Actual Helix 3.0 news (kind of)

[codamedia]

6 minutes ago, brue58ski said:

I can't think of anything else that would only apply to those 3 products.

 

Dual processors... 

 

[TheBoyWithDog]

3 minutes ago, codamedia said:

 

Dual processors

Helix native uses as many processor as are available though right?

 

Floor, Lt and rack are geared more toward performance maybe?

[codamedia]

1 hour ago, TheBoyWithDog said:

Helix native uses as many processor as are available though right?

 

Correct, but there is a difference! On the hardware each processor is dedicated to a single path. In Native, the processor allocation is distributed as required. 

 

As I said earlier in the thread, I think the dark horse feature is better DSP allocation. The advantage would be no more balancing act between path A and path B, and no more wasted DSP power. If path B isn't using it, path A can access it and vice versa. 

 

EDIT TO ADD: I just saw on the FB Group that this theory has been completely discredited by someone with authority. Never mind :) 

I guess it's time to jump on the Variax (VDI port) bandwagon. 

[datacommando]

54 minutes ago, TheBoyWithDog said:

Helix native uses as many processor as are available though right?

Regarding Helix Native and processor usage Digital Igloo said on the FB Helix group.

 

“Produced a new track this past weekend. At least two dozen instances of Helix Native.”

In another comment on FarceBuck regarding HXN and the “dark horse”, someone said that it appeared “Helix Native had been thrown under the bus”. In reply, Eric stated - that was not so, plus he was a daily user of HXN.

I guess Native, using your computers processing power, just doesn’t need this “feature”.

 

O.K. From reading all this other stuff, DI also made this remark regarding his mentioning of “Blues Laywers”.

“Just that the fun new models would likely raise an eyebrow or two during a blues gig. AS INTENDED.”

 

I would think that must indicate some damn fine replication of a classic blues rig - good enough to get the lawyers sniffing around.

 

Furthermore, it would seem a certainty that polyphonic pitch shifting is in there - judging from a comment made by “phil_m” and comments about the DSP power allocation/stacking etc. were brushed aside by “Peter Hamm”. Surprisingly neither of these beta testers have posted any insights here. Mmm... “silverhead” is conspicuous by his absence also. Dunno why, seems their NDAs are no longer in peril right now.

 

Anyhow v3.0 can’t be too far off now, or we will all be flogging a dead “dark horse”.

 

 

[TheBoyWithDog]

4 hours ago, datacommando said:

O.K. From reading all this other stuff, DI also made this remark regarding his mentioning of “Blues Laywers”.

“Just that the fun new models would likely raise an eyebrow or two during a blues gig. AS INTENDED.”

 

I would think that must indicate some damn fine replication of a classic blues rig - good enough to get the lawyers sniffing around.

 

I agree. It could be that native doesn’t require this dark horse feature. That would be similar to why native doesn’t receive other updates such as gain reduction meters.

 

Perhaps DI is saying the new models are so out-there that it would raise attention from people who main simple algorithms such as blue lawyers I.e. in the vain of a DigiTech space station. Something you wouldn’t play a twelve bar blues on. As much as I love things like bleat chop trem, I’m really looking forward to some dsp intensive, far out-there models that go in a wildly new direction!

 

A DigiTech drop model has been confirmed for 3.0 and I quote(sorta) it shifts “every which way” so polyphonic is definitely included barring any mishaps.

A DigiTech Drop model is not confirmed.

 

[SaschaFranck]

33 minutes ago, TheBoyWithDog said:

That would be similar to why native doesn’t receive other updates such as gain reduction meters.

 

I wouldn't happen to know why HXN wouldn't profit from gain reduction meters any less than any other unit featuring them (such as a compressor). In fact, I have already been wondering why they're not existing in HXN.

