d0stenning

I'd also like to see a HELIX Control-style extender for my HELIX floor unit. To operate loopers, iPad apps - or ableton - stuff like that. Scribble Strips baby - all about the scribble strips

L O L ! i only asked this YESTERDAY !!!! Line 6 AI - now reads my mind :) ( doesn't take long )

I've chosen to wait until some of the gremlins in 2.20 get fixed before updating. will there be the customary minor dot-release coming up soon - before a however-long-it-takes wait until the next feature laden major update comes along?

Question to L6 -Eric Klein - USB output on the HELIX Control - the manual says: " USB Reserved for potential future use." Given how the HELIX Control unit connects to the Rack - does the bandwidth capacity between control and rack over that special connector allow for - in future - this USB connector to support audio data throughputs? ... ( both ways) ? ( as opposed to just low bandwidth stuff like MIDI etc ) Clearly i'm wondering if in future the USB on Helix control could be used - with iPads etc..

Clearly to send control data back up to the variax - from a HELIX or other unit would be the bigger challenge here - but not an insurmountable one. Bluetooth 5 is round the corner - increasing range. And even if all we had was - as i said - G10 functionality built into the guitar it would eliminate clutter - and reduce battery charging hassles. And the battery in future variaxes needs to be improved anyway in order to have longer battery life. the G10 battery currently lasts for much longer than the variax battery before requiring a recharge.

And for what its worth - it would also be nice to be able to charge the variax by simply plugging a charging cable into it - instead of having to take out a battery and charge it all the time. These things are a hassle, spoiling the enjoyment.

Even if one doesnt get exactly what VDI gives you - a wireless solution - even if just to send exactly the same digital data - one way- to a receiver - is clearly possible because that is what the G10 does. For under hundred bucks! If all Line 6 did was put the components of the G10 transmitter inside the variax body - excluding of course its battery and jack - it would remove some clutter. And not add much cost. A reliable digital two way connection for the very tiny amount of information required to switch models on the variax, or send program change information and midi CC information to a HELIX - would take more development effort and expense - and need either bluetooth or wifi connection or some proprietary method. But still doable. It *wouldnt* be VDI of course. It would be different. But still doable. And compared to the efforts required to come up with digital modelling and all the piezo pickup stuff research wise - i doubt would take up **that** significant an amount of research effort. The control information for example doesnt even require the bit rates of conventional MIDI - and that bitrate is by modern standards tiny. even if one were sending the MIDI for all 6 strings at once the data stream wouldn't be that dense. And I'm not suggesting they send MIDI for the strings anyway. I think it is short-sighted to not be working on adding this functionality and L6 are missing a huge opportunity to add much greater desirability to the idea of using a Variax on stage. Or at home for that matter.

lovely tone

Model Presets - presets per effect model type https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Model-Presets-presets-per-effect-model-type/870115-23508?submitted=1 For any effect-model in a patch - allow the user to select from a list of factory presets for that effect model - or be able to save the current settings for the currently selected effect-block as a new effect preset and have that added to the list of presets. Often - for a complex effect that one may never have used before one simply isn't aware of all the possibilities in which that effect can be used. And being able to simply switch between a collection of pre-built settings - each that have a name - would be a useful and creative way of exploring the full potential of any effect - be it a chorus, compressor, delay etc..

correct.

I'm also curious about how different EQ-circuit topologies or pure-dap algorithms might effect this whole EQ question. For example ( and this has been discussed before i think ) there are zero-phase-shift DSP algorithms available if one does pure DSP type EQ - whereas different kinds of DSP models of conventional analog filters, baxandall etc etc introduce some element of phase-shift. And some affect phase-shift to different extents dependent on the frequency. Dunno.

Its quite possible one needs nothing more. Except maybe the way knobs on such a customised EQ tuned to acoustic guitars might just make it a little easier to do minor tweaks for more treble, more mid, more low-end in a manner suited to acoustic guitars that a generic Para-EQ might not- or just involve more time to tweak - more expertise even - with EQ-ing such guitars that non-studio engineers might take a bit of training to get to. But in essence i agree. It would be more about usability - getting to good acoustic sounds - quickly.

