Helix/HX Firmware 3.50

All New Cab Engine/New Cabs

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

Thousands of impulses were captured with Sound Design's new IR capture system and consolidated into 24 all new cabs. And due to Helix Core's new FIR acceleration, a new cab uses 66-80% less DSP than a pre-3.50 Hybrid cab. As such, cab subcategories have been updated:

Single—One new cab
Dual—Two new cabs
Legacy Single—One older Hybrid cab
Legacy Dual—Two older Hybrid cabs

Amp+Cab subcategories have been updated as well:

Guitar—Guitar Amp+new cab
Bass—Bass Amp+new cab
Guitar+Legacy—Guitar Amp+older Hybrid cab
Bass+Legacy—Bass Amp+older Hybrid cab

With Cab > Dual blocks, you can now also choose whether changing the first cab automatically recalls a matching cab for the second. Leave this on and then change the mic, distance, if you want to emulate the sound of two mics on the same cab or turn this off if you want full independent control over both IRs.

From the Global Settings menu, select the Preferences page.
Press PAGE > until you see Link Dual Cabs. When set to "On" (default), changing the first cab automatically loads a matching cab for the second. Choose this option if you want to emulate the sound of two different mics (or two of the same mic with different angles or positions) on the same cab. When set to "Off," both cabs are completely independent of one another.
Alternatively, in HX Edit, click the Link Dual Cabs icon. Off (left) and On (right):

New Guitar Cabs

Cab > 1x10 US Princess (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x10" Fender Princeton Eminence Copperhead
Cab > 1x12 Grammatico (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x12" Grammatico LaGrange P12Q
Cab > 1x12 US Deluxe (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1×12″ Fender® Deluxe Oxford
Cab > 1x12 Cali EXT (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1x12" Mesa Boogie Extension Cab
Cab > 2x12 Blue Bell (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Vox® AC-30 Fawn Blue
Cab > 2x12 Double C12N (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Fender® Twin C12N
Cab > 2x12 Jazz Rivet (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Roland® JC-120
Cab > 2x12 Mail C12Q (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×12″ Silvertone® 1484
Cab > 2x12 Mandarin 30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2x12" Orange PPC212 V30
Cab > 4x10 Tweed P10R (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×10″ Fender® Bassman® P10R
Cab > 4x12 Greenback25 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Marshall® Basketweave G12 M25
Cab > 4x12 1960A T75 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Marshall® 1960A T75
Cab > 4x12 Blackback 30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Park® 75 G12 H30
Cab > 4x12 Brit V30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Marshall® 1960AV V30
Cab > 4x12 Cali V30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ MESA/Boogie® 4FB V30
Cab > 4x12 Mandarin EM (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Orange® Eminence
Cab > 4x12 MOO)))N T75 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4x12" Sunn Cab w/G75T
Cab > 4x12 Uber T75 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Bogner® Uberkab T75
Cab > 4x12 Uber V30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ Bogner® Uberkab V30
Cab > 4x12 XXL V30 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4×12″ ENGL® XXL V30
Mic—Select from up to 12 mics:
- 57 Dynamic—Shure® SM57
- 421 Dynamic—Sennheiser® MD 421-U
- 7 Dynamic—Shure® SM7
- 906 Dynamic—Sennheiser® e906
- 30 Dynamic—Heil Sound® PR 30
- 121 Ribbon—Royer® R-121
- 160 Ribbon—Beyerdynamic® M 160
- 4038 Ribbon—Coles 4038
- 84 Ribbon—AEA R84
- 414 Cond—AKG® C414 XLS
- 47 Cond FET—Neumann® U47 FET
- 67 Cond—Neumann® U67
Position—Sets the lateral location of the mic in relation to the speaker cone. Choose from Center, 0.1 ~ 2.2, Cap Edge, 2.4 ~ 9.9, and Edge
Distance—Sets the distance of the mic from the speaker cone. Choose from 1.00" to 12.00" in 1/4" increments
Angle—Sets the angle of the mic. 0 degrees is pointing directly at the speaker, 45 degrees is pointing off-axis
Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter, letting you remove all audio below a certain frequency. May be useful in removing undesirable low end rumble
High Cut—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter, letting you remove all audio above a certain frequency. May be useful in removing high end harshness
Level—Sets the overall level of the cab
Pan (Cab > Dual only)—Moves the signal left or right across the stereo sound field. For example, if you're running a stereo playback system with two or more speakers, panning the first cab to Left 100 and the second cab to Right 100 can make your tone sound notably wider. Press the knob to return to Center
Delay (Cab > Dual only)—Although the new cabs in 3.50 perfectly line up with one another, there may be situations where you want to delay one side very slightly, to perhaps impart a bit of phase incoherence or at higher values, to increase the apparent stereo spread. A little goes a long way here

