Helix Floor/LT/HX/Stomp/PodGo owners' Club - Tips, Ideas & Patches

[SamIAm]

22 minutes ago, funkle said:

 

Yeah, I've got a cheap USB C cable in there hooking up to a MyVolts USB-C to 2.5mm 5v to 9v Step Up adapter. https://myvolts.co.uk/product/84651/myVolts_USB-C_PD_Step_Up_Tip_9V_c-ve_2.1mm_2.5mm

Cool! I was unaware of that product, nicer approach than their Ripcord IMO.

Sam x

[funkle]

I actually wanted the Ripcord. But it was out of stock for the Stomp version, so I started looking at other solutions.  
 

The way I came up with was a bit more flexible (I can take the USB power supply off the board to recharge other USB devices) and it lasts for ages. I can do like 8 hours with no recharge. And I didn’t want to pay for the expensive name brand power supplies for my very modest needs. 

[MichaelDean]

19 hours ago, funkle said:

I actually wanted the Ripcord. But it was out of stock for the Stomp version, so I started looking at other solutions.  
 

The way I came up with was a bit more flexible (I can take the USB power supply off the board to recharge other USB devices) and it lasts for ages. I can do like 8 hours with no recharge. And I didn’t want to pay for the expensive name brand power supplies for my very modest needs. 

What capacity is the power bank in order to give you 8 hours? I'm tempted to try it out for my multi effects.

[funkle]

It's this one.

 

https://amzn.eu/d/jdfMPtF

 

20,000 mAh. I nearly went for 30,000 but thought it overkill. I was right, at least for my usage.

[SamIAm]

2 hours ago, funkle said:

It's this one.

 

https://amzn.eu/d/jdfMPtF

 

20,000 mAh. I nearly went for 30,000 but thought it overkill. I was right, at least for my usage.

And aircraft compatable, I believe they allow a max of 27,000 on. flights.

Sam x

[BigRedX]

Just done the latest firmware update and one thing is starting to annoy me about the Helix.

 

Each update resets a lot of things to their factory defaults.

 

Once agin I have had to reassign the following:

1. Volume control to affect the XLR output only.

2. Sample rate to 44.1 kHz.

3. Expression 1 Pedal position to be global.

4. Footswitch assignments to be 4 Presets on the top row and 4 Snapshots on the bottom row

5. Tuner display to Strobe.

6. Re-instate my Global EQ settings. After I lost these the first time I made sure to write them down as they are less easily remembered than the others.

 

Luckily my preferences coincide with the defaults some of the other important global settings like MIDI and clock/tempo assignments.

 

I would have thought by now that there would be some way to save all of these so they would be restored to the user settings following a firmware upgrade but either there isn't or I have something that would allow this disabled, although if that is the case, I can't see it.

[Al Krow]

14 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

Just done the latest firmware update and one thing is starting to annoy me about the Helix.

 

Each update resets a lot of things to their factory defaults.

 

Once agin I have had to reassign the following:

1. Volume control to affect the XLR output only.

2. Sample rate to 44.1 kHz.

3. Expression 1 Pedal position to be global.

4. Footswitch assignments to be 4 Presets on the top row and 4 Snapshots on the bottom row

5. Tuner display to Strobe.

6. Re-instate my Global EQ settings. After I lost these the first time I made sure to write them down as they are less easily remembered than the others.

 

Luckily my preferences coincide with the defaults some of the other important global settings like MIDI and clock/tempo assignments.

 

I would have thought by now that there would be some way to save all of these so they would be restored to the user settings following a firmware upgrade but either there isn't or I have something that would allow this disabled, although if that is the case, I can't see it.

 

Time to get a £50 used Zoom B1-4?  😂

[BigRedX]

Another weird one.

 

Am I missing something really obvious or is it not possible to assign a "switch" control to a Snapshot in HX Edit?

