Footswitch that switches one block on and another off, controlling which one is on when it's lit

[zooey]

I'm certain I've seen this answered here, but I can't figure out what to search for.

 

As saved, this patch has a some verb on it, and a delay that's off. I have a footswitch set up to turn the delay on and the verb off, but it keeps ending up with the footswitch light on when the delay is off, opposite of what I want. I think of it as turning ON the delay, it should be lit when that's ON.

 

As I recall, it's about the order of assignments, and which effects are enabled when you make the assignments, but I didn't get how I want it after trying various things like that.

 

What's the magic sequence of actions?

 

(Seems like a handy tip to have on Helix Help too, FWIW.)

 

Thanks.

[duncann]

When a switch has multiple blocks assigned to it, It's the effect that's selected within these assignments that determines the state of the LED. To cycle through and change that selection, touch, don't depress, the switch.

[zooey]

Ah, so it's not what's enabled and disabled, it's the one you leave "the cursor" on within that footswitch. OK, will try that tonight when I get home.

 

Thank you.

[HonestOpinion]

Ah, so it's not what's enabled and disabled, it's the one you leave "the cursor" on within that footswitch. OK, will try that tonight when I get home.

 

Thank you.

 

Well said, "it's not what's enabled and disabled, it's the one you leave "the cursor" on within that footswitch" when you execute the save, exactly right!

[JLondon]

This Helix issue/topic literally drives me NUTZ!  I've read this same post by others many times over, and posted it myself from the very beginning.  Many of the solutions/methods make perfect sense to me when I read them.  Then I go to apply them and I'm still back in the same hamster wheel.  And even when one of these magic tricks makes sense, I can only see it happening with 2 effects.  If you are merging 3/4/5/... effects, these seemingly sensible solutions go right out the window.  It's not just me or a few.  This is a VERY popular issue and regardless of the possibility that there is a way around this, it's inexcusable to me that Line 6 still has not made this a TOP priority after so many updates. There simply needs to be a menu option to simply turn bypass on/off for a particular effect within a multiple switch configuration.  In the meantime, if someone had it in their heart to do a (well thought out and rehearsed) YouTube video walking the rest of us dummies through the process of merging at least 4 effects (with OPPOSING functions) to 1 switch - I would bless that person with a prayer of thanks, put that video file on a chain, and wear it around my neck.     

[Digital_Igloo]

This is a VERY popular issue and regardless of the possibility that there is a way around this, it's inexcusable to me that Line 6 still has not made this a TOP priority after so many updates.

I've read more Helix-related forum posts than anyone on the planet, and this is the first time I've read about confusion regarding bypassing multiple-assigned blocks. There are, however, requests to be able to assign multiple switches to the same block, but that appears to be completely different from what you're asking. Forgive me if I'm missing something.

 

There simply needs to be a menu option to simply turn bypass on/off for a particular effect within a multiple switch configuration.

If you mean the ability to bypass one of multiple blocks assigned to the same footswitch, just select the block and press [bYPASS]. Done.

 

If you mean the ability to disable footswitch control of a block when it's assigned to a footswitch... don't assign it to the footswitch.

 

In the meantime, if someone had it in their heart to do a (well thought out and rehearsed) YouTube video walking the rest of us dummies through the process of merging at least 4 effects (with OPPOSING functions) to 1 switch - I would bless that person with a prayer of thanks, put that video file on a chain, and wear it around my neck.

Can't make a movie, but here's a walkthrough:

 

Say you have four blocks: Distortion, Mod, Delay, and Reverb. When you load the preset, you want Distortion and Mod on, and Delay and Reverb off. When you press FS2, you want to toggle all four blocks so Distortion and Mod turn off, and Delay and Reverb turn on. You want, oh, let's say the Reverb (off) to be reflected on the switch LED.

• Use the joystick to select the Distortion block. Touch-hold (don't press!) FS2 and the Quick Footswitch Assign dialog pops up. Press Knob 6 (OK).
• Repeat step 1 for the Mod, Delay, and Reverb blocks so all four blocks are assigned to FS2. Note that they're all currently on.
• Touch the switch (don't press!) until the Delay block is in focus. Press BYPASS to turn it off. The switch is dim green because the Delay is in focus.
• Touch the switch again until the Reverb block is in focus. Press BYPASS to turn it off. The switch is dim red-orange because the Reverb is in focus.
• Press SAVE twice to save your preset.

Now when you recall that preset, the switch will be dim-orange, and when you press the switch, the Distortion and Mod turn off and the Delay and Reverb turn on.

 

TL;DR: Pressing the switch toggles all assigned items, the BYPASS button only affects the selected block, Helix remembers the current state of all switches.

 

A bit of history: POD HD500X could also assign multiple items to a footswitch, but its red LEDs always reflected the state of the block earliest in the signal flow. With Helix, we made it so the switch can reflect whatever block you want; just keep touching it until you see it.

[HonestOpinion]

This Helix issue/topic literally drives me NUTZ! I've read this same post by others many times over, and posted it myself from the very beginning. Many of the solutions/methods make perfect sense to me when I read them. Then I go to apply them and I'm still back in the same hamster wheel. And even when one of these magic tricks makes sense, I can only see it happening with 2 effects. If you are merging 3/4/5/... effects, these seemingly sensible solutions go right out the window. It's not just me or a few. This is a VERY popular issue and regardless of the possibility that there is a way around this, it's inexcusable to me that Line 6 still has not made this a TOP priority after so many updates. There simply needs to be a menu option to simply turn bypass on/off for a particular effect within a multiple switch configuration. In the meantime, if someone had it in their heart to do a (well thought out and rehearsed) YouTube video walking the rest of us dummies through the process of merging at least 4 effects (with OPPOSING functions) to 1 switch - I would bless that person with a prayer of thanks, put that video file on a chain, and wear it around my neck.

I've read more Helix-related forum posts than anyone on the planet, and this is the first time I've read about confusion regarding bypassing multiple-assigned blocks. There are, however, requests to be able to assign multiple switches to the same block, but that appears to be completely different from what you're asking. Forgive me if I'm missing something.

 

 

If you mean the ability to bypass one of multiple blocks assigned to the same footswitch, just select the block and press [bYPASS]. Done.

 

If you mean the ability to disable footswitch control of a block when it's assigned to a footswitch... don't assign it to the footswitch.

 

 

Can't make a movie, but here's a walkthrough:

 

Say you have four blocks: Distortion, Mod, Delay, and Reverb. When you load the preset, you want Distortion and Mod on, and Delay and Reverb off. When you press FS2, you want to toggle all four blocks so Distortion and Mod turn off, and Delay and Reverb turn on. You want, oh, let's say the Reverb (off) to be reflected on the switch LED.

• Use the joystick to select the Distortion block. Touch-hold (don't press!) FS2 and the Quick Footswitch Assign dialog pops up. Press Knob 6 (OK).
• Repeat step 1 for the Mod, Delay, and Reverb blocks so all four blocks are assigned to FS2. Note that they're all currently on.
• Touch the switch (don't press!) until the Delay block is in focus. Press BYPASS to turn it off. The switch is dim green because the Delay is in focus.
• Touch the switch again until the Reverb block is in focus. Press BYPASS to turn it off. The switch is dim red-orange because the Reverb is in focus.
• Press SAVE twice to save your preset.

Now when you recall that preset, the switch will be dim-orange, and when you press the switch, the Distortion and Mod turn off and the Delay and Reverb turn on.

 

TL;DR: Pressing the switch toggles all assigned items, the BYPASS button only affects the selected block, Helix remembers the current state of all switches.

 

A bit of history: POD HD500X could also assign multiple items to a footswitch, but its red LEDs always reflected the state of the block earliest in the signal flow. With Helix, we made it so the switch can reflect whatever block you want; just keep touching it until you see it.

DI, I think you are right in that there may be two questions conflated here. One question appears to be how to assign the bypass state for a multiple assignment. That has been explained in your post here and elsewhere. The second issue is how to get the dim/lit state to be reflect properly in a preset. Here is an example, you have a distortion(bypassed), flanger(bypassed) and compression(on), set up as a multiple on a footswitch. You want the preset when it is first selected to show the multiple footswitch as dimmed, pressing it should light the LED ring, turn the distortion(on), flanger(on), compression(bypassed). The problem users are having is what state the LED ring is in, the dim or on state, after saving the preset, using another preset, and coming back to the preset in question. The prevailing advice has been that by using the touch (not tap) method you should proceed to any dimmed or lit block on the multiple footswtich. Choosing any of the dimmed blocks and saving should have the preset with the multiple footswitch showing as dimmed, choosing any lit block and then saving should have the preset with the multiple footswitch showing as lit. This does seem to work on the whole although I could swear every once in a while I come back to a preset and the LED ring is not showing the proper dim/lit state. This could just be pilot error or perhaps I inadvertently touched the footswitch with a bare foot or finger and selected one of the blocks that is not in my preferred dim/lit state for that preset. I think this is the source of confusion with multiple footswitch selections (unless there is an actual bug where the LED ring state either does not stay consistent or does not follow the rule of reflecting whether the preset was saved while a dimmed or lit block on a multiple assignment was selected before the save).

 

In other words, the assumption is that whatever the bypass state of a block is when saved is how it will come up when the preset is first selected but the big question is:

 

What is the procedure to:

1. Save a preset with a multiple footswich so that the preset always comes up with the LED ring for that multiple footswitch dimmed?
2. Save a preset with a multiple footswich so that the preset always comes up with the LED ring for that multiple footswitch lit?

[Astacide]

This Helix issue/topic literally drives me NUTZ!  I've read this same post by others many times over, and posted it myself from the very beginning.  Many of the solutions/methods make perfect sense to me when I read them.  Then I go to apply them and I'm still back in the same hamster wheel.  And even when one of these magic tricks makes sense, I can only see it happening with 2 effects.  If you are merging 3/4/5/... effects, these seemingly sensible solutions go right out the window.  It's not just me or a few.  This is a VERY popular issue and regardless of the possibility that there is a way around this, it's inexcusable to me that Line 6 still has not made this a TOP priority after so many updates. There simply needs to be a menu option to simply turn bypass on/off for a particular effect within a multiple switch configuration.  In the meantime, if someone had it in their heart to do a (well thought out and rehearsed) YouTube video walking the rest of us dummies through the process of merging at least 4 effects (with OPPOSING functions) to 1 switch - I would bless that person with a prayer of thanks, put that video file on a chain, and wear it around my neck.     

This. Absolutely this. I have never been so angry and frustrated with a piece of technology. I LOVE my Helix, but the state of the LED should be EASILY switchable in the customize section where you change the color/name etc. I think this is quite an oversight.

[eklein]

What is the procedure to:

1. Save a preset with a multiple footswich so that the preset always comes up with the LED ring for that multiple footswitch dimmed?
2. Save a preset with a multiple footswich so that the preset always comes up with the LED ring for that multiple footswitch lit?

 

1. Select an assigned block that's bypassed by touching the footswitch repeatedly (or selecting it with the joystick) and save the preset.

2. Select an assigned block that's on by touching the footswitch repeatedly (or selecting it with the joystick) and save the preset.

 

EDIT: audacityworks and Digital_Igloo are the same person, by the way.

[ricksteruk]

1. Select an assigned block that's bypassed by touching the footswitch repeatedly (or selecting it with the joystick) and save the preset.

2. Select an assigned block that's on by touching the footswitch repeatedly (or selecting it with the joystick) and save the preset.

 

BRAVO! Well said sir.  It really is as simple as that.

You have a multi block some ON and some BYPASSED... how does the Helix know if you want the light dimmed or on? Just select a block in your multi that is in the state you want the switch light to be.

[Digital_Igloo]

Astacide, on 29 Apr 2016 - 3:00 PM, said:

 

This. Absolutely this. I have never been so angry and frustrated with a piece of technology. I LOVE my Helix, but the state of the LED should be EASILY switchable in the customize section where you change the color/name etc. I think this is quite an oversight.

The dim/lit state of the LED reflects the state of the assignment. If the delay is off, the LED is dim. If the delay is on, the LED is lit.

 

Why would anyone want a delay block that's OFF to be reflected by a LIT green LED? That's incredibly unintuitive.

 

Let's try this again:

 

Say you have four blocks: Distortion, Mod, Delay, and Reverb. When you load the preset, you want Distortion and Mod on, and Delay and Reverb off. When you press FS2, you want to toggle all four blocks so Distortion and Mod turn off, and Delay and Reverb turn on. You want, oh, let's say the Reverb (off) to be reflected on the switch LED.

• Use the joystick to select the Distortion block. Touch-hold (don't press!) FS2 and the Quick Footswitch Assign dialog pops up. Press Knob 6 (OK).
• Repeat step 1 for the Mod, Delay, and Reverb blocks so all four blocks are assigned to FS2. Note that they're all currently on.
• Touch the switch (don't press!) until the Delay block is in focus. Press BYPASS to turn it off. The switch is dim green.
• Touch the switch again until the Reverb block is in focus. Press BYPASS to turn it off. The switch is dim red-orange.
• Press SAVE twice to save your preset.

If my above step-by-step instructions aren't working, make a video or something and post it here. Maybe there's a bug or something we haven't experienced.

 

ricksteruk, on 29 Apr 2016 - 5:13 PM, said:

 

BRAVO! Well said sir. It really is as simple as that.

You have a multi block some ON and some BYPASSED... how does the Helix know if you want the light dimmed or on? Just select a block in your multi that is in the state you want the switch light to be.

Exactly. You're not choosing the state of the LED, you're choosing the item that's in the state you want. Repeatedly touch a multiple-assigned footswitch and Helix jumps all over the place, selecting all the blocks that's assigned to that switch. If one of those blocks happens to be bypassed, and you want the LED to be dim, choose the block that makes the LED dim.

[njglover]

I have never had it change the dim/lit state unless I accidentally touched the switch and selected the opposite pedal, which is actually a real concern since I often practice barefoot. However, since it saves the selection with the preset, it doesn't actually matter since it will display correctly the next time I pull it up.

 

If you get confused as to what means what, just rename the switch. For example, I have a song where the intro requires extea gain, delay, reverb, and a phaser. I just name that button "Intro." Rather than name by pedals, name by section so it makes more sense what the on/off state indicates.

[ricksteruk]

I've found the accidental touch block selection a bit irritating as I might touch a foot switch with my arm while I'm trying to turn the joystick and end up changing block on the wrong switch.

 

So I've just disabled the capacitive touch foot switch option now. I just navigate to the block with joystick. Slower but less likelihood of mistakes.