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Brit Plexi Brt has lost all top end response....


tmmurnane
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Hello all! New to the Helix family, but happy to be here! 

 

One issue has popped up for me. I'm using the Helix floor with a JTV-59. The other day, I finally dialed in a few patches that seemed really great. Took a while to dial in a nice overdriven to highly overdriven sound using the LP model on the Variax into the Brit Plexiglas Brt - Rochester Comp - EQ - etc. Have used this patch the last few days to great success. 

 

Today, every single model on the Variax (and the magnetic pickups on the Variax) has the top end completely butchered by the Helix in every single amp, cab, combination, etc. It's the high e and b strings that sound dreadful. I don't know what has happened. I've reset the Helix to factory and tried importing my patches again (which is another problem as it seems that every patch is loaded exactly the same despite being saved separately with according names), and even reinstalled the firmware. I've tried moving the Helix to another room and plugging it in there, and tried a different power strip. I've tried it in another house just to finish the power troubleshooting. I've changed strings on my guitar and done some investigating inside the guitar to see if somehow while it was hanging on the stand and not being touched (I live alone) and found no damage or indications of issues there. I've made sure the battery inside the Variax was connected and charged (even though I run the Varian through the data cable and have never had to use the battery before). I've tried plugging the guitar cable in instead of the Variax cable. All of the gain that was there is gone on the top end. And those two strings sound like utter garbage. Sounds like I'm playing a $99 First Act, but only on those two strings. The G string is questionable, but manageable. I've checked my EQ settings as well as the global EQ. I have made sure the Wah wasn't engaged and the volume pedal was at 100% as well as removing the volume control altogether. I've also changed the signal chain as well. And I've gone through every single amp and cab in a different preset. All with the same result. The bass strings sound big and beefy, but those top two are just horrifying. And to top it off, I plugged in my Taylor 214CE in as well with the same results. I play 13's on the Taylor and it sounds like I have 8's on the top two strings. 

 

I'm out of ideas. I know there are so many of these problems that seem to magically fix themselves (at least the forums seem to suggest that), but I guess I'm more wondering if you've encountered this issue specifically yourselves? 

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1 minute ago, tmmurnane said:

I monitor straight out through the 1/8 inch headphone jack into my Sennheiser HD 280's. None of that has changed in the few days since I dialed in the preset. 


Do you have a way to try different headphones and connect it to something else?

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1 minute ago, phil_m said:


Do you have a way to try different headphones and connect it to something else?

 I have my Presonus EBT 4.5's as well, but it's the same response through those, as well as my AirPods and my MacBook speakers. I haven't tried my other headphones, but I have figured it's not a problem with the monitoring solution. And if it is, and I constantly need to change methods of outputting the sound, seems like it might not be worth the investment. 

 

I have also tried using Logic and ProTools to see if the DAW would make a difference, but to no avail. Same result no matter how I try it. 

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And I think I'll add one more thing. I guess a way to describe the entire sound now would be that EVERYTHING sounds very "honky". Not just the top two strings. Like a goose is chasing after me kind of honky. No matter what amp and cab I use. No matter if it's just the amp and cab. Or just the amp. 

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6 hours ago, tmmurnane said:

Hello all! New to the Helix family, but happy to be here! 

 

One issue has popped up for me. I'm using the Helix floor with a JTV-59. The other day, I finally dialed in a few patches that seemed really great. Took a while to dial in a nice overdriven to highly overdriven sound using the LP model on the Variax into the Brit Plexiglas Brt - Rochester Comp - EQ - etc. Have used this patch the last few days to great success. 

