use Helix pedal as guitar rig 5 control

[giga17]

Hello.
How to use the Helix pedal as a guitar rig 5 control pedal?
Thank you

[rd2rk]

Here's the problem. Each Helix preset has to be custom configured to match the ON/OFF status of the specific effects in a corresponding GR5 preset. GR5 responds unpredictably (if at all) to CC#s sent with Program Changes (PC#s), which the Helix does by default (for any footswitch assigned a TOGGLING CC#) when PC SEND is ON in GLOBALS. Therefore, each Helix preset has to be totally custom created to match a SPECIFIC GR5 preset.

 

You have ten buttons on the Helix to which you can assign a TOGGLING CC#. There are many dozens of effects in GR5. Therefore, either you:

 

1) decide on a maximum of ten GR5 effects to use in ALL of your presets, and assign them CC#s GLOBALLY (LOCKED) in GR5; or

 

2) in each GR5 preset you individually LEARN the CC# for whatever effects you want to use in that preset.

 

The advantage of the first method is that you can create ONE Helix preset with most of the required settings, customize the scribble strips with the ten effect names, then copy it to all of the presets in that setlist. Then you assign a PC# INSTANT COMMAND to each preset in the setlist (Helix preset#01A=PC#000=GR5 Preset #001), since PC SEND must be set to OFF in GLOBALS/MIDI to prevent Helix from sending the assigned TOGGLING CCs by default, which can produce unpredictable results in GR5. BTW - this is only a problem in GR5. Amplitube, S-Gear and TH3 work fine with the default behavior, which simplifies this considerably.

 

Each of the ten (or 8) footswitches in each Helix preset has to be saved ON or OFF to match the SPECIFIC GR5 preset to which it corresponds (so that it reflects the status of the effects and will be ready to TOGGLE the effects ON/OFF as required). Each footswitch needs to be assigned a TOGGLING CC# and the scribble strips customized with the name of the GR5 effect that it is assigned to. This is another thing that needs to be done individually if you use the second method (all GR5 effects available).

 

In GR5, you need to set up a new TAG (MY PRESETS?). If you're planning to use more than one TAG in GR5 (requiring more than one setlist in Helix), you'll need to set the INSTANT COMMAND that calls the GR5 preset to also send MSB=OFF;LSB=GR5 TAG #. The GR5 Tags are numbered from 0. If one TAG is sufficient, you can do that in each Helix preset OR just remember to switch to your MY PRESETS TAG when you open GR5.

 

I've probably forgotten something, but as you can see, using the Helix to control an amp sim is, at best a PITA!

 

Should you choose to go down this particular rabbit hole, I'll be happy to answer any other questions that you WILL have!

 

GOOD LUCK!

 

*The Unnecessary step that I removed -  (You need to assign a low DSP Helix effect to each of ten blocks (that can be saved and copied to all of the presets in that setlist). ) 

[cruisinon2]

I got exhausted halfway through that... lol

 

If you have Helix, what do you want with Guitar Rig anyway? I've tried it... wasn't impressed.

[rd2rk]

To the OP:

 

I messed around with it a bit more and found a simpler way to do the BASIC Helix configuration. Matching it up to GR5 presets is still a PITA, but a little less so.

 

To cruisinon2:

 

I hear ya. But I also get where OP is coming from. In the end, it's all just sounds. GR was one of the first MIDI controllable amp sims, LONG before hardware sims. People actually made albums using GR. Still do, believe it or not. I started with GR2 and an FCB1010/UNO. Had Amplitube whatever version was out around the same time. I currently have both latest versions as well as BIAS AMP and FX, S-Gear, and TH3. I've had others too. Today I mostly use Helix, but I had/have favorite presets in all of those sims. It's not worth it to me to dedicate a setlist to sims, even if one were enough to cover all of the minor differences between them, but I still have the FCB and when I feel the need, I can load up whatever configuration I need and I'm ready to go! In fact, using Cantabile, I've set up MIDI filters that allow me to use one FCB configuration for all of the sims. I have a Cantabile rack that contains all of the aforementioned sims AND Helix AND synths AND EZDrummer. I like to think of it as "The World's Biggest Amp Simulator". Presently it takes up a lot of floor space, what with the Helix and the FCB, but if I DID decide to dedicate a Helix setlist, I COULD run the whole thing from the Helix (and a Korg nanoKontrol for rotaries/sliders/extraneous buttons).