New Bass Cabs

Cab > 1x15 Ampeg B-15 (Single, Dual), captured from* the 1×15″ Ampeg® B-15
Cab > 2×15 Brute (Single, Dual), captured from* the 2×15″ MESA/Boogie® 2×15 EV
Cab > 4×10 Garden (Single, Dual), captured from* the 4x10" Eden D410XLT
Cab > 8x10 SVT AV (Single, Dual), captured from* the 8×10″ Ampeg® SVT® (SVT-810AV Heritage Edition)
Mic—Select from up to 12 mics:
- 57 Dynamic—Shure® SM57
- 421 Dynamic—Sennheiser® MD 421-U
- 7 Dynamic—Shure® SM7
- 88 Dynamic—Beyerdynamic® M88TG
- 52 Dynamic—Shure® Beta 52A
- 112 Dynamic—AKG® D112
- D6 Dynamic—Audix D6
- 40 Dynamic—Heil Sound® PR 40
- 4038 Ribbon—Coles 4038
- 414 Cond—AKG® C414 TLII
- 47 Cond FET—Neumann® U47 FET
- 67 Cond—Neumann® U67
All other parameters the same as for guitar cabs (see above)

New Amps

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

Amp/Preamp > MOO)))N T Nrm

Based on: the normal channel of the Sunn Model T

The Moon model is based on a 1974, silver knob Sunn Model T amplifier. This is the early version with the more traditional tone stack. Though it has been repaired over the years, the circuit has every component at stock value. This specific unit has been well used, well maintained, and regularly enveloped in fog.

"This amp circuit can best be described as a Fender Tweed Bassman/Marshall JTM45 preamp mated with a very high volume, very flat, ultralinear power amp that uses 6550 tubes. The result of this configuration is a tone with a raw growl that really has a strong punch to the gut. In addition, this configuration takes pedals very well; adding a distortion or booster can turn the amp into a high gain, doom machine."

—Ben Adrian, Sound Design Manager

Amp/Preamp > MOO)))N T Brt

Based on: the bright channel of the Sunn Model T

Amp/Preamp > MOO)))N T Jump

Based on: the normal and bright channels jumped in the Sunn Model T

Amp/Preamp > PV Vitriol Crunch

Based on: the crunch channel of the Peavey Invective

Peavey designed this 6L6 tube-powered monster in collaboration with Misha Mansoor of Periphery, with the goal of offering no-compromise, high-gain performance and flexibility.

Amp/Preamp > PV Vitriol Lead

Based on: the lead channel of the Peavey Invective

New Effects

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

Distortion > Pillars OD

(Mono, Stereo), based on* the Earthquaker Devices Plumes distortion.

Gain—Sets the amount of distortion
Tone—Sets the overall tonal balance of the distortion
Level—Sets the overall level of the block
Mode—Chooses the type of clipping circuit—1 is LED, 2 is Clean Opamp, 3 is Asymmetrical

Distortion > Vital Dist

(Mono, Stereo), based on* the Earthquaker Devices Life pedal (distortion side)

Gain—Sets the amount of distortion
Filter—Applies a high cut (or low pass) filter to the signal, letting you remove treble frequencies. At 0.0, no filter is applied
Level—Sets the overall level of the block
Clipping—Chooses the type of clipping circuit—Opamp, Asymmetrical, or Symmetrical
Octave—Blends in a signal one octave up. At 0.0, no octave signal is heard. Works best when playing single notes

Distortion > Vital Boost

(Mono, Stereo), based on* the Earthquaker Devices Life pedal (boost side)

Boost—Sets the output level of the boost circuit

Modulation > 4-Voice Chorus

(Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original

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
Voices—Determines the number of voices in the chorus (2, 3, or 4)
Low Cut—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the chorus, letting you remove the effected signal below a certain frequency
HighShelf—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the fills, letting you remove the effected signal above a certain frequency
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
Level—Controls the overall output level of the block

