Using Helix floor as interface for Helix Native

[tkommula]

Hello. I have been using the Helix for 3 years now and I absolutely love it. Until recently I was just recording straight from the Helix into Logic.

But now I want to mess around with re-amping. I know that you can reamp with the Helix hardware unit, but I think it would be even simpler to use the Helix Native software. Also, it would allow me to track multiple guitars at once going through my Focusrite interface if needed. It would also be good for jamming in my home studio with all of us being able to use the same library of high quality tones.
 

I know I can use my Focusrite interface, but would it also be possible to use the Helix floor unit as the interface? My reason for this is I want to minimize the variables so that I can keep my patches between Helix Native and Helix Floor identical. Going through a different interface could lead to small differences that would lead to me possibly having to adjust the patches.

 

First world problems, I know!

[rd2rk]

If I understand what you're trying to do, there's several ways to go about it:

 

1 - use an A/B/Y box between your guitar and your AI and use 2 channels on the AI. The disadvantage to this method is that the pickups will not be loaded properly for certain FX because the A/B/Y box will likely load them at 1M and the built-in Helix Auto Impedance function won't work.

 

2 - use a SEND at the beginning of the Helix signal chain to send an unprocessed signal to a second AI channel. Again, if using FX in Native that require <1M pickup load you would need to change the Impedance by linking it to the FS that activates the effect, as the SEND (IIRC) is 1M and the effect will come after the SEND.

 

3 - Don't use FX that require other than 1M to sound "authentic".

 

4 - If you're using a MAC, create an "AGGREGATE" ASIO device, thus allowing you to use BOTH the Helix and Focusrite at the same time.

 

5 - If you're using a PC use ASIO4ALL. This (might) allow you to do the same as a MAC with an "AGGREGATE" device. I say MIGHT because I've never had any luck using ASIO4ALL - latency and other issues - but then, I haven't spent much time trying it.

 

6 - When you want to do re-amping, just go into your DAW's Preferences and change the ASIO device from Focusrite to Helix and use USB 7/8 for the clean signal, keeping in mind what I said above about impedance. That's how I do it. Also, I just don't use FX that require <1M impedance (refer to 3).

[datacommando]

On 11/18/2022 at 9:43 PM, tkommula said:

I have been using the Helix for 3 years now and I absolutely love it. Until recently I was just recording straight from the Helix into Logic.

Hi,

 

I have been using my Helix floor as a USB audio interface to record and re-amp with Logic since 2016 (I used Focusrite for years until I bought a new Mac that did’t use FireWire). I added Helix Native when it became available in 2017. No problems, it just works as it should.

 

If you wish to keep using your Focusrite along side your Helix you simply need to open the Audio/MIDI Setup Utility and create an aggregate device which will allow you to use both interfaces simultaneously.

 

I really can’t see why you think you would need to modify your presets to use another interface to get the audio into Logic. Your guitar audio signal enters the interface and gets converted to a bunch of ones and zeros, then it goes from your either your Helix, or Focusrite, into the DAW. Once it is printed to disc in Logic you can play around with it as much as you like using Native which is the same software brain that is inside your Helix. It’s a data stream - just make sure your computer is capable of grabbing all that audio at once.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

[SaschaFranck]

Do you have any plans to actually play through HX Native (or maybe some other plugins in addition)?

In that case, the Helix hardware isn't the best choice due to rather high latency figures and you'd be served better with your FR interface.

You'll be running into the same issue when using both as an aggregate device, fwiw.