I used to support the addition of acoustic amps to the model range - for acoustic guitars like steel strings, classical nylon etc. But have now changed my mind. The purpose in my mind - of a good acoustic amp - say like the AER - is not so much to ADD colour - "tone" - via more harmonics, "warm" tube transfer-characteristics etc - but rather to merely present the tone inherent in the original instrument clearly - overcome some of the tonal EQ issues when amplifying a steel string in rooms with varying acoustics. And then finally - the biggie - usually overcoming the inherent sound of PIEZO's since for most of its time the amp is being plugged in directly into the acoustic guitar. And then make all this become.... LOUD. So what would one need to achieve this ? 1) A powerful CLEAN NEUTRAL UN-COLOURED AMP. What is most "clean" in a helix patch ? the total absence of ANY amp block. period. And just put the HELIX through a neutral un-coloured stereo power amp. Arguably this would be solid-state since they arguably can be designed to be the most clean of all amp types. And at the same time not draw huge power - as do class-A tube amps. ( of course solid state amps can be class A too ) 2) a set of tone controls - i.e. EQ preamp stage - that doesnt "colour" the guitar sound - except to take away any coloration of the PIEZOs - and maybe add back the natural sound of the hollow acoustic resonator. 3 ) a decent speaker system with a fuller range - FR. Or something close. The solution for this is not a new dedicated amp-model block - but instead merely a good preset that has NO amp or even PREAMP in the chain - just one or more EQ blocks, some impulse responses - at least TWO: one to remove the piezo artefacts and reintroduce the real acoustic sound of the guitar body itself. the others to EQ the final sound for the room or taste of the performer - and for the speaker cabinet being used. It could be a "combo" cabinet or simply a PA monitor - or actually the PA itself in many situations ! We already have all this out there ! So what i'd rather have Line 6 do - or a third party - is come up with a collection of HELIX presets along with a set of suitable IR's DEDICATED to steel strings. And..... clearly in my case - also a separate presets collection - dedicated SPECIFICALLY to the acoustic models in the Variax JTV range. Something like this did exist - and was i recall put together by the Line 6 team for Variax acoustics in the Pod HD 500. Maybe just time for L6 to do the same for the HELIX. No new amp model required :) POSTSCRIPT - it is possible i guess that there might be a better EQ block design tailored to the characteristics of an acoustic guitar that would more easily get a good acoustic sound. But this would be a new HELIX EQ model - NOT a new "amp" model. And maybe to have some kind of guitar-body-type selector option in it - so one could select the type of guitar - parlour, nylon, Dreadnought etc.. and the EQ would automatically adjust.. ................. but then again - merely giving us separate presets - one or more for each different kinds of guitar body would achieve the same ends... so.. dunno

Yesterday i heard an RE-20 being played by a guy and it sounded absolutely wonderful.

moi aussi

is there a Roland Space Echo RE-201 type delay model in the HELIX ? is it the Vintage Digital ?- maybe emulating the RE-20 pedal instead ?

I don't need the plugin right now but might in the future. Cashflow is tight at the moment ( end of the tax year etc etc ) so would prefer to defer buying the plugin - even at this low price - until i actually might need it later in the year. So will low price of HELIX Native for HELIX owners be guaranteed not to change for the current year or more ? ( there's i guess the thorny issue of import customs and VAT charges - coupled with exchange rates but nothing i can do about that )

What would be really nice is to be able to have the plugin mirror or synchronise the current setlists on a HELIX. And/or be able to edit a patch in a plugin form either the plugin window itself - OR .... if connected - via a HELIX floor unit. Via USB or MIDI. Some automatic synchronisation between both would be great. so one could take a cheap laptop with the plugin as a backup solution. Actually - mirroring LIVE would be useful too. Imagine if whatever patch one was currently running in the HELIX floor-unit got updated live in the Native plugin - say running in Ableton - so that whatever snapshot or pedal blocks happened to be activated - and whatever swell-wahwah setting happened to be in play - automatically got mirrored in the plugin - so in that rare situation where the HELIX dies - the PA sound man can just immediately switch over to the sound coming out of the laptop with Native running !

Apart from a Polytone for us jazzers I basically agree with the OP. I'd like to see a presets system for each effect type and maybe a much improved set of reverbs. Theres many functionality improvements on Ideascape that would add more value than yet another amp model.

Occasionally - a software bug on an audio app using CoreAudio on OSX will cause the entire sound from the mac to be killed. And only a reboot will normally bring the sound back. Now if you mean the sound of the HELIX itself ceased i've no idea. But if you happened to be monitoring audio from the HELIX via some mac app - connected via USB ( or not in fact - its unrelated to USB if its what i'm referring to ) - then this can happen.

^^^^ THIS ^^^^

MEA CULPA ! Gotta get back to learning more licks ! ...... and just ....... playing..... and practicing

Might the mixer app AUM help ? allows you to mix the output of several IAA or AudioBus enabled apps. And route outputs from one into another. Very flexible and powerful.

Yes thats the one. But its unknown whether it models the EL84 mode or 6V6 mode. I'm going to ask on the FB forum.

Auto-Calibrate and Generate HELIX Global Eq curve using a measurement or other type of mic http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Auto-Generate-Global-Eq-curve-using-measurement-or-other-mic/865124-23508 Adding a way to quickly calibrate generate a global EQ curve by making the HELIX or the HELIX editor generate a swept sine-wave from 20-20Khz and then adjust the EQ curve on-the-fly based on what is being picked up by a connected measurement microphone, or known microphone such as a Shure SM58/ Neuman etc etc or even an iPhone or iPad mic - or the mic in a Mac - would be really useful. IK Multimedia sell such a room-measurement system along with a plugin is designed to be placed in the Master channel of a DAW - to calibrate a home or pro recording studio. But this is expensive. But a google search reveals that measurement mikes are available for as little as £39 ( from StudioSpares UK ) and these days its possible to just compensate for different mic characteristics so a range of mics could be supported