Importing, Editing and saving presets in Helix Native and importing into Helix edit

[gerryCol]

Hey all . I am constantly running into walls with helix native in Pro Tools 12 . and believe me it has nothing to do with Pro Tools 12 so let's send that right there.

 I can't even add up the hours I've wasted trying to tweak sounds for my cover gig.

Basically I edited and tweaked all my acoustic sounds to begin with on HX edit and monitored through my board playing through  my HX stomp . For the most part the sounds I wanted I got them pretty close. So I  payed for HX native to tweak my sounds along with my backing tracks in Pro Tools to finish off. First of all when I import my preset from my HX stomp from my Helix Edit the sound is right on, no changes. But when I import the same exact sound and the same exact IR into Helix native. It's not even close to what I have been listening to.

 

This is my process so far.

 

1. I Record enable pro tools (Yes at the same level) and record

2. Bring up the Helix Native plug in.

3. Import my preset from Helix edit on my computer. (Yes and the IR preset that goes with it)

4. I Listen for 5 seconds... and want to jump out the window . it sounds nothing like the sound coming out of the HX Stomp.

Then  after I spend a half hour tweaking the sound in Pro Tools through the Helix native plugin I can't figure out how to save it. I rename it exported and then I see it exports with the old name and when I reimport it, the preset comes back with the old name and the old settings.!!!! Why doesn't Helix native have a simple "SAVE" function like Helix edit and every other program on the planet. I can save the factory settings for Pro Tools to save as a plug in setting but that does me no good because I want to export the preset and import into my HX stomp. I've read the manual. page 16 and 22. I have wasted so many hours and lost so much work I don't even know what to do about it. I'm forced to back up my HX stomp on 3 different drives now because I don't trust losing anything because of  Helix native. Initially I overwrote things on my HX stop never thinking that I would run into this type of a problem. luckily I have many back up on my hard drives.  I've actually resorted to using my looper on the HX stomp to tweak my sounds in hx edit because I can't even use

Hx native. I,m going to be doing a lot more than acoustic on my gig and need to get this sorted out.

 

I already know how to export presets and IR's from HX Edit into HX Native.

 

Before I go any further  I want to know will this be a 100% mirror or accurate match to what I have been listening to on my HX Stomp (Which is totally in sync with HX Edit).

Before I waste anymore of my time period.

 

 

This is what I need to do. 

1. I need to make sure I the preset I am importing is 100% accurate with the file in HX EDit.

2. I need to tweak my preset with my mix and level it so I don't have to ride faders all night.

3. When I make an improvement on a preset I want to simply "Save"my work as I go along and continue. Do I have to keep renaming and exporting first to save. If so forget it.

3. I need to "SAVE" what I have done BEFORE I export it. under a new name ( HOW DO I SIMPLY SAVE UNDER A NEW NAME and export it to my computer)

3 How do I simply "save" my new IR under a new name. and export it to my computer.

 

Please let me know if you see something I am missing because I really would like to make this work and can't waste any more time.

 

Thnks

GerryCol

[datacommando]

1 hour ago, gerryCol said:

Hey all . I am constantly running into walls with helix native in Pro Tools 12 . and believe me it has nothing to do with Pro Tools 12 so let's end that right there.

Nope! That’s exactly where you need to start.

 

You say that initially you create and adjust your tone with HX Edit whilst “monitoring” through your “board and HX Stomp“. You fail to mention what this “monitoring” is? If it is not the exact same system that you listen to your ProTools “playback” with then there is bound to be “anomalies” with the sound. How are you “capturing” your digital in and what are you listening to for the output.

 

Suffice to say that whatever preset you created In your Stomp, using HX Edit as librarian, then that preset when loaded into HX Native should be “identical”. If you are hearing something totally different then I would suspect something else in your signal chain. The preset is simply a string of ones and zeros - digital data! It defies logic for it not to be the same.

 

As for saving a file, should you need to modify a preset, you could simply use “drag and drop” to save the file where you want. Other than that there is information in Helix Native Pilot’s Guide information on page 16, but “Using the Preset File Menu” on page 21 explains further the options of “Save to Disk” or “Save to Library”.

I should refer you to this thread, but I guess you may have already looked there, because you seem to have left a comment for the OP who started the thread over a year ago.

