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

[dave_bass5]

13 minutes ago, stoo said:

It's designed to be connected to a computer, rather than to another USB MIDI device. You could connect both to a PC, and then use the PC to relay messages from the controller across to the Stomp..... but I can't think of a good reason why you'd want to.... it still wouldn't solve the status indication on the controller situation, and massively overcomplicates the setup...

It looks like it has a small LED for each Foot switch. 

But you’re right, I think I’m wasting my time at the moment. Ive seen a few more like the MeloAudio one, which looks perfect, but that too doesn't do custom CC so no better than the Mongoose. 

[stoo]

13 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Well in a way this is why im asking. I’m not yet up to speed with what can and cant be done. I assumed you could change snapshots, but i guess you cant. WIth the LED”s i was just hoping for villa feedback that ive hit it. Quite other i might hit two stitches by mistake, or not tun it off. Be nice jus tot see the status light change. 

As far as Midi Control changes etc, I’m hoping the upcoming FW 3.0 with Control centre update will take care of this at the Stomp end, but appreciate the Mongoose still wont use these commands. 

Command Center seems to be more about controlling other devices from switches/pedals on a Helix device than the other way around - maybe they'll add more to it by the time it hits Stomp, but I wouldn't pin your hopes on that too hard.

[dave_bass5]

13 minutes ago, stoo said:

Command Center seems to be more about controlling other devices from switches/pedals on a Helix device than the other way around - maybe they'll add more to it by the time it hits Stomp, but I wouldn't pin your hopes on that too hard.

No, ive gone of the idea now lol. Ill stick with getting the Pod Go. 

[milford59]

I use the MorningStar box with my Stomp.... it is very comprehensive with all the MIDI messages it can send.... there is a new 8-button Morningstar now, if 6 is not enough.....I use a separate foot switch to go up and down the banks on the Morningstar.... 

 

[dave_bass5]

27 minutes ago, milford59 said:

I use the MorningStar box with my Stomp.... it is very comprehensive with all the MIDI messages it can send.... there is a new 8-button Morningstar now, if 6 is not enough.....I use a separate foot switch to go up and down the banks on the Morningstar.... 

 

Thanks. That was the first one i looked at, as i know a few of you use it. Its just not what I’m looking for. 

I’m clumsy footed, so really want something in a line. I know this from using my HFX. I ended up moving the blocks i knew I’d use the most to the front 3 switches, so didn’t really use the back row much, but liked to keep them loaded for when inspiration hit (or didnt). Quite often I’d hit two at a time. For me that 6 switch wouldn't offer much over the existing 3 on the Stomp. 

I’m not sure what the 8 switch version costs, but i have a feeling it’s approaching Pod Go price, and I’d still be using two boxes. 

I tihnk the cheapest option for me is to look around for a better two switch pedal, but one that has indicator lights on it. I just need to know if a switch is on or off really. 

[dave_bass5]

Ok. I’m now thinking this one. Has LED’s, and can be used as an amp switcher as well. 

So if I’m right i can use one switch as FS4 and the others to change the channels on my Fender Rumble. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BOSS-FS-6-Dual-Foot-Switch/dp/B000RW2A0O?th=1

Not what i started out asking about, but a lot cheaper than buying the Pod Go or a Midi switch. 

[BassBus]

Small problem with pan blocks. I have just set up a new patch on Helix floor which I want in stereo. At the end of each line I have a pan block. Top one set to hard right, bottom one set to hard left. Press save then change patch. Come back to new patch and both pan blocks are set to hard left. Puzzled. anyone any idea what I might be doing wrong?

[dave_bass5]

11 hours ago, BassBus said:

Small problem with pan blocks. I have just set up a new patch on Helix floor which I want in stereo. At the end of each line I have a pan block. Top one set to hard right, bottom one set to hard left. Press save then change patch. Come back to new patch and both pan blocks are set to hard left. Puzzled. anyone any idea what I might be doing wrong?

You don’t have the pan position assigned to a switch do you?

[BassBus]

1 minute ago, dave_bass5 said:

You don’t have the pan position assigned to a switch do you?

It's not applied to any pedal or switch. I tried changing each pan block to the stereo width block and the same problem occurred. Je ne comprend pas.

[dave_bass5]

Could be a bug. Might be worth reporting it.

[dave_bass5]

Right. Totally changed what ive said earlier and going for a very small pedal board. 

Ive been looking at ways to power the Stomp and my Becos comp. i dont want to buy an expensive PSU for this, but I’m wondering if I’m thinking about it the wrong way. I’m happy to run two wall warts if I have to, but I’m wondering if there would there be any issues if i used the Line6 PSU to power both. Obviously ill need an adapter to bing the 2.5mm down to 2.1, but as far as i can see thats it. 

Anyone done this before?

