Line 6 HX Edit User Manual

®

HX EDIT

PILOT’S GUIDE

A guide to the features and functionality of the Line 6 HX Edit application

Rev. S (v3.11) www.line6.com/manuals © 2021 Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contents

Workflow 2

What’s in it for Me? 2
Marketplace 2
Workow Overview 2
Computer Connectivity 2
Multi-Device, Multi-Window Support 3

Preset Compatibility 4

Preset Compatibility with Helix Native Plugin 4
Preset Translation 4
Feature Compatibility 7

GUI Overview 9

Resizing the Application Window 9
Application Menus 10
Preferences, Help & Account Options 12

Presets Panel 13

Premium Marketplace Presets 13
Selecting, Loading & Saving Presets 13

Importing and Exporting Preset Files 14

Renaming, Reordering, Copying, and Pasting Presets 14
Importing and Exporting Setlists 14

Importing and Exporting Bundles 15

IRs Panel 16

What are Impulse Responses? 16

Importing and Exporting IRs 16

Renaming, Loading, Copying, and Clearing IRs 17

Favorites Panel 20

Adding Blocks as Favorites 20
To Insert a Favorite into your Current Preset 21
Managing Favorites 21

Importing and Exporting Favorites 22

Working in the Editor 23

Naming & Saving the Preset 24
Conguring & Managing Snapshots 24
Undo / Redo 25

Editing the Tap Tempo 26

Creating & Restoring Complete Device Backups 27
Extracting Files from a Backup 28

The Signal Flow Window 29

Moving Blocks & Arranging the Signal Flow 30
Split Path Options 30
Cutting, Copying, Pasting, and Clearing Blocks 31
Drag and Drop Blocks 32
Adding a Block to Favorites 33
Conguring a Model’s User Defaults 33

The Edit Tab 34

Selecting Models 34
Editing Model Parameters 35
Editing Input, Output, Split & Mixer Blocks 36
L6 LINK - Powercab Plus and DT 25/50 Amp

Options 37

The Bypass/Controller Assign Tab 38

Editing an Existing Assignment 38
Creating a Bypass Assignment 39
Creating a Controller Assignment 41

The Command Center Window 44

Creating a Command Center Assignment 44
HX Preset, Snapshot, and Looper Commands 46
Customizing a Footswitch Label 47
Customizing a Footswitch LED Color 47

Global EQ Window 48

Adjusting Global EQ Parameters 48

Preferences and About Box 49

The Preferences Window 49
The About/Legal Box and Help Options 50

Marketplace & Account Options 52

Marketplace 52
The My Account Menu Options 52
Sign In / Sign Out 53
Authorize / Deauthorize Your Computer 54

Model Lists 55

Eects Models 55
Amp Models 61
Speaker Cabinet Models 63
Microphone Models 64

Keyboard Shortcuts 66

Command Center, Global EQ & Preferences Window
Shortcuts 74

Additional Mouse Behaviors 77

Updater & Additional Resources 78

HX Edit and Device Firmware Updater 78
Using the Line 6 Updater App 81
Additional Resources 82

© 2021 Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Line 6, the Line 6 logo, Ampeg, Powercab, Helix, HX Stomp, and HX Eects are trademarks or registered trademarks of Yamaha Guitar Group, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions. Apple, Mac and macOS
are trademarks of Apple, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this product or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. Windows is a
registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Workflow

Scream 808

EXP 2

Welcome to the HX Edit Pilot’s Guide. This guide contains details of the HX Edit v.3.11
application’s features and functionality with Line 6® Helix® devices (Helix®, Helix®

Rack, and Helix® LT), as well as with HX devices (HX Stomp™, HX Stomp XL, and
HX Effects™). All behaviors are the same on Mac and PC computers unless otherwise

noted. It is recommended that you also read the Owner’s Manual for details on using
your particular device.

What’s in it for Me?

HX Edit is a simple, but powerful, editor, preset librarian, and IR manager application. It
allows you to easily customize, backup, and manage your tone presets and setlists, as
well as manage the Impulse Responses on your Line 6 Helix or HX device.

HX Edit version 3.11 is the editor/librarian software for use with all Helix or HX
devices that are running rmware version 3.10 (or later).* For best performance, it is

recommended to use the latest available versions for your HX Edit application,

drivers, and device rmware (as well as for the Helix Native software, if you’re

using it). If for any reason you wish to use an earlier rmware in your device, or an
earlier HX Edit software version, you’ll need to be sure the release versions of the
rmware and software match for full functionality.

Workflow Overview

Once the HX Edit app is launched, it automatically syncs all presets and IRs from your
Helix or HX device’s internal memory. You’ll see your device’s presets & IRs displayed
in the Librarian panels at the left. This allows you to export presets and IRs to create
a virtually unlimited library on your computer, and then import them onto your device
at any time. These Librarian panels also allow you to easily rename and reorder your
presets and IRs, and the Create & Restore Backup feature makes it simple to create full
backups that can be restored to your Helix or HX hardware in minutes.

