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2.10 firmware update worth it?


pete1975
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Hi, Ive got my helix 99% where i want it for use on a p.a. system and thru 4cm on my dual rectifier.

 

Now, ive seen a few people having issues with the update,i wont be using the PRS model or the new effects but someone did say it sounds like the existing models sound better (may be trick of the ear).

 

Im using the dual rec model when going through p.a. as i use a real dual rectifier when playing with amp set up,is this model any better sounding?

 

cheers

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.... but someone did say it sounds like the existing models sound better (may be trick of the ear).

 

..

 

Yes, a trick of the ear. There have been no changes to the modeling engine and no technical reason for things to sound any different.

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Yes, a trick of the ear. There have been no changes to the modeling engine and no technical reason for things to sound any different.

When they say there's been no change to the modelling doesn't mean there hasn't been a change in the 23rd gain stage levels curves dogs aunties cousins output level

 

There was a big change after v2

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Hi, Ive got my helix 99% where i want it for use on a p.a. system and thru 4cm on my dual rectifier.

 

Now, ive seen a few people having issues with the update,i wont be using the PRS model or the new effects but someone did say it sounds like the existing models sound better (may be trick of the ear).

 

Im using the dual rec model when going through p.a. as i use a real dual rectifier when playing with amp set up,is this model any better sounding?

 

cheers

I'm not very much into urban legend stories, but I do have the idea that in general it sounds better with 2.10 than 2.01. Or to be more precise, it sounds more like it did with 2.00 (and before). With 2.01 I noticed with some amps a bit of unpleasant distortion that resembled a bit a torn speaker (digital distortion?). One of the amps that suffered much from this was the bassman. I perform all updates exactly according to the instructions and fully restored all presets and - where used - the IRs as well. I even repeated the firmware update but that didn't help.

 

With 2.10 it sounds as it used to do. Perhaps I had some kind of glitch with 2.01. Doesn't really makes sense to me.

 

The dual rec doesn't get much playtime in my setup, so can't comment on that. Personally, I like the PRS clean amp and I really like the Litigator. PRS lead is not my cup of tea.

 

Whether you want to update or not is entirely up to you. I have also read about issues and one that I also had was the one with the expression pedal. Was able to solve that by following the procedure described in this thread: http://line6.com/support/topic/24048-fw-210-expression-pedal-question/

Posts #4 and #18 worked for me.

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Hi, Ive got my helix 99% where i want it for use on a p.a. system and thru 4cm on my dual rectifier.

 

Now, ive seen a few people having issues with the update,i wont be using the PRS model or the new effects but someone did say it sounds like the existing models sound better (may be trick of the ear).

 

Im using the dual rec model when going through p.a. as i use a real dual rectifier when playing with amp set up,is this model any better sounding?

 

cheers

 

I'm one of those people who had issues updating to 2.10 and I still think it's worth it; just carefully read as much advice as you can here on updating; particularly importing and exporting. Maybe it's just the "placebo effect," but everything seems to sound better to me with 2.10 and the new amp models alone make it a worthwhile endeavor.

 

I use "real world" (rented) Triple Rectos with my touring band and sometimes I end up with a Dual, depending on what the backline company has available. They don't really sound that different from each other, though the newer Triples aren't as noisy when you turn the gain up. I think the Helix model comes pretty close to the real thing, though tone and drive settings may be slightly different. That model is my "go to" for crunchy higher gain rhythm stuff, at least so far.

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It is completely worth it. Bug fixes and improvements aside, the Archon model alone is worth the update. There have been some reports of users (including myself) having expression pedal problems after updating, but they are very easy to fix.

 

FYI, I use the Dual Rec on like 50% of my patches currently. I have not noticed it to sound different in any of the updates even from back before 2.0 to now.

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Absolutely, my Helix is a preorder from day one. Remember that...Never had an update issue, latest update and additions are stellar. Take a listen to Marco or Ola or BrockD. Read up on Wes or Phil or Chusky's posts and check their vids. So many more!

 

Literally every genre represented, all with pro sound and chops. Sky's the limit, Ben proved it with the Lit. Welcome to Hotel California :)

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I have a brand new Helix that I just updated to firmware 2.10 a few days ago.

No preexisting IRs, Presets, Setlists.

Today while exploring the factory presets the volume pedal bug dropped the level to 1%.

There is a bug affecting the volume pedal!

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hmmmm ok guys,thanks for input.

 

I may leave it for a few weeks, i dont feel the update really offers me anything more that i need to risk adding bugs etc.

 

Have they got rid of the snapshots icon on the scribble strips???thats really annoying!!!!

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hmmmm ok guys,thanks for input.

