DrFishhead Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Has anyone had success with their Helix communicating with their mac (for anything)? I am using 10.9.5. I have tried both Helix app 1.0.3 and the new line 6 updater and neither are showing a unit connected (via USB). I think this is a line 6 issue because under 'about this mac/more info/system report/USB/' it clearly shows a Helix unit connected to the 'USB hi-speed bus'---so it's not a bad cord or an Apple issue. Consequently I haven't upgraded to the newest firmware (still on 1.0.4) or checked out you alls tones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Has anyone had success with their Helix communicating with their mac (for anything)? I am using 10.9.5. I have tried both Helix app 1.0.3 and the new line 6 updater and neither are showing a unit connected (via USB). I think this is a line 6 issue because under 'about this mac/more info/system report/USB/' it clearly shows a Helix unit connected to the 'USB hi-speed bus'---so it's not a bad cord or an Apple issue. Consequently I haven't upgraded to the newest firmware (still on 1.0.4) or checked out you alls tones. If you have not tried it already make sure you uninstall the old Line6 Updater and then reinstall the newest version (1.07). Many people have also had success using the 1.04 version of the Line6 Updater to update to the 1.06 firmware. Either way, make sure to uninstall your current version of the Updater first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donmr Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Despite what line 6 says about NOT using hubs, I ended up using an Elgato Thunderbolt hub. That did the trick for me after absolute crap USB connection directly to the MacBook Pro, latest El Capitan OS. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyPM Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 On my Mac I can only have one of the applications open at a time. If I have the Updater open than the Helix app won't recognize the Helix. Close my Updater and re-open the Helix and viola, there it is. Maybe same on yours. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrFishhead Posted February 13, 2016 Author Share Posted February 13, 2016 Thanks for the feedback. None of that works. I've tried both 1.0.[6,7] updaters as well as various combinations of turning on the helix, rebooting, etc. My MacMini can see the connection, but the line6 apps aren't talking with their own product. I'll open a ticket. As common as macs are in music these days this should have been tested more thoroughly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rUnBiRdMaN Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Has anyone found a solution to this problem? I am having the exact same issue as the OP. I connect the Helix directly to a Mac Mini and it appears to begin working and then I get the yellow band and the "device not connected" warning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHamm Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 have you all tried a different USB port on your computer.Also, can't say it enough. If you have an audio app launched that is accessing the Helix, or both the updater and the Helix Librarian program at the same time, it will cause problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rUnBiRdMaN Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 have you all tried a different USB port on your computer. Yes Also I have ensured no other application is accessing the Helix. The updater worked perfectly using the same USB set up. I know this seems to be a common problem, I was just trying to see if any work around had been established. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Line6Hunter Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Yes Also I have ensured no other application is accessing the Helix. The updater worked perfectly using the same USB set up. I know this seems to be a common problem, I was just trying to see if any work around had been established. If you are still running into this issue, please open up a ticket so we can get this resolved for you. http://line6.com/support/tickets/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Are you running any program that might interfere with L6 updater? I dunno, like virus protection or backup software? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrFishhead Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 I have found that it simply does not work with 10.9.x. Fortunately I had another computer w/ 10.10 and it worked. You may need the developer's driver if that still doesn't work along with the most current versions of the software. Hopefully that will work for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachdanan0121 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Thanks for the feedback. None of that works. I've tried both 1.0.[6,7] updaters as well as various combinations of turning on the helix, rebooting, etc. My MacMini can see the connection, but the line6 apps aren't talking with their own product. I'll open a ticket. As common as macs are in music these days this should have been tested more thoroughly. I just wanted to say that Macs were the go to for music rigs even up to a few years ago. However, its actually PC that are becoming more and more common these days for music production. That being said I think Line 6 said something about Mac releasing El Capitan, (or updating it) while Line 6 was getting ready to ship out their first units. So there wasn't a good overlap of support there. I am not exactly sure what the problem between that OS, and Line 6 Helix is, but hopefully it will get fixed for you guys that are using Macs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rUnBiRdMaN Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 I upgraded to 10.11.4 and I opened the Helix software immediately afterwards. There appeared to be a change because for approximately 10 seconds I actually saw my presets. Then the same exact problem occurred and I have been unable to get the Helix to contact to the software. I'm not blaming Line 6 or Apple for the issue and it's not a deal breaker for keeping the Helix, I just wish I could find type of work around. I have uninstalled and re-installed the Helix software. I have tried unplugging everything but the USB from the Helix. It's just odd that the Updater worked perfectly when I updated the Helix firmware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 This worries me some because I have yet to install any Helix software on my iMac running El C (still waiting for mine to arrive). So how many have NO issues using Helix on an iMac? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashbak01 Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 My Helix arrived this past Friday and I immediately updated the firmware to the latest version without issue on my iMac. That was done under OS X 10.9.5, but I've since upgraded to 10.11.4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rUnBiRdMaN Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I don't know if anyone has had a problem with the Mac communicating withe the Line 6 updater. I have been able to update the Helix without any issues; however, the Helix application itself has been useless so far to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashbak01 Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 The Helix application has been working fine here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsdenj Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Try making sure Helix isn't selected as your system audio device, just in case that's causing some timing conflict on the shared USB port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Good to know guys- thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaske Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 I’m on Macbook Pro Retina 15" late 2012, Mac El Capitan 10.11.4, updated the firmware to 1.10, installed the Helix App 1.11 and it’s losing connection after less than a minute. Not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 I’m on Mac El Capitan 10.11.4, updated the firmware to 1.10, installed the Helix App 1.11 and it’s losing connection after less than a minute. Not good. Kaske, I'm on the same El Cap 10.11.4, Helix FW1.10 and AFAIK the Helix app is on v1.10 also - although that may be just a typo in your post. You don't state what particular model of Mac you are using, because I have had a comment from a guy (amsdenj - in post above), on another thread, says that it seems to be a screw up only on certain models. He (amsdenj) states: "I believe this issue is with late 2012 and beyond MacBook Pros late beyond with Retina displays and USB 3 ports." It's really odd because my Helix is connected via USB to my 6 month old, 3.3GHz iMac Retina 5K (with 32GB of RAM installed) and it all worked perfectly, as advertised, until early March when the MIDI simply ceased to work anymore. No reason, just stopped working! Anyhow I took to annoying everyone on these forums by asking for a fix to this weird Mac audio MIDI problem, and it seems that I have had my "member reputation" downgraded for complaining a little to loudly. But, now I bring great news - after annoying the hell out of some folk on one of these threads - on 6th Apr I made a "fix it" request, on the Ideascale board, for a dedicated driver to be written for OSX. Yay! within 24 hours I had been notified that: The stage of this idea has changed from "In Review" to "In Progress" Maybe I should note that there is a moderator on the Ideascale Board, and he's also a member of Line 6 staff Product Management, who left a comment on one of the Helix driver Mac OS threads stating: "We're testing a custom OS X driver as I type this." So, it may well be in progress and not just because of my rant - even though my, and all other suffering Mac users, complaints are valid. For your amusement, more ranting is available here: Helix Driver Mac OS? - Helix - Line 6 Community Bizarre audio MIDI fault - it's driving me nuts! - Helix - Line 6 Community 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabbr Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 It's really odd because my Helix is connected via USB to my 6 month old, 3.3GHz iMac Retina 5K (with 32GB of RAM installed) and it all worked perfectly, as advertised, until early March when the MIDI simply ceased to work anymore. No reason, just stopped working! I have a Retina MBP and it doesn't work, my iMac works perfectly. Both with USB 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaske Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 I have edited my message above (Macbook Pro Retina late 2012). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaske Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Thanks, datacommando. I don’t think Line 6 could get away easily with this even if you didn’t suggested the idea — although I do respect your initiative 100%. It’s more serious because these USB ports in Macbooks, regardless of all the fancy hubs you can get, proved still to be the most reliable when connecting directly to external equipment. On the other hand, all of this hassle might be related to the way Apple designs their hardware, making it harder for vendors outside their ecosystem use their gear (one of the most notorious examples is hand-shaking done on magsafe adapter). There could be a lot of things making things harder for Line 6 to implement this, but nevertheless, people who bought a $3000 laptop most definitely want their $1500 piece of guitar gear to work flawlessly. I’m not a professional guitar player, but I am IT professional and am pretty certain it can be done, BUT I’m aware of potential difficulties as well. Let’s hope they’ll deliver it more sooner than later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaske Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 Update: I’ll maybe get a new laptop from my company early next week, latest Macbook Pro Retina 15", so it will be interesting to compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachdanan0121 Posted April 8, 2016 Share Posted April 8, 2016 May, or may not have anything to do with it. BUT... I have an Eleven Rack, and it doesn't play well with USB 3.0. Matter of fact Avid advises it requires a USB 2.0, and only a USB 2.0. This may be an issue of pluging the Helix in to a usb 3.0 slot. Just throwing it out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 I have a Retina MBP and it doesn't work, my iMac works perfectly. Both with USB 3 Hi faber, Oh, now it's become even more strange - when you switched back it worked - because when the MIDI died on my 27" Retina, I swapped back to the old iMac and that ceased to respond to any inbound MIDI messages (DIN to USB) if the Helix was in the chain. Weird scenes in the gold mine - as someone once said. There could be a lot of things making things harder for Line 6 to implement this, but nevertheless, people who bought a $3000 laptop most definitely want their $1500 piece of guitar gear to work flawlessly. Hi Kaske, True, very true, but also let's hope your new Retina MBP doesn't get frizzed while testing. Oh, yeah, you're correct - the Helix App is in Beta version 1.11 as of April 5th. Good luck bro. May, or may not have anything to do with it. BUT... I have an Eleven Rack, and it doesn't play well with USB 3.0. Matter of fact Avid advises it requires a USB 2.0, and only a USB 2.0. This may be an issue of pluging the Helix in to a usb 3.0 slot. Just throwing it out there. Hi Lachdanan, Thanks for that info - most interesting to know that some of the Eleven Rack users also have issues with USB 3. I shall have to look on the Avid site to see if I can find what they know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexLefty65 Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 I have a mid 2014 Retina MacBook Pro i7, OS X 10.11.4, which has two USB 3.0 ports, and I've not had any problems whatsoever with it seeing or updating Helix. So, apparently it is not specifically a USB 3.0 problem. Seems more like some very specific USB port hardware that was used on a few Mac models - obviously there a LOT of Mac owners with Helix units out there now, and only a handful of people seeing these problems, so it is definitely not all MacBooks, or all with USB 3 ports. I have not really tried anything with using the 5-pin MIDI on Helix, but the audio driver seems to work for me, other than an occasional click or pop in recording or playback when using Reaper. I recall hearing that Line 6 is supposedly doing their own Mac Helix driver though, so hopefully that will help overcome the problems some people are seeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted April 9, 2016 Share Posted April 9, 2016 Any chance its 3rd party peripheral or driver/software related for some? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rUnBiRdMaN Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 I just installed the latest device firmware and the latest Helix Editor and the problem persists. The most frustrating part for me is that the device communicates with the Line 6 updater flawlessly to update device firmware but it just does not seem like it is going to work with the editor until a major fix is released. I just to want to use the editor and be able to load from CustomTone. I love the Helix but this really is a pain in the a** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 But, now I bring great news - after annoying the hell out of some folk on one of these threads - on 6th Apr I made a "fix it" request, on the Ideascale board, for a dedicated driver to be written for OSX. Yay! within 24 hours I had been notified that: The stage of this idea has changed from "In Review" to "In Progress" Maybe I should note that there is a moderator on the Ideascale Board, and he's also a member of Line 6 staff Product Management, who left a comment on one of the Helix driver Mac OS threads stating: "We're testing a custom OS X driver as I type this." So, it may well be in progress and not just because of my rant - even though my, and all other suffering Mac users, complaints are valid. For your amusement, more ranting is available here: Helix Driver Mac OS? - Helix - Line 6 Community Bizarre audio MIDI fault - it's driving me nuts! - Helix - Line 6 Community Great news for sure- Thanks for the info! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Great news for sure- Thanks for the info! Only too happy to help, Spikey, but it's probably more down to the input of "Digital Igloo" (product manger), who had previously stated that Line 6 were already on the case. Remember though - he didn't say that a fix was imminent, simply "in Progress" - so, as I also may have said before " don't hold your breath". AAAARRRRGGG! Trouble is, in leaving this reply I may have accidentally clicked on a one of those buttons which voted your post down. Why did they decide to put the "up" and "down" buttons right next to the quote buttons. Sorry dude. Damn, track pads! I've got to figure out how to fix this problem now! I promise I will make it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted April 10, 2016 Share Posted April 10, 2016 Ok heres yer chance! :D Yea I know working on it is much different than fixing it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Ok heres yer chance! :D Yea I know working on it is much different than fixing it. Yay! - fixed, that for you. Now, if only it was that simple to fix the Helix software bugs. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry_cello Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 I had the same problem, I tried everything man but what worked for me was just to go to global settings and boom, it connected instantly with the computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 I had the same problem, I tried everything man but what worked for me was just to go to global settings and boom, it connected instantly with the computer. What did you change in global settings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluescb Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 I know this is old thread,, but I just had my LT replaced cause the expression pedal broke. It came with 2.30 so I first used the supplied USB cable and tried on my surface windows 10. Would not see the LT no matter what I did. Went to my MAC EL capitan and same thing. would not communicate. I finally got fed up and ran downstairs and pulled out an old USB cable and WHAMMO!!! damn thing worked like a charm and 2,8,1,1 installed. I STRONGLY encourage a shorter USB cable 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 12 hours ago, bluescb said: I STRONGLY encourage a shorter USB cable Or one that is definitely known to work. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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