 

WHY would I want to do any of that? Because I CAN! Also, it's the kind of programming puzzle an ex-IT guy like me enjoys.

[rd2rk]

"I have a Cantabile rack that contains all of the aforementioned sims AND Helix AND synths AND EZDrummer. I like to think of it as "The World's Biggest Amp Simulator". Presently it takes up a lot of floor space, what with the Helix and the FCB, but if I DID decide to dedicate a Helix setlist, I COULD run the whole thing from the Helix (and a Korg nanoKontrol for rotaries/sliders/extraneous buttons)."

 

OK, so I've been meaning to do it for a while. I don't really NEED the TEMPLATES setlist, so I backed it up and created a "general purpose amp sim controller setlist".

It's labelled for use with GR5, but will work with any sim that uses the standard TOGGLING CC#127(>63)=ON, CC#000(<64)=OFF. If you want to use it with Amplitube, you'll need to either go into each preset and reverse the min (dim) and max (lit) values on each footswitch, or load Amplitube as a VST in a VST Host like Cantabile that allows filters to reverse the CC values automatically.

 

The setlist sends PC#s 000-127 for general compatibility, but if your sim numbers presets from 001 (as GR5 does), it will call 001-128 in your sim.

 

Remember that in GR5, you first have to select a TAG (BANK in most sims), so when you load GR5, remember to select your custom "MY PRESETS" TAG. You COULD modify the setlist to select your MY PRESETS TAG using the LSB value in the INSTANT COMMAND that sends the PC# (GR5 numbers it's TAGs from 0 starting at the top of the list).

 

EDIT: I take that back. GR5 will accept the LSB value to select a TAG, but it won't select the preset within the TAG without a second press of the Preset footswitch! Sometimes MIDI is wonderful, other times it's a PITA!

 

If you save all of your custom/modified presets there (MY PRESETS or whatever you've chosen to name it), you'll know exactly what each Helix preset calls. You can use the setlist to call presets in any TAG, just remember that TAGs can contain more that 128 presets, and you can only call the first 128. It also won't be possible to customize the footwitches for any old random selection in any TAG.

 

Once you've saved a GR5 preset to MY PRESETS, call it using the corresponding Helix preset, then LEARN the Helix footswitches to the effects in the GR5 preset. If the preset loads with an effect ON, be sure to SAVE the Helix preset with that footswitch ON, and vice versa. Don't forget to SAVE the GR5 preset.

 

Attached is the setlist. Any questions or problems, feel free to ask....

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by rd2rk
File removed to recover attachment allotment

[giga17]

 

Hmm ... now I have something to do this weekend! Thank you very much for your advice that I will try to apply correctly ... and I come back screaming "Help me" as soon as I get stuck

[rd2rk]

I sure wish that Helix had a proper bulk editor. If you've ever worked with the FCB's UNO_ControlCenter Editor you know what I mean. Individually editing 128 presets to make a minor change is a BIG PITA!

 

10,000 mouse clicks later....

 

Anyhow....Here's an alternative to the setlist I uploaded yesterday. This one uses 10 switches instead of 8.

I've also changed the CC range to 110-122 and activated the expression pedals. The reason I changed the CC range is that I use a Korg nanoKontrol for controlling amp and effect parameters. The default numbering on the nano starts at 1, and it just seemed easier when I originally set up my system using the FCB to do it this way. YMMV.

 

GR5 Control-10switch.hls