Snapshot Compatibility with Helix Native for .hlx Files?

[soundog]

I opened up some presets from some third-party patch sets/collections in Helix Native V1.5. The patches were created on a Helix Floor before Helix Native came out, and right after Snapshots support appeared in the hardware.

 

In Helix Native, some of the patch set's Snapshots work perfectly, retaining block bypass settings and also all of the parameter changes within blocks. However, many patches don't work properly; only the block bypasses work, and parameter changes do not.

 

You have to do some special things within Helix Native to get parameters to save within assigned Snapshot , while in the hardware units you just need to press and turn a parameter knob. My question is, if you create Snapshots in your Helix hardware, do they automatically work OK in Native? 

 

UPDATE (see below): the answer to my own question is "Yes, they should be fine."

[datacommando]

if you create Snapshots in your Helix hardware, do they automatically work OK in Native? 

Not played with this option yet, but here is what it says in the release notes for Native:

 

“NEW FEATURES

Snapshots - Helix Native now supports up to eight Snapshots per preset.â€

 

Maybe you have discovered a bug?

[soundog]

Perhaps. Although its mysterious why the snapshot parameter changes worked in some sets of third-party .hlx patches, while in others they did not. I'm not sure what's up.  I'd do more troubleshooting here, but I only have Helix Native. I'll crack open some .hlx files later today and see if I can find what's going on.

 

To be clear, Snapshots do work as documented in Helix Native V1.5, although you have to be careful with how they are created and saved.

 

UPDATE: This was really corner case. This problem was only appearing on my iMac running Logic Pro X 10.4 (Sierra), and not on my MacBook running the same app (High Sierra). It turned out to be the Volume block in patches that were created on "old" 2.X hardware/editor versions. The fix was simple enough: from within Helix Native for any patches that had snapshots that weren't sending out any audio: 1) highlight the Volume block, 2) for each Snapshot, select the Volume parameter in the Edit window (or move its value up and down), 3) resave the patch.

 

Problem solved. Thanks, @datacommando.

[HonestOpinion]

Perhaps. Although its mysterious why the snapshot parameter changes worked in some sets of third-party .hlx patches, while in others they did not. I'm not sure what's up. I'd do more troubleshooting here, but I only have Helix Native. I'll crack open some .hlx files later today and see if I can find what's going on.

 

To be clear, Snapshots do work as documented in Helix Native V1.5, although you have to be careful with how they are created and saved.

 

UPDATE: This was really corner case. This problem was only appearing on my iMac running Logic Pro X 10.4 (Sierra), and not on my MacBook running the same app (High Sierra). It turned out to be the Volume block in patches that were created on "old" 2.X hardware/editor versions. The fix was simple enough: from within Helix Native for any patches that had snapshots that weren't sending out any audio: 1) highlight the Volume block, 2) for each Snapshot, select the Volume parameter in the Edit window (or move its value up and down), 3) resave the patch.

 

Problem solved. Thanks, @datacommando.

Interesting, I wonder if the "Rebuilding..." process you see on the Helix upon your first reboot after an upgrade addresses this. Rebuilding older presets to the latest Editor/firmware format may make for a more seamless migration of presets from other HX devices to Native. I notice you mention you only have Native. That means that perhaps you did not have that rebuild applied to old presets or that it is executed differently by Native than it would be by an HX device. Perhaps that rebuilding process needs to be built into(if it does not exist already) or tweaked in Native to accommodate presets from older HX Edit versions. There are certainly a lot of legacy presets on CustomTone as well as being sold by third parties. You also might assume they need to be upgraded with each new Native version. Or... perhaps it is just as you say a "corner" case, just speculating.

 

Update: The more I think about it the more I believe there must be some kind of rebuild process in Native although it certainly does not kick back a "Rebuilding..." message like for example the Helix does. Otherwise how will they be able to keep the presets from previous versions of Native only users (no HX device) working as they release subsequent versions of Native? I suppose there are other methods than a rebuild but they must have some mechanism for allowing new versions of Native to work properly with presets from previous versions of Native or elsewhere that have not had an HX device update them to the latest software revision.

[datacommando]

 

UPDATE: This was really corner case. This problem was only appearing on my iMac running Logic Pro X 10.4 (Sierra), and not on my MacBook running the same app (High Sierra). It turned out to be the Volume block in patches that were created on "old" 2.X hardware/editor versions. The fix was simple enough: from within Helix Native for any patches that had snapshots that weren't sending out any audio: 1) highlight the Volume block, 2) for each Snapshot, select the Volume parameter in the Edit window (or move its value up and down), 3) resave the patch.

That’s just weird 😜

It’s really good that you had two versions of the Mac OS to reveal where the issue occurred. I can see that your investigation into it could be helpful for other Mac Pilots. Nice work, soundog, 😎

[soundog]

Perhaps during the transition to Snapshots between Helix hardware and Native some oddities or minor glitches happened??? I would be surprised if there were no glitches during that transition, given the breadth of the info contained in the .hlx files. Regardless, this was a minor annoyance, and all is working nicely now. BTW, the Snapshots are really useful during automation during mixes with Native, as well the input level, amp EQ and drive.

[HonestOpinion]

Perhaps during the transition to Snapshots between Helix hardware and Native some oddities or minor glitches happened??? I would be surprised if there were no glitches during that transition, given the breadth of the info contained in the .hlx files. ...

 

Good point, could be that these oddities exist as well for users who are migrating their presets/snapshots from an HX device to Native and we just have not noticed them yet. If so I am sure that will get worked out in subsequent releases. Just noting that there could potentially be a difference between the "rebuilding" process when it is done on an HX device versus when it is done by a computer in the case of Native. Or the processes could be pretty much identical. Without Line6 weighing it is hard to know for sure.

[datacommando]

Good point, could be that these oddities exist as well for users who are migrating their presets/snapshots from an HX device to Native and we just have not noticed them yet. If so I am sure that will get worked out in subsequent releases. Just noting that there could potentially be a difference between the "rebuilding" process when it is done on an HX device versus when it is done by a computer in the case of Native. Or the processes could be pretty much identical. Without Line6 weighing it is hard to know for sure.

^^^This^^^