davidberrigan Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 I have a Helix lT and a PowerCab+ . I recently got a AES/EBU cable to connect the Helix and Powercab. I thought that with that cable I could use the Helix to change speakers as I change amps on the Helix. I have read here that in order to do that I need to use MIDI cables then others have claimed that the Link cable can do it all. The main thing I'm looking for is to have speakers change to go with what I have selected on the Helix. I do concerts and sometimes the back up bands can be placed in tight quarters. I have to go back in forth with electric to acoustic guitars and I need the PowerCab+ to be able to go from a Celestion speaker to Flat response for the acoustic. Does the AES/EBU cable have that ability Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwandering Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 You certainly can do what you want with the AES/BEU cable. The only thing a little confusing about it is that the Helix doesn't switch different presets on the PC+. What it does instead is it allows you to select all of the PC+ settings from the Helix preset. This can be a little confusing, because the display on the PC+ won't be up to date. Note that you did need MIDI for this before AES/BEU was fully supported in firmware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 In HX Edit, if you select the Output Block, then select the Powercab Tab, you can set the Powercab speakers for that preset. You can also assign speaker and FRFR Mode changes to Snapshots. This works with the AES/EBU cable. MIDI cables are only necessary if you want to change Powercab Presets or control Powercab settings using MIDI commands. NOTE that when using the AES/EBU cable you should use a Powercab "NEW PRESET" or a Powercab user preset set to LF FLAT. This is due to a problem with the HF driver not switching off in the LF FLAT/RAW and SPEAKER modes when switching using AES/EBU and a Powercab Preset set to FRFR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidberrigan Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 Thank you rwandering and rd2rk for the help. It seems that by setting the PowerCab to New Preset did the trick. I can go to from an acoustic guitar to an electric with the speaker that I want. That being said I don't understand why Line 6 don't mention this in the manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 I think it's a bug, in that, if you're controlling the Powercab from the Helix, the settings should be divorced from the Powercab Presets. At present, you can shut off Helix control when using PC Presets via MIDI, but not the other way around. I am hopeful of a Powercab update that addresses this and some other bugs when using two PCs. Hopefully, the update will include an improved version of Powercab Edit, and a MUCH better manual! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidberrigan Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 Exactly. The main reason I got the AES/EBU cable was to be able to switch the speakers on the PowerCab. Anyway thanks for the help. Really appreciated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tboneous Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 Here is a slightly different question on the topic of PC+ and mode switching. I have 2 PC+. I want independent control over the speakers. Example I want one to be the internal speaker and one to be FRFR or *One to be FRFR and one to be LF Raw or *One to be LF Flat and one to be LF Raw You get the picture. It appears that you can select speaker 1 or speaker 2 or speaker 1+2 linked together. this function doesn't seem to do anything via L6 link. If I try to set one speaker to do one thing, it applies to both speakers regardless if the speaker 1+2 link is engaged or not. Thanks for the help T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 Are your speakers PC112+ or PC212+? IIRC, your problem is a known issue on the PC212+, but not on the PC112+. In any case, there's problems with L6 Link that L6 has so far refused to deal with. Or even acknowledge. Contact support and see for yourself. Good Luck! As far as many of us who have been active about this on the forums can tell, the Powercab series is abandonware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tboneous Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 They are both PC 112+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 I took a minute to look into this, as I've never tried to use my Powercab like that. I have the PC212+ which, AFAIK, in your situation works the same way as having two PC112+. You can have different IRs on each speaker in FRFR MODE or USER IR MODE. You can have different emulations on each speaker in SPEAKER MODE. But the MODE itself applies to both speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence_Arps Posted June 26, 2022 Share Posted June 26, 2022 On 3/1/2021 at 10:43 AM, rd2rk said: I think it's a bug, in that, if you're controlling the Powercab from the Helix, the settings should be divorced from the Powercab Presets. At present, you can shut off Helix control when using PC Presets via MIDI, but not the other way around. I am hopeful of a Powercab update that addresses this and some other bugs when using two PCs. Hopefully, the update will include an improved version of Powercab Edit, and a MUCH better manual! Its interesting you see this as a bug. This behaviour is the same on any two midi devices . If you edit a parameter that parameter will change but the patch will not change its name. As an example, if I have a mixer patch and connect a MIDI controller I can change parameters in the mixer from the controller but the patch will not change (and devices vary as to whether they remember those changes on power up). Unless you save the Patch, the changes will be lost. In that mixer example the Patch name might be "All Muted", and the mute parameter active for all channels. On the controller I can unmute channels, but the name of the Patch will still say "All Muted". I dont see this as a bug. I do however have a PC Patch labelled "Helix Control" so I know where the "Master" controls are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted June 26, 2022 Share Posted June 26, 2022 On 6/26/2022 at 2:17 PM, lawrence_Arps said: Its interesting you see this as a bug. This behaviour is the same on any two midi devices . If you edit a parameter that parameter will change but the patch will not change its name. As an example, if I have a mixer patch and connect a MIDI controller I can change parameters in the mixer from the controller but the patch will not change (and devices vary as to whether they remember those changes on power up). Unless you save the Patch, the changes will be lost. In that mixer example the Patch name might be "All Muted", and the mute parameter active for all channels. On the controller I can unmute channels, but the name of the Patch will still say "All Muted". I dont see this as a bug. I do however have a PC Patch labelled "Helix Control" so I know where the "Master" controls are. I don't think that we're talking about the same (or even related) issues. The post that you quoted was related to an issue where if you use L6 Link from Helix to select a Powercab Mode wherein the HF Driver should be OFF (all modes except Flat/FRFR and UserIR) the HF Driver would not (consistently) turn OFF, rather it would remain in the state invoked by the PC Preset. I call it a bug (and I'm not alone in this) because if the Helix REMOTE setting is set to PRESET that should override the Powercab's Preset. It almost seems as though the Powercab's tiny brain can't decide who's in charge - it's preset or the Helix L6 Link settings! This has nothing at all to do with Preset NAMES. The only thing that can change a preset's NAME is if the user goes in and manually changes it. Well, I suppose a very technically adept person could write some fancy script to do it, but that's a whole 'nother subject! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence_Arps Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 On 6/27/2022 at 9:24 AM, rd2rk said: I don't think that we're talking about the same (or even related) issues. The post that you quoted was related to an issue where if you use L6 Link from Helix to select a Powercab Mode wherein the HF Driver should be OFF (all modes except Flat/FRFR and UserIR) the HF Driver would not (consistently) turn OFF, rather it would remain in the state invoked by the PC Preset. I call it a bug (and I'm not alone in this) because if the Helix REMOTE setting is set to PRESET that should override the Powercab's Preset. It almost seems as though the Powercab's tiny brain can't decide who's in charge - it's preset or the Helix L6 Link settings! This has nothing at all to do with Preset NAMES. The only thing that can change a preset's NAME is if the user goes in and manually changes it. Well, I suppose a very technically adept person could write some fancy script to do it, but that's a whole 'nother subject! I had heard of this - but I thought it was only on the 2 x 12 version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted July 1, 2022 Share Posted July 1, 2022 On 6/30/2022 at 2:49 PM, lawrence_Arps said: I had heard of this - but I thought it was only on the 2 x 12 version. AFAIK that is the case, and IIRC it was the PC212 we were talking about. Though, that whole discussion went on for so long there and elsewhere it could have been before someone noted that it worked fine on the PC112. I can't even verify THAT to be true since I didn't have my PC112 long enough to test it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williambean Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 I need some help. I have 2 powercab+ which I control switching from an AES/EBU cable. I want the 2 powercab+ to stay on FRFR at all times. When I switch patches one of the powercabs switch to different speaker models that are in the powercab + like greenback, bluebell etc, while the other powercab + stays in FRFR mode. I just want the setting to be standard on all patches in FRFR mode. The other crazy thing is that I think the direct outs on the powercab+ sound 100x better that going directly out of the direct outs on the helix. It sounds much more real in the PA. Am I alone in this or am