themetallikid Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 So I typically only use my expression pedals for wah/whammy (any volume differences I program into snapshots as I dont do any swells really). However.....what I've noticed on presets is an odd delay or lack of engaging on presets I do this with. I'll try my best to describe it. I set my auto engage up so its backwards then most, toe-down is 'off'. I have it set to 98% as the threshold to engage the block, 0ms delay. I do it this way as I tend to favor the lower part of a wah sweep and accidentally turn it off a lot less this way. By default, I set up any other effects like whammy the same way just for consistency with my poor brain for live use. When I first turn the Helix on, I notice that I need to rock my pedal(s) back and forth at least once, sometimes twice for the blocks to engage properly or there is a lag in engagement. For my acoustic gigs this isnt an issue as I only use the pedals to reduce input signal between sets or turn off delay/reverb for between song banter. However if Im playing a gig with full band and I dont use the pedals for the first few songs and forget to 'calibrate' (lack of a better term)....then when I get to the song with the expression pedal use, there is a clear delay or change in the engagement of the bypassed effect. Now the strange part (for me).... Usually once I do this 'calibration' after the helix is powered up, it seems to be fine across presets. However there are a few presets where it seems I need to do it once the preset is engaged regardless of any previous 'calibration'. Am I on crack? Is there something I'm missing in setting up my auto-engage settings or something? Or am I really just slacking on engaging the pedals properly upon boot up and any issues I'm having are associated with that? (I apologize for my rambling, its band practice day. First practice with a new group and I'm all excited and my mind is going over every little thing about my presets i've noticed in my head that doesnt seem 'perfect') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted January 20, 2022 Share Posted January 20, 2022 8 hours ago, themetallikid said: So I typically only use my expression pedals for wah/whammy (any volume differences I program into snapshots as I dont do any swells really). However.....what I've noticed on presets is an odd delay or lack of engaging on presets I do this with. I'll try my best to describe it. I set my auto engage up so its backwards then most, toe-down is 'off'. I have it set to 98% as the threshold to engage the block, 0ms delay. I do it this way as I tend to favor the lower part of a wah sweep and accidentally turn it off a lot less this way. By default, I set up any other effects like whammy the same way just for consistency with my poor brain for live use. When I first turn the Helix on, I notice that I need to rock my pedal(s) back and forth at least once, sometimes twice for the blocks to engage properly or there is a lag in engagement. For my acoustic gigs this isnt an issue as I only use the pedals to reduce input signal between sets or turn off delay/reverb for between song banter. However if Im playing a gig with full band and I dont use the pedals for the first few songs and forget to 'calibrate' (lack of a better term)....then when I get to the song with the expression pedal use, there is a clear delay or change in the engagement of the bypassed effect. Now the strange part (for me).... Usually once I do this 'calibration' after the helix is powered up, it seems to be fine across presets. However there are a few presets where it seems I need to do it once the preset is engaged regardless of any previous 'calibration'. Am I on crack? Is there something I'm missing in setting up my auto-engage settings or something? Or am I really just slacking on engaging the pedals properly upon boot up and any issues I'm having are associated with that? (I apologize for my rambling, its band practice day. First practice with a new group and I'm all excited and my mind is going over every little thing about my presets i've noticed in my head that doesnt seem 'perfect') You may also want to set the Position setting down a few percent to make it more tolerant of any variances in the calibration - say 95%. Regarding the unusual behavior on certain presets I might consider recreating them. PITA I know. Perhaps there is a setting in them that is different, they are corrupt, or something in their DSP utilization is delaying the auto-engage. Another thought strikes me, perhaps, although contrary to intuition, setting a slightly higher 'Wait' time than your current setting of 0ms might help. Depending on how the algorithm is handling the wah's engagement it could be engaging and then disengaging before you have a chance to move beyond the 98% setting in the sweep. Seems unlikely as I would think that the alogrithm would not be active for disengagement until it had passed out of the engagement "window" set by 'Position', but something I would probably test to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theElevators Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 I think what you are describing is you are in fact on crack or something equally heavy... What you describe, needing to "calibrate" the expression pedal is the fact that your expression pedal's position is saved inside each preset. This is the behavior that I personally use. I go into my preset, and the expression pedal is saved at 99% regardless of the actual position of the pedal. Then as I start rocking the pedal, it starts following the actual physical position of the expression pedal. Why do I personally want that? Because sometimes I don't have the time to move the expression pedal up when I switch from a previous song... and always want my preset to start out with a specific wah-position. That way I have to do less work, as the ideal initial wah setting is already pre-dialed in. You know, sometimes if you put the wah in the heel position, it loses volume and tone -- I don't want to have to remember to pre-adjust the exp pedal prior to switching my sounds. Plus I always put the pedal in the down position when I'm done using it in a specific preset.... for consistency. Regardless.... Check Global Settings / EXP pedal. If you have Expression pedal 1/ 2 "per preset" or "per snapshot", then there's your answer right there. Until you move the pedal, regardless of the actual physical position, the pedal will at the "saved" percentage amount. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 3 hours ago, theElevators said: ... Check Global Settings / EXP pedal. If you have Expression pedal 1/ 2 "per preset" or "per snapshot", then there's your answer right there. Until you move the pedal, regardless of the actual physical position, the pedal will at the "saved" percentage amount. This^^^^ Very likely the issue. Should have mentioned global expression settings... heh, gettin' rusty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themetallikid Posted January 21, 2022 Author Share Posted January 21, 2022 12 hours ago, theElevators said: I think what you are describing is you are in fact on crack or something equally heavy... What you describe, needing to "calibrate" the expression pedal is the fact that your expression pedal's position is saved inside each preset. This is the behavior that I personally use. I go into my preset, and the expression pedal is saved at 99% regardless of the actual position of the pedal. Then as I start rocking the pedal, it starts following the actual physical position of the expression pedal. Why do I personally want that? Because sometimes I don't have the time to move the expression pedal up when I switch from a previous song... and always want my preset to start out with a specific wah-position. That way I have to do less work, as the ideal initial wah setting is already pre-dialed in. You know, sometimes if you put the wah in the heel position, it loses volume and tone -- I don't want to have to remember to pre-adjust the exp pedal prior to switching my sounds. Plus I always put the pedal in the down position when I'm done using it in a specific preset.... for consistency. Regardless.... Check Global Settings / EXP pedal. If you have Expression pedal 1/ 2 "per preset" or "per snapshot", then there's your answer right there. Until you move the pedal, regardless of the actual physical position, the pedal will at the "saved" percentage amount. Yes, now that you mention that, without even being near my Helix, I think you are right. I have mine set per preset (more than likely) for the same reasons. Although I always keep it toe down (playing OCD a bit), it makes sense that the preset doesnt acknowledge the pedal until it is moved once the preset is called up. So yes I need to 'activate' the pedal once I select that preset. Thanks....complete oversight of my own wants/needs. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theElevators Posted January 21, 2022 Share Posted January 21, 2022 1 hour ago, themetallikid said: Yes, now that you mention that, without even being near my Helix, I think you are right. I have mine set per preset (more than likely) for the same reasons. Although I always keep it toe down (playing OCD a bit), it makes sense that the preset doesnt acknowledge the pedal until it is moved once the preset is called up. So yes I need to 'activate' the pedal once I select that preset. Thanks....complete oversight of my own wants/needs. lol Here's another trick I came up with for auto-engaged effects -- it's a visual cue that I use. Take a look: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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