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Nasty digital distortion with some amps.


bobthedog
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Hi Guys,

 

Maybe someone can help me out, it's a simple test.

 

Create a new patch with the "Stone Age 185" amp+cab, just that nothing more and have a play.

 

There is some quite nasty digital type distortion with this amp, here is a link: https://soundcloud.c...-3-audio-copy-2

 

This was played using a G&L Legacy (Strat Clone), bridge pickup. The pickups are low output.

 

A few of the amps exhibit this sort of sound.

 

I was just wondering is this was normal?

 

Andy

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Hi Guys,

 

Maybe someone can help me out, it's a simple test.

 

Create a new patch with the "Stone Age 185" amp+cab, just that nothing more and have a play.

 

There is some quite nasty digital type distortion with this amp, here is a link: https://soundcloud.c...-3-audio-copy-2

 

This was played using a G&L Legacy (Strat Clone), bridge pickup. The pickups are low output.

 

A few of the amps exhibit this sort of sound.

 

I was just wondering is this was normal?

 

Andy

So you didnt turn any gain down or anything? because the default setting is a lot more distorted than your example. Or are your pickups just THAT low of output?

 

I get the same thing here, even worse (and no it is not natural-line6 needs to fix this) but i have to bring the amp gain down to 1.2...and even then, its still more distorted than your soundcloud link..

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Mine does this digital clipping too.

I almost sent the Helix back.

 

C'mon Line 6, this shouldn't be happening on a default amp setting.

 

I bet Kemper and Axe fx don't do this.

 

It's the only thing keeping me from wholeheartedly recommending the Helix to other users on other forums.

 

I love the unit other than this, and my work around is to lower the gain and master so it stops clipping, then use a pedal, od or compressor to bring it back up.

Btw I'm using 1.06 firmware.

Al

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Guitar on full gain, helix pad off, impedance auto.

 

The pickups are on the low side.

What about the amp settings?  are you leaving them at default? They way they are when the block is loaded.

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Mine does this digital clipping too.

I almost sent the Helix back.

 

C'mon Line 6, this shouldn't be happening on a default amp setting.

 

I bet Kemper and Axe fx don't do this.

 

It's the only thing keeping me from wholeheartedly recommending the Helix to other users on other forums.

 

I love the unit other than this, and my work around is to lower the gain and master so it stops clipping, then use a pedal, od or compressor to bring it back up.

Btw I'm using 1.06 firmware.

Al

On top of all that, anytime you add any hi end from the amp controls, on a distorted sound, it just highlights the shrill high end.

 

The distortion that the OP reports on the stone age 185 preset, is also there on the distorted channels, possibly causing what everyone is reporting as harsh high end.

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I've never owned or used an actual Gibson 185 amp, but I know it's referred to as a 'boutique' amp. To me that suggests that it has a rather unique sound. I wonder how closely the Helix modeling reflects the actual sound of the real amp?

 

Can anyone with experience with the real amp comment on that?

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Well lets not get too focused on the 185, because other amps in the Helix, the Marshall JTM for example suffer with this digital clipping even on its default setting, with a Les Paul.

 

Like the OP said,a few of the amps exhibit this sound, and I have found this to be true.

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Mine does this digital clipping too.

I almost sent the Helix back.

 

C'mon Line 6, this shouldn't be happening on a default amp setting.

 

I bet Kemper and Axe fx don't do this.

 

It's the only thing keeping me from wholeheartedly recommending the Helix to other users on other forums.

 

I love the unit other than this, and my work around is to lower the gain and master so it stops clipping, then use a pedal, od or compressor to bring it back up.

Btw I'm using 1.06 firmware.

Al

The issue I have and why my helix is up for sale is in my opinion you shouldn't need to work so hard on a Modeler at this price point, maybe some years ago but not now. I certainly like aspects of the helix but found myself spending too much time turning nobs trying to get dial out stuff that I don't think should be there in the first place.

 

I don't have this frustration playing through real amps or modellers (have Kemper and axe8) I just dial in the tone I want and play. Not so with the helix. Could well be user error but I suspect not in my opinion the unit needs a significant firmware update.

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The issue I have and why my helix is up for sale is in my opinion you shouldn't need to work so hard on a Modeler at this price point, maybe some years ago but not now. I certainly like aspects of the helix but found myself spending too much time turning nobs trying to get dial out stuff that I don't think should be there in the first place.