 

Today, every single model on the Variax (and the magnetic pickups on the Variax) has the top end completely butchered by the Helix in every single amp, cab, combination, etc. It's the high e and b strings that sound dreadful. I don't know what has happened. I've reset the Helix to factory and tried importing my patches again (which is another problem as it seems that every patch is loaded exactly the same despite being saved separately with according names), and even reinstalled the firmware. I've tried moving the Helix to another room and plugging it in there, and tried a different power strip. I've tried it in another house just to finish the power troubleshooting. I've changed strings on my guitar and done some investigating inside the guitar to see if somehow while it was hanging on the stand and not being touched (I live alone) and found no damage or indications of issues there. I've made sure the battery inside the Variax was connected and charged (even though I run the Varian through the data cable and have never had to use the battery before). I've tried plugging the guitar cable in instead of the Variax cable. All of the gain that was there is gone on the top end. And those two strings sound like utter garbage. Sounds like I'm playing a $99 First Act, but only on those two strings. The G string is questionable, but manageable. I've checked my EQ settings as well as the global EQ. I have made sure the Wah wasn't engaged and the volume pedal was at 100% as well as removing the volume control altogether. I've also changed the signal chain as well. And I've gone through every single amp and cab in a different preset. All with the same result. The bass strings sound big and beefy, but those top two are just horrifying. And to top it off, I plugged in my Taylor 214CE in as well with the same results. I play 13's on the Taylor and it sounds like I have 8's on the top two strings. 

 

I'm out of ideas. I know there are so many of these problems that seem to magically fix themselves (at least the forums seem to suggest that), but I guess I'm more wondering if you've encountered this issue specifically yourselves? 

 

One thought is perhaps something has changed in your global settings. I know you said you already tried restoring but if you took a backup before you upgraded it might be worth trying a restore again of just your global settings from that previous backup before you started having issues . You can uncheck everything else in the restore from backup dialog box and just restore your globals. 

 

Sounds like you tried multiple guitars already so it is probably not cabling but I would make sure everything is plugged in tight including headphones and swap out cables where you can.  Make sure you have a fresh battery in the Taylor.

 

One area people have had issues is the global setting for the expression pedal changing(e.g. snapshot, preset, global) after a firmware update. This can profoundly impact a preset's sound particularly if the volume block was placed early in the signal chain.

 

Btw, although it is located in each preset the 'Variax Settings' parameter is actually global. Unless every one of your Variax presets was the same previously, go to the Input block of any Variax preset, then go to the second parameter page and change the parameter 'Variax Settings' = "Per Preset". This will affect every other preset for your Variax and restore your custom settings in each preset for the Variax.

 

Not sure I follow what you mean here, can you shed a little more light on your statement above - " I've reset the Helix to factory and tried importing my patches again (which is another problem as it seems that every patch is loaded exactly the same despite being saved separately with according names)".  This makes it sound like you may not have successfully saved the presets you dialed in to your satisfaction previously or that they did not reload properly.

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What you haven't mentioned is trying any other guitars besides the Variax to see if the problem persists... in two seconds you'll know if the Helix is the problem, or not. Variax guitars are this close to being too complicated to get out of their own way, and notorious for sudden odd behavior, particularly piezo failures, which  is especially likely if the problem occurrs (or is most noticeable) on only a couple of strings. Plug in something else and see what happens... I'd bet money that this is a Variax problem, and has nothing to do with the Helix.

 

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6 hours ago, HonestOpinion said:

Btw, although it is located in each preset the 'Variax Settings' parameter is actually global. Unless every one of your Variax presets was the same previously, go to the Input block of any Variax preset, then go to the second parameter page and change the parameter 'Variax Settings' = "Per Preset". This will affect every other preset for your Variax and restore your custom settings in each preset for the Variax.

 

22 minutes ago, cruisinon2 said:

What you haven't mentioned is trying any other guitars besides the Variax to see if the problem persists... they are notorious for sudden odd behavior and piezo issues, particularly if it's only occurring on a couple of strings. Plug in something else and see what happens... I'd bet money it's got nothing to do with the Helix.

 

 

The two above quotes/suggestions is where I would be looking for the problem.

It sounds like a Variax problem not a Helix problem... especially if it is most noticeable on just 2 strings.

