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Noise with HX effects


JaH337
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So I just received my 2nd HX effects.  The first I sent back because of noise issues.  My hope, in this unit vs pedals, was to eliminate background hum.. not so much it ended up being louder than my old pedals.  I tried so many combinations to reduce noise floor- different guitars, using amp vs just line in on mixer, different global settings, factory reinstall, update.

  My base test is when hx is on but all effects off vs putting it in true bypass.  Noticeable increase in background noise when not in bypass.  Differnt degrees of noise if effects engaged.  Hook it up to computer via USB it gets worse.  Unplugged computer to just run on batteries.. still there.  Tried many things then saw others having this issue so I returned it and got another.  Same deal with the replacement.  Serial numbers close on both units I've tried.  ill try one more exchange. Must be a batch of lemons.  Watch out with buying this as an open boxed item.  I think they're just sending them out and hoping younger players won't be critical. 

The HX should be quieter that my old pedals.

Others having this issue feel free to chim in.

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Have you opened up a support ticket with Line 6? I would suggest doing that before doing another exchange with the retailer. I fear because of the nature of this particular issue that when retailers get returns for this reason they simply put them back in their stock rather than send them back to Line 6.

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I went with the return to avoid a potentially long process of working  this out.  For $599 I don't feel like adding any more hours to diagnosing and fixing.  Already spent too much time.  Maybe if I had a working  product to begin with that had problems later.

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Over on TGP, the people who contacted Line 6 and sent their units back to Line 6 generally had them back within 10 days, maybe sooner depending on their location.

 

Line 6 can only help people with problems if they know about them.

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These bad units will remain in the pool, recirculate, and continue to cause pain for unsuspecting buyers (and bad reviews for the product) unless the serial numbers of the lemons are provided. Maybe that's not gonna happen, but I think its a true statement.

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  • 1 month later...

So this isn't "just me"...I've had my unit since Feburary 2018.  My original pedal board with stomp boxes was super quiet and was changing to this box because I really like the flexibility of it.  However, about a month ago it started to create buzzing like a bad cable or bad ground.  I have replaced cables, check my tubes, tried different guitars, went direct (vs 4 cable method) and recently added noise gates to most of my "go to patches" (which only stops the noise when I'm not playing.  Has anyone actually received a replacement and the noise problem was "no longer"?  Thanks.

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18 minutes ago, antcinq said:

So this isn't "just me"...I've had my unit since Feburary 2018.  My original pedal board with stomp boxes was super quiet and was changing to this box because I really like the flexibility of it.  However, about a month ago it started to create buzzing like a bad cable or bad ground.  I have replaced cables, check my tubes, tried different guitars, went direct (vs 4 cable method) and recently added noise gates to most of my "go to patches" (which only stops the noise when I'm not playing.  Has anyone actually received a replacement and the noise problem was "no longer"?  Thanks.

 

That sounds like something else... The noise from the faulty units is a hiss, more like a white noise. It sounds like you're describing 60-cycle hum which is symptomatic of some other issue.

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I bought a HX Effects to replace my boards , on paper it looked perfect, liked the scribble strips, like the delays (Reverbs not so much tbh) .

As soon as I set it up I thought I must have a bad cable or something is set wrong because of the added hiss and hum.

updated Firmware (that was another issue I had with it while not the HX Effects daily but the windows programme kept saying error when trying to update the HX Effects)

Finally figures out it was a mix of the cable supplied being dodgy and I needed to restart the computer after adding a driver that was time I’ll never get back .

 

I hoped that would sort it but tried the 4 cable method again with my Fender Blues Deluxe 40w Reissue ,and set up a preset with the effects loop  block and the added sound was stupid . Only way I could calm it down was to go into the effects loop send and return and turn the volumes down but then lost the effects ... If this was fixed I’d try it again but I really don’t want the hassle.

 

Also the thing eatspower and was causing hums in my other gear if connected to same socket and I can’t be doing with turning up to a gig, running an extension to my gear and dealing with problems like that

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3 hours ago, Riki1 said:

I bought a HX Effects to replace my boards , on paper it looked perfect, liked the scribble strips, like the delays (Reverbs not so much tbh) .

As soon as I set it up I thought I must have a bad cable or something is set wrong because of the added hiss and hum.

updated Firmware (that was another issue I had with it while not the HX Effects daily but the windows programme kept saying error when trying to update the HX Effects)

Finally figures out it was a mix of the cable supplied being dodgy and I needed to restart the computer after adding a driver that was time I’ll never get back .

 

I hoped that would sort it but tried the 4 cable method again with my Fender Blues Deluxe 40w Reissue ,and set up a preset with the effects loop  block and the added sound was stupid . Only way I could calm it down was to go into the effects loop send and return and turn the volumes down but then lost the effects ... If this was fixed I’d try it again but I really don’t want the hassle.

 

Also the thing eatspower and was causing hums in my other gear if connected to same socket and I can’t be doing with turning up to a gig, running an extension to my gear and dealing with problems like that

 

Eats power? I mean, it's high current compared to other stompboxes, yes, but it's still just over 1A at 9V, so you're talking maybe 20W... As long as everything is hooked up correctly, noise shouldn't necessarily be an issue. The thing is, though, that noise is always possible in some setups inherently. The 4CM is always potentially tricky because anytime you have multiple connections between the same two pieces of equipment, you will most likely have ground loops to deal with. This isn't Line 6's fault - it's just basic electrical engineering.

