New @ Helix Rack

[flobudi]

Hi folks,

I just bought a Helix rack at a very good price and am completely new to Helix. I'm running it very simply with a Gemini GM-2. I'm using the two XLR outputs because the box can do stereo. 
I have a few general questions:

Is there a visual indicator when there is overdrive?

 

How do I set the master volume control? I saw in a video that it should be set to 100% and then you should adjust the level on the FRFR speaker. But that's very cumbersome. 

 

All factory presets are significantly quieter than my own, even though everything is set the same in the output block. How can I adjust this?

 

I'm coming from Fractal, so I've set the low cut to 80Hz and the high cut to 6500Hz globally. Is that also suitable for Helix?

Many thanks for your help

[theElevators]

Check the forum for similar topics.  

 

• Build your presets so that every preset is the same loudness as a blank "New Preset" (nothing in the chain).  Your presets are too loud if you are saying factory presets are too low in volume.  
• Set the output volume to mic level, fixed volume for the XLRs.  Volume knob should not be able to adjust this signal, it needs to stay the same throughout the show.  This is your FOH signal.
• Set the volume knob to only operate the 1/4" out.  This is your monitor mix for an onstage amp, Headrush FRFR, etc, set that to line level.  It doesn't really matter what that is set to, since it's just for monitoring your sound, but you also don't want to overdrive the monitor/amp too much.
• Use mixing monitors to dial in your sound.  FRFR is not good for that, it's bass heavy.
• Put FRFR on a stand, never leave it on the floor if you want to have more of an unbiased sound, still mixing monitors are better.
• Do not use Global EQ to achieve your "signature sound".  Instead use an EQ in the preset itself, change the tone settings of the amp, etc.  Never apply Global EQ to what you send to what goes to FOH -- sound guys can eq your sound themselves.  Only have Global EQ apply to the stage monitor and only when it's needed.  Your presets need to be dialed in so they are all uniform, and equalized the same and without any issues.  Use the same virtual amp in all your presets to avoid having the sound guy having to constantly correct the mix because you decided to use different amps for every song.  Use Global EQ when the stage gets too boomy, etc to compensate, as a last resort.  Sometimes this can happen.  Or if you are playing at a small club the onstage sound may ruin the mix, so the sound guy may ask you to make an adjustment. 
• To check for clipping, the green meter on the output block indicates a healthy signal level, showing you're within normal operating range without clipping.  So put the cursor on that output block and see if you are sending the signal too hot. But again, if you follow the first step, you should not have that problem.  A lot of people dime their presets and they become extremely brittle and harsh sounding.  I've seen that in almost every free preset I've downloaded that Line 6 users shared.  

[flobudi]

On 1/18/2026 at 5:06 PM, theElevators said:

Build your presets so that every preset is the same loudness as a blank "New Preset" (nothing in the chain).  Your presets are too loud if you are saying factory presets are too low in volume.

Where i can adjust the loudness in a blank new preset?

[flobudi]

On 1/18/2026 at 5:06 PM, theElevators said:

Set the output volume to mic level, fixed volume for the XLRs.  Volume knob should not be able to adjust this signal, it needs to stay the same throughout the show.  This is your FOH signal.

It i Play at home, i can use the xlr to the frfr speaker right?

[theElevators]

On 1/18/2026 at 11:36 AM, flobudi said:

Where i can adjust the loudness in a blank new preset?

You cannot.  But the presets that you build need to be the same loudness as blank presets.  If you make them too loud, it leads to bad sound, clipping, nasty parasitic frequencies, etc.  So when working on your presets, do A/B tests to check for loudness.  

[theElevators]

On 1/18/2026 at 11:44 AM, flobudi said:

It i Play at home, i can use the xlr to the frfr speaker right?

There are no set rules how you can connect things.  But in most cases XLR should go to FOH, and 1/4 for everything else.  XLR are balanced, meaning they are noise canceling, which only makes a difference when long cables are involved.  

[flobudi]

On 1/18/2026 at 5:59 PM, theElevators said:

You cannot.  But the presets that you build need to be the same loudness as blank presets.  If you make them too loud, it leads to bad sound, clipping, nasty parasitic frequencies, etc.  So when working on your presets, do A/B tests to check for loudness.  

Sorry i have no idea What you mean. All presets are, Factory and for buy Are exactly on the Same Output Level 0db. The Green fader is exactly on the Same Spot. 

[theElevators]

On 1/18/2026 at 2:11 PM, flobudi said:

Sorry i have no idea What you mean. All presets are, Factory and for buy Are exactly on the Same Output Level 0db. The Green fader is exactly on the Same Spot. 

One more time.  We are comparing the loudness of your custom preset against a blank preset, which in Helix is called "New Preset".  You can find them in User 2, User 3, etc.  They have no blocks in them and are completely empty.

 

 

 

 

So you save your preset, call it "Awesome Sauce".

 

You take your preset, switch to it, play your guitar with it.   Run it out of your FRFR, or monitors, or whatever you have.  with me so far?

 

Notice how loud it is.  Using your ears.  Just take a mental snapshot of how loud your sound is.  

 

Then switch to a blank "New Preset" preset (that's the preset that has ABSOLUTELY NO EFFECTS, JUST GUITAR STRAIGHT THROUGH), do the same. 

Is your preset louder than the blank one?  If your preset is louder, dial your preset down, use an amp master volume parameter and set it lower. Etc.  Go back and forth, until you dial it in right.  

 

Your preset should not be louder than a "New Preset", or else you will have garbage sound.  Use the "New Preset"* as a benchmark for loudness.  

 

 

[flobudi]

Thank you for your patience. I found it. In Amp Block, is it the channel volume? Is that how I control the preset volume?

Although my preset pack sounds really good, I want everything to be at the same volume. 

[waymda]

 

@flobudi there's lots of options on the chain to optimise volume. The amp channel volume will change the volume and no other amp characteristics. There are also gain blocks (mono or stereo) that you can run as a final block to 'normalise' your levels and/or to add boost for solos. You can also alter the output level of the output block.

 

As to the optimal level, just don't end up with everything so hot your causing digital clipping in the chain or at the desk.

 

The Helix has meters on the output blocks you can monitor. As you'll be aware from the fractal the metered level is not the perceived volume in the mix so you will need to adjust accordingly (without clipping, hence using a conservative baseline).