Helix LT Looper question

[Fenderflame28]

Hi all 

 

I'm faitly new to Helix and I'm trying to sort out something with my LT and the looper.

 

In this video - just after 6:30 he shows that you can put a phrase in the looper, change preset, come back to the original preset and the phrase is still saved in the looper:

 

 

 

He says that the only time you lose the phrase is when you power the unit down.

 

When I try this I lose the phrase as soon as I change preset. When I go back to my looper preset there is nothing stored and my phrase has gone.

 

Is this a limitation in the LT or does 2.8 firmware not allow this, and his earlier firmware from 2016 did?

 

Or is there some setting I'm missing?

 

Thanks 

 

[rd2rk]

Do you have the looper on both presets?

[Fenderflame28]

No. I only have one preset that I use with a looper in it.

[rd2rk]

26 minutes ago, Fenderflame said:

No. I only have one preset that I use with a looper in it.

 

In order for the Looper to persist between presets, both presets must contain an active Looper Block.

[Fenderflame28]

Ooh, that's interesting. I'll set one up to try.

 

Thanks for your help.

[jdag]

3 hours ago, rd2rk said:

 

In order for the Looper to persist between presets, both presets must contain an active Looper Block.

 

To go a step further, the looper block also needs to be of the same type and in the same path.  For example, if you use a Stereo Looper on path 1A on Patch #1 then you need a Stereo Looper on path 1A on Patch #2.

 

Because of this, when I create a new patch, I always add a Stereo Looper block at the end of each new patch.  I also always assign it to foot switch 8, just for consistency.

[Fenderflame28]

OK. Thanks for your help guys but it still doesn't work.

 

@rd2rk - what do you mean by the looper being 'active'

 

Im on Helix 2.81.0. Preset 1 has a stereo looper, so does preset 2, both as the last block in the same path. I put a phrase into the looper on preset one and then hit 'stop' on the 6 button looper and then exit the looper. Go to preset 2, play something. Come back to preset 1 and hit looper. When I hit play there is nothing there.

 

If I let my loop play on in preset 1, I can select preset 2 and it's still playing. It's only when I stop it on preset 1 and change to preset 2 that I loose it. 

 

When this works for you guys as above are you on a Helix floor on LT? I'm wondering if this is something that the full Helix can do but maybe the LT can't.

 

What I'm after is to 'record' my loop during soundcheck so I don't have to play it in front of an audience and mess it up 'live'. I'm using it for the intro of the Bryan Adams song 'Run 2 you'. Once the loop is running with the clean arpeggio I can then add the solo fill just before the singing hits. I then use the looper again in the solo to play the harmonised arpeggios before the final chorus. If I could set up the intro arpeggio before the gig but then play the first ten songs in lots of other presets, come back to my Run 2 you preset and the arpeggio would be in the looper waiting, that would be ideal.

 

Any other thoughts?

 

Thanks

[rd2rk]

You can't SAVE a loop. Once you stop the looper and change to a different loop or a preset without a Looper, the Loop is gone.

 

Active means not bypassed.

 

33 minutes ago, Fenderflame said:

Im on Helix 2.81.0. Preset 1 has a stereo looper, so does preset 2, both as the last block in the same path. I put a phrase into the looper on preset one and then hit 'stop' on the 6 button looper and then exit the looper. Go to preset 2, play something. Come back to preset 1 and hit looper. When I hit play there is nothing there.

 

If I let my loop play on in preset 1, I can select preset 2 and it's still playing. It's only when I stop it on preset 1 and change to preset 2 that I loose it. 

 

Yep, that's how it works. Record a loop. With the loop running, switch presets to overdub with a different sound. For more sophisticated functions, get a dedicated external looper.

 

33 minutes ago, Fenderflame said:

When this works for you guys as above are you on a Helix floor on LT? I'm wondering if this is something that the full Helix can do but maybe the LT can't.

 

Nope, works the same on all platforms.

[Fenderflame28]

Hi @rd2rk

 

I appreciate your help on this, but watch the video at the top of the post - at 6:20 he is playing his preset 04A with a looper. He stops the looper, loads preset 4B. Plays in 4B for a few seconds then moves back to 4A at around 7:00, turns on the looper and his loop is still there (where he says 'well waddya know').

 

How does he do this?

[rd2rk]

So, I watched the video. I thought "WOW! Learn something new every day!

Then I tried it. First on my Stomp. Not happening.

Then on my Floor. Not Happening.

In 6 switch looper. In 1 switch looper.

Not happening.

So I watched the video again, from 6:00.

Then tried it again.

NOT HAPPENING!

As far as I can tell, once you hit that STOP button, then switch to another preset with or without looper, that loop is GONE!

"GONE like a freight train, gone like yesterday, gone like a '59 Cadillac!"

 

If you figure out how he did it, do report back.

 

This has been a learning experience for me. When I got my Helix Floor 3 years ago, I tried the looper, decided it was a PITA and more trouble than it was worth.

If I want to play over a loop for anything more than a quick phrase, I do it in a DAW, where I have total control over the recording.

If I wanted to use a looper LIVE I'd buy a proper looper.

 

Come back if you figure it out.

[Nicky-T]

On 11/13/2019 at 4:36 PM, rd2rk said:

decided it was a PITA

 

Oh, boy. Is that right...

 

Is there a way to even clear it w/o changing presets or rebooting?

[rd2rk]

15 minutes ago, Nicky-T said:

 

Oh, boy. Is that right...

 

Is there a way to even clear it w/o changing presets or rebooting?

 

What do you mean by "clear it"?

To erase the entire loop and all overdubs, just press UNDO while playback is STOPPED.

To erase just the most recent OVERDUB press UNDO DURING playback.

If you've managed to get the UNDO button stuck (lit) then there's no cure but to change presets. That'll also erase the loop and any overdubs.

L6 has acknowledged the problem with being unable to retain a loop when changing presets, and say it will be fixed "in a future update".

[Nicky-T]

Quote

To erase the entire loop and all overdubs, just press UNDO while playback is STOPPED.

To erase just the most recent OVERDUB press UNDO DURING playback.

 

Thank you. That is helpful. I wish L6 had documented the details of the operations better in the User's Manual. I know other people are confused about this as well (I've been asking for help elsewhere).

 

My wish would be to use the two empty switch assignments to access well-defined functions and put multifunction  buttons in clearly defined spots (like separating Clear All and Undo). Rec/Stop - these are two separate controls on every analog piece of equipment I have used since my 1970s cassette tape recorder, why combine them when there are unassigned switches? ODUB OUT/IN makes sense, it's a binary switch.

 

Is it useful to anyone to have a Reverse function? There's a switch you can reassign to a useful function. I suppose someone must use the ½/Full Speed switch, but I can't imagine why when it offsets the loop by an octave (and there is free software that makes it easy to play back at any speed, without or with pitch changes in intervals as small as a cent). Is there a quality difference between the two modes? I can't find it documented. Why not just default to ½ speed and get the longer loop duration? There's no logical reason why one would prefer the shorter. There's another switch that could be reassigned if needed.

 

The Helix is probably the easiest interface - hardware and software - that I have seen. I was to surprised to find this as unintuitive as it seems.

 

[Nicky-T]

@rd2rk - Just wanted you to know I copied and pasted your instructions onto page 13 of the User Manual PDF.  Good on you.

[rd2rk]

17 minutes ago, Nicky-T said:

 

Thank you. That is helpful. I wish L6 had documented the details of the operations better in the User's Manual. I know other people are confused about this as well (I've been asking for help elsewhere).

 

My wish would be to use the two empty switch assignments to access well-defined functions and put multifunction  buttons in clearly defined spots (like separating Clear All and Undo). Rec/Stop - these are two separate controls on every analog piece of equipment I have used since my 1970s cassette tape recorder, why combine them when there are unassigned switches? ODUB OUT/IN makes sense, it's a binary switch.

 

Is it useful to anyone to have a Reverse function? There's a switch you can reassign to a useful function. I suppose someone must use the ½/Full Speed switch, but I can't imagine why when it offsets the loop by an octave (and there is free software that makes it easy to play back at any speed, without or with pitch changes in intervals as small as a cent). Is there a quality difference between the two modes? I can't find it documented. Why not just default to ½ speed and get the longer loop duration? There's no logical reason why one would prefer the shorter. There's another switch that could be reassigned if needed.

 

The Helix is probably the easiest interface - hardware and software - that I have seen. I was to surprised to find this as unintuitive as it seems.

 

 

I agree about the poor documentation.

 

However, once I figured it out, their logic makes sense. There's lots of people wanting to use the looper for all kinds of advanced functions, most often connected to live use.

That's not what it's for. It's just what they say it is, a tool for playing with ideas. A scratchpad. Helix is first and foremost an amp and effects modeler. It's not a pro looper. If that's what you need, then get a standalone looper. I'd rather that they put their limited engineering resources into making Helix better at it's core modeling functions than trying to turn it into a performance grade looper. 

 

FOR SURE they need to fix the problem with losing the loop when you change presets. That's a feature that they BROKE in a recent update (dunno which one).

 

You should write up all of your desires/suggestions and post them over on Ideascale (first do a search on LOOPER, your ideas are probably already there), that's where the L6 people that matter are most likely to pay attention.

 

19 minutes ago, Nicky-T said:

@rd2rk - Just wanted you to know I copied and pasted your instructions onto page 13 of the User Manual PDF.  Good on you.

 

Thanks. Figuring it out took a while. Glad it was helpful!

[Nicky-T]

12 hours ago, rd2rk said:

You should write up all of your desires/suggestions and post them over on Ideascale (first do a search on LOOPER, your ideas are probably already there), that's where the L6 people that matter are most likely to pay attention.

 

I'm going to do just that. Thanks again.