You will also see your currently loaded preset’s contents displayed in the Editor panels
on the right. This allows you to load & fully customize your presets, congure bypass &
controller assignments, and create & edit snapshots. While connected, communication
between the application and your connected device’s internal memory is instantaneous.
Changes you make to any parameters in the Signal Flow or Inspector Windows, as
well as any changes to presets, setlists, and IRs within the Librarian, are immediately
reected on the device, and vice-versa.

16B Dream Rig Duet

PRESET

Delay Harmony Delay

[37%]

FeedbackTime

BANK

16A

BANK

None More Black

BYPASSSAVE ACTION

0.0dB40%MinorD1/8

PAGE

PAGE

LevelMixKey Scale

Mystery Filter Ubiquitous Vibe Harmony Delay

16B

16C

Dream Rig Duet

Jimi, Not Jimmy

DAW Remote

16D

H O L D F O R T U N E R

EXP 1

PHONESVOLUME

MODE

H O L D T O E D I T

TAP

*IMPORTANT! Your Helix or HX device must be running a rmware version
no earlier than 3.00 to be able to use it with HX Edit version 3.11 (the latest

available rmware and HX Edit version are recommended).

If you’re currently using HX Edit v3.01, simply connect your Helix or HX Device
to your computer with an active Internet connection and launch HX Edit. Its
integrated Updater will nd and walk you through installing the latest HX Edit
and device rmware versions in minutes—see “Updater & Additional Resources”

on page 79.

NOTE: Each Helix or HX device model oers a dierent set of inputs, outputs, and
signal ow capabilities. Throughout the following chapters, we’ve indicated HX
Edit app functionality that is specic to your Helix or HX device type.

Marketplace

Be sure to visit the Line 6 Marketplace online shop, where you’ll nd 3rd-party add-on
assets that further enhance the functionality of your Helix and HX devices, as well
as Helix Native plugin! As of this writing, professionally crafted presets and IRs are
available—check back often on Marketplace for product news and announcements. An
Internet connection is required for the computer on which you’ll be using the HX Edit
app to authorize it for the use of Marketplace premium assets. Please see “Marketplace

& Account Options” on page 53.

This interactive communication allows you to tweak your presets and setlists in real­time, without the need to send/receive or manually sync to the device.

WARNING: Be careful when overwriting presets or IRs—these changes cannot be
reverted! You can use the Create & Restore Backups feature to back up your Helix
or HX device’s contents before making changes. See “Creating & Restoring

Complete Device Backups”.

Computer Connectivity

To put the HX Edit application to work, connect your Helix or HX device to your
computer’s USB 2 (or higher) port.

NOTE: If on Windows®, be sure to have the latest Line 6 drivers installed for your
device. No driver installation is necessary on Mac computers.

It is highly recommended to install all included drivers when running the

latest Windows HX Edit application installer—all drivers are already selected to
be installed by default. The latest HX Edit applications installer is available at

line6.com/software/.

2

Exit any other Line 6 applications that may be running. With your Helix device

powered on, launch HX Edit.

• Mac: Go to Applications > Line 6 > HX Edit

• Windows: Go to the Start button menu > All Apps (or Programs) > Line 6 > HX

Edit

Upon launch, the application will detect Helix hardware and automatically retrieve and
display its onboard presets, IRs, and Favorites. This may take a moment to download
all of the preset information.

Multi-Device, Multi-Window Support

The HX Edit application supports the use of multiple-connected Helix/HX devices
simultaneously, where each device displays its own full application window. The
separate windows can be resized and/or positioned on your screen independently,
making it easy to reference and edit presets and settings, as well as copy presets and
IRs between the multiple USB-connected devices. Please also see “GUI Overview” on

page 9.

TIP: You can also use the Copy and Paste commands or drag and drop to copy a

block and its current settings from one HX Edit device window to another!

To access the separate application windows for each connected device, simply go to
the HX Edit Devices menu, select the desired device to display, and bring its HX Edit
window to the foreground—a checkmark at the left of a device here indicates the device
window that is currently in the foreground. If any of your devices become disconnected,
its entry within this menu displays “Not connected” to indicate this.

Each device’s HX Edit window also includes its own Command Center and Global EQ
oating windows as well (for devices that include these features)—see “The Command

Center Window” on page 45 and “Global EQ Window” on page 49.

NOTE: On macOS computers, closing all open device windows does not exit the
HX Edit application. As is common with multi-window supporting macOS apps,
you’ll need to use the Quit HX Edit command from the main HX Edit menu (or

better, just train yourself to use the Cmd+Q shortcut).

The Devices menu, showing two connected devices, and the Helix Floor window in the foreground

You’ll see an indicator at the bottom of each application window displaying its connected
Helix/HX device type—or a warning that no device is detected.

