Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Jump to content

Latency half a second at preset change on Firehawk?


alexdreamworld
 Share

Recommended Posts

There is a lag of at least half a second to change presets.

 

I do not find it normal in 2015 that the latency is not optimal ...

 

I had the TT is amplified with the FBV Shortboard MkII, I did not have this latency problem except in the Android app.

 

How is it that there have not corrected at the Firehawk pedal.

 

We feel the cut sounds between preset changes !!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you switch presets which have different effects/amps, there is lag(latency). I was hoping that this would have been addressed in the first update, but it was not(I guess the looper won out on ideascale). Anyways, as I wait for the lag issue to be resolved by the line 6 crew, I am trying to figure out workarounds for this issue. The lag is less noticable if you design patches which only make use of the top row of stomp buttons. If I cannot get the desired sound within that one patch, I have added a few external stomp boxes into the effects loop, as they have very little lag. If you absolutely have to switch between patches (which is why I use multi effects units in the first place), then, you will have to do the switch between patches before you normally would, and have to live with the noise created between the transition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my own testing I've found a few things which help a little -

 

Not changing Amps helps - ie if patch A is set to a Blackface Normal, keep B, C and D on the same amp/cab if possible.

 

There seems to be a bit of a caching effect per bank - if you load bank 30, then load patch A, B, C, D and let them sit on each for a moment, the lag reduces very slightly (but only if 'not changing amps' as above).

 

Not being Bluetooth tethered speeds things up a bit too. The FH seems to wait on a response of some sort from my iPad, and again there's a difference when not connected to it.

 

 

Having said all that, it'll be great if they fix the issue completely! Or are all the development guys working on Helix now instead?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting about using the same amps, I'll definitely be trying this later, played a gig last night with my old pedal (zoom g5) mainly because of the patch switching issue, I've been programming the Firehawk all week and I'm absolutely stunned by some of the tones I'm getting, it's actually a lot better than I was expecting and so quick, the only thing slowing me down is the time spent deciding what to create next lol, but last night it really took the shine off a great night by having to use my old gear, the zoom doesn't sound nearly as good and I'm desperate to melt some faces with the hawk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a huge issue and I am disappointed this is even an issue with a product, given that Line6 has made so many multi effects pedals and some of the early pedals suffered from this (pod xt live) initially. Usually you learn from past mistakes. I really hope a firmware update is coming soon to fix this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first few minutes I had my firehawk plugged in, I knew that this was an issue. I know that you others that are having the same issue want it fixed- it seems the way things get worked on at line 6 is through Ideascale. I know another password to remember is pain in the a$$, but I urge you all who want this issue fixed, to vote on it. I have not yet, but I will right now. Thanks, and lets get thing morphed into a useable piece of gear.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I voted, there are a few submissions on ideascale that cover the issue with switching presets, that's probably why there were only four votes, they are spread across multiple submissions

 

I hope we get some news about this soon, and the freezing issue

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ive been playing with a Firehawk most of the evening. There is a lot to like about it.
http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/effects-controllers/firehawk/firehawk-faq-r715

1st thing I did was install the ASIO Driver on one of Windows 7 machines, install the Line-6 updater 1.03 app, launched and updated the Firehawk FX  to Firmware 1.10.

 

My Firehawk FX review is based upon the latest 1.10 FW update 

Ive been using my Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones, and JTV-69 Guitar, and Installed the Firehawk Remote IOS app on my iPhone 6 Plus  - the patch change delay is not bad approx 100ms ( much faster than Roland GR-55) and zero audio dropouts when changing patches while streaming music backing tracks over bluetooth into the Firehawk. The LCD Display is very crisp and legible from all off axis viewing angles, and I really like that there is a dedicated Reverb knob  and FX Tweak knob, without need to dive into menus if working without the Firehawk Remote Editor running an iPhone/iPad. Many factory Preset Tones are quite usable for a gig,

Firehawk FX Factory presets PDF
http://line6.com/data/6/0a06438916a4755651e331a025/application/pdf/Firehawk%20FX%20Factory%20Presets%20-%20English%20(%20Rev%20A%20).pdf

Its very lean on I/O compared to HD500/HD500X, but having access to the nice Firehawk Remote Editor on my iPhone or ipad makes for a fast  / easy setup  / teardown and minimal cables.  The Firehawk is a bit more advanced compared to the AMPLFI products  - Firehawk comes with a mix of PodFarm and HD Amp models, and the FX are decent. there is even the monophonic Synth FX from the HD500. 

the cool thing is that once the Firehawk is paired via Bluetooth with my iPhone 6 Plus ,  I can use any IOS music app  - even synth apps like bs-16i. I can play the bs-16i keyboard on the the iPhone screen  and the audio output streams wirelessly over Bluetooth to Firehawk under 100 ms  - which is rather amazing, considering all my prior Blutooth 4.0 LE audio streaming experiments had huge 300ms-600ms  latency .