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9 hours ago, HonestOpinion said:

 

One thought is perhaps something has changed in your global settings. I know you said you already tried restoring but if you took a backup before you upgraded it might be worth trying a restore again of just your global settings from that previous backup before you started having issues . You can uncheck everything else in the restore from backup dialog box and just restore your globals. 

 

Sounds like you tried multiple guitars already so it is probably not cabling but I would make sure everything is plugged in tight including headphones and swap out cables where you can.  Make sure you have a fresh battery in the Taylor.

 

One area people have had issues is the global setting for the expression pedal changing(e.g. snapshot, preset, global) after a firmware update. This can profoundly impact a preset's sound particularly if the volume block was placed early in the signal chain.

 

Btw, although it is located in each preset the 'Variax Settings' parameter is actually global. Unless every one of your Variax presets was the same previously, go to the Input block of any Variax preset, then go to the second parameter page and change the parameter 'Variax Settings' = "Per Preset". This will affect every other preset for your Variax and restore your custom settings in each preset for the Variax.

 

Not sure I follow what you mean here, can you shed a little more light on your statement above - " I've reset the Helix to factory and tried importing my patches again (which is another problem as it seems that every patch is loaded exactly the same despite being saved separately with according names)".  This makes it sound like you may not have successfully saved the presets you dialed in to your satisfaction previously or that they did not reload properly.

 

Fresh battery in the Taylor. Fresh strings too. Didn't dial in that preset before updating. All of this was after updates. Tried the Variax - Global change with no change. 

 

As to the part you wanted clarity on... I successfully saved the preset I am referring to, but other presets, when they saved, seemed to save as their own separate preset. I did not have to change the name of the preset or fiddle with them at all. When I loaded them up before the factory reset to other preset block, they all loaded up perfectly. And individually. But after the factory reset, they would only load as the same preset, so I've essentially lost the rest of them. To be fair it seems like I'm going to have to start from scratch regardless, so not sure it really matters at this point. 

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3 hours ago, cruisinon2 said:

What you haven't mentioned is trying any other guitars besides the Variax to see if the problem persists... in two seconds you'll know if the Helix is the problem, or not. Variax guitars are this close to being too complicated to get out of their own way, and notorious for sudden odd behavior, particularly piezo failures, which  is especially likely if the problem occurrs (or is most noticeable) on only a couple of strings. Plug in something else and see what happens... I'd bet money that this is a Variax problem, and has nothing to do with the Helix.

 

I actually tried my Taylor 214Ce DLX as well (only to guitars I own), and same problem with that. The 13's on my Taylor sound like 8's. 

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38 minutes ago, tmmurnane said:

I actually tried my Taylor 214Ce DLX as well (only to guitars I own), and same problem with that. The 13's on my Taylor sound like 8's. 

 

That's not a good yardstick...be it modeled or a real amp, I wouldn't expect any acoustic guitar to sound anything even remotely pleasing through a Plexi. Plug that Taylor into anything but a dedicated acoustic amp, direct to a PA, or a patch designed specifically for an acoustic tone monitored through some kind of FRFR output, and you'll get that same thin, craptastic sound.

 

You've tried one guitar that relies entirely on fancy tech to function, making it prone to weird quirks and problems, and an acoustic. If you really want to troubleshoot this effectively, you need to beg, borrow, or steal a "normal" fully functioning electric guitar and see what happens. Otherwise there's a good chance that you're chasing a problem that doesn't exist.

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6 minutes ago, cruisinon2 said:

 

That's not a good yardstick...be it modeled or a real amp, I wouldn't expect any acoustic guitar to sound anything close to pleasing through a Plexi. You've only tried one guitar that tells heavily on fancy tech to function, and is prone to weird quirks and problems, and an acoustic. If you really want to troubleshoot this effectively, you need to beg, borrow, or steal a regular fully functioning electric guitar and see what happens.

I didn't try it through the Plexi. I plugged it in both on a fresh preset with absolutely no effects on it, and also tried it with the acoustic sim  just to give it a bit of volume and life. As well as with just the 12 string effect. Same result regardless. And I have just now finished trying my Variax through a completely different interface, and the Varian sounds fine. Much different than through the Helix. 

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7 minutes ago, cruisinon2 said:

Then it's time for a factory reset on the Helix, which is really the only user- serviceable "fix" there is for weird issues. Failing that, it's service ticket time, and see what they tell you.

 

Yeah, did that one already, so now I think it's time for a service ticket.

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3 hours ago, tmmurnane said:

 

Fresh battery in the Taylor. Fresh strings too. Didn't dial in that preset before updating. All of this was after updates. Tried the Variax - Global change with no change. 

 

As to the part you wanted clarity on... I successfully saved the preset I am referring to, but other presets, when they saved, seemed to save as their own separate preset. I did not have to change the name of the preset or fiddle with them at all. When I loaded them up before the factory reset to other preset block, they all loaded up perfectly. And individually. But after the factory reset, they would only load as the same preset, so I've essentially lost the rest of them. To be fair it seems like I'm going to have to start from scratch regardless, so not sure it really matters at this point. 

 

Are you using the terms "setlist" and "preset" interchangeably? Maybe I am just not getting it, wouldn't be the first time, but it still sounds like you may have some confusion regarding how the backup/restore process works, at least when you describe it.  If you used the "Create Backup" and "Restore From Backup" commands from the File menu in HX Edit, those are setlists you backed up. They contain all of the presets as a group for that setlist but are not available for individual restore. If you want to be able to load presets individually you have to use the 'Export' link in HX Edit although all the presets in a setlist can be highlighted and exported at one time as individual files.  It may be worth your while to start from scratch as you say and get a preset sounding the way you want and make sure it is saved properly.

 

Also wanted to echo and reinforce cruisinon2's suggestion and encourage you to get a hold of a garden variety guitar with passive pickups to test with to eliminate the Variax as a possible source of the problem. As he also pointed out neither of the guitars you are testing with are a great platform to use to eliminate the Helix as the source of the problem although they should sound great once you get them dialed in properly unless they require repair.  Acoustic guitars take a while to learn how to dial in correctly and the Variax as pointed out is not unknown to have piezo issues and also adds additional features and complications which can also take time to learn how to mesh well with the Helix.

 

Hang in there, this sounds like it may be a learning curve issue. If not you can always open a ticket with Line6.

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1 minute ago, HonestOpinion said:

 

Are you using the terms "setlist" and "preset" interchangeably? Maybe I am just not getting it, wouldn't be the first time, but it still sounds like you may have some confusion regarding how the backup/restore process works, at least when you describe it.  If you used the "Create Backup" and "Restore From Backup" commands from the File menu in HX Edit, those are setlists you backed up. They contain all of the presets as a group for that setlist but are not available for individual restore. If you want to be able to load presets individually you have to use the Export link in HX Edit although all the presets in a setlist can be highlighted and exported at one time as individual files.  It may be worth your while to start from scratch as you say and get a preset sounding the way you want and make sure it is saved properly.

 

Also wanted to echo and reinforce cruisinon2's suggestion and encourage you to get a hold of a garden variety guitar with passive pickups to test with to eliminate the Variax as a possible source of the problem. As he also pointed out neither of the guitars you are testing with are a great platform to use to eliminate the Helix as the source of the problem although they should sound great once you get them dialed in properly unless they require repair.  Acoustic guitars take a while to learn how to dial in correctly and the Variax as pointed out is not unknown to have piezo issues and also adds additional features and complications which can also take time to learn how to mesh well with the Helix.

 

Hang in there, this sounds like it may be a learning curve issue. If not you can always open a ticket with Line6.

Nope, definitely not using the terms interchangeably. I exported my presets individually and tried to reload them individually, but both loaded as the same preset despite being saved and imported individually as different presets entirely. When I "restored" the Helix, it was a complete factory reset. At least to firmware 3.0. But again, these presets were made after installing 3.0 anyway. I also reinstalled the firmware. 

 

As far as I can tell, the JTV-59 has passive pickups as well, which I used to the same type of failure on the Helix's end. I've plugged the Variax into a different interface and got the good old sound I was used to, both with the magnetic pickups and the Variax pickups. So as far as I can tell, it is definitely a problem with the Helix. 

 

What boggles my mind is that without changing settings or the preset in anyway, as well as not changing a single setting in the Variax, or any global settings to speak of, (just a plug and play type of situation from day to day) how turning the Helix on one day will garner great results, but the next day, simply by turning the unit on, will garner a completely different result. 

 

I spent two days reading forums trying to dig in to this problem before posting here, and tried every single combination of remedies I could think of or research, but still nothing has worked. 

 

One final note, I'm not sure how getting a "garden variety" guitar will help me find the problem as the problem exists across the platform, and thus would also cause such a problem with any guitar I put into it. Basically, I would have no control sample with the normal guitar with which to judge if the Helix was causing a problem or not with that guitar. But my control sample with the Variax (plugging it in with the same cables into a separate interface) definitely suggests that the problem lies in the Helix itself and not elsewhere. I attempted to design a very similar setup through Amplitube 4, which to my amazement sounded great. I also attempted this through Guitar Rig 6, and again, this went well. All the models in the Variax sounded as they should, as well as the passive pickups in the Variax. 

 

Will keep updating here as I hear back from Line 6 in regards to the support ticket. I have dialed in a completely different preset which sounds ok-ish. Something I can use at the very least. Still very troubling that I can't trust any of it at all. 

 

Again, I'd like to thank you all for your help. It's reassuring to know there's such a great Line 6 community who is there at the drop of a hat to help a player in need! I've been using computers long enough to know that sometimes this stuff happens, so hopefully I can help the next player who find himself in a similar position. 

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24 minutes ago, tmmurnane said:

Nope, definitely not using the terms interchangeably. I exported my presets individually and tried to reload them individually, but both loaded as the same preset despite being saved and imported individually as different presets entirely. When I "restored" the Helix, it was a complete factory reset. At least to firmware 3.0. But again, these presets were made after installing 3.0 anyway. I also reinstalled the firmware. 

 

As far as I can tell, the JTV-59 has passive pickups as well, which I used to the same type of failure on the Helix's end. I've plugged the Variax into a different interface and got the good old sound I was used to, both with the magnetic pickups and the Variax pickups. So as far as I can tell, it is definitely a problem with the Helix. 

 

What boggles my mind is that without changing settings or the preset in anyway, as well as not changing a single setting in the Variax, or any global settings to speak of, (just a plug and play type of situation from day to day) how turning the Helix on one day will garner great results, but the next day, simply by turning the unit on, will garner a completely different result. 

 

I spent two days reading forums trying to dig in to this problem before posting here, and tried every single combination of remedies I could think of or research, but still nothing has worked. 

 

One final note, I'm not sure how getting a "garden variety" guitar will help me find the problem as the problem exists across the platform, and thus would also cause such a problem with any guitar I put into it. Basically, I would have no control sample with the normal guitar with which to judge if the Helix was causing a problem or not with that guitar. But my control sample with the Variax (plugging it in with the same cables into a separate interface) definitely suggests that the problem lies in the Helix itself and not elsewhere. I attempted to design a very similar setup through Amplitube 4, which to my amazement sounded great. I also attempted this through Guitar Rig 6, and again, this went well. All the models in the Variax sounded as they should, as well as the passive pickups in the Variax. 