Modulation > FlexoVibe

(Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original

Rate—Adjusts the speed of the chorus’ low-frequency oscillator (LFO) from slow to fast
Intensity—Adjusts the amplitude of the modulation, from mild to deep
Warp—Controls the shape of the LFO. At 0.0, the LFO waveform is a triangle; at +1.0 and -1.0, the waveforms exhibit more chaos, or "warping"
Spread—Controls the phase offset between the two LFOs. At 0.0, no offset is heard; at 10.0, the two LFOs are separated by 180°. Generally sounds best somewhere in the middle
Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the FlexoVibe effect. When set to 0%, no effect is heard; when set to 100%, no dry signal is heard
Level—Controls the overall output level of the block

Reverb > Dynamic Ambience

(Mono, Stereo), Line 6 Original ambience reverb

At less extreme settings can be used to "open up" the sound of your amp without applying a notable reverb effect. Also utilizes less DSP than other Dynamic reverbs.

Room Size—Sets the size of the hall (8, 10, or 12 meters)
Predelay—Determines the amount of delay heard before the signal enters the hall. 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
Diffusion—Sets the amount of smearing between discrete echoes, sometimes resulting in a softer effected signal
Shape—Controls the blend of the Early and Late reflections. Turning the knob clockwise adds more Late reflections; turning the knob counterclockwise adds more Early reflections. Press the knob to reset to "Even"
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 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 on, reverb decay continues to ring out after the block is bypassed

Pitch/Synth > Boctaver

(Mono, Stereo), based on* the BOSS® OC-2 Octaver

–1 Oct—Sets the level of the signal one octave down
–2 Oct—Sets the level of the signal two octaves down
Dry Level—Sets the level of the dry (unaffected) signal

New Features

IR > Dual Block

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

3.50 renames the Impulse Response > Mono subcategory to "Single" and adds a new subcategory: Dual. The IR > Dual block can accommodate two 1024-point IRs, you can pan them independently, flip the polarity of either one, and even slightly delay one vs. the other to account for any phase inconsistencies between IR developers.

IR Select A—Selects the IR file for the first (A) slot
Low Cut A—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the IR, letting you remove the signal below a certain frequency
High Cut A—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the decks, letting you remove the signal above a certain frequency
Level A—Sets the level of the first (A) IR
Pan A—Pans the IR left or right between stereo speakers. Press the knob to reset to Center
Polarity A—Flips the polarity of the IR's waveform. If your IR block suddenly makes everything sound thin, try setting this to "Inverted" to see if it helps
IR Select B—Selects the IR file for the second (B) slot
Low Cut B—Applies a low cut (high pass) filter to the IR, letting you remove the signal below a certain frequency
High Cut B—Applies a high cut (low pass) filter to the decks, letting you remove the signal above a certain frequency
Level B—Sets the level of the second (B) IR
Pan B—Pans the IR left or right between stereo speakers. Press the knob to reset to Center
Polarity B—Flips the polarity of the IR's waveform. If your IR block suddenly makes everything sound thin, try setting this to "Inverted" to see if it helps
Both Delay—Some IR files don't line up perfectly, especially when mixing and matching files from two different developers. This can result in phase incoherence or a thin, unfocused tone. Turning this knob clockwise delays the B side IR by a tiny bit; turning it counterclockwise delays the A side by a tiny bit. Press the knob to return Delay to "None"
Both Mix—Controls the wet/dry mix of the IR block. For Cab IRs, you should leave this set to 100%, but when utilizing body resonance IRs for acoustic guitars, you may want to find the right blend between the IR and dry signal

New Cabs and IRs now use 66-80% Less DSP

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects (IRs only), HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

Due to further improvements to Helix Core, new Cabs and 1024-point IRs use roughly 66% less DSP as in 3.15 or earlier. Even the new IR > Dual block uses less DSP than a single IR block in 3.15. 2048-point IRs use roughly 80% less DSP, although they still use a lot of memory, so they're still limited to one per path.

Disable Snapshot Control over Parameter Assignments

Helix Floor, Helix Rack/Control, Helix LT, Helix Native, HX Effects (IRs only), HX Stomp, HX Stomp XL

Prior to 3.50, when assigning a parameter to a physical control (EXP 1, footswitch, etc.) or MIDI, Snapshots are also always assigned. In 3.50, they still are, but there's an additional "Snapshot Control" parameter on the Controller Assign page that lets you bypass this default.

