helix floor MIDI CC Toggle Footswitch is Swapping Transmit Values On Its Own

[rappel353]

I recently added the PowerCab 112+ to the Helix Floor and Variax JTV-69S in my musical "arsenal" and I am attempting to integrate them together. Could see some wonderful automation in the future.

 

Currently I use the Program Change message that is generated when I change presets to call up the PowerCab preset. I simply put the speaker I want to use in the preset. (Lots of duplicates, but that's okay - lot's of spaces, and infinite setlists.)

 

However, I'm trying to switch the PowerCab's preset MODE (Flat, Speaker, User IR) from within Helix's snapshots. (MIDI CC# 20, with values 0=Flat, 1=Speaker, 2=User IR)

 

I found the following information in one of the Helix MIDI forums:

Snapshots only transmit the following data from the Command Center:

• The value of ANY (I read ALL) Instant MIDI CC, Bank/Prog, MMC, and CV Out messages
• The state (dim value or lit value) of any CC Toggle or CV Toggle messages assigned to footswitches <<<<< This is what I am doing
• The state (dim or lit ) of any Ext Amp messages assigned to footswitches

 

I was originally trying to add a MIDI CC Toggle to an stompbox footswitch assigned to a Helix speaker cab block so I could switch from Speaker to Flat Mode in the PowerCab, depending on whether my Helix cab block was On or Bypassed. The default state would be with the Helix cab block bypassed and the PowerCab's preset in Speaker Mode. (The PowerCab Preset is in Speaker Mode by default)

It seemed to work, but then stops working correctly - the values sent to the PowerCab were out of sync with the Helix cab block.

 

So I then created a stand-alone MIDI CC Toggle footswitch to control the PowerCab preset Mode.

I created it in Command Center with the Dim value = 1 (Speaker MODE) ; and the Lit value = 0 (Flat MODE)

(this  correspond to the Dim = bypassed and Lit = On, status of the cab block and its footswitch)

 

It worked fine in stompbox mode. Toggling the PowerCab Preset Mode correctly when I pressed the footswitch.

 I set both the MIDI CC Toggle footswitch states and the cab block footswitch states together (and DIM) for each snapshot.

I went into Helix snapshot mode and the first snapshot I pressed (remember ALL snapshots are set up for PowerCab Speaker Mode) sent the PowerCab into FLAT Mode!

I went back to Helix stompbox mode to check the footswitches. They were all in their original (DIM) states; however, when I press the MIDI CC Toggle footswitch, it does toggle the SPEAKER/FLAT modes in PowerCab, but the States are REVERSED from what is displayed in Command Center. (It is NOW Dim=0 and Lit=1)

 

I have cleared and rebuilt this scenario a half-dozen times with the same result each time.

 

This was the same problem I had when I had the Helix cab block and the MIDI CC Toggle attached to the same footswitch, so it appears it has something to do with the MIDI CC Toggle message in Command Center.

 

I had seen a note in the Helix User Manual stating that putting two blocks on the same footswitch could randomly change their relative states. (coming on/off at the same time versus going on/off opposite of each other. (e.g., switching between two amp blocks)

 

Am I doing something wrong, or asking the system to do something it can't do?

Will this be addressed/fixed/improved when Helix and PowerCab begin communicating over L6L?

 

Help!!!

 

 

[rappel353]

It appears that, at this time, the DIM Value must be lower than the LIT Value of the MIDI CC Toggle message for it to remain stable.

Until the Dim Value can be lower than the Lit value, it will take TWO footswitches to do the job of one in controlling PowerCab+.

 

If anyone can confirm this, it would be appreciated.

Thanks,