Device indicator at bottom of the HX Edit main window

3

Preset Compatibility

This guide covers version 3.11 of the HX Edit application. The easiest way to ensure the
best performance and compatibility between HX Edit and your Helix or HX device is to
make sure to have the latest updates. The HX Edit application will automatically check
for, and walk you through installing, the latest rmware update for your connected Helix

or HX device (see “Updater & Additional Resources” on page 79). An active Internet
connection is required.

Helix preset les are transferable between Helix devices (Helix, Helix Rack and Helix

LT), as well as with the Helix® Native plugin software.* Additionally, HX Edit and Helix

Native both include Preset Translation functionality, and Helix Native further includes
selectable Hardware Compatibility modes. As covered throughout this chapter, these
features allow many presets to be shared between any Helix and HX type devices, and
with Helix Native.

*IMPORTANT! As of rmware version 3.00, the preset le structure has been

changed to accommodate the new features and functionality on all Helix and
HX devices. Presets saved or exported from any Helix or HX device running a previous
(version 2.xx) rmware are still fully compatible with HX Edit 3.xx and your Helix or HX
device with v3.xx rmware. However, presets saved or exported from Helix and HX
devices with v3.xx rmware or Helix Native v3.xx (or later versions) are not compatible
with earlier versions. We highly recommend backing up and keeping copies of all your
v2.xx-created presets before updating to rmware v3.xx.

TIP: It is also possible to Copy and Paste, or drag and drop individual blocks, along

with their current settings, between Helix Native and HX Edit, as well as between

multiple HX Edit device windows—see “Block Copy and Paste” on page 7.

Preset Compatibility with Helix Native Plugin

All your Helix and HX device presets, setlists, and bundles are compatible between
the HX Edit app (v3.00 or later) and Helix Native plugin (v3.00 or later), by way of the
Helix Native Hardware Compatibility mode (HC mode) functionality. As noted above,
presets exported or saved with Helix/HX device rmware and Helix Native v3.xx are not

compatible with earlier versions.

Once a preset (or setlist or bundle) is exported from your device using HX Edit,
upon import, Helix Native determines the device type from which it was created and
automatically changes the plugin’s HC mode to match the device, thus fully supporting
the complete tone. Likewise, presets exported from Helix Native plugin’s matching HC
mode are fully compatible with your Helix or HX device.

Helix Native also oers Preset Translation functionality (also oered in HX Edit—see
the next section). When loading a preset into Helix Native as the current tone (such as
by dragging a preset from the HX Edit Presets Library or a computer folder directly into
the Helix Native Signal Flow), a prompt is oered to either change the plugin’s HC mode
to match the preset’s source format, or to attempt to translate to match the current
plugin HC mode.

This preset compatibility is the foundation of the Line 6 “Studio to Stage” concept,
allowing you to load, edit and transfer your tones between HX Edit and Helix Native
plugin! Note that Helix Native plugin maintains its own Preset & IR libraries, independent
of the presets and IRs that reside within your Helix hardware. For more information,

please see the Helix Native Pilot’s Guide.

TIP: If you also own Helix Native plugin, be sure to reference the “Helix

compatible” version number (found in the Helix Native software’s About box) to

determine the recommended Helix/HX device rmware version you should use for
maximum preset compatibility. It is highly recommended to always use the latest
available device rmware and HX Edit and Helix Native software.

Since the dierent Helix device types include dierent physical inputs and outputs,
some variances exist among settings, as well as for their support of block types &
controllers, which may aect the sharing of presets between devices, or between HX
Edit and Helix Native plugin. The following sections in this chapter provide details about

sharing presets and settings.

Preset Translation

When importing a preset into the HX Edit Presets Library, the application automatically
detects the source device from which it was created (Helix, HX Eects, HX Stomp, or

HX Stomp XL).

NOTE: As covered in the previous section, if the preset attempting to be imported
was exported from Helix Native, the Hardware Compatibility mode of the preset

determines its source device type format.

If the HX Edit app window’s currently connected device is dierent that the preset’s
source device, the app will attempt to translate the preset to the current device format.
If translation is successful, the preset is imported into the current device’s library.

Presets cannot be translated if created with a source device (or Helix Native HX mode)
which includes features or capabilities that exceed those of the current device (e.g.,
greater signal path count, exceeds maximum block count or type, etc.) If the preset

cannot be translated, an error window lets you know the preset is not compatible and
why, and import is cancelled. For example, if attempting to import a Helix exported
preset which includes an Amp model into an HX Effects device (HX Effects includes no
support for Amp models), translation is not possible and the following error is displayed.

Error message displayed when a preset cannot be translated on import

4

Feature Comparison Table

The following table shows the primary feature dierences that aect preset translation between the Helix and HX hardware types. Additionally, Helix Native oers a HC mode Off
option. When this O mode setting is in us in Helix Native, the preset has fewer restrictions for block types and DSP limits. Therefore, