LINE 6 HELIX 3.15 OUT NOW!!!!

Started by BROCKSTAR, November 19, 2020, 10:17:33 AM

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gumtown

#50
Updated Helix Native (vst plugin) to the latest 3.1
Plugged my VG-99 via USB through my laptop, running Native in Savihost (a stand alone vst player), played with the new effects,
thought Meh, sounds a bit better, but still sounds like a Helix. Some of the delays were nice.

Good to know VST plugins can be passed through the VG-99 real-time/live.
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

admin

Cherry wrote>
had the HX Stomp for almost 2 years now, but today I found some MIDI bug or strange behaviour I was not aware of. I'm controlling the HX Stomp via the Fractal FX8, I'm controlling PC messages for different presets and CC messages to change snapshots within the presets. The thing is that I just noticed that if I recall a preset on the HX stomp it only loads with the snapshot it was saved on, not the snapshot it is configured to load via MIDI. I can't recall snapshot #3 if #1 was the one saved in the preset. The only way to recall different snapshots from a preset is to load it first and then change them. I think I read somewhere that this happens because the Instant Commands are sent simultaneously (vs consecutively), and the preset isn't yet loaded when the CC is received. I've always used the first snapshot in every preset but today I needed something else and Just noticed this. Can anyone confirm this? It's really a bummer not being able to control the HX Stomp that way.
Flimz wrote>
Incidentally, I was able to do this prior to the 3.0 update. Using my MS3 as a controller, I could select any preset and load whatever snapshot I wanted instantly. Not just which snap the preset was saved on.
After the update, this changed. So I just save all my presets on snapshot 1. That way

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/strange-hx-stomp-midi-behaviour.2221356/


JiveTurkey

Quote from: gumtown on April 16, 2021, 03:26:24 PM
Meh, sounds a bit better, but still sounds like a Helix.

The takeaway  ;D

BROCKSTAR

"Meh, sounds a bit better, but still sounds like a Helix."

Sounds a lot better over the years compared to when it came out. 5 years with mine and it's awesome. At least they update it unlike boss lol. :P

admin

Still waiting for the update that delivers  inspiring tones without wasting time deep diving to get anything I can use.

I still use my POD 2.0 vs Helix


BROCKSTAR

Quote from: admin on April 29, 2021, 11:01:42 AM
Still waiting for the update that delivers  inspiring tones without wasting time deep diving to get anything I can use.

I still use my POD 2.0 vs Helix



But that's with anything you buy including all boss / roland stuff as nothing is ever that inspiring right out of the box. Always better to deep dive and do your own thing unless the person is a "play presets only" type person.

JiveTurkey

Quote from: BROCKSTAR on April 29, 2021, 12:16:34 PM
But that's with anything you buy including all boss / roland stuff as nothing is ever that inspiring right out of the box. Always better to deep dive and do your own thing unless the person is a "play presets only" type person.
Ehhh Helix has a whole pile of caveats. "But did you daisy chain dual compressors with severe low cuts and double stacked eq blocks". The list of "you're doing it wrong if you don't like it" excuses is endless. Boss you either dig from the jump or you don't. No ridiculous hoops if you don't immediately take to it to jump through because it isn't going to get updated away.

BROCKSTAR

Quote from: JiveTurkey on April 29, 2021, 01:41:02 PM
Ehhh Helix has a whole pile of caveats. "But did you daisy chain dual compressors with severe low cuts and double stacked eq blocks". The list of "you're doing it wrong if you don't like it" excuses is endless. Boss you either dig from the jump or you don't. No ridiculous hoops if you don't immediately take to it to jump through because it isn't going to get updated away.

I get it and understand but i never have to do anything like that. None of my stuff is over complicated to get good tones. My blues and shred patch is simple, however my ambient one has like 13 blocks and counting lol. I think people get too hung up on IR's and compressors and this and that too much and forget to just dial what they have and play. I don't need 30 blocks to make something sound good in any device like some think they do.

admin

Luckily we have many options in the DSP MFX world, and can use the one(s) that suit our individual workflow, needs and requirements

acousticglue

Right. I dont care what others like or dont like. I use my ears and pocket book. Personally some external dirt pedals and using FX Loop for GFI/Strymon, there isnt anything sounds better to me.

admin

#61
Helix 3.15 is out
Helix/HX 3.15 (released February 8, 2022) includes a new Line 6 original amp, 10 new Helix effects, 18 additional Legacy effects, new features, additional improvements, and bug fixes, and is recommended for all users.


How do I update to 3.15?

If you're running HX Edit 3.01 or higher (released on Feb 2, 2021), just connect Helix/HX to your computer via USB and launch HX Edit. The software will walk you through the entire procedure, including backing everything up to your computer and updating both HX Edit and your Helix/HX firmware. If you're running an older version of HX Edit, you must update it before updating your Helix/HX hardware.



I updated but why don't I see [Model X]?

HX Edit can't magically see new models added to your Helix/HX hardware; you must update HX Edit as well (which you would've done had you followed "How do I update to 3.15?" above). Here's a link to HX Edit 3.15:



macOS: https://line6.com/software/readeula.html?rid=11009
Windows: https://line6.com/software/readeula.html?rid=11007


My Helix/HX is at version X.XX. Can I go straight to 3.15?

Yes, but note that if you're starting from 2.80 or lower, the update will appear to happen twice. This is normal.



Anything else I should know?

Yes. We STRONGLY recommend performing a factory reset AFTER UPDATING your Helix/HX firmware to 3.15 and THEN RESTORING YOUR BACKUP. (Backing up is part of the update process). Here's how to perform a factory reset. IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP FIRST, AS A FACTORY RESET WILL ERASE ALL YOUR WORK!

Helix Floor/LT: While holding footswitches 9 & 10 (bottom row, 2 middle switches), turn on Helix Floor/LT
Helix Rack: While holding knobs 5 & 6 (2 furthest right knobs below the screen), turn on Helix Rack
HX Effects: While holding footswitches 6 & TAP (2 farthest right switches on the bottom row), turn on HX Effects
HX Stomp: While holding footswitches 2 & 3, turn on HX Stomp
HX Stomp XL: While holding footswitches C & D, turn on HX Stomp


New Amp in 3.15

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL



AMP_HX_GTR_Ventoux.jpg

Amp/Preamp > Line 6 Ventoux, Line 6 Original.

"The amp model name is Ventoux, which is a mountain in the south of France that is a legendary cycling climb. I did it in 2018 and it was awesome and very hard.

This model comes from a physical amp idea I had a while back. I was going to build it as a tube amp first. There are only so many hours in a day, though. The idea was to create a "coveted boutique amp" that had a different origin story. Most coveted boutique amps come from modified black panel Fenders or modified Marshall circuits. I wanted to do the same thing, but base it on the early 70s Orange circuits and the mid-wattage Fender Tweed circuits.

Ventoux has a unique topology. In an indirect way, every knob is kind of a gain/drive control. The tone controls adjust the character and/or amount of the overdrive in those frequencies. This might be seen as complicated by some, but I find it exciting and full of possibilities."

—Ben Adrian, Sound Design Manager

Drive—Controls the amount of amp drive
HP Filter—Higher values result in tighter distortions and thinner cleans; lower values result in looser distortions and warmer cleans
Mid—Allows for more character than most. At lower values it's like the scooped sounds of traditional 60s Fender amps; at higher values it's flatter, like the 50s tweed amps that have very little tone-shaping in the circuits. Plus, a full-up mid sound will get a nice crunch when Drive is up
Presence/Depth—You may have noticed this amp was lacking regular bass and treble controls. That is accounted for with Depth and Presence controls; bass and treble for the power amp. These actually occur in the circuit just before phase inverter, but they really need the whole power amp to function. They also affect the character of the power amp distortion
Ch Vol—Sets the overall level of the Amp block
Master—Ventoux's Master volume exists in an "impossible" place for a physical amp. Generally, you'll want to leave this at 10.0, like a vintage amp with no master volume. However, a variety of textures can be had by reducing the level


New Helix Effects in 3.15

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL



FX_HX_DYNAMICS_AmpegOptoComp.jpg

Dynamics > Ampeg Opto Comp (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Ampeg Opto Comp compressor pedal.

Compress—This is actually a ratio control, which controls the amount of compression. At 0.0, the ratio is 1:1; at 5.0, the ratio is at 3:1, and at 10.0, the ratio is at 10:1
Release—Controls how long it takes for the compressor to stop reducing gain. At 0.0, the release is 75 ms; at 10.0, the release is around 600 ms
Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the compressor. When set to 0%, no compressed signal is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
Level—Sets the overall level of the block


FX_HX_MOD_AmpegLiquifier.jpg

Modulation > Ampeg Liquifier (Mono, Stereo), based on* the Ampeg Liquifier chorus pedal.

Rate—Adjusts the speed of the chorus' low-frequency oscillator (LFO) from slow to fast
Depth—Adjusts the amplitude of the modulation, from mild to deep
Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the chorus. When set to 0%, no chorus is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
Type—Liquifier is actually two choruses in one, hence the "Dual" default. If you'd prefer it to behave more like a traditional chorus pedal, choose "Single"
Headroom—Some mod pedals' internal signal paths exhibit a bit of grit, especially when placed after a high-gain amp block. Negative values increase the perceived amount of grit; positive values clean things up a bit. At 0dB, the model behaves like the original pedal
Level—Sets the overall level of the block


FX_HX_DELAY_Heliosphere.jpg

Delay > Heliosphere (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original delay with reverb injected into the feedback loop.