 

I don't have this frustration playing through real amps or modellers (have Kemper and axe8) I just dial in the tone I want and play. Not so with the helix. Could well be user error but I suspect not in my opinion the unit needs a significant firmware update.

 

My experience is completely different than this, I've got to say. It has taken less than five minutes to dial up many of the tones I use for recording and playing live. I don't find it difficult at all. As far as certain artifacts, unwanted noise, or whatever, I think Line 6's position is that these are just how these combinations of amps and mics at these settings are in real life. Perhaps they can by "idealized" in some way, but right now these models are the baselines.

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Yep no modifications at all.

 

I will try with some higher output pups and report back...

No no, i like what you are doing because it brings the distortion more into focus. I would say find the happy medium of gain to where the distortion is the most audible.

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The issue I have and why my helix is up for sale is in my opinion you shouldn't need to work so hard on a Modeler at this price point, maybe some years ago but not now. I certainly like aspects of the helix but found myself spending too much time turning nobs trying to get dial out stuff that I don't think should be there in the first place.

 

I don't have this frustration playing through real amps or modellers (have Kemper and axe8) I just dial in the tone I want and play. Not so with the helix. Could well be user error but I suspect not in my opinion the unit needs a significant firmware update.

So basically you dial IN sound on Kemper & Axe and real Amps and you dial OUT on Helix

But still you have to dial on every unit?.

 

I find that it is very easy to find the tone i want

I know i have to do some HP/LP tweaking on the cabs also have no presence on many amps.

Also some Eq:ing maybe load third party IR

No big deal..

 

Another thing to concider when you compare Axe to Helix

 

Axe have been around much longer then Helix 

Axe FX Standard since 2006 Ultra since 2008 and Axe FX II since 2011 they have done almost 100 updates of their firmware so they have solved out many problems with their amps over the years..

 

Here is a list of the firmware history for Axe

http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/axefx2/index.php?title=Axe-Fx_II_firmware_release_notes

 

Now compare that with Helix which have done only 9 firmware updates so far..

 

I dont know how much every update on the Axe improve the tone

But i have a feeling Helix can only be so much better with every update as they learn to write the code better for everry update.

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This link show how easy it is to get started with Helix:

ive certainly had more luck with SC pickups.. less so on humbuckers - maybe the signal is too hot somewhere which is causing the digital distortion\harshness that the OP was referring to - but all my HB guitars are pretty low PAF type - like PRS 58\09, Gibson custom shop PAF types..

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So basically you dial IN sound on Kemper & Axe and real Amps and you dial OUT on Helix

But still you have to dial on every unit?.

 

I find that it is very easy to find the tone i want

I know i have to do some HP/LP tweaking on the cabs also have no presence on many amps.

Also some Eq:ing maybe load third party IR

No big deal..

 

Another thing to concider when you compare Axe to Helix

 

Axe have been around much longer then Helix 

Axe FX Standard since 2006 Ultra since 2008 and Axe FX II since 2011 they have done almost 100 updates of their firmware so they have solved out many problems with their amps over the years..

 

Here is a list of the firmware history for Axe

http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/axefx2/index.php?title=Axe-Fx_II_firmware_release_notes

 

Now compare that with Helix which have done only 9 firmware updates so far..

 

I dont know how much every update on the Axe improve the tone

But i have a feeling Helix can only be so much better with every update as they learn to write the code better for everry update.

 

dialing out un-musical harshness is not what I would expect.. no biggy - not all units are for everyone.. glad its working for you

 

Your point on firmware is interesting, I see it brought up before but I don't buy it - reality is Fractal didn't have much competition back then when you had to work harder to get good tones out of it - it enjoyed that position in the market - the market is changed, so what may have been ok for Fractal then, would not in my opinion be ok for another product now in a similar price point, may be unfair but that's the reality of a market where there is competition - now I don't mean my response to be bashing the Helix, that's not my intent - just answering our point. I quite like the Helix, ive gotten good tones out of it - just not as many as id like, or as good as id like and struggle with the kind of digital distortion\harshness the OP brought up -

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dialing out un-musical harshness is not what I would expect.. no biggy - not all units are for everyone.. glad its working for you

 

Your point on firmware is interesting, I see it brought up before but I don't buy it - reality is Fractal didn't have much competition back then when you had to work harder to get good tones out of it - it enjoyed that position in the market - the market is changed, so what may have been ok for Fractal then, would not in my opinion be ok for another product now in a similar price point, may be unfair but that's the reality of a market where there is competition - now I don't mean my response to be bashing the Helix, that's not my intent - just answering our point. I quite like the Helix, ive gotten good tones out of it - just not as many as id like, or as good as id like and struggle with the kind of digital distortion\harshness the OP brought up -

"reality is Fractal didn't have much competition back then when you had to work harder to get good tones out of it"

 

So you had to work hard to get a good tone out of the Axe unit back then?

