Helix Talk

James Freeman said:
Fiddling more with the 8 block limitation of the Stomp I understand that switching Presets per song/tone is essential, so one has to be clever about what blocks to use when and preset switching time, it's doable.
On the full Helix I had 32 blocks and used Snapshots or Stomp Mode all in one preset, DSP or Routing was a non-issue.
Still, I think the Stomp can do 16 blocks like 1/2 a Helix without overheating, particularly the XL, but I also think these kind of limitation are intentional, the LT needs to sell too... if you know what I mean.

My current pedalboard.
View attachment 25383


16 blocks on one DSP can easily replace my board, and 6 snapshots on the XL is plenty to control everything.
View attachment 25384
Click to expand...
Not happening.
 
James Freeman said:
Is that a challenge? 😋
Just kidding.... OR AM I ?!! 😐
Click to expand...
I’ll add a “no” to the challenge.

The initial 6 block idea (I think) was the same as they actually did with the POD Go. And that is that the user shouldn’t have to come to the point where things are greyed out (not enough dsp). With the Stomp (when it was 6 block) that could happen anyway. And they certainly new that it would happen more frequently in the future when updates add even more dsp demanding effect/amp models. The 8 block update was maybe to silence us that made so much noise about it, or a genuine interest in expanding the Stomp. But it also came with the warning/assurance that it will be easier to eat up dsp.
 
the swede said:
The initial 6 block idea (I think) was the same as they actually did with the POD Go. And that is that the user shouldn’t have to come to the point where things are greyed out (not enough dsp). With the Stomp (when it was 6 block) that could happen anyway. And they certainly new that it would happen more frequently in the future when updates add even more dsp demanding effect/amp models. The 8 block update was maybe to silence us that made so much noise about it, or a genuine interest in expanding the Stomp. But it also came with the warning/assurance that it will be easier to eat up dsp.
Click to expand...

That argument doesn't hold.
Both have exactly the same ADSP-21469 DSP, full Helix can do 16 blocks on one DSP, more is more.
 
I think what @the swede suggests would be a pretty decent idea. Stick with the 8-block limit but allow us to insert the "utilitarian" blocks, namely volume and loop blocks (and perhaps the looper), for "free". That way, no other units would be cannibalized but at the same time it'd give the Stomps a whole new meaning, at least for some setups.
 
And fwiw, I obviously wouldn't mind "full" 16 blocks myself at all, but that might in fact require a new display paradigm/style.
 
James Freeman said:
That argument doesn't hold.
Both have exactly the same ADSP-21469 DSP, full Helix can do 16 blocks on one DSP, more is more.
Click to expand...
Technically that sounds correct. But you’ll have to challenge Line 6 reps about that. I think they’ve explained it somewhere at some point. I can’t explain it though. :)

If I remember correctly there’s more to it than “it’s the same chip”
 
Digital Igloo said:
It's probably been enough time to share a few nuggets. AMPLIFi was supposed to be a very different product—more of a casual living room playing experience with a battery-powered wedge-shaped soundbar-type enclosure, and a wireless transmitter that docked into the speaker, perfectly flush (with a little area underneath for picks we called the "Pick Pocket.") The app was going to grow as the line did with all sorts of value-added tools like timestretching/pitchshifting for jam tracks (a la JM-4), TABs, and other things that Positive Grid have since added to Spark.

Years before Yamaha acquired Line 6, another large MI company was considering acquiring us, in part because of AMPLIFi's ambitious goals. One of their executives went back and said "Holy hell, Line 6 is working on this box that's going to change the world. We need to be a part of this."

But then one day the PM came into my office and told me the cost was creeping up too high so we needed to lose battery power: "Noo!" Then a while later he came in and said we also had to lose wireless audio: "Noooo!!!" Years later, Spider V would be the first amp with a wireless receiver built in. Then a while later he came in and said "With no battery power or wireless it makes more sense to change the form factor to more of a traditional amp thing": "NOOOOO!" Then he came in and said "We need a less expensive DSP so we need to switch to XT amps instead of HD." "GAAAHHHH!!!!" Then Marketing decided to tease it as "The Guitar Amp, Reinvented," which, had AMPLIFi been the original design, might have been appropriate. However, professionals interpreted that tagline as us teasing a new flagship amp like Vetta and clowned us upon announcement. Then it turned out the Bluetooth performance wasn't as good as we thought it would be. It was a perfect storm of bad decisions and bad luck.

But surely we could still figure out a way to eventually get there as parts prices went down, right? Well, the whole sordid thing left a bad taste in a lot of Line 6ers mouths so any time Products would pitch a similar type of box or experience ("No, seriously, if we do this right it'll be a hit"), it'd get shot down fairly quickly. So... Positive Grid did it right instead and are now wildly successful; good for them.

Line 6 has a long history of innovative firsts, and sometimes we realize them to their fruition. But other times we'll show up too early to the party and drop the ball, only for a smart competitor to read between the lines and pick it up. AMPLIFi was the very first guitar product with mobile wireless editing, wireless streaming audio, crowd-sourced content, and more, but I'm the only one left at Line 6 who understood the initial vision of the product—that is, what it was supposed to be and eventually grow into—and yes, the whole thing is sad.

But it made us double our efforts on Helix/HX, so it wasn't all bad.
Click to expand...

now knowing the Helix era, the more I think about how bad ass AMPLIFi could have really been with everything intended, the more mad I get looking at the left-very-empty indestructible weighs-nothing very loud wireless capable enclosure. I'm sorry for making you re-live this trauma. but also kind of glad it did get watered down, cause Helix ecosystem I think really got the benefit of being the (everything bagel) left to bottle up the whole gamut of line 6 Pod++ legacy/trajectory. I think it's a good idea to keep all inclusive systems like Helix modular, cramming a Helix into a stagesource L3t would be the $4,000 DSP Road King of nightmares and awesome but would somehow reduce it's function from what it is, how yall designed it to be the centerpiece of a rig, with all the loops and control. you can put the brain and sounds in any mech-warrior system you want. it's perfect.
 
And with this I do not mean that the stomp can fry requiring greater performance, but I am referring to another type of malfunction due to elevated basal temperature, such as thermal brake, freezing...etc. the small cabinet is the bad guy in this movie.
 
As much as I love the Helix, these artificial limitations on the single chip models feel like crippleware or dongleware to me.

HX one (not sure what chip(s) is has) really feels like a cruel joke. I don;t believe for a second that half a helix worth of DSP (and its attendant number of blocks) couldn't fit in there. I don't care about the screen display. I dont use it on the helix floor either.
 
True, the Stomp is getting pretty warm, almost hot.
Which is why companies need to switch to ARM CPUs entirely. My Macbook Air doesn't even get lukewarm most of the time. And it's got several simultaneous Stomps worth of CPU power in it, even at the lowest latency settings.
 
holoholo said:
I don’t get what block limits has to do with heat. You can reach the dsp limit with less than 8 blocks. Run a poly block and a few more and your there.
Click to expand...

True. But can you run more on the LT/Floor, using one path only (all while staying within the 8 blocks limitation)?
I could possibly try with HXN.
 
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