I doing something wrong? Thank You for trying to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 On 8/3/2022 at 6:43 AM, williambean said: I have 2 powercab+ which I control switching from an AES/EBU cable. I want the 2 powercab+ to stay on FRFR at all times. When I switch patches one of the powercabs switch to different speaker models that are in the powercab + like greenback, bluebell etc, while the other powercab + stays in FRFR mode. I just want the setting to be standard on all patches in FRFR mode. Clarification needed: PC+(model?) #1 is connected to Helix by AES/EBU. PC+(model?) #2 is connected to PC+(model?) #1 by AES/EBU. In your Presets, Output Block>Powercab Tab: Remote = Preset Mode (Preset) = Flat Flat Voicing (Preset) = FRFR Select (Preset) = 1+2 Link You are NOT connected to your Powercabs via MIDI. The MODEL of your PC+ matters because either the 112 or the 212 (I forget which) has a problem with this. It could be that the 212 has a problem with split L/R speakers, but again I forget the specifics. If you're configured as above and still have the problem you could try contacting support and hope you get somebody who actually knows something about the Powercabs beyong "Plug it in". Good Luck with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williambean Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 On 8/3/2022 at 12:16 PM, rd2rk said: Clarification needed: PC+(model?) #1 is connected to Helix by AES/EBU. PC+(model?) #2 is connected to PC+(model?) #1 by AES/EBU. In your Presets, Output Block>Powercab Tab: Remote = Preset Mode (Preset) = Flat Flat Voicing (Preset) = FRFR Select (Preset) = 1+2 Link You are NOT connected to your Powercabs via MIDI. The MODEL of your PC+ matters because either the 112 or the 212 (I forget which) has a problem with this. It could be that the 212 has a problem with split L/R speakers, but again I forget the specifics. If you're configured as above and still have the problem you could try contacting support and hope you get somebody who actually knows something about the Powercabs beyong "Plug it in". Good Luck with that! You are correct on my setup, but I do have midi connected so that I can control the volume of my powercab by volume control pedal. It is set to cc7. Midi out of helix to in of powercab 1 and then out to the second power cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 On 8/3/2022 at 6:43 AM, williambean said: The other crazy thing is that I think the direct outs on the powercab+ sound 100x better that going directly out of the direct outs on the helix. It sounds much more real in the PA. Am I alone in this or am I doing something wrong? Thank You for trying to help. Assuming that we're talking about FRFR mode with cabs/IRs on Helix (not IRs in Powercab), the only difference is that your PA sounds different from your Powercabs. AFAIK the DI Outs on the Powercab in FRFR mode are direct/pass-through from the Helix - same signal. You MIGHT be crazy, but more likely there's something else going on in your system's configuration. I just tested this as follows: BIG KNOB set to MULTI and maxed (all the way right). Simple preset, just amp+cab. Powercab settings on defaults. Split path, split Block set to A/B, ROUTE parameter set to a FS. Path A Output set to DIGITAL, Path B output set to XLR. Powercab on Flat Stereo Preset. PC XLR DIs connected to two channels on the board, Helix XLR DIs connected to two channels on the board. When you toggle the FS the signal to the board will toggle between the Powercab DIs and the Helix DIs. At first I thought I was hearing what you heard. Then I looked at the PC+ display. It had changed from Flat Stereo to a preset that corresponded with the preset on the Helix. I then realized that, as I'm always connected to the PC+ by MIDI as well as L6 Link, that I had left the Global MIDI PC SEND setting ON (it's usually OFF). Now that the PC+ stays on FLAT STEREO, I can hear NO difference whatsoever. Attached is the test preset I used. Just a note - NEVER believe what the PC Edit app tells you about ANYTHING. It's buggy as h3ll. ALWAYS go by the actual display and settings on the Powercab itself. When in doubt do a Factory Reset on the Powercab from the Settings menu. That won't cause you to lose your IRs, it just resets the Global Settings and eliminates any random digital weirdness. It WILL wipe out any custom presets, so back up (Export) your presets first! Test DIs.hlx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 On 8/3/2022 at 10:58 AM, williambean said: You are correct on my setup, but I do have midi connected so that I can control the volume of my powercab by volume control pedal. It is set to cc7. Midi out of helix to in of powercab 1 and then out to the second power cab. You posted as I was typing. Go to Global Settings>MIDI/Tap and set MIDI PC SEND to OFF. That will prevent the Helix from sending it's default Program Change# to the PC+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 Since you're using two PCs you'll also want to turn OFF MIDI PC SEND in the Powercab's System Settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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