Helix Bug Reports

[wilkinsi]

On 11/2/2018 at 4:32 PM, phil_m said:

 

HX Stomp files can't be loaded into the Rack or Floor. If you have both devices, you can have the Stomp and the Floor (or Rack) connected to HX Edit at the same time (each will have its own window), and you can copy and paste blocks from the Stomp preset into a preset on the Floor.

 

I'm hoping Line 6 will make presets in HX Stomp and Helix Rack/Floor compatible.

 

UPDATE: Looks like its on the cards, according to Line 6 Support. Looking forward to this happening!

[dragonfet]

I have just filed a bug report for a feedback loop in the Voltage Queen preamp block. I'm posting it on here too if someone wants to confirm it and to avoid duplicate reports.

 

Steps to reproduce:
1. Insert a Voltage Queen preamp block.
2. Set all controls except for Drive 2 and Hum to 10. Drive 2 can be set to any value, Hum should be turned off, otherwise the effect might be masked.
3. There should be a low frequency (around 13 Hz + harmonics) resonance audible.
4. With Drive 1 set inbetween 7.4 and 9.5, the Sag value seems to change the frequency of the resonance a little. Other controls will influence the timbre and may cause the resonance to die off, e.g. when setting Bass to 0.

 

Device is a Helix Floor, Firmware is current 2.70 .

[dragonfet]

16 hours ago, dragonfet said:

I have just filed a bug report for a feedback loop in the Voltage Queen preamp block. I'm posting it on here too if someone wants to confirm it and to avoid duplicate reports.

This has been confirmed by Line 6, the responding person also narrowed it down to Drive 1 being set to 8-10 and Bass to 10, so he suspects it has to do with the Bass control.

[DigitalDelay7]

On 10/25/2018 at 8:05 PM, phil_m said:

 

If you're plugging into actual tube amps, it sounds like you're probably sending them too hot of a signal. Are you using amp modeling on the Helix? Or are you just using the Helix for effects? You'll want to make sure you have the 1/4" outs set to instrument level. Turn the large volume knob up all the way and the input pad off, and that will give you unity gain with everything in the Helix signal chain bypassed.

 

I was using amp modelling, but I'm not overly impressed with it so far. I'm happy to get rid of them from my chain if you think it'd help to damp down the signal. I'll definitely try what you've suggested with the 1/4" outs and the volume knob. Not thought to check on that yet.

 

On 10/25/2018 at 7:58 PM, jbuhajla said:

It's all about volume. I imagine you have a LOT of volume in your backline when playing live, which will interact with your "vintage" style single coils. Some vintage style pickups can be very microphonic. Then when you are at home, your volume is much less I imagine. You may have your gain staging in the Helix very hot when compared to your instrument level only pedal chain. 

 

 

 

How can I get around this? I haven't really looked into gain staging with the Helix. Any tutorials or pointers you could recommend?

[jbuhajla]

On 11/8/2018 at 11:15 AM, DigitalDelay7 said:

 

I was using amp modelling, but I'm not overly impressed with it so far. I'm happy to get rid of them from my chain if you think it'd help to damp down the signal. I'll definitely try what you've suggested with the 1/4" outs and the volume knob. Not thought to check on that yet.

 

 

How can I get around this? I haven't really looked into gain staging with the Helix. Any tutorials or pointers you could recommend?

The way I do it is I connect Helix to my DAW on my PC (Reaper) and use the metering there. I bypass all effects and just have the amp/cab model running. I play an open chord reasonably hard on all pickup settings, getting the meter to peak on average around -12dB. Then I do the same process by adding one effect block at the same time. I mainly do this with just the overdrive blocks. I do look at the meter, but rely on ears ultimately. After going through the process with each overdrive, I then start to stack them just to be sure a certain combination of overdrives doesn't get too loud. Then I go through the process with the compressor block if I am using one. Once I have done that, things are pretty "normalized" at that point and I can tweak by ear if necessary. 

