spikey

To the OP- there are no dumb questions here except the ones you don't ask. FWIW (and lots don't do it this way), I use Helix as a guitar effects/preamp only (my opinion is that's what its main intent was) , and never as an audio interface. Altho it can do the job I prefer to use another nice dedicated audio interface to hook a mixer to, and from that mixer I have Helix, and Kemper, and other things attached. Out of the Mixer I attach my Mackie studio monitors, and sub outs go to my Firehawk 1500. There are of course lots of ways, but this is how I currently do it. Hope this helps!

Love my old Mackie 824's

You are zeroing out the DT50/25 midi setting on the amp so that you can then run Helix amps (and cabs if you are going passive FRFR). OTOH if you are using a cab u like the tones on, you don't want the DT-amp or Helix adding a Cab/IR/emulation on top of the tone of the cab you like, and are using. It muddies the sound in some cases, but its still up to u because sometimes adding in a Helix cab on top of the tones from a real cab is preferred. Don't forget you are also changing the topology types 1, II. III. and IV ( for 1=Fender, II= Marshall etc, III= Vox, and IV= high gain amps.

And use DT-Edit to blank/zero out the DT amp midi settings (as discussed in many threads) when you are ready to use it with Helix.

http://line6.com/support/topic/23374-dt-series-amp-integration-and-helix-revisited/ Start reading this and the other links listed on this, and right now YES u use midi. And download the DT50/25 midi guide from Line 6 site too. http://line6.com/media/dt50/DT_MIDIGuide_v2_0_RevA_English.pdf

If they really did that, then they modeled "some" the wrong stuff IMO. Id rather had Full DT amp and Variax integration, Workbench working in Helix and a tuner for my editor. Did I mention a tuner for the editor? ;) That said I think the wah's sound decent once setup right. Amp models to me are "moooouch" better that the HD side. AFA the whammy and octave issues I must apologize to this thread because I don't use them much, so I don't know the hell some are griping about. But if they are broken, of course they need fixing.

TYVM Jim!

I would imagine (unlike you I am guessing here) they thought that they did. Now I could be wrong so lets ask them. Hey Line 6, did you model the best stuff for Helix In your opinion, or just piece meal it together and throw it out the door as some suggest here? Hows that CBTL? Close enuff? ;)

And is updatable without issues. Remember Dev's gotta eat too!

I sure would like to get paid as much (and play out as much) as John does with his out dated mid heavy tone. Like you said, to each their own - my milage can and does vary on this one. But then Im just an old fart stuck in my ways. Ask Silver if you don't believe me... ;)

Woot thanks!

Hehe well theres about 3 million choices out there Shred. For DAWS theres Cakewalks Sonar, Cubase 8.5, Pro tools 12.x, and many others. I assume that you are going to use Helix for the audio interface. Lots of people do that here , but there are many others that are "dedicated" for that purpose ONLY. MOTU, UAD, Focusrite, etc etc. Then, once you get Windows 7 up and running one of the most important things to do is to get your OS "set-up" for audio recording, so that there are no drop outs and latency issues. And believe me Windows 7 does NOT come setup for that. That said, its not hard to do, once you get all the updates and such installed. There are many sites with this Windows 7 "audio setup info", so just google setting up Windows 7 for a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). and you will find them. Also, don't use your PC for for gaming, and porn sites, and also audio work. I know that there are some that disagree with me on this, but a dedicated and setup digital audio workstation works better when thats ALL it does, in my experience. Toontracks Easy Drummer II is the best drummer software to start out with, and its very powerful as well. If you don't have a bass, then "Trillian" from Spectrasonics is a great program for the low end. Thats a start, and will take you a while doing reading and research. Of course thats a pin prick on an elephant as far as lots more to choose from. Hope this helps!

I wouldnt upgrade just yet. !st of all Sierra has issues right now with AU plugins which Logic X uses.

yep^^^

Its only inadequate for some when it doesn't have something someone wants. I wanted the same Helix for $99.00 and had to pay lots more. So Its "inadequate.... :P :lol:

nice idea!

FYI GUYS- On an earlier post I mentioned having midi switching issues from Helix to the DT-50 amp, and now I think I know why. As far as setting up the DT amps MIDI with Helix, here is what I have found out by trial and error. Now some of you may already know this but "I" did not, and could not (at first) get Helix on some patches to switch the DT amp properly while other patches worked. It was a simple thing really, just be sure load in the GLOBAL midi Parameter settings listed in the "DT series Midi Implementation guide" first, and then the Channel A & B settings after. I think ( and don't know this for sure yet but it makes sense now) that Helix reads and transmits midi messages/settings in the Helix command tab/block from "left to right", serially speaking. So if the Globals are listed 1st, it sends them 1st, and then the other parameters after. I do know that after I set it up like this in Helix, my weird problems of some patches not switched correctly on the DT amp from Helix was completely gone!

Well Thanks for the info DI, but I have to ask this cause it sticks out to me after looking at it for a bit. If Helix and the DT series amp integration was always in L6's gargantuan list of things to do, then why in the Helix manual is there so little an amount of midi expansion slots listed? Was it a time or memory constraint? I counted less than 35 midi CC's (including the cute CC 128 OH_NOOOO) in Helix, when the legacy DT amp itself has at least 25 CC's (and many values) per channel? Not trying to lollipop you off DI, Im just asking cause it seems that there should be more midi content for expansion there than shown on paper. And I did even include the 7 "global" ones listed. And as far as Helix having different architecture compared to the HD-500 firmware, I do understand very little on that part, sorry. That said midi is still midi, is it not? And I can send midi out now from Helix and change things on the DT amp from what little I know now. So thats got to be child's play for an L6 engineer. So if midi is still midi then adding to the L6-Link software is the issue?. Just trying to understand. I do appreciate your info and content as always.

Welp, I got 3 patches setup and saved, and they sounded good to me using Helix, the DT-50, a L6-Link cable and a midi cable. Couldn't get midi to toggle A to AB with Helix all the time, so just set it at AB. Then I tried what others suggested, going out of Helix 1/4" mono out and into the DT-50's "return" jack. That was OK, except I had a bit of ground noise and prob. need to use some ground isolation. Now I think I'll wait for DI to kick some L6 programmer nerd-ends and get that patch out we all want! ;)

Im mostly the same way. Love that editor, but some don't and thats ok too.

The original Keeley 2 knob compressor was and still is the best I've ever used. And I'll also add while Helix does do high gains well and they generate their own sustainable tones, some of us Helix owners use the other less gain patches too, and need compression. In other words and as always, YMMV and that's okay too! ; ) As far as the LA2A is concerned, I'm thinking that a lot of us (me included) just don't know how to use it properly. Once again pure speculation 😉

Good story! I do think Helix can replace tube amps in the studio easier than on stage, but it's possible to do both with a little effort as you have done. BTW, care to mention where you got those IR's you are so proud of? Thanks!

DI, about this spec you mentioned that u wrote, does it fall in line with what has been suggested for DT integration here in this thread?

Very true SD! Im thinking with this update that L6 might just have to take the DT-50 assy. plant out of mothballs and pay the electric bills once again.

That midi command does not seem to be working for me. I do not know what Im doing wrong. The others seem to work fine. I have blanked/zeroed out all in DT-Edit on both channels too... If I leave it set to AB, all is well. When I change say a Vox amp to Class A, this setting is erratic, as in sometimes it might switch, while at other times it might switch another patch to Class A that was supposed to be (and is set to) Class AB. Weird.... Anyone noticed this? Edited: FYI- When using DT Edit from my Mac/Midisport interface, the Class A to AB switch works every time with the DT 50 head. This issue points then to Helix causing this issue. Is there a setting in Helix to slow down the midi send rate? Could that be the deal??? Edited: See below- Its was NOT a Helix issue after all...