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Helix Native on PC Sticks, Barebones, mini-PCs.


lemueldave
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I just got an HX Stomp, and I want to take advantage of using the Helix Native live through using my Stomp as an audio interface. Has anybody tried the minimum specs the Helix Native can run? 

Has anyone tried using those small PC sticks, NUC PCs for DAW, vst, and live use especially Helix Native? How was the experience? Or should I just stick with a laptop, say a 2012 Macbook Pro which can be bought refurbished for $200?

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On 4/1/2019 at 8:52 AM, lemueldave said:

I just got an HX Stomp, and I want to take advantage of using the Helix Native live through using my Stomp as an audio interface. Has anybody tried the minimum specs the Helix Native can run? 

Has anyone tried using those small PC sticks, NUC PCs for DAW, vst, and live use especially Helix Native? How was the experience? Or should I just stick with a laptop, say a 2012 Macbook Pro which can be bought refurbished for $200?

 

Hi lemueldave,

 

IIRC, there have been some other folks who have had the thought - buy a cheap Intel NUC and hook it up to a Stomp. Then grab a copy of the discounted version of HX Native and there you have it - the equivalent of a Helix Floor or Rack for less cash. Yeah, well, maybe and maybe not. A long while back I saw Cubase 7.5 running on a NUC with lots of tracks, although I don’t know how many of those tracks were audio or MIDI and more importantly - plug-ins. I also thought of a couple of disadvantages in using a NUC rather than a laptop. A mini computer may appear to be more portable, but you don’t have a display, then you will probably need more cables and connectors.

 

If it was me, I would stick to a laptop, but hey, that’s just me!

 

Also, FYI here is the link to some more info and the minimum hardware specifications for running Helix Native.

 

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On 4/6/2019 at 2:18 PM, datacommando said:

 

Hi lemueldave,

 

IIRC, there have been some other folks who have had the thought - buy a cheap Intel NUC and hook it up to a Stomp. Then grab a copy of the discounted version of HX Native and there you have it - the equivalent of a Helix Floor or Rack for less cash. Yeah, well, maybe and maybe not. A long while back I saw Cubase 7.5 running on a NUC with lots of tracks, although I don’t know how many of those tracks were audio or MIDI and more importantly - plug-ins. I also thought of a couple of disadvantages in using a NUC rather than a laptop. A mini computer may appear to be more portable, but you don’t have a display, then you will probably need more cables and connectors.

 

If it was me, I would stick to a laptop, but hey, that’s just me!

 

Also, FYI here is the link to some more info and the minimum hardware specifications for running Helix Native.

 

 

 

I have actually tried the Helix Native with my HX Stomp on my desktop. Even if there's latency, I haven't noticed it since I have a powerful PC. My concern is will the latency be drastically different if I use a laptop? Well. I just have to reformat my old laptop that's on the brink of salvaging to try this one. Thank you for the response!

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1 hour ago, lemueldave said:

I have actually tried the Helix Native with my HX Stomp on my desktop. Even if there's latency, I haven't noticed it since I have a powerful PC. My concern is will the latency be drastically different if I use a laptop? Well. I just have to reformat my old laptop that's on the brink of salvaging to try this one. Thank you for the response!

 

Hi, again,

 

It’s right about now that I should say, “latency, what latency?”  Let me reassure you that there are many people using  old MBP laptops to run HXN without problems, so go for it. Plus, you have the benefit of a built in screen, none of the extra cabling and it’s possibly quieter than a NUC option.

 

If you have any more questions re: Native, this is the place to find someone who is happy to help. Let us know how you get on.

 

Happy trails.

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Hi everyone, I have success using HX Stomp with my Helix Native using my desktop. 

 

May it be recording and monitoring, it seems fine upon listening. 

 

However, I get 11 ms total reported latency in Reaper, and when I try RTL utility, I get around 20 ms I guess. 

 

People are saying 10 ms is noticeable. But I can't hear it, is something wrong with my ears? How do we develop the ability to notice latency? 

I have also tried adjusting the sample size and at maximum, I can hear the latency, but at 256 spls, it's kind of hard. 

Is this when trust your ears not the numbers comes into play?

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Different folks are more sensitive to the delay ("latency") between when they play string and hear the string through the audio system (be it hardware, software, monitoring, etc). 10 ms seems to be a common threshold for being annoyed. 10 ms is about the same delay of a speaker to your ears, so a guitarist standing 10 feet from their amp would hear about the same delay, and we learn to compensate. When playing through my audio DAW setup, I just go by ear ..... if the delay is annoying or impacts my playing on time, I do what I can to reduce the latency (usually by changing my buffer setting).

 

If its not a problem, its not a problem!

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On 4/1/2019 at 4:52 AM, lemueldave said:

I just got an HX Stomp, and I want to take advantage of using the Helix Native live through using my Stomp as an audio interface. Has anybody tried the minimum specs the Helix Native can run? 

Has anyone tried using those small PC sticks, NUC PCs for DAW, vst, and live use especially Helix Native? How was the experience? Or should I just stick with a laptop, say a 2012 Macbook Pro which can be bought refurbished for $200?

 

Here is mine. Mini PC Lenovo i5 2.9 Ghz 8 Gb ram (7" x 7" dimensions), Cantabile vst host loading Native, Icon Gboard midi controller, iRig pro audio interface and a cheap 7" Android tablet for touch monitor only. Everything connected and mounted on a  12" x 12.5" pedalboard... Works great...

 

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On 6/5/2019 at 4:09 AM, malgani said:

 

Here is mine. Mini PC Lenovo i5 2.9 Ghz 8 Gb ram (7" x 7" dimensions), Cantabile vst host loading Native, Icon Gboard midi controller, iRig pro audio interface and a cheap 7" Android tablet for touch monitor only. Everything connected and mounted on a  12" x 12.5" pedalboard... Works great...

 

 

 

Well, I have seen all sorts of hot rod, chopped, hacked and circuit bent pieces of equipment but this takes the cake! 

 

A complete DIY Helix Floor unit - where there’s a will, there is a way!

 

Outstanding!

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On 6/5/2019 at 2:10 AM, soundog said:

That's sick! And I mean that in a good way....

 

2 hours ago, datacommando said:

 

 

Well, I have seen all sorts of hot rod, chopped, hacked and circuit bent pieces of equipment but this takes the cake! 

 

A complete DIY Helix Floor unit - where there’s a will, there is a way!

 

Outstanding!

Thank, i really appreciate your comments!!! 

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