soundog

OK, then make us another crazy VDI-to-USB dongle, and sell it as an accessory for us Variax owners. You can never have enough of those Variax dongles.

Agreed. Still, I wish for a simple tablet/phone utility that would allow users to upload/download/store their patches, set lists, and global settings. It would sure be handy when on the road for those of us who don't want to lug around a computer, but always have our phone handy. No need for fancy editing, just a backup utility, especially useful in the event of a crash requiring a complete restore to factory settings.

I've been handling preset building and editing with kid's gloves. My theory is that odd/specific combinations of blocks or parameters might result in patches that can brick the HXFX. So .... I always have backups of my entire global setup and all presets, and I never edit close to show time (I got burned by that once before). Once I think a patch is "clean" I name it using all caps. New patches aren't added to the clean list until I'm convinced they're stable. Suspect patches get deleted and written over by blank clean ones. Also, when building patches, I save and reboot often. Lots of extra work for sure, but at least I haven't had my HXFX brick at a gig. Yet....

I've used both Android and Apple tablets with all sorts of music-based hardware and apps. It hasn't been a problem on Apple products, but the Android world get's really messy when it comes to host-based stuff (using OTG, etc). I think a lot of Android users are used to it, though. Lots of forum discussions.

Very, very cool! Its amazing to see how small the Stomp is compared to the Mother Ship. Let us know how this works out.

I'm thinking the new Helix Stomp might be ideal for many bass players. For some, the amount of switches and effects blocks would be more than enough.

That sux big time.

Plenty online on this new product. Example here Looks like a great addition to the lineup. Yeah, only 6 blocks, and only one send/return. But all of the effects and amps in that little box? Holy mackerel, Bat Man.

Line 6 could control the A/D input circuit and tailor it perfectly for the rest of Helix and for typical guitars. Native has to work with all sorts of external/unknown audio interfaces. Just set all of your gains so that you don't get digital peaks anywhere in your chain of audio processors and you should be fine.

One reason an iPad Editor would be great would be for the HX Effects unit if it freezes up at a gig! You could do a factory reset and reload your patches without having to lug around a computer.

I only use it in the studio, and set all my levels per song. Its not really intended for live performance, but you may be able to make something work out. In that case, I'd set the level for peak volume knob setting, pickup (and stuff).

By "small waveform", you mean the waveform you see in your DAW? If so, that's not a problem. I'd follow this sequence for gain staging with HXN: 1) set you guitar to your highest output (bridge hum bucker) with guitar and tone controls set where at the highest level you will be using them at in your song. 2) adjust your audio interface to a level that is not clipping when you play your hardest chords (-6 dB to -3 dB is a good level to aim for). 3) with HXN as your first plugin, set HXN input level to peaks around -10 dB to -12 DB (also when playing your hardest chords). Yeah, some info says -18 to -24, I think to make sure you don't overdrive any of the blocks, or to allow plenty of headroom. I personally use around -10 dB, and am careful about setting all the input and output levels on the blocks within HXN so things don't get overdriven. 4) set your HXN output level to peak at about -6 dB This assumes you are doing software monitoring through HXN while playing. If you already have a raw guitar track recorded, just go to step 3 and 4. Small waveforms are not a big deal, and preferred over any clipping. Somewhere in between is nice, but not essential.

Deauthorize Native on your computer before you reset things. Then reset, then reinstall and reauthorize.

You need a cheap solution to connect your Variax to a computer via USB, as others in this forum are trying to do. Get an older POD (those mentioned), or a Variax power supply and USB dongle. Buy used on flea-bay.

As mentioned, latency could be a significant factor .... some folks are sensitive to even a slight delay when software monitoring through their DAW, especially when playing fast passages or riffs. Turn the buffer size down in your DAW as small as possible until you hear no perceptible delay. Also, Helix Native is sensitive to input levels, so don't get anywhere near hitting peak levels.

Depends on the PC. Below is something low-cost you could try. But keep in mind hum can also be caused by a faulty PC or poorly-shielded PC. Even a faulty component on a laptop can cause hum. I don't think you mentioned if you were using a laptop or a desktop PC, or an LCD or a CRT monitor. CRTs are notorious for causing hum. Any way, at least you've isolated the culprit.

Yes, this works as long as you have sufficient CPU horsepower in your DAW. You also have to keep an eye on your gain staging.

Yep. Important to know that the Helix can be used as a sound card, but not the HX Effects.

This is troubling. There doesn't seem to be a common cause we can pin down right now. The effect is the same though, and if you're at a gig when the unit freezes, you're hosed. Let's continue to report in here if you get a freeze. If it happens to me again I'm filling in a ticket to see if I can get an exchange or some resolution.

@mbrooks0711 - did your bricking happen a) while you were simply playing through the unit, or b) right after you were doing edits and saves? And, if a), did it seem to happen right after invoking a specific patch (like 17A)? This is tricky to troubleshoot because its intermittent. Part of me thinks its either a corrupt preset issue or a RAM/memory issue. A full reset (rewrite entire memory with factory patches) seems to fix everything. So .... does the problem occur right after saving a preset, or out of the blue (no editing or saving, just using)? In my case bricking happened when I was doing edits and saves and controller assignments for a gig, which made me think the memory was somehow being corrupted during a save. But it could also have been due to some specific combo of parameters, blocks, and/or assignments. I notice that the following 2.60 Release Notes mention the following fixes for the HX Effects that involved bricking related to block parameters and assignments: * If a controller is assigned to a Modulation > Pattern Trem block parameter and the min value is greater than the max value, moving the controller can cause HX Effects to freeze — FIXED * Assigning 11 parameters to a single controller, copying/pasting the block, and then moving the controller can cause HX Effects to freeze — FIXED * If a block has a dual-state parameter assigned to a different footswitch, copying and pasting the block to another switch can fail to display white controller nodes and sometimes may freeze the UI — FIXED

I think it sounds pretty darned awesome.

Match MIDI channel between Helix receive and iPad app send, use CC64 (Tap Tempo) with a value of 64—127. Page 56 in your manual.

I understand your position, but am not convinced. For example, 1) I don't need or use a footswitch with Split/Return; I leave my Split/Return blocks active (with an external stereo looper), using a 50% mix. 2) You can control the parameters of non-blocks such as Split and Mix. In other words, why isn't there an option for the Split/Return in/out to act like a "passive" Split/Return on a mixer — even a digital mixer with DA/AD. Obviously there is enough horsepower for the DA/AD. I don't feel that using them in a passive way should take up two Blocks (almost 25%!).

Its a reasonable question. The Split A/B or Split Y and Mixer don't take up a Block, and they are used primarily to simply route audio .... just like Send/Return.

Totally agree about the difference in the Vax and an acoustic. That's why I mainly use my Alvarez Yair guitar with a good pickup (and sound hole mute for feedback prevention) at gigs, and only use the Variax on guitars that require special tunings or effects (like doubled bass on low E and A). So, two guitars is enough; I'm always amazed at the number of guitars many pros take on tour, but they have paid roadies and guitar techs!