Helix 3.0—"THE ALONG CAME POLY UPDATE"

[noisyneil]

Really liking the princeton with the Marshall G10 IRs. Don't know of anyone else who does the G10. Sounds very 3D to me.

[karlic]

A brilliant update. Even on the HX Stomp I am getting Poly Capo working well with drive/amp/cab. No need for The Drop any longer and Poly Capo transposes up too.

 

Acoustic sim is good enough for live and very welcome. Also, 8 blocks means I can add reverb to patches that already used 6 blocks.

 

Simply way more than I expected and a game changer for use as a portable live unit.

[karlic]

10 hours ago, SaschaFranck said:

I don't. But in case someone claims that the shifting quality is not "warbly", that needs to be put into perspective.

And IMO there's quite better pitch shifting available (for instance, the Kemper examples I heard were quite astounding). Personally, I'd even vastly prefer a more artificial tone - but without the warble (think along the lines of an EHX HOG or POG).

Whatever, I didn't even mean to argue about this, especially as there's little to argue about. Using PolyPitch results in plenty of artefacts as soon as you play something else but powerchords, no way around it. Still very useful, though.

Your comments shouldn't be taken as an affront by anyone. I have a Kemper and love the Transpose effect. The thing is, you have to remember it has been through several updates over a period of years.

 

The poly capo sounds pretty good to me and may be fine-tuned as they go on. It certainly works for power chords and these effects are only really for live or a quick demo.

[kossoff]

I've updated my Helix LT to 3.0, HX Edit is showing 3.0, but I haven't got any of the new features. Any ideas guys ?

[noisyneil]

15 minutes ago, kossoff said:

I've updated my Helix LT to 3.0, HX Edit is showing 3.0, but I haven't got any of the new features. Any ideas guys ?

it's showing the version number of your hardware at the bottom. check the "about" section under the main menu. you probably need to download and install the latest version of Edit.   

[j_hotch]

Great update, Line 6!

[AndyTheDude]

Whoa! This update is REVOLUTIONARY!!!

 

I don't own a Helix pedal, I use Native. A VST real-time polyphonic pitch shifter of this quality is something I was looking for for years. This is simply brilliant! I have only tested it for a few minutes so far, but it looks like it blows my MicroPOG out of the water... 10ms latency in fast setting compared to over 30ms on the POG. Flawless tracking of my bass.

 

This is fantastic! There's nothing like this on the VST market.

[phil_m]

59 minutes ago, Mortaliis said:

I did the firmware update. It went well, but...nothing new in amps, presets, pedals..nothing. Then I start the HX STOMP it says it is firmware 3.00... but nothing has updated. Same as it was whit 2.98

You need to download and install HX Edit 3.0 as well.

[datacommando]

2 hours ago, kossoff said:

I've updated my Helix LT to 3.0, HX Edit is showing 3.0, but I haven't got any of the new features. Any ideas guys ?

 

STEP ONE—Update HX Edit (Do This First!)
 

There is a whole page of instructions for updating.

 

 

[SaschaFranck]

I usually try to stay away from snarky comments when it comes to these very things (in general/broader discussion topics I absolutely don't mind - or even like some snark...), but seriously, isn't it astounding how many people are buying a rather high end computational device without being able to read the most basic instructions about how to operate it? I mean, what font size should be used for people to understand "STEP ONE - Update HX Edit (Do This First!)"? Like 200? Maybe there should be some autoplay audio message (ideally overwriting all your computers audio settings so it's played back through all available devices at full volume simultaneously). Or whatever.

But it's a really interesting observation nonetheless.

Sorry, carry on....

[donkelley]

also don't forget the other new pitch shift effect, poly capo (as someone mentioned above). The one that allows different qualities of the algorithm with more lag but higher quality or less lag but very little latency.... so much power we are given with the system to make it do what we want.

[donkelley]

1 hour ago, Mortaliis said:

I did the firmware update. It went well, but...nothing new in amps, presets, pedals..nothing. Then I start the HX STOMP it says it is firmware 3.00... but nothing has updated. Same as it was whit 2.98

Did you follow the instructions that tell you about what to reset on your helix after the update to gain access to the new presets etc?

[SaschaFranck]

5 minutes ago, donkelley said:

also don't forget the other new pitch shift effect, poly capo (as someone mentioned above). The one that allows different qualities of the algorithm with more lag but higher quality or less lag but very little latency.... so much power we are given with the system to make it do what we want.

