DIY - FIGLA -Looper-controller for Helix

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DIY - FIGLA -Looper-controller for Helix
SporkySporky Frets: 12739
June 2016 edited June 2016 in Making & Modding
Right. I thought this might be worth documenting in case anyone else is interested. As you'll see, my approach is based on overthinking and overengineering everything I can.

I am rather fond of my Line6 Helix, but having previously used a pedalboard with a Headrush the need to switch to a different screen to control the looper is somewhat irksome, particularly as I'm used to leaving the looper in overdub mode and changing sounds to play each component part. On the Helix that means a lot of flipping between screens and therefore a loss of "flow". Not that I'm particularly great at it.

The Helix manual lists the MIDI CC messages to control the looper. I know which end of a soldering iron not to pick up. It therefore didn't seem a Herculean task to build a discrete control pedal for the looper so that I can leave the Helix in normal control mode but work the looper from a separate set of buttons.

At the same time, the lack of MIDI clock functionality in the Helix was limiting what I could do with my Source Audio Reflex. Only a little, but still limiting, so some way of incorporating MIDI clock seemed a good idea. Ha ha. More on that later.

A few stages first before anything gets built:

I used MIDI-OX (jolly useful bit of free software) to test that the Helix does respond to those MIDI CCs when not in Looper control mode. Turns out it does. Good start.
I checked that I could get the Helix Tap Tempo footswitch to send a MIDI CC every time it's pressed. Yup. Plan forming; send a message whenever the footswitch is pressed, and have something downstream time the pulses and generate MIDI clock in time. This has some limitations but it'll be good enough until (hopefully) MIDI clock is added to the Helix.
Research. There are a load of MIDI controller boards out there - MIDICPU is well supported and will definitely do all the looper control stuff, but won't do the clock stuff (as far as I can work out). I could homebrew something with Arduino but that's another rabbit-hole to get stuck in. I ended up finding MIDI-Kits and a couple of emails later had a MIDunio with breakout board and software all built up. It took a few more versions of the software to get it working correctly (MIDI clock still isn't quite there but progress being made) but all ready now.


So the build begins. I couldn't easily find a sensibly sized enclosure for the footswitch, but there are plenty of cheap amp footswitches out there - the bonus being that they have the switches already inside too. After a few things went for more than I fancied on eBay I bought myself a TC Electronic Switch-6 - preloaded with six momentary footswitches on a nice PCB that links earth across them all. A few cheeky mods to the PCB, enlargement of the jack hole to take a Cliff 7-way socket, some light sanding & a lick of spray paint and all looked good. I had some vinyl lettering done (at www.vinylletteringonline.co.uk - no affiliation but it was quick and good quality). Also came up with a name; FIGLA. FIGLA is a helix-loop-helix protein. See what I did there?


Finished footswitch bit - the brains will be in a separate enclosure:
http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/76990/completed-project-figla-a-looper-controller-for-the-helix#latest

[mooncaine]

Love it. Love the name, too.