MarkJarvis

Thanks Line 6! I do have a ticket open as well, I just thought someone out there may have run into the same thing

Thanks Guys! ok so will try that. Q) so I could not get that interface (USB to Ethernet Line 6) to turn green on both ends. The VDI cable I have is the barrel kind so that didn't fit (obviously) I have two other cables, one is a blue Ethernet cable that didnt seem to turn it green but worked connecting to Helix. And what looks like a phone cable (black) but fits in the (USB to Ethernet Line 6) so do you happen to know what cable the Variax uses to connect in that RJ-45 port on the (USB to Ethernet Line 6)?

Hi, why would you say that? Line 6 Monkey said it completed...'all indicators suggest your Variax flash update failed' To be clear, it had 2.0 firmware before and I was having the exact same issue so I flashed it thinking maybe that was the issue. Same error. Version 2.22 Released 4/5/17 Works with: James Tyler Variax Variax Shuriken Variax Standard This firmware is the factory firmware for Shuriken Variax. The f/w adds support for the variax brand. Users of JTV and Variax standard guitars will see not difference in functionality other than version number. Please note, if you reflash Variax Shuriken and select "No" when monkey prompts you to select whether to retain patches or not you will need to manually reload the Shuriken factory patch bundle bundle via Workbench HD. See the Shuriken manually for detailed instructions. OS: Mac OS X, Windows 7, Mac OS Mountain Lion, Windows 8, Mac OS Mavericks, Mac OS Yosemite, iOS 8, Windows 10, Mac OS El Capitan, macOS Sierra

Hi All Losing my mind here..Helix and Workbench HD, Variax JTV 69 cant get them talking... -2.21 Helix installed. Line 6 Monkey will see JTV-69 (1.74) and flashed it with 2.22 Flash memory. I run Workbench HD 2.13 and I get an error, 'The connected Variax is not compatible with Workbench HD. You must use a James Tylers Variax version 2.0 or higher.' If I disabled MIDI in Helix (Global-MIDI-MIDI to USB on) I only get a blank scan dialog and no Variax is seen. I went nuts trying to get this working and even installed the old Variax Workbench connected VDI to my HD 500 and it was seen as expected. I am using the VDI barel plug ethernet cable. I even tried a normal Ethernet cable and that connected to Helix just fine (I guess its the correct pin out) but in no case have i been able to get Variax and Helix + Workbench working together. Workbench HD just inst seeing Variax through Helix. What the heck am I doing wrong?? Is the Variax JTV-69 (blue) not really supported with Workbench HD? Anyone out there who knows whats going on please let me know. Windows 7.

Guess I should note connecting Variax VDI Barrel cable to Helix

Hi All Losing my mind here..Helix and Workbench HD, Variax JTV 69 cant get them talking... -2.21 Helix installed. Line 6 Monkey will see JTV-69 (1.74) and flashed it with 2.22 Flash memory. I run Workbench HD 2.13 and I get an error, 'The connected Variax is not compatible with Workbench HD. You must use a James Tylers Variax version 2.0 or higher.' If I disabled MIDI in Helix (Global-MIDI-MIDI to USB on) I only get a blank scan dialog and no Variax is seen. I went nuts trying to get this working and even installed the old Variax Workbench connected VDI to my HD 500 and it was seen as expected. I am using the VDI barel plug ethernet cable. I even tried a normal Ethernet cable and that connected to Helix just fine (I guess its the correct pin out) but in no case have i been able to get Variax and Helix + Workbench working together. Workbench HD just inst seeing Variax through Helix. What the heck am I doing wrong?? Is the Variax JTV-69 (blue) not really supported with Workbench HD? Anyone out there who knows whats going on please let me know. Windows 7.

'Having his fingers wouldn't hurt' Yeah...but not really trying to play exactly like him just like that lead tone and want to get something close. Thanks for all the responses ! MJ

Cool thanks!

Anyone know how to get that classic Eric Johnson sound with helix? I am not exactly sure where to start except use my Strat .... Recent live over the internet session using Variax and Helix.. https://hearthis.at/joejeffries/supermassivemomentum-live-5-26-2017/

Yeah tried them..thanks for the suggestion. They do sound good but not exactly what i am looking for.

