neuk01642 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Hey ya'll. Seasons finest. I am shortly to become the proud owner of a Helix rack mount (I am positively moist with anticipation and the wait until the end of January for delivery is going to kill me). I have a couple of questions bearing in mind I'm kind of new to the whole rack mount and modelling thang. If I get a flight case for the rack, do I need to get a shelf to sit it on or will the screw fixings in the front be sufficient to hold it up? And the second, and probably more complicated question: I heard in an interview with Misha Mansoor that they use ProTools to send Midi signals to their AxeFx to trigger patch changes during a song to save them having foot pedals in their very streamlined rig. Now granted that's AxeFx 2 but I was wondering can you achieve the same thing with the Helix? For instance I'm using Logic Express 9 (soon to be upgraded to Logic X) and it would be interesting if I could set Logic up to trigger patch changes (sorry Line 6 - just blown a stack of cash on the rack can't really afford the controller at the mo). Any thoughts would be cool on both of the above points. I'm going to go and sit on my hands and watch as many youtube vids of the Helix as I can and try not to explode with excitement... I haven't been this bad since I asked for the millennium falcon for Christmas about 30 years ago... Ta Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Yes. Here's what the Helix manual says: Helix responds to traditional MIDI Bank and Program change messages from an external MIDI controller device (or from MIDI software via USB) and will recall the Setlist and/or preset accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmoncebaiz Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 You'll be fine with the screws in the front for racking Helix. The rack shelves and drawers tend to be used for storing extra pedals to loop into your racked gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHamm Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I'm pretty sure since digitaligloo spilled the beans on another forum I'm allowed to tell you that I'm beta testing the rack/controller combo. It's a really great setup with the foot controller. I didn't think I'd like it as much as an all-in-one unit but I think I do. It is very lightweight so it will fit just fine in a rack screwed in with the holes in the front. The handles, however, protrude (as they often do) so SOME racks are problematic if you need to close them (I can't close my rack, am thinking about removing the handles or buying a new rack). I might have a chance tomorrow to test the midi functionality from Logic X for you. If I can, I'll get back to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allennobles Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 It is very lightweight so it will fit just fine in a rack screwed in with the holes in the front. The handles, however, protrude (as they often do) so SOME racks are problematic if you need to close them (I can't close my rack, am thinking about removing the handles or buying a new rack). How far do the front handles protrude?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital_Igloo Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 How far do the front handles protrude??1-3/8" from the front of your rack's rails. You can remove the handles, however, if space is at a premium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neuk01642 Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 I'm pretty sure since digitaligloo spilled the beans on another forum I'm allowed to tell you that I'm beta testing the rack/controller combo. It's a really great setup with the foot controller. I didn't think I'd like it as much as an all-in-one unit but I think I do. It is very lightweight so it will fit just fine in a rack screwed in with the holes in the front. The handles, however, protrude (as they often do) so SOME racks are problematic if you need to close them (I can't close my rack, am thinking about removing the handles or buying a new rack). I might have a chance tomorrow to test the midi functionality from Logic X for you. If I can, I'll get back to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neuk01642 Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 Peter That would be awesome. Thank you and thanks for the info on the rack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neuk01642 Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 Thanks for the info everyone. When I take delivery I may well be seeking more guidance on the midi thing. Any good rack flight cases people can recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHamm Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Peter That would be awesome. Thank you and thanks for the info on the rack. I was able to test it today. Yes, the Helix responds to program changes from Logic X. But prog 0, for instance, will take you to the very first program in the very first user set. You may have to make sure your user set is there, instead of the factory set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neuk01642 Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 Peter thank you for letting me know. At least the functionality is there. I have an enormous learning curve ahead of me but I'm so looking forward to it!!! I'm presuming as you have the rack and floor control you're using the helix live? How critical is the foot pedal in general? I'm in a situation where cash is pretty tight and it's coming done to a toss up between the control and an FRFR amp/powered speaker of some description and I'm torn. For the short term I'm pretty much studio bound but the intent is there so maybe I don't need either but at the moment I'm leaning towards the amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHamm Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Peter thank you for letting me know. At least the functionality is there. I have an enormous learning curve ahead of me but I'm so looking forward to it!!! I'm presuming as you have the rack and floor control you're using the helix live? How critical is the foot pedal in general? I'm in a situation where cash is pretty tight and it's coming done to a toss up between the control and an FRFR amp/powered speaker of some description and I'm torn. For the short term I'm pretty much studio bound but the intent is there so maybe I don't need either but at the moment I'm leaning towards the amp The workflow and functionality of Helix has been as revolutionary as the sound for me. I would not want to use this without the foot control. I need it. I use only one patch for a long time and turn FX on and off, and I get about 3 times as many useful sounds out of one patch as I did with HD 500. If budget is an issue, consider saving money and getting the floor unit if you can. I would not get the rack without the foot controller under any circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neuk01642 Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 Peter Thanks for the insight. Really good to hear it first hand from an actual user. I might tack to foot control onto my order. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neuk01642 Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 I was able to test it today. Yes, the Helix responds to program changes from Logic X. But prog 0, for instance, will take you to the very first program in the very first user set. You may have to make sure your user set is there, instead of the factory set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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