[TheBoyWithDog]

I couldn’t agree more. I honestly don’t know why and that’s not a shot at Line 6. I’m just genuinely in the dark why they’re not there. I hope it’s not a constraint and that they’re implemented in the future but you can sorta get around it in other ways when it comes to native. My speculation was that it was left out for redundancy in that particular time and that maybe they could circle back to it later on. I’m still hoping.

[donkelley]

Poly is what is exciting to me.  Whether shift or synth, although I would imagine the solution for tracking one could help the other with the similar poly tracking issue too, so possibly both could become poly trackers.  But mostly, a poly shift removes my need for yet another of my external pedals.  That's a win right away! 

 

Based on history, you'd think there will be another amp model or two as well, just seems like they try to do that when possible in an update. 

 

And... just for my friend DataCommando... I'm going to be looking for any type of looper improvement.  I know DC is excited about such things.... :-)

 

[Digital_Igloo]

20 hours ago, BBD_123 said:

One other possibility re the Stomp six block limit is to avoid thermal shutdown.

Nope.

3 hours ago, TheBoyWithDog said:

A DigiTech drop model has been confirmed for 3.0...

No it hasn't. All we've said is poly. Besides, you can't really model pitch effects;  you need to build a library of DSP algorithms from scratch. This is important, as we didn't acquire any DigiTech IP when we hired their Victoria team after they left. They've had to find a completely different method of poly, which is actually harder than if another company did it, because they could "accidentally" do things the same way DigiTech did it. We've had to purposely go in other directions, which is why it's taken so long.

[brue58ski]

51 minutes ago, donkelley said:

Based on history, you'd think there will be another amp model or two as well, just seems like they try to do that when possible in an update. 

 

And... just for my friend DataCommando... I'm going to be looking for any type of looper improvement.  I know DC is excited about such things.... :-)

 

 

I know there are and they are very DSP intensive from what I understand. So a deeper dive so to speak. Maybe more parameters to play with. Don't really know. Sounds like fun. One quote from Eric Klein is " The Good: Man oh man, some of the new models are... FUN. Like twisting knobs for an hour fun (blues lawyers exempt); you'll want to bookmark the release notes for detailed instructions". Can''t wait.....but, I'm gonna have to.

[TheBoyWithDog]

16 minutes ago, Digital_Igloo said:

Nope.

No it hasn't. All we've said is poly. Besides, you can't really model pitch effects;  you need to build a library of DSP algorithms from scratch. This is important, as we didn't acquire any DigiTech IP when we hired their Victoria team after they left. They've had to find a completely different method of poly, which is actually harder than if another company did it, because they could "accidentally" do things the same way DigiTech did it. We've had to purposely go in other directions, which is why it's taken so long.

Ah I see. I completely understand that. I’m happy that polyphonic pitch shift will be added to HX Stomp in whatever package it comes in. Whether it’s something unique or more simply a solid shift knob. Drop or no drop is no issue to me. I was referencing someone’s guess at what the dark horse feature would be - Someone guessed “drop” then someone else said that it had already been confirmed and would be added to all units so it won’t be a floor, lt or rack exclusive. I think they were referring to drop in more of its essential function and not necessarily a model though. Yeah I definitely wouldn’t insinuate that your algorithm is the same as DigiTech’s.

 

Thats really interesting and enlightening though about the obstacles the team had to face that users(myself included) haven’t generally known. Really shines a light on a mysterious aspect of the polyphonic progress.

[datacommando]

51 minutes ago, Digital_Igloo said:

We've had to purposely go in other directions, which is why it's taken so long.

 

Thanks for the input Eric.

 

It feels a little bit like the "wastelands" in here waiting for information any on progress.

[HonestOpinion]

1 hour ago, Digital_Igloo said:

Nope.

No it hasn't. All we've said is poly. Besides, you can't really model pitch effects;  you need to build a library of DSP algorithms from scratch. This is important, as we didn't acquire any DigiTech IP when we hired their Victoria team after they left. They've had to find a completely different method of poly, which is actually harder than if another company did it, because they could "accidentally" do things the same way DigiTech did it. We've had to purposely go in other directions, which is why it's taken so long.

