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Hey guys, Jason here (the dude that maintains http://helixhelp.com). I've created a free IR management tool for the Helix that is available for Beta testing. http://www.helixhelp.com/pmwiki.php?n=Main.HelixIRManager If you're interested, you can download it from the link above. Right now, only the Mac version is available but a Windows version is on the way shortly. Please keep in mind that this is beta software and things might be broken and your experiences with it may vary. Anyway, I hope this makes everyone's life a little bit easier until Line 6 comes up with something official. Thanks.

Made a Backup just like instructions said, followed update to the letter, will not load the update I made today when backed up, a. The file is there.... I can see it in explorer b. Helix editor only shows "Older back up" made months ago Lost my Last backed up set list... Please help!!! :angry:

Hi There, this is my first post :) I am trying to back up my Helix patches & install firmware updates....."gulp"... for the first time. Got it Dec 2015 so I am running version 1.03 on the helix & I am unable to get it to connect with my computer. I have tried downloading the compatible updater /software versions 1.03 and also tried 1.04. It just tells me that it can't connect or that I need version 1.4 or later. From what I have read I need to back up with compatible software before updating. I realize I have made a HUGE mistake not keeping up with updating and I REALLY don't want to lose all of my presets. I was so excited when I got it ...spent a ton of time making patches and then started using it at gigs and never looked back...lol! I have just been a happy camper all this time! UNTIL...Last weekend it went out on me when I engaged the EXP pedal from volume to wah in the middle of a gig. I got no output sound but the patches are all there and tuner was working so input was fine. Rebooting did not help. After rebooting the next day it works again though?!? I then, of course, realized that I need to back-up & update ASAP. I"m running on Mac os x El Capitan. Does anyone have any knowledge on what I should do first? I really appreciate any help or advice! Thank you so much in advance!

Hi all, I successfully updated my Helix to the new 2.00.0 firmware. All the presets were correctly restored, however the expression pedal (both exp1 and exp2) stopped working in all the presets. The only way to make them work is reassigning exp1 and exp2 to the correct parameters by using the "learn controller" option and saving again. After doing that, the exp pedal works properly... until I change preset, which causes the preset to lose the exp pedal settings. Exp2 is assigned to the volume position and is always on (global option), exp1 is assigned to the wah and I turn it on and off when I need it (preset option). I also deleted the volume block, but the whole unit freezes as soon as I select that block from the list again. At that point reboot is the only option. Exp pedal has been working perfectly with all the old firmware versions. Is there anything I can do to make it work properly?

I have the most current firmware and software for the Helix pedal. I have noticed that the pedal will randomly freeze up and will not allow me to change patches, use any of the buttons/switches/pedals. I can continue playing, but the only way to get control back is to power off the Helix. Yes, I followed the directions on the Line6 site regarding the proper way to do the firmware upgrade... :) I also reset the pedal to the factory settings and re-done the most current firmware update, same issue. Your help is appreciated...scott

Hi. I just received my new Variax JTV 69 and when I connect it to the Helix, I only get the magnetic pickups. Is it necessary for the battery to be charged and installed in the Variax? Can it be a malfunction? I will continue to do tests, but I think it is not normal. :(

Hi everybody! I just finished a new tune with my new LTD Baritone guitar into the Helix and it's sounding pretty darn massive! Someone suggested that I try the Fatality Line 6 original amp with this guitar and it is a great pairing. This guitar is tuned to drop-Ab so the amp model has to handle the low tunings well. I did use a tubescreamer model up front though, to tighten up the low end more. For the Cab sound I used some new OwnHammer IR's from the 412 Recto cab which is available now at http://ownhammer.com/412-recto I used the V70B for the main rhythms and a couple of the other ones for the additional parts. It's safe to say this is by far my favorite cab to use now so I highly recommend checking it out! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfaPyhrBkRA

Hi, Has anobody succeeded in getting anything similar to a flute sound? I am trying to add one with the 3osc, but I don't manage to get anything ok... :-( I cannot select the type of wave (ideally a sine wave) for the oscillators, and no idea on how to fully disable the filters... Thanks in advance for any hints! I'm actually using helix with an electric violin, and generally it works great, but in this case I would like to add a celtic touch to the sound...

hi just got a helix updated it after playing with it for a bit and im looking to get into using the editor i insatlled the latest editor but when i open it up its a skinny window just showing preset names and letting me import presets and impulse responses but no large window with the visual blocks and patch building portion. Is there some kind of hardware command from the helix i need to give control to the computer or what else could be the problem. thanks for helping a newb this thing is awesome

I thought this might be of interest to any Variax owners out there! https://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Line-6-We-are-seeking-candidates-for-1-on-1-product-feedback/869224-23508

Hi guys! Brand new to the forum and have been taking a serious look at buying a Helix unit, need some advice to see if this cool piece of gear is a good fit for me! A little about myself, I've been playing for 7 years and mainly play in a cover band in my town. We play in all kinds of venues, from big stages with robust sound systems to little gigs where we bring our own PA set-up. I'm drawn to the Helix because it seems like an affordable way to get all the cool sounds I want for my gigs, while also being easy to transport. I also don't have to shell out thousands of dollars on different amps and pedals in order to sound like Jimi Hendrix in one song to Billy Joe Armstrong in the next. My question is A) how will my current setup, if I add the Helix, work at these venues and B ) would I have to invest more money in a FRFR speaker to make this thing legit? A lot of these forum posts are aimed at guys who are serious about recording in their home studio's. I am not one of them. I want to be able to play this thing in my room, edit the sounds on my laptop, and then take that sound to rehearsal or the show and have it sound good. Right now, we've been mic-ing up my Peavy Classic 30 or just playing through it no mic for the shows. I know there is the ability to send it right to the FX return to bypass the preamp. Will that sound good? Additionally, if that wouldn't work, would I need a FRFR speaker to sound good? What would having one of those look like for live shows? Am I able to do direct in to the house and bypass the speakers? As you can tell I'm fairly new to this side of guitar technology. My life previously has been to plug my guitar into my pedals and then into my combo amp and just rock out. Need some help to see if I can make this Helix work for my world. Thanks in advance for the help!!!!

Hi guys! Having lots of fun using Helix Rack with an amp in the studio!

Hello Line 6 forum users, I was hoping you could help advise me with a dilemma that I'm having. I want to take advantage of Line 6's promotional deal for a Mission Engineering expression pedal when purchasing a helix rack and control this month so I went to Guitar Center (as I believe they are a licensed Line 6 dealer) yesterday to do so when they informed me that the earliest that a helix rack would be able to be shipped would be on the 27th of February as they didn't have one in store. I'm concerned that while I could get a receipt today, the 20th of February, showing I purchased a helix I wouldn't have the physical unit until perhaps March, when the promotion would have expired, and consequently if the serial number was needed to register the unit (as I assume it is) that I would miss the window of the promotion. Is it possible that there may be a way that even if my unit doesn't arrive during the promotional period that I could still receive a Mission Engineering expression pedal if I had proof of purchase during the promotional period? I have attempted to contact Line 6 through both repeated calls today and yesterday to the 1 (818) 575-3600 phone number they have listed as well as through a Facebook message but have yet to receive a reply. I understand that their customer service isn't listed as being open during the weekends and, while they are shown to be available on Mondays, that today is Presidents' Day in the United States so it's understandable that they may not be at work. Ideally I'd be purchasing the helix rack and control today from Guitar Center in order to take advantage of their Presidents' Day discounts but if possible I'd like to get confirmation on whether I would be able to receive the Mission Engineering expression pedal as well. Thanks for taking the time to read and any help you can offer!

Hi, Can someone help me to get the same sound as the Boss DS-2 for my HELIX board? I love this pedal but unfortunately it broke down last week.. Now i love to have te same sound in my Helix, so i can import it in deferent presets. Thanks in advance!

