soundog

Did you actually buy one and spend time comparing? I did. When comparing just an amp + cab alone, I find the TONEX pedal to be superior (tone and response) in the studio, and I'm able to dial in optimum results much quicker. Live (with band and venue acoustics), the difference is not as significant. And, of course, Helix has pre and post effects out the wazoo!

This issue is discussed in other threads here. The old legacy Workbench is only reliable on older systems. I use Macs and tried using emulation software running Mountain Lion on a Catalina-based Mac, but that didn't work. I ended up using a very old Macbook (one of the white plastic ones) running Mountain Lion, and use it now for running older software for older equipment such as a Variax acoustic 700. Its a workaround for sure, but that's your best solution. If you don't have an old clunker Macbook, check Craigslist or Ebay. Macbook 2013 looks like thet're selling for around $120. This is the main drawback of Variax guitars. If you need to edit their sounds, you're sheet out of luck over time. A "real" guitar can be passed on for generations!

It won't hurt anything. The Voicelive recognizes chords a lot better if they are clean, with no distortion or effects. So why not use one of your sends, and use a send block before any other blocks and send that mono signal to the Voicelive?

Whoa! Those top two are pretty neat, and better than the one I mentioned IMHO.

But it might be useful for lonely people to have long pointless discussions that go nowhere. Like this one.

I'm not about to really try to write an editor. The problem is not big enough to create the solution. In the meantime, I found this nifty (but dated) hlx reader that lets you view blocks and parameters. It might come in handy for offline preset viewing. If nothing else, its a curious novelty!

That all makes perfect sense. Thanks, all, for clarifying "why". I gave up on using IdeaScale. I figure Line 6 gonna do what they want at this stage of the game. I own Native, so I sort of follow @codamedia's process. At least Native (or Stomp + Helix) owners have a workaround. Someone could perhaps write a utility to edit hlx files offline. Maybe I'll do that today. I know Line 6 doesn't monitor this forum, but sometimes I just feel like whining into the wind. I'm going to make some more coffee.

This has been bugging me for months. I have lost sleep and am irritable: If I have a Helix preset (using more than 8 blocks) and I want to edit it for use on my Stomp, I have to use silly workarounds. Otherwise, I get a "dsp block constraint exceeded" error in HX Edit when the Stomp is connected. One workaround I've used, for example, is to load the Helix sample into Helix Native, remove some blocks, save it, then load the slimmed-down preset in the Stomp. Or I can do cumbersome edits of the .hlx file. Painful. Is there no other easy workaround?? Some suggested future HX Edit behaviors: Allow the user to load in a big-lollipop Helix preset even when a Stomp is connected, edit it, and then don't spit out the error message unless the edited file still exceeds block constraints. Or, allow an offline mode for editing with no hardware attached. Or, there must be dozens of other elegant solutions.

Plenty of good suggestions here. Keep in mind that for studio speakers you usually pay more for accuracy. If you are focused on Helix guitar playing rather than critical DAW mixing, you can focus more on price and power/watts than spendy brand-name flat frequency response curves. Don't gotta be accurate, just loud and reliable.

OK, just bought a TONEX pedal. It includes the software/plug-in version of TONEX. Guess what? TONEX includes a standalone version of the software. Every guitar amp modeler/profiler that I have purchased in the past 5 years (Helix Native, several Neural DSP, S-Gear, and TONEX) includes a standalone software version except for Helix Native. I think that's just silly. And perhaps even inexcusable.

Zombies indeed! Yeah, provide some detail. What is the source of the MIDI notes, for example? How is your Stomp connected to your iPad?

Very interesting. I can even hear the improvement on my laptop speakers! (And fwiw, I ordered a TONEX pedal; I couldn't pass either.)

Literally!! Don't feel bad ... I had the same thing happen to me once; not sure if it was on one of my Variaxes or not. I now keep some longer allen wrenches handy. Happy that you go it sorted out. Enjoy that guitar!!!

More suggestions here:

Ha ha! That's what I do .... I've got an ancient plastic Macbook I'm using for old equipment updating, including Variax 700. Know that you also need one of the old Variax USB dongles that connects your Variax to the computer.

I don't have an off-the-shelf switch I recommend over others, although there are plenty out there. Maybe others will chime in. I've built and used Teensy-based controllers. If you've got the time to build and program one, I'd say go for it. However, the cost can run up quicker than you expect, especially if you use good switches + LEDs (LEDs, power, and DPDT switches are a requirement, I think, so you are aware of switch status), MIDI connectors and a good enclosure. It's easy to underestimate the amount of time it takes to drill enclosures, wire, solder, troubleshoot, program, trouble shoot some more, etc. The good part, though, is that you will end up with exactly what you want, save some money, and you will be proud of what you built. Re Hotone, you can add extra ones to get more switches, and mount them if you need more stability. I've used them with success with a MIDI-based live setup. Cheap, but no LEDs!

Very cool, thanks for sharing. I've used Hotone MIDI foot switches and found them to be well designed, versatile, and very affordable.

Workbench, or Workbench HD?

Yes the VA700 will do that, but you will need to have Workbench (legacy, not HD) working with the guitar to manage the edits. That can be a challenge, as the software does not play nicely with newer computers and will probably never be updated to do so. There are plenty of threads on this forum dedicated to workarounds to getting it running. Sometimes this requires and older computer and operating system (and Java).

@Sylhead, there's nothing wrong with your Stomp. But I agree that the resulting audio waveform is anemic, especially if you need to do any sort of visual audio editing or Melodyne tweaking. I wish their was a way to adjust the output level on USB 5. After recording, you can always put a gain plugin on the track and bounce it (or however that sort of thing is normally done in Ableton) to obtain a waveform that's more like what you're used to. Just do proper gain staging when processing through any other plug-ins to avoid any clipping.

Be sure to compare the HX Stomp to the Helix Floor. That's what I use (the Stomp) in the studio and for live performance, and it meets my needs. Of course, the Helix Floor has all the bells and whistles!

Hmmm ... those forum posts might originate from some who think certain interfaces don't have a "Hi-Z" guitar input as good as the Helix hardware. As @datacommando sez, your Scarlett will work dandy, as will most any quality interface. Just be sure to keep your input levels low in the Helix Native UI. If you overdrive the input, you won't get good results. Experiment with what works best for you.

Ditto on the importance of truss rod adjustments. Be certain your truss rod tool (usually a long allen wrench, included with most new guitars) is the right size, and that the wrench is firmly seated in the truss rod before adjusting. You don't want to accidentally round out the socket! Watch videos to understand how the truss rod and neck bow works, the difference between upbow and backbow, etc. And go slow until you get a feel for what you're doing. After you've done it a time or two, it becomes second nature.

Yes! Learn how to solder!

If you already know how to setup your guitars and/or basses, great! If you don't, it's not hard and its not expensive. The basic tools are very affordable (and will pay for themselves in time). There are tons of great, free tutorials on youtube by experienced luthiers. Start with a least-cherished guitar, and work your way up from there. In time you'll learn how to tweak all your guitars to get their action and intonation right where you want them. Happy New Year!