pblackhelix Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Can anyone categorically state if v3.8 firmware of Helix LT audio interface supports audio Loopback? I want to connect my MacBook to the Helix via usb. Play a backing track mp3 on the MacBook. Play guitar on the helix. And record both the backing track and my guitar on my DAW (logic) ideally on separate tracks Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Categorically speaking - no you can’t do that. The audio stream coming in to Helix from your computer is not processed by Helix; it is sent directly to your audio outputs after undergoing D/A conversion. The input stream is not assigned to any Helix USB channel and hence it is not selectable as a Record Input for a DAW track when using Helix as the audio interface. Helix in this regard is a streaming device - a pair of speaker inputs - not an audio processing/capture/storage device. This is typically done to protect copyrighted material and avoid piracy. For the same reason you can’t record a song from Spotify or whatever. (At least I don’t think you can. Not much IP protection if you can.) Many of us may remember the early wild west days when music and film piracy abounded on websites like Napster. They essentially captured an audio or video stream, recorded it, stored it on a server, and made it available to the world for free. However, if the mp3 file is not protected and is available as a separate file you could import it first into your DAW then play it back while recording your guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musical1212 Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 I have been running an 1/8" TRS male with dual mono 1/4" TS male out of my Dell Precision analog headphone jack into Return 1 and 2. I connect the USB from the Helix to the computer. I set my input block in a Helix Edit empty preset to Return 1 /2 and my output block to USB 2 or Multi (which includes USB 2 in global settings). I set a Studio One stereo track I/O to receive input 1 and 2. This records the track fine. If I do not have my computer hooked up with my physical cable, the mp3 gets transferred to the Helix via USB, since that now is the only cable that connects the computer with the Helix and I am hearing YouTube through my headphones that are connected to the Helix. But none of the outputs send the mp3 over to the computer/Studio One. I will experiment some more tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 On 1/6/2025 at 12:18 AM, musical1212 said: I have been running an 1/8" TRS male with dual mono 1/4" TS male out of my Dell Precision analog headphone jack into Return 1 and 2. I connect the USB from the Helix to the computer. I set my input block in a Helix Edit empty preset to Return 1 /2 and my output block to USB 2 or Multi (which includes USB 2 in global settings). I set a Studio One stereo track I/O to receive input 1 and 2. This records the track fine. If I do not have my computer hooked up with my physical cable, the mp3 gets transferred to the Helix via USB, since that now is the only cable that connects the computer with the Helix and I am hearing YouTube through my headphones that are connected to the Helix. But none of the outputs send the mp3 over to the computer/Studio One. I will experiment some more tomorrow! Yes, that's another alternative to getting the backing track into a DAW, but it's not using only the Helix audio interface USB connection and requires additional setup and cabling. I'm sure there are other alternatives too, perhaps using another audio interface. Also, for recording separate tracks simultaneously (tutorial and guitar) the Output blocks should be set to different USB channels and the Record Input Source in the DAW selecting the different channels. I'm interested in hearing the results of your further experimenting. Please let us know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pblackhelix Posted January 6 Author Share Posted January 6 really helpful answers ... thank you both I managed to do it with another interface (SSL2+). However, I will take @silverheadadvice and just import the backing track into Logic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datacommando Posted January 6 Share Posted January 6 On 1/6/2025 at 7:39 PM, pblackhelix said: just import the backing track into Logic. Hi, I have only just seen this thread, and I have to agree that importing the backing track into Logic is the easiest solution. I mention this as a long time Logic user (back to the days of Emagic), and have been using my Helix Floor as my main audio interface to get the audio in and out of Logic on my Mac almost daily since late 2015. Note: I also have another couple of audio interfaces available that can also be incorporated into an aggregate audio device to add even more USB ins and outs in addition to the 8 built into my Helix should they be required. Hope this helps/makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pblackhelix Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 Just perfect sense thank you 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pblackhelix Posted January 7 Author Share Posted January 7 Hello pblackhelix. Your Line 6 Support Ticket was updated with the following message: Hi, Unfortunately, that's not supported. Therefore we recommend that you import the audio track on a separate track into your DAW. Best regards, Line 6 Customer Support Team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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