Having a lot of fun making Helix patches on my HD 500. They sound really close! I'm struggling with one. In this video at 3:15 is a patch called "M'erican Tycho" I can see that the amp is an Engl. I need the rest of the Fx and their perameters I suspect there is an Octafuzz in the mix somewhere. I was able to dial in most of these tones using the exact same perameters shown on the video. The Helix perameters are almost identical to the HD. Any help is much appreciated

It would be cool if Line 6 came out with a Helix expansion pedal, to give us more buttons (snaps or stomps)! I really wanted to run 4 snaps and 4 stomps, but I've found that on a lot of songs(patches) I need 6 snapshots, so I run all snaps, but other songs I only need like 2 snapshots and it would be handy to have some stomp boxes. Another 6 switches (scribble strips and all) set to control stompboxes would be very handy!

Hey guys, Here is a new Helix video for you! It's an alternative rock song using my Fender American Special Stratocaster. I'm running that into the Helix using the new wonderful OwnHammer Class-A Duo IR's. I'm using a couple of different amps but for the main tones I chose the Mandarin 80 model. It sounds pretty nice with my strat and those OH IR's. After the song I also demonstrate the presets. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A40IbRkB1Ys

Hey, I connected Helix via USB+camera connection kit to my ipad and the Quantiloop (ver 2) looper app. When doing that, the buffer size parameter on quantiloop is stuck at buffer size 128 (not a problem to change to 256, 512, 1024 while not connected to helix). When I record a track in quantiloop like this, I can send the midi commands from helix to the app on the ipad without any problems, but I get the recorded sound back with clicks/pops... and I think it has to do with the buffer size... This is annoying, but except for that quantiloop looks like a cool app! (BTW - no problem when using Loopy HD in a similar way...)

Hey guys, I just got the Helix for my project studio yesterday. I have the flooorboard model for now, as there was a mix up with my order. Next week I will be returning the floorboard model when the rack version gets here. I have been doing a ton of research on it, and I have several years experience with recording bands. I built my on pc for it, and I am pretty tech savvy. I purchased the Helix to upgrade from Podfarm plugin for guitar tracking. First, please allow me to explain my setup so you will understand better what I am asking. Because I do not have a properly treated room for live mic recording (mainly solid drum recording), I use electronic drums connected to my PC through midi to trigger VSTi plugins like Superior Drummer 2.0 and I do a lot of direct recording for guitars. For a while now, I would record guitars direct/dry and use Podfarm plug-in to generate the guitar tones. My main audio interface is a Focusrite 18i20, and I have 4 main JBL monitors connected to that for playback/monitoring. I also have a 6 channel headphone amp routed from the Focusrite interface for monitoring as well. I run Reaper as my recording DAW. I know the Helix is actually a recording interface as well when connected through USB, and I know it can be used to record guitar tracks through the USB port by switch to it in Reaper. I also know that if I switch to Helix as an interface, my guitar players will have to use the Helix headphone jack for monitoring during tracking, because the Helix will take over the Daw and NOT send the audio through my Focusrite which has the monitors and headphone amp connected to it. However, here is where I am not sure what I should do... Like I said, in the past I have used Podfarm plug-in after recording guitars direct/dry so we can change the guitar tones on the fly during the mix after the guitar tracks have been finished. I know there is the Helix Native plug-in coming out soon, and I am assuming I can use the same approach as I have in the past where I would be able to use it to change a tone on the fly after it has been tracked. But, until Helix Native comes out, or until I decide to buy it or not, I was wondering what I should do for tracking. Does the Helix have the option to send a processed tone to my daw as well as an unprocessed tone at the same time? And if so, how would we take the un-processed tone and send back to Helix to change the tone? Should we use the interface options in Helix to do this? Or should we send Helix to my Focusrite via XLR? I am sorry if I have confused anyone. Any help/feedback will be appreciated!