[Osiris]

On 01/06/2020 at 14:19, stoo said:

If you need the pedal to display footswitch status, things get tricky as the Stomp doesn't output any status information over MIDI other than current preset number. You can program some controllers to alternately display an on/off indication each time you hit the switch on the controller, but as there is no feedback from the Stomp, there's no guarantee the Stomp and controller will be in sync.

If you only use preset changes and snapshots then you can make that work OK with a remote display, but not (AFAIK) for FS1-5 in "stomp-to-toggle" mode.

I made a custom 4x2 controller with a touchscreen on it with hopes of being able to do the same - leave the Stomp on the amp out of the way of punters and booze, and just have the controller up front..... never did find a good way of displaying enough info on the controller screen to make it viable. One day I might try and reverse engineer the comms between stomp and HX edit on a PC and see if I can't make it work that way.... probably not anytime soon though

Inspired by @dave_bass5 I'm starting to think of doing something similar, i.e. using a midi controller with my Stomp which would then live on top of the amp out of the way. Now, I know absolutely nothing about midi, but like Dave I like the look of the Tech 21 midi mongoose, but from what you're saying you don't think it would work as a block on/off switcher? It'd be a shame if it doesn't as that's all I'd want it to do, just 2 or 3 footswitches to kick things on and off. 

From the Stomp manual it says on page 48; 

Block Bypass via MIDI

1. Press  PAGE and PAGE  together to open the Menu.

2. Press Knob 1 (Bypass Assign).

3. Turn the Upper Knob to select the block whose bypass you want to assign to incoming MIDI.

4. Press PAGE  and then Knob 3 (Learn). Send a MIDI CC message from your foot controller, keyboard, etc. The CC number appears above Knob 1 (MIDI In).

Incoming CC values 0-63 turn the block off; values 64-127 turn the block on. Note that some MIDI CCs are reserved for global functions and cannot be selected (see "MIDI CC"). NOTE: To manually select a MIDI CC, instead of step 4 above, press PAGE  and turn Knob 1 (MIDI In) to select the desired MIDI CC number.
 

Am I right in thinking that you could use something like the midi mongoose to switch blocks on and off? As I understnd the blurb from the manual it looks like it should be possible (unless I've misunderstood it, as I said I know nothing about midi!) Ideally I'd also want the LED to indicate on and off but from what you're saying it wouldn't work like that. 

Any thoughts?

[dave_bass5]

Everything ive read says patch change only. Would be great if it did block on off though as its a cool foot switch. 

I had thought about having multiple patches with different blocks on, but thats a bit too involved for what I’m looking to do. 

[dave_bass5]

Must admit I’m very happy with the Roland foot switch I got. Its very sturdy and i might end up mapping the most used effects to these, as the switches are easier to hit. 

Each has its own LED, along with the power LED. The LED’s follow the latching/momentary setting. I like how the two can be used together or separately as well.

These two, plus my Becos Comp will be all i need for now. I suppose ill have to put them on a small board. Probably a PT Nano, which seems the perfect size. 

 

[stoo]

 

59 minutes ago, Osiris said:

Inspired by @dave_bass5 I'm starting to think of doing something similar, i.e. using a midi controller with my Stomp which would then live on top of the amp out of the way. Now, I know absolutely nothing about midi, but like Dave I like the look of the Tech 21 midi mongoose, but from what you're saying you don't think it would work as a block on/off switcher? It'd be a shame if it doesn't as that's all I'd want it to do, just 2 or 3 footswitches to kick things on and off. 

From the Stomp manual it says on page 48; 

Block Bypass via MIDI

1. Press  PAGE and PAGE  together to open the Menu.

2. Press Knob 1 (Bypass Assign).

3. Turn the Upper Knob to select the block whose bypass you want to assign to incoming MIDI.

4. Press PAGE  and then Knob 3 (Learn). Send a MIDI CC message from your foot controller, keyboard, etc. The CC number appears above Knob 1 (MIDI In).

Incoming CC values 0-63 turn the block off; values 64-127 turn the block on. Note that some MIDI CCs are reserved for global functions and cannot be selected (see "MIDI CC"). NOTE: To manually select a MIDI CC, instead of step 4 above, press PAGE  and turn Knob 1 (MIDI In) to select the desired MIDI CC number.
 

Am I right in thinking that you could use something like the midi mongoose to switch blocks on and off? As I understnd the blurb from the manual it looks like it should be possible (unless I've misunderstood it, as I said I know nothing about midi!) Ideally I'd also want the LED to indicate on and off but from what you're saying it wouldn't work like that. 

Any thoughts?

In case you missed my previous reply to Dave:

 

On 01/06/2020 at 17:56, stoo said:

I think you may have misunderstood the Mongoose's capabilities.... It basically ONLY* does preset changes (ie MIDI PC messages), and the LED and LCD on it are only there to remind you which preset you selected last. 

To switch individual effects on the Stomp, or change snapshots, or.... well, anything that's not a preset change - you need to be able to send MIDI Control Change messages, and that's not what the Mongoose is designed to do.

 

* apart from the expression pedal input part, but that's not really relevant to what you're asking about.

