Syncing Helix Floor with Helix Native in FL Studio

[BobbyHurman]

Hello,

 

I'm new here. I was hoping to get some help with my Helix Native install and Helix Floor pedal. I just discovered HX Edit this afternoon and very much enjoyed how both the pedal and the software are synced. I was surprised and disappointed to find that this same configuration didn't port over to Helix Native on launch. I came from a Guitar Rig setup where the pedal could navigate and interact with the plugin. I didn't put much effort into that pedal, so I was kind of expecting the same results. 

 

Can anyone tell me how make Helix Native sync up like HX Edit does in FL Studio with my Helix Floor pedal?

 

Thank you kindly for your help!

[zolko60]

Hx native is software solution not meant to compete with DSP based products. This is why two way communication with MIDI world is not supported by the Hx plugin.
Guitar Rig is software solution meant to compete with DSP based products.  This is why two way communication with MIDI world is supported by the software and dedicated hardware controller is present.

Fair enough?

[BobbyHurman]

20 minutes ago, zolko60 said:

Fair enough?

Hey Zolko60, thanks for taking the time to reply, but to answer your last question: no, I can't say that it is fair.

 

Most of what I'm about to say next is purely my opinion, but a common sense approach to the application of similar products on the market already. It doesn't make much sense to me to have an application like HX Edit that can interact with the hardware real-time in both directions but not in the plugin that mirrors that same applications interface. 

 

Guitar Rig operates very much like the Helix LT markets itself: an audio digital signal processor (which I've seen it successfully used as) and a stand alone performing product. It just falls short (at least as of my current understanding) at interacting with Helix Native.

 

Why have two applications that look almost identical, HX Edit and Helix Native, and not provide them with the same level of interactivity? 

 

I'm sure you can see where I'm coming from at this angle, right?

[soundog]

I don't think Guitar Rig has a nearly identical (and much more expensive) hardware product that they are also selling, right? ;-)

[BobbyHurman]

Not anymore. They had the Guitar Rig Kontrol and it worked well with the Guitar Rig Player. I migrated from it to the Helix thinking that Line 6 had improved upon what Native Instruments started in all aspects. But, as I mentioned in my first post, I'm seeing a few areas that aren't currently meeting my needs at this time... 

[zolko60]

Native Instruments is great company. Some of their synths will never have any hardware DSP based counterparts or versions. They are focused to use native CPU power what is much powerful and future oriented. To make DSP versions they would probably have limit their potential. It is their way. Line 6 is focused on the hardware DSP devices that can work autonomically. Full controlled Hx Native would be dangerous to their flagship products. Think about that - if you can use 10 instances of HxN on laptop with less than 10ms RTL interface so only reason to buy RA/FL/LT/ST is their controll ability and autonomy.

[BobbyHurman]

Ok, with that said, can HX Edit be loaded into a DAW? I was looking for a VST file and have been unable to locate one. That should help with some of my issues currently.

[soundog]

I doubt there is any way to run HX Edit within a DAW .... its a standalone application. HX Edit is best used to edit presets for the hardware units. Helix Native duplicates most (if not all) of the editing functionality within the DAW plug-in.

 

As far as MIDI control goes for Native, you're pretty much limited to the confines of what is covered in the Native manual, as well as the functionality of your DAW. All that said, Native shines as an amp/effects modeling plug-in, but may fall a bit short if you want to use it as a virtual guitar amp for real-time live performance use.

[BobbyHurman]

Alright, I understand. I'm still surprised about this considering how much each of these things cost... That type of functionality should have been at least second in the priority list given the path digital music production has been following these last few decades.

 

In any case, I've come up with a band-aid for now. Since I can't get HX Edit with all of it's interactivity with my Helix Floor into FL Studio as a plugin, I came across a script that keeps the HX Edit application on top of all of my other Windows (including FL Studio). It's called "always-on-top".  It's an AutoHotKey script that runs in the background in the notification area taskbar. You just click on the application that you want in focus, and then press the Ctrl + Space keys together to activate the 'stay on top of all other windows' feature.

 

I wanted to run only one USB cable to my computer, but given how Helix Native works currently, I ended up moving my guitar's 1/4" TS cable from the front input of my Focusrite 18i8 to the Guitar In of the Helix Floor. Then I used the XLR Outs on the Helix Floor and routed them back to the 1st and 2nd front-side inputs on the Focusrite 18i8. Both input ports on the Focusrite are set to "instrument" via Focusrite Control and are at 50% volume via the physical knobs above. I plan on controlling any additional volume needs via the large volume knob on the Helix Floor or FL Studio.

 

The only other change I've made at this point in FL Studio is enabling the Line 6 Helix MIDI Output "Send master sync" and setting the Port number to 1 (or whatever you set your device to use in the Helix Floor).

 

Hopefully this helps someone else. 

 

I sincerely hope that Line 6 implements a DAW capable version of HX Edit... Is there a product improvement suggestion portal that anyone is aware of? In researching this more, I saw a few other users with the same concerns.

[soundog]

IdeaScale for Helix is the place these sorts of ideas get propagated, and considered by Line 6. There may already be the same suggestion for Helix Native, in which case you can "vote it up."

[rsvette12]

"always-on-top"

 

I just use two monitors problem solved that said I here yah on the daw functionality with floor unit - maybe they will add it down the road - would be convenient 

[BobbyHurman]

13 hours ago, soundog said:

IdeaScale for Helix is the place these sorts of ideas get propagated, and considered by Line 6. There may already be the same suggestion for Helix Native, in which case you can "vote it up."

Thanks for sharing this. I've gone ahead and created an account here at https://line6.ideascale.com/a/ideas/top. Just waiting for moderator approval. I also found the forum thread https://line6.com/support/topic/14497-helix-ideascale-community-submissions/. I'll search through it to see if I can vote it up like you suggested.

 

12 hours ago, rsvette12 said:

"always-on-top"

 

I just use two monitors problem solved...

 

Yea, I agree that would definitely help with that. Like anything else though, it's always good to have options--especially cheap/free ones.

 

12 hours ago, rsvette12 said:

I here yah on the daw functionality with floor unit - maybe they will add it down the road - would be convenient

 

I really hope so. In the mean time, I'm going to see what I can do and post it here if I figure it out.

[BobbyHurman]

So I found an Ideascale campaign for this suggestion by Eric R. Fischer here. It was two years ago that he made the suggestion, but only a handful of folks showed interest by voting it up. Currently, the status shows "in review." I'm hoping that at least in this thread more people will support it. Not to mention the guy articulated pretty well some decent reasons why this should be a thing.