Digital Level Out not working after 3.50 update.

[fourchimney]

Of course I discovered this at a gig this past weekend...

 

The Digital Level Out setting is at Global Settings -> Ins/Outs -> Page 3. Changing this value is doing nothing to affect the output into my Powercab 212plus. It used to work. I had it set to +15db for gigging and now I assume its giving me 0db. :( 

 

Is anyone else seeing this same behavior?

[datacommando]

On 11/10/2022 at 3:04 PM, fourchimney said:

Of course I discovered this at a gig this past weekend...

 

The Digital Level Out setting is at Global Settings -> Ins/Outs -> Page 3. Changing this value is doing nothing to affect the output into my Powercab 212plus. It used to work. I had it set to +15db for gigging and now I assume its giving me 0db. :( 

 

Is anyone else seeing this same behavior?

 

Hi,

 

When you performed the Firmware update to v3.50 did you follow the backup and restore procedure?

 

Part of the restore process is to put your Global setting back to how the were prior to the Update, which will have reset them to their factory defaults.

 

If your Global setting had become corrupted and you have another recent backup that contains them it is possible to use HX Edit to restore only the Globals by unchecking the other restore options.

 

Hope this helps/make sense.

Oh, yeah, you said "I discovered this at a gig this past weekend...".

 

Well, this has been stated many, many times in these forums: - First Rule of Helix Club is NEVER, EVER, UPDATE TO A NEW FIRMWARE BEFORE AN IMPORTANT GIG, RECORDING SESSION, AUDITION OR ANY SITUATION IN WHICH YOU GETTING PAID MAY BE INVOLVED, ETC.

 

Second rule: "FAIL SAFE - ALWAYS WORK ON A COPY"

 

[fourchimney]

I followed the backup and restore procedure. In fact, the Digital Level Out value was displaying the value I had before the update. Now that control knob is having zero effect on the level at all, even though the displayed value is changing.

 

When I tested the update, I used the 1/4" out plug into a bedroom amp, not realizing that I need to test every port on the back of the Helix! Yes, my bad.

[rd2rk]

IDK if "Digital Level Out" ever worked because I never needed it for anything, but it definitely does NOT work now for AES/EBU to PC212.

It DOES however work on SPDIF to my Scarlett AI. I tried this with Digital Output set both AES/EBU and SPDIF and it's consistent.

I think you found a bug. Open a Support Ticket and keep us updated!

[HonestOpinion]

On 11/10/2022 at 1:09 PM, rd2rk said:

IDK if "Digital Level Out" ever worked because I never needed it for anything, but it definitely does NOT work now for AES/EBU to PC212.

It DOES however work on SPDIF to my Scarlett AI. I tried this with Digital Output set both AES/EBU and SPDIF and it's consistent.

I think you found a bug. Open a Support Ticket and keep us updated!

 

Are you using AES/EBU synonymously with "L6 Link' in context with the PowerCab212? If so then if I remember correctly, and perhaps I do not, the 'Digital Level Out' control has never worked with L6 Link. Hence the various videos recommending that some presets will just need their output levels raised to hit an adequate input level for a PowerCab. However, if, as you say, the 'Digital Out Level' control is not working with AES/EBU, that would be a bug.

[rd2rk]

From the manual:

 

6
Digital Out Level
Sets the S/PDIF and AES/EBU output levels. For most cases, you can leave this set to 0.0dB.

 

AES/EBU is a STANDARD -

 

"AES/EBU is the name of a digital audio transfer standard developed by AES and EBU. At the beginning of the 1980s, a number of individuals and organizations began to explore the possibility of developing a new digital audio interface. The AES and EBU published the specifications for the standard in 1992, revised it in 1995, and revised it again in 1998. AES/EBU is the most common alternative to the S/PDIF standard, and the most common AES/EBU physical interconnect is AES Type I Balanced — 3-conductor, 110-ohm twisted pair cabling with an XLR connector."

-courtesy of Sweetwater

 

and L6 Link is an L6 proprietary implementation of that standard(?), so if it were plugged into a device that employed the AES/EBU STANDARD (like, what?), it might work, but NOT with a Powercab expecting L6 Link?

 

Seems pretty silly (but not surprising) that L6 would design the Powercabs that way, especially since L6 Link pre-dates the Powercabs. Maybe it was necessary to add the ability to send commands from Helix to Powercab?

 

Unless they update the manuals at 4.0 to clarify we'll likely never know if it's a BUG or a DESIGN FEATURE (LMAO).

More of that Top Secret need-to-know CIA National Security stuff!

[HonestOpinion]

On 11/10/2022 at 8:00 PM, rd2rk said:

...

 

Seems pretty silly (but not surprising) that L6 would design the Powercabs that way, especially since L6 Link pre-dates the Powercabs. Maybe it was necessary to add the ability to send commands from Helix to Powercab?

 

Unless they update the manuals at 4.0 to clarify we'll likely never know if it's a BUG or a DESIGN FEATURE (LMAO).

More of that Top Secret need-to-know CIA National Security stuff!

 

Yup, have to agree. I remember thinking that just turning up the 'Digital Level Out' was going to be my simple solution to getting some presets with lower output levels high enough on the PC+. Nope! That setting does not raise the level in 'L6 Link'.

 

And the manual certainly could be more illustrative on this detail. Although it is implied via omission in the manual that the L6 Link's level is not affected by the 'Digital Level Out' setting, it is not explicitly stated. Despite the fact that the lack of control by this setting is counter intuitive as L6 Link is a digital output. I guess 'Digital Level Out Except For L6 Link' was too long for a setting name :-)

[somebodyelse]

This again?

 

Digital output is NOT analogue output.

[fourchimney]

OP Here -

 

I went back and reinstalled 3.15 to see if it fixed the problem with the Digital Level Out knob. It did not help, so maybe this feature has been "broken" for a while.

[rd2rk]

On 11/11/2022 at 3:59 AM, somebodyelse said:

This again?

 

Digital output is NOT analogue output.

 

Nobody is saying it is. Re-read the thread.

[HonestOpinion]

On 11/11/2022 at 12:10 PM, fourchimney said:

OP Here -

 

I went back and reinstalled 3.15 to see if it fixed the problem with the Digital Level Out knob. It did not help, so maybe this feature has been "broken" for a while.

 

Thanks for going back and confirming what I remembered about this "feature". Judging by the albeit vague wording in the manual, this is "working as designed". Whether that is because of a legitimate technical reason, bug, or because they simply didn't think it was worth modifying the L6 Link protocol to enable it. It would be a "nice to have" though if possible.