Thoeng Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Okay so i joined the club!Got one last week and so far i'm really enjoying it.First evening was spent going through presets with headphones and computerspeakers.Far from ideal of course, but was good to get to know the unit.I mostly play rock, but don't really consider myself a high gain player. So far i'm liking the 2204, the Shiva and the Recto as a good starting point. Last weekend I brought my Bogner Shiva up from the garage to try it out.Preamp models into the power amp in of the Shiva sound great, but i live in an apartment so i could only try it out at bedroom volumes.Having a bit of trouble getting it to work in 4CM though. Not getting a transparent base sound at all. I'm using an FX loop block (2 lit arrows) on the Helix. Drive and mod before this block, delay and reverb after.My shiva has a pedal send and a rack send. It also has a power amp in and a return. Add that to the instrument and line level out on the Helix and i'm lost... Anyone have any experience with the Helix and a Shiva in 4CM? It's a newer one (green chassis), with bright switches, independent boost and loop that doesn't need the special cable.Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Well, the pedal send on the Shiva is an instrument level output, and the rack send is line level. You could use either one on the Helix, really. As far as going back into the Shiva, you'd want to use the return, not the power amp in, as the amp bypasses all the tone stack controls when you do that. I guess I may start with the Helix loop at line level and see how it goes. So just to make sure your connections are correct you'd be going (forgive me if this too elementary): --> = cable Guitar --> Helix Guitar in -> Helix Effects Send 1 (or whatever loop you're using) --> Shiva Rack Send --> Helix Effects Return 1 -> Helix Out --> Shiva Return. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoeng Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Hi Phil, Thanks a lot for the advice!I actually got it working with some tinkering.Getting a bad ground loop, but that might just be the wiring in my building. Got a gig on Saturday, so that will be the big test :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Getting a bad ground loop, but that might just be the wiring in my building. Sometimes ground loops are simply unavoidable with the 4CM. Picking up one of these little guys (even though it's from the company who shall not be named...) can help. If you put this after your amp's effects send, it would most likely clear any ground loop noise up. You could actually do it on both the send and return, but you should only need it one place. It's basically an isolation transformer, so it actually creates a physical break in the circuit, hence breaking the ground loop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoeng Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Hoping it's the power in the building.Didn't need one of those boxes with my pedalboard in 4CM and the Shiva. Never tried it in the house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshboyohelix Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Hi, A newbie Helix user with a Shiva here too!! I have it running into the rack send at line level which gives me a good Unity level - had to run global EQ a little to get it totally transparent but its there now. I've come from an FX8 and this thing is so much more flexible - could quite easily do a whole gig (in a covers band) on 1 preset!!! Snapshots vs amp switching giving me some problems as I can only get it to work by assigning an EXT AMP switch rather than the instant EXT AMP - but that could be me being dull!! No Ground Hum, however, I am using the old Fractal humbuster cables... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Snapshots vs amp switching giving me some problems as I can only get it to work by assigning an EXT AMP switch rather than the instant EXT AMP - but that could be me being dull!! No Ground Hum, however, I am using the old Fractal humbuster cables... The way you're getting the EXT AMP switching to work with snapshots is by design... You have to have it assigned to a footswitch to work with snapshot changes. You can't just assign it as an Instant Command. As far the humbuster cables, they actually won't make any difference with the Helix. Without actual humbuster jacks, it's the same as using regular TS cables. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshboyohelix Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 The way you're getting the EXT AMP switching to work with snapshots is by design... You have to have it assigned to a footswitch to work with snapshot changes. You can't just assign it as an Instant Command. As far the humbuster cables, they actually won't make any difference with the Helix. Without actual humbuster jacks, it's the same as using regular TS cables. Thanks Phil. Yeah I thought the HB cables wouldn't make a difference, I might get a "them who should not be named" HD box as a precaution. The EXT AMP thing is advertised wrongly in the manual then as it states in there that Instant can be used to save a switch (Tips for Creative Snapshot Use on Page 39), doesn't matter though as assigning 2 switches in 10 mode isn't a biggy and now I renamed them it actually gives access to switch amp within a snapshot if I really need to... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Thanks Phil. Yeah I thought the HB cables wouldn't make a difference, I might get a "them who should not be named" HD box as a precaution. The EXT AMP thing is advertised wrongly in the manual then as it states in there that Instant can be used to save a switch (Tips for Creative Snapshot Use on Page 39), doesn't matter though as assigning 2 switches in 10 mode isn't a biggy and now I renamed them it actually gives access to switch amp within a snapshot if I really need to... Yeah, that's a typo... The correct description is on pg 36: Snapshots also store and recall the following MIDI, CV, and Ext Amp messages sent to external devices from the Command Center: The value of any Instant MIDI CC, Bank/Prog, MMC, and CV Out messages The state (dim value or lit value) of any CC Toggle or CV Toggle messages assigned to footswitches The state (dim or lit ) of any Ext Amp messages assigned to footswitches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoeng Posted September 9, 2016 Author Share Posted September 9, 2016 Hi, A newbie Helix user with a Shiva here too!! I have it running into the rack send at line level which gives me a good Unity level - had to run global EQ a little to get it totally transparent but its there now. I've come from an FX8 and this thing is so much more flexible - could quite easily do a whole gig (in a covers band) on 1 preset!!! Snapshots vs amp switching giving me some problems as I can only get it to work by assigning an EXT AMP switch rather than the instant EXT AMP - but that could be me being dull!! No Ground Hum, however, I am using the old Fractal humbuster cables... Any chance you could give me the details off your global EQ? I've got mine "fairly" transparent, but would like to try your settings if possible :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshboyohelix Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Hey!! Yes, I'll share my settings with you, let me run this thing up to gig volume tonight to make sure it sounds as it should!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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