LED Feedback In Command Center for Stomps, Current & Failed Workarounds and other Midi gotchas.

[TuckTuckHigh5]

Hello, 

 

To start my setup involves looping via Daw (im using Loopy Pro but, this pertains to all Daws). Stadium is not bad when it comes to sending Midi Commands via Stomp Pedals but it has some gotchas. I wanted to bring them up here for the community and developers in hopes of them being addressed.

My first, and the biggest in my eyes is the lack of the Helix Stadiums Stomps responding to LED Feedback. I am seeing you basically cannot get any sort of LED response on HS from DAW states without using a "dummy" block in the effects chain. 

For Example,

     If a Stomp is sending Midi CC 2 to a Daw and controlling the play state of a loop, Most Daws will send Midi CC 2 value 127 (loop on or playing ) and Midi CC 2 value 0 ( loop off or stopped to Helix) back to the controller.

Helix's LEDs do not respond to this. Where as on most other footpedal controllers, the LED would respond and let the performer know the state of the loop. (this is true for anything being controlled in a DAW, effects, transport Play/Stop ect. Just using loop states as an example)

I think we need an LED Feedback Setting per stomp in the command center. Just a simple LED Feedback On/Off toggle that lets the user decide whether to use the feedback from the daw to control the LED.

I want to be clear here I don't expect the Helix Stadium to be a deep Programmable Midi Controller like a Mastermind or something but, LED Feedback is a basic feature that almost all footpedals on the the market have. 

All that said Helix Stadium does respond to incoming MIDI and so my current workaround Is to use a "dummy" Gain Block set at unity gain and, "Learn" the bypass toggle to the LED Feedback coming in. This works but is an incredible waist of resources (imagine if you had 4-6 loops to control we are using up 4-6 blocks to simply make sure the LED is showing the performer whats going on Loop-wise)

 

!! Be careful here if you do this. Pay close attention to whether you are using the mono or stereo gain as this can mangle your signal if you pick the incorrect one !!

My first thought when looking for a work around was to use a multi parameter delay and turn the mix down to zero percent and have all of the parameters tied to separate stomps. This would only use 1 block and all stomps would give me the feedback I need. This leads me to the first gotcha I found. The only parameter of any effect, (when controller externally) that will turn on or off the led on Helix is the Bypass parameter. Any other parameter like say "feedback" or low cut" will not change the state of the LEDS if controlled externally by a CC. Only if you press the footswitch on the helix itself will the LED go on or off. Booooo

So this is where I stand. A bunch of Gain Blocks hogging up precious recourses just so I can get the little light to go on and off properly on my stomps.. again Booooooo

One thing I want to make note of here is that the Stadium DOES respond correctly to CC values which is good! in other words If CC2 is tied to the bypass of a gain, value 127 WILL turn the LED on and even if you send the same value 127 again, it will stay on. Yayyyyyy. It will turn off only when it sees value 0. Yayyyyyyy. This keeps the Daw perfectly in sync with Helix so, points on that for implementing this right! I can't tell you how many multi FX out there just respond stupidly to any value toggling states and throwing everything out of wack. Sooo Yayyyyyyyyy on this. 

The other gotcha I found I will just mention briefly and I find to be a little less important but it is a thing and for others this could be very important. 

When you have a Hold function sending a Midi Message from a stomp and a press option on that same stomp, Triggering the hold will also send the press. Boooooo. So lets say CC1 is sent from Stomp 1 and it turns of and off your external Delay. And a Hold sends CC2 on that same stomp turns of your Boost. Well you better want your Delay and Boost turning on at the same time if you trigger the HOLD because thats whats happening. Most of the time on controllers with Hold functions the HOLD Bypasses the press so that you have control over both devices separately but with one stomp switch. 

Thanks for listening here ya'll.
I know its long but, I will say I did fall in love with the Helix Stadium and only have a few very fixable quirks that I very much hope will be addressed. Despite the fact that there are probably way less people using the Stadium as a hybrid controller, than there are as just an effect processor I really think technology as it pertained to both in and out of the box is getting more complex... I mean now-a-days its rare to find a guitar pedal without midi control. So it would be great if you all could comment and chime in here so that we can get this in view of the developers... even if you don't need this functionality now you probably will down the road and your comment or upvote might have been the catalyst for getting this post in front of the developers.. Don't live in regret for the rest of your life because you didn't chime in here... that would be a Boooooo.