looking for some help with reverb switching

[nateweeks83]

Hey Guys,

I've owned my helix about a year and a half and am starting to dig deeper with its functions.

I can't for the life of me figure out how to add a "more reverb" switch...say for example I want reverb on all the time, only on one footswitch

how can I make it so that the footswitch is essentially off but the reverb remains on, and when I push it, it bumps up the verb?

 

I have some Glen Delaune patches where he has these and I've tried to reverse engineer them but no luck.

 

If you could point me in the right direction I'd greatly appreciate it!

 

Nate

[Kilrahi]

26 minutes ago, nateweeks83 said:

Hey Guys,

I've owned my helix about a year and a half and am starting to dig deeper with its functions.

I can't for the life of me figure out how to add a "more reverb" switch...say for example I want reverb on all the time, only on one footswitch

how can I make it so that the footswitch is essentially off but the reverb remains on, and when I push it, it bumps up the verb?

 

I have some Glen Delaune patches where he has these and I've tried to reverse engineer them but no luck.

 

If you could point me in the right direction I'd greatly appreciate it!

 

Nate

 

Wait . . . what?

 

I don't know of anyway to do what it sounds like you're asking. Just to give an example of what I THINK you're saying, you add the legacy plate reverb to your signal chain and connect it to FS4, but leave FS4 Off with the reverb STILL on - and then when you stomp on FS4 it ups the reverb more than already exists.

 

That . . . sounds impossible.

 

However, I do know of plenty of ways to essentially do what you want to do. So for example, you create your signal chain and it includes the plate reverb. You turn it on in your signal chain. Then you connect FS4 to a specific aspect of the plate reverb (i.e. decay, pre delay, tone, mix) and when you stomp on the switch it ups the amount of that particular setting to an established amount (so for example, when the switch is off mix is at 14%, when you stomp the switch it jumps to 75%).  The key distinction here is that the FS4 switch never turns off the reverb, it just changes parameters on the reverb.

 

You can also do that with either the attached expression pedal or to an additional expression pedals. So you choose the range the pedal covers (default is 0 - 100% - I usually go narrower) and it moves with the pedal. Coincidentally, outside of snapshots this is my favorite way to do it.

 

The final way I know of is snapshots. With snapshots (which the Helix can have a crap full of - 8 I believe) each snapshot can have a different readout on the same block, so you can have one snapshot have a mix of 14%, another can up both the mix and the tone, another can increase delays but drop tone . . . etc. Honestly this is the most powerful way, in my opinion.

 

Does any of the above sound like what you want to do?

 

If someone else knows a third way chime in, 'cause I'd like to know about it too.

[duncann]

One way would be to simply assign the mix parameter of the reverb to a switch, specifying the min and max values. The switch can be momentary or latching, the LED red, and the scribble strip can even be labeled "more reverb".

 

With the reverb block selected, hit the menu button on the device and then controller assign. From there it should be apparent. To customize the color and scribble strip bring up the command center.

I find it easier to do on HX edit: right-click on the parameter you want to assign to a switch, then go to the bypass/controller assign tab.

 

[nateweeks83]

Kilrahi, 

thats exactly what I want to do, have the mix parameters higher and lower, so a slight reverb will be on all the time but when I hit the fs it will bump it up. But- keeping it all on one switch

 

I just cant figure out how to NOT let the fs turn it off and on. I want reverb and more reverb

 

thanks! 

 

[Kilrahi]

20 minutes ago, nateweeks83 said:

Kilrahi, 

thats exactly what I want to do, have the mix parameters higher and lower, so a slight reverb will be on all the time but when I hit the fs it will bump it up. 

 

I just cant figure out how to NOT let the fs turn it off and on. I want reverb and more reverb

 

thanks! 

 

 

Cool. Duncann largely explains it above, but just to get more detailed, I believe the default option is for a block to be on as soon as you insert it. Nevertheless, you can tell if they're on or not because they're brighter than bypassed blocks.

 

1. Select the reverb you want and place it in the signal chain. With that block still selected, press the "bypass" button which toggles it off and on. Once you're certain the block is on move to step 2.

 

2. Press the menu button (the button at the top left of the Helix, to the right of the save button - it has three parallel lines).

 

3. Press knob #2 (the row of six knobs under the LCD screen). (This opens the controller assign screen).

 

4. Use the joystick to select the reverb block (or ANY block that you want to assign a parameter to a specific controller).

 

5. Turn knob 1 to select the parameter you wish to control (i.e. decay or  mix would be choices).

 

6. Turn knob 2 to select the desired controller (everything from expression pedals, to footswitches, and even snapshots).

 

7. Turn knobs 4 and 5 to set the max and minimum values that you want the footswitch to toggle between.

 

At this point you're pretty much done, you just have to exit out which automatically saved.  I think many buttons take you out of there safely. It's kind of instinctual to me but I think I just tap another footswitch.

 

 

[nateweeks83]

YES! 

This is what I wanted to do!

Thank you very much for your perfectly detailed 

Response!

I appreciate you guys!

 

Nate

[caledoneus]

set up 2 blocks with the same verb (but the different settings) then assign them both to the same switch with one on, and the other off.  Then when you hit that switch it will toggle between the two

 

[Kilrahi]

51 minutes ago, caledoneus said:

set up 2 blocks with the same verb (but the different settings) then assign them both to the same switch with one on, and the other off.  Then when you hit that switch it will toggle between the two

 

 

That's just one of many things I love about the Helix. There are many ways to get to the same solution, and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. This one uses an extra block, but especially when you're just starting out it's easier to visualize.

[caledoneus]

2 hours ago, Kilrahi said:

 

That's just one of many things I love about the Helix. There are many ways to get to the same solution, and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. This one uses an extra block, but especially when you're just starting out it's easier to visualize.

 

true enough.  :)  I've only got the HX effects, and do this set up pretty often to toggle between different drives or delays (ect).  But realized you could use two of the same block to toggle different levels of an effect.  Setting the parameter to snapshot and changing snapshots would use less blocks, but might be harder to switch quickly unless you have practice tap-dancing a pedalboard. :)