I dont know i have never owned one.

 

But i think of it like this

 

Think of it as if Line 6 Kemper and Fractal would run say New York Marathon

Then think of it as Fractal have now runned half the way as they started at the very front of the crowd with the elite runners

 

Where as Line 6 had to start with all the "common exercise" people (dont know the word for it in english) far behind the elite runners way back in the crowd of people.

Even if Line6 have been running for a long time he/she is not really trained as an athlete = Pod

 

And Kemper start somewhere in the second field of the crowd but he has trained really well for years for this marathon.

 

Line6 HX modelling technique has been around for 4-5 years (according to Line6 the HX modelling is completely new compare to the previous coding Line6 used on the Pod:s) where as Fractal coding "dont know the name of it" has been around for over 10 years..

 

So Fractal will always have that little advantage over the comepetitors even if now Line6 and Kemper have sprinted a few km and have closed the gap they still see the back of the Fractal runner..

 

i am also pretty sure the Axe FX unit didnt just happened over a night in 2006

My guess is that Fractal worked a very long time (say like Line6 did with Helix 6 years?) with the planning and coding before he decided to release the first Axe unit.

 

 

"would not in my opinion be ok for another product now in a similar price point, may be unfair but that's the reality of a market where there is competition"

 

There is no real competitors except Kemper and and now Helix.

 

Also it´s not really in the same price point atleast not in Sweden i got my Helix for 1725 $ (according to todays dollar currency) the shipping was free

 

The axe cost 1939$ and you have to pay another 11$ for shipping also you need an expression pedal say 70$

 

If i would choose a Kemper 1848 $ i also had to buy a midipedalboard with expression pedals that cost around 185$ and thats the the cheapest one a Behringer FCB1010.

 

And that is why i choosed the Helix it is way cheaper than the other two

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Funny how peoples experiences differ. I have an axefx2 and had an ax8 (returned it). I prefer the Helix . I dont find the helix harsh at all. The axefx2 however has this slightly fuzzy/hairy sound going on in most of the amps. Didnt notice it until I stopped using it for a while.  I think it comes down to what you are used to hearing. Both units sound different. Who is to say which one is most realistic?

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"reality is Fractal didn't have much competition back then when you had to work harder to get good tones out of it"

 

So you had to work hard to get a good tone out of the Axe unit back then?

I dont know i have never owned one.

 

But i think of it like this

 

Think of it as if Line 6 Kemper and Fractal would run say New York Marathon

Then think of it as Fractal have now runned half the way as they started at the very front of the crowd with the elite runners

 

Where as Line 6 had to start with all the "common exercise" people (dont know the word for it in english) far behind the elite runners way back in the crowd of people.

Even if Line6 have been running for a long time he/she is not really trained as an athlete = Pod

 

And Kemper start somewhere in the second field of the crowd but he has trained really well for years for this marathon.

 

Line6 HX modelling technique has been around for 4-5 years (according to Line6 the HX modelling is completely new compare to the previous coding Line6 used on the Pod:s) where as Fractal coding "dont know the name of it" has been around for over 10 years..

 

So Fractal will always have that little advantage over the comepetitors even if now Line6 and Kemper have sprinted a few km and have closed the gap they still see the back of the Fractal runner..

 

i am also pretty sure the Axe FX unit didnt just happened over a night in 2006

My guess is that Fractal worked a very long time (say like Line6 did with Helix 6 years?) with the planning and coding before he decided to release the first Axe unit.

 

 

"would not in my opinion be ok for another product now in a similar price point, may be unfair but that's the reality of a market where there is competition"

 

There is no real competitors except Kemper and and now Helix.

 

Also it´s not really in the same price point atleast not in Sweden i got my Helix for 1725 $ (according to todays dollar currency) the shipping was free

 

The axe cost 1939$ and you have to pay another 11$ for shipping also you need an expression pedal say 70$

 

If i would choose a Kemper 1848 $ i also had to buy a midipedalboard with expression pedals that cost around 185$ and thats the the cheapest one a Behringer FCB1010.

