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I have a Helix Rack, LT and HX FX. In trying to update all to 3.60, the HX FX worked with no issues. The LT and Rack, however kept downloading the update but when it gets to around 27MB I get an error message: Unknown Error. [code -2004] My internet seems fine and I unplugged the router, restarted my mac and did the usual stuff. Any ideas? Also, once I get it downloaded, where will I find the John Nathan Cordy preset for the Grammatico? He said it comes with the update. Mostly I want to steal his reverb on it!

I would be more than happy to pay a buttload of money to switch out the hardware or software in my variaxes. I like them as guitars.

I looked up the guitar profiler. It is actually the ZT-1. The company has actual guitars that have the software installed like the Variax. It honestly (at least on the videos....) sounds better than the Variax, which leads me to believe that Line 6 could update their technology. I use the variax for a sitar and some other stuff that sounds kind of ok. However, most of the models sound hollow and sterile. The XT-1, at least on the video really sounds like an actual guitar. I would have to play one in order to really see what it is like. Pretty much everything they sell, except the app, is out of stock though.

Sorry for not being clear. My amp is already midi so it is a matter of getting my HX FX to cahnge the channels on the amp via midi. I messed around with it and have a weird not ideal way of doing it and would love a better way. Right now I used midi toggle so I have two foot switches that will switch them. However it would be nice to have the one switch be on for channel 1 and the hit it and have it switch my amp to channel two. The amp contoller numbers are 56 and 58 for the two channels so one switch is set to 56 and the other 58. This reminds me of algebra class when there were many ways to get the same answer but one way was simple and I have not worked that one out yet. Put simply, it would be great to have one switch on the HX go from program 56 Channel 1 and then hit it again and have it go to Progam # 58 Channel 2. Is that possible? I have no idea how I got where I am on this but luckily I saved the preset and can experiment on a copy of it. thanks I hope someone out there understands what I said b/c I am not sure i do.

I have an Egnater M50 amp which has the swapable preamps. I usually use my Helix rack to change channels in that plus a Synergy SYN2. I had a smaller gig and took just the 2 channel head and my HX FX and at the gig I realized that I could not just use a 1/4 inch footswitch to change the channels. I realize now that the HX FX can do the midi channel switching but I am kind of at a loss to figure out how. On my Rack, each snapshot can be assigned to a different preamp via midi. Will this work the same way on the HX FX? basically I would have all the same FX on a patch and then be able to change preamps per snapshot. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am a midiot.... thanks rick

Wow! Thanks! I love the Quad Cortex, but the Helix stuff sounds great and is so practical! I also have aHX Stomp XL and found that it does the same things. This made my life a lot easier.....so much less tweaking. thanks again! rick

I have been messing with my Quad Cortex and noticed a new (I think new) feature....you can click something that stores an effect setting and then everytime you use that effect thoses settings come back up. I use different amps, but much of the time my delay or verbs are the same. Does Helix do this? It really saves a lot of time when I am setting up a new preset.

Wow! Thanks! That gives me a lot to work on. I am going to print out your "tome" and read it a little bit at a time. You are right....most of the MIDI stuff I have looked at was for synth/drum machine stuff which I am into learning more about. But for now, guitar and Helix/ Quad Cortex style MIDI is enough for me to digest. If you want to check out Quartal stuff, here is a Miles Davis tune that is a great example. Bill Evans is playing piano. It begins with a bass solo (snooze) for only about 30 seconds and then the tune begins. Check out the piano during MIles' solo and the stacked 4ths Bill Evans is using. The challenge is how to get away with using them in a rock, americana, C&W, or R&B band and have it not sound weird and keep your gig. If anyone is concerned that this thread is getting hijacked, I started the thread so tuff sh#t.

Thanks for the kind reply. Like you trying to understand theory/compostion, it does not happen overnight. During the 80s, when MIDI came out I didn't think as a guitar player I would ever need it. Therefore, I am what is called a Midiot. In order for me to understand the MIDI menu, I would need to take a few courses in MIDI. I mean I understand the concept of what MIDI does but the terminology like MIDI PC TX is, at this point, over my head (Although I do know that PC stands for Program Change.) I know where to put the numbers in order to change preamps on my Synergy rig and presets on my Power Cab. I am a lifelong student. I am still learning Quartal Harmony and am learning how to explain it to others. If you know any tutorials for explaining MIDI terminology and process, I am all ears. There is a book called Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns by Nicolas Slonimsky. Go to page 111 and read Ultrapolation of Two Notes or Infrapolation of One Note. I get completely lost. Hopefully there will be someone out there in musicland that might enlighten me on what the f*ck that means!

Turning MIDI PC TX off did the trick. Thanks!