Time—Sets the delay time. Press the knob to toggle between ms/Sec and note values
Feedback—Controls the overall number of repeats. To hear only one repeat, set to 0%
Rate—Controls the rate or speed of modulation
Depth—Controls the depth or amount of modulation
Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the delay. When set to 0%, no delay is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
Level—Sets the overall level of the block
Scale—For stereo delays, the Time parameter sets the left side. The right side's time is always some percentage of the left's time, and is determined by the Scale parameter. For example, if Time is set to 500ms, and Scale is set to 70%, the left delay is 500ms and the right delay is 350ms (or 70% of 500ms). When scale is set to 100%, left and right delays are the same
Rev Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb inside the delay's feedback loop. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard
Rev Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb
Headroom—Some delay pedals' internal signal paths exhibit a bit of grit, especially when placed after a high-gain amp block. Negative values increase the perceived amount of grit; positive values clean things up a bit. At 0dB, the model behaves like the original pedal
Trails—When set to "Off," delay repeats are instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," delay repeats continue to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected


FX_HX_DELAY_ADT.jpg

Delay > ADT (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original double-tracking tape emulation.

Delay 1, Delay 2—Sets the delay time for each deck. Delay 1 can go up to 20ms and Delay 2 can go up to 200ms
WowFlutr1, WowFlutr2—Determines how much warbly tape sound is heard for each deck
Saturate1, Saturate2—Adds analog tape saturation and at high enough settings, distortion. At lower settings, it's great for simply warming up a tone
Deck 1 Vol, Deck 2 Vol—Sets the level of each deck independently. Deck 2 is a bit lower than Deck 1 by default
Deck 2 Pol—Flips the polarity of deck 2
Mod Rate—Controls the rate or speed of modulation applied to Deck 2
Mod Depth—Controls the depth or amount of modulation applied to Deck 2
Level—Sets the overall level of the block
TapeSpeed—Changes both the rate of the modulation applied by the WowFluttr control and the filtering response of the analog tape emulation
Texture—Adjusts the amount of the NAB tape EQ in the simulated tape path. When Saturation is set to 0.0, the texture is invisible. When Saturation is turned up, the texture will affect the tightness (or looseness) of the distortion
Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the decks, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
High Cut—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the decks, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
Deck 1 Pan, Deck 2 Pan—Pans each deck left and right
EnvThresh—Sets the level above which engages the envelope. When on, picking harder can impart very slight pitch fluctuations by tweaking Deck 2's delay. Subtle, but fun
Trails—When set to "Off," delay repeats are instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," delay repeats continue to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected


FX_HX_DELAY_Crisscross.jpg

Delay > Crisscross (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original dual delay with cross-feedback between the two delay lines.

Time A, Time B—Sets the delay time for each of the two delay lines. Press the knob to toggle between ms/Sec and note values
Feedbk A, Feedback B—Controls the number of repeats for each delay line. To hear only one repeat, set to 0%
Pan A, Pan B—To achieve the widest stereo field, set Pan A to L100 and Pan B to R100
Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the delay. When set to 0%, no delay is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
Level—Sets the overall level of the block
Crossfeed—Controls the amount of the A delay line fed back into the B delay line and vice versa
Headroom—Some delay pedals' internal signal paths exhibit a bit of grit, especially when placed after a high-gain amp block. Negative values increase the perceived amount of grit; positive values clean things up a bit. At 0dB, the model behaves like the original pedal
Mod Rate—Controls the rate or speed of modulation
Mod Depth—Controls the depth or amount of modulation
Shape—Sets the modulation's wave shape (Sine or Triangle)
Phase—Determines the modulation's phase relationship between the two delay lines. At 0°, the delay lines modulate together; at 180°, modulation is inverted from one another
Bit Depth—Lowers the bit depth of the delay repeats for a grungier sound. For more transparent results, set to "24 bits"
Sample Rate—Lowers the sample rate of the delay repeats for a grungier sound. For more transparent results, set to "48kHz"
Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the repeats, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
High Cut—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the repeats, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
Trails—When set to "Off," delay repeats are instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," delay repeats continue to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected


FX_HX_DELAY_Tesselator.jpg

Delay > Tesselator (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original. Tesselator is part morphing delay, part loop sampler, part drone machine... it's stellar for creating rhythmic pads, textures, or pitch/filter ramp effects to play over and has been placed in the Delay category so you can run multiple instances at once. Once audio is captured and repeating, you can effectively transition/morph between two states—First and Last, each with its own time, speed/pitch, HP filter, and LP filter—by applying increasing amounts to each repeat until the target settings are reached.

