eventually, but in the meantime I've been running the Helix in front of my Orange TH30 with a 2x12 cab. I used to work with an amp tech who would say "it ain't about wattage, it's about cone-age". The physics is complicated, but total surface area of the speakers has a big impact on the overall decibel level.

I imagine that since the effect is most pronounced in the bass frequencies, you could use global EQ to tone down the bottom end when you play at gig levels without having to mess with your patches. I'll try it and tell you how it turns out.

I have a QSC K12 and I love it. I may get a second one for stereo, knowing full well that I'll be the only one that hears it that way.

I find the Alto speakers to be very mid-forward. Not what I would call flat response at all. I upgraded to a QSC K12 and it made a world of difference. The bonus is that the mid-forward sound of the alto makes it a very decent vocal monitor on stage, so I don't feel like my purchase was a waste.

I think it would be fantastic if there was a separate page where you could manage all the footswitch and controller assignments for a particular preset without having to move the joystick around. This would be especially helpful if you have complex multiple parameter assignments and just want to tweak it a little bit. Right now it feels like I'm always one wrong move from completely screwing up my patch.

Got it! Thanks. I couldn't see how it had any function in the routing or audio and now it makes perfect sense. You the man, DI!

Thanks DI. The obvious split and merge in the Two Tones A-B patch make sense to me, but it's the little circles after the amp on path 1B and before the cab on 2B that I don't understand. The one on path 1B is merge mixer and the one on path 2B is a split Y. They are small and greyed out. When I click on the joystick on them I found that you can't remove them. Are these some kind of auto-created devices that are necessary for the other parts to work or am I missing something?

I pulled up the template for 2 tone A/B and can't really figure out how the splits and merges work. There are two y-splits but I can't see where they split to and how this accomplishes the A/B function. I also can't find which parameters or blocks the footswitch actually controls. It makes it difficult for me to reverse engineer the process. I think a great feature would be the ability to pull up a page for a footswitch that has an assignment and see a list of the parameters and blocks that it controls and to have the ability to adjust the settings for each from the page. Setting up a switch or controller to control multiple parameters or blocks is a dicey situation for me. One wrong move (or accidental twist of the joystick button) can throw the assignment for that switch into chaos. To clear all assignments for a switch seems to require figuring out what parameters are currently assigned and turning them off individually. I may be just getting used to the process, but it seems a lot less intuitive than the rest of the device - which came very quickly to me. I have ideas for tones that I want to create but feel that I need to master the splits and merges to do so. For instance, I want to create a clean tone that has a fuzz tone that can be blended in with the controller. I understand that only A/B splits can be assigned to controllers. My concept of "A/B" is "A or B". A detailed tutorial on splits and merges would be fantastic.

Thanks DI! You're a really helpful presence here. I am a mac user and I'll look into the aggregate device - much easier than using digital I/O. I discovered the templates AFTER I posted yesterday. I'd still like to know the logic behind why the presets work. I'm a physics teacher and I can't stand know understanding the why of everything. :)

Hey everyone. I got my Helix yesterday and I'm loving it. I'm doing a Halloween show playing 80's British Goth and my tones are going to be perfect! Now for my questions: I'm not going to be using the Helix to record direct through USB because I can't use it at the same time as my Apollo Twin in Cubase and there's no way I'm going to switch back and forth between audio drivers all the time (I like having a static setup that doesn't require me to think when I'm feeling creative). What I'd really like to do is go out through one of the digital outs in Helix into the Optical In on the Apollo Twin. I know nothing about digital audio connections. Is this possible? Also, it would be great if Line 6 could make a tutorial on splits and merges. I want to create a patch using the two paths where one is a clean Fender sound with tons of delay and reverb and the other is a Hiwatt with a fuzz pedal and be able to A/B between them with a footswitch. It seems possible but I can't figure it out to save my life and the manual is really simple in this regard. One more. I would love to have a reference to all the parameters in all the effects. There are some parameters in the compressors and modulation effects that I'm not familiar with and I'd like to know what they do.

Thanks silverhead and bond19. That's exactly what I needed to know.

My question is more about the signal chain. Is there a master volume for the patch as opposed to the master volume for the amp? The master level knob on the unit is global, right?

I'm getting some great sounds from the Firehawk so far. I'm trying to get some consistent levels from patch to patch and the only thing I can come up with is the using the master volume on the amp model, which affects the tone. Am I missing something? Also, I'd like to suggest a simple one-touch way to save a patch in place after you've made minor adjustments. I think the Firehawk app is great, but I'm sure Line 6 will make improvements as time goes on.