nfarcet Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 I have a Helix Rack+Control at home and I am considering the purchase of antother Helix product for live gigs. For live gigs I am considering one of these to connect to a tube amp with 4CM : - HX FX + volume pedal - HX Stomp XL + volume pedal - HX Stomp + some additional midi controller + volume pedal - Helix LT (but it is a bit too big in size). My question is : can I prepare and test the presets and pedalboard configuration at home on the Helix Rack+Control and then export these easily to the Live Helix/HX ? From what I understand I need to use HX Edit software to export/import presets between the units. I know about the limitations regarding number of blocks of the HX units, and the lack of amps and cabs for the HX FX. But what about the configuration of button labels and colors and their layout on the pedalboard (the "Stomp mode") ? Will these go through as well ? In conclusion, is there an easy transfer workflow with any of the HX units or shoud I buy a Helix LT (which is unfortunately big and heavy ?) Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PierM Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 As soon as you create your presets on the Rack, "emulating" the smaller HX unit, everything will be ported correctly. For example, if you need to make them 1:1 with HX Stomp, you need to respect path and block limitation (due the different DSP layout and different input/output block code), use only the first 3 FS on the controller (FS 1, FS2 and FS3), or also FS4 and FS5 if you have an external controller for the Stomp, etc etc... Another option is to use Helix Native in HX Stomp compatibility mode, which means you are almost 100% sure they will also mirror on the Rack (still input/output block code is different, so it may require some further editing - also FX loops aren't available). After that you could refine the preset assigning scribble strips and snapshots on HX Edit. The 3+2 footswitch on the Stomp preset will be ported to Helix Controller FS1 to FS5. In the case of LT they are pretty much same "core", and no scribble strips, so that would be a much easier porting. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted February 27, 2023 Share Posted February 27, 2023 On 2/27/2023 at 8:49 AM, PierM said: .... Another option is to use Helix Native in HX Stomp compatibility mode, which means you are almost 100% sure they will also mirror on the Rack... Yes, that's the best method imo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfarcet Posted February 28, 2023 Author Share Posted February 28, 2023 Thanks to both of you for your insights. @PierM What do you mean with "different input/output block code" ? Moreover, if Helix Native does not have an FX Loop, then how can I setup the 4CM in the chain ? Do I need to add the FX loop manually into the preset after it has been ported on the HX unit (this would be a bit of a pain) ? And how do I ensure than the FS allocation on the rack controller have the correctly layout on a HX FX or on the HX Stomp XL which both have 6 FS organised on two rows ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 The 4CM concept does not exist in Helix Native. There is no real amp in the signal chain. If you want to use a real physical amp you would employ the re-amping setup described in the amp’s manual (if it has the capability) rather than Helix Native. Depending on your DAW you may or may not be able to send MIDI commands to Helix Native to emulate the footswitch operations. I described this procedure in detail recently, as follows….. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PierM Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 On 2/28/2023 at 6:44 PM, nfarcet said: @PierM What do you mean with "different input/output block code" ? Hx and Helix arent sharing the same I/O hardware, so input/output blocks that are set in a preset for Rack, cant (and wont) translate properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayPRS Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 From a user that recently shifted from a HX FX to a Helix LT, I recommend the LT. The HX is nowhere near the LT capabilities/ease of use/tone, from my personal experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfarcet Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 On 2/28/2023 at 6:50 PM, silverhead said: The 4CM concept does not exist in Helix Native. There is no real amp in the signal chain. If you want to use a real physical amp you would employ the re-amping setup described in the amp’s manual (if it has the capability) rather than Helix Native. Depending on your DAW you may or may not be able to send MIDI commands to Helix Native to emulate the footswitch operations. I described this procedure in detail recently, as follows….. In fact, Helix Navite was proposed as an option to export the presets and FS layout, but I don't have plans to use it unless I have to. My real concern is how to easilly transfer my preset and FS layout from a Helix Rack+Control towards a smaller unit such as an HX Stomp or HX Effects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfarcet Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 