How to assign default expression pedal EXP1/EXP2 on Helix?

[ucnick]

I am a newcomer to Helix. Getting some really great tones.

 

However, whenever I create a patch that requires the built-in EXP, I have noticed that the default expression pedal selected on the unit always seems to be EXP2, unless I save it as EXP1 in a preset. Is there a way to define the default expression pedal as EXP1 globally, or is it only possible locally? Thanks for the help!

[jbuhajla]

I am a newcomer to Helix. Getting some really great tones.

 

However, whenever I create a patch that requires the built-in EXP, I have noticed that the default expression pedal selected on the unit always seems to be EXP2, unless I save it as EXP1 in a preset. Is there a way to define the default expression pedal as EXP1 globally, or is it only possible locally? Thanks for the help!

Nope, you can't do it globally. Just per preset as you describe. 

[ucnick]

Thanks. 

 

Also, I was looking through the FAQs, there is a way to force it to EXP1 globally by using an external 1/4" jack in the EXP2 jack:

 

http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/effects-controllers/helix/helix-snapshots-and-exp-pedal-recall-r825

[phil_m]

Thanks. 

 

Also, I was looking through the FAQs, there is a way to force it to EXP1 globally by using an external 1/4" jack in the EXP2 jack:

 

http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/effects-controllers/helix/helix-snapshots-and-exp-pedal-recall-r825

 

That article is a bit outdated as that was talking about the state of the onboard pedal and how it relates to snapshots. The state of the pedal is recalled with snapshot now, fwiw. Anyways, it doesn't have anything to do with your initial question. The controllers that are set as the defaults in the effects blocks will remain the same regardless of whether you an external pedal plugged in or not.

[ucnick]

OK thanks for the clarification.

[VirtualGuitars]

You can always buy a Mission Engineering Expression Pedal (or two).  I find that the pedal travel is much shorter, so it's easier to use EXP2 or EXP3 for effects.  I use EXP1 strictly for a volume pedal.  I did have to change all of the factory presets that I was using.

[jbuhajla]

I use a couple of the cheap plastic Line 6 EXP1 pedals. I have had one of them for years. You can get two of them for less than the price of one mission pedal. If you use a single expression plugged into the EXP2 port, then the on board defaults to EXP1. I use two external so each is dedicated. 

[HonestOpinion]

As a general best practice if you are only using the Helix's expression pedal I highly recommend against changing the default for the volume block to EXP 1. You probably only want to do this if you need to accommodate an external pedal(s) setup that you wish to configure differently. The reason being that the Helix and LT automatically set up Volume blocks on EXP 2 and Wah blocks on EXP 1 by default. All you are going to end up doing is causing yourself additional unnecessary  reconfiguration every time you add a volume and wah block in the same preset. And as has been pointed out, you will have to remember that most Factory or third party presets are going to have the default configuration for volume and wah(which will now be different than your alternate setup). I generally plug my additional expression pedal into EXP 3 to cause minimal disruption to the Helix default assignments on their internal pedal.

 

From a logical standpoint it would have made more sense to me to make the Volume block default to EXP 1 and the Wah to EXP 2 but that is not how they did it and generally it is simpler to let the Helix/LT manage this assignment unless you have additional expression pedals attached and need to modify it.

[brue58ski]

As a general best practice if you are only using the Helix's expression pedal I highly recommend against changing the default for the volume block to EXP 1. You probably only want to do this if you need to accommodate an external pedal(s) setup that you wish to configure differently. The reason being that the Helix and LT automatically set up Volume blocks on EXP 2 and Wah blocks on EXP 1 by default. All you are going to end up doing is causing yourself additional unnecessary  reconfiguration every time you add a volume and wah block in the same preset. And as has been pointed out, you will have to remember that most Factory or third party presets are going to have the default configuration for volume and wah(which will now be different than your alternate setup). I generally plug my additional expression pedal into EXP 3 to cause minimal disruption to the Helix default assignments on their internal pedal.

 

From a logical standpoint it would have made more sense to me to make the Volume block default to EXP 1 and the Wah to EXP 2 but that is not how they did it and generally it is simpler to let the Helix/LT manage this assignment unless you have additional expression pedals attached and need to modify it.