 

This confirmation of polyphonic processing coming is just awesome! I would never have anticipated this being added to an existing product when I first purchased my Helix five years ago. This is a shockingly substantive addition. What a huge bonus and gift to users and an incredible and significant enhancement to the HX platform.  I have been buying Roland guitar synths for years and although I don't expect that level of synthesizer processing on a device dedicated to so many other functions, the ability to at least at some level incorporate polyphonic processing and all of my control, amp, and effects modeling in a single device is truly tantalizing.

[jester700]

4 hours ago, Digital_Igloo said:

Nope.

No it hasn't. All we've said is poly. Besides, you can't really model pitch effects;  you need to build a library of DSP algorithms from scratch. This is important, as we didn't acquire any DigiTech IP when we hired their Victoria team after they left. They've had to find a completely different method of poly, which is actually harder than if another company did it, because they could "accidentally" do things the same way DigiTech did it. We've had to purposely go in other directions, which is why it's taken so long.

This is what happens when your company name is "Line6" and not "Behringer"... ;-)

[Schmalle]

57 minutes ago, jester700 said:

This is what happens when your company name is "Line6" and not "Behringer"... ;-)

Funny, true, but also a bit hypocritical, don't you think? After all Line6 is making money by making sonically indistinguishable copies of devices owned by other brands.

[phil_m]

4 hours ago, Schmalle said:

Funny, true, but also a bit hypocritical, don't you think? After all Line6 is making money by making sonically indistinguishable copies of devices owned by other brands.

 

There's a big difference between component-level modeling and simply copying IP whole-hog...

[shanecgriffo]

4 hours ago, Schmalle said:

Funny, true, but also a bit hypocritical, don't you think? After all Line6 is making money by making sonically indistinguishable copies of devices owned by other brands.

Haha at least they are indistinguishable not inferior 

[molul]

12 hours ago, Digital_Igloo said:

Nope.

No it hasn't. All we've said is poly. Besides, you can't really model pitch effects;  you need to build a library of DSP algorithms from scratch. This is important, as we didn't acquire any DigiTech IP when we hired their Victoria team after they left. They've had to find a completely different method of poly, which is actually harder than if another company did it, because they could "accidentally" do things the same way DigiTech did it. We've had to purposely go in other directions, which is why it's taken so long.

Wait... Does this mean 3.0 will bring poly pitch shift? Or only that Line6 is still working on it?

[datacommando]

3 hours ago, molul said:

Wait... Does this mean 3.0 will bring poly pitch shift?

Wait... Does this mean you didn’t bother to read the thread - or the threads on FB and TGP, where this stuff has been gone over endlessly?

[donkelley]

5 hours ago, datacommando said:

Wait... Does this mean you didn’t bother to read the thread - or the threads on FB and TGP, where this stuff has been gone over endlessly?

I thought it meant he was second guessing everything he'd heard in the places you mentioned because someone from line6 just posted in this thread and he feels there is room for interpretation... and maybe it won't be in 3.0 but in a future FW release that they have finally got Poly Pitch Shift working, because of the extra design time and effort required for the new algos.

 

But I guess sarcasm and assuming he's being dumb or lazy are your natural reactions.

[datacommando]

40 minutes ago, donkelley said:

I thought it meant he was second guessing everything he'd heard in the places you mentioned because someone from line6 just posted in this thread and he feels there is room for interpretation... and maybe it won't be in 3.0 but in a future FW release that they have finally got Poly Pitch Shift working, because of the extra design time and effort required for the new algos.

 

But I guess sarcasm and assuming he's being dumb or lazy are your natural reactions.

 

To clarify the comments about poly pitch effects.

 

That "someone from Line 6" that you mention is Eric Klein (Chief Product Design Architect at Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. / Line 6 / Ampeg)  -  who was replying to the comment posted by "TheBoyWithDog" who said 

 

"A DigiTech drop model has been confirmed for 3.0..."

 

Digital Igloo's response was: "No it hasn't. All we've said is poly."

 

It's quite apparent from that statement that poly will be in the new firmware, just NOT a DigiTech drop model. The thing about polyphonic pitch shifting is no secret and was mentioned to be in the pipeline a long time back.

 

Here's some additional evidence of Poly effects in v3.0 firmware - screen grab from the "Line 6 Helix Family User Group OFFICIAL and ORIGINAL"

Please note specifically the comment from Phil Miller, who is a Line 6 Beta Tester and posts on this forum as "phil_m". There is a further comment from "Peter Hamm" another Beta Tester who is also known to post here.

 

 

 

 

 

[molul]

Oh that's awesome. Thanks for the news! I had heard the poly thing coming soon but never that loud clear :)

[datacommando]

38 minutes ago, molul said:

Oh that's awesome. Thanks for the news! I had heard the poly thing coming soon but never that loud clear :)

 

It's certainly not a secret over on the Facebook group, where if you type "Polyphonic Pitch" into the search box, it bring up lots threads - especially from people seeking confirmation of it being in the next Firmware.

 

Keep in mind the fact that it will probably eat a lot of the DSP in Helix, which is probably why many people on the FB group will be buying a dedicated unit like the POG or Drop to patch into their Helix hardware.

 

When you first asked about this, I genuinely thought you knew and were simply asking as a "joke" - hence my remark which has been interpreted as sarscam in certain quarters, but was simply my feeble attempt at humour.  ;-)

[datacommando]

On 8/26/2020 at 5:42 PM, Schmalle said:

I'd guess that dark horse thing is some kind of profiling. Like Fractal Audios realtime analyzer block or something...

 

This says that's not going to happen!

 

 

Hope that clears that up.

 

 

[gunpointmetal]

4 minutes ago, datacommando said:

 

This says that's not going to happen!

 

 

Hope that clears that up.

 

 

I really like reading Eric's posts just because he always sounds so stoked about whats just around the corner. I feel like he probably reads some forums on the can in the AM then giggles like a kid all the way to work, lol.

[Schmalle]

38 minutes ago, datacommando said:

 

This says that's not going to happen!

 

 

Hope that clears that up.

 

 

Wait... Does this mean you didn’t bother to read the thread?  - My guess was disproven days ago in this thread.

[datacommando]

4 hours ago, Schmalle said:

Wait... Does this mean you didn’t bother to read the thread?

He, he, he - it was bound to happen!
 

I haven’t taken my medicine and I was completely unsupervised- the nurse was out of the cell.
 

Inevitable really.

 

TLDR.

 

;-)

 

I just wish the voices would stop - they keep asking when firmware 4.0 is due for release - probably about the same time as me.

[phowell]

The 3.0 update will have many goodies, I'm sure. But, unless Line 6 comes up with a "sidecar" device of some sort, it will always have the same hardware - which is beginning to be surpassed by the competition.  I'm talking about stuff like USB flash drive support, wifi support, touch screen, etc.  Line 6 knows this so I predict a "Helix Plus" in a year or so (they're smart - they're probably developing it now).  So, to prevent people from jumping ship (Neural Quad-Core?), I think 3.0 will be good.  I sure hope so - I've been a loyal Line 6 customer since the beginning.

[phil_m]

17 minutes ago, phowell said:

The 3.0 update will have many goodies, I'm sure. But, unless Line 6 comes up with a "sidecar" device of some sort, it will always have the same hardware - which is beginning to be surpassed by the competition.  I'm talking about stuff like USB flash drive support, wifi support, touch screen, etc.  Line 6 knows this so I predict a "Helix Plus" in a year or so (they're smart - they're probably developing it now).  So, to prevent people from jumping ship (Neural Quad-Core?), I think 3.0 will be good.  I sure hope so - I've been a loyal Line 6 customer since the beginning.

How exactly does it hurt Line 6 if a Helix owners decides to sell a Helix and buy something else? Line 6 already got that person’s money...
 

I mean, yes, I’m sure Line 6 is always paying attention to what competitors are doing in some respect, but it’s not really guiding development. Line 6 has the advantage of being first to market in the general “super-modeler” market. The Helix has been out for five years, and basically it’s set the bar for everyone else. It’s not like Line 6 is going to stop innovating, but whatever comes out next isn’t going to be a response to other companies. It’s going to be an expansion of the original vision.

[PierM]

2 hours ago, phowell said:

...stuff like USB flash drive support, wifi support, touch screen, etc.

 

None of which would affect the tone. 

 

...miss the days where people weren't so obessed by "new stuff", and youtube reviews...

 

/oldfart Mode Off

[donkelley]

3 hours ago, phowell said:

The 3.0 update will have many goodies, I'm sure. But, unless Line 6 comes up with a "sidecar" device of some sort, it will always have the same hardware - which is beginning to be surpassed by the competition.  I'm talking about stuff like USB flash drive support, wifi support, touch screen, etc.  Line 6 knows this so I predict a "Helix Plus" in a year or so (they're smart - they're probably developing it now).  So, to prevent people from jumping ship (Neural Quad-Core?), I think 3.0 will be good.  I sure hope so - I've been a loyal Line 6 customer since the beginning.

The world has already moved to modeling as the primary source of guitar tone on record, instead of other forms of audio recording in studios, instead of expensive racks of compressors and effects, instead of real drum tones on record.... it goes on and on.  The big 3 modeler do not use the features you describe, or if any of them has wifi or usb it certainly has never come up as being an important feature.  The headrush does have touch screen and I think some of the other things you mentioned... but it's not one of the big three.  In fact one reason why it's looked down upon is the use as a live floorboard - it's dangerous and complex, not to mention fragile, due to the touch screen.

 

USB host mode to add storage (the only purpose for it other than adding a mouse or keyboard, which isn't relevant), wifi (wireless connectivity in a device that is already required to be wired to the output and for power at the very least?? not important), and touch screen (Which is a UI design decision, not often a good idea, and never a good idea on something controlled by your feet in a live setting)....

 

yea, no thank you.

[phowell]

Wow. Did all of you forget the part where I said I’ve been a loyal Line 6 user since the beginning? Within five minutes of getting that email introducing the helix, I was looking to place an order. I can’t control what people purchase. I was merely pointing out that the Helix is locked in with it’s hardware /DSP capabilities and can only advance to a certain extent.  Some people may eventually want more bells and whistles. I am happy with the helix and I am excited about what 3.0 will bring us. But Line 6 will eventually introduce another Version of helix, in my opinion. And with their resources, I’m willing to bet that it is in development and it will surpass the competition. They are not going to upset thousands of people who spent $1600 or more. But they will certainly not be stagnant IF the market begins to demand features that their current model cannot provide. It’s not that important to me but wouldn’t it be nice if your buddy had a nice patch and you could slide in a flash drive, copy it, and install it on your unit in a matter of a minute or two? If you don’t care about Features like that, then you will help dictate the direction of the market.

[SaschaFranck]

2 hours ago, donkelley said:

and touch screen (Which is a UI design decision, not often a good idea, and never a good idea on something controlled by your feet in a live setting)....

 

Why would it be a worse idea than the current Helix screen? Are you playing barefoot? Because otherwise there'd be no difference.

 

38 minutes ago, phowell said:

But they will certainly not be stagnant IF the market begins to demand features that their current model cannot provide. It’s not that important to me but wouldn’t it be nice if your buddy had a nice patch and you could slide in a flash drive, copy it, and install it on your unit in a matter of a minute or two?