 

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

 

[gerryCol]

Thanks for getting back. OK I plug my a HX stomp into the same digital mixer I use for live gigs . Pro Tools comes out of through a preset stereo channel with the level set to 12 o'clock.  so after getting my sounds with the HX stomp, I plug my guitar into my Pro Tools interface and record the exact same progression just 4 bars. So I can level it and make my final tweaks in hx native. This way I'm hearing my acoustic only through my speakers with Pro Tools. And while I was tweaking my sounds through the HX stump I was wearing my AKG 701 headphones as well so is not to be fooled by the actual guitar sound on my lap . After recording I play it Back and the sound is not the same. So after recording I need to tweak it again. I could live with that but here are the problems that I'm having.

 

I am trying to come to terms or understand the saving parameters of HX native and this saving parameters of HX Edit.

 

As I tweaked my sounds listening to the playback in Pro Tools and get my levels. I want to save what I have done as I proceed. I have a backup just in case. When I go to :save to disk" option and I import it into HX edit. The problem I am running into is this. If I "save to disk" in my HX Native Plug-in and import the same file name into HX Edit the name reverts back to the original. 

 

I'm not sure which is the best way to save a preset I have been working on, even though I rename it and I see that it's been named properly in my folder when I import it it reverts to the last name again. I see there are various ways to save  in both hx edit and hx native. I'm not sure which is the best way. When I rename something in HX native, then I save to disk as the new name and when I imported into HX edit the old name came up again and again and it's not long until I am confused as to what preset I am looking for. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong but there must be one right way to do it. Any advice

 

 

Thanks

GerryCol

[gerryCol]

Is there a way to import your presets into HX Native the same order they are in on your HX stomp and HX Edit.  When I imported them again into my HX native it was in all alphabetical order which is a real drag because now my impulse responses are all off. Can you import both your impulse responses and your presets into HX native the way there supposed to be or do I have to go through this again. Line 6 you really come out with the way when you import a preset the impulse response comes with it exactly where it supposed to go because it's just too much work. I probably spend an hour a day playing and 5 hours a day working on presets.

[gerryCol]

It won't let me just drag from one program into the next I wanna try to do it 4 presets at a time they don't go to the same numbers

[datacommando]

11 hours ago, gerryCol said:

It won't let me just drag from one program into the next I wanna try to do it 4 presets at a time they don't go to the same numbers

Hi again, Gerry,

 

Well, lots of stuff here (and could do with lots more info), so let’s start on the drag and drop thing. Always going for the simple answer, if you can’t do 4 presets at a time, then just do one at a time. Easy!
 

As for importing in the same order, then I would suggest that you need to import the presets in “setlists”. When you have what you require in your HX Stomp, then HX Edit will be able to export that information as ”setlists”.

 

Edit: This is from Page 12 of the Helix Native Pilot’s Guide - Preset Compatibly with Helix Devices

NOTE: Presets and setlists exported from Line 6 HX type (HX Stomp or HX Effects) devices are not compatible with the Helix Native plug-in or Helix devices. Likewise, presets and setlists exported from Helix Native or Helix devices are not able to be imported into HX type devices. However, it is possible to Copy and Paste or drag and drop individual blocks, along with their current settings, between HX Edit with an HX device and Helix Native. See the following “Block Copy and Paste” section

 

Remember your  HX Edit is simply a software librarian app that can remotely change things on the hardware unit. It does not make any sound.  HX Stomp has the software “brain” and hardware to make the sounds. On the other hand, Native is the software “brain” of a real Helix that uses your computer hardware to make the sound. The fact is - the sound from your Stomp and the sound from Native are identical. Everything else in you signal chain is a variable.
 

You have your guitar into the Stomp (with a preset you like) into a 1/2 mixer channel(s) and out to -> what?

Your playback from ProTools goes out to a stereo channel of the desk then out to -> what?

While setting up you are using your AKG 701 headphones? Not advisable, “cans” are great for late night listening, but not great for fine tuning and levelling your signal.

 

You really expect to be able to balance your sound like this?

 

If you disconnect the ProTools feed and patch your acoustic guitar output from your HX Stomp to that stereo out  - does that now sound just the same as the other channel(sj?

 

If you record your DI signal (dry acoustic) into ProTools and then don’t load Native, but simply play that DI audio back through the patch on HX Stomp, does that sound the same or different?

We really need to narrow down the variables to figure this out.

 

Suggest that you have a look at Page 9 of the Stomp Owner’s Manual which show an example of HX Stomp in the Studio Setup. That gets your audio in and out of your DAW and plays back via HX Stomp - same sound.

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by datacommando
Drag and drop + Setlist info correction!