How do you save a preset w/ a pre-set delay BPM, and still be able to override it w/ TapTempo?

[mmarino426]

(This is on a Helix LT)

 

Scenario:

 

My band plays Shut Up and Dance. I have a preset saved with all the parameters I need for that song, including the correct BPM for the dotted 8th delay to achieve the correct sound for the intro. By the time the intro lick comes back around again after the solo, my drummer never seems to have stayed on tempo throughout the song, so when we come back to that part, the timing is off on the delay. I want to be able to tap in the new tempo with the tap tempo button to be able to play the lick with the correct delay sound, albeit, most likely faster.

 

When I try to do this, it doesn't change the delay time. The Tap Tempo light changes to whatever tempo I tap it at, but it doesn't affect the actual delay time. It seems to be this way for any delay that I set on a preset.

 

How can I set the preset to come up with the correct (saved) BPM, and then still override it later with tap tempo?

[phil_m]

What you’re describing should work. Anytime you tap a new tempo, it changes the BPM setting, and it will affect any effects that have a note value for the time or rate parameters.

 

What delay model are you using? There are a few delays that have shorter maximum delay times, so that could be causing you trouble.

[mmarino426]

Phil, thanks for the response!

 

I'm using the "Elephant Man" delay. There was a preset on the LT, I believe it was 31B under Factory 1, (probably also on the Helix) that was a "Shut Up and Dance" preset, so I used the same settings from that delay in the preset that I had created. I also have an HX Effects which with I've done the same thing (coped the settings from that delay patch and set up a delay for it).

 

The time is set to 377ms on the preset, which is the correct delay time for that dotted 8th effect on Shut Up and Dance.

 

Again, when I tap the "Tap Tempo" button on both my HX or my LT, the red flashing light mimics the new tempo that I tap in, but it does not change the delay time. This issue is the same for another delay I have set up.

 

If the issue is that it's set to ms instead of 1/4, 1/8, etc, how would I save the correct time for the preset and still be able to override it later with a tap tempo?

 

Basically, any time I come to that preset, it needs to already be at the correct BPM, and allow me to override it later in the song. Thanks in advance!

[Mturner]

If I'm doing the math right, a dotted 1/8 at 377ms corresponds to 119.4 BPM.

So set your delay to dotted 1/8 and set your tempo to 119.4 BPM.

Make Sure Global Settings->MIDI/Tempo->Tempo Select is set to "Per Preset".

You can also directly dial in the tempo on that same settings page.

 

You should then be able to save that tempo with your preset but tap in a new one (on quarter note beats) if you need to change it.

 

Mark

 

 

[phil_m]

45 minutes ago, mmarino426 said:

Phil, thanks for the response!

 

I'm using the "Elephant Man" delay. There was a preset on the LT, I believe it was 31B under Factory 1, (probably also on the Helix) that was a "Shut Up and Dance" preset, so I used the same settings from that delay in the preset that I had created. I also have an HX Effects which with I've done the same thing (coped the settings from that delay patch and set up a delay for it).

 

The time is set to 377ms on the preset, which is the correct delay time for that dotted 8th effect on Shut Up and Dance.

 

Again, when I tap the "Tap Tempo" button on both my HX or my LT, the red flashing light mimics the new tempo that I tap in, but it does not change the delay time. This issue is the same for another delay I have set up.

 

If the issue is that it's set to ms instead of 1/4, 1/8, etc, how would I save the correct time for the preset and still be able to override it later with a tap tempo?

 

Basically, any time I come to that preset, it needs to already be at the correct BPM, and allow me to override it later in the song. Thanks in advance!

 

The earlier reply is correct. You need to set the delay time to note value, not to a millisecond value. Sounds like that song is between 119 and 120BPM, so if you set that as the preset BPM and set the delay time to the note value of a dotted eighth, it will be the same timing as that millisecond value. To change from a millisecond value to a note value, simply push down on the knob for the delay time.

