silverhead

I had to do that too, but I was very familiar with the Gibson-style neck and I knew I was likely going to have to replace the frets, which I was prepared to do. If either of these things concern you try to get a reasonable full-refund return period if possible.

I wouldn't use a pitch shift FX in a preset. I would just turn the Variax Alt Tuning knob to the "1/2 Down' setting and play in E. Takes less than half a second, and no actual string tuning required.

In the Global Settings Ins/Outs Page 3 the third knob allows you to select the Volume Knob Controls. Use this to select which output(s) you want the device master volume knob to control. You can choose to control only the 1/4" outputs with the knob. Then construct a signal flow that sends the same signal to two output blocks assigned to the XLR and 1/4" outputs respectively. Set the XLR output level to the fixed level you desire, and control the 1/4" using the volume knob. EDIT: See the Templates setlist, preset 1C Super Serial for an example of sending a signal to two outputs.

There must be something wrong in your settings - Multi input does not include Variax Mags. I use a JTV-59 too with a Helix and I only get the Variax Mags if I specifically select that as the input. Can you recheck things and post more detail if there's still an issue? Create a very simple preset to test - just one input, Multi, and one amp. Set the Variax model to something like Sitar which is easy to differentiate. Then change the input from Multi to Variax and then to Variax Mags. What's the result?

Also, understand that this is a user support forum. People mostly come here to seek help with problems they are having. The vast majority of users who aren't experiencing problems don't come here. That's why it seems like a lot of discussions here talk about problems. Don't take this as representative of the average user experience.

For followers of these recent posts, fukuri has apologized publicly above and he has also apologized personally to me via private message. He probably wouldn't disclose that but I want to on his behalf. He's a stand-up dude for having done so. I suggest we let it rest now. His intentions are good. He just wants things to improve and I hope he continues to do so.

And I suppose that is the type of response that 'moves things along here'? Congratulations on further alienating folks here. There is nothing 'smart arse' about my post. Just observing (again) that there are limitations to any Helix-like device, and your efforts to push the envelope is fine. It's the language you are using while going about it, and the denigration you feel free to throw around to anyone who points out that you have high expectations within the current limitations.

Can't do that now. Perhaps in a future update but there's been no mention of that possibility yet. For now you can connect to a regular PC/MAC for recording over usb. But to connect and record to a mobile device using the lightning cable you would need a separate audio interface that is designed for that. Line 6 manufactures one: the Sonic Port VX which includes the necessary cable. You would connect the AMPLIFi 75 audio output to the Sonic Port VX Guitar input (mono). http://line6.com/sonicport-audio-interface/sonicport-vx/

I don't know who wrote and recorded that song but I wonder if they play it live. If so might be interesting to know if they manage it with a single guitar player and no latency during all those tone changes. And then, if so, what equipment are they using and at what cost? In other words, are our expectations aligned with reality?

Thanks for the great comparison. I appreciate your efforts to be as objective and unbiased as possible, giving credit where due to both excellent devices. Yes indeed, a great time to be a guitarist. I was reminded of that recently with the passing of George Martin, the 5th Beatle. We now have unimaginably more audio production power and capability in our basements and bedrooms than The Beatles ever had in Abbey Road studios. But there's no substitute for genius and massive sonic creativity.

So far you've only mentioned vocals and acoustic guitar. Are you also looking for electric guitar processing? If so, I think your best setup for vocals, acoustic, and electric guitar is a Firehawk FX device (not a Firehawk 1500 or AMPLIFi TT but in the same vein processor-wise) and an L2/3t speaker. You're purchasing only what you need - one mixer/PA device and one electric guitar processor. No redundant big speaker, no external mixer/PA, and no chiropractor. Connect your acoustic guitar and mic into Channels 1 & 2 respectively of the Stagesource, and connect your electric guitar into the Firehawk FX with its outputs into the Stagesource rear panel.

