Lkdog

Well, here is an update of interest. I tried the exact same process with my racked AXE FX II XL. Blank preset. INPUT >808> Noise Gate>OUTPUT With nothing on it was a straight pass through of levels and tone in all three channels of the CA TRiptik (just like pphillips is gettign with the HELIX). No added noise that I would not get normally. NoiseGate worked perfectly in all three channels. Dead silent. I do not have a complete valid scientific explanation, but the AXE FX does have some alleged proprietary output jack circuitry to reduce noise and I am using a humbuster cable from AXE FX OUTPUT to the Guitar Amp Input which is nothing more than a cheap cable with TRS on one end and TS on the other. For the reasons likely noted above by folks in this thread - at least in my older house with various wiring circuits added on over the past 60 years- the interaction of the HELIX and my CA Trip doesn't work so well. :unsure: It is a RF/EMI magnet. The circuit it is on is newer and properly grounded- but I am guessing all of the house circuits go to a common ground. Anyway- guess I will just use the AXE FX when I want to throw a virtual pedal and Noisegate in front. I have to run a cable twenty feet acorss the room but not that big of a deal. I had picked up the HELIX for a lot of reasons and one was to use on the floor sometimes near my amp and I liked the all in one package, but it is not going to work as a traditional in front of amp pedal board. 4CM works fine and can still certainly use that.

:D I think my house is the culprit on most of this with picking up RF/EMI- and it really increases in this setup when I am in gain channels. Yes, on the Clean Channel it basically can be a passthrough of the signal volume and tone. No added noise of note. I have the 1/4 OUT as Instrument level and 0 db. What I do not understand is if I setup a simple preset such as: Compressor>808> and then add a Noisegate > to Output why: 1) There is extreme added noise when using the GAIN channels of CA Trip 2) The Noise Gate which I added has little effect. I have the B Gain Channel set to Classic which is lower gain than the C Gain Channel which I have set to Modern. It gets worse as you add gain. Helicopter sound in background and increased hiss, etc. As I said- it works fine in 4CM with one Noisegate at modest settings after the EFX Loop block in the 4CM preset.

A few reasons. Convenience and flexibility is one of them. I use the HELIX in different ways and do not leave it setup in 4CM with the CA Trip all of the time. Sometimes just would like to just use one cable a simple preset to throw a pedal and Noisegate in front of the CA Tr rather than setup the 4CM.

Well, I have it working pretty well in 4CM with no noise issues that are not handled by a Noise Gate after the SND/RET Effects Loop. As far as in front of amp, I started from an empty preset as suggested into the CLEAN Channel of the CA Triptik and to test just added a Minotaur, then a Scream 808, then a Grey Flanger. When I cranked the Scream 808 gain I then turned on the Input Gate and it worked well. So far so good. Trouble started when I went to a GAIN channel on the CA Triptik. Very noisy (Much noisier than when not running through the HELIX) with no virtual pedals above added. The INPUT Gate did nothing for the noise. I put a Noise Gate in the chain. Did nothing. Anyway- the Helix works fine in front of amp as a pedalboard in the CLEAN Channel of the CA Triptik. At this point- it cannot be used in front of the CA Triptik on a Gain channel. The 4CM method works fine so I guess I will stick with that. Was hoping to be able to do both. The HELIX turns the CA into a noise magnet on the GAIN Channels in front of the amp.

Yeah- I have that issue. It is minor normally with the HELIX or the AXE FX II being used only. Might be something in the hardware that acts as a common mode rejection of the hum to some degree.. When I am plugged into the CA Triptik I get it more. It goes away when I am middle position of the the three way switch on dual humbucker guitars. Definitely in the pickup middle position it is common mode rejection The noise level I am getting when going straight into the CA Triptik with the HELIX, however, is accentuated and much worse for some reason. Will keep plugging away. A lot of good ideas here.

Thanks for all of the input. Will try some of these when I get home. It is a CA Triptik amp. My room does have some EMI/Hum issues and the guitar pickups and cable pick it up and the EMI/Hum is not part of the amp or any one guitar but is due to dimmers, and the neutral ground of everything in the house overall. But the amplification of that noise and even adding to it when going straight into the front of the CA Triptik with the HELIX is really pretty significant for some reason and is not able to be handled by the Input Noise Gate. I think my presets need work for sure. As I said when I use 4CM with the HELIX I am having pretty good results with noise management. I use a little bit of a Noise Gate after the EFX loop and a little bit of the Input Gate before the EFX Loop (but I only use that if I throw a drive pedal in front of the EFX Loop).