 

I agree with everything here.

[ucnick]

Important safety tip. Thanks Egon!

 

I have some Dunlop DVP4 mini expression pedals that I used with my (cough cough) AX8 that I will likely repurpose. The external pedals come in handy when I need to cover the modeler with clear plastic tarp when drunks holding drinks are cavorting madly on the dance floor. Saved my gear more than once.

[kphyoun]

On 2/28/2018 at 11:03 AM, HonestOpinion said:

As a general best practice if you are only using the Helix's expression pedal I highly recommend against changing the default for the volume block to EXP 1. You probably only want to do this if you need to accommodate an external pedal(s) setup that you wish to configure differently. The reason being that the Helix and LT automatically set up Volume blocks on EXP 2 and Wah blocks on EXP 1 by default. All you are going to end up doing is causing yourself additional unnecessary  reconfiguration every time you add a volume and wah block in the same preset. And as has been pointed out, you will have to remember that most Factory or third party presets are going to have the default configuration for volume and wah(which will now be different than your alternate setup). I generally plug my additional expression pedal into EXP 3 to cause minimal disruption to the Helix default assignments on their internal pedal.

 

From a logical standpoint it would have made more sense to me to make the Volume block default to EXP 1 and the Wah to EXP 2 but that is not how they did it and generally it is simpler to let the Helix/LT manage this assignment unless you have additional expression pedals attached and need to modify it.

I just bought the helix... how do switch from exp 1 to exp 2 if I want to use wah and volume pedal? I tried pressing it down hard to change it but it seems like its not working. Let me know how to do it! Thanks!

[macnevine]

I bought 2 off those Dunlop Minis and they work awesome- through I had to flip the internal switch on the pedals and then in global expression setting change the polarity in helix.  Also I set my exp. 2 to global and I add a volume pedal to the end of my chain unless there is no room in the preset and in that case I control the volume by the output level (but I lose trails with this approach so not a perfect solution).  I mainly use expression 1 for wah. I set exp. 3 to control my delay mix and I have a toggle switch set to also use exp. 3 with my Jam Origin Midi guitar synth app  on my IPAD.  Of course snapshots make it not necessary for some of this exp. pedal control but for me I like to have that (less to more by ear) control while playing.  So ,any possibilities!

[HonestOpinion]

On 12/4/2018 at 3:59 PM, kphyoun said:

I just bought the helix... how do switch from exp 1 to exp 2 if I want to use wah and volume pedal? I tried pressing it down hard to change it but it seems like its not working. Let me know how to do it! Thanks!

 

I suppose this could be caused by a couple of things barring an outright failure of the expression pedal's switch. Some folks have found the switch to be harder to press down than they anticipated, especially at first. Make sure you have your Helix on a hard surface and give it a firm press.  Alternatively it could be your assignments. Would assume you are testing without any other external expression pedals plugged in and at least for the purposes of testing I would find it easiest as per my original comment to just accept the default switch assignments for volume/wah blocks.  Good luck with this.

[acousticglue]

When I NOW go to my Helix presets, if I select Volume pedal is shows Assigned EXP Pedal 1 and its assigned to Postion/Controller Exp Pedal 1 and shows the min/max nothing else assigned to EXP Pedal 1 and it no longer moves volume up and down. Also when I have edit open or not the Helix Lt it changes my view to 04A, 04B etc rather than layout view. This began with 3.8 update and I have even reset the device.

[datacommando]

On 1/25/2025 at 11:35 PM, acousticglue said:

When I NOW go to my Helix presets, if I select Volume pedal is shows Assigned EXP Pedal 1 and its assigned to Postion/Controller Exp Pedal 1 and shows the min/max nothing else assigned to EXP Pedal 1 and it no longer moves volume up and down. Also when I have edit open or not the Helix Lt it changes my view to 04A, 04B etc rather than layout view. This began with 3.8 update and I have even reset the device.

Hi,

 

Apart from the fact you have put a random post into a thread that went to sleep 6 years back, you don’t give much to go on.

