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If I turn down the master volume on the QC there is no problem. However, pretty much everyone says to keep that knob dimed. In trying to balance different presets, If I get the clean twin style tones to where they are not clipping they are too quiet compared to the gainy tones. Using the master volume turned down works. So why does everyone advocate turning it up all the way? Same with the Helix...

I still have not gigged live with an all digital rig but I am getting close as it is that good. I use a QC into a PC 212+. The clean tones tend to put the PC into the red zone easily.For intance, if I use an AC30 set up pretty bright it pegs the clip light at a much lower volume as the EV. I figure that the higher gain might compress the signal a bit or something. but how do I get a clean tone to compete with a higher gain tone without clipping? I don't really hear the clipping but I assume if I send it to FOH via and XLR, it my clip there. Any ideas? thanks in advance! rick

Hey thanks RD2RK! I didn't even have to do the two FX loops for the solution to work. I just took the FX loop I use (FX loop 1) and switched it from instrument to line and that did the trick. No more flashing red lights or that not warm digital clipping!

I did restore everything from my backup this time, but on one of the earlier updates I may not have, and it did start on an earlier update. I am using an Egnater M50 which has two tube preamps, each with two channels. It does the flashing red thing on any preset I use and any preamp. I am intrigued that you brought up global settings. it makes sense that it might be in there somewhere, given that it does the flashing on everything.

So I am overloading the FX loop in 4CM. It stops if I pull way back on the send or turn the preamp on my amp down but then I don't have much tone or volume. For some reason it did not do this in earlier firmware versions, or maybe my memory is fried?

I got it to work! I don't know what I did differently, but I suspect that maybe my updater was corrupted or something. I got rid of everything and started over using the method you described. I am eternally grateful to you! NOw hopefully I can replicate this with my Helix LT and Stomp XL. The HX FX was no problem at all yesterday and the crazy stuff started with the Helix. One last (hopefully!) question. It siad that I need to do a factory reset on the rack? (At least I know which encoders to use, ha ha...) Then go and reload all of the new stuff?

THis is not going well at all. I am trying your ideas but there are a couple of glitches. (I found out that it is encoder 1 & 6 for putting the rack in update mode. 5 & 6 does a factory reset.) When I open up the updater sometimes it is just spinning until I restart my computer, like it is mocking me. Other times it just says "Select Device to Upgrade" but there is no device. I am hooked up via USB to the Rack. Once I get it open I have tried two different ways....1) I don't sign in and just click on offline mode but nothing appears. 2) Last night I signed in and then the rack showed up and it started to update. I left it on all night and it never did update. I do appreciate all of the help, Mr. Datacommando. BTW, I was able to download those new presets and was able to steal Cordy's reverbs from his patch, minus the new Grammatico as that is still out there in the ether. I have some gigs this weekend so at least I can get that nice reverb that he is using.

So I had the LT in update mode, used the updater, 3.60 update showed up. I clicked on it and 5 hours later it was still saying that it was updating. Man, this is frustrating. Using the standard method, at one point I almost had it up to 29mg before it failed. FX edit and HX FX are updated but that is as far as I can get so far. It doesn't seem to like the rack or lt. rick

Does anyone know how to put helix rak in update mode? At this point I am patiently awainting my Helix LT to finish downloading the update. I am hoping it works. If so, I have not found anywhere that says how to put the Rack in Update mode. I may have to pull out the floor controller and see if pushing the same two footswitches while booting up will work..

I had the exact issue while trying to download HX Edit and like you, it finally worked. I am a little confused as to how you finally got it working. So you disconnect HX Edit and the unit, then download the update from where? That worked on the HX Edit, but I did not get the web page with the error message when I tried to do the Helix rack update....just the error message.

Oh, and yes, I was able to update HX Edit to 3.60. It did the error a couple of times and then I looed at my version number and it looks like it made it to 3.60.

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?