 

And that is why i choosed the Helix it is way cheaper than the other two

 

Dunno, don't work for fractal or line 6 so no idea how related the code in the boxes today relates to the 500 to old axe fx standard, don't think of things that way. They can say it's all brand new but who really knows, we know all the effects aren't. I work in a software related industry and have seen many 'built new from the ground up' products that take a bit here and the from existing technology.

 

Price is relative to what you can afford I guess, the price difference you mention wouldn't come into it for me, wouldn't compromise on what I want for 10% or so difference, but I would say that a more or less 10% or so difference in price does to me put them in a similar price point (which is what I said, did not say same) - I'm lucky enough to have all three units right now, you mentioned you never tried a fractal, maybe if you could side by side you would hear, and especially feel a difference, which to me in pure quality of tone of amps and effects makes the helix less value for money. I don't need an audio interface, and don't really like the inbuilt pedal vs using an external one so for me, where the helix is in the marathon, I think I'm better off skipping to the half way point;-)

 

 

Anyway, at risk of this turning into one of those terrible vs threads, I going to back away slowly - will close with, as said before I like the helix, just not enough to to keep it. Hope it's does develop as a platform, if so maybe I'll pick one up again in the future.

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I do think the Helix would benefit from less presets but spend a bit more time on them

All units presets are what they are in terms of trying to display the features but if Glenn Delauneys patches were the factory presets I wonder if it would make a difference to people's initial perception of the Helix

Old timers (like me I guess) look at the Helix like a virtual box of equipment that we can peice together

If you are from a different background you might not know to stack a low gain tube screamer into a tube drive and feed the whole signal to a Marshall and a fender type amp

And that's where presets are crucial

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Funny how peoples experiences differ. I have an axefx2 and had an ax8 (returned it). I prefer the Helix . I dont find the helix harsh at all. The axefx2 however has this slightly fuzzy/hairy sound going on in most of the amps. Didnt notice it until I stopped using it for a while. I think it comes down to what you are used to hearing. Both units sound different. Who is to say which one is most realistic?

Yep, how boring would it be if we all heard things the same way and liked the same stuff!!

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This is growing out out context, though I agree with what has been said.

I love the Helix, and have posted here clips of the 2204 and T75 sounding great and also my JVM1 into the Helix as a Cab modeler.

All we are saying is, why do some default amps with default settings, and no other FX have Digital clipping going on?

It should get sorted out to make the Helix even better.

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I'm at work and the audio quality on thin clients is crap, so I can't really give your clip a proper evaluation, but what makes you say it is DIGITAL clipping and not just clipping you don't like? I mean, I guess technically since this is a modeler it is all digital clipping, but you see my point. If it is actually digital clipping, that is a problem. I have not had that experience with ANY of the amps on the Helix, and I have played through every single factory preset and every amp. There are certainly some amps that I don't like the sound of and will probably never use, but none that I thought sounded like something was wrong.

 

Having said that, I definitely find many of the built in amps to sound harsher than I think they actually should, but that is easily remedied by using the high and low cut filters on the cab blocks. While I do think I shouldn't HAVE to do that, I don't find it to really be that problematic as it takes like 10 seconds to do. And if you think that is an excessive amount of fiddling, consider that I tweaked and retweaked my Mesa Boogie Roadster for YEARS before I finally found settings I liked. Heck, if it weren't for the Helix, I'd probably still be tweaking it. I only recently discovered that the unpleasant frequencies I kept trying to EQ out of that amp were because of the cab I had it plugged in to. So the basic takeaway here is that any amp you get, real or otherwise, is going to require tweaking to some extent. The more knobs and the pickier you are, the more tweaking it will probably require. The Helix has so many options that it just isn't realistic to expect to figure it all out right away. But the fact that I was able to figure it out as quickly as I did is a real testament to the UI. I mean, I was able to replicate my entire live rig in about a week, and I mean from the day I opened the box to gig ready was about a week. And, much like the real amps I've owned, I'm still tweaking a bit to really dial in that perfect tone. Always finding new things to play with...

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On 5/8/2016 at 12:24 PM, Bkehoe said:

Yep, how boring would it be if we all heard things the same way and liked the same stuff!!