MIDI PC and MIDI CC are not the same thing.

Even if you have a MIDI controller which can send MIDI CC, then status indication on the controller is not really viable because there's no way for the Stomp to feedback the current state of the FS toggles to the MIDI controller. 

If :
- you're willing to build and program your own MIDI controller from scratch
- you're prepared to assume that every Stomp preset is saved with all the of the FS in an "off" state (or program the intial FS states for every Stomp preset into your custom MIDI controller)
- you're willing to accept that if you press the FS on the Stomp itself then the status light on the MIDI controller will be incorrect until you next change presets
then you could potentially make it work......  but realistically.... it's a no.

 

 

 

 

[dave_bass5]

12 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Must admit I’m very happy with the Roland foot switch I got. Its very sturdy and i might end up mapping the most used effects to these, as the switches are easier to hit. 

Each has its own LED, along with the power LED. The LED’s follow the latching/momentary setting. I like how the two can be used together or separately as well.

These two, plus my Becos Comp will be all i need for now. I suppose ill have to put them on a small board. Probably a PT Nano, which seems the perfect size. 

 

 

Ah, just found two minor issues.

The footswitch has to be used in non latching mode, so although the LED’s will flash, they wont stay on. Thats fine, as long as i have some indication of them being activated.

Secondly, switch A gets assigned to FS5, and B to FS4. Not sure if i need to get a different TRS cable. Not a big deal as I’ll probably use B to change the channels on my amp, so that will go direct to the head, and so use A as the extra switch. 

[LukeFRC]

3 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Secondly, switch A gets assigned to FS5, and B to FS4. Not sure if i need to get a different TRS cable. Not a big deal as I’ll probably use B to change the channels on my amp, so that will go direct to the head, and so use A as the extra switch

You can change that

[Osiris]

26 minutes ago, stoo said:

 

In case you missed my previous reply to Dave:

 

MIDI PC and MIDI CC are not the same thing.

Even if you have a MIDI controller which can send MIDI CC, then status indication on the controller is not really viable because there's no way for the Stomp to feedback the current state of the FS toggles to the MIDI controller. 

If :
- you're willing to build and program your own MIDI controller from scratch
- you're prepared to assume that every Stomp preset is saved with all the of the FS in an "off" state (or program the intial FS states for every Stomp preset into your custom MIDI controller)
- you're willing to accept that if you press the FS on the Stomp itself then the status light on the MIDI controller will be incorrect until you next change presets
then you could potentially make it work......  but realistically.... it's a no.

 

 

 

 

That answers that then 😃

Cheers.

[dave_bass5]

23 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

You can change that

How do you do that’s? Ive looked in global but cant find anything. For reference my other cheap 2 way switch does go left to right (4 - 5)

i know how to assign the on/off to each block, so its really more an OCD thing than a problem as such. 

Edited June 3, 2020 by dave_bass5

[LukeFRC]

9 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

How do you do that’s? Ive looked in global but cant find anything. For reference my other cheap 2 way switch does go left to right (4 - 5)

i know how to assign the on/off to each block, so its really more an OCD thing than a problem as such. 

Photos upside down but you can scroll here with what each switch does - so it can be stomp 4 or 5 or whatever

[dave_bass5]

No, thats not it as far as i can make out. 

What I’m saying is the first switch on the Roland always gets assigned to FS5, and the second to FS4, so in a way its back to front.

 As far as i can see FS4 and FS5 can be programmed for various things, but your cant changed FS4 to FS5 etc, 

EDIT: sorry, forgot to say thanks for the post 👍

Edited June 3, 2020 by dave_bass5

[LukeFRC]

13 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

No, thats not it as far as i can make out. 

What I’m saying is the first switch on the Roland always gets assigned to FS5, and the second to FS4, so in a way its back to front.

 As far as i can see FS4 and FS5 can be programmed for various things, but your cant changed FS4 to FS5 etc, 

EDIT: sorry, forgot to say thanks for the post 👍

But if FS4 = stomp 5

and FS5 = stomp 4 

does it matter?

[dave_bass5]

3 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

But if FS4 = stomp 5

and FS5 = stomp 4 

does it matter?

I’m not really sure what that means, but no, not really, ive said that, it was just something i noticed specific to this pedal. The order of the physical pedals cant be changed. 

[Higgie]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

I’m not really sure what that means, but no, not really, ive said that, it was just something i noticed specific to this pedal. The order of the physical pedals cant be changed. 

You can invert the polarity which I think should solve your problem. Don’t have my Stomp handy but it’s in the global settings somewhere for the external footswitches

[LukeFRC]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

I’m not really sure what that means, but no, not really, ive said that, it was just something i noticed specific to this pedal. The order of the physical pedals cant be changed. 

As in tip is FS4 and ring is fs5 in stomp, your pedal is the other wayround with A is ring and B is Tip. 
but seeing as you can assign the pedals to whatever you want in the software I don’t understand why it would matter