Helix Native program change in reaper

[Melissiah]

Hi all. I purchased a laptop and helix native to let my Helix Floor at home.

 

I use reaper to play my backing tracks and to projects videos.

 

I know how to create a midi track with bank/program change in reaper but Helix Native is not reacting

 

Anyone can share with me a reaper project with a program change that work with Native? This way I can learn my mistakes to see what I was doing wrong.

Or a tutorial that is working...

 

Thanks

[Melissiah]

Update, on native vst3, the midi in green led seem to receive my program change cause it's blinking at the right time but preset doesn't change.

[phil_m]

This capability doesn’t work with the VST3 version of Native.

[Melissiah]

Just now, phil_m said:

This capability doesn’t work with the VST3 version of Native.

 

What? Program change in 2021. I used program change in voyetra sequencer plus in 1981.

 

Any chance to have program change in next update?

[phil_m]

6 minutes ago, Melissiah said:

 

What? Program change in 2021. I used program change in voyetra sequencer plus in 1981.

 

Any chance to have program change in next update?

My understanding is that it works in the AU version, but for some reason the way it needs to be written to work in the VST3 version is different because of the Steinberg spec. So I don’t know if it’s something they’ll change or not.

[Melissiah]

1 minute ago, phil_m said:

My understanding is that it works in the AU version, but for some reason the way it needs to be written to work in the VST3 version is different because of the Steinberg spec. So I don’t know if it’s something they’ll change or not.

Oh my god. It's a shame. It suck big time. I'll ask for a refund.

 

Thanks for the answer

 

curiously, this guy seems to make it work but he is gone

 

[Melissiah]

I found another way. Let's hope my laptop can open 4 native instance at a time. If I use a volume block and CCs, I can shut down the volume of 3 native and keep the preset I need. In Echoes I need 8 presets but I'll convert em to snapshots if it's abusive...

[soundog]

I use Neural DSP, S-Gear, and Helix Native for guitar plug-ins. They are all sound excellent. BUT ... Neural DSP and S-Gear have excellent MIDI capabilities so you can use them for live performance with a MIDI controller, including support for program change. Helix Native has the absolute worst MIDI capabilities for live performance. In addition, Neural DSP and S-Gear will run as a standalone app with MIDI control. Helix Native will not.

 

What does that tell you? It tells me that Line 6 never designed Native for live performance. It was never a priority. I'm guessing that is so they will sell more Helix hardware.

[phil_m]

4 hours ago, soundog said:

I use Neural DSP, S-Gear, and Helix Native for guitar plug-ins. They are all sound excellent. BUT ... Neural DSP and S-Gear have excellent MIDI capabilities so you can use them for live performance with a MIDI controller, including support for program change. Helix Native has the absolute worst MIDI capabilities for live performance. In addition, Neural DSP and S-Gear will run as a standalone app with MIDI control. Helix Native will not.

 

What does that tell you? It tells me that Line 6 never designed Native for live performance. It was never a priority. I'm guessing that is so they will sell more Helix hardware.

I don’t think that was the thought process at all… For one thing, Native is a lot more full-featured than S-Gear or the Neural plug-ins, so there’s just far less to control in those plug ins. They can have things like fixed CC mapping because they have far fewer parameters to control. Beyond the MIDI PC thing (which does work with. AU version on Macs, btw), how would suggest the MIDI implementation be different on Native?

[soundog]

OK. I strike my last sentence. But it still feels that way to me. And why still no standalone mode with MIDI control?

[OmniFace]

After much digging and a response from Line 6 I've found a way to do this in Reaper.  Just updating this for posterity!

 

1) Set up a track in Reaper

2) Add the Helix Plugin

3) Open the plugin window

4) Click the + button (next to the No preset drop down and the Param button at the top of the window)

5) Click Link to MIDI program change and choose an option

6) Click the + button again and click Save preset

7) Make another preset

8) Add a MIDI item to the track, or another track and send the MIDI to the first track.

9) Use the Bank/Program Select option in the automation.

10 Set the Program number to the desired preset.  Note that MIDI is 0 based, meaning the 128 options starts as 0 and goes up to 127.  So preset 1 is 0, preset 2 is 1, etc.

 

In testing I found that there is still a delay when switching presets (unlike snapshots).  Switching between the first 2 Factory patches had audio gaps between 25-75 ms.  These were also delayed.  So you'll want to move the Program Changes forward a little so the delay and gap happen at the very end of the section and the beginning of the new part has the proper sound.

 

I DID find that rendering stems, freezing, or even full project renders seem to have a bug when doing this.  They don't render fully.  Posted that on the Reaper forums looking for help.