jkuche

Try to tune to the first harmonic ie, over the 12th fret.

The only issue is the impedance matching at the input; ... For me and the DI+ the issue was solved going into my DAW by using the Line input (instead of the Inst input) of my Focusrite 2i2 (with the new drivers downloaded). The output was fantastic going out of the L-R outputs into my monitors straight from the Helix. Thanks. To clarify - you were referring to DAW use , not live sound ? Because live is what I'm looking to use Helix for , especially the delays, verbs, and pedal volume swell .

BuleriaChk posted a thread about playing nylon acoustic using a mic preamp in place of an amp/cab , reporting superior articulation etc. through FRFR speakers . A reply stated that Helix isn't kind to acoustic guitars unless one plugs into the effects return. There wasn't much help beyond that. I'm sure there's plenty of experience playing acoustic through Helix. Any recommendations / experience / suggestions? ( Tak, Ibenez, Martin ; various pick-up systems). I'd like to use the Helix effects . thanks, j BTW, I tried to avoid starting a redundant thread if this was already answered . I searched the forum using the work "acoustic" . Didn't help much .

Kudos, Peter , for the video. Seems much of the convo is about acoustic IR's with electric guitars. I play an Ibanez Artwood, Takamine ( native pick-ups) , and a Martin JC-40 ( Fishman Rare Earth. Yeah- magnetic ). I'm playing through a Firehawk, and somewhat frustrated by the result. Something tinny and unpleasant is hiding in there. Let's just say I'm often tempted to chuck the Firehawk and go straight in thru some delay pedals. Is the Helix , with the aforementioned IR's ,ideal for these various acoustics compared to Firehawk?

I feel "addicted" to using a tablet to edit, on the fly, for a number of reasons- presets, no matter how meticulously created, don't always match a room, a song, a gig, a vibe, etc. Rather than "tweak with the feet" or bend over, I find flipping through amp and effect settings on a waist level tablet much easier. Is Helix editor closer to live parameter control/ editing ? How's Helix panning out for acoustic guitars? thanks, j

Hello , brainy forum peoples, After heavy use for 2 years , I finally lost out-put ( input?) on my Firehawk. I've tried every possible combination of cables, instruments , LINE/AMP button setting, wah/ toe switch, presets, XLR and 1/4 inch out. Recalibrated the pedal. It does pop the PA on rebooting. Have not reflashed. Have not looked for FX loop output. Thoughts? including is it (usually) cheaper to repair a 2 year-old unit, or replace? BTW, I heavily use acoustics as well as electric. thanky, dr jay

One or two of my foot switches take more than one tap to switch , which is frustrating trying to tap on a lead boost . - I wonder if that is a software issue (but I doubt that) . Before I go further with trying to remedy , a few questions- is it really easy to replace a foot switch ? any diagnostic suggestions ? anybody else have to tap more than once ? ty 0

Chris (and everyone) , I started this thread over a year ago . For whatever reason , my Firehawk signal loss issue has almost completely resolved- I probably get catastrophic signal loss every 50 shows. I really haven't changed anything. Go figure. But I am having foot switch issues - One or two of my foot switches take more than one tap to switch , which is frustrating trying to tap on a lead boost . - I wonder if that is a software issue (but I doubt that) . Before I go further with trying to remedy , a few questions is it really easy to replace a foot switch ? any diagnostic suggestions ? anybody else have to tap more than once ? ty 0

One or two of my foot switches take more than one tap to switch , which is frustrating trying to tap on a lead boost . - I wonder if that is a software issue (but I doubt that) . Before I go further with trying to remedy , a few questions is it really easy to replace a foot switch ? any diagnostic suggestions ? anybody else have to tap more than once ? ty

I haven't come close to tweaking the current software and could probably spend a year doing so minus any updates. I would greatly appreciate some guidance as to the tweaking and differences between effects , such as stereo ping pong and stereo delays, and the various parameters, other than just fool around with it and see what does what ( experience is a great teacher that I can't easily afford ) . Perhaps it can be found in the forums , perhaps there is already written material or video. I'd not like to spend a lot of energy researching . If you are aware of great information for these effects and their parameters , please advise . Good job , Line 6.

Thanks to all for the feedback, and thanks for the re-direction to this great thread , which seems like problem solved- Control Helix App From iPad or Android Tablet Started by radatats, Apr 02 2016 07:24 AM Seems the "tweak-before-the-show" camp has majority sway. As for playing electric guitar in worship and cover bands, I pretty much "set it and forget it ". But I still get the urge to fool around with settings live. I play mostly acoustic in a string band. We practice unplugged , so I am not getting much practice time tweaking delay trails and such ( yes - delay trails in a string band... " genres are confusing" ). I also run into all kinds of different rooms and stage sounds, etc. In my scenario, it's troublesome to plug everything in to tweak things at home. And the acoustic use goes back to previously opened topics on Helix for acoustic guitar. Have fun !

For live use. Basically all the effect chain manipulations , including effects, EQ, amp parameters, etc, ideally on a tablet and ideally wireless ( open can of worms here). Would entail tablet OS , such as Android ( open another can ). Similar to Firehawk tablet UI. Why? To make changes in live sound based on room, guitar, band, vibe, and spur-of-the-moment variables/urges. Sorry to beat a dead horse , but I really can't read the UI on the floor that easily, nor make changes even with foot editing. thoughts?

