silverhead

I think that could be a useful Ideascale suggestion. Might be helpful to consider two groups of users here. Group 1 consists of users who are regular forum participants, are keenly aware that an update is pending, see the release notice from Digital Igloo or otherwise become aware of the new release, and seek it out along with the Release Notes and installation instructions. This group of users knows that the HX Edit installation is the first step. Group 2 consists of users who don’t follow the forums much and are blissfully unaware that a new release is available. They are informed of the new release when they happen to launch their current (now old) version of HX Edit. They install the new firmware as prompted and are unaware that they also need to update HX Edit. I agree that there is a hole in the update process here. Group 2 users should be actively informed during the process that they need to update HX edit. It makes sense that, lacking that information, they come to the forums to report their problem.

Double check that you are running HX Edit v3.0. Use the About information for that. Note that the display on the bottom of the HX Edit screen tells you the version of Helix firmware that is installed on the connected device. That may be different from the version of HX Edit that is running. You don’t need to reinstall the previous version to update the firmware. Just run the Line 6 Updater program and install v3.0 again.

The actual preset is only one of many factors that determine the tone you hear. Other factors include your guitar and its pickups, your monitoring system (amp, PA/FRFR speakers, studio monitors, headphones), your playing style, the room you are playing in, etc. Each of these factors affect the tone you hear to a greater or lesser degree. The likelihood that your environment is exactly the same as that of the person who created the preset is very low. Hence you will likely hear a very different tone than the creator did, and perhaps very different. To your ears, the tone may suck!

The firmware update leaves your existing presets intact, including the factory presets. You need to load in the new factory setlists.

Yes, that’s what it means. You are restricted to using only Path 1 in your presets, though, so you’re sacrificing 50% of available DSP for this capability. Having said that, you can do a lot on Path 1!

You download and install the HX Edit package from the Downloads area of this website. See middle column to select HX Edit.

Make sure you update HX Edit to v3.0 also.

Total speculation here..... I'm not a Mac guy and know nothing about Core Audio, for instance. Perhaps the flash memory compatibility refers only to the use of Helix as the computer's audio card, separate from its use with HX Edit or as an audio interface for DAW purposes. In other words you could continue to use Helix for general audio output from your Mac (YouTube, iTunes, etc.) but specific audio applications like HX Edit or ProTools don't work with it. I have had issues like this in the past - a Line 6 product firmware installation on my Windows 10 PC ran successfully as a basic audio card for the PC but the editor program didn't run and a DAW did not not see it as an audio interface device. That might qualify as the device firmware being compatible with the OS though the editor is not. Just a thought, may be incorrect ....

Try restarting your computer.

Developers update their apps based on the OS provider’s specs. Apple’s ‘final’ release of iOS 13.0 did not seem to comply with their own specs. It wasn’t until v3.14 that Apple fixed what they broke in 13.0. Is the same thing happening with iOS 14? How can companies who have invested resources in getting their products ready by complying with the specs deal with a non-compliant OS ‘final’ release? Again, it seems that many audio companies are having this problem. Is it more reasonable to think that they all were unprepared for the final release, or to think that one company, Apple, released an OS that is non - compliant with their own specs? I think it’s more reasonable to assume that one company, rather than many, is at fault. Now I’m out of this debate.....

I expect that's what Apple is asking themselves right now (or will be asking when they get around to prioritizing it). What's the bug in Big Sur that is causing problems with all these audio equipment manufacturers? It's not public knowledge afaik. It's not exactly known who needs to fix what at this point, but with numerous apps failing and only one new iOS involved, chances are it's the one that's at fault - not the many. When iOS 13 was released it wasn't until v13.4 that they (Apple) fixed whatever bug it was that was causing problems in other Line 6 apps from v13.0 through v13.3. Will they do better this time? We'll see.

(... I added the bolding above for emphasis ....) Unfortunately I think Line 6 and other manufacturers may not be where you hope they are. What if Apple went ahead and did what the bold text says you don't want them to do?