 

Hi Bkehoe,

 

Yep, it would be really amazing if we were all hearing the same stuff, but I revisited the Shaun Halley "Three Quick Tones With Helix" video.

 

Mmm… some strange anomalies in there!

 

Guess things must be changing on every Firmware Upgrade - just take a careful look at how the default Amp + Cab and some Mic settings have changed since this demo was uploaded, back in January.

 

Study it and you will notice that there are quite a few differences, so don’t expect your Helix to sound exactly like that one!

 

​I've attached a Rich Text File listing the differences, to save anyone having to trawl through and keep pausing the video.

 

This stuff is constantly evolving.

 

Don't touch that dial!

 

Hey – I never touched a knob!

 

Edited by datacommando
Remove file - low on space
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Hi Bkehoe,

 

Yep, it would be really amazing if we were all hearing the same stuff, but I revisited the Shaun Halley "Three Quick Tones With Helix" video.

Mmm… some strange anomalies in there!

 

Guess things must be changing on every Firmware Upgrade - just take a careful look at how the default Amp + Cab and some Mic settings have changed since this demo was uploaded, back in January.

Study it and you will notice that there are quite a few differences, so don’t expect your Helix to sound exactly like that one!

 

​I've attached a Rich Text File listing the differences, to save anyone having to trawl through and keep pausing the video.

 

This stuff is constantly evolving.

Don't touch that dial!

Hey – I never touched a knob!

 

Thanks for talking the time to do that! Call me a sceptic but as its a l6 marketing video so I would never have expected it to sound exactly like that anyway;-) I got a buyer for my helix this morning so it's all boxed up ready to be picked up.

 

Will keep an eye on how it develops as I really like its potential.

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Thanks for talking the time to do that! Call me a sceptic but as its a l6 marketing video so I would never have expected it to sound exactly like that anyway;-) I got a buyer for my helix this morning so it's all boxed up ready to be picked up.

 

Will keep an eye on how it develops as I really like its potential.

 

No problem - simply hoping to point out that this sort of technology is constantly evolving.

 

It's a constant state of flux, but each of us must decide what is going to be right for us.

 

Maybe later?

 

Until then - Happy trails.

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Hi Guys,

 

Maybe someone can help me out, it's a simple test.

 

Create a new patch with the "Stone Age 185" amp+cab, just that nothing more and have a play.

 

There is some quite nasty digital type distortion with this amp, here is a link: https://soundcloud.c...-3-audio-copy-2

 

This was played using a G&L Legacy (Strat Clone), bridge pickup. The pickups are low output.

 

A few of the amps exhibit this sort of sound.

 

I was just wondering is this was normal?

 

Andy

 

I tried your test and yes I do see what you mean.  I have heard that sound before, I think it was from one of the Helix's drive pedals when I was trying to use it with the gain on 1 to just add a little grit to my amp.

 

I am using my Helix in 4cm with my Hughes & Kettner Switchblade 50TSC Combo (great piece of kit) - so I've not really explored the Helix's amps that much up to today - but as you suggested I created a new preset - added the Amp&Cab block and listened through headphones.  I tried out all the Amp&Cabs

 

Yes there is a sharp and abrasive tone that is noticeable on a lot (all?) of the Helix amps once you know what you are listening for.   You can dial it out a little by using a HF cut block set around 11kHz which is a compromise that reduces that sound without cutting too much treble from the guitar tone overall.

 

This does not really bother me as I use the Helix in 4cm so I am using real tube distortion - but I feel for some of you guys!  It would be good to have the ability to go amp less to a tiny gig and get exactly the same tone as with my amp...

 

I made some comparison recordings and will post with my thoughts on the subject in a bit.

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Mine does this digital clipping too.

I almost sent the Helix back.

 

C'mon Line 6, this shouldn't be happening on a default amp setting.

 

I bet Kemper and Axe fx don't do this.

 

It's the only thing keeping me from wholeheartedly recommending the Helix to other users on other forums.

 

I love the unit other than this, and my work around is to lower the gain and master so it stops clipping, then use a pedal, od or compressor to bring it back up.

Btw I'm using 1.06 firmware.

Al

 

Btw, update your firmware:

Version 1.10.0

Released 3/29/16

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No problem - simply hoping to point out that this sort of technology is constantly evolving.

 

It's a constant state of flux, but each of us must decide what is going to be right for us.

 

Maybe later?

 

Until then - Happy trails.

