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Time between preset swtiching unbearable.


bond19
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  • 2 weeks later...

It has officially become unbearable. The latency noises and "pops" during patch switches has become more than I can work around. While switching tones during quiet passages and between songs there are occasional pops that are unacceptable. It has become such a distraction, that the Firehawk is out of service until the fix is published, or I sell it. I need to concentrate my energy and focus on playing the actual song, not concentrate on how I am going to cover up some flippin pop or quack that comes out of my FX device. 

 

Luckily I have my HD500X back up. This week, I left my Firehawk rig at the gig, so I broke out the 500X to rehearse at home and was reminded of what a quality unit it is. More assignable fx blocks and no noise. Certainly less to haul around (My Firehawk now has 2 other stompboxes connected to FX loop to make up for lack of assignable blocks, that means added power supply, so whole thing is in a huge pedal board that weighs a ton.) Add to that, I had forgotten how some of the patches on the 500x sound, more vibrant and apparent. I had struggled to recreate the dimension of some of my 500x patches translated to the Firehawk. Firehawk just won't do it due to lack of assignable blocks and lack of block position flexibility. The switching in the 500x allows multiple blocks to be assigned to the same switch, so tapping a switch can toggle on effect on and another one off simultaneously.

 

Bluetooth and iPad editing on the Firehawk put,it in one sense, miles ahead, the latency and the noises have rendered it useless to me.

 

Historically, I have jumped on each new effect incarnation that has come out of Line 6, since XT. After owning the Amplifi, and the Firehawk, I will wait and take a long, long cautious look at the Helix. For $1500 of my hard earned bucks, it will need to review as flawless.

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I've been trying to stay with it for as long as possible, I've played maybe 10 gigs with it since June, but I've just about given up. Coming up to the Christmas season I'll be gigging at least once a week so need reliability.

 

Have a lend of a TC G-system to try out and on early testing think I'll switch to it. Not as simple or intuitive as FH, but just simply 'works'. Hoping I can trade the FH in somewhere for decent credit on one now.

 

I'll never buy without trying again I don't think...

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Rehearsed again this AM with HD500x, dang boy! It totally had slipped my memory how nice it is! It helps that my

HD is packed full of patches that I wrote, so it is easy to switch to.

 

I will hang on to Firehawk till the fix comes and re-evaluate at that time. 

 

A buddy of mine has the TC G system, I have checked it out. He plays backline, I play direct. My SENSE is that the TC G system is geared more for backline amps, and not as focused on running direct.

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One persons "very minimal " patch change lag

 

is another persons eternity.

 

and this reminds me of the old Marx Brothers line

 

1: Doc, it hurts when I do this...

2: Then don't do that.

3: Have you had this before?

1: Yes.

2: Well you've got it again.

 

Ive since moved to a Vypyr Pro System for my live gig needs -that has instant patch changes and easy editing a patch mid song, while Line -6 spins a reality distortion field around the Firehawk FX patch change problems

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Wow his response has me very worried

I honestly don't see how anyone can see it that way, I actually got told to stop using the firehawk at a local practice studio, the owner was walking past while I was changing backwards and forwards between patches listening to how bad the pops are and he said I was gonna blow his speakers, yes he is a bit of a muppet sometimes but I honestly can't blame him, it sounded so unhealthy

I've never owned anything else that does this between patches

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That response is very worrying!

 

How has he not experienced the delay artifacts between patches? Maybe he doesn't use delay :wacko: ... For me this is the single biggest issue with the Firehawk, it's unacceptable and does make it unusable in live situations...

 

Maybe the world should change to accommodate the flaws of this Line6 product, 0.08 seconds filled with the cry of a wild banshee isn't an amount of time to be considered a BIG issue.... seriously?? YES IT IS#!!! :blink:

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Firehawk v1.20 fixes patch switching time and audio artifacts

We strongly recommend updating your firmware with the Line 6 Updater on Mac or PC.
This firmware update provides much faster patch switching and fixes audible artifacts when switching between specific patches.

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Firehawk v1.20 fixes patch switching time and audio artifacts

We strongly recommend updating your firmware with the Line 6 Updater on Mac or PC.

This firmware update provides much faster patch switching and fixes audible artifacts when switching between specific patches.

 

 

Great news! I'll update mine ASAP and report my thoughts.

 

I had my firehawk set up next to one of these last night - http://digitech.com/en-US/products/gsp1101

The tones on the Firehawk were easily as good as the digitech... But, the patch change and delay/reverb spill over on the digitech was so so SO much better, hopefully this update puts the two units at the same level.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Even with the new firmware 1.20, the switching duration remains too long and unusable for rehearsals and gigs. There is a noticeable blank gap with no sound. I've bought my Firehawk in August and it is still collecting the dust waiting for a correcting firmware.

 

I was satisfied with Line 6 products so far, but my confidence is compromised. Can't understand how a popular and reputed firm can release a product with such unacceptable defects, especially as this kind of trouble has been already faced with previous products.

 

If no fixing firmware is released before the end of the year, I will sell my Firehawk. And be sure that I will not recommend it on purchasing websites.

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Even with the new firmware 1.20, the switching duration remains too long and unusable for rehearsals and gigs. There is a noticeable blank gap with no sound. I've bought my Firehawk in August and it is still collecting the dust waiting for a correcting firmware.

