Jecswp

I posted this in the Digital Modeling Forum over at TGP. I don't know what the overlap in clientele is, so I hope I don't annoy anyone by posting here as well. I've done some searching and I can't find a recent thread. I am looking for some ideas about pedals to use in my Helix's loops. Here are the pedals I'm using right now: TC Quintessance EHX HOG 2 Digitech Freqout 4CM What is everyone using? With the limited space, I don't want the standard stuff like chorus, reverb, etc. I'm looking for pedals that can give me something cool/weird that the Helix doesn't cover. EHX has some intriguing options. V256 Vocoder, Voice Box, Talking Machine. DI has me set to go down a Meris rabbit hole on youtube when I get home tonight. Anything else?

The DT stays in whatever state you put it in until you change it. When you disconnect the Helix, the DT settings will remain whatever they were. To change them from there you either need to plug the Helix back in and load a patch that calls up new settings or use an editor like DTEdit to change them.

The intention of my post wasn't to say that no improvements are needed to Helix/DT integration. Do I think it should have come that way? Yes. Do I hope it’s forthcoming? Definitely. I’m waiting just like everyone else. While I wait, why not futz around for a couple hours and see what happens. Why? I enjoy tinkering and learning something new. I enjoy trying to solve a puzzle. If it doesn’t work out, what have I lost? Line 6's advertising copy not withstanding, I don't think you'll find anyone who would call the original Dream Rig plug and play. In fact, anyone who posted that they were unable to get any useful tones was told "It's not a plug and play device. You have to really sit down with the unit to learn how to use it." There were endless discussions about tone stacks and output modes. DSP issues. Does it sound better with input 2 set as "Same" or should I change it to "Aux?" (You should). Full amps or pre amp models? (Pre amps). I don't see how that level of study is any less burdensome than learning the very basics of midi. And if that means that by whatever output metric you use to measure the value of my guitar playing, my priorities are askew and I’m wasting my time, that’s cool.

I made a discovery this weekend whis was important for me, but which was probably painfully obvious to everyone else. Apologies, for the rambling that's about to follow. When I get excited my ability to communicate is . . . compromised I know that the Helix/DT combo is a completely different animal than the HD/DT one. But I've been trying to make my Helix and DT50 interact as similarly as I can. The first step, of course is to use DTEdit to blank the preamp modeling for all four voicings on Channels A & B. Then blank the mic/cab modelling for the direct output. What that leaves you with is basically a DT power amp section. Some have success picking a Voicing, Operating Class, and Tube Configuration and just leaving it. Then running all of their presets through that. I'm sure that sounds amazing, but i knew there had to be more. Pretty much every parameter of the DT can be controlled via midi. The aforementioned three, Channel Selection, EQ, Reverb, And the "hidden" parameters unique to the DT50; 12AX7 Boost, Phase Inverter Voltage, Topology, and Feedback Capacitor Type. So my goal became to use midi to make the Helix/DT sound and behave as much like the real thing as possible. In an earlier thread, I discovered how to use the midi instant commands. So I tried to figure out how to set it up so that when I selected a preset, the commands would fire to set up the DT50 to mimic the power section of whatever preamp I was using. So which parameters to assign to the Instant Commands? Well the EQ and channel volume controls are disabled when you clear out the preamp models, so I can forget those. I have reverb in my patch if I need it, so cross that off. Which leaves me with seven: 1) Channel/Voicing 2)Operating class 3) Pentode/Triode, 4) 12AX7 boost, 5) Phase Inverter B+ voltage, 6) Phase Inverter type, 7) Topology It's a bit of a hassle to program all those midi commands at the start, but worth it I hope. There's just one problem. There are only six instant command slots available. So which parameter can I leave out? So I used DarrellM5's spreadsheet, which contains all of the default power amp settings from the HD500 So I hooked my DT up to HDEdit and starting with those, Then I began to set the rest to see which were most important to getting my the sound I was looking for and which I could leave out. Which leads me to the discovery that is the inspiration for this post. ALL of those settings can be saved can be saved to a voicing slot in DT Edit - Channel A: I, II, III, IV or Channel B: I, II, III, IV For example, I have a Plexi patch which calls up Channel A, Voicing II. When I load it up I can, using only one Instant Command, change the DT settings to Class AB, Pentode, 12AX7 Boost on, Topology II, Phase Inverter B+ voltage to High, and Feedback Capacitor to X. All to match the way Line 6 sets them up (which I assume are the settings they settled on after examining all the gear they modeled) Or I can change it to anything I want. All with only one midi instant command. A couple down sides. One, you're limited to the 8 Voicing slots available. Two, at least with the Plexi, which is the only one I've really worked with so far, the DT Master works in the same way, the volume control would on the real amp. You have to get pretty loud to get any sort of distortion happening. But when you do, it's glorious! Then back off the volume on your guitar, ease up on your attack and you can get those beautiful "clean, but on the verge of breaking up" tones. I love it with my MIM strat with CS '69s.