 

For any continuous controller I right click to the right of the value and the list of assignments pops up to allow me to select "Snapshot". When I do the same to a switch nothing happens. However pressing and holding the appropriate parameter control on the Helix itself allows access to this function. Then when I load up HX Edit the parameter has the Snapshot camera icon to the left of it.

 

Any idea why I can't make this assignment in the HX Edit app?

 

The parameters I'm trying to change are in the Obsidian 7000 model and want to be able to control the positions of the Grunt and Attack switches using snapshots.

 

[funkle]

I keep toying with getting an M-Vave Chocolate midi controller. Anyone care to give their opinion on it and/or the kit that comes with wireless midi?

[Naigewron]

On 20/06/2024 at 17:01, BigRedX said:

Just done the latest firmware update and one thing is starting to annoy me about the Helix.

 

Each update resets a lot of things to their factory defaults.

 

Once agin I have had to reassign the following:

1. Volume control to affect the XLR output only.

2. Sample rate to 44.1 kHz.

3. Expression 1 Pedal position to be global.

4. Footswitch assignments to be 4 Presets on the top row and 4 Snapshots on the bottom row

5. Tuner display to Strobe.

6. Re-instate my Global EQ settings. After I lost these the first time I made sure to write them down as they are less easily remembered than the others.

 

Luckily my preferences coincide with the defaults some of the other important global settings like MIDI and clock/tempo assignments.

 

I would have thought by now that there would be some way to save all of these so they would be restored to the user settings following a firmware upgrade but either there isn't or I have something that would allow this disabled, although if that is the case, I can't see it.

 

 

When you start the update process, you're asked to make a backup and save it on your computer. After the update, you are asked to reload that backup, which should re-import all your old settings for you. Are you possibly skipping that step?

Edited September 10 by Naigewron

[BigRedX]

44 minutes ago, Naigewron said:

When you start the update process, you're asked to make a backup and save it on your computer. After the update, you are asked to reload that backup, which should re-import all your old settings for you. Are you possibly skipping that step?

 

Sometime I do, sometimes I don't. I don't recall either re-instating the Global Preferences. I'll definitely do a reload next time and report back.

 

The problem with re-importing your settings is that it adds another complete rebuild of all the presets, and sometime the Helix does it again after the next power-up following a firmware update, which is the last thing anyone wants at a rehearsal or even worse a gig. My current practice is that if there is nothing wrong with my Presets after a firmware update, I'll not bother reloading them.

 

After I posted I did some additional reading and it seems to be related to the fact that after many firmware updates additional Global Setting options are added so the old settings can't be used. 

[BigRedX]

On 07/07/2024 at 12:31, BigRedX said:

Another weird one.

 

Am I missing something really obvious or is it not possible to assign a "switch" control to a Snapshot in HX Edit?

 

For any continuous controller I right click to the right of the value and the list of assignments pops up to allow me to select "Snapshot". When I do the same to a switch nothing happens. However pressing and holding the appropriate parameter control on the Helix itself allows access to this function. Then when I load up HX Edit the parameter has the Snapshot camera icon to the left of it.

 

Any idea why I can't make this assignment in the HX Edit app?

 

The parameters I'm trying to change are in the Obsidian 7000 model and want to be able to control the positions of the Grunt and Attack switches using snapshots.

 

This problem is now sorted. There is a smaller target area for switches compared with sliders to bring up the contextual menu for Snapshots in HX Edit. I just wasn't clicking in quite the right place.

[Naigewron]

Just now, BigRedX said:

The problem with re-importing your settings is that it adds another complete rebuild of all the presets, and sometime the Helix does it again after the next power-up following a firmware update, which is the last thing anyone wants at a rehearsal or even worse a gig

 

Doing a firmware update right before a gig is a risky strategy regardless, in my book.

 

1 minute ago, BigRedX said:

After I posted I did some additional reading and it seems to be related to the fact that after many firmware updates additional Global Setting options are added so the old settings can't be used. 

 

Might be. I've never had to redo any global settings, and I've been following all updates since about 2.40 now. But some of them have been on the HX Stomp, some on the HX Effects and some on the Helix Floor, since I've gone through phases of owning different units.

[BigRedX]

Just now, Naigewron said:

Doing a firmware update right before a gig is a risky strategy regardless, in my book.

 

You are quite right. I haven't yet, but I did have this happen once at rehearsal which was somewhat embarrassing. Since then I won't do a firmware update unless I know I'm going to using the Helix at home 2 or 3 times before practice or a gig.

 

3 minutes ago, Naigewron said:

Might be. I've never had to redo any global settings, and I've been following all updates since about 2.40 now. But some of them have been on the HX Stomp, some on the HX Effects and some on the Helix Floor, since I've gone through phases of owning different units.

 

I suppose it depends if you need to change any of them from the factory defaults. I used my Helix for about a year before I found the need to, and that's when I started noticing that Global Settings didn't seem to be saved after an update.

[Naigewron]

Since I'm new to the thread, here's my rig these days. No amp, although I'll use one if it's provided, because stage volume is always fun (I have a split to an FX send before any amp/cab blocks in the Helix).

 

Two gigbags and I'm all set, no more fridges to load and unload, and that includes my wireless setup, in-ear rig, spare DI, and any backups and tools I might need.

 

Undressed:

 

Dressed:

Edited September 10 by Naigewron

[BigRedX]

I've just realised that I haven't posted my setup in this thread, so here it is:

 

 

I've gone wireless since this photo was taken.

 

The computer which is our drummer and second synth player also takes care of Preset and Snapshot changes on the Helix which leaves me free to concentrate on playing and throwing some shapes on stage, also in some places on a few of the songs the Snapshot changes come every two bars which is too complicated for me to get consistently right when done "manually".

 

The footswitch on the left controls the playback - centre for start/pause and right for close current song and load the next one in the set list. 

 

I (and the rest of the band) no longer bother with backline, although I have a powered FRFR cab that I occasionally use for rehearsals, as with the Bass VI I'm playing both "bass" and "guitar" parts and any rig provided is very unlikely to be able the handle both types of sounds. Therefore I go straight into the PA via the EMO DI box. These days we only play venues with a big enough PA to get the programmed drums up to proper drummer volume and they always have monitoring good enough for me to be able to hear what I need.

[Wombat]

3.80 firmware update now available.

 

Not much for bass specifically but I’ve had some fun using ‘amps that weren’t designed for bass’.

 

 

[BigRedX]

IME the amps (and cabs) that weren't designed for bass sound great because there's no real world constraints on having to cope with low frequencies at gig volumes with a modelled version. I rarely use any amp or cab models in my Helix sounds but when I do nearly all of them are ones that were designed primarily for guitar.

[Naigewron]

Yeah, a bit of a disappointing update after the long wait, but I'm not going to complain about the effort. The fact that Line6 are still pumping out updates for a product line that's almost a decade old, still keeping it highly relevant, is incredible. Other comparable companies simply don't do this; they want to ship new products and abandon their old ones as fast as they can.

 

All that being said, I'm definitely trying out the EVH models for my guitar patches.

[krispn]

Any rumours on their next offering? I’m thinking hardware not software update?

 

Does anyone currently using a Helix device want capture capability on their ‘next’ upgrade/Line 6 piece of gear? 

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, krispn said:

Any rumours on their next offering? I’m thinking hardware not software update?

 

Does anyone currently using a Helix device want capture capability on their ‘next’ upgrade/Line 6 piece of gear? 

 

Not for me. I sold all my amps, cabs and other effects when I bought my Helix so I've got nothing to "capture", and the things that do the same job on the Helix sound loads better already.

 

The added facilities I'd want - MIDI triggered filters and gates should be achievable with a firmware upgrade. 

[Woodinblack]

5 hours ago, Naigewron said:

Yeah, a bit of a disappointing update after the long wait

 

I think it is quite impressive, seeing as they don't have to add anything but they still do.