You may have already considered these trouble shooting steps. The first culprits I would investigate would be all of my cables (maybe swap them out, plug 'em all back in, double-check input/output connections). It could also be unshielded pickups; often a Strat or single coil type guitar. Try a different guitar. From there I might try plugging the Helix into a different electrical outlet than my amp. Also, if you are running into a PA as well as your amp make sure the phantom power is not on that channel. Also check to make sure other electronic/electrical devices like your computer, fluorescent lights, cell phone, etc. are not causing the noise. Ensure the Helix level going out to your amp is not too hot. If the levels in the presets or on the Helix's main volume control are too high or the EQ is emphasizing certain frequencies, you may be hearing noise that has actually always been present but now accentuated. That could also help explain why you don't hear the noise when plugging directly into your amp without the Helix. Thanks for the reply. Cables are all known good. Pickups are all humbucker unless I split them. Happens on all guitars. Global EQ is off. Have tried Volume knob on Helix at different places. Is there a suggested place people put it as a Unity Gain in front of amp? Or does it vary based upon your amp? You could be right about some interaction with the Helix and the amp accentuating some frequencies. I did try putting an entire preset (US DELUXE NORMAL) in front of the tube amp and stripping out the amp and cab and got better results. The Input Gate seemed to work better in that scenario, but still really not very good. I get better results overall with the 4CM method for sure.

I apologize, but a seemingly simple setup is not working out so good and I am sure it is some oversight on my part. Using Guitar cable to Guitar IN on HELIX. Using 1/4" OUT from HELIX to front input of tube AMP. It is set to instrument level. Pulled up the 03A Template. The Volume block was only thing that seemed to be active. Added nothing else. Getting a lot of noise. Way more than if I went straight into the tube amp alone without the HELIX. The INPUT GATE has no effect whatsoever. Adding a Noise Gate block has no effect at all. Not sure what I am doing wrong here. I am able to get a 4CM setup working at a basic level OK, but wanted to have a simpler HELIX as pedal board setup in front of amp preset to use also. Any help welcome.

So any used UX 1 or 2 entitles one to PF 2.5?

Yeah, I think my Gearbox and TonePort DI -Silver was upgraded to GOLD. Does that qualify me for Podfarm 2.5 or just regular Podfarm 1? I do recall using Podfarm with it before in WINDOWS 7. Running Windows10 now. Looks like Gearbox is toast from what I see here.

You are right. It was not the COAX. I agree about the Power Conditioner for the most part. Maybe helps with some dodgy electrical runs. I have a heavy duty breaker box, new electrical circuits run, ISOBAR power surge protectors, and heavy duty shielded power cords. Still get hum from any number of interactions here. The EBTECH is pretty good.

I bought GEARBOX SILVER with TONEPORT DI hardware years ago and seem to recall I upgraded it to Gold somehow, and also was using the PODFARM plugin with it also. Do any of these still work? Thanks.

I have so much crap running in here... LOL. I used one of these to eliminate the hum from the Coax going into my Home Theatre/Stereo rig. Dead quiet on that end of equipment room now. Maybe I need to try one on this end of studio as there are two separate COAX feeds coming in here. It's an ongoing battle..... :)

Thanks for the info. I will try The Noise Gate at front of chain vs after the Send/Return block to see if there is a difference in how it works. In response to whether the hum is there with no guitar plugged in- yes. The hum is separate from any Hiss/Noise floor issues when gain is applied so am pretty convinced it is a ground loop issue. I guess now I am just trying to address noise floor/hiss when gain is higher and make sure I am not doing anything that contributes ot it. It is near totally silent on the clean channel of the CA Triptik.. In general- there is a lot going on in basement studio. I actually get a slight hum on the HELIX (and AXE FX II) played standalone on my electrical circuit. I think it may have to do with my Coax internet/TV cable being on the same circuit (in two places) in the basement connected to my home theater and router and computer. One thing i might test is to disconnect the Coax cable from this circuit to see if that eliminates the hum. Anyway- it looks like I am on the right track. I will check the other settings you mentioned.

