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Crowd-sourced documentation?


FiveBass
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I knew when I bought the Line 6 FireHawk FX in May 2015 that it is a newly released bleeding-edge product.  Being a firmware-based pedal with mobile-app remote control, I anticipate that the initial firmware versions and app versions will be fairly basic - enough to get owners to make use of the product right out of the box.  I have done a couple rehearsals and sets with the pedal, and I know I will be very pleased with what it will do for me.  I already put on firmware v1.1 and updated the remote app to match.  Nice to see the feature additions, and that the Pilot's Guide on line6.com was updated to match.

 

Now, about the documentation.  My pedal came with firmware v1.0.1.  The Pilot's Guide that came with it is really just 11 pages of quick-start overview, and based on fw v1.0.1.  It tells you where to find things on the pedal and in the remote app, and what pushing the pedal's buttons will do.  That is all the documentation I got in the box.  That's fine.  So next I went to search line6.com for a fully detailed User Guide, User Manual, Technical Reference, App Notes, Configuration Guide, How-To Guides, Maintenance and Care Guide, etc.

 

Welcome to Line 6.  The Pilot's Guide is the only documentation you will find that is written by Line 6 for the FireHawk FX.  FAQ does not count (sorry, Line6Drew).  The FAQ is merely a brochure with a couple links to AMPLIFi specs and AMPLIFi Amp/Cab lists.  So, rhetorical question here, where is the fully detailed documentation for the FireHawk FX?  There is none.  I scoured the line6.com web site, and there is no additional documentation written by Line 6 for the FireHawk FX.

 

Line 6 does have a user forum for FireHawk and all their other products too.  In fact, it looks like the intention of Line 6 is to avoid documenting the details, and leave it to a community of product users to Q&A each other for tips and tricks.  So if I want to learn more about the details of the device and the remote mobile-app, I am left to ask around in the forums to find out what someone else has learned from trial-an-error, experience, or by-golly-I-guessed-right-I-think anecdotal information.  I know that Line 6 employees will add a comment here and there, but this all just qualifies as Crowd Sourced Documentation.  Really it is more like crowd sourced support.

 

What could Line 6 include in full documentation?  Well, to answer this, just go through the FireHawk FX forum, and there will be myriads of questions from owners asking about their pedal.  They want to know more about editing, saving and recalling tone patches.  They want to know the relationship between the items in the effects chain.  They would like to understand what goes on in the individual effects that are available.  They want to know how the big jog-wheel/button is used under different circumstances.

 

I'll give just one for-instance here of an item that Line 6 could hire a technical writer for.

 

The 4 Band SemiParametric EQ.

 

We can all look up how a parametric equalizer works if not familiar with the item.  But, can we look up how the Line 6 FireHawk FX 4 Band SemiParametric EQ works?  If by that I mean can we look up Line 6 supplied documentation about how to use the FireHawk FX 4 Band SemiParametric EQ and understand how the controls will modify your sound, the answer is, "no".  As the Romans would say, "off to the Forum"!

 

I will take a stab, not with a pugio but with an example, at showing what Line 6 has not yet documented about this equalizer but should document.

 

The 4-band semi-parametric EQ is based on any regular n-band parametric EQ, but with a piece missing.  A parametric EQ lets a user define the low frequency and high-frequency cutoffs, and then lift or drop stretches of frequencies.  The cutoffs are called shelves, and the intermediate frequency mods may be called boost and cut, lift and scoop, or peak and valley.  These are just ways to adjust the volume of a sound in particular frequency ranges.

 

The low shelf controls the frequency at which sound will start to be amplified.  Below that frequency, the volume drops off toward zero.  The high shelf does the same, but the control sets the high frequency volume drop-off.  Above that frequency, volume drops off toward zero.

 

The two shelves count for two of the bands in the 4 band parametric EQ.  The other two bands are settable between low and high shelf settings.  There are two of these bands, and this is where the "Semi" meets "Parametric".  A regular parametric equalizer provides three controls per frequency band.  These are Center Frequency, Gain, and Q.  The Center Frequency control selects a frequency to raise or lower amplification around.  The amount of amplification up or down is controlled by the Gain control, and is represented in decibels of gain (+/- dB).  A +dB gain setting will increase amplification around the selected center frequency, and a -dB setting will decrease amplification around the selected center frequency.

 

Now, about that missing piece of this parametric equalizer, the Q.  Parametric EQs allow control of the Q setting for each band to define how wide a frequency range the Gain will influence above and below the band's selected Center Frequency.  The FireHawk implementation of the parametric EQ does not provide control over the Q parameter, so it is not a complete parametric equalizer.  The EQ band Q setting on the FireHawk is defined by a second-order algorithm that they programmed, and this produces a fixed and unmodifiable behavior of the EQ.  The Q is the parameter that controls the frequency spread the band is.  On the FireHawk FX SemiParametric EQ, we're not really sure how far below or above the Center Frequency is affected on each EQ band.  In fact, the frequency range may vary depending on the Gain setting. A higher +/- Gain setting may pull the tent up higher (up or down), and the sides may stretch out with it.  The result is that the user is left more to tweaking in the dark than knowing why a control setting would need adjusted.

