Alan021 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Hi, I'm new to the forum and to Line 6. I've been a dyed in the wool tube amp guy for a long time but have just decided to buy a Helix - delivery tomorrow morning. What I wanted to know is this, when I open the box and switch on for the first time do I need to update to the latest firmware straight away? I'm assuming the actual unit I get will have been sitting in the shop for a while and will come with factory defaults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Well, you don't have to install the update right away to start using it, but it's probably a good idea to plan on doing first thing. That's really the easiest time to do it. When you first turn on the unit, you'll see what firmware version it's loaded with on the splash screen. The latest version is 2.11 (which I'm sure won't be loaded on your unit from the store). I wouldn't be surprised if yours came with 2.0 on it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan021 Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 Well, you don't have to install the update right away to start using it, but it's probably a good idea to plan on doing first thing. That's really the easiest time to do it. When you first turn on the unit, you'll see what firmware version it's loaded with on the splash screen. The latest version is 2.11 (which I'm sure won't be loaded on your unit from the store). I wouldn't be surprised if yours came with 2.0 on it, though.Thanks for the quick reply. I'll probably rock my socks off for an hour or so then update.Cheers pal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan021 Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 Hi, Just one more question, so I've got this pedal that I really do like. It's an EHX turnip greens which is basically a soul food and a holy grail reverb in one box http://www.ehx.com/products/turnip-greens I'm pretty sure the reverb will be fine to use with the Helix just wondering if the soul food will be ok to use or if it will interfere with the Helix in some way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zooey Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 The reason to update before you play is that updating reverts all presets to the new factory settings. If you saved any presets, to preserve them, you'd have to export them before installing the update, then restore and have Helix update them after. If you just update immediately, you won't have any custom presets you'd need to preserve. Just to be clear, that whole process is totally doable, and you'll have to go through it for any later updates, but this is your one chance to skip it. Of course you'd rather just wail, and you can is you want, just be aware of the options. No clue about your turnips, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicLaw Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Not a bad idea to power it on to explore and let it burn in for a while. Very likely that yours will have firmware 1.06.5. When you do update the firmware, follow the instructions step by step! The process involves a physical dual footswitch button press while powering on that clears and resets the enitre unit. Thus anything that you may have done, saved, changed or fussed with during your exploring the unit with will be wiped and replaced with the latest firmware. Use the Chrome Browser if you're on a PC as some have reported issues using Window Explorer. Welcome to the Helix club! Happy Holidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Thanks for the quick reply. I'll probably rock my socks off for an hour or so then update. Cheers pal Not a bad idea to power it on to explore and let it burn in for a while. Very likely that yours will have firmware 1.06.5. When you do update the firmware, follow the instructions step by step! The process involves a physical dual footswitch button press while powering on that clears and resets the enitre unit. Thus anything that you may have done, saved, changed or fussed with during your exploring the unit with will be wiped and replaced with the latest firmware. Use the Chrome Browser if you're on a PC as some have reported issues using Window Explorer. Welcome to the Helix club! Happy Holidays. I am also from the school of thought that says update almost immediately but fire it up first and use it for long enough to make sure that things are basically working correctly. That way if you have a problem with the update you won't be driving yourself nuts trying to figure out if the update failed or if your device had a problem from the git-go. I wouldn't bother saving any presets as they will get overwritten in the update process and require backing up beforehand and then restoring. Better just to start designing your presets on the new firmware version unless you feel you need some practice with the backup/restore process before your next firmware update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkornell Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Hi, Just one more question, so I've got this pedal that I really do like. It's an EHX turnip greens which is basically a soul food and a holy grail reverb in one box http://www.ehx.com/products/turnip-greens I'm pretty sure the reverb will be fine to use with the Helix just wondering if the soul food will be ok to use or if it will interfere with the Helix in some way? No problems with using external pedals. Hook it up into one of the Helix's FX loops to give you flexibility to put it anywhere in your signal chain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan021 Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 Thanks for the help guy's - really appreciate it. Helix will be delivered between 13:00 and 14:00 this afternoon, so need to keep myself occupied between now and then or I'll just go insane with antici... pation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Mine arrived on 11/30 with 2.10 and all the new amps in that release I have not upgrades to 2.11 yet, myself but will soon since I haven't really built anything from scratch yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicLaw Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Mine arrived on 11/30 with 2.10 and all the new amps in that release I have not upgrades to 2.11 yet, myself but will soon since I haven't really built anything from scratch yet Did yours come from Sweetwater (or another vendor) that updated the firmware before shipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddewees Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Yes, sweetwater I meant to say that in my first post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan021 Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 Thanks again guys, I did all the installs and updates today. Need to spend some time now getting to know my new friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanecgriffo Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 oh cool, sounds like it all went smoothly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbuhajla Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 Thanks again guys, I did all the installs and updates today. Need to spend some time now getting to know my new friend I've had mine for a few months now, and it seems "new" to me every day. There is an infinite number of combinations of stuff you can do with it. ENJOY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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