I think Ground loop hum (which is different than noise floor hiss) is hard to track down in any environment. You might try one of these EBTEChs. There is another company that sells cheaper cost ones that is supposed to also be an isolation transformer and do the same thing (PYLE).

Am using the 4CM Template that came with the Helix to use with my Carol Ann (CA) Triptik For hum/hiss reduction I have done the following: 1) The 1/4 Out heading to the CA Return is set to Instrument instead of LINE. 2) I have a EBTECH Hum Eliminator box with the IN/OUT cables to the CA AMP Return which gets rid of most of the ground loop hum. (The EBTECH thing pictured below really works) 3) I stuck a Noise Gate after the SEND/Return block. (Have it set at 71db Threshold and 500ms Decay) 4) The Noise Gate in front at INPUT is OFF 5) Volume on the HELIX is all the way up. 6) The SEND/RECEIVE output/input Block on HELIX is set to LINE. Everything else is at default. It is working and sounding pretty good with not a lot of tone suck with the Noise Gate. Am I missing anything?

I find myself stripping the effects out, then using high cut in the CAB to get the fingernails on chalkboard out as needed, and then adjusting the Amp EQ from there on the amps that I am using first (Fender Bassman, Marshall, Vox, Shiva).

I get that any preset made by anyone has to be adjusted for the guitar, pickups, signal chain used, power source and speakers used, etc. It is not like player A is using a full recording and mixing studio and player B is using a string and a tin can though. Most of these stock presets are simply bad. It's like buying a Lexus and then having to get the wheels aligned in order to drive it. Not a big deal. Figuring it out and enjoy it now; but I bet there are a lot of new users that buy this thing and return it or sell it quickly. There are only 62 Amps. Would be pretty easy to set up core presets of amps and matched Cabs in the new Firmware that are garden variety with no effects.

OP here. Pretty interesting info here.Learning some new things for sure. Still working on learning the Helix. Getting some very good Marshall and Vox tones now. Bottom line for me here- and this is strictly my opinion...... :lol: Most all of the core amp factory stock presets sound like as$. With more than the normal tweaking they start to shine, but whoever made the factory presets to demonstrate the basic amp tones needs to go back to modeler preset school. Overall, I was deciding between this unit or getting an AXE FX AX8 to use for an on the floor unit and for effects only with my tube amp. Already have an AXE FX II XL. Going to keep the Helix for now and see where L6 goes with it.

Lots of interesting comments here. Maybe a LINE 6 Product specialist can chime in as to the strategy they had. Here are few thoughts as I sort through this unit. 1) I would venture to guess that majority of users are using FRFR studio monitors or FRFR stage monitors, or straight to mixing board and not running this through a dedicated solid state Amp and real CAB setup, or their real tube amp and real CAB setup. (4CM is a different use and that is something I will try, but that is effects only). 2) My point is that most people are likely using the CABs in the Helix in their application. I could be wrong, But why wouldn't they EQ the CABs to be in the ballpark? These were mostly not. They are not giving you just an AMP and a MIC with no CAB. That would sound like sht as we all know. They do have a CAB assigned and applied. WHy not get it in the ballpark. 3) I read through the Helix manual to see if they had any comments about them leaving the settings on stock CABs in a non EQ'd manner. Actually I can't think of any common application that this would be a benefit to, but maybe I am missing something, If you are not using the stock CAB, then you are using the AMP signal into your own CAB or IR. Again- I think most people are using the stock CABs at least to start. 4) I guess the idea that this is the way LINE 6 intended it doesn't make sense to me. It does not seem to be a Casual user vs Advanced user thing. Most users would want a usable starting point and will tweak from there. Anyway- glad I stumbled onto the solution. This was not meant ot be a rant, just an observation from an experienced supportive user FWIW. As noted- I have had about ten Line 6 hardware and software products over last 18 years. The HELIX does sound very very good and I am sure it will keep getting better as they develop new FWs..

OK...got through doing quick adjustments on first 20 stock presets. Sounds very very good. Various levels of CAB high cut only used from 4kHZ to 10 kHz depending on amp. I bypassed the effects in front when doing this so will need to go back and tweak those. I am sure there is more room for improvement, but too busy playing now..... :P Very nice. Thanks guys.