 

I may leave it for a few weeks, i dont feel the update really offers me anything more that i need to risk adding bugs etc.

 

Have they got rid of the snapshots icon on the scribble strips???thats really annoying!!!!

 

I doubt they will ever do that, the idea is to let you know it's a snapshot as opposed to a regular switch. I have not had any problems with the pedals other than the expression pedal glitch, which is very easily and quickly fixed, especially if you don't have a lot of presets made already (even with the 20 or so I have made, it took maybe 10 minutes). I am not sure why the person above said "as long as you don't need snapshots," the snapshots work fine once you fix the expression pedal glitch.

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hmmmm ok guys,thanks for input.

 

I may leave it for a few weeks, i dont feel the update really offers me anything more that i need to risk adding bugs etc.

 

Have they got rid of the snapshots icon on the scribble strips???thats really annoying!!!!

 

You should just be happy that you can name snapshots at all...  :D  That wasn't originally the plan. It's easy to get spoiled by what we have available with the Helix. No comparably priced piece of gear really comes close. It's kind of funny to me that for other company's products (ahem...) there are people making a big deal about having laser cut tags available for the footswitches...

 

Personally, I will say that I have found having the camera icons does help when playing live, because it gives you an immediate cue as to what mode you're in.

 

They did add the feature that you can assign custom colors to the LED rings around the switches for each snapshot. So that is another way for a visual cue.

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What about the expression pedal issues? Problems of that ilk area deal breaker for me.

 

Just had my expression pedal reset itself to 0%(1%?) by itself at practice last night on a preset I have been using for months with no issues. Don't know if it was coincidence but I never had that happen before the 2.10 update. The snapshot issue was annoying but fixable with the shorting workaround. My guitar just spontaneously cutting out was genuinely alarming. That would have been very bad news at a gig. I actually consider that behavior the number one bug that Line6 needs to sort out if indeed it is a bug in 2.10.

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What about the expression pedal issues? Problems of that ilk are a deal breaker for me.

 

Just to clarify one thing about this - if you're using an external pedal plugged into the EXP2 jack, you won't run into the EXP1/EXP2 bug at all. You don't need to worry about doing any special to any of your presets. They'll continue working as they were. In a sense, using an external pedal is a workaround. But workaround isn't quite the right term, because you would never even know there was an issue if you always used an external pedal. Actually, that's probably one reason the issue slipped through beta testing.

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Just had my expression pedal reset itself to 0%(1%?) by itself at practice last night on a preset I have been using for months with no issues. Don't know if it was coincidence but I never had that happen before the 2.10 update. The snapshot issue was annoying but fixable with the shorting workaround. My guitar just spontaneously cutting out was genuinely alarming. That would have been very bad news at a gig. I actually consider that behavior the number one bug that Line6 needs to sort out if indeed it is a bug in 2.10.

Hmmm... Uhh, yup. I'm staying put at 2.0.

Thanks, HO.

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Hmmm... Uhh, yup. I'm staying put at 2.0.

Thanks, HO.

 

I should add it happened a couple of times, even after a restart. Still not convinced this doesn't have something to do with auto-calibration but who knows? It seems I have seen reports of this bug prior to 2.10 but I had never encountered it before, and I have been through every firmware update. If the bug exists in prior versions then I wouldn't let this be your sole reason for deferring the update. Still, I can understand you wanting to wait for the version that is supposed to be arriving soon with some fixes.

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I should add it happened a couple of times, even after a restart. Still not convinced this doesn't have something to do with auto-calibration but who knows? It seems I have seen reports of this bug prior to 2.10 but I had never encountered it before, and I have been through every firmware update. If the bug exists in prior versions then I wouldn't let this be your sole reason for deferring the update. Still, I can understand you wanting to wait for the version that is supposed to be arriving soon with some fixes.

 

Well there's also the fact that I have to reload my presets, IRs and set lists. The update process already feels treacherous. This part seems downright Neanderthal considering the helix's level of sophistication.

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Yes it does sound better. No question or ear tricks. I upgraded to 2.01 and my sounds went from robust to thin. I actually was very upset and hoping for a better update. Now 2.10 fixed the issue and my sounds are robust again.  The new amps are fun as well.

 

This is most likely just a result of the fact that doing the firmware upgrade process properly includes doing a global reset. Some of your global settings may be different now. One of the most frequent culprits is users' output setting changing from 'line' to 'mic' or vice versa. You may want to go look at your global output settings.

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This is most likely just a result of the fact that doing the firmware upgrade process properly includes doing a global reset. Some of your global settings may be different now. One of the most frequent culprits is users' output setting changing from 'line' to 'mic' or vice versa. You may want to go look at your global output settings.

 

Good information. thanks.  I will take a look.

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