I've got a couple of 4x12 cabs with Celestion v30s that I love - one is a Marshall 1960AV the other a Line6 spider valve A cab with v30s. I'm running them with a Marshall JVM 410 and JCM2000 TSL 100 - using some 1960s long plate Sylvania 12AX7 tubes in V1. Both sound remarkable with the Marshall preamp sections, but I have been running my Firehawk FX into the power amp section for both when I want to use other amplifier tones. I want to buy a Helix, but I don't want to run them into the power amp section of the Marshall Amps, but rather to have a power amp that will drive one of the 4x12 cabs at 16ohms or both sides of a stereo cab at 8ohms each side. What would be the ideal amp for this setup - I'm thinking that 2x50 would be more than sufficient for my purposes.

First about me. I played for thirty five years. Owned almost every Marshall, Mesa, Fender + a lot of boutique amps ( Matchless, Bad Cat +++) Liked most of them, but Guitarist always want something new, right? Also worked for over 15 year selling guitars and amps. Now the Helix. While the Helix is my favorite toy and more than satisfying in my studio, I only used it as a pedalboard in live situations. It´s by far my best and most versatile pedalboard ever :-) Let me also mention that i do not use stereo setup live. My Problem: While some of you like it the FRFR thing does not work for me. Tried Line6, EV, Yamaha and other brands but i dont like the "miked" sound. My Solution: I stumbled over a old forgotten Mesa Boogie. The Simul Satellite. Made in the early 90´s for use with the Mesa Mark IV for a stereo setup. It´s like having a 112 cab with a built in power amp. And you can use it as a singel channel amp as well. It is Perfect for my needs. While most tube amps bypass the tonestack when using the effect return the Mesa Simul Satellite have a 5 band footswitchable eq + presence and a master volume. Switchable from 90w down to 15w The one i got also have the EV12L speaker. IMHO the best speaker ever..200w and clean no matter what i put in to it. To my ears it does not color the sound like my V30, Greenback ++ This is of course a matter of taste. Cons: With the 8.6 kg EV12L speaker it is a bit on the heavy side.( Not more than a quality 12" PA speaker) Have to choose between 6L6, EL34 or 6V6 tubes.( Can also mix 6L6 and EL34) Pros: It´s a tube amp made for the use of the effect loops!! Amp sounds good alone, and take pedals were well. Compact size. 15w to 90w . The EV12L sounds good from bedroom level to stage level. Can gig with only one amp, using different preamps in the Helix. Now i have the Helix amp simulations as a Backup for the Mesa, and my Tech 21 fly rig 5 as a backup for the backup. Hope this can help others "old school" BluesRock players like me out there searching...

Hi everyone, I think the ultimate way to test any modeler is in the context of a full band mix. That is why I recorded this song and made a video for you guys. This song covers some clean tones, heavy distorted riffs and little things in between. For all the guitar and bass parts I used the Helix combined with the wonderful OwnHammer Impulse Responses. I think the Helix holds up very well in the mix, what do you think? I'd also like to add that the Helix is an outstanding unit for bass! If you have any questions about this mix I'd be happy to answer them here. I'm also planning on doing a mix tutorial series on my channel that will cover every single aspect of the mix, including mixing and processing the guitar and bass parts. If you're interested in that stay tuned and subscribe. I hope you enjoy this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVs8I8-mKgs

So I sold my pod hd500x recently because I'm saving up for a Helix. However the buyer said he couldn't get the HD Edit software to work on it. I had no problem with it when I owned it. I checked and it is no longer registered as one of my devices however it was still authorized in license manager. I attempted to de-authorize it but it just says de-authorization pending... I've also deleted the hd edit software from my computer. What else can I do to help my buyer with this problem?

I'm using the Multi-output to USB and I notice that my dry signal is always coming through on the right channel. Even when my volume pedal is at 0% and my XLR outs are quiet, the dry signal still comes in over USB. Has anyone else observed this on their Macs? I've tried both custom and factory patches, and they both have this issue.

Hello, Has anybody any experiences with power amp and FRFR active speakers with helix ? I´ve been thinking to buy Palmer Macht 402 from thomann cause its kind of cheap comparing to premium models like matrix amplification GT1000FX-1U. They are promising tube sound but is that just a market mens sales talk ? :) -lax