Is it just me or are we missing some Modern Type Amps in Helix? I like the amps that are in Helix. That said, I really struggle getting the the Modern 'Hot Rod' amp distortions I hear on some recordings or when I go and play some real amps in person. Just seems it gets a bit thin in the higher register. That said I get a pretty good sound sometimes using IR's or with dual amp setups in Helix but I just don't seem to find that 'boutique' mod amp. I remember using POD Farm 2 and finding a selection of mod amps that I liked (I had all the model packs). I have heard some comparison reviews of Helix against some other companies offerings and there is at least one that has a really large collection of Amp Models included that at least by the comparison review I really liked. Hoping Line 6 is heading in that direction (because we really need and want some mod amp models) Do you have a similar opinion?

Nice Tim! violin....

Great feedback, Hey, regarding 'One other thing: an advantage IR's have over cabs is that you can set the IR selection via snapshots and switch between different modeled cabinets, whereas you can only change cab block parameters with snapshots, not the cabinets themselves' I tried doing this but did not seem to work. Guess I need to try again, happy to hear that this is supposed to work.

Hi All Maybe an obvious answer to this question ...How do YOU use IR's in the HELIX signal chain? In my setup so far I have tried: IR (example Mesa Boogie 4x12) replacing Line 6 cab's IR After my Line 6 Cabs Pedals, Amps, Effects then IR's Pedals, Amps IR's then effects. Not really sure what I like best about any of them. Also, even though every says IR;s the same as Line 6 cabs with less controls I still feel like there is no dynamic range when using an IR as a replacement for the Line 6 cabs NOTE* I am talking only about using dsp blocks and no external gear. I would like to know how YOU use IR's and if you have any of the same experiences

Cool, i can appreciate that. Here is something I recorded live over the internet and then added a video ( using Helix) The patch I used I created in Helix.... Enjoy

Hello HonestOpinion No offense at all here. I am sure you know your stuff. Can you post some of your playing and sounds you do with Helix? I would really like to hear some your work. Best MJ

Well for one thing i dont -re-amp. Second, all i am saying is that the factory presets (factory 1) did not sound good and for sure I did not listen to them again for several releases. When I installed 2.20 I thought i would just click through the factory presets and found them better than i remembered. Certainly nothing rigorous regarding testing and reverting back firmware (YUK!) so its just an opinion and not FACT. The DSP is optimized (seemingly) and I like the update, Is it everything I ever wanted from line 6 or a modeler? Well no but still its the right direction. Here is another recording I did live over the internet using Helix.

HAHA, yeah I am a noob. But not new to Line 6. I bought Helix because HD 500 did not get me there...the factory presets have not been so inspired but this update IMO is much better!

Hey Iknowathingortwo That may be the case for you but its noticeable (the default patches) compared to the previous firmware updates. Did you actually update and review the defaults ?

Yes, thats correct, ' three people improvised this live from different cities' . We use Jamkazam.com (plug for them) latency has to be below 30ms (in our case its around 28ms round trip) Features recording both local and media streams,has HD video and you can broadcast to youtube and facebook. Its only been recently that the delay is low enough to be reasonable for most situations. The local play through delay is between 2-10 mS (depending on the audio device) and the bandwidth is handled using the OPUS codec which allows 2.5 mS encode/decode plus traverse time across the internet. We have recorded 60 hrs of Jam sessions this way. Whats cool with this is its setup as a teaching platform where scheduling, profiles, payment, students and of course the live lesson all happen in real time. They also have jam Tracks of songs broken down into stems that can be slowed, speed up or transposed then downmixed. https://hearthis.at/joejeffries/supermassivemomentum-live-3-3-2017/

Hi, recorded this live (live over VoIP) in real time over the internet from Denver, SF and Canada. All improvisation then made a video for it. HELIX sounds great! https://youtu.be/l4Z4bYPsUuw

Yeah dude..awesome...I didnt like the default preset for Badonk but you made it sound phat!. I think more of that sound though is from the IR than what you get from the Badonk?

Yes, I have noticed this as well. Good news is if you have a Variax you are less likely to need a gate at all. That said my PRS plugged into Helix is very noisy and I really have to use the gate but when i do I seem to be trying to 'turn up' the volume knob on the guitar. Not sure what the solution is...

Thats a great idea, thanks!

One thing though and this may not be something already discussed. When restoring presents or bundles you seem to have to reload all the IR's? This may seem obvious but if I had say 100 IR's loaded and then update and reloaded my preset, the preset doesnt automatically load the IR's? So...if I forgot which one I used or if i load them in the wrong order its next to impossible to accurately 'restore' presets.