Already I prefer Firehawk  over my HD500. Firehawk is whisper quiet, excellent dynamic range  - no Hum, even when I used the Normal Mag Single coil PUs on my JTV-69, and I'm in a rather noisy EMF environment in an industrial building.   
 The Tone Matching tool actually works rather well, I was surprised that when I played arcane tunes in my iTunes library, the Line-6 Firehawk Tone match tool would suggest 6 or 8 patches from the cloud, and in seconds I was in the ball park for playing along with the tune.   

 

So I my questions to those who are suffering 1/2 second patch changes on Firehawk FX :

 

* Have you updated to the latest 1.10 Firmware?

 

* Are you using a recent IOS device that employs Bluetooth 4.0 LE ?   

 

i suspect if you are using an older IOS device that does not employ Bluetooth 4.0 LE (Low Energy), (like an older  1st or 2nd gen iPad) you may suffer longer patch change times.

 

On my Firehawk FX - some patches do take a bit longer and occasionally I hear a momentary 50 millisecond jump in volume, but Id much rather suffer these in exchange for zero dropouts  / zero mutes of my Bluetooth streaming Audio backing tracks.

 

Good Job Line-6 !    

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Firmware 1.1, with no bluetooth device connected. I am used to very little latency on my boss gt-10, which is 7 years old, so I was surprised with the lag in this device when compared to it. Keep using it, you will also hear transition noises when doing some switches.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just want to keep this topic going so all new Firehawk members can vote, just got back from band rehearsal, I could only use the firehawk for so long, then I got frustrated, and had to put it in it's bag and switch to my old reliable boss gt10. I really hope this gets addressed in the next firmware update.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No bluetooth device.  maybe you have a different mindset when it comes to patch switching times- I know there is lag - how about you post a video with your instant patch changes?  I am sure I am not the only one who would be interested in seeing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No bluetooth device.  maybe you have a different mindset when it comes to patch switching times- I know there is lag - how about you post a video with your instant patch changes?  I am sure I am not the only one who would be interested in seeing.

Me too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi - I've started using this unit live, and in my opinion it is unusable. the lag between setup switching is way too much. and the effects do not continue. so if you switch from a heavy delay to something else the delay doesn't fade out. there is almost a big clunk when switching from one to another. i think it might actually mute the signal for a fraction of a second.

 

ALSO the tuner is really not very good - I'm used to using a polytune and this is no where near as accurate or as easy to use. The worst thing for me ( i use it into the front end of an amp) is that every time i switch from one preset to another it says 'output in amps mode' - covering up the name of the patch. so you have no idea what you're recalling. 

 

shame - because i really like crafting sounds on it using the iPad app, but then using it live is no good. Line 6 - any answers on when this sort of stuff will be addressed. as soon as possible i hope.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, just starting to read up on this unit as, being in Australia, the usual electronics mark up combined with a weak dollar have put the Helix in the 2k range which is kind of silly. Sounds like this is a pretty piece of crap at the moment. Latency in a board designed for live use is an instant no. I like my JTV but if this is what the boards are about then I may just stick with a combo and a slew of pedals. I'd love to hear that this has been rectified, but your experience scares me away from the Firehawk and gives me grave doubts regarding the Helix at near four times the prices. Concerning also is the lack of Line 6 presence on this Hot topic.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes there is patch to patch change latency on Firehawk ( and its longer than the HD500X ) 

the "patch change lag" is a result of loading new data in the Firehawk's singular DSP for each patch

 

But if you have access to a Roland GR-55 - audition it for its patch change delay latency

 

Know that the Line-6 Firehawk FX switches patches at least twice as fast as the GR-55.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It may be quicker than X, Y, or Z, but it's also slower than A, B, and C, so I'm not sure the point you're making is? I think the only point to note is that the change is too slow, and needs remedied...?

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for the upload, what amp models did you use in your demo? There is less lag between patch switches when you go from a patch based on the same amp model. Also, the more effects you put in the patch, the more delay you will get between patches, coupled with weird noise in the transition between the patch switch. If you are happy with lag time on this unit Wilson, that is great, but with the patches I created, and need to use in a live situation, there is too much lag to be practical.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just had a look at the patches...A is a marshall model...B is my `noodling at home sound` which is SLO 100 crunch with comp , dist, rev, and delay. C is the factory patch `Ambient Delays`...when i play live i have amp models off and use a Fulltone OCD in the loop. this then goes into the clean channel of a marshall JVM410HJS for my function band. For my Rock stuff i use the JVM sounds with the firehawk 4cm. Comp/Wah/Od up front and Rev Delay in the Loop. In this situation there is Zero lag as i`m only turning fx on/off with the Firehawk. The other way there is the same amount of lag you see in my video which is acceptable to me. I hope they get it faster for you in a future firmware upgrade as i really like the unit :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, effects switching has far less lag, and with no amp sims on, changes also are more smoother, but this hardware is promoted as an amp modeller, and the majority of the users of this device are looking for a unit which has everthing they need to get good tones with a few taps of a bluetooth device without external effects. In a day or two, I am going to create 2 videos of my own and share them for comparison- I will play a full song with 4 different patch changes through a Boss GT-10, and the Firehawk.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...