 

Absolutely. I have no idea why they apparently didn't even think of that at all. Or lets talk about a mobile editing option. All quirks of the actual app aside, but it's just fantastic how you can edit a Boss GT-1000 from any mobile device.
My personal prediction would be that in 5-10 years from now, you won't be able to sell an otherwise fully featured (as in one-thing-does-it-all) modeler without a touchscreen and wireless, mobile remote editing capabilities. Both of these are just too good to ignore them. Oh well, maybe you with a proper mobile editor you wouldn't even need a touchscreen anymore (it's much more comfortable not having to crawl on the floor anyway), but with the Helix, neither of the two exists.

[donkelley]

1 minute ago, SaschaFranck said:

 

Why would it be a worse idea than the current Helix screen? Are you playing barefoot? Because otherwise there'd be no difference.

 

1) sweat or other things dropping onto your touchscreen while you play could play havoc with a capacitive touch screen

2) one touch of a touch screen could cause several stages of complex changes, as opposed to having someone hit or turn a knob on an effect pedal with predictable fix being, turn the knob back and keep playing.  That happened to me lots during my life - and the easy of touch/swipe changing things would be quite a temptation for audience members

3) capacitive touch screens are generally very breakable.... we all tend to jump on our gear, stuff falls on our gear.... stuff happens all the time.  touch screens are NOT particularly strong, historically, unless you're using a projection styletouch sensor which is far beyond the scope of what we can do in small foot pedals currently (Although they are used in large mixing systems and office cultures successfully).

4) resistive touch screens can be stronger/safer but can be changed with your shoes on just fine

 

I mean, people already have trouble with the capacitive touch foot pedals on the helix... and ask to turn it off often.  Lots of folks DO work with socks only, but it doesn't only require a foot to be activated.... the technology can be activated by a ton of things.

[TheBoyWithDog]

18 minutes ago, SaschaFranck said:

My personal prediction would be that in 5-10 years from now, you won't be able to sell an otherwise fully featured (as in one-thing-does-it-all) modeler without a touchscreen

A lot of people don’t like touch screen myself included. It’s comfortable with my thumbs but I’d never put my whole hand in front of a screen and try to move things - it’s near impossible for me to see that way and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Maybe it would be an option but it would have to be deactivate-able and would require a whole other way to get around making it redundant in resources.

 

1 hour ago, phowell said:

But Line 6 will eventually introduce another Version of helix, in my opinion. And with their resources, I’m willing to bet that it is in development and it will surpass the competition.

Everyone agreed that they will eventually work on something new. I mean they made the stomp didn’t they? And native?

Not everyone is looking to upgrade though and a lot of people are happy without a “Helix 2”

DI (Eric Klein) also mentioned that the new poly models are nice however they’re not as nice as the future capabilities of the polyphonic “engine” they've created. So current Helix/HX has a lot of life still in it. For myself, it feels as though Helix is new and I’m comfortable with it so I’m not looking to upgrade. A Bluetooth editor would be nice though.

 

edit: changed future from feature*

[phowell]

9 minutes ago, SaschaFranck said:

 

Why would it be a worse idea than the current Helix screen? Are you playing barefoot? Because otherwise there'd be no difference.

 

 

Absolutely. I have no idea why they apparently didn't even think of that at all. Or lets talk about a mobile editing option. All quirks of the actual app aside, but it's just fantastic how you can edit a Boss GT-1000 from any mobile device.
My personal prediction would be that in 5-10 years from now, you won't be able to sell an otherwise fully featured (as in one-thing-does-it-all) modeler without a touchscreen and wireless, mobile remote editing capabilities. Both of these are just too good to ignore them. Oh well, maybe you with a proper mobile editor you wouldn't even need a touchscreen anymore (it's much more comfortable not having to crawl on the floor anyway), but with the Helix, neither of the two exists.

Check out the Neural Quad Core video from Sweetwater.  It has  DSP out the wazoo, wi-fi, touch screen, footswitches that rotate to control parameters, 1,000 IR's...you don't even need a computer at all.  It's tiny though, doesn't look robust at all, and has no expression pedal but - it is an indicator of where things are headed.  Line 6 will eventually trump it.  The Helix was in development for years.  I have confidence that they know what is important to users  Secrets are being kept while they continue to make us happy with updates.