 

Line 6, please document

 

Commenters, I gave an example here to demonstrate the need for good documentation.  Please let Line 6 follow up and provide complete documentation for this product.  Do not try to use this topic to add full documentation for them.  Rather, use this topic to encourage Line 6 on our desire to have them support their products better through documentation instead of crowd-sourced support forums.  Hey, if I 'documented' anything wrong in this post, then that is just more the reason that Line 6 should be providing full documentation of all the features in their products.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I Fully agree with your post. Ive been using Line 6 since the AX2 was introduced. Line 6 has come far with their modeling software. I have always found the lack of documentation a problem with them. While many professionals use Line 6 products, there are those of us that would benefit from proper documentation on specific products. Found a post from folks seeking documentation tonight before finding this newer thread. (Complete Manual?

Started by HuntsvilleGator, Jan 29 2014 08:45 PM)

 

I am happy with my AMPLIFI 150, however would like a great run down on how their semiparametric EQ affects each frequency. I have been reading all night (via Google, maybe buying a book) trying to understand EQing because I am trying to get a specific tone I've created just right. I am close, as my amp eq settings are where I want them (happy with sound but not quite estactic yet). I have copied the tone twice (so I don't overwrite original) and messing around with the semiparametric EQ ranges, but it's not sounding the way I expected. I have read that properly using such an EQ should lead to a perfect sound (at least to me).

 

I hope to see more from Line 6 on this issue, and not another short video that doesn't help me with specific questions. I read this forum daily, but it's just not easy to find answers. Let me rephrase that; I find answers, but the answers are from other users with occasional Line 6 support person (I think, or maybe a pro on here). Anyway this is fine, but maybe documentation would seriously help some of us.

 

Thanks I'll keep watching this post, hope a rep can lead us to the papers.. Cheers!

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 Noble effort!

I have found its worth reading old docs for other effects to learn how effects work, and strategies for live use.   

 

http://www.foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/

 

http://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=88.0

 

 

 

FWIW  -I'm administrator for an Independent "not affiliated with any company" multi-fx forum with ability to host many docs and user to user patch sharing.

 

I already host the nets largest repository of Variax Workbench patches

http://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=138.0

 

 

The Firehawk FX area is here:

http://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?board=198.0

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  • 5 months later...

I completely agree. I have spent hours scouring the internet for some basics. It seems some of the more complex tasks are documented in the forms, but not some of the basics. Better documentation is a must.

 

Here is a basic question that I still don't know the answer: 

** How can I select a different preset using the remote app? **

 

The manual states, "Wirelessly control and edit every aspect of your guitar rig." I just want to change the patch.... I haven't even journeyed (yet) into tone modelling.

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Thanks, Silverhead.

 

When I do this, my selection is put into the current board selection but in edit mode. So for instance:

 

Firehawk FX pedal board set on "2A Wind Cries Mary"

I select 10B via remote app.

Firehawk FX pedal board changes to "2A{dot} Still of the Night"

 

which I understand is essentially me editing bank 2A with 10B parameters.....

 

I'm just trying to switch the board to 10B without using footswitches.

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I see. What you describe is the expected behaviour. If you want to switch the board's focus .... you have to use the board footswitches. Can't do it with the app. The app only seems to communicate with the audition/edit buffer on the board except when saving presets. When doing that the app can target a specific preset location on the board.  After the Save operation I frankly don't know what the board's active location is - the original location or the target location.

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Thanks, this confirms my suspicions that the remote app is really targeted for editing.....which is great, but a far cry from "Wirelessly control and edit every aspect of your guitar rig."

 

I wish the documentation was more robust; especially the remote app. For me, the editing/tone library is why I bought the Firehawk and while some of it is fairly intuitive, much is not....hence a "vote" for crowd-sourced documentation.

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Related Question: Since the documentation is lacking, what is the best method to get questions answered? ! question per post or perhaps multiple questions within 1 post. I would imagine others would benefit from the answers.

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  • 9 months later...

On the particular example given, the DSP must have a programmed Q, so why not make it adjustable?  Then a standard description of a 2-shelf, 2-band parametric EQ is all that's required.
The point is well-made though.  Other companies seem to be tripping over themselves getting the latest technology to market, while slightly tripping up on all that goes around it.

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Agreed on the Q aspect of the EQ, but would also like to see a graphic EQ with vertical adjusters added. They did it with the M13 in updates, should be easy to add here.

 

My other issue is why are only 3 of the 5 footswitches assignable? Why can't the Comp and Reverb be reassigned as Mod or Distortions? The product advertising pretty much lies about this, because the way it is written, I thought for sure all 5 buttons were assignable. Sure I can move them, but that is not what the docs allude to. What if I want to Edge out and have 5 delays running?

 

And don't get me started with the tap dance you have to go through with the Bluetooth...

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