@FlyingsCool... I understand what you are saying. Some may define what you call a feature as an oddity, though, :D but in the end as long as people are aware that they need to make EQ adjustments, its all good. I will give it a go tonight and see what I come up with. Do you guys mess with the PAD On/Off and Input Impedance also? I am not a huge tweaker. The AXE FX II has more parameters than one can possibly imagine both BASIC and ADVANCED. I wouldn't say they think for anyone. If anything there are too many options for a lot of users. Can be a learning curve, but most of the stock core presets sound decent to me out of the box as a starting point. Everybody hates the stock presets over there, too. LOL. Thanks for all of the help. This confirms that working with the EQ is the right path.

Thanks for all of the input. Very appreciative of your time. I was not aware that adjusting the EQ on the stock preset matched Cabs (or on Global EQ) was pretty much a necessity to get a usable tone. I did not think that this possibly could be the way that Line 6 or End Users actually used them without adjustments somehow- especially since I have seen so many great tones on Youtube videos, and the HELIX has gotten so many excellent reviews. Am pretty familiar with modelers as noted. Not a fanboy of any particular brand. Do like the Fractal AXE FX II. Also like real amps. Have a Carol Ann Triptik which I have settled on after trying out a ton of Marshalls, and Mesas, and Dumble clones, and Fenders. I actually liked my POD XT as well as the early Axe FX Ultras to be honest. I got some great tones out of my primitive Line 6 Ax212 almost 20 years ago. From the comments above I think doing it per preset might be the way to go in the CAB blocks as each amp and CAB combination is unique. Or finding some good IR's which are already EQ'd. I will experiment with Mic placments also. I downloaded a couple USER presets from Customtone and looked deeper at a couple that I really liked and their CAB block settings and noticed that they had done a High Cut. As for the AXE FX II. It is a great unit. I just use the stock CABs settings and tweak the amp EQ settings when needed. It tends to have a slightly darker bassier character on many of the the clean amps.They have improved them in recent FW upgrades. The midgain and higher gain amps are really very very good with the unique character of the amp modeled. It's how ended up with a CA Triptik. The tone is spot on. I like having one real Amp around though and I do go out through my real CAB sometimes (versus FRFR monitors) for an Amp in the room feel. I think I like some of the HELIX Clean amps better in some ways.They handle guitar Volume roll off better. A little easier to get clean shimmer. I do like the SHIVA on the HELIX better and hope to get the Marshalls dialed in now. Love the Klon,Tube Screamer, and Timmy pedals. My guitars are all passive humbuckers and I have basic moderate PAF type pickups. Nothing unusual. Will work with it some more tonight. Thanks for your help.

New user here. Have done a few searches and looking for some basic guidance. Sorry if this has been covered before. I find that most of the stock amp presets tend to sound overly bright, crispy, and thin. The only one that seems natural and not too harsh straight away is the Shiva. Line 6 got that one close ( I have played a Shiva quite a few times). Most all other amps sound almost ice picky and I have all humbucker guitars. I have been experimenting with the Global setting Pad On, and lowering the Input impedance which warms up the tone a bit. I did a few more searches and it seems people use High Cut on the CABs?? I tried it on a few presets and it does warm things up. I put it around 4kHz or so on the ones I tried. I noticed on a lot of presets the High Cut on the CAB was OFF. Maybe that is default? Is the CAB High Cut where people tame the highs on the unit? Or do you suggest using an EQ somewhere in the chain? I should comment that this harshness is with both headphones, or FRFR monitors. I have used Line 6 products dating back to the POD and AX212 combo. Did not have this issue that I recall. I do have an AXE FX II XL and have had several tube amps (Mesa,Marshall, Fender, etc). Was really curiuosu about the HELIX and am impressed overall, especially if I can address this issue. The Helix seems to have some excellent tones in it, but it is a challenge to get there. Anyway- what is best or easiest method to warm this thing up? Thanks,

Thank you for this info. I am a new Helix user. Longtime AXE FX II user and real tube amp guy. Also had most every iteration of LINE 6 stuff since the original Pods and AX212 combo amp so am familiar with getting them to sound decent. I found the output level of most all of the stock presets really kind of absurdly low. Surprised as to how strange they were mixed. I have several dual humbucker guitars with standard moderate PAF type pickups. Really nothing out of ordinary at all. This helped. Thanks! The Helix is excellent modeler by the way. Really enjoying it.