[zappazapper]

I think at some point "versatility" negates the point of a purpose-built unit. Like, you can have a Helix with Wifi and flash drive support and a touch screen - it's called a laptop with Helix Native. I bought a Helix LT because I wanted something that didn't have to deal with all the drawbacks of versatility, something that was going to be dependable as far as playing guitar in a live situation was concerned. A laptop won't be that dependable, and neither would a Helix having to deal with all these limited-use gadgets.  Having to plug my Helix in to my computer to update it and download presets means it doesn't have to devote resources to internet connectivity and file management. 

 

As far as touchscreen goes, I think SaschaFranck is right. There should be a mobile app. Mobile devices are ubiquitous, there is already a well-established history of controlling devices and applications this way, and it keeps it off the floor where a touchscreen isn't going to be useful anyway. 

[SaschaFranck]

1 hour ago, donkelley said:

1) sweat or other things dropping onto your touchscreen while you play could play havoc with a capacitive touch screen

 

They don't cause havoc on mobile phone screens. Heck, you can use some of them just fine under water.

1 hour ago, TheBoyWithDog said:

A lot of people don’t like touch screen myself included. It’s comfortable with my thumbs but I’d never put my whole hand in front of a screen and try to move things

 

Well, it's not necessarily about moving things. Even just something as simple as selecting a block is *way* quicker with a touchscreen (and no, the capacitive switches don't help in case you're running out of them).

 

1 hour ago, phowell said:

Check out the Neural Quad Core video from Sweetwater.

 

It's defenitely on my radar for a rather long time already. Doesn't seem to feature anything such as global blocks, though, and I won't buy a modeler without that or something similar (I'm even thinking of purchasing a GT-1000 somewhen post-Covid, pretty much just because of that feature). Fwiw, I think it's pretty rugged.

 

57 minutes ago, zappazapper said:

Like, you can have a Helix with Wifi and flash drive support and a touch screen - it's called a laptop with Helix Native.

 

Nah, that's still night and day. Needs a dedicated floor controller, additional cabling, the "where to put the laptop?" issue, you need a damn great interface for latencies as low as with the hardware unit, etc. - but most of all, the hardware offers the benefit of a proprietary OS, which, in this case, is a godsend. Fwiw, I've been there, gigged with a laptop a few times, but others than for orchestra pit jobs, it's really not an attractive solution. This might change, though, especially with a tablet-alike 2-in-1 convertible laptop, you could handle the computer-on-stage issue a whole lot easier than with a typical laptop.

 

1 hour ago, zappazapper said:

As far as touchscreen goes, I think SaschaFranck is right. There should be a mobile app. Mobile devices are ubiquitous, there is already a well-established history of controlling devices and applications this way, and it keeps it off the floor where a touchscreen isn't going to be useful anyway. 

 

Defenitely. I mean, with the Quad Cortex, a touch screen is making plenty of sense because outside of playing live, you could just place it on a table or a music stand next to you, especially as there's no onboard expression pedals. With the Helix, a touchscreen would likely be a kinda diminishing return - but personally, I still wouldn't mind one, even if it was just to select blocks.

[spikey]

8 hours ago, phil_m said:

It’s going to be an expansion of the original vision.

 

Does that mean there's a possible tuner in the editor Phil???

 

 

; )

[spikey]

2 hours ago, phowell said:

Check out the Neural Quad Core video from Sweetwater.  It has  DSP out the wazoo, wi-fi, touch screen, footswitches that rotate to control parameters, 1,000 IR's...you don't even need a computer at all. 

 

All that's great but if it sounds like garbage Id rather have my plain ol non touch screen Helix. All the bells and whistles in the world don't matter if the tone suxs. I havent heard the Neural Quad yet and it may sound good too, but the point still stands.