Variax "Don't force" model confusion. How about a "Back to Knob" setting?

[katerlouis]

I love the ability to let the preset change the Variax Model.

 

But once you've stepped on this path, there is no turning back.

Meaning: To get to know all the guitars I play all for some time with all my presets; turning the knob on the guitar itself.

When I now force a preset to use Lester-1, I cannot go back to the guitar where the knob is currently on, unless I explicitly tell other presets to force the one I'm currently on, or turn the knob back and forth again.

 

I get that "Don't force" shouldn't change a thing on the guitar. The wording is clear here. "Don't touch it at all, no matter what"

Though, (at least my) general expectation is "Don't force = go back to the position where the knob is".

Once a guitar model is forced, there is no going back;

 

Search brought me only one other thread with a similar issue, but I still don't understand how this all works.

How do you guys deal with this?

 

And if there is no way to achieve "only force the model in this one preset, all other presets force back to the model where the knob is":

What do you guys think about a new parameter value named "Force to Knob" / "Back to Knob".

 

 

Thanks

[mdmayfield]

No complaints here if that's added as an option, but personally I wouldn't end up using it.

 

In case you find it interesting or helpful, this is because I always play in one of two modes of thinking - either:

 

1) There's a set list and every sound is pre-set exactly how I want it (usually one preset per song); or

2) It's off-the-cuff in a casual situation where people call out tunes and I'm dialing in sounds live as if through a traditional amp.

 

If 1), then every preset involved is trying to duplicate a sound for a cover, so every sound has a Variax model deliberately chosen and "forced" inside the preset. If 2), then I'm just using one general preset anyway with a variety of pedals, and switching manually through the Variax models from the instrument, so it is never forced elsewhere anyway.

 

I dunno if that's helpful food for thought, or if your use-case disqualifies those approaches, but that's what I imagine they were assuming when designing the "specific model vs. Don't Force" setup.

[specracer986]

I use my Variax and Helix, exactly like mdmayfield, so I have no need for any other options.

I'm not actually sure, but the OP might be helped by selecting "Per Preset" instead of "Global" on his input block.

[katerlouis]

Global is not an option for me (the way I understand it atleast) because I want to force different guitars for some patches. But not for all of them.

 

Another problem I ran into:

Let's say I have a patch named Jimmy. Jimmy doesn't need much change. I'm happy with it. I like to use it with different guitars, so I change the knob a lot; try others out, etc. Jimmy is a "Don't force" patch. No problem here, until I want to change some settings. Let's say I want to switch some footstomp assignments. When I now save the patch, the newely dialed in guitar, which was only dialed in for testing purposes, gets now saved as a forced model.

 

"Don't force" gets overwritten by the model-knob on the Variax. Although I see why this connection can be advantageous, I find it rather inconsequent: There is no such connection between Helix and the Tuning Knob. A dial on the tuning knob still leaves the parameter on the Helix on "Don't force". Why is this different?

 

It  would be more consequent if both settings were treated the same way. I do understand that changing this by default could result in angry users, that are used to the current way and like it. That's why I propose to add another setting under "Global Settings" -> "preferences", maybe called: 

Variax Model Select: (Helix reacts live to Guitar knob) OR (Helix ignores knob, and only changes models when dialed in on Helix)

 

Resulting in 2 sort of intertwined ideas / suggestions: 

1) [Force Knob Position] (which is rather useless when not paired with #2)

2) Variax-Model-Knob effects preset parameter ON / OFF

 

Helix is such a beast when it comes to flexibility and customization. Integration with Variax feels a lil klonky compared to footstomp-capabilities etc.

[katerlouis]

*gentle push in hope more people participate in this conversation*

[katerlouis]

I made two ideaScales for this.

Please upvote :)

 

Optionally don't synchronize helix setting and guitar-knob:

https://line6.ideascale.com/a/idea-v2/908162

 

Helix Variax model setting: "Force back to guitar-knob-position"

https://line6.ideascale.com/a/idea-v2/908161

 

 

Still curious on what you guys think :)

[guitarnstuff]

I have used snapshots to change variax models within a preset. Can't have global setting, it must be per patch setting. Works great.

[katerlouis]

Yeah, changing models via snapshots is a great feature! But still: once you want a patch / snapshot to go back to the model that is selected, after you have forced a guitar with the Helix, you HAVE TO dial physically on the guitar. 

[silverhead]

I also use my Helix/Variax combo like mdmayfield and spacereacer986 so the option you would like is not something I would use. I only post this because you asked for other opinions, not to discourage your suggestion.

For me I am either using Helix in a setlist-type situation where each preset dials in a specific Variax model, or I am freewheeling and dialing in models manually on any given preset. In the latter case it doesn't matter to me where the dial happens to be when I change presets - I will change the model knob position anyway.

[DBCrocky]

I wonder whether this is possible with the current hardware/firmware.  The Variax has a bunch of different models, which you can select one of two ways: 1) Turn a knob, and 2) Send a command via the VDI cable. 

 

But to do what you want, which I take is to tell the variax to load the model of the current knob position, would require there either

1) A command you could send the variax that would do that,

2) the helix to be able to ask the variax where it's knobs are set so it could send a command to change the variax to that model.

 

It may be that the variax hardware/firmware does not support either of these, and it would require at least a Variax firmware upgrade or even a hardware upgrade to do so.