Assign Tesselator to a stomp footswitch. It's bypassed by default.
Play a chord and while it's ringing, press the Tesselator switch. Audio captured BEFORE the switch press is repeated and manipulated by the following parameters:
First—Determines the length of the first step in the sequence, that is, the length of repeated audio when first engaged. Press the knob to toggle between ms and note values
Last—Determines the length of the last step in the sequence. If shorter than the First step's time, the sequence will get shorter; if longer than the First step's time, the sequence will get longer. If First and Last are the same time, the sequence length remains constant (Ex. 1 below). Press the knob to toggle between ms and note values
Steps—Determines how many steps there are in the sequence (1 ~ 50). For example, if your first step is 100ms and your last step is 500ms, each successive step in the sequence will lengthen from 100ms to 500ms. The more steps you have, the longer it takes to reach the last step and therefore, the longer it takes to alter the sequence's characteristics
Direction—Determines the direction of the steps:
Forward: Each step plays back normally (Ex. 2a below)
Reverse: Each step plays back in reverse (Ex. 2b below)
Fwd/Rev: Steps alternate between forward and reverse (Ex. 2c below)
Boomerang—When off, the last step in the sequence repeats indefinitely. When on, all steps play forward, then backward, then forward again, etc. (Ex. 3a below)
Operation—Determines what happens to your signal when Tesselator is turned on (remember, it's bypassed by default)
"Mute All"—When Tesselator is on, THE ENTIRE PATH IS MUTED
"Dry Kill"—When Tesselator is on, only the effected signal is heard. TIP: With Tesselator on a parallel path, assign a second stomp switch to toggle between Mute All and Dry Kill. This lets you leave the block enabled and bring the effected signal in and out by switching between the two values
"Normal" (default)—When Tesselator is on, both the dry and effected signals are heard
Ramp—Determines whether any speed/pitch changes across the sequence reference a static or semitone value
"Speed" (default)—Sets the target speed of the last step. Use the Speed parameter to set the specific value (0% ~ 200% speed)
"Pitch"—Sets the target pitch of the last step. Use the Pitch parameter to set the value (-12 ~ +12 semitones; see Ex. 3c below)
Speed—Sets the target speed for the last step. For example, if set to "200%," the last step's pitch will be twice as high as the first step and if set to "0%," the last step will appear to stop completely, almost like a glitchy tape stop effect. Disabled unless Ramp is set to "Speed"
Pitch—Sets the target pitch for the last step. For example, if set to "-12", the last step will be an octave lower than the first step. Disabled unless Ramp is set to "Pitch" (see Ex. 3c below)
HP Filter—Very different from Helix's traditional Low Cut and High Cut filters. Sets the high-pass (low cut) filter target for the last step. For example, if set to a higher value, each successive step will filter out more bass until the last step of the sequence
LP Filter—Very different from Helix's traditional Low Cut and High Cut filters. Sets the low-pass (high cut) filter target for the last step. For example, if set to a lower value, each successive step will filter out more treble until the last step of the sequence (Ex. 3b below)
FX Level—Controls the level of the effected signal
Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
Woohoo! More charts and diagrams!

Tesselator is capable of hundreds of unique sounds, and it's impossible to illustrate them all, but here are a few examples:

Example 1: If Knob 1 (First) and Knob 2 (Last) are set to the same value (say, 1/4 note), the same length of audio repeats until Tesselator is bypassed. In this case, it acts very much like Delay > Ratchet, except the audio is captured BEFORE the stomp press, not after.

Example 2: If Knob 2 (Last) is set to a shorter time than Knob 1 (First), steps in the sequence progressively get shorter (Ex. 2a). If Last is set to a longer time than First, steps in the sequence progressively get longer. The last step is repeated indefinitely until Tesselator is bypassed. Setting Direction to "Reverse" (Ex. 2b) reverses all steps; setting Direction to "Fwd/Rev" (Ex. 2c) alternates between forward and reversed steps.

Example 3: Turning Boomerang to "On" plays the entire step sequence forward, then backward, then forward again, etc. (Ex. 3a) Decreasing LP Filter to a lower value progressively darkens each step in the sequence (Ex. 3b). Increasing HP Filter to a higher value progressively thins out each step in the sequence. Setting Ramp to "Pitch" and Pitch to a value other than "0" will change the pitch of each step until it lands on the target pitch at the last step. For example, if Pitch is set to "+5" and you play an E note, the last note in the sequence will be an A, or 5 steps higher (Ex. 3c). If you want the last A note to repeat indefinitely instead of stepping back down to E, turn Boomerang back to "Off."

TIP: You can change all of these parameters while Tesselator is... tessellating, to create evolving, engaging soundscapes. Run it into Pitch > Dual Pitch and Reverb > Shimmer and prepare to waste hours in drone land.



FX_HX_DELAY_Ratchet.jpg

Delay > Ratchet (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original buffer sampler/delay. Used to capture and loop a short snippet of audio (whose length is determined by the Time parameter) while the block is enabled. Great for rhythmic stutter effects. You could almost consider Ratchet a simplified version of Tesselator, where the audio is captured AFTER the footswitch press, not before.

Assign Ratchet to a stomp footswitch. It's bypassed by default.
While playing, press the Ratchet switch. Audio captured AFTER the switch press is repeated for as long as the block is enabled. For this reason, it may be best to make the switch momentary, and only step on the Ratchet switch when you change chords, almost like a rhythmic sustain pedal.
FX Level—Controls the level of the looped audio
Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
Time—Predetermines the length of the audio to be recorded and looped. To loop an entire 4/4 bar, choose "1/1"; to stutter your playing, start with "1/16" or "1/32"
Operation—Determines what happens to your signal when Ratchet is turned on (remember, it's bypassed by default)
"Mute All"—When Ratchet is on, THE ENTIRE PATH IS MUTED
"Dry Kill"—When Ratchet is on, only the effected signal is heard. TIP: With Ratchet on a parallel path, assign a second stomp switch to toggle between Mute All and Dry Kill. This lets you leave the block enabled and bring the effected signal in and out by switching between the two values
"Normal" (default)—When Ratchet is on, both the dry and effected signals are heard


FX_HX_REVERB_DynamicPlate.jpg

Reverb > Dynamic Plate (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original plate reverb typically found in high-end studio rack reverbs.

Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (0.1 sec ~ 45.0 sec, or Infinity)
Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the plate. Can sometimes result in more definition between the dry and effected signals
Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed. For example, if your hall is full of people wearing fake ocelot jumpsuits, more high frequencies would be absorbed than if the room were empty
Mot Rate—Motion Rate, or how fast the echoes' intensity changes, due to changes in plate tension or temperature
MotRange—Motion Range, or how much the internal delays change. Similar to the modulation control on older tank reverbs
Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
Low Freq—Sets the frequency below which the Low Gain parameter is applied
Low Gain—Sets the reverb time for frequencies below the Low Freq value. Values below 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay faster than the treble frequencies; values above 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay slower than the treble frequencies
Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
Trails—When set to "Off," the reverb decay is instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," the reverb continues to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected

admin

#62


FX_HX_REVERB_DynamicRoom.jpg

Reverb > Dynamic Room (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original room reverb typically found in high-end studio rack reverbs.

Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (0.1 sec ~ 3.0 sec)
Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the room. Can sometimes result in more definition between the dry and effected signals
Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed. For example, if your room is full of people wearing foam high school mascot costumes, more high frequencies would be absorbed than if the room were empty
Diffusion—Sets the amount of smearing between discrete echoes, sometimes resulting in a softer effected signal
Mot Rate—Motion Rate, or how quickly the room's shape may be changing, due to people moving, doors opening or closing, etc.
Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
Low Freq—Sets the frequency below which the Low Gain parameter is applied
Low Gain—Sets the reverb time for frequencies below the Low Freq value. Values below 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay faster than the treble frequencies; values above 0.0dB mean the bass frequencies decay slower than the treble frequencies
Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
EarlyReflc—Sets the amount of early reflective room sound
Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
Trails—When set to "Off," the reverb decay is instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," the reverb continues to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected


FX_HX_REVERB_Shimmer.jpg

Reverb > Shimmer (Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original shimmer reverb. We originally planned to release Shimmer as two distinctly different reverbs—Luster and Sheen—but combining them into a single model and letting you seamlessly switch back and forth via a footswitch or snapshots seemed cooler.

Type—Determines the type of shimmer effect applied. TIP: Assign Type to a footswitch (or snapshots) to try both within the same preset
"Luster"—More of a traditional, reverb pedal-type shimmer effect with tighter definition in the lustery bits
"Sheen" (default)—More of a lush, studio plugin-type shimmer effect with a massive, sheeny bloom
Pitch 1—Sets the interval of the first pitchshifter. Set to "Oct Up" for more traditional shimmer sounds; set to "Oct Down" for something a bit creepier. Note that Pitch 1 and Pitch 2 have 0.1 semitone resolution between -1and +1
Pitch 2—Sets the interval of the second pitchshifter
Intensity—Controls the mix between the pitchshifted and non-pitchshifted reverb
Feedback—Controls the number of times the pitchshifting recirculates through the reverb
Pitch Blend—Controls how much of Pitch 1 is heard vs. Pitch 2 (set to "Even" by default)
Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the reverb. When set to 0%, no reverb is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
Decay—Sets the decay of the reverb (0.1 sec ~ 45.0 sec or Infinity)
Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the room. Can sometimes result in more definition between the dry and effected signals
Room Size—Sets the size of the room (10, 20, or 30 meters)
Damping—Determines the frequency above which the reverb will be absorbed
Diffusion—Sets the amount of smearing between discrete echoes, sometimes resulting in a softer effected signal
Motion—Sets the amount of randomization, which can be helpful to minimize any metallic artifacts common in static reverbs. At higher values, can impart a bit of modulation to the effected signal
Low Cut—Applies a low cut (or high pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
High Cut—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the reverb, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
Level—Controls the overall output level of the block
Trails—When set to "Off," the reverb decay is instantly muted when the block is bypassed. When set to "On," the reverb continues to decay naturally when the block is bypassed or a different snapshot is selected
*NOTE: All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or affiliated with them. These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.