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  • 2 weeks later...

UPDATE ~ Thanks for the responses.  Greatly appreciated.  I wanted to let you all know after weeks of checking cables, tubes, etc I found my culprit.  It WAS NOT the line 6 HX Effects.  Instead it was the line 6 G50 Relay!  The direct out jack had a short (maybe 5 years of trustworthy service on it...).  I acquired the Shure GLDX16 device, re-wired my entire board with brand new cables (instead of the piece meal I was doing trying to at gigs) and I'm back to the "quiet zone".

 

So all hail the HX Effects...still digging it.IMG_5610.JPG.419f5b50689a4316b3818ac5c5eb59c3.JPG

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  • 6 months later...

I am having the same issues where I get a loud hum through the amp when I kick on the distortion channels, even with no effects selected.  I prefer the distortion through my amp (Egnater Tourmaster 4100) and picked up the HX effect so I can program which button do what (my Boss ME80 assigns buttons to effects).  I opened a ticket with Line 6 and this was the initial response:

 

Typically, you want to use the cleanest amp setting if you are running any distortion, overdrive, or high gain sounds into the front of the amp. If you wish to use your amp's distortion channel, you will need to be careful if using preamps or other high gain effects on the HX and running them directly into your amp input.

When using the HX Effects, you might also consider running into your amp's effects loop or power amp in, depending on what it has and also your playing situation.

 

When I go through the effects loop on my amp, I get a much louder squeal unless I kill all of the levels, so that idea is out.  I am not running anything else through the amp, so that can't be the culprit.  I also unplugged from the unit and plugged straight through to the amp and the hum was gone.  No issues going through the Boss pedal either.   It just does not seem to like going through a high-gain distortion channel.  I trued using the Line 6 updater and plugging the unit into my computer and the updater does not recognize the unit.  The HX Edit does, though.  I am strongly considering returning the unit and going back to the Boss pedal unless they have some advice that will fix this.  for $600, it should not hum. 

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  • 1 month later...

Just came to this thread after a frustrating session with the HX Effects unit this evening. I've been using an M13 for years and years and looked forward to an upgraded multieffects pedal. Generally, though the different architecture takes some getting used to, I think this is an improved unit, notably in the distortion dept., and I'm also happy things like Particle Verb and Synth-O-Matic (which sounds considerably improved for the journey) were carried over. The pitch shifting remains tinny and unconvincing, but that can actually sound cool if you have an interesting texture behind it.

 

But the problem for me is a very subtle static-y kind of sound I'm just noticing when I play quietly, definitely not a ground loop. At a very low volume but undeniably, the unit makes a random electric crackle kind of noise. I've tried different outlets and never had a problem with my old unit or any other in my rehearsal space I can't imagine recording with this unit as is. I think I will send it back and see what Line 6 has to say. Completely agree with what JaH337 says in the initial post to this thread:
 

On 9/13/2018 at 4:11 PM, JaH337 said:

The HX should be quieter that my old pedals.

 

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  • 2 months later...
37 minutes ago, domonz said:

I have same situation, if Amp chanel switch(mono instrument cabe, clean or gain chanel) connected, chanel switching is work, but very loud noise.

Have any idea, what is the solution?

Unfortunately, I had to return the unit as it does not seem to be made for use unless you are on a clean channel and as I use the distortion through my amp I had no choice.  The Line 6 folks were quick to respond to my concerns but they did not have a solution.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 1 year later...
On 1/15/2020 at 4:15 AM, nickzero said:

hi there!

any update for the units(helix hx effects) for the weird noise?because i want to buy it???????anyone?

 

Sounds like I'm having the same issue as many other with early production run units.

 

I just purchased a HX Effects to run with my brand new Victory Super Kraken vx100. 4 Cable method, using a wiring loom with high quality cables from BTPA.com to connect everything. Channel switching via mid. I'm using only the amps channel gains for distortion.

First issue: To get any gain setting sounds out of amp, each snapshot in the HX FX has to have an FX loop in the the signal path. Even if I'm using no effects from the HX FX. I only get a clean tone even when the amp channels are visibly changing via midi. Add an FX block to signal flow and I get the channels gain stage.

 

Second issue: Horrendous hiss and crackle when in high gain channel on the Kraken.

 

I'm waiting for some parts but I'll be wiring up a input buffer interface created by the Rig Doctor, so I'm hoping this will help with this noise crackle/hiss.

 

I also wired an entire new circuit in my house to a single, double gang outlet, just to see if it's a ground issue in my house. Didn't help. Extremely frustrating. Just when I thought this would be the best of both worlds. Killer amp and effects in a small package for gigging.

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Good Lord! No one should have to wire a new circuit for a new generation of FX pedals.

 

No service ticket or other attempts to fix mine have worked — I've just been using a volume pedal on the tail to silence the unit when I'm not playing it. It's a shame Line 6 brought out a noisy unit that requires such extreme measures to fix.

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  • 2 years later...

I know I'm coming into this thread very later; however, I was recently troubleshooting a buzz/background noise on my Helix, and I actually ended up solving mine by disconnecting the USB cable that I was using for configurations from the PC.

 

I know this will not apply to all examples listed above, but in case you're getting buzz and have a USB cable connected, see if disconnecting it helps.

 

Rock on everyone,

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