Is there a way to edit presets for HX Stomp offline ?

[vincentm77]

Hi everone,

 

HX Edit is great, but I wish I could create presets using the editor also when the HX Stomp isn't connected...

 

Is that possible ?

Hopefully Line6 will offer this in the near future...

Best,

Vincent

[DunedinDragon]

I don't think you'll see this with HX Edit as it's fundamental design depends entirely on the logic contained in the Helix unit.  This means if you were able to do it you could design a preset that wouldn't even load or work on your Helix unit.  As I understand it, there is something of a workaround if you have Helix Native because you can create presets in that environment then transfer the preset to your Helix hardware.

[PierM]

You need an editor with also the sound engine that mimics the hardware. That is called Helix Native. :)

 

HX Edit is just a bidirectional remote editor.

[MusicLaw]

@vincentm77 I too wish that, one day, Line 6 will release a stand alone version of HX Edit or some direct method to Edit Presets offline.  But that may be nothing more than a pipe dream.

 

In the interim, here's how to do what you want:

• Log into your Line 6 Account.
• Download and Install Helix Native to your DAW or a Free VST Host. Helix Native is offered as a Full Featured Free Trial. Or, as an HX Stomp Owner you can but it for the reduced price of $99 USD. However, when Line 6 puts Helix Native on Sale (typically 30% less) you can get it for about $70 USD. This presumes you are the original purchaser of your HX Stomp, or if you bought used, that the original owner never used the S/N to purchase Helix Native.
• Change Helix Native's Preferences > Hardware Compatibility from the Default (Floor/LT/Rack) to HX Stomp. 
• Using HX Edit backup your Preset (*.hlx) files to your computer.
• Using Helix Native Import your desired Preset (.hlx) files for editing.
• Edit your Presets and save to your computer.
• Open HX Edit
• Import Edited Preset (*.hlx) files and save to your HX Stomp.

[soundog]

Similar to @musiclaw's advice, I've edited patches on flights using Helix Native (set in Stomp mode) using a set of pre-recorded loops of my guitar in Logic. It worked dandy, though was editing through headphones so later tweaked the EQ a bit when using hardware and PA.

[maveric77]

Late to this, but for anyone who lands here from a search later: there's a third option now, alongside the Native suggestions above.

I built Helrig (helrig.com).

 

It's a preset editor that runs in the browser — nothing installed, nothing connected. Open a .hlx and you get the whole chain: blocks and their parameters, amp and cab, the split, snapshots, footswitch and controller assignments. It'll also open a .hxb backup or a .hls setlist and let you pull a single preset out without exploding the file first, estimates per-path DSP as you edit, and exports a standard .hlx that loads back on the usual way. It opens Helix Native presets too, so if you're already doing the Native-in-Stomp-mode thing, those files work here as well.

 

Where Native still wins: you can hear it. Helrig is silent — you're editing the chain, not auditioning it. So for the on-a-flight case the answers above are still the better ones, and it needs a connection to load anyway, which rules it out at 30,000 feet. Where it's useful is the rest of the time: the Stomp is at the rehearsal room, or you're on a phone or tablet with no laptop anywhere near you.

 

Free, no account. I'm the developer — independent project, nothing to do with Line 6.

[vincentm77]

Hi Maveric,

Helrig looks great, I will test your solution.

 

Do you update Helrig every time the HX Stomp is updated ?

How can I be sure that the preset I created using Helrig can actually be run on my HX Stomp ?

 

Cheers

Vincent

[maveric77]

Hey @vincentm77

 

Thanks for trying it out!

 

On updates: yes, I update Helrig's block catalog after each HX Stomp firmware release — it's currently based on 3.80, the latest one. From what I've seen across past firmware updates, the catalog's always been backward compatible — a preset built on an older firmware version still works fine on newer firmware; it just won't have access to whatever new blocks/models that update added.

 

On being sure a preset actually runs on your hardware: same file format either way (.hlx), so if Helrig has the block catalog for your firmware version up to date, what you build should load exactly like it would from HX Edit. Worth noting Line 6's focus has shifted toward Stadium as the new direction, so I'd expect classic Helix/HX firmware updates to slow down from here, which also means less catching up needed on my end.

Let me know how the test goes!

Feel free to write me directly if you need any assistance. hello@helrig.com