[codamedia]

It's been said... the trick here is to set it for a tempo division and set the tap tempo "per-preset" in the global settings. 

 

Snapshots can be used to change the "division" on the same delay so you can set it to dotted 8th for one snapshot, 1/4 note on another, etc...  If the delay is set to a fixed "ms" setting, you can use snapshots to change that "ms"setting. But sadly, there is no way as of v2.6 to change from "ms" to "division" within snapshots... I would love to see that. 

[Joepeggio]

23 hours ago, codamedia said:

It's been said... the trick here is to set it for a tempo division and set the tap tempo "per-preset" in the global settings. 

 

Snapshots can be used to change the "division" on the same delay so you can set it to dotted 8th for one snapshot, 1/4 note on another, etc...  If the delay is set to a fixed "ms" setting, you can use snapshots to change that "ms"setting. But sadly, there is no way as of v2.6 to change from "ms" to "division" within snapshots... I would love to see that. 

You can have 2 delays in a row (copy and paste), one set in ms and the other set in Dotted 8th then have the snapshots turn one off and the other on.  Assuming you have the room and DSP.

But i like Mturner's solution above.

[jbuhajla]

I save my preset with a pre-programmed tempo with the delay set to a note division. You can tap in any tempo you want after that, but do not save the preset. Then next time I load the preset, it still has the save pre-set tempo. 

[mmarino426]

Thank you, guys. That did the trick. I'm still getting used to having so many options, it can be overwhelming!

[MojoAxe]

On a side note unrelated to Helix functionality, drummers that speed up during a song drive me nuts.  

[cruisinon2]

1 hour ago, MojoAxe said:

On a side note unrelated to Helix functionality, drummers that speed up during a song drive me nuts.  

 

How do you tell if a drummer is knocking on your front door? 

 

... the knocking speeds up. ;)

 

They should all play to a click...I spent years practicing with a metronome. Still do, actually. It ain't that hard...

 

Many moons ago I auditioned for an all-original band...90's rock radio kinda stuff. Learned 6 or 8 tunes for the audition. The drummer sped up noticeably on every chorus of all the tunes. After the 3rd or 4th song, I mentioned it (tactfully)... his response: "Are you sure it's not you guys?" God as my witness, that's a true story. Haven't laughed that hard since...

[jmp22684]

Fun song! Here's us... audio isn't great, cell mounted behind us... there's no where in this place to not have a camera die to craziness!

 

I can pop up the patch if you want. You'll need the amp and cab blocks as I use 4cm with a road king. A patch setup for "where the streets have no names" is perfect for the clean part.

[johnbeamon]

On 7/12/2018 at 10:23 AM, codamedia said:

It's been said... the trick here is to set it for a tempo division and set the tap tempo "per-preset" in the global settings. 

 

Snapshots can be used to change the "division" on the same delay so you can set it to dotted 8th for one snapshot, 1/4 note on another, etc...  If the delay is set to a fixed "ms" setting, you can use snapshots to change that "ms"setting. But sadly, there is no way as of v2.6 to change from "ms" to "division" within snapshots... I would love to see that. 

 

My DL4 had a dot-8 on one button and a quarter on the next button. My M9 had one on A and the other on B. In both those form factors, you could enable/disable and switch divisions automatically with only two buttons. Helix doesn't have those three functions as readily available for people who play Stomp mode and jam on the fly. I'd like to be able to link two footswitches as a toggle-bypass group like this. A for Minotaur, B for Timmy, selecting inactive switches between them, selecting active bypasses. We can do this with snapshots, but not on the fly.

[jbuhajla]

I came from using the TC Flashback X4 where there were 3 presets. You can do the same thing in stomp mode in Helix. I usually have at least two different delay blocks in my preset. One set to 1/4 and the other dotted 1/8th. I just control them with stomps in 8 stomp mode. No different than any other delay pedal.