 

Will keep updating here as I hear back from Line 6 in regards to the support ticket. I have dialed in a completely different preset which sounds ok-ish. Something I can use at the very least. Still very troubling that I can't trust any of it at all. 

 

Again, I'd like to thank you all for your help. It's reassuring to know there's such a great Line 6 community who is there at the drop of a hat to help a player in need! I've been using computers long enough to know that sometimes this stuff happens, so hopefully I can help the next player who find himself in a similar position. 

 

 

It does appear you understand the backup process. Just want to throw this out there. Regarding the two presets you exported which I assume resulted in two files with different names(if you named the presets differently). Is it possible you copied one to the second slot and then did not save your changes in the second preset before exporting? Easy mistake to make. If this was an actual bug I would expect to have seen it reported here widely.

 

I will say that there has been wide and lengthy discussions on why presets can sound great one day and like lollipope the next that have included everything from advanced physics discussions to simple points about the way we hear and perceive sound, changes in the listening space, or even the weather. 

 

You make a good point, testing with the passive pickups on the Variax is a fine idea. Another guitar might enhance your "control" group for the experiment though.

 

Lastly I find generally that if I do a proper upgrade, backup properly, and keep my global settings consistent, I can trust the Helix to retain my presets faithfully. I suppose there is always the possibility that something on your device is failing but I would not jump to that conclusion yet. I wish you luck in getting this sorted out to your satisfaction and urge you to open a ticket if you continue to get substantially different results from day to day. That is not normal behavior for this device.

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2 minutes ago, Schmalle said:

I've not read the word tone pot in this thread so far.

Funnily enough, I went through every single tone pot setting on a Les Paul model that matches exactly to the LP model I usually use. None of that changed the final result either. Workbench HD is a lot of work. But I did attempt that route to see if it was a result of something there. I even tried every setting on the volume pot as well. As well as every different combination of pickups, body types, changing cent value on string tunings individually. I can at least say now I have a decent understanding of every aspect of Workbench HD. And since the problem didn't arise from the guitar when I plugged it in to the other interface, both through Logic and ProTools, and since I just bought the guitar a few months ago, I wouldn't think to actually have the tone pot changed out. I mean, if my helix is doing this, I can't imagine what my Variax would do if I changes something completely. 

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5 minutes ago, HonestOpinion said:

 

 

It does appear you understand the backup process. Just want to throw this out there. Regarding the two presets you exported which I assume resulted in two files with different names(if you named the presets differently). Is it possible you copied one to the second slot and then did not save your changes in the second preset before exporting? Easy mistake to make. If this was an actual bug I would expect to have seen it reported here widely.

I thought about that, but I had been using the second preset over the course of a few days and did not change it. And it saved as I would expect a file to save. I just went through the same process of exporting a preset and importing it to a new preset, and that at the very least seems to be working as expected now. But the previous preset is definitely gone. I've tried to import it numerous times, to no avail. So something must have gone amiss during the export process. 

 

I'm a student in a Bach for music production, so I find it hard to commit time to tweaking as much as I would like, and since the virus has essentially murdered every gig around the world at least for the next few months, I figured I would take it slow. Just in case anyone is wondering why I only have a couple of presets. lol I'm still in the process of finding sounds I like before recording with the Helix and wanted to give this a bit of time to work to bugs. I will say as an interface, aside from the above problems, the Helix is amazing. 

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Well, it appears my unit is faulty after all. When switching between presets just now, (between one and then back) both times the helix loaded a 12 string effect onto both presets. I had to unplug and replug in the Variax and it reset. Just notating it here so when I submit the ticket, Line 6 can read it here. Thanks everyone. I'd say it has definitely been figured out. My Helix is defective. 

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1 hour ago, tmmurnane said:

One final note, I'm not sure how getting a "garden variety" guitar will help me find the problem as the problem exists across the platform, and thus would also cause such a problem with any guitar I put into it.