I have used J station, Pod, and Firehawk live for 15 years. Nothing comes close to the ease of editing presets on-the-fly as a tablet or phone linked to the Firehawk. Great flexibility - put a phone on a music stand, or clamp a tablet in the ubiquitous tablet stand holders. From various small venues to large churches and amphitheaters, indoors, outdoors, I can pretty much whip up a patch or heavily tweak any patch quickly on the fly without bending over. Songs, instruments, and venue conditions can vary widely in tempo, reflections, etc-editing on-the-fly is essential to me. As line 6 said about their Firehawk /Amplifii editor , "Why be sore on the floor?" I appreciate Line 6's approach and am ok with waiting. Thanks to line 6 for also putting perspective on the idea that the community forums are not direct product support, but moderated discussions. I'll wait for a Helix editor for a tablet, perhaps a long time. Cheers

Would love to see a rendition of the Harmonic Octave Generator (Electro-harmonix). Addresses several other people's wishlist, including envelope filtering and indefinite sustain. So much to do with this one. http://www.ehx.com/products/hog2

Getting tired and nauseated about the UI hype? ...and the endless conversation about tone? What about feel ? The dynamic "push-pull" between fretboard, strings, and electronic amplification ? ... the living, breathing relationship between guitarist, amplifier, and tone? What does the "chime, dimension (and all those other things) feel like? This is the aspect of modelling that seems the most difficult to share. Subtly nuanced. Yes, some of this dynamic can be heard in the demo vids, and described by a review, but until we can get our grubby hands on one , what about some critical reviews on playing feel? Don't get me wrong- I realize feel doesn't matter if the tone sucks.

Yes, I use the EX-1 essentially every time.

Foot editing doesn't work nearly as well as hands, either on a tablet or large phone. I consistently tweak a variety of parameters in live settings from small coffee-houses to small amphitheaters. Line 6 , please heed the requests to have Helix cooperate with an off-the-floor UI !

Agree totally! Line 6 is aware of the advantages of the UI being lifted off the floor- this is mentioned in their own promotions. I use my feet ( see my profile pic from a live show) and hands to tweak on the fly while playing live. I consistently tweak many different parameters from the tablet or phone during a show. Having the UI at waist level is far superior in both visual and manual access. Line 6, if bluetooth is limited, please narrow down the bluetooth synch along the lines that @therightclique mentions . Otherwise , you'll be losing a great feature.

Of my many sudden-loss-of-output events, only one was associated with inadvertent actuation of the "AMP" mode on the "OUTPUT MODE SWITCH" . Good reminder for trouble-shooting, but certainly not the answer to all such problems. Remember- one of my events responded to movement of the outboard expression pedal , which was not assigned to volume, but to a delay parameter. Yet it became re-assigned to volume ( see my previous post) . Please look out for this. I have also had presets unintentionally re-assign second pedal function. This may be related to the software/hardware quirks that are happening. Keep reporting! "Ghost in the machine"

For ease of access to knobs and buttons (UI) , I've played the Pod X3 and XT beans on stage mounted on a mic stand next to me for years. I used an FBV for foot control. Now with the Firehawk, I have a stand-mounted tablet next to me on stage. Very accessible and tweakable. And full featured with ability to download, tweak, and see the preset list live. Live, in the middle of a show, I can access My Tones, easily edit blocks, and view the Firehawk's preset list. I'm in UI heaven. The Helix looks awesome on every front, but sending the UI back to the floor is a major bummer for me. I don't want to make premature judgements, but somehow moving the UI and display back to a waist-high location would be much more ergonomic than the nice foot editable UI of Helix. If the thousand-plus preset list is the cause of an unacceptable Bluetooth lag, could you configure a tablet to display only the current preset signal path (ie editor)? Or have Bluetooth/tablet display only a fraction of the 1024(?) presets in a special group of presets for live use (I don't see needing more than 30 or so for the usual live show) ? Going back to the floor, even with this cool interface, is a major issue with me. I have more on this. I will break this topic out to a separate thread. Thanks for y'alls commentary.

Thanks for the post, bond19. This kind of feedback seems invaluable to fixing whatever it is that's going on, and helps me stay tuned. I hope everyone is reporting, and as courteously as possible.

Update, and good news... after flashing up to v 1.10, I have had no further sudden loss of output in roughly 20 hours of use. I can't say for sure whether the update fixed the issue or not , but it's the only variable that has been changed. If it reoccurs, I will post. I suspect my issue, and reports of similar issues, may be related to software and/or hardware problems with individual units and not with the Firehawk product (sku). Time will tell. As far as lag time/ delay in changing presets, it's not a problem for me. Perhaps this is because I change in the midst of a song with several other instruments covering any momentary gaps or maybe I anticipate a lag and tap early. I'd like to thank Line 6 for maintaining extensive forums, support, and community involvement , even when taking it on the chin from occasional sharp ( ie- rude) comments. I'm still all in.

Thanks for the support , Line6Tony. Played a 3 hour acoustic show last night ( three guitars, one double bass) with no failures and great control of effects. In between songs, I whipped up a ridiculous patch to play the slide part on Breathe (Pink Floyd) ( yes, three acoustics and an upright bass) . I used two sequential delays , 'verb, volume swells, a slide, and voila - perfect delay and ambient effect ! Tweaked it to perfection as I played, using the tablet right at my side. I find the level of creative control is worth the failures I've reported. Fortunately, I haven't lost output in the middle of any serious solo, and Line 6 support has been reliable over the years, so I'm going to continue to work the 'Hawk. Going to flash up to 1.10 and head back to the stage this weekend. Keep you posted.