silverhead

Click on the link I provided above

You can create a template preset for this and then copy that template as a starting point for all new presets.

I edited my previous post to include a link to the original

Didn't you ask this question before in another thread? It was answered there. http://line6.com/support/topic/18870-line-6-pod-hd500x-presets/?view=findpost&p=141126 Not much point in asking questions if you don't read the responses. 😳

Also check the Line 6 Audio-Midi control panel settings. I believe there is an option to increase the USB send level by +18db.

You need to assign the FX to a footswitch. Select the FX using the joystick and then place your finger on the footswitch you want to use to turn it on/off. Don't press the switch down - just touch and hold yr finger there. When the display changes, click YES to assign it.

Here's a low-tech 'lock' feature: put a piece of tape over the SAVE button.

Helix is still priced well below Axe. Fair comparisons should be made on price and feature set, and on Line 6 history in terms of updates and enhancements. If you choose to base your expectations on a higher priced competitor's product and end up disappointed I guess that's up to you. But what will you do with your disappointment? Get rid of the lower priced but arguably better value Helix product that sounds virtually as good or (in the opinion of some who have owned both) better than Axe? Because it only gets updates a few times a year rather than monthly? If that makes sense to you then go for it.

You can control it with iOS and Android. You can record over USB to MAC and PC but no control/edit capability on those platforms. If any reviews said otherwise they were wrong.

Back up your presets and setlists regularly.

You mean SHURE, not SONY right? They look like very good phones - should be great with Helix.

Yes. With your HD500X connected via USB it will become your computer's soundcard so you can play backing tracks from iTunes and hear it through the HD500X outputs. When you record over usb you can record only your guitar; the backing track will not be recorded. One suggestion: configure Audacity to use the HD500X and its ASIO driver as the audio input and output device. Avoid using the Audacity default ASIO4ALL pseudo-driver.

Yes, that absolutely sounds right. For home studio I would definitely go with the studio monitors, with the option of FRFR cab down the line. Helix is a great audio interface with its 8 usb channels, including a dry signal option for the guitar and mic inputs. It will serve you well for guitar, bass, and vocals as well as additional audio equipment such as keyboards. Helix is not a midi interface, however. If you're into that you'll need a separate midi interface. And don't forget a good set of studio headphones.......

I have to disagree. The Downloads page here shows that the HD500/X product received 12 firmware updates over a period of approximately 5 years. Was that really below your expectations?

True.

Follow the Support tab at the top of this page.

Open a support ticket.

And there's the trap about expectations. Even having general expectations can leave you disappointed depending on the 'amount' or duration of expected improvements. And then of course specific expectations like matching X3 features are always troublesome. Edit: Anyone buying Helix today might look at AMPLIFi/Firehawk with their Bluetooth capability and iOS/Android apps and persuade themselves that, since Line 6 obviously has those features on some recent products, they will surely be added to Helix at some point. If you buy Helix with that expectation you are almost certainly going to be disappointed.

I think there's some truth in both views. I think it's fair to assume that Helix will be enhanced and that one can factor the expectation for improvement into the buying decision. But to me it's a matter of specificity. It would be a mistake to buy on the assumption that any specific improvement will be forthcoming. For instance, one could buy Helix today with the fair expectation that an editor is pending. But to buy it today expecting a specific amp model, or any other currently unannounced improvement, will come in the future will only set yourself up for disappointment. EDIT: Looks like PeterHamm and I were writing and posting simultaneously, with similar views.

Have you considered getting the Line 6 M9 or M13 instead of a second POD HD? The POD uses the M-series FX. The M9/13 can store presets/scenes. You would place it in your POD HD FX Loop. You could use one device for the Pre-amp FX and the other for post-amp depending on where in the preset you choose to place the FX Loop. You would connect them by midi to coordinate your presets on the two devices.

In the Variax edit section where you set the Model to Don't Force you will also find the Volume and Tone knob settings. The Don't Force value is at the zero end of the scale. Double press ( or just press once?) the encoder to select it.

There's a setting to tell Helix whether you want it to control the Variax or not on a global basis. If you set that to Per Preset, that means you are telling Helix you want it to control the Variax based on the settings you specify in every preset. That places the onus on you to do so. Both the Volume and Tone knob in Helix can be set to Don't Force. That should eliminate the problem you are having. But you have to do that in every preset unless you want to set the Variax Settings parameter to Global as mentioned earlier. If you specify that you want to control it Per Preset, then you have to do so. So double check your setting for the Volume Control in all your mag presets where you are experiencing the problem. If they are set to Don't Force in all cases and you are still experiencing the issue then there is a bug and you should open a support ticket to report it. But if they are set to some value other than Don't Force you have to reset them.

Yes - I believe 300/400 patches are compatible. You can drag/drop them in and out of their respective Edit programs.

A fairly simple and I think reliable tactic for you would be to set your Helix Variax Settings to Global. Then turn off all Variax controls in Helix. This should render Helix incapable of affecting your Variax. Since the only time you use the Variax models is for the acoustic you could manually set your Variax model to the Acoustic bank and leave it there.... presumably forever. Then during the set when you want your acoustic just press the Model Select knob to activate the model. When done with the acoustic press it again to reactivate the mags. Seems to get the result you want with only pressing one knob (and the pickup switch selector for the correct acoustic model) to switch between mags and model as required. All the rest is handled manually and Helix is never in the picture for Variax control. Of course if you ever do want to use more than the Acoustic Variax models and you want to use Helix to manage that you will have to set Variax Settings to Per Preset and then tweak all presets to turn off Variax Model Select and Volume controls when using the mags. (This is what you would have to do presently if you don't want to use the above tactic).

Not unless you use the file conversion utility (see link in my previous post). After converting the HD500X preset file to HD400 format you can load it into the HD400 Edit program.