Rd2rk, thanks for all of your help. I appreciate your suggestion to read the manual. However, the manual takes a level of expertise that I don’t have. There is a language to it that I sometimes miss. Once someone has the patience to explain certain things to me, I can then then go back to the manual and it’s like “Oh, that is what they mean….” I am somewhat an expert in another field. If I gave you certain theory and composition books they might make no sense to you. I could then explain the concepts and then you could go back and read the books and understand them. I once tried teaching guitar and had a young student who did not understand what a harmonic minor scale consisted of. I grew up in a musical family and knew about harmonic, natural and melodic minor scales were when I was 10 years old. I had a hard time getting that someone could play guitar for a few years and not know what they were. I apologize for trying your patience. If in the future I ask questions that you think are stupid, I would appreciate it if you would ignore them and maybe someone else could answer it in a kinder way. I’m a guitarist that has worked with people a lot of guitarists could only dream of working with. That is what I do. For years I plugged into an amp and analog FX. This is fairly new to me. I hope you can understand that there are others on this forum like myself. Believe it or not, I learn from folks like you. I plan on being more patient than I have when others have questions, so thank you.

I looked on the HX Stomp Globals and could not find anything resembling MIDI/Tap set on the MIDI tab so then I couldn't find MIDI PC TX to turn off. Not sure if it makes a difference but I have the HXS XL. I know what you mean about it not making sense. It seems to have something to do with the footswitches. If I really hit them with a kind of harder step and hold it, most times it will go the assigned preset. It is almost like there is something wrong with the switch. However all four switches on the HXS act the same way. If I go to stomp mode all of those same switches go on/off like they should, I thought it might be my footswitch toppers so I took one off and the same thing. And I don't have a clue why it would got to preset 117 if I hit the switch in a normal fashion. Like I think I mentioned earlier it usually defaults to #117 and then if I hit it again it goes to the correct preset or like I just said, if I hit it a little harder and then hold it briefly. The same switches will switch scenes with no issue. It only seems to be something with the HXS and the powercab and MIDI. and BTW, thanks for all of your help on this! rick

Sorry, but do you mean Global settings on the PC or the HX Stomp?

Thanks. However the issue is that I don't get the speaker that I want until I hit the FS the second time. The first time I go to my Deluxe preset, it goes to New Preset 117 on the PC. The second time I het the FS it actually goes to the correct speaker, 003. It is not just the PC screen. It is the actual preset. Weird. It does not do this with my Quad Cortex at all.

I have my Helix Stomp XL running into my PC and it sounds amazing, I have run into one issue. I have it set up so that for example, when I go to my twin model on the Stomp it will switch to the Lecto EV speakers on the PC. The first time I hit the FS it goes to New Preset 117. If I hit the switch again it then goes to the correct preset PC speaker which is 010. It does this with every patch I set up....always to New Preset 117 then hit the button and it goe to the correct preset. Any ideas on this?

Of course! That make perfect sense. I did not think it through. I think i will do the midi thing and back off the tweeter a bit as it sounds somewhat tinny. When I use and IR on the QC or HX Stomp, for some reasoon it sounds pretty natural. The IR on the PC doesn't but I will try some other IRs.

MAn, do I appreciate all of youguys that have been usig the powercabs for awhile! So in looking at this thread I am a little confused. I have tried the 212+ with my X Stomp and also with my Quad Core. Using MIDI I can get it to change the presets on the 212+. I started messing with the Allure IRs that come preloaded on the 212+ and have a question. I created a PC+ preset using the Allure IR that is something like and AC30. I have my QC set up to change the program to the preset with the IR. It sounds like with the IR the HF tweeter is still on. It should be Flat Stereo, correct? Maybe is is the nature of that IR but it still sounds like that tweeter is on in that it gives it a little high end distortion. It did it when I tried a Deluxe model also so I don't think it is the QC.. I do like the idea of being able to save some processing power on the X Stomp but probably will not need it one the QC.

I checked out Larry's site and the 36th Anniversary PAF has a 7.31 Kohm. Almost all of his pickups are over 8 Kohm. Is that pretty common for pickups? If these Variax guitars need something between 6-8 Kohm, that doesn't leave a lot of selection out there. Or am I misunderstanding this?

Does anyone have any ideas for a replacement pickup that might be fatter? I really like the feel of the Shuriken but the pick up sounds kind of cheap and thin. Maybe it is the nature of the wood and body style of the Shuriken but I don't thinks so as acoustically it sounds pretty big. I don't really want a hotter pickup....maybe something more vintage sounding?

I also bought a Shurican and really dislike the pickup. It just sounds tinny. I was thinking about putting a Dimarzio PAF 59 neck in it. Would that be any kind of problem? MAybe it is the nature of the guitar, but if I am to use the Shuriken in guitar mode, I would love a fatter sound. I have not measured the pickup in it as I don't know how. I do have a multi meter. What would the steps be?

So I have this solo guitar gig coming up and I am going to use the PC with my HX Stomp XL. I have been messing with it and it is pretty amazing. I am taking an L-5 Custom for some jazz stuff and a Kopp D for my acoustic stuff. I started messing with IRs for the acoustic sound and I have to admit that it is incerdible. I use the Power Cab FRFR. The Kopp D has a Dimarzio Black ANgel system and I am running stereo out into a K&K pre and then into the HX Stomp. I put in a D-28 IR and then the Helix tube pre and then FX, EQ Compression, etc. I have been at this a long time and always looking for the perfect acoustic sound and I think this is finally it.

I tried my Variax cable and it didn’t work, I could see that is was on but none of the scribble strips were lit up. HMMM….

Will cat 6 work also?

I don’t have my rig with me, but is that the same cable as the Variax?