[Naigewron]

5 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

I think it is quite impressive, seeing as they don't have to add anything but they still do.

 

I mean, that was literally the next sentence of my comment that you quoted, yes 😄

[steviedee]

Has anyone had a look at the Tonecrafter GPT for ChatGPT? I’m very lazy so it’s quite attractive 😀. Seems quite interesting.

 

i asked for suggestions for Tim Lebvre tone and got this result 

 

Tim Lefebvre is known for his distinctive bass tones, often characterized by deep, warm lows, overdriven mids, and modulated textures. Here’s a recommended tone setup for the Line 6 HX Stomp, tailored to his style:

 

Key Elements of Tim Lefebvre’s Tone:

 

1. Amp Model:

• Ampeg SVT-4 Pro or Ampeg B-15 are great starting points in the HX Stomp.

• Set Gain to moderate for slight breakup.

• Boost the low mids (around 150-250 Hz) for warmth.

• Cut slightly around 1-2 kHz if his smoother tones are desired.

2. Overdrive:

• Use the Obsidian 7000 block (Darkglass-style preamp) for a driven, modern sound.

• Blend: Set around 50-60% to retain clean lows.

• Drive: Medium for growl.

• Boost: Low-mid frequencies for punch.

3. Modulation and Effects:

• Chorus: Use Dimension Chorus or 60s Bias Trem subtly to add movement.

• Rate: Slow.

• Depth: Moderate.

• Pitch Shift: Add Simple Pitch for slight detuning for texture.

4. Compression:

• LA Studio Comp works well.

• Ratio: 4:1.

• Attack: Slow for natural transients.

• Release: Fast to keep articulation.

5. Cabinet:

• 4x10 SVT Cab with a mic blend like the 57 Dynamic for punch and clarity.

6. Signal Chain Order:

• Input > Compression > Amp > Overdrive > Modulation > EQ > Cab.

 

Additional Tips:

 

• Experiment with parallel signal chains to blend clean tones with effects.

• If Lefebvre’s more experimental tones are your target, try adding the Synth-O-Matic or Bitcrusher blocks for unique textures.

 

Would you like detailed knob settings for any of these blocks?

[steviedee]

Knob settings 

 

Here are detailed settings for each block to recreate Tim Lefebvre’s style on the HX Stomp:

 

1. Amp Block: Ampeg SVT-4 Pro

 

• Drive: 3.5

• Bass: +4.0 dB

• Midrange: +3.0 dB

• Frequency: 200 Hz

• Treble: -1.0 dB

• Presence: +2.0 dB

• Channel Volume: Adjust to taste.

 

2. Overdrive Block: Obsidian 7000

 

• Blend: 55%

• Drive: 4.5

• Bass: +2.0 dB

• Midrange: +3.0 dB

• Treble: +1.5 dB

• Level: Match to unity gain.

• Attack: Low (for rounder attack)

• Grunt: Midrange setting.

 

3. Modulation Block: Dimension Chorus

 

• Rate: 0.8 Hz

• Depth: 50%

• Mix: 35%

• Tone: Flat.

 

4. Compression Block: LA Studio Comp

 

• Threshold: -28 dB

• Ratio: 4:1

• Attack: 50 ms

• Release: 90 ms

• Gain: +3.0 dB.

 

5. Cab Block: 4x10 SVT

 

• Mic: 57 Dynamic

• Low Cut: 80 Hz

• High Cut: 6 kHz

• Distance: 1 inch.

 

6. Optional Synth Textures: Synth-O-Matic

 

• Wave Shape: Square

• Frequency: 200 Hz

• Mix: 30%

• Attack: Medium (5 ms).

 

Final Signal Chain Order:

 

1. LA Studio Comp

2. Ampeg SVT-4 Pro

3. Obsidian 7000

4. Dimension Chorus

5. 4x10 SVT Cab

6. Synth-O-Matic (optional for experimentation).

 

These settings should provide a solid Lefebvre-inspired sound. Let me know if you’d like to tweak anything further!