Organizing the Helix files on your computer

[zooey]

The Helix software creates a directory structure here (on a PC, I assume similar on a Mac): My Documents\Line 6\Tones\Helix\

It contains these directories: Bundles, IRs, Presets, and Setlists

 

As I understand it, the Helix editor is aware of those locations only to the extent that they're the initial default locations for exporting those types of objects. Once you've saved a setlist (say) in another location, that location is suggested the next time you export.

 

Is all of this right:

- There's nothing special about those locations, you could choose to store your Helix stuff anywhere

- You could store anything else you want in those directories, and the editor won't mess with it, or be confused by it

- When you use the editor, it's inherently linked only to the Helix itself, not to any data on your computer, in any location

- Exporting is essentially backing up, saving a copy of objects from the connected Helix on your computer.

 

Besides general understanding, I'm asking because I'm thinking about your overall libraries of these objects, vs backup of what's on your Helix right now.

 

For instance, if you buy some big IR or patch collections, after you audition them, you'll pick the ones you want on your Helix for now, and put them there, but where do you keep the original full collections as purchased? In those same default directories?

 

That doesn't quite work in a practical sense, since some patch collections contain IRs. You'd probably want to back up all the IRs you actually have on your Helix in one directory, wherever they came from, so you can easily load them back in.

 

But that's still about backup of you Helix's current contents. I'm wondering if people keep their larger libraries in that same location that the editor knows about, or somewhere else.

[silverhead]

....

Is all of this right:

- There's nothing special about those locations, you could choose to store your Helix stuff anywhere

- You could store anything else you want in those directories, and the editor won't mess with it, or be confused by it

- When you use the editor, it's inherently linked only to the Helix itself, not to any data on your computer, in any location

- Exporting is essentially backing up, saving a copy of objects from the connected Helix on your computer.

 

.....

Yes, that is all correct.

[spikey]

Yea once you get yer head around that its a pretty straight forward concept. 

 

+1 for Line 6 on this.

[HonestOpinion]

I use the default directories Line6 installs with the editor but create my own sub-directories underneath them that include separate directories for each editor revision with their corresponding backups, as well as special named directories that help me sort out my IRs, dowloaded presets from CustomTone, etc..

[zooey]

Hadn't thought of keeping things completely separate by firmware or editor release. Do you do that because newer firmware can't load patches from older releases? If so, that's kind of unusual, and definitely something to be aware of.

[HonestOpinion]

I use the default directories Line6 installs with the editor but create my own sub-directories underneath them that include separate directories for each editor revision with their corresponding backups.  I name my backup sub-directories after the editor/firmware version. I also have specially named sub-directories that help me sort out my IRs, dowloaded presets from CustomTone, etc.. 

 

Hadn't thought of keeping things completely separate by firmware or editor release. Do you do that because newer firmware can't load patches from older releases? If so, that's kind of unusual, and definitely something to be aware of.

 

That pretty much sums it up. The backup files are so small it doesn't take much extra room to keep things like multiple backups in well sorted directories.  In case there are compatibility issues from one editor/firmware version to the next I know exactly which version of the editor and firmware I used to make my backups. Gives me a rough timeline on things and enables me to roll back easily in case I screw something up or a new version of the software/firmware has a bug I can't live with.

[zooey]

Makes sense.