 

It might, and it might not. Variaxes are weird instruments. Data is being transferred in both directions via the VDI, and there's complicated switching within the guitar itself between the mag pickups and modeling engine, A/D and D/A conversions happening all over the place, and the hiccup could be anywhere. And none of that crap goes on with a normal guitar. It is conceivable that whatever it is, is originating in the guitar itself, or that it's some odd communication problem between the Variax and Helix. I'm not saying that this is definitely the case... merely that it's a possibility. And until it's ruled out, a possibility it remains. If I'm wrong, so be it...but plugging in something else is free to test, take two seconds, and it just might save you the headache of trying to fix something that ain't broke.

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, cruisinon2 said:

It might, and it might not. Variaxes are weird instruments. Data is being transferred in both directions via the VDI, and there's complicated switching within the guitar itself between the mag pickups and modeling engine, A/D and D/A conversions happening all over the place, and the hiccup could be anywhere. And none of that crap goes on with a normal guitar. It is conceivable that it's a that's originating in the guitar itself. I'm not saying that this is definitely the case... merely that it's a possibility. And until it's ruled out, a possibility it remains. If I'm wrong, so be it...but it's free to test, take two seconds, and it just might save you an unnecessary headache.

I'm there with ya, but don't think it's going to save a headache. Even if it works properly with a normal guitar (even though I've tested the magnetic pickups of the Variax through just a standard guitar cable (multiple cables actually)), it still doesn't work properly as a unit itself. If I need to buy a different guitar to get the helix to work, then it defeats the purpose completely. And as I've detailed above, I've run the helix through a separate interface with great and expected results, so I can narrow the problem down to the Helix itself. And my Taylor, I've been gigging with that guitar regularly for the past 6 years and I have a very good idea how that guitar should sound. I always use the same gauge and brand of strings as well as the same batteries, and even that guitar sounded odd when plugged in to the Helix. Besides, the Helix just added 12 string effect to two different presets on it's own. I feel the Helix has shown itself to be the problem. 

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34 minutes ago, tmmurnane said:

...

Besides, the Helix just added 12 string effect to two different presets on it's own. I feel the Helix has shown itself to be the problem. 

 

Did you set the preset setting for the Input block as I detailed previously in the paragraph below? Until you do every Variax preset will show up with the same Variax setting you last set. Doesn't matter which preset you set it in. Also goes without saying you need to save the preset after customizing the Variax settings.

 

"Btw, although it is located in each preset the 'Variax Settings' parameter is actually global. Unless every one of your Variax presets was the same previously, go to the Input block of any Variax preset, then go to the second parameter page and change the parameter 'Variax Settings' = "Per Preset". This will affect every other preset for your Variax and restore your custom settings in each preset for the Variax."

 

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10 minutes ago, HonestOpinion said:

Did you set the preset setting for the Input block as I detailed previously in the paragraph below? Until you do every Variax preset will show up with the same Variax setting you last set. Doesn't matter which preset you set it in. Also goes without saying you need to save the preset after customizing the Variax settings.

 

I did indeed. Right after you suggested it. The 12 string effect simply happened after I switched to a different preset that had no 12 string effect on it without any input on my end, and has never been set to any of the presets since the factory reset. And it immediately changed back after unplugging and plugging back in the Variax. 

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. "Until you do every Variax preset will show up with the same Variax setting you last set." I don't ever mod the Variax settings in Helix. I only mod them in the Workbench HD software. I don't see any point in altering the settings in Helix when I want the mods I make to travel between presets and rigs at large. 

 

I haven't changed any Variax settings other than modifying the custom models in Workbench HD. I never altered any Variax settings at all until you asked, and I set it as you said. Most of the time I simply use the LP model or one of the factory models in the Variax. 

 

The bottom line is my Helix is acting strange regardless. I'm pretty sure I'm done trying to suss it out in the forum here. There have been a lot of great suggestions and a lot fo great folks here lending a hand, but nothing is going to fix a faulty unit. I have placed a support ticket with Line 6 so we can sort it out that way. 