 

I have a few "template" presets I have saved with amp/cab models, overdrives, and compressor combinations that are "normalized" that I use as a base for creating new presets. 

[DigitalDelay7]

On 11/9/2018 at 7:52 PM, jbuhajla said:

The way I do it is I connect Helix to my DAW on my PC (Reaper) and use the metering there. I bypass all effects and just have the amp/cab model running. I play an open chord reasonably hard on all pickup settings, getting the meter to peak on average around -12dB. Then I do the same process by adding one effect block at the same time. I mainly do this with just the overdrive blocks. I do look at the meter, but rely on ears ultimately. After going through the process with each overdrive, I then start to stack them just to be sure a certain combination of overdrives doesn't get too loud. Then I go through the process with the compressor block if I am using one. Once I have done that, things are pretty "normalized" at that point and I can tweak by ear if necessary. 

 

I have a few "template" presets I have saved with amp/cab models, overdrives, and compressor combinations that are "normalized" that I use as a base for creating new presets. 

This is awesome - thanks!

[feffa86]

I have found a bug. I am running version 2.70 of the firmware. I have two Strymon pedals connected via MIDI. When I set up two footswitches to use as bypass buttons for the Strymon pedals, the commands get sent out whenever I change snapshots. I am not setting them up as instant commands, I am setting them up as footswitch commands, yet somehow the MIDI command gets sent to the Strymon pedals when I change snapshots.

[phil_m]

11 hours ago, feffa86 said:

I have found a bug. I am running version 2.70 of the firmware. I have two Strymon pedals connected via MIDI. When I set up two footswitches to use as bypass buttons for the Strymon pedals, the commands get sent out whenever I change snapshots. I am not setting them up as instant commands, I am setting them up as footswitch commands, yet somehow the MIDI command gets sent to the Strymon pedals when I change snapshots.

 

This isn't a bug... This is the expected behavior. When you load a new snapshot, the values of MIDI commands assigned to footswitches are sent out, per this note on pg. 45 of the manual.

 

[fargusrobottom]

when copying one setlist to another editing blocks now changes blocks in both setlists.  Mac OS high sierra and 2.70 hxedit

[XEQT]

I have an issue with my rack unit. I get alot of noise when i insert an instrument into my Helix.

It gets louder when i use the volume. I have it both in the headphones and my amp.

Can't get it out. Even if its a clean sound its there. And even if i change cables its there.

if i pull out the cable from the instrument in it goes quiet.

Have any one else hade the same symptome ??

Its not a hum but i orderd so that i can separate the ground for it and waiting to see if there is something with the ground here.

I would be glad if some one hade some tips on this. I know that i can use a noise gate but as soon as i touch the strings on the guitar it sound both guitar and the noise.

 

// Roberth (Sweden)

[zolko60]

Some preamp DSP blocks have serious gain shortage. Lots of them has negative gain when I need to keep them clean. I know I can put booster after the preamp block but I guess a preamp should be positive gain device with its "Master" acting like "Master attenuator".
In the patch I created, Soup Pro is OK. At Gain 3, Master 10 - to get unity gain Channel Volume is set to 4, but Essex, Matchstick are horribly silent and shy. To set them clean I am 6-10dB below unity gain (with max master and channel volume)
HxLT 2.70 firmare. PreGainShortage.hlx

[jbuhajla]

On 11/22/2018 at 1:25 AM, XEQT said:

I have an issue with my rack unit. I get alot of noise when i insert an instrument into my Helix.

It gets louder when i use the volume. I have it both in the headphones and my amp.

Can't get it out. Even if its a clean sound its there. And even if i change cables its there.

if i pull out the cable from the instrument in it goes quiet.

Have any one else hade the same symptome ??

Its not a hum but i orderd so that i can separate the ground for it and waiting to see if there is something with the ground here.

I would be glad if some one hade some tips on this. I know that i can use a noise gate but as soon as i touch the strings on the guitar it sound both guitar and the noise.