 

Well, none of them transposes even just slightly more complexed chords properly.

[cacibi]

Can't believe there's finally a Princeton. My new favorite Helix amp.

[guitarboy_02451]

3.0 is awesome. For HX Stomp we're pretty limited on DSP, but we knew that right?
- Love the Princeton

- Horizon Drive ---> very cool!

- Acoustic Sim ---> Way cool!

 

All the new Fuzz's are pretty darn awesome. I a/b with my real Peppermint Fuzz... All the Poly blocks take up too much DSP. I can have an Amp+Cab module and Poly mod, and that's it. Nothing left... out of gas. I am super excited about the Favorites, and I have no idea what Command Center is. I'll have to see if anyone does any videos of that.

 

Super impressed. It was like an early Christmas Gift from Line 6! Thanks guys and gals! :)

[emagli]

51 minutes ago, donkelley said:

also don't forget the other new pitch shift effect, poly capo (as someone mentioned above). The one that allows different qualities of the algorithm with more lag but higher quality or less lag but very little latency.... so much power we are given with the system to make it do what we want.

I have tested the Poly capo and I have to say that for me it’s not working well (pretty much my only gripe regarding an otherwise excellent firmware update). I have used the digitech drop for a couple of years now. The drop has low latency, little tone loss (mostly high end loss) up to 2 or 3 half steps detuning, and no warbling at all. For me the Poly capo has audible warble, a note attack that I do not like much, and occasional artifacts on notes played at very low volume. I’d really love to love it, but so far it’s not happening for me. Maybe I am using it wrong, I’d love to be able to use it effectively. I’ll do more testing and comparison with the drop. If you have any usage tips, they’d be most welcome. 

[themetallikid]

22 hours ago, SaschaFranck said:

 

Listen to the attachement. 1 bar without, 1 bar with PolyPitch, even set to 0 semitones, so there's no work to do and no misleading by the transposition itself. Does that sound nice and clean?

PolyPitch.mp3 194.82 kB · 66 downloads

I dont hear 'warble' in the short clip you had....I really only hear the EQ/Attack difference that I'd hear when I used the Drop or any other type of pitch shifting device for poly stuff like that.  Which is why they included that Auto EQ (forgot the name, havent played with it yet myself) parameter to adjust so it matches the tone you had without the effect

[spacelake]

11 hours ago, datacommando said:

Hi,

 

Get them here, they are right at the bottom of the page - be sure to take note of the warning at the top of the page!

 

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

 

 

I did upoad that new 3.0 Factory setlist to my Stomp yesterday, but I don't see any artist presets in it. It look almost identical to the 2.9 factory list. That's why I ask if others see them.

 

[spacelake]

2 hours ago, SaschaFranck said:

I usually try to stay away from snarky comments when it comes to these very things (in general/broader discussion topics I absolutely don't mind - or even like some snark...), but seriously, isn't it astounding how many people are buying a rather high end computational device without being able to read the most basic instructions about how to operate it? I mean, what font size should be used for people to understand "STEP ONE - Update HX Edit (Do This First!)"? Like 200? Maybe there should be some autoplay audio message (ideally overwriting all your computers audio settings so it's played back through all available devices at full volume simultaneously). Or whatever.

But it's a really interesting observation nonetheless.

Sorry, carry on....

 

Counterquestion: why doesn't HX Edit mention these instructions then?

When I launch HX Edit and it says "new firmware available", my first instict is not to go to internets to check installation routines but to simply follow the instructions that are already on the screen. It's 2020 after all and I expect software to figure things out itself. So if 3.0 firmware prefers (it doesn't require apparently) the HX Edit itself to be on version 3.0 as well, then the HX Edit should mention that before offering to upload new firmware. Also, "Check for Updates" function within the HX Edit would be nice too, most other software manages to bake that in.

 

[SaschaFranck]

6 minutes ago, spacelake said:

Counterquestion: why doesn't HX Edit mention these instructions then?

When I launch HX Edit and it says "new firmware available", my first instict is not to go to internets to check installation routines but to simply follow the instructions that are already on the screen. It's 2020 after all and I expect software to figure things out itself. So if 3.0 firmware prefers (it doesn't require apparently) the HX Edit itself to be on version 3.0 as well, then the HX Edit should mention that before offering to upload new firmware. Also, "Check for Updates" function within the HX Edit would be nice too, most other software manages to bake that in.

 

Yeah, I would actually have to agree on all accounts. In case the previous version of HX Edit *does* say there's an update (it didn't for me because I never bother to log in, so I actually wasn't aware of what happens in case it detects an update), it should perform an auto update of itself as the first thing. It's exactly like that with plenty of things you need to authorize software (Waves Central, Native Access, etc. - basically everything).

So, sorry, my previous comment wasn't actually meant to be personal or whatever.

[datacommando]

31 minutes ago, spacelake said:

 

I did upoad that new 3.0 Factory setlist to my Stomp yesterday, but I don't see any artist presets in it. It look almost identical to the 2.9 factory list. That's why I ask if others see them.

 

Hi,

 

Well if that’s the case, maybe I misunderstood, and it is only the HXFX that has the extra Artist presets and even then there are only a couple listed.

• 12A-12D—Julien Baker
• 13A—Sarah "Noveller" Lipstate
• 13B, 13C—Steve Stevens

I simply posted a link to the downloads that are available and it looks like the Helix floor, Rack, LT and Native get the full set.

 

I have a floor unit, so I haven’t looked at what is inside the Stomp setlist that is available for download. Possibly another Stomp user will know.

[PierM]

1 hour ago, emagli said:

I have tested the Poly capo and I have to say that for me it’s not working well (pretty much my only gripe regarding an otherwise excellent firmware update). I have used the digitech drop for a couple of years now. The drop has low latency, little tone loss (mostly high end loss) up to 2 or 3 half steps detuning, and no warbling at all. For me the Poly capo has audible warble, a note attack that I do not like much, and occasional artifacts on notes played at very low volume. I’d really love to love it, but so far it’s not happening for me. Maybe I am using it wrong, I’d love to be able to use it effectively. I’ll do more testing and comparison with the drop. If you have any usage tips, they’d be most welcome. 

 

I've seen today that guitars and pickups are a big variable in the equation. I do get some warbling with my telecaster, and couple of les pauls with different humbuckers. I have a great result with my Gibson LPC RK '54, equipped with a staple alnico and a vintage P90. That one works smooth with Poly, and tracking seems spot on, with both pups. Telly is the worse.

[Hatman777]

Anyone have a description of the new artist patches  were they integrated in the update or have to download separately ?
thanks

[datacommando]

9 minutes ago, Hatman777 said:

Anyone have a description of the new artist patches  were they integrated in the update or have to download separately ?
thanks

Hi,

 

Not a description but a list of who did stuff and setlist slot are in the release notes on the download page or here.

 

https://line6.com/support/page/kb/effects-controllers/helix/helix-30-release-notes-r934/

 

The files are available to download from here.

 

 

Hope this helps.

[Hatman777]

Have to congratulate the dev team at lin6 they have awesome updates, great work on their part

update went really smooth   New effects are very very nice really like the  Horizon Drive and the Detune is also awesome have not really tried the others but I plan too this weekend 

cheers

[C4TH]

2 hours ago, emagli said:

I have tested the Poly capo and I have to say that for me it’s not working well (pretty much my only gripe regarding an otherwise excellent firmware update). I have used the digitech drop for a couple of years now. The drop has low latency, little tone loss (mostly high end loss) up to 2 or 3 half steps detuning, and no warbling at all. For me the Poly capo has audible warble, a note attack that I do not like much, and occasional artifacts on notes played at very low volume. I’d really love to love it, but so far it’s not happening for me. Maybe I am using it wrong, I’d love to be able to use it effectively. I’ll do more testing and comparison with the drop. If you have any usage tips, they’d be most welcome. 

That’s weird because i was A/b’ing them this afternoon, and found the Poly Capo to be better than The Drop. Like you say, The Drop cuts off some high end. Whereas with the Poly capo’s auto eq, I could bring that high end back in.

Admittedly, I only tried this with -1 and -2, but worked great. I also tried the Poly Wham with the same settings and got good results.

[Hatman777]

11 minutes ago, datacommando said:

Hi,

 

Not a description but a list of who did stuff and setlist slot are in the release notes on the download page or here.

 

https://line6.com/support/page/kb/effects-controllers/helix/helix-30-release-notes-r934/

 

The files are available to download from here.

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

yes thank you for the info

[PiFromBRC]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!  And here I thought you didn't love me!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[lungho]

I don't know....maybe it is that the newness hasn't worn off yet and nothing is ever perfect but...good gosh....this has to be the best update since the introduction of snapshots.  Those poly peeps you poached from another company sure have earned their pay.  I'm simply blown away over the quantity and quality of the stuff added in 3.0.....and for free.  Never did I expect (although I wished for) this kind of functionality in Helix when I purchased it way back in 2016.

