Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Jump to content

Pasting Snapshots Into Different Presets


swanny8777
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello All,

 

I just got my Helix today and I'm trying to customize it to exactly how I'd like to use it, but I've got a question that there may not currently be an answer to:

 

Is it possible to copy a snapshot from one preset and paste it into a different preset?

 

Here is why I would like to do this:

I lead worship services that typically consist of somewhere around 4 songs.  I'm planning on having a rig on a single preset in which each snapshot consists of the settings for each song.  If possible, I'd like the ability to store and recall the various songs/snapshots for future instances of doing any one of those particular songs.  I realize I wouldn't be able to change any of the blocks in the rig by doing it this way, but I'm okay with that.

 

I feel like if (for example) Preset 01A and Preset 01B have everything the same the Snapshots from one to the other should be compatible.  Of course, I realize nothing in software is as simple as it sounds, but is there anything like this, that is to say storing snapshots so they can be pasted into other presets, currently possible on the Helix or maybe something that could happen in the future?

 

Thanks in advance for input!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, not possible.

 

I'm curious, though. Why not create a separate preset per song? Even if they're all variations on the same theme, though they wouldn't have to be. Keep a setlist with every song you do, and each week copy the song presets for that week to a separate setlist for performance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

No, not possible.

 

I'm curious, though. Why not create a separate preset per song?

 

 

Thanks mkornell.  I used to do exactly that, with my POD HD500 that is.  The only problem was that the tiny audio gap between changing presets got a little too deep under my skin (a problem that still exists with the Helix).  The snapshots work for exactly what I need, eliminating that little audio gap.  It was much easier saving one song per snapshot.  So far I've worked around this minor limitation by saving snapshot information to an excel sheet and referencing that when creating a new preset for a new week's set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

The idea is that I want to save the song-specific snapshots and recall them quickly in future, without having to manually input and change every single parameter of each different snapshot (I'm thinking all of us here know how tedious it is to do that).

 

I actually figured out how to do this and made a video on it:

 

Once I have the snapshots the way I need them for a song (for example for Song 1 I use Snapshots 1-3), I export the Preset onto my hard drive, and then I open the .hlx file using TextEdit (I'm working on a Mac). From there I can copy and paste from that Preset into a new Preset giving me the option of quickly creating a Preset for any given Sunday without the hassle of tweaking all of the individual snapshot parameters.

 

Of course for the copying and pasting into a combined Preset to work, the individual songs/presets/snapshots that I'm combining all have to have the same blocks, signal path, etc. but as I said in my OP, I'm okay with that.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's dedication! Frankly I think your solution is more cumbersome than the problem it's trying to solve, but to each his own. I do know that you run the risk of creating a corrupt preset which will have unpredictable implications, up to and including bricking your Helix. Any small typo that you make could cause significant issues when loaded into Helix.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's dedication! Frankly I think your solution is more cumbersome than the problem it's trying to solve, but to each his own. I do know that you run the risk of creating a corrupt preset which will have unpredictable implications, up to and including bricking your Helix. Any small typo that you make could cause significant issues when loaded into Helix.

 

If editing a helix preset in a text editor - even if one were to write a novel in the preset -  introduces the possibility of bricking Helix, I'd say Helix has a very serious problem that needs fixing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree - actually bricking Helix by loading a corrupt preset is unlikely. But we've seen numerous examples in recent firmware updates where a corrupt preset can cause Helix to crash, and sometimes reinstalling the firmware is the only solution. I also agree that this represents a problem that needs fixing and we know Line 6 is working on an improved firmware update process that we should see later this year.

 

So, at least for the short term I remain of the opinion that manual editing of preset files should be avoided.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's dedication! Frankly I think your solution is more cumbersome than the problem it's trying to solve, but to each his own. I do know that you run the risk of creating a corrupt preset which will have unpredictable implications, up to and including bricking your Helix. Any small typo that you make could cause significant issues when loaded into Helix.

Thanks! I think the explanation is cumbersome, but the process, imo is actually very simple; simple that is in comparison to going through block by block and noting all of the various [settings] from snapshot to snapshot and re-inputting these settings into a new snapshot of a new preset. Here I simply copy and paste.

 

Honestly, what I was originally looking for in the text of the .hlx file was maybe a type of csv that would save me the time of transcribing all of my snapshot data, but when I saw the format of one .hlx file compared to another and that it appeared to be apples to apples line for line I figured I'd try the approach I use in the video.

 

Was it risky? Yeah, and maybe foolish for me to have tried since I was only trying out of frustration of the tediousness of doing what felt like a lot of repeated editing. When I first imported a test I have to admit I was holding my breath (probably afraid of a resulting Helix brick), but hey it worked!

 

There actually is an example of a syntax error in my video-when renaming the preset the text editor changed the format of a " that the Helix does not like. This error resulted in a URI error (I believe that's what it was), but the only result (to my knowledge so far) was the inability of the Helix to import the new Preset. I still need to export my set lists and bundle to make sure that any attempts to import a bad set list doesn't create any corrupted preset slots or anything, but I feel it would be highly unlikely to do that.

 

But thanks for bringing up the possibility of a potential brick, it is indeed important to be mindful of the worst case scenario!

 

The biggest question I have now is whether this could be incorporated into the Editor. Since the code is apples to apples, I see no reason that I couldn't copy a snapshot from one preset into a master clipboard and paste it into another preset if the preset layouts match. I'm not a software designer, but it seems like it would be a simple if/then line of code: if the preset layouts match then the paste is successful, if the preset layouts do not match then the user receives a message noting the paste could not be performed due to layout inconsistencies. I dunno. Is that too much to ask?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...