 

// Roberth (Sweden)

 

What instrument/pickups are you using? What amp and overdrive models are you using in your preset? Does it have the same noise when loading a blank preset?

[wilkinsi]

2 hours ago, MGW-Alberta said:

I had a bug and thought I'd fixed it with a firmware update. (2.6 .... now 2.7)

Unfortunately no.

My Helix (floor unit, not rackmount) crashes.

I can find no common denominator except manual input by me, whether the buttons or the knobs or the footswitches.

I can be editing a patch or I can be engaging an algo or I can be simply banking up or down to navigate to a preset I created.

It just crashes.  Becomes unresponsive.
Whatever patch was running just before the crash still runs but it is stuck there.

There is not a single button or knob or footswitch that has any affect on the unit.
Nothing except the power switch.
I power it down and reboot the unit and it seems to work fine for a while.
That for-a-while is inconsistent too.

It can be a day or an hour or a minute.

It's a damned good thing this has not happened to me on stage because I would come unglued.

This is a damned expensive piece of gear and it is not reliable.

That is not acceptable in my world.

Please point me in the right direction to make it reliable.

I'm not interested in dumb, lame explanations about chips and software.
I only want a solution.

This is not a toy for me.

It's not some novelty item.

It is a tool that I depend on.
I need to know if I can in fact depend on it.

 

 

Have you raised a ticket with Line6 Support? Does it only crash when using a specific preset (factory or user?). Try a complete reset without loading that user preset, and see if the unit crashes again.

[PeterHamm]

5 hours ago, MGW-Alberta said:

I had a bug and thought I'd fixed it with a firmware update. (2.6 .... now 2.7)

Unfortunately no.......

 

If it happens on the same patch, or just a few, check to see if you have named the patch, scribble strips, or snapshots using a Helix-illegal character.

If you do that, this kind of behavior can result. I tried using the • character in a patch one time. All hell broke loose.

[PeterHamm]

27 minutes ago, MGW-Alberta said:

As I said above, I can detect no common factor.

It can happen on any patch or in any mode.

I create and edit my patches right on the unit so I don't know how I could use an illegal character as I only use what the Helix gives me the option to use.

 

I have not raised a ticket with support.

How do I do that?

 

I think it's on here somewhere.

Have you tried backing up everything, re-flashing the firmware, resetting the unit, and then restoring your patches and IR? They might ask you to do that first.

[PeterHamm]

15 minutes ago, MGW-Alberta said:

Yah, I already anticipated they will likely ask me to do some sort of general reset which I suspected would likely remove my patches.

I plugged the unit into my computer, which is something I do very rarely and I figured out how to back the unit up but about a quarter of the way through the process I got an error code

(- 8606) and the back up stopped.

Having no idea what that means I changed my tactic and backed up my six main patches individually using the export function.

I got no error messages during that operation.

If I lose the rest of the presets I don't care but those 6 patches are the ones I use for 99% of my playing.

They also represent a lot of my time and effort in tweaking and balancing.

 

I bet that's a corrupted preset. Do a reset and load just what you're using if you can afford to, and I bet it goes away.

Also, make sure both the unit AND HX Edit are on the same version. This is easy to miss, and causes stuff like this, too.

 

[phil_m]

14 minutes ago, MGW-Alberta said:

I've been searching the HX-Edit menus as well as the unit menus and I am still unclear about how to reset my unit.

 

Hold FS 9 & 10 while powering up the unit.

