Poly Capo having trouble indentifying signal at lower volumes?

[trucks_n_tunes]

Hello all! I just got my first Helix (LT) and love it! I used it on a gig a couple weeks back and it performed flawlessly. However, the other day I was practicing with a preset I made (poly capo half step down or -1, Marshall (Brit Trem Nrm), and a 808 screamer last in the chain with my Nashville Tele on the bridge position to a small personal monitor. I noticed it pitch shifts fine when I first hit the string, but if I let the string ring out (especially the high E string) as it fades the pitch starts to shift back to standard, in a very rigid fashion. It will shift twice from E flat, to somewhere between E flat and standard, back to standard in very distinct steps, seemingly. Could this be my brain playing tricks on me and I'm just hearing the acoustic sound of the high E string bleeding through, or is the Helix software somehow not able to identify and bend the signal from the guitar as it fades, causing this glitch? I would think if it was just the actual string bleeding through, I would hear it start to come through a lot more smoothly, like a curve, rather than in 2 or 3 distinct steps. Has anyone else had this issue, and if so, how did you fix it?

[DunedinDragon]

I use the poly capo all the time on both electric and acoustic setups and I've never had any issues.  I suspect it may be an artifact from hearing the originating string sound as the volume fades.

[theElevators]

Where are you placing Poly Capo?  It should be placed in the beginning of the chain ideally.  Try to place it in the beginning, if you're not already doing that. 

[trucks_n_tunes]

On 11/20/2023 at 1:29 AM, DunedinDragon said:

I use the poly capo all the time on both electric and acoustic setups and I've never had any issues.  I suspect it may be an artifact from hearing the originating string sound as the volume fades.

I'm hoping that's what it is! I just got a set of in ear monitors so I plan to hook them up this weekend and see what happens.

[trucks_n_tunes]

On 11/20/2023 at 7:01 AM, theElevators said:

Where are you placing Poly Capo?  It should be placed in the beginning of the chain ideally.  Try to place it in the beginning, if you're not already doing that. 

I'm still new to Helix, but I think I am. On the two lines, everything is on the top line and from left to right, it is Poly Capo, Brit Trem Nrm, and 808 Screamer. I can take a picture and post if that would help. Everything is set to 100% also, plus extra stable tracking.

[JimGordon]

Maybe if you have your guitar volume very close to all the way down, as opposed to just the output volume from your speakers.  I vaguely recall a bit of glitchiness if i was trying to clean up a higher gain patch with my guitar knob almost all the way down.  Do you have the input pad on?  That also might be causing the guitar signal to die out early, which could make it harder for the Helix to track it.

 

Otherwise, as others have said, it is likely you hearing the unaffected "acoustic" string ringing at a higher pitch than the amplified sound.

[themetallikid]

I have noticed this as well.  Few things about when I do notice it.  Guitar with Hetfield EMG's so plenty of input signal (input pad is off)  Gate is on, -48db, 250ms decay.   Poly block is first in my chain.  

 

I have also noticed this....its not at audible level if i was playing out live, but with headphones on, and letting a note ring out, when its very low in signal strength, i also hear it jumping back to original pitch.  I'm typically using the -1 setting as well, fast tracking (maybe tied to this setting instead of the most accurate one?) with the tone/eq setting at 5.0.   

 

Its subtle and again, well after i would have killed the note live, but when i let something ring out and am adjusting in HX Edit, i can here it happening at the very end of my input signal life.   

 

 

I suppose you could add something like a gain block or  something before it to boost it if its really bad, however i'd be wary of just introducing more noise into your signal then.