 

I was satisfied with Line 6 products so far, but my confidence is compromised. Can't understand how a popular and reputed firm can release a product with such unacceptable defects, especially as this kind of trouble has been already faced with previous products.

 

If no fixing firmware is released before the end of the year, I will sell my Firehawk. And be sure that I will not recommend it on purchasing websites.

I have to agree on this. I'm currently on the latest firmware (1.20)

 

I experienced something like this delay/warp-stuff back in 2003 when I bought a V-AMP 2 (Behringer). I bought it without trying as a lot of people recommended it, but their musical style etc never required fast switching of presets so any delay/warp was never an issue for them. I hated the V-amp2. I gave it to my friend in the hope that he'll get a good use from it,, I hope I don't have to try to "give" this away cheap, aka selling it.

 

Before I gave away my VAMP2 I bought a Vox Tonelab and I was really satisfied, no switching delay. Then in 2006 I bought a Boss GT-8, no switching delay there either, this is a unit I still have and it's a lifesaver when Murphy's law kicks in and gear breaks. I'll never get rid of it, as it's sturdy and rugged, and keeps on rocking.

 

I've since used plenty other FX units and none have had this delay.

 

I do regret that I bought this without testing, and silly me waited for the patch to fix this warp and the return policy at the shop has now expired. I could not imagine that patch switching latency would be something I would have to experience again, not considering we're in 2015 not 2004.

 

Now this floorboard fx unit is more of a glorified recording unit than a live gigging rig, which sucks as I already have a good recording setup.

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I put my Firehawk back in to service with the new update, Right off the bat, a couple of my stock tones sounded like trash. I re-engineered and found a couple of stock tones that I used in place of. Generally speaking, I never use a stock tone, if I do it is only as a starting point. Oh yeah BTW stock tone= AC30 DD, 2 delays very ambient 3 dimension, sounded awesome in the room FOH! Very happy with switching and rig overall. No artifacts or weird latency tones in switching.

 

I did find a better unity level with my effects loop, leave the return at 0 an slightly turn the send down. I am getting rid of my Fulltone 2 as a boost in my FX loop as it tends to color the boost when I engage it. Will be shopping a clean

boost on Thursday. May try the Fulltone 3 because you are able to select where you want the boost in the pedal, in front of the drive or after the drive. In reality, I could just use the fx loop as the boost.

 

Has anyone noticed that the Firehawk forum has become like a ghost-town since Helix shipped?? Just sayin... 

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I put my Firehawk back in to service with the new update, Right off the bat, a couple of my stock tones sounded like trash. I re-engineered and found a couple of stock tones that I used in place of. Generally speaking, I never use a stock tone, if I do it is only as a starting point. Oh yeah BTW stock tone= AC30 DD, 2 delays very ambient 3 dimension, sounded awesome in the room FOH! Very happy with switching and rig overall. No artifacts or weird latency tones in switching.

 

I did find a better unity level with my effects loop, leave the return at 0 an slightly turn the send down. I am getting rid of my Fulltone 2 as a boost in my FX loop as it tends to color the boost when I engage it. Will be shopping a clean

boost on Thursday. May try the Fulltone 3 because you are able to select where you want the boost in the pedal, in front of the drive or after the drive. In reality, I could just use the fx loop as the boost.

 

Has anyone noticed that the Firehawk forum has become like a ghost-town since Helix shipped?? Just sayin... 

I still find the patch changing latency quite unbearable in a live situation with the 1.20 version. I need to have switching preset with max 30-50 milliseconds latency, now it's at least 200 ms, probably more... anything more than 50-60 ms is getting way to audible in a live setting, and more than 100 is not usable.

 

In order to be able to switch ("enable") multiple effects I often have two presets that are 100% the same, apart from one has a few settings enabled and the other doesn't. This way I can switch between flanger, delay, boost all at once with one press, instead of tap dancing in order to switch off the effects.

 

As the unit is now it has good amp models, but I'm not able to use it in a live setting the way I can use my old 2006' Boss GT-8 in regards with changing presets.

 

I still have an ugly aftertaste every time I look at the FireHawk, and unless this is improved I feel like I have flushed a lot of bucks down the toilet...

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Does it improve if your not connected to the app? (I haven't tried yet)

I admit I also wish the switching was quicker, seems crazy to have such a damning flaw in an otherwise brilliant product, even more so when every other pedal out there switches quicker, even the much cheaper ones

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Just wanted to mention with FW 1.20 , the Firehawk FX's  patch to patch switching time is twice as fast   - compared to 2011 era Roland GR-55 and 2004 era Behringer V-Amp Pro  - both of those MFX suffer much longer patch to patch switching  time. 

 

FWIW  the new  Vypyr Pro has very fast patch change time, (even faster than a Kemper), while Axe-FX II is faster still    

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Does it improve if your not connected to the app? (I haven't tried yet)

I admit I also wish the switching was quicker, seems crazy to have such a damning flaw in an otherwise brilliant product, even more so when every other pedal out there switches quicker, even the much cheaper ones

 

Having my phone/tablet connected via bluetooth, or disconnected for that matter,  does not have a big impact, at least having it disconnected doesn't make it as fast as it should be.

 

I enjoy jamming with it at home, but it's not in my gigging equipment due to the patch switch latency, sadly. I was planning on replacing my old Boss GT-8 with the Firehawk, but not as it is today. Kinda regret I didn't buy the Boss GT-100, but I wanted to try the Line6-products as everyone's bragging about them.

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