[TacklingDummy]

This was an issue I had last year, did you see the issue I asked about today? Its the power adapter plug into the unit. It seems when you wiggle it, the HX EFFECTS restarts

[shanecgriffo]

i just bought an IR and tried to import but edit is saying all ir slots are empty (the helix is fully loaded with ir’s tho!) and i cant access the import button- it is just greyed out ..helix v2.60

[shanecgriffo]

actually my bad.. i had to select a slot to see the import button highlighted.. was able to import, but ir’s still show as empty in the hx edit

[PeterHamm]

9 hours ago, shanecgriffo said:

i just bought an IR and tried to import but edit is saying all ir slots are empty (the helix is fully loaded with ir’s tho!) and i cant access the import button- it is just greyed out ..helix v2.60

Update to the very latest HX Edit, then run the Updater to update the firmware to the very latest. Should solve this.

[Doobee]

On 10/12/2015 at 3:46 AM, HonestOpinion said:

Please put any software bugs you discover in the Helix here. Hopefully they will be addressed in future updates. If the issue turns out to be user error instead of a bug perhaps someone can offer up the correct procedure. Please include your firmware version when you post your bug. Thanks!

This topic is not intended for bad-mouthing the Helix but for providing Line6 with maximum feedback to assist them in fixing issues as early as possible. Please provide as much info as you can on your use case so they can recreate the problem in their "lab".

Important: Please submit a support ticket once you establish you have indeed discovered a bug. Line6 has a process in place for bugs and you have a much better chance of them seeing and responding to your issue here: http://line6.com/support/tickets/

Please come back in to this topic and comment that your bug has been fixed once and if Line6 addresses it. Thanks!


Submit your bug in whatever manner communicates the issue best but here is a suggested format.

Firmware: v1.03.0 (Make sure to include your firmware version, hopefully the latest, don't want to waste Line6's time with bugs that have already been fixed)
OS: Windows 10 (Include your OS if relevant to issue)
Global Settings: Bottom row presets, top row pedals [assigns] (Include any global settings you think could pertain to your bug)
Bug: When saving preset to another list, pedalboard reverts to Factory 1 list song 1 ("WhoWatt 100") after save. (Short description of bug)

(Step by step description of how to reproduce bug)

• Use Preset knob to select preset from Factory 1 list (I selected 21C "Almost Not Fair")
• Save "Almost Not Fair" to User 5 list in the first position, 1A.
• After Save Helix home screen reverts back to the first song in Factory List 1 ("WhoWatt 100").

 

[shmaque]

Haven't found this in a search, but has anybody else had major issues with snapshot based tap tempos not working lately? HX Stomp FW ver 2.71 - tempos set to per snap, snap changes set to discard.

When editing a snap (eg to enable a block) and then saving, the snap will at times arbitrarily adopt (and save) the stored tempo for a different snapahot. This happened to me about 4 times over the weekend when trying to save quick updates to gain structures. 

 

Additionally, tapping manually to override the current snapshot's (eg ss3) tempo, then switching to a different snap and back does *not* restore the snap's (ss3) stored tempo. Instead, it reverts to whatever I tapped while 3 was last selected, regardless of the fact that snapshot changes are set to discard.

 

Seems tap tempos are all squirrelly in this FW version - is this an issue on floor/lt or just stomp?

[Wondo]

Brand new Helix. Arrived yesterday. Keeps shutting down on me. I have the guitar plugged in to the guitar input. I have two lines going out with 1/4 adaptors to rca cables going into a stereo amp with rca inputs and this amp drives two Behringer Truth Passive monitors. Brand new and crashing like this multiple times. 

 

 

[graedb]

Gday,

Logged ticket today on an issue which recently started with HX Edit / HX Stomp (connected to a win10 desktop via usb).

When changing patches using HX edit, the stomp stops receiving input. If I go into the tuner, and hit a string there's nothing registering on the screen. I figured this would check whether it's input or output which has stopped. Once I restart the stomp, the input/output returns just fine. This happens on the built in patches and the custom patches I have created. The stomp is running fw 2.7 and I'm sure I was able to change patches with HX edit a week or two ago.