New Legacy Effects in 3.15

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

18 additional effects—most from the FX Junkie model pack for POD Farm 2.5—have been added to the Legacy subcategory in their respective effects categories. Don't sleep on these!



Legacy_DIST.jpg

Distortion > Bronze Master (Legacy), based on* the Maestro® Bass Brassmaster. Originally designed for bass, but equally cool on guitar, the Maestro® Bass Brassmaster is considered by many to be the Holy Grail of bass distortion units, an ultra-rare bird designed in the early 70's for Maestro® by synth genius Tom Oberheim. NOTE: The Blend parameter is not like overall distortion Mix; instead, it sets how much of the filtered signal passes through the clipping/octave circuitry
Distortion > Killer Z (Legacy), based on* the BOSS® Metal Zone MT-2. Equipped with a dual gain circuit, the MT-2 provides amazing sustain plus heavy mids and lows similar to a stack of overdriven amps. We've simplified the EQ controls a bit to make the Killer Z model, but you'll still find the sought after flavor of the MT-2 style sound


Legacy_MOD.jpg

Modulation > Tape Eater (Legacy), Line 6 Original. If you've ever had a cassette player eat a tape before you'll know what we're talking about. Try this with a slow speed setting and a 100% wet mix
Modulation > Warble-Matic (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This effect is reminiscent of the Sweeper model, but when used subtly it can produce a nice mild phasey sound or with Depth maxed out you can simulate the sound of an alien spacecraft landing in one of those old 50's sci-fi movies
Modulation > Random S&H (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This has a similar effect as the old Oberheim® Voltage Controlled Filter. It creates changes in tone by randomly emphasizing certain frequencies. Try pressing the Speed knob to lock it to tempo and playing single chords to that tempo
Modulation > Sweeper (Legacy), Line 6 Original. Imagine having 2 wah pedals on steroids separated in a stereo field that are pulsating in opposite positions and you're close to what you'll hear here. Use the Q and Freq parameters to set the character of the sweep and adjust Depth to go from subtle to full on freak out. Any resemblance to guitar tracks heard in a particular genre of B films is strictly coincidental


Legacy_DELAY.jpg

Delay > Phaze Eko (Legacy), Line 6 Original. Starting with the basic tone of our EP-1 tape delay emulation, they've added something very much like a Uni-Vibe to the delay repeats. The result is an echo unit that gives you unique new creative possibilities for adjusting the tone of your delays with a beautiful, burbling texture
Delay > Bubble Echo (Legacy), Line 6 Original. Bubble Echo has a sample-and-hold filter on the repeats. It takes a filter sweep (like the one on Sweep Echo), chops it up into little bits, and rearranges them semi-randomly, so that it sounds like sudden little bits of wah pedal randomly sprinkled about


Legacy_PITCHSYNTH.jpg

Pitch/Synth > Synth Lead (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These are styled after popular analog monophonic synth lead sounds from Moog, ARP and Sequential Circuits
Pitch/Synth > String Theory (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This emulates classic synth string sounds like those found in the ARP Solina String Ensemble and the Elka® Synthex. The harder you pick, the brighter the sound. We somehow had two separate effects called "Synth String"—one from POD Farm 2.5 and the other from FM4, which was already added to Helix/HX in 1.50. Renamed the POD Farm version "String Theory" to avoid confusion
Pitch/Synth > Synth FX (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These sounds aren't really designed to be musical. These are more "special effects" sounds. You'll hear a lot of these kinds of sounds in movie soundtracks
Pitch/Synth > Buzz Wave (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These are cool combinations of saw and square waves with fast vibrato. The 8 different Wave parameters offer different vibrato speeds and different pitches
Pitch/Synth > Rez Synth (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These are all sweeping low pass filter effects with the resonance set high. Resonance is a peak at the frequency of the low pass filter
Pitch/Synth > Saturn 5 Ring Mod (Legacy), Line 6 Original. Ring modulators take two signals (one supplied by your guitar, the other supplied by the effect) then adds and subtracts similar frequencies. Electro-Harmonix® makes a ring modulator pedal called the Frequency Analyzer that is a popular guitar effect. The only limiting factor is that the pitch of the signal provided by the effect is constant. Meaning you have to play only in the key of that pitch to be musical
Pitch/Synth > Double Bass (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This effect has two oscillators that track the pitch of your guitar—one square wave tuned one octave down, and one saw tooth wave two octaves down
Pitch/Synth > Seismik Synth (Legacy), Line 6 Original. This effect has an oscillator that tracks the pitch of your guitar. You can choose between 8 different wave shapes which give you different "flavors"—all of them one or two octaves down from the original pitch
Pitch/Synth > Analog Synth (Legacy), Line 6 Original. These are great for funky synth guitar (or bass) lines. These sounds were made popular by Moog and ARP
Pitch/Synth > Synth Harmony (Legacy), Line 6 Original. If you loved those big synth leads from 70's era prog bands then you'll love this effect. There are two synth waves at work here. Your first two parameters allow you to choose a pitch interval of your original note played. The Wave parameter works differently from what you'd expect with the other synth models; here it controls the gain of the saw wave, while the square wave gain remains constant


New Features in 3.15

Input Block > Per-Preset Guitar Pad

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

The Input > Multi and Input > Guitar block now has an additional Guitar Pad parameter that lets you engage the analog guitar pad per preset ("Off" or "On). Or you could leave it set to "Global" and continue to turn the guitar pad on and off from the Global Settings menu. NOTE: For HX Stomp and HX Stomp XL, "Global" refers to the Global Settings > Ins/Outs > Input Level setting. When Pad is on, it's the same as if Input Level is set to "Line"; when off, it's the same as if Input Level is set to "Inst[rument]."



