Persisting Sound while switching presets

[williamjaywhalen]

Is there any setting that you can turn on that allows the sound to persist and not completely cut out when switching from preset to preset?

[rd2rk]

It's called "Snapshots". When you change Presets, the stuff that's making the sound is unloaded from memory before the stuff that makes the new sound is loaded into memory.

Snapshots change just the settings, so nothing is unloaded from memory, thus no interruption in the audio signal.

Just one of those unfortunate facts of life. I read somewhere that the GT1000 (or was it Headrush?) doesn't do that. I'll stick with Helix, thanks!

[williamjaywhalen]

I'm using snapshots, but there's times when I need to switch over to another preset for a different song because I've setup separate configurations in Snapshots specifically for that song.  It's super inconvenient when switching that it doesn't persist the sound during the switch.  I owned several Strymon pedals that while switching from one preset to another...the previous preset would continue to ring through so that it wouldn't interrupt the flow of the song or transitions to new songs.

[silverhead]

I'm missing something here.  Why is the brief silence an issue when you only need to switch presets between songs? Don't you have some moments of silence between songs? If you're clearly switching songs will the audience  know/care?

[DunedinDragon]

5 hours ago, williamjaywhalen said:

I'm using snapshots, but there's times when I need to switch over to another preset for a different song because I've setup separate configurations in Snapshots specifically for that song.  It's super inconvenient when switching that it doesn't persist the sound during the switch.  I owned several Strymon pedals that while switching from one preset to another...the previous preset would continue to ring through so that it wouldn't interrupt the flow of the song or transitions to new songs.

 

Here's the difference.  Your Strymon pedal wasn't unloading a complete set of processing blocks containing amps, cabinets, pedals, etc. and loading a new one.  It was switching a few circuits.  That's like saying you don't understand why it takes so long to get going in your car because you had a bicycle once and you could just jump on it and go.

I have over 200 presets as I have a preset per song and not once has anyone complained about the 1 or 2 second pause between songs from me switching presets between songs.  After all I'm only hitting one button.

[DBCrocky]

The answer is No.  Snapshots were added on later when Line6 underestimated the issue, and they are an interesting fix, but not the real one.  While it can be a fun challenge to make presets that do what you want with snapshots, the dream of making 10 or so killer presets, then putting combinations of those with the occasional one-offs on various floorboard setups for songs or styles is dead on the Helix.  Be thankful you didn't buy a Firehawk FX!

[DunedinDragon]

3 hours ago, DBCrocky said:

The answer is No.  Snapshots were added on later when Line6 underestimated the issue, and they are an interesting fix, but not the real one.  While it can be a fun challenge to make presets that do what you want with snapshots, the dream of making 10 or so killer presets, then putting combinations of those with the occasional one-offs on various floorboard setups for songs or styles is dead on the Helix.  Be thankful you didn't buy a Firehawk FX!

 

Not exactly true.  As I understand it snapshots were always in the original design for the Helix, but they ran out of time for getting them operational before the first release of the Helix.  That's why they were first on the list of items in the next major release of the firmware.  There's no particular trick to getting minimal pause between different presets as long as your willing to live with a lower resolution of detail in the modeling.  The HD500X has only a slight pause between presets, but much lower accuracy in the modeling.  The same goes for the Spider amps that almost no delay.