The problem does not happen if i use the footswitches to change patches nor my midi controller

 

I'm thinking I should perhaps uninstall/reinstall HX Edit, change the usb port/cable etc. Will update the forum when i get a response from the ticket

 

[PeterHamm]

8 hours ago, Wondo said:

Brand new Helix. Arrived yesterday. Keeps shutting down on me. I have the guitar plugged in to the guitar input. I have two lines going out with 1/4 adaptors to rca cables going into a stereo amp with rca inputs and this amp drives two Behringer Truth Passive monitors. Brand new and crashing like this multiple times. 

 

 

First thing I'd do is re-do (or perform for the first time) an update to latest firmware.

Follow the instructions carefully. Install HX Edit (latest version) FIRST, then run the updater (which installs at the same time), follow instructions carefully (BACK UP ANYTHING YOU DON"T WANT TO LOSE FIRST!).

 

[Wondo]

2 hours ago, PeterHamm said:

First thing I'd do is re-do (or perform for the first time) an update to latest firmware.

Follow the instructions carefully. Install HX Edit (latest version) FIRST, then run the updater (which installs at the same time), follow instructions carefully (BACK UP ANYTHING YOU DON"T WANT TO LOSE FIRST!).

 

Thank you. I installed HX Edit last night and I also installed the updater, but you are saying that HX Edit has the upadater in it already? I did not do the firmware upadate because I was unsure if I were keeping the unit or not. I would think that right out of the box, plug and play without hooking it to my computer yet, that it would work, but it kept shutting down on me. Kind of scarey that this would be how it is right out of the box. I would like to keep the Helix, it looks very promising with lots of fun and creative things to do with it. But, hard crashes right out of the box is not a good way to start a relationship. 

 

[PeterHamm]

1 hour ago, Wondo said:

Thank you. I installed HX Edit last night and I also installed the updater, but you are saying that HX Edit has the upadater in it already? I did not do the firmware upadate because I was unsure if I were keeping the unit or not. I would think that right out of the box, plug and play without hooking it to my computer yet, that it would work, but it kept shutting down on me. Kind of scarey that this would be how it is right out of the box. I would like to keep the Helix, it looks very promising with lots of fun and creative things to do with it. But, hard crashes right out of the box is not a good way to start a relationship. 

 

Update the firmware in any case. You may have a defective unit, but that's the only way to know for sure.

 

[shmaque]

On 12/10/2018 at 7:46 AM, shmaque said:

Haven't found this in a search, but has anybody else had major issues with snapshot based tap tempos not working lately? HX Stomp FW ver 2.71 - tempos set to per snap, snap changes set to discard.

When editing a snap (eg to enable a block) and then saving, the snap will at times arbitrarily adopt (and save) the stored tempo for a different snapahot. This happened to me about 4 times over the weekend when trying to save quick updates to gain structures. 

 

Additionally, tapping manually to override the current snapshot's (eg ss3) tempo, then switching to a different snap and back does *not* restore the snap's (ss3) stored tempo. Instead, it reverts to whatever I tapped while 3 was last selected, regardless of the fact that snapshot changes are set to discard.

 

Seems tap tempos are all squirrelly in this FW version - is this an issue on floor/lt or just stomp?

Just to follow up on this: after sending an example patch and video of the problem, Line6 support was able to reproduce this behavior & has filed a bug ticket to be fixed in a future FW rev. There's definitely a flash read/write bug wrt the snapshot tempos in 2.71.

[zolko60]

IR browser in Hx Edit 2.70 and Hx Native 1.70 is too narrow to display full long IR names.

[Wondo]

Just an update. I sent back the faulty unit and received my new one. Works great. I am just very surprised that a brand new Helix arrived and was shutting down all over the place. Very disappointed and still a little scared as to just how solid this unit will be. 

 

[PeterHamm]

8 hours ago, Wondo said:

Just an update. I sent back the faulty unit and received my new one. Works great. I am just very surprised that a brand new Helix arrived and was shutting down all over the place. Very disappointed and still a little scared as to just how solid this unit will be. 

 

Every product ever made has the occasional defect. The odds of you getting two bad units in a row are really small.