Global MIDI Control of Knobs 1-6, <PAGE/PAGE>, and Preset Save

Helix Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, HX Effects, HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

Instead of manually having to assign parameters to incoming MIDI CC messages, Knobs 1-6 for any block on the Home screen (Knobs 1-3 on HX Effects, HX Stomp, or HX Stomp XL) respond to new global MIDI CCs. This turns any programmable MIDI keyboard or tabletop controller into a simple way to edit blocks without having to reach down (for those of you who can't be bothered to use Pedal Edit Mode). In addition, sending Helix/HX a CC74 message will save any changes to the preset. IMPORTANT! We ran out of reserved Global CCs and unfortunately had to steal five user-assignable CCs for this feature. Any parameters you've assigned to CC77-CC81 will have to be remapped. Sorry 'bout that.

Other Changes and Improvements in 3.15

HX Stomp XL only: Global Settings > Footswitches > Snapshot Mode adds a third value—Toggle, like the one in HX Effects and POD Go. This remembers whether Preset Mode is in Preset or Snapshot mode and allows for toggling between Stomp and Snapshot mode via the MODE switch
The max delay time for several Delay > Legacy models has been increased from 2 seconds to 2.5 seconds
Numerous additional minor improvements to Delay > Legacy models
Delay > Multitap 6 has been optimized to use less than half the DSP as in pre-3.15 builds
MIDI CC69 values are now transmitted upon snapshot change

Command Center > HX Snapshot commands are now affected themselves by snapshot changes. This means the same stomp switch could recall a different, specific snapshot (or next or previous snapshot) per snapshot

Command Center > HX Snapshot command parameters can now be controlled by Snapshots themselves. For example, imagine that you are on Snapshot 1 and create an HX Snapshot command on FS2. You set it so that pressing that switch recalls Snapshot 3. You then switch to Snapshot 3 and set the same switch to recall Snapshot 6. Recall Snapshot 6 and set the switch to recall Snapshot 2. Finally, you recall Snapshot 2 and set the switch to recall Snapshot 1. Now, you go back to Snapshot 1 and begin pressing the switch. Each successive press recalls the assigned Snapshot and you would cycle Snapshot  1 > 3 > 6 > 2 > 1 > 3 > 6 > 2 and so on for each switch press. NOTE: this assumes that the Snapshot Edits global is set to Recall. If it's set to Discard, you'd have to save the preset after each set in order for the changes to stick

Bypass Assign > EXP Pedal 1/2 now has a new Behavior parameter to control how bypassing is handled. The default value "Toggle" behaves as this feature always has - bringing the pedal past threshold will toggle the block's bypass state from what it is currently (i.e. enable if currently bypassed and vice versa). "Toe Down" and "Heel Down" always bypass the block at the designated position, regardless of the block's starting state. So with "Heel Down" selected, the block will always enable when you cross the Position threshold and bypass when you return below it

We ran out of reserved Global CCs and unfortunately had to steal five user-assignable CCs for MIDI control of Knobs 1-6 and <PAGE/PAGE>. Any parameters you've assigned to CC77-CC81 will have to be remapped

Encoder ballistics have been improved. For parameters with hundreds of values, you can now go from Min to Max in a couple of turns

Bug Fixes in 3.15

Amp/Preamp > Das Benzin Lead channel output was set to -36dB instead of -24dB—FIXED
Amp/Preamp > Voltage Queen's Master volume only affected one side of the push/pull power amp—FIXED
Distortion > Ampeg Scrambler's oversampling wasn't fully implemented—FIXED
IR names with more than 54 characters couldn't be copied or exported from HX Edit
HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL, HX Effects only: Pressing TAP to reset LFOs now properly works on switch press, not release—FIXED
HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL only: Some Preamp blocks would display an Amp block icon in the inspector header—FIXED
HX Stomp XL only: Command Center > HX Snapshot commands assigned to Hold would not function properly on FS1 and FS4—FIXED
HX Edit only: In rare cases, dragging in an IR from the list to the signal flow could sometimes create a None block instead of an Impulse Response block—FIXED
HX Edit only: While Spillover is active, dragging a block across path A/B could occasionally fail—FIXED
HX Edit only: After moving a block with Spillover active, changing a block from mono to stereo could occasionally fail—FIXED
HX Edit only: While Spillover is active, the bypass state appearance of blocks could occasionally not match that of the hardware—FIXED
HX Edit only: DSP allocation of poly pitch blocks could occasionally not match that of the hardware—FIXED
HX Edit only: IRs with names longer than 54 characters couldn't be copied or exported—FIXED
HX Edit only: When saving a favorite, the Enter key on extended QWERTY keypads was inoperable—FIXED
HX Edit only: Snapshot-controlled Command Center changes would sometimes not be maintained across copy/paste or preset export/import—FIXED
Known Issues in 3.15

