Idiots Guide to connecting Helix to DT25 amp.

[sponny]

Hello all

 

I have had my Helix LT for a while now and been using that through an FRFR speaker which has been fine but I miss the compression and low down power of a valve amp so recently bought a used DT25 combo.  I have linked the L6 cable between the helix and the amp and (as I expected) it doesn't sound great just as it is.  I would like to use the built in channel A/B and I-IV amp types in the DT25 in conjunction with the amp's other settings and the effects in the helix.

 

I have tried bypassing the amp blocks in my presets but can't find a way of channel switching or changing the parameters of each of the DT25 amp models directly (I have managed to find the I-IV amp modes in the helix settings but still can't find out how I change and store channel and tone settings to a patch).

 

If I plug the helix directly into the 1/4" input on the amp, I can obviously choose amp types directly but that doesn't solve my channel switching and amp parameters - it also has accentuated hugely the sounds of the delay and modulation effects - the trails and repeats are much longer and sound completely differently directly into the amp than they did directly into the FRFR.

 

So my questions are simple (though I suspect the answers will not be) --- for an idiot who's still relatively new to this (and has no experience of midi connectivity), is there an easy way for me to connect the helix to the amp using L6 and then channel switching and storing amp parameters to preset patches and snapshots?  If so, is there a really basic guide out there I can follow which has baby steps in it (or even better a video, though I haven't been able to find anything on youtube)?  I have tried to create a new blank patch and tried using the command controls to try and emulate channel switching by trying to interpret the midi implementation guide from the line6 site but that has had no effect either - like I say, I have no experience of using midi and don't even know if midi commands will go through the L6 cable or if I need to also have the midi in / out connections from the amp to the helix to make this work the way I'd like.

 

My DT25 is updated to firmware 2.0 and my helix is currently running 3.11 but I see a new release came out yesterday so will update to that soon.

 

Thanks for any help provided by you more experienced users and please be gentle with me :-)

 

Peter

[silverhead]

Here is a document I wrote a couple of years ago that may be helpful. I wrote it for my son-in-law and tried to provide a comprehensive overview of setting up an HX FX device and a DT-25 combo amp to work together. I hope at least some of it will be helpful to you. The document refers to some other docs from the Line 6 site and also refers to other setup work I did on his computer. You won’t have access to that of course but I expect you may find it helpful in any case.

 

Note that this document is not produced by Line 6 and represents my own unaffiliated work. Some content may be conceptually misleading and even inaccurate. Use at your own risk.

 

 

HX:DT - ReadMe.docx

[stooxie]

If you go to the output block in the Helix you will see a DT25/50 tab. That will allow you to control many of the DT's parameters. Connecting via L6 bypasses the DT's built-in pre amp on channel A, while leaving it engaged on channel B. So I guess you could, for example, double up on pre-amps. Many people opt to use the Helix's pre-amps or amps and then use the DT output block to control the power amp parameters, which I think is what you are talking about. You can also save some DSP in the Helix by using the DT's reverb (although you can't change the type of reverb via the output block, only the amount... You could use the Command Control to issue a midi command to set it but unless you need the DSP room it's easier just to use whatever reverb block you want in the Helix.)

 

There's been lots of calls from the DT community to add those additional controls via L6 and/or the Helix output block but so far those calls have not been heeded. Most likely because the DT/Helix combo doesn't represent a large amount of Line6's business, but at the same time, how hard could it be? The DT tab is there in the output block, why not add in a few more parameters?

 

-Stooxie

 

 

[rd2rk]

Congratulations on your purchase of one of the finest amps ever made by Line6.

 

Like all of the best amps they've ever made (including the latest, the POWERCAB line), they've totally abandoned the product.

 

You can still get the manuals, including MIDI implementation here;

 

Line 6 Manuals

 

This should provide the info you need to take it beyond the L6 Link functionality.

 

Use CommandCenter to send the MIDI messages as necessary. RTM.

 

Come back if you have specific questions as to how to use MIDI and CommandCenter to do this.

[CraigGT]

The guys above have given you good advice but when I used my Helix with my DT25 I suffered from option overload.

I sold the DT25 and kept the Helix.

[SteveGordon]

I struggled with this stuff but it's quite easy.

Don worry about MIDI control etc.

Connect with L6 link.

Use helix edit and select the output block in your chain. Check its Multi or Digital. Click the DT25/50 tab and choose your parameters. It can be global or per preset. Can also be changed per snapshot.

My advice is use the Helix set up rather the older DT preamps.

The preamp and fx will be as set in your Helix. The power amp and its voicings are what you have chosen in the tab. Best of both worlds. Most folks tend to prefer full amp in Helix rather than just the preamp, at least at lower volumes.