Line 6 has been insanely reliable for me for 20 years. I've owned 11 of their products, never one failure... just an anecdote... but...

 

[vagx69]

Been using Helix with no problems for two years now. I use it 4CM with a Laney TT50 using a midi cable to switch channels. Since upgrading to 2.5 (which I downgraded right after) I keep having a problem using midi. I send PC messages via snapshots with no problem but when I change a preset on Helix the PC message on the command line comes prior to the Preset Change message of the unit so i keep getting wrong channels switched. Tried 2.71 but still no luck.

 

 

All firmwares before 2.50 were working great.

Is there any chance of fixing it from my settings?

[XEQT]

On 11/30/2018 at 10:48 PM, jbuhajla said:

 

What instrument/pickups are you using? What amp and overdrive models are you using in your preset? Does it have the same noise when loading a blank preset?

 

Both Single Coil and Humbucker ( 2 diffrent guitars ). A Clean reset dident help.

Amp is an Ironheart Laney 120 W with a 4 x 12" going on low settings because i live in a apartment and i don't whant to disturb peoplle living around me to much.

I have now totaly removed all Cables and cleaned up my studio so i have renovated it alot and started to fix stuff.

I hope that this will help me with the sound issue as well if its a digital problem or not. Thats up to the test when i can fire up the new setup we aren't fully there yeat.

 

// Roberth

[flop54]

Hello i don't know if this is a bug and it's not a big problem but when you copy a snapshot to another. All the parameters are copied except the color of the led so if you copy on a empty preset you will have a switch with no color.

 

For me there is another bug when i work with my computer with no midi tempo sync and no tap tempo information. I use the computer to send midi cc and pc. sometimes the preset's tempo change to 20 bpm...

 

[migdelbar]

Hello, I have a random problem in a led ring switch (number 11 in my Helix LT), half led doesn't light uniformly, sometimes is the green one, other times is the blue one, so the led ring shines in two colors. I have reset the Helix but the problem persists.

[migdelbar]

This morning, second led ring switch problem, now tap tuner switch, blue led...

[PeterHamm]

1 hour ago, migdelbar said:

This morning, second led ring switch problem, now tap tuner switch, blue led...

This is not a bug. It means you are slaved to external sync and have received such from a DAW or something.

Global Settings:MIDI/Tempo:Receive MIDI Clock is probably ON. 

[phil_m]

18 hours ago, migdelbar said:

Hello, I have a random problem in a led ring switch (number 11 in my Helix LT), half led doesn't light uniformly, sometimes is the green one, other times is the blue one, so the led ring shines in two colors. I have reset the Helix but the problem persists.

 

The LED thing is likely a hardware issue, not a bug. Open a support ticket.

[Zinc_Kovacs]

Not sure if this has been reported yet but... there is an issue with Command Center "Note On" command when used with Snapshots.

 

I have a patch that uses a foot switch assigned, via Command Center, to send a C4 Midi "Note On" message to a synth module. The patch uses a number of Snapshots BUT the note assignment often changes by itself on one or more of the snapshots to C-1.

 

After some experimentation, I can say that the note value stays solid if you choose the note BEFORE making up the snapshots. But if you subsequently change the note value on a snapshot (and I believe the Helix is supposed to remember the note value within the snapshot) and then move to another snapshot, the note value jumps to C-1 no matter what it was originally set to. Even if you can get the note values to not shift between snapshots and save the preset, when you recall it, the random note changes come back. Sometimes it's fine until you actually play the note (push the foot switch) and then the note value changes to C-1 when moving to another snapshot.  

 

It would be great if this could be fixed in the next release :)

 

Cheers,

Michael.

 

Helix Rack v2.70.0

Edit:

Just updated to v2.71 and this "feature" is still present.

Here's a little video to demonstrate the issue - maybe you can see if you can replicate it?

 

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Afterglow-GTB
update firmware - bug still present.