On 2/28/2023 at 6:56 PM, PierM said: Hx and Helix arent sharing the same I/O hardware, so input/output blocks that are set in a preset for Rack, cant (and wont) translate properly. The only I/O I would need is an FX loop block to implement the 4CM with the real amp. If I setup such a block on the Helix Rack, lets say using FX Loop 1, then when I export to th HX Stomp or HX FX, will it map correctly to FX Loop 1 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfarcet Posted March 1, 2023 Author Share Posted March 1, 2023 On 2/28/2023 at 7:14 PM, MayPRS said: From a user that recently shifted from a HX FX to a Helix LT, I recommend the LT. The HX is nowhere near the LT capabilities/ease of use/tone, from my personal experience. This is interresting, could you elaborate a bit ? What are, according to you, the advantages of the LT w.r.t. the HX FX (beyond the included pedal and additional FS) ? In my case, I need mostly effects as I will have a real amp connected to the unit with the 4 CM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted March 1, 2023 Share Posted March 1, 2023 On 2/27/2023 at 1:28 PM, nfarcet said: My question is : can I prepare and test the presets and pedalboard configuration at home on the Helix Rack+Control and then export these easily to the Live Helix/HX ? From what I understand I need to use HX Edit software to export/import presets between the units. Hi, There was similar discussion going on in this thread (see link) where Helix Native is the suggested as the usual solution, BUT see the reply from contributor Craig Anderton where he says that it is possible to have both a Helix (floor/rack, whatever) and a Stomp both hooked up to HX Edit via USB at the same time. This allows you to drag and drop your edited presets between the 2 HX Edit windows, which apparently is not possible with Native. Link: Hope the helps/makes sense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayPRS Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 On 3/1/2023 at 5:04 PM, nfarcet said: This is interresting, could you elaborate a bit ? What are, according to you, the advantages of the LT w.r.t. the HX FX (beyond the included pedal and additional FS) ? In my case, I need mostly effects as I will have a real amp connected to the unit with the 4 CM Please check out my previous post: https://line6.com/support/topic/65948-moving-to-helix-lt-first-thoughts-coming-from-hx-effects/ This is just for using it from about a week. I can get a much cleaner sound and headroom with the LT. The input/output meters, the Input Gate, the ease of in-unit programming... like you I though the LT was just an oversized HX FX with amp+cab blocks added... I was totally wrong. The LT is a totally different unit... the HX FX is good for what it is but my advice is (having the money and the need) just buy the LT. I can advice this even for just effects. I always struggled (and still do) to get a great sound from the HX FX, on the LT it was easy to dial in. Of course - my personal experience, take this advice as it is :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PierM Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 On 3/2/2023 at 11:26 AM, MayPRS said: Please check out my previous post: https://line6.com/support/topic/65948-moving-to-helix-lt-first-thoughts-coming-from-hx-effects/ This is just for using it from about a week. I can get a much cleaner sound and headroom with the LT. The input/output meters, the Input Gate, the ease of in-unit programming... like you I though the LT was just an oversized HX FX with amp+cab blocks added... I was totally wrong. The LT is a totally different unit... the HX FX is good for what it is but my advice is (having the money and the need) just buy the LT. I can advice this even for just effects. I always struggled (and still do) to get a great sound from the HX FX, on the LT it was easy to dial in. Of course - my personal experience, take this advice as it is :) The difference in tone you were hearing was probably all related to the missing impedance circuit at the input of the HX FX, which is instead present in all the Helix/HX modeler family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MayPRS Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 On 3/2/2023 at 11:14 AM, PierM said: The difference in tone you were hearing was probably all related to the missing impedance circuit at the input of the HX FX, which is instead present in all the Helix/HX modeler family. Probably yes but its quite an audible difference in tone and dynamics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PierM Posted March 2, 2023 Share Posted March 2, 2023 On 3/2/2023 at 12:20 PM, MayPRS said: Probably yes but its quite an audible difference in tone and dynamics. That's the only difference I can think of between the two lines. You could also experience a very similar situation when comparing Helix to Native through the average audio interface. That impedance circuit at the input isn't a small aspect when it comes to headroom and available dynamics (which are more or less the same thing). 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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