spartacvs Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 Greetings Friends, I'm wondering if I can connect a divided pickup to the Helix Floor and be able to control the tunings/effects of individual strings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 No. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacvs Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 LOL... short and to the point. So... you can't switch the 1/4" jack to accept a midi signal from a Boss GK-5 huh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricstudioc Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 The Helix is simply not physically compatible with multi-pin stuff, the only such tricks would be via using a Variax. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacvs Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 I know NOTHING about what I'm talking about... The Variax is using an undersaddle pickup for each string. Isn't the divided pickup doing the same thing? With the understanding that one is piezo and the other magnetic. Why can't you convert the signal from a GK-5 much like the units that convert the 13-pin GK-3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Because with Variax the guitar does all the individual string digital processing. Nothing is done within Helix except pass stored preset data to the Variax (e.g. model selection, custom string tunings) using a proprietary protocol over an RJ-45 connection. Helix does not receive individual string-based data; it receives the processed blended 6-string output from the Variax as a standard guitar signal, either analog (1/4” jack) or digital (VDI connector). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacvs Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 @silverheadAHHHHHH.... Thank You... That makes so much sense... and here I thought the Helix was doing so much more. Thanks for explaining that to me and POPPING my Helix bubble. So is the Helix only carrying the rj45 connection for the legacy Variax guitars and has no other use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Yes, it’s ‘only’ handling command/control communication to tell the Variax how to behave when a Helix preset is loaded. Well, that’s not quite true. The VDI cable also powers the Variax from Helix. Compared to the legacy Variax guitars the main additional control in Helix is storing alternate tuning information as well as using Variax knobs as controllers for assigned parameters in its presets, e.g. use the Variax Tone knob to control, for instance, the Helix’s Reverb mix. To Helix the Variax is just another guitar in terms of incoming audio data, but also supports the latterly mentioned control data. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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