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Tuner input.. multi, Multi?


musiclover7
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Ah.. here is a problem. I was using my helix yesterday for first time in my acoustic band. I switch between 4 different instruments in this band, 3 of which run into effect returns on the helix, one of which runs into the mic input and pulls phantom power. I also have an actual mic, which I am currently running into effect return 4, and the mic has a couple effects applied to it in every preset. Pretty sweet really. Anyways, I set myself up with 4 different presets with similar effect profiles, but different inputs. This is an acoustic project, so my presets are pretty slim, mainly consisting of some compression, some boost, and some slight chorus to be applied here and there. The main thing I am hoping to achieve with the helix as far as my acoustic project goes, is simple instrument swapping... no more unplugging every time I reach for a new instrument, etc. Now, I just switch preset, pick up the new axe, and away I go. I was also hoping for improved tone. Whether or not tone is better with helix on my acoustic is totally subjective, and I can't make up my mind one day to the next. Overall, I will just say, I am good with the tone that I am getting. Things still sound acoustic, which is the main thing.

 

Now for the most part, the instrument swapping is actually working well, however, not when it comes to tuning. Every time I change instruments, and activate the tuner, I find I also have to bend down and change the input on the tuner to match. Multi in does not cover it unfortunately. The Mic and effect returns are left out of Multi, so I have to switch every time I tune, which seems like an entirely avoidable frustration, but I can't see a way around it. Maybe there is something I am missing, hence the post. Can anyone think of a way to setup the tuner, or my presets so that I can tune all my instruments using the setup I described above without the need for constant manual manipulation of tuner input every time I switch preset? I switch instruments constantly in this project, and I am also tuning constantly. A solution here would really help a ton. Any help appreciated!!

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I think you've diagnosed the problem for now. All the tuner settings are global right now, so there's no way to have it change per preset to reflect your different inputs. Having preset control of the tuner would solve it, so perhaps that's something Line 6 can implement in the future. Right now your best bet may be to use an external tuner connected to the one of the effects sends, and insert that block in each of your presets.

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I think you've diagnosed the problem for now. All the tuner settings are global right now, so there's no way to have it change per preset to reflect your different inputs. Having preset control of the tuner would solve it, so perhaps that's something Line 6 can implement in the future. Right now your best bet may be to use an external tuner connected to the one of the effects sends, and insert that block in each of your presets.

 

I think he's already using all 4 effect return though?

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I think he's already using all 4 effect return though?

 

It doesn't sound like he's using any of the sends, though. He wouldn't need to use an actual fx loop (I did actually mistakenly say fx loop in original reply, but I edited it), just a send. He can either keep the block on all the time with the mix parameter at 50% so the tuner is always receiving signal, or he could set the mix to 100% and assign the send block to a footswitch. In this scenario, this would act similarly to the way the on-board tuner works - it would mute the signal while tuning.

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It doesn't sound like he's using any of the sends, though. He wouldn't need to use an actual fx loop (I did actually mistakenly say fx loop in original reply, but I edited it), just a send. He can either keep the block on all the time with the mix parameter at 50% so the tuner is always receiving signal, or he could set the mix to 100% and assign the send block to a footswitch. In this scenario, this would act similarly to the way the on-board tuner works - it would mute the signal while tuning.

 

Good call.  I generally think of effects loops as... loops!  But you can certainly send to one device and receive from another.  If I'm following, the only caveat would be to make sure that whatever is sending to the tuner loop's return isn't giving a signal when he really just wants to tune a different loop's return.

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Good call.  I generally think of effects loops as... loops!  But you can certainly send to one device and receive from another.  If I'm following, the only caveat would be to make sure that whatever is sending to the tuner loop's return isn't giving a signal when he really just wants to tune a different loop's return.

 

Well, in this case it's not necessary to think of them as loops. They're just separate ins and outs. I'm assuming he's using different presets with different inputs for each instrument, so in that case, the input for that respective preset will only be listening to the active instrument at the time.

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I don't think this will work really. All 4 of these presets have 2 separate outputs. Vocals are routing to xlr out, and guitar/Uke/banjo routing to 1/4 inch out. Would effect sends also get juice in this scenario? Side note, please head over to my ideascale entry and give it an up vote if you can also see the need for being able to save tuner input inside a preset. Thanks!

 

http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Option-to-save-Tuner-Input-setting-within-a-preset/831799-23508?submitted=1

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I don't think this will work really. All 4 of these presets have 2 separate outputs. Vocals are routing to xlr out, and guitar/Uke/banjo routing to 1/4 inch out. Would effect sends also get juice in this scenario?

 

I'm not following... The effects sends in this case are blocks that can be inserted anywhere on any path. To use them with tuner, you just insert them as the first block in your tone on your instrument path. How you have the outputs set up doesn't matter. The way to think of the send block is kind of like an audio split that can be inserted wherever you want. The mix parameter controls how signal passes to the jack and how much goes to the path (think of it as wet and dry). At 50%, you're getting 100% wet and 100% dry. If you move mix to 100%, you be getting 100% wet and no dry (so just signal to the jack).

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I feel like there must be a way using my avail sends to pull this off, assuming I take an actual physical patch cable and route it into say my aux port on the helix, using this as the input.

 

The problem is everything gets muted, so no output when the tuner engages, which in turn = no input.  Is there any way to not mute some of the output on the tuner, ie headphones, etc, so I can route that back in on the helix.

 

I feel like there is maybe a way, and I am close...

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Because the alternative is no good.  Even with me routing out send 1 to external tuner, I have no good way of muting everything that I can see.  So I am audibly tuning.  First gig with this setup is tomorrow night.  I am hoping to have this ironed out by then, otherwise I may just go in sans helix...

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I feel like there must be a way using my avail sends to pull this off, assuming I take an actual physical patch cable and route it into say my aux port on the helix, using this as the input.

 

The problem is everything gets muted, so no output when the tuner engages, which in turn = no input.  Is there any way to not mute some of the output on the tuner, ie headphones, etc, so I can route that back in on the helix.

 

I feel like there is maybe a way, and I am close...

 

Hmm... I hadn't thought about this... But I think the problem is that even if you select the Tuner Output setting to be, say, Send 1, and you have that Send block in your patch, it's trying to actually put the tuner output in front of the input - so the signal never actually gets to the tuner input.

 

Because the alternative is no good.  Even with me routing out send 1 to external tuner, I have no good way of muting everything that I can see.  So I am audibly tuning.  First gig with this setup is tomorrow night.  I am hoping to have this ironed out by then, otherwise I may just go in sans helix...

 

I was mistaken above in regards to the parameters of the send block, just because I hadn't looked at them in awhile. But you have Send and Dry Thru. If you leave the send at the default, that should be fine, but you could set the Dry Thru to be at its minimum (I forget as to whether is says mute or not, but it will essentially mute the signal at that point). So you could just assign this send block to be turned on or off with a footswitch (or you could set up tuner snapshot where the block comes on), and the should mute everything while you're tuning.

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  • 8 months later...

Here's a completely different option that eliminates ALL of these problems:  Use a Radial Tonebone Bumper Instrument selector (https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Bumper).  You can keep up to 4 guitars plugged in and change with a simple foot switch.  LED's tell you which guitar is active, and there are Trim knobs for each input to balance gain among them.  It has a dedicated Tuner Out.  Plug all 4 guitars into the Bumper, then plug the output into the Helix's Guitar In.  Problem solved!

 
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