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On 11/30/2020 at 4:37 PM, tmmurnane said:

 

I did indeed. Right after you suggested it. The 12 string effect simply happened after I switched to a different preset that had no 12 string effect on it without any input on my end, and has never been set to any of the presets since the factory reset. And it immediately changed back after unplugging and plugging back in the Variax. 

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. "Until you do every Variax preset will show up with the same Variax setting you last set." I don't ever mod the Variax settings in Helix. I only mod them in the Workbench HD software. I don't see any point in altering the settings in Helix when I want the mods I make to travel between presets and rigs at large. 

 

I haven't changed any Variax settings other than modifying the custom models in Workbench HD. I never altered any Variax settings at all until you asked, and I set it as you said. Most of the time I simply use the LP model or one of the factory models in the Variax. 

 

The bottom line is my Helix is acting strange regardless. I'm pretty sure I'm done trying to suss it out in the forum here. There have been a lot of great suggestions and a lot fo great folks here lending a hand, but nothing is going to fix a faulty unit. I have placed a support ticket with Line 6 so we can sort it out that way. 

 

Workbench is another tool to customize Variax settings but you are missing out on the elegance of the connection between the Variax and the Helix. If you have one the Helix is arguably the best place to set the Variax instrument model that is invoked when you change presets or even snapshots, as well as individual string alternate tunings and levels and even customized settings for the volume and tone knobs. That way when you switch to a Helix  preset for a banjo, 12 string, Les Paul, etc. the Variax settings immediately change with it. Check out the level of additional control with the press of a footswitch that the Helix offers in tandem with a Variax. To me it is the best part of owning one. To leverage this however you need to enable all that control. You need  'Variax Settings' = "Per Preset", 'Preset Variax Tuning' = "Custom" also the 'Preset Variax Lock Control' if you want the Variax tone and volume knobs to remain at a particular setting.  All of these parameters can be found in the Input block when Variax is selected.

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On 11/30/2020 at 11:04 PM, HonestOpinion said:

 

Workbench is another tool to customize Variax settings but you are missing out on the elegance of the connection between the Variax and the Helix. If you have one the Helix is arguably the best place to set the Variax instrument model that is invoked when you change presets or even snapshots, as well as individual string alternate tunings and levels and even customized settings for the volume and tone knobs. That way when you switch to a Helix  preset for a banjo, 12 string, Les Paul, etc. the Variax settings immediately change with it. Check out the level of additional control with the press of a footswitch that the Helix offers in tandem with a Variax. To me it is the best part of owning one. To leverage this however you need to enable all that control. You need  'Variax Settings' = "Per Preset", 'Preset Variax Tuning' = "Custom" also the 'Preset Variax Lock Control' if you want the Variax tone and volume knobs involved as well.  All of these parameters can be found in the Input block when Variax is selected.

Will do! I'm discovering more each day! 

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'Honkyness' is nearly always a product of comb filtering caused by phase errors or time alignment issues. I had a similar problem recently that turned out to be a bad sleeve connection in the 1/8" - 1/4" adapter on my headphones. It could also be a function of a parallel path somewhere in your patch.

 

 

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13 hours ago, tmmurnane said:

Will do! I'm discovering more each day! 

 

Btw, also worth mentioning you can assign block parameters to the Variax's volume or tone controls. For example you can assign the 'Drive' parameter from your Distortion block to the Variax's volume knob such that when you turn it up the amount of drive on the distortion also increases.

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6 hours ago, PaulTBaker said:

could it have something to do with the new auto impedance feature that changes the guitar impedance based on the first Activated item in your chain?

 

Definitely worthy of mention. I can see some users having to make adjustments to their presets after enabling this. For example resetting the EQ, reshuffling blocks, or undoing the footwsitchable impedance setting workarounds some of us employed  previously.  After that the preset should behave predictably afterwards.

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