From the Controller Assign menu, select the desired parameter and turn Knob 2 (Controller) to select any value other than "None" or "Snapshots." A second page appears.
Press PAGE > and turn Knob 1 (Snapshot Control) to "Off." It's set to "On" by default for all parameters.

Other Changes and Improvements

Encoder ballistics have been radically improved. You can now go from min to max with one knob turn.
Helix Floor/Rack/LT only—SHORTCUT: While the Model List is open, pressing "AMP" jumps to highlight the Amp category without having to scroll down to it
Helix Floor/Rack/LT only—The Impulse Response category's name has been shortened to "IR" (now matches that of HX Stomp/XL) to accommodate a wider subcategory column in the model list as well as accommodate longer IR names in the inspector header

Bug Fixes in 3.50

Reverb > Shimmer's Pitch parameter was inconsistent between hardware and HX Edit—FIXED
Reverb > Dynamic Room's Mot Rate value range was inconsistent between hardware and HX Edit—FIXED
Delay > Stereo > ADT's Mod Rate value range was inconsistent between hardware and HX Edit—FIXED
Delay > Tesselator and Ratchet's Operation is set to "Mute All," the signal would be muted even when bypassed—FIXED
When Global Settings > Preferences > Snapshot Edits is set to "Discard," holding FS12 (SAVE+EXIT) while in Pedal Edit mode did not always save edited parameters when controlled by snapshots—FIXED
After loading a preset containing a Command Center > Instant > Ext Amp command, EXP Pedal 1 could sometimes stop functioning properly—FIXED
When a snapshot is reloaded, a duplicate MIDI PC message was not sent—FIXED
When many Command Center commands are assigned, snapshot names could sometimes disappear—FIXED
While in tuner view, attempting to restore globals could sometimes cause Helix to crash—FIXED
When assigning block bypass to an expression pedal, Behavior > "Heel Down" or "Toe Down" could sometimes revert to "Toggle"—FIXED
HX Stomp/HX Stomp XL only—Upon receiving MIDI CC73, changing views was not functioning as expected—FIXED
HX Stomp/HX Stomp XL only—Overly long favorite names could result in graphical glitches—FIXED
HX Stomp XL only—After changing presets using footswitches, capacitive sensing could become disabled until pressing a stomp switch—FIXED
HX Stomp XL only—When a Command Center > Snapshot Up or Down command is assigned to Footswitch 7 or 8, an extra Snapshot Up/Down message could occur—FIXED
HX Edit only—Copying and pasting an IR with more than 31 characters in the name would truncate the IR's name—FIXED
HX Stomp w/ HX Edit only—After restoring from a 3.01 backup, if path B exists, blocks move 1 position to the right—FIXED
Many other minor fixes and improvements

Known Issues in 3.50

In some cases, the Input block's Variax Tone Knob setting is not recalled across preset changes
In some cases, sending MIDI CC49-59 (footswitch emulation control) to engage stomp switches assigned to snapshot commands can result in inconsistent * behavior. Instead, send Helix CC69 messages (values 0-7) to recall snapshots
In rare cases, attempting to fill all 128 user IR locations can result in a "Failed to get impulse names" -8207 error and the device will appear to be frozen on "Transferring data." In the meantime, load 127 or fewer IRs at a time
If Global Settings > Footswitches > Stomp Select is set to "Press" or "Touch+Press," engaging multiple block bypasses assigned to the same switch (set to momentary) can sometimes appear to lag
In the Command Center, any MIDI notes assigned to a footswitch can sometimes unexpectedly trigger upon snapshot changes
Helix Floor/Rack/LT only—If Path 1 is routed to Path 2, engaging the Tuner while Tuner Trails is on can sometimes mute the processed audio signal
Helix Floor/Rack only—While in 10 Stomp footswitch mode, the momentary state of FS1 or FS7 can sometimes become reversed
HX Effects only—If HX Effects is receiving MIDI clock, loading a new preset can sometimes cause the TAP LED to flash at double the tempo (audio is not affected, however)
HX Edit only—In specific cases, moving a Path 2 block across a Split or Merge block can sometimes cause the block's location in the hardware to become out of sync