Copy/pasted blocks retain their favorited status after overwriting an existing favorite
When a snapshot is reloaded, a duplicate PC message is not transmitted, regardless of the Global Settings > MIDI/Tempo > Duplicate PC Send setting
In some cases, the current Variax tone knob's position may not be recalled across preset changes
Delay > Ducked Delay's ducking is inactive is DynAttack is maxed out at 2.000s
When Global Settings > Preferences > Snapshot Edits is set to "Discard," holding FS12 to save changes in Pedal Edit mode does not save snapshot-controlled parameters
After changing a different delay's Time parameter from ms to note values, selecting Delay > Tesselator causes its Knob 1 parameter label changes from "First" to "Time 1"
Tesselator and Ratchet's Mute All function mutes the entire path whether the block is active or bypassed.
Compatible OS: Mac OS X, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, macOS Sierra, macOS High Sierra, macOS Mojave, macOS Catalina, macOS Big Sur, macOS Monterey, Windows 11
[/i]


admin

#64





JiveTurkey


BROCKSTAR

Quote from: JiveTurkey on February 08, 2022, 01:36:04 PM
New verbs sounds great. FOR GOD'S SAKE; MAKE THE SYNTH STUFF POLYPHONIC ALREADY!

Yes it would be nice but I'm not holding my breath, especially since a lot of the poly stuff that came out takes a lot of DSP and I don't think you'd be able to do much with any of the synth stuff either if it was poly... However if there's a helix 2 in the future, I'm sure they would since they know how to do the poly stuff better and would be much better with more DSP etc.

mchad


That Tesselator effect looks quite interesting. And complicated.

admin

#68
Quote from: BROCKSTAR on February 08, 2022, 02:18:20 PM
Yes it would be nice but I'm not holding my breath, especially since a lot of the poly stuff that came out takes a lot of DSP and I don't think you'd be able to do much with any of the synth stuff either if it was poly... However if there's a helix 2 in the future, I'm sure they would since they know how to do the poly stuff better and would be much better with more DSP etc.

IMHO- I predict a future Variax will provide a DSP with larger memory -to support poly synth algorithms on the guitar- which no doubt will give Boss Euros GS-1 some competition.

Future Helix Firmware would provide the user interface to access the "2024 Variax III" - that appears to be viable - but it's only my prediction

Providing a new generation CAT5 interface that supported 6 separate channels per string (AES67) might be possible, but they no doubt prefer to maintain some compatibility between hardware generations, and its easier to upgrade the Variax DSP vs redesigning the entire VDI interface used on every Variax since 2003


BROCKSTAR

Love getting freaky with helix in a ambient / experimental way. Running a roland gr-50 guitar synth into the new tesselator and pairing it with the awesome shuffling looper and freeze and ganymede reverb. Has a modular synth vibe going on!


Antonuzzo

Quote from: JiveTurkey on February 08, 2022, 01:36:04 PM
New verbs sounds great. FOR GOD'S SAKE; MAKE THE SYNTH STUFF POLYPHONIC ALREADY!

Or at least give us a monosynth with 2-3 oscillators with individual shapes (wave, ramp, square) and oscillator sync & PWM.

(I haven't updated yet; if those features are in there I'm going to be very happy).

Or: monophonic pitch to MIDI...

admin

#72
Quote from: Antonuzzo on February 09, 2022, 01:05:01 AM
Or at least give us a monosynth with 2-3 oscillators with individual shapes (wave, ramp, square) and oscillator sync & PWM.



Already exists
See "4 OSC Generator" - but its played via footswitches - not guitar

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aJZ9eOGuI8I_b6t9HH_lmn6N17LkbYIJV8OuQAwgaEs/edit?usp=sharing

Antonuzzo

Quote from: admin on February 09, 2022, 01:20:59 AM
Already exists
See "4 OSC Generator" - but its played via footswitches - not guitar

Yep. And it is handy. But something like the OSC synth in the SY-1000 would be really welcome.

BROCKSTAR

I think line 6 hired tinker bell to throw some fairy dust around in the new shimmer verb? I swear they made me sound like some long lost brother of Robert Fripp or something.... I'm using a roland gr-50 guitar synth and did a loop / drone piece just dry without shimmer verb, then I throw some magic fairy dust shimmer into the mix and listen how the entire thing changes into magic!