An observation about the Helix LT I just bought and Line 6 in general

[SwirlyMaple]

115v consistent on my meter

Have you checked for targeted high-energy R/F? Do you ever feel like you might be standing inside of a microwave oven?

 

[James Freeman]

I normally run them serial.

1/10th of a second of the amp it's switching to except at like double the volume.

Yep, Helix has always done that.
I'm guessing but I think the volume jump is due to the internal volume balancing/compensation of each amp model, it's not user adjustable.
There are multiple solution to that like: muting, delays, dsp pre-loading order, etc. if they want to fix that they can.

EDIT:
Ooh yes, switching two amps in series has been fixed, I haven't even noticed.
BUT, switching Master/Channel volume with snapshots hasn't, I can still hear the split second jump in volume.

 

[James Freeman]

To be clearer, when switching two snapshots with different Channel and Master volumes I still hear the quick volume jump.

 

[aldunk]

I might be making it up but I'm sure I heard someone say it's due to the order that parameters are changed with snapshots etc?
As in a parameter that increases the volume can be changed slightly before one that would bring it down which gives you a short period of "oh my god my windows are shattered" before it settles back down to normal levels.

Take all that with a large pinch of salt because I don't even have a hardware Helix

 

[HotRats]

To be clearer, when switching two snapshots with different Channel and Master volumes I still hear the quick volume jump.



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That happens because parameter change is done in series, like midi. Unfortunately we can't set a priority/order (master down before volume up).

 

[Sascha Franck]

Fwiw, the order of the amps might be relevant (in case you're running them serially and alternate their bypasses via snapshots).
From my observations, even in digital audio land some processes are not happening in parallel (they hardly ever do anyway, but with a little added latency software is capable of creating the illusion of actions happening parallely).
So, one of your amps might be switched off/on earlier than the other. This *might* result in a condition when both amps are on at the same time. And running an overdriven amp with huge output level into a clean(ish) amp will cause some massive volume jumps and likely some pops, too. Changing the order of amps might at least reduce the problem.
Note: I am *not* saying it's happening this way, but as I had this happen on some Helix patches myself I know what it sounds like - and that's awfully familiar with the way my old, rather cheap analog loop switcher (one from Rolls) acted when I had two different preamps in it. For a short while, both preamp loops were active, the result being pretty much the same pops/boosts as in my Helix patch.
Note #2: I also had that very same thing happen in earlier versions of Guitar Rig (which I was brave enough to use for some gigs...) and it was sort of confirmed by Native Instruments (I was on their beta team back then) that it's been pretty much what people suspected, namely that the internal kind of loop switcher (more like a programmable direction mixer) would not switch seamlessly, so for a while you'd hear both amps at once (and one feeding the other).

 

[Bob Zaod]

Have you checked for targeted high-energy R/F? Do you ever feel like you might be standing inside of a microwave oven?

No but some days my wife makes me feel like I am standing inside a completely soundproof bubble when I talk to her.

 

[Bob Zaod]

To be clearer, when switching two snapshots with different Channel and Master volumes I still hear the quick volume jump.



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With all 4 of my other LT's I did also but not with this one. Beyond weird. I cant reproduce it.

 

[JCW308]

With all 4 of my other LT's I did also but not with this one. Beyond weird. I cant reproduce it.

Same firmware on all?

 

[Bob Zaod]

Same firmware on all?

Well no because I had them all over 7 years or whatever it's been. I bought my first LT the first week they dropped.

 

[JCW308]

Well no because I had them all over 7 years or whatever it's been. I bought my first LT the first week they dropped.

Might be a firmware fix then.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

To be clearer, when switching two snapshots with different Channel and Master volumes I still hear the quick volume jump.



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That’s so you can tap out your own rhythm section by changing patches to the beat. *strum* POP *strum* POP *strum* POP POP

 

[James Freeman]

This can be easily avoided if the snapshot change sequence sets Ch Volume to 0.0 before sending the 64 parameter changes.

edit: then sending the Ch Vol parameter last of course.

 

[Digital Igloo]

I think I know what this is. Igor did go in and improve things a while back, and it *does* happen with certain competitive boxes as well. (We checked.)

Controller assignments are indeed serial, and the order in which you assign things can sometimes (but rarely, almost always with very large value changes) make a difference. If a volume jump occurs, assign one amp's volume drop first, then the other amp's volume increase; the drop should happen first in this case.

 

[Sascha Franck]

If a volume jump occurs, assign one amp's volume drop first, then the other amp's volume increase; the drop should happen first in this case.

What if you just don't want them to be assigned?

 

[JT]

Use One AmpTM

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Use One AmpTM

Badonk Mob®

 

[Bob Zaod]

Badonk Mob®

I have tried a bunch. Cant seem to get there with a single amp and pedal blocks. Closest I have come is Cali Rhythm 2 with the gain super low and even then it didnt quite cut it. Thing is I dont have to now. My current LT does not have the problem.

 

[Sascha Franck]

For a kind of rock-ish project I was in for a while, I used the 2204 Mod as my only amp. Didn't need completely clean tones on that gig, so I was fine with a dirty amp. Had to set the drive very low (usually around 1, sometimes even a bit lower with the Input Pad off), but that resulted in an extremely versatile sound. Pretty much working as a clean sound with the guitar volume turned a notch down and taking the Helix' internal dirt pedals extremely well, I usually used the Teemah for allround riffage and the Top Secret OD (unfortunately always along with an EQ, I wish they came up with a Top Secret OD+ or so...) for some slightly fuzzier goodness and then slapped a Kinky Boost in front for those "mooaaar" moments (and sometimes another Kinky Boost post-amp for even more mooaaar, apparently courtesy of Vernon Reid but I did similar things in my rack days already, as in "adding dirt after the main dirt").
To take that into lead territory, I used what I'm always using since decades (also started that in my rack and loopswitcher days), namely a pre-amp compressor (Vetta Comp from the legacy models, I wish there was a Diamond Compressor, using a clone on my board and it's better than the Vetta Comp...) for some more "meat" and a little boost, a post-amp EQ (final lead level and a little mid boost) and something spatial (sitting in path 2b so I was able to preselect between a bunch of things).
In case I don't need high headroom cleans (which I "unfortunately" often do), that single patch would be good to serve each and every gig.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Don't listen to my BS, I use three different amp models across three different presets in my Stomp and switch between all three whenever I feel like it. It's honestly no faster/slower than changing amp channels on my MT15. No pop, just gap.