 

Ok I'll stop gushing like some emo sissy mary.  But seriously, great job team Helix and thank you.

[sinlimo]

Has anybody had any issues with external foot switches?

 

My FS4 no longer is recognized. FS5 works as it should and I've tested the cable and pedal on another device and they are both working correctly.

 

I just used my Stomp last night and both FS4 and FS5 worked fine.

 

I did the update today and now FS4 doesn't work.

[HonestOpinion]

3 hours ago, spacelake said:

 

Counterquestion: why doesn't HX Edit mention these instructions then?

When I launch HX Edit and it says "new firmware available", my first instict is not to go to internets to check installation routines but to simply follow the instructions that are already on the screen. It's 2020 after all and I expect software to figure things out itself. So if 3.0 firmware prefers (it doesn't require apparently) the HX Edit itself to be on version 3.0 as well, then the HX Edit should mention that before offering to upload new firmware. Also, "Check for Updates" function within the HX Edit would be nice too, most other software manages to bake that in.

 

 

3 hours ago, SaschaFranck said:

 

Yeah, I would actually have to agree on all accounts. In case the previous version of HX Edit *does* say there's an update (it didn't for me because I never bother to log in, so I actually wasn't aware of what happens in case it detects an update), it should perform an auto update of itself as the first thing. It's exactly like that with plenty of things you need to authorize software (Waves Central, Native Access, etc. - basically everything).

So, sorry, my previous comment wasn't actually meant to be personal or whatever.

 

Couldn't agree more! Posted this when the first version of HX Edit showed up that allowed the firmware to be updated from within it. Ideally the next release of HX Edit will have an update process that, when invoked, will automatically update itself to the latest HX Edit version and only after that completes successfully does it update the firmware. 

 

Not for lack of trying but no amount of well-intentioned  efforts to inform people to download/install the latest HX Edit version before updating the firmware has been successful. Until the update process is fully automated every firmware release should have a blinking orange neon notice in 72 point font on the forum page and at the top of the downloads page that says:

"Download/install the latest/matching version of HX Edit first!!!"

 

[HonestOpinion]

Don't want to neglect thanking Line6 for the new firmware. Just awesome! You guys did a magnificent job during a tough time! Thank you!

 

Poly - Wow! That's right, I said it. Poly! It's your birthday! Just unbelievable that this was added! Need more synth now please. How great is this! Raised the bar for your competitors. What a bonus!  Thanks!   Running on............................................................................................................

Favorites and Defaults - Incredibly useful!

"True" preset spillover and lagless preset swiching - Fantastic for users who need to have preset switching on the fly. Personally I find snapshots get 99% of what I need done but a great option nonetheless. Would be perfect if this could be set in individual presets instead of global settings.

Impedance at first active block option - Yeah, way to put this one to rest! Makes it easier to set and forget the impedance setting when your first active pedal expects other values than 1M.

Min/max Value Indicators and especially Gain Reduction Meters for Input gate - Nice! Some useful visual info.

Tuner and Gain Reduction Meters in Native -  Great additions!

Artists Presets -  Should be fun to check out

New Manual - We know it was a major documentation effort and hey, I needed some new pandemic reading.

Horizon Drive - Great to have!

The New Splash Screen - Diggin' it!

Acoustic Simulator -  Another great addition!

Other stuff yet to get to - ?

[rossfr]

OK guys at line6 : its amazing. thanks!!  I was expecting the glitch delay for so long, I almost bought a bluesky reverb. Glad I didnt.  even the new start screen is amazing.

[SaschaFranck]

5 hours ago, HonestOpinion said:

Impedance at first active block option - Yeah, way to put this one to rest! Makes it easier to set and forget the impedance setting when your first active pedal expects other values than 1M.

 

Yeah, that's great. And I've always been with Tito83 on that one, because it was crystal clear from the first day he mentioned it that he was spot on (unfortunately I just couldn't tell him). That might change some things in the way I do patches (so far, I keep everything at 1M fixed).

 

Just starting to organize things a bit, but the single most biggest improvement should be user defaults and favourites.

 

5 hours ago, HonestOpinion said:

Other stuff yet to get to - ?

 

Defenitely the Princess - in case you're even remotely interested in thick and juicy clean(-ish) stuff.