Maybe, will keep en eye out on the forum to see how things develop, cheers!

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So here's a recording.

 

https://soundcloud.com/ricksteruk/helix-v-hk-scale?in=ricksteruk/sets/line6-helix-vs-hk-switchblade

 

I had tried to make my Helix sound as much like my H&K switchblade as possible and try to dial out the nasty noise.  I used an 11kHz hi cut.

 

The first riff is my actual H&K preamp (in 4cm), the second is the Helix.  Third is real amp on left, Helix on right

 

If you concentrate on the Helix one with headphones, what you are basically listening for is a mid/high frequency fuzz/buzz that just sort of echoes the main notes.  This sound is present all the time - it's just this palm muting style playing makes it more apparent.

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  • 3 years later...

      Hi Guys,

probably no ne need for a reply but I wanted to share my recent experiences with the Helix. Had mine nearly from the beginning and have been reasonably happy until recently.   Using it into and FrFr or direct to a console.  

 I am finding the same problem lately.  I don't recall this digital clipping sound early on with the Helix.  It seems like it came in with one of the firmware updates to me too.  Just sent mine in for this and a couple of other issues.  On occasion a single preset would have no sound at all, one of mine or a stock preset. Also the looper would loose sound for periods of time then magically start working again. Sometimes a power cycle would fix it and sometimes it would just come back days later. Unloaded all of my patches, did all updates and a factory reset with no change.  Line6 service in Calabasas did the repair and after day 1 the sound is there and I hope it stays as they couldn’t duplicate the problem and did a “this is the part that would cause that problem” repair. The input still has a digital clipping sound on most of the high gain amps is horrible. Input pad is on and high and low cut are being used.   Really makes the Helix almost unusable to me.  I am really hoping Line6 takes care of this quickly so I don’t feel the need to move to another platform.  I love the form factor and ease of use on the Helix and would prefer to stay with it as my main modeler.  But tone is King, so,,,,,,,,,,, fingers crossed!

 

 Dave,

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Quote

It seems like it came in with one of the firmware updates

 

If that's the case DaDraves it probably won't be acknowledged by Line-6 (and some others here) as an issue (kinda like the tuner issues we had a while back).  On some future patch, it will simply change/get better/disappear, but if there I guarantee Line-6 knows about it.

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On 6/4/2019 at 8:22 PM, DaDraves said:

      Hi Guys,

probably no ne need for a reply but I wanted to share my recent experiences with the Helix. Had mine nearly from the beginning and have been reasonably happy until recently.   Using it into and FrFr or direct to a console.  

 I am finding the same problem lately.  I don't recall this digital clipping sound early on with the Helix.  It seems like it came in with one of the firmware updates to me too.  Just sent mine in for this and a couple of other issues.  On occasion a single preset would have no sound at all, one of mine or a stock preset. Also the looper would loose sound for periods of time then magically start working again. Sometimes a power cycle would fix it and sometimes it would just come back days later. Unloaded all of my patches, did all updates and a factory reset with no change.  Line6 service in Calabasas did the repair and after day 1 the sound is there and I hope it stays as they couldn’t duplicate the problem and did a “this is the part that would cause that problem” repair. The input still has a digital clipping sound on most of the high gain amps is horrible. Input pad is on and high and low cut are being used.   Really makes the Helix almost unusable to me.  I am really hoping Line6 takes care of this quickly so I don’t feel the need to move to another platform.  I love the form factor and ease of use on the Helix and would prefer to stay with it as my main modeler.  But tone is King, so,,,,,,,,,,, fingers crossed!

 

 Dave,

 

What do you have the Helix connected to when you're hearing the clipping? Honestly, what you're describing doesn't sound like a firmware issue, because if it were, it would be affecting all units. I can't say I've read a lot of these sorts of complaints. Occasionally there's someone who reports issues something like this, but those reports are sporadic.

 

Have you tried to doing a factory reset?

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1 hour ago, spikey said:

If that's the case DaDraves it probably won't be acknowledged by Line-6 (and some others here) as an issue

 

If I had a digital clipping problem, you can be sure I'd acknowledge it :-) But I don't.

 

Actually, what Phil said reminds me that right at the outset, when I first got Helix, I *did* have a clipping issue. I was running Helix into a Yamaha MG mini-mixer and the output signal from Helix was a bit too hot. Once I turned the master volume knob down to about 12 o'clock, no more clipping.

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