When seeking assistance from Forum users it's a really good idea to supply as much information as possible regarding the computer and operating system, HX unit and DAW, you are using. Simply stating that something is no longer working doesn’t help. 
 

You say this started with the 3.80 update, but don’t say when you did the update. Also you didn’t clarify if you followed all the update routines - such as the Factory Reset, Rebuilding Presets, and Restoring from Backup. Check all these instances, especially the Restore part to ensure that you actually restored your Global Settings which may account for this problem with the EXP assignments.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

 

[acousticglue]

I did the update when it came out. Yes the restore process was followed. I did add however an external expression pedal that is considered 2. The thing is I even went back to my older presets and now they no longer work the volume pedal either. In global it says exp2 is set to IN. The wah still works and is assigned to exp2. The volume pedal set to exp 1 is not working. I've rebooted device, removed exp2 and rebooted. I've reconnected USB etc but no movement is being done. Not sure if Exp1 onboard is done OR if the update caused this but happened after the update.

 

DAW doesnt matter as this is simply USB and HelixLite w Helix Edit. The PC is Win11. USB works or the edit program wouldn't work.

 

And since I was looking for a reason on forums, that is why responded to old post.

[datacommando]

On 1/26/2025 at 3:17 PM, acousticglue said:

I did the update when it came out. Yes the restore process was followed. I did add however an external expression pedal that is considered 2. The thing is I even went back to my older presets and now they no longer work the volume pedal either. In global it says exp2 is set to IN. The wah still works and is assigned to exp2. The volume pedal set to exp 1 is not working. I've rebooted device, removed exp2 and rebooted. I've reconnected USB etc but no movement is being done. Not sure if Exp1 onboard is done OR if the update caused this but happened after the update.

 

DAW doesnt matter as this is simply USB and HelixLite w Helix Edit. The PC is Win11. USB works or the edit program wouldn't work.

 

And since I was looking for a reason on forums, that is why responded to old post.

 

Hi,

 

Note: I have 2 external EXP pedals on my Helix that are available to me as EXP2 and EXP3. From you recent post is appears that you have  a Helix LT with an additional external EXP.

 

O.K. let's see if we can fix this. On page 8 of the Helix LT 3.80 Owner's Manual it states:

 

Expression Pedal Move the expression pedal to control volume, wah, or a combination of amp and/or effects parameters. Activate the hidden toe switch to toggle between EXP 1 and EXP 2. (The LEDs above tell you which one is active.) If an external pedal is connected to the rear panel EXP 2 jack, the built-in pedal becomes EXP 1 only. See “Controller Assign”

Plus:-

NOTE: Adding a Wah, Pitch Wham, or Poly Wham block automatically assigns its Position parameter to be controlled by EXP 1. Adding a Volume Pedal or Pan block automatically assigns its Position to be controlled by EXP 2.   You state that - "In global it says exp2 is set to IN" - Having read the manual section for "Global Settings > EXPPedals" the only thing I can find that you refer to as "IN" is the Polarity "Inverted" option which is for use when your EXP pedal seem to be working backwards.   Furthermore you comment regarding the Wah working and set to EXP2 and the Vol is not working seems to indicate that your settings have got screwed up somewhere. As you can see from the note above Wah, Pitch etc are always assigned to EXP1 and Vol blocks are assigned to EXP2. You can set the Volume to be controlled by EXP1 and Wha as EXP2 by highlighting the Vol block and via the Controller Assign Menu set the Parameter to Position and Controller to EXP Pedal 1 with Min Value at 0% and Max at 100%. Repeat for the Wha to be assigned to EXP 2. Also, be aware that you can set the EXP pedal position to be recalled per Preset, Globally or by Snapshot. So, if you have a Volume pedal set Global but it's sweep is inverted (IN) you may think it is at 100% although because it's reversed it is actually 0.   It might be advisable to download the Owner's Manual and have a read through the EXP pedal options. https://line6.com/data/6/0a00051afd86673ccb96424d9/application/pdf/Helix LT 3.80 Owner's Manual - English .pdf   Hope this helps/makes sense. If not the usual advice is to do a Factory Reset and perform a clean install of the latest Firmware.