[lou-kash]

7 hours ago, sinlimo said:

I did the update today and now FS4 doesn't work.

 

Just double-check the corresponding general preferences. They may reset to default values upon update. Was the case on my Stomp.

[datacommando]

7 hours ago, sinlimo said:

Has anybody had any issues with external foot switches?

 

My FS4 no longer is recognized. FS5 works as it should and I've tested the cable and pedal on another device and they are both working correctly.

 

I just used my Stomp last night and both FS4 and FS5 worked fine.

 

I did the update today and now FS4 doesn't work.

Reload your backup that you made prior to installing the new firmware. 
 

Updates have a tendency to reset all the Globals, which is why the backup is recommended - Line 6 don’t want to overwrite you stuff.

[rickaitch]

Just purchased a new HX Effects, updated unit and HX Edit to v3.  What a FANTASTIC piece of gear!  Having a small problem with Snapshots though, just started looking at creating and saving them using HX Edit.  So I have a saved preset and I want to lift the level parameter of a Distortion block from 6 to 7.5 when I change to Snapshot 2.  In HX Edit I select Snapshot 2, make the simple change from 6 to 7.5 then save the preset.  I find now that the level param has also changed to 7.5 in Snapshot 1.  Any changes I make to Snapshot 2 seem to happen Snapshot 1 as well!

Any idea where I'm going wrong?

[SaschaFranck]

Fwiw, when you restore a backup, it also allows you to only restore your old global settings while leaving everything else intact.

[emagli]

11 hours ago, PierM said:

I've seen today that guitars and pickups are a big variable in the equation. I do get some warbling with my telecaster, and couple of les pauls with different humbuckers. I have a great result with my Gibson LPC RK '54, equipped with a staple alnico and a vintage P90. That one works smooth with Poly, and tracking seems spot on, with both pups. Telly is the worse.

 

Today I have done more extensive A/B testing between Poly Capo and Drop using different guitars - a Godin LGXT with splittable humbuckers and a Duesenberg semi-acoustic. I agree it does depend on the pickups, to some extent.

 

The "good" of the capo: it tracks well even at "X fast" setting. It tracks well even if I go down 6 steps (which I would never do in real life). The tone is generally on par with the Drop, also at -6 half steps.

 

The "bad":

 

1) I generally do not like the attack. The attack seems more natural and more consistent over different pickups using the Drop. This is more evident for me using humbuckers, whereas single coils have more of their own attack and I can hear this less. It's one of those "feel" things that I certainly notice, my band members probably won't notice, and the audience certainly won't notice, but it's there. To me, the main culprit for that is the "auto EQ". I turned that off, and used a tilt eq at 450 Hz and Bright45, which is what I usually use to compensate for the Drop's high end loss. That way it sounds better to me. I still slightly prefer the Drop tonewise, but the Capo becomes very usable. Maybe I have just gotten used to the way the Drop alters the tone. 

 

2) I have noticed that the Poly Capo generates ghost notes when a note is dying. You can hear that especially on the G and B strings. The ghost notes are typically 1 or 2 half steps higher than the played note, depending how many half tones you drop the tuning. To hear that, you need a very clean tone with no modulation/reverb/delay; just hit a palm muted open G string slightly and listen through headphones. This is something undesirable... If you are playing a solo arpeggiated part (think Purple Rain's intro), there may be undesired artifacts when you switch from one chord to another. I only played this through headphones and I am not sure if the artifacts are going to be emphasized or will be unhearable live. The Drop has none of that.

 

All in all, I think I will use the Poly Capo. In our setlist (if we could gig, that is...) there are only 4 songs where I need to drop the tuning. I am willing to slightly sacrifice tone for convenience, i.e. not having to remember to turn it on before the song and especially to turn it off before the beginning of the next one. If my understanding is correct there will be a new iteration of the Poly engine that could make this even better. That would really be great.

[SaschaFranck]

PolyPitch won't properly work with certain harmonic input, completely regardless of the guitar and pickups used. Play a 4-part voicing containing a minor second interval (common thing would be a first inversion of a drop2 maj7 chord, such as E-B-C-G for a Cmaj7) and things will start to be way off. Even with plain sine wave sounds as an input source.

Besides, latency is really tough to deal with for me and the sonic qualities of whatever guitar are brutally mangled too, as there's no formant correction.

Don't get me wrong, on a parallel path it's fine to get some shimmer reverbs/delays and such, but in any 100% wet setting it's not ready for prime time.