Plan on using the return policy......😎

I have a JTV-59 and I love it. Just be aware that the neck is a Gibson style neck and will take some getting used to if you typically play the thinner strat-type neck. Also the frets installed with a JTV-59 are jumbo size. I replaced mine with standard size. Going with a Variax is an excellent choice. But if possible I suggest you play both a 59 and a 69 before purchasing to determine which style you prefer.

..... then you would be using the wrong device. The L2/3t with its built-in mixer is a much better choice for that purpose.

It's there. You'll find it listed in the Software field selections, not the Products field.

Because they occupy different, dedicated areas of RAM. The looper can continue to play back during a preset change because it is stored separately from the preset. But the delay settings are in the preset, and that area of RAM gets completely reloaded, wiping out the previous settings and replacing them with the new preset settings.

You can do that as long as one of the settings is Variax Mags, defined as the input for a signal path. You can't store two different Variax Model selections in a single patch.

They're not available because they are intellectual property.

I'm sure your understanding of all this is as good as mine, but just for the fun of it........ let's speculate and theorize ..... I don't know the details of how presets are stored in Helix - whether they are all the same 'size' or not. It's possible that a 'small' preset may require less RAM than a 'big' preset. If so, then yes, instantiating an FX block would take up additional RAM, and at any point during preset construction there is some remaining non-looper RAM filled with meaningless ones and zeros that I suppose could theoretically be (temporarily) allocated to the looper. As to the firmware, yes I expect RAM is allocated (or at least allocate-able?) by the OS at some point. But in the case of these devices I think it's it is a static allocation - not dynamic. Line 6 would have to rewrite the OS to permit 'empty' RAM in a given preset to be temporarily reassigned to the looper. And I'm no embedded systems firmware developer but that doesn't sound trivial to me, especially when you consider that the temporary allocation to the looper might have to be reclaimed at any moment when a more complex preset is recalled as the 'current' preset.

I think the looper recording time is more of a hardware than firmware issue. The Looper actually takes up very little in terms of CPU cycles (DSP); it requires memory. The more RAM is allocated, the longer the recording can be. Helix has allocated enough RAM for 2 minutes of mono recording at 'half speed' sample rate. The DSP demand is no more than writing to and reading from the allocated area of memory; little to no additional processing power is required. So I don't think it's something you can trade off in terms of FX blocks. Reducing the DSP demand in a preset by removing an FX block can't be translated to increased memory for a longer loop length.

OK - thanks. I misunderstood.

Don't know that there's much more you can do about that, and not sure it's a 'problem' unique to the AMPLIFi. That's kind of the nature of high gain guitars. That's why players normally use a Tele or Strat when they want really clean tones (e.g. with a Fender amp), and why you see LPs used mostly with Marshall or hi-gain amps. Clean vs. dirty - there's equipment for each. Mixing them gives you a good middle ground, but if you want really clean you typically don't use a Les Paul. And if you want really dirty you typically don't use a Telecaster.

Not sure what you mean. You can tweak Variax JTV/Standard settings (not the older models) in Helix. The Variax model selection, vol/tone knob controllers, and custom tunings are all accessible and stored in Helix on a preset or global basis. You will see them on pages 2 and 3 of any input block where Variax is among the selected inputs.

No - can't do that globally. It's the same question that's asked here often about all kinds of favorite go-to amps and FX selections and settings in one's usual presets, whether it's a loop, a favourite distortion or reverb or chorus.... And the best way to manage it is the same. Create you own custom 'starting point' preset(s) for your most common setups and include all your go-to fx and preset elements with your specific 'default' settings. Then use these to copy anytime you start creating a new preset. The Templates setlist seems like the natural place for these. Note that Helix supports copying at the block/FX level so you can apply this strategy to create all your favourite 'default' settings. You can create template presets that you would never use as constructed, but are simply a repository for your favourite settings. For instance, you could have one template preset called DIST/OD (or CHORUS, DELAY, REVERB, etc.) that contains nothing but a selection of your favourite models of that type, each with your preferred default settings. Then, while constructing your real presets, you just select and copy from among your favourites.

That's right - no issues.