I have one on back order with Musician's Friend. They're telling me they expect more 5/27.

Helix out to DT50 via L6 Link for guitar sounds. And out via XLR to the L3t's for acoustic/synth sounds. Then I take the direct out from the DT50 to my DAW. Still very much a work in progress.

Can't copy/paste yet. DI said that's one of the main features they're still working on. Edit: Ninja'd by silverhead!

Some of the parameters have different CC# for Channel A and Channel B. That tripped me up a few times.

Yeah, I'm sure that's how it will work out. I like to imagine myself using my new found knowledge to create hundreds of intricately detailed patches that put all of the greatest tones in the history of the world at my fingertips. But I'll probably just end up using one or two that I really like. :rolleyes:

I know. I was nervous when I started due to how unhappy some people were about poor DT/Helix integration. But apart from one cable and some extra start up time, it's exactly the same.

Sweet! Thanks, roscoe5 and soundog. Edit: After reading p.37 I realize I don't even have to waste a footswitch to do it. I mean I can. But if I want to just set the voicing, topology, etc. and leave it, I can save the switches to control amp or effects blocks, or other parameters that are more likely to change within a song. :o mind blown

I hope the thread title makes sense. I'm working on getting my Helix and DT 50 to play nice together. I've learned to assign footswitches to send midi commands to set up Channel A/B, Voicing, Class, and Triode/Pentode in a given patch. If I switch to a second patch with different settings, is there a way to have the original settings recalled automatically when I return to the first patch? Or do I, once the patch is open, then have to press the footswitches to resend the commands? Thanks for your help.

Thanks, spikey. I hope it ends up sounding as good as it looks.

Hey all, Long ago, I had a DT50 112 combo. But do to lack of space and funds, I was forced to sell it. Since the, I've been playing my HD500 and now Helix thru a pair of l3ts. It's been great, but I've read accounts of people saying how great it sounds when the play their Helices thru tube power amps and I had to know if I was truly missing out. I don't have room for a combo or half stack and I have to keep it down at home, so this is what I've settled on. I got a great deal on a used DT50 head and set it on top of my l3ts. Then I got a Weber Mass III attenuator to help me turn the Master up, but keep the volume down. For electric sounds, I'll go from Helix via L6Link to the DT50. Then take the Direct Out into the back of one l3t, then out the thru jack to the other. For acoustic/synth sounds, I'll go from Helix to the side inputs of the l3ts. It's still a work in progress and I'm still getting familiar with all the moving parts. I've updated the firmware and downloaded DTedit, but I still need to follow Colonel Forbin's and radatats's procedures for prepping the DT50 to play nice with Helix. Does anyone have any advice or see any pitfalls with this setup?

You were 100% right ZAP. After waiting for over a week for the repairman to even look at it (that's another story) I finally found out the problem. It is . . . a blown power supply. They put it the call to Line 6 today and they say they should have it back to me in about a week. Yeah, right :rolleyes: Oh well, just glad to know what's wrong.