Obtaining legacy (pre 3.50) presets

[cmichael1]

I just got a Helix and I have a question about presets.  The default firmware was 3.11 so I immediately updated to 3.50.  Prior to that I backed everything up to a backup file.  After updating to 3.50 I notice none of the presets has changed.  I compared them to a list of 3.50 presets and it's identical.  First question, could the unit have come with 3.11 firmware yet 3.50 presets installed? 

Second question, were the 3.11 presets identical to the 3.50 presets?  If not, I'm assuming prior firmware versions included lots of great presets which were permanently overwritten by the new 3.50 presets?  If so, where can one obtain all those legacy (pre 3.50) presets?  Thanks!

[silverhead]

The update procedure does not update/replace any presets on your device unless you follow the recommendation to perform a factory reset after the update is complete. Did you do that?

[cmichael1]

Yes, I did perform a factory update after updating to 3.50.  But it didn't appear to have changed any presets.  Anybody know if there were any new presets added between 3.11 and 3.50?

[datacommando]

On 3/29/2023 at 6:33 PM, cmichael1 said:

First question, could the unit have come with 3.11 firmware yet 3.50 presets installed? 

Hi,

 

Simple answer - no! Firmware 3.50 contains all the updated cabinets that did not exist in earlier versions.

 

From the release notes for 3.50.

1. OPTIONAL: Performing a factory reset loads the new 3.50 Factory Presets, but restoring from your backup will overwrite these. Spend some time exploring these and export the factory presets you want to keep (or drag them to your desktop). If you have unused setlists in Helix Floor/Rack/LT, you can also export the entire FACTORY 1 bundle for loading into an unused setlist later.

Following the update, if you reloaded your backup then you would have the same factory presets that were included with v3.11  then all the amp & cab settings will be the “older” versions. 
 

Question: Why would you want the legacy presets - most users spent years complaining about how bad the factory presets were. That’s why Line 6 invested so much time building up this new library of cabinets.
 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

[cmichael1]

I'm looking for the pre-3.50 presets.  For example:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IIluwIIHLcT9FdQ3BHlBC_ws0rgIf-m-jgV1aNJhyM/edit#gid=0

I didn't attempt to restore the backup.  Certainly some of the earlier presets must sound pretty good since it was a very popular product.  And no doubt they were created by players with more time and experience than myself.  Anybody have a link to an .hxb file with these or others?

[datacommando]

On 3/30/2023 at 12:49 AM, cmichael1 said:

I'm looking for the pre-3.50 presets.  For example:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IIluwIIHLcT9FdQ3BHlBC_ws0rgIf-m-jgV1aNJhyM/edit#gid=0

I didn't attempt to restore the backup.  Certainly some of the earlier presets must sound pretty good since it was a very popular product.  And no doubt they were created by players with more time and experience than myself.  Anybody have a link to an .hxb file with these or others?

Hi,

 

O.K. I have owned my Helix since way back in 2015, and strangely enough this was posted back then:- 

 

 

Please note the reply from Digital Igloo, who is actually Eric Klein Chief Product Design Architect at Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. / Line 6 / Ampeg.

 

Why on earth you would want to have presets made with the older cabs is a little crazy, but hey! (See previous reply)

 

If you want to check out presets, there is a whole heap (almost 9,000) of them available to download from CustomTone - FREE! - here:

https://line6.com/customtone/browse/helix/

Learn how to roll your own - All Presets Suck! - I don’t think Eric has had a change of mind quite yet.

Having said that, I may have a bunch of early stuff backed up someplace. I’ll have look see, but don’t hold your breath!

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

 

 

[datacommando]

On 3/30/2023 at 12:49 AM, cmichael1 said:

I'm looking for the pre-3.50 presets.  For example:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IIluwIIHLcT9FdQ3BHlBC_ws0rgIf-m-jgV1aNJhyM/edit#gid=0

 

Hi again,

 

As I mentioned in my earlier post - I have unearthed a bunch of old Factory presets for the Helix, LT or Rack - if you have a HXFX, HX Stomp, or XL, these will not work!

 

In the zip file you should find the factory setlists and templates for firmware versions

Helix 1.03

Helix 2.30

Helix 2.50

Helix 2.80

Helix 3.1

 

Knock yourself out trawling through these.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/oye1csl1g6b7rgw/Original Factory Presets.zip?dl=0

 

EDIT:

The big downside to playing around with all these older presets is that when you load them up, you would be best advised to restart the Helix while holding down FS 10 & 11. This upgrades the presets to the latest format, otherwise you may encounter glitches, and it can become a time consuming process, as every time you restart your unit it will go through the "Rebuilding Presets" routine which you will find soon becomes very tedious.

 

Enjoy.

Edited March 30, 2023 by datacommando
Added Caveat

[brue58ski]

Scroll to the bottom of this page

 

http://benvesco.com/store/line-6-helix/

 

This has all of the older factory patches up to firmware 2.8

[cmichael1]

Thanks for the info folks, very helpful.  I'm still trying to understand the reset modes.  Is the 10/11 reset recommended any time a preset is loaded (esp a new one)?
 

As a new Helix user, I'm looking at replacing my existing system 100%.  I play a repertoire of around 75 classic rock covers.  We're picky about nailing the original sound from the records.  Creating all new patches seems a rather daunting task.  If I stumble upon one that totally nails a particular sound, I'll gladly take it. 

As far as presets sucking, I think it's mostly that specific, well-known variables need addressing, as we know.  That includes guitar/pickups, monitoring (cab, in-ear, near-field) and listening environment (bedroom vs studio vs venue).  Variax should help address the guitar contribution (considering one) without having to shoot IR's or anything.  I think the rest mostly affects tone and ambience.  That's fairly straight-forward to adjust for, at least for me personally.  The hard part is the historical research into the setup including cab, mic, room, amp, reverb/delay, dynamics and any complex modulation effects.  Lost all my 80's GP mags.  I'm totally OK paying a smart person to handle that.  Not that I couldn't do it myself.  But my misspent youth was wasted tweaking knobs.  If I need to fine-tune the tone of a patch for my situation, no prob.
 

Thanks again for the input!

[datacommando]

On 3/30/2023 at 11:08 PM, cmichael1 said:

I'm still trying to understand the reset modes.  Is the 10/11 reset recommended any time a preset is loaded (esp a new one)?

Hi,

 

The “Upgrade to Latest Format” is not necessary every time you load a single preset, BUT when you load older presets, setlists, bundles etc., from any third party source such as CustomTone, the next time you power up your Helix it will automatically start the “Updating Presets” routine in order to ensure compatibility with the latest Firmware in the device.
 

Many people have been surprised by the fact that this happens when they may have only added a couple of older presets. As I noted previously this can take quite some time as it does every memory slot. You could spend a whole day loading up your Helix, swapping presets back and forth in order to audition them and have no issues whatsoever. Having said that, should you decide to take a break and power down your unit, be aware that any of those older presets in your device will instigate the “Rebuild” process the next time you start it up.

 

As you are looking for some presets to use with your covers band, take a look at CustomTone for some freebies to road test. You seem to be full aware of the variables of this stuff, and one man’s claim for his preset to have absolutely nailed a particular classic tone, may not be yours.

 

There are also a whole lot of people out there who are creating ready to go presets in a huge variety of styles and at various price points - check them out and watch YouTube videos to see if any would be worth you investing in - again, bear in mind that many of these off the shelf solutions probably have been created using pre v.3.5 Firmware with the new cabinets, and possibly require particular IRs to sound convincing. The link provided above to contributor Ben Vesco (Malhavok) has artist presets for sale, as does the Line 6 Marketplace, along with other contributors Fremen and Glenn DeLaune, plus Choptones and 3 Sigma Audio to name a few.

Hope this helps/makes sense.

[cmichael1]

Excellent, thanks!