Line 6 developed mobile apps and a Bluetooth/wifi capability in their Amplifi/Firehawk series of products several years ago. They are still available new and there’s now a used market for them. If mobility and Bluetooth are critical features for you then consider those products. Of course, they are iOS and Android apps; Linux is not supported. I guess you’re used to that. It’s highly unlikely that a Bluetooth capability will be added to the Helix products. However I expect there’s already a suggestion for that on Ideascale. Vote it up or add it.

You’ll get more useful results if you describe the type of music you like to play. A blues lover will give you a very different answer than a metal lover. After your Helix arrives you can also get a good idea of the amps you like by browsing the factory presets.

Downloading and installing the HX Edit v2.92 installation package is the first step of the firmware update process. Did you do that? Install all components of the HX Edit package and then run the HX Edit program. It will guide you through the firmware installation procedure.

I thought her name was Karen.

I think the point is that it’s Apple’s problem, whether the OS itself or their servers. Neither Line 6 nor other affected manufacturers can fix it.

I think the best presets can be purchased from Helix Marketplace. They all have samples you can listen to before purchasing.

I think Line 6 and all the other companies are and were ready for Big Sur, except that it seems Big Sur is broken. It’s up to Apple to fix it and Line 6 can’t say when that will be.

As I understand the situation Line 6 is aware of and investigating the incompatibility issue. However I haven’t yet heard exactly what the issue is, and who is responsible for a fix. I seem to recall that the release of iOS 13 also caused compatibility issues with some Line 6 (and other manufacturers’) products. In that case it was Apple who caused the problem and they eventually fixed it in the iOS 13.4 release. Until we hear exactly what the problem is and who’s responsible for providing a fix I think we should avoid pointing fingers. This is the current status report from Line 6. We have discovered a compatibility issue between the “StageScape Remote” application and iOS 14. We are investigating the cause of this issue, and at this time we recommend not updating your iOS device to iOS 14 if you are using StageScape Remote with your StageScape M20d mixer. To prevent iOS devices from automatically updating, please click “Settings -> General -> Software Update -> Customize Automatic Updates” and de-select “Download iOS Updates”. Thank you! The Line 6 Support Team

Yes, you are misunderstanding. When you turn off the POD Go FX Loop you bypass the loop but the rest of the signal chain is active. That means the signal no longer goes from the POD Go FX Send to the front of your amp, and the FX Receive on the POD Go no longer receives the signal from your amp’s FX Send. However, the signal continues through your POD Go and passes through the remaining FX blocks in your signal path. So the FX you place after the POD Go FX Loop are active and are passed through the POD Go outputs to your amp’s FX Receive, and then are heard through the amp’s speaker. The typical use for 4CM is allow you to construct presets that use either a POD Go preamp model or your physical amp’s preamp section - not both. When you want to use a POD Go preamp model you turn the FX Loop off and make sure the Preamp block in your preset is active. Since you are using your physical amp’s cab/speaker you don’t want to use the full amp model (which includes the cab section) in your POD Go preset. When you want to use your physical amp’s preamp you turn the POD Go FX Loop on and you bypass the amp/preamp block in your preset. In the latter case you are essentially using the POD Go only as an FX (not amp) processor, with the flexibility of placing your FX blocks before or after the amp. But in all cases all FX blocks in your POD Go preset are active unless you bypass them.

Don’t know if you like manuals but you can learn a lot about the POD Go in advance by reading the manual.

What parameter are you talking about starting at 0.0? In general you should start your patch levelling process with the quieter, clean patches. Set the main volume knob of the POD Go at nearly maximum, say 80% or so. Work on a few clean patches and get their levels balanced using the amp Channel volume and the preset Output block level, both of which do not affect tone. You can also use the EQ block; leave all tone settings neutral and just use the Level setting to provide volume adjustment without affecting tone. Avoid adjusting amp parameters like Drive and Master to balance preset volume levels; these parameters affect tone.

I suggest that, since you already have it, you try using the POD HD in the FX Loop of the POD Go. It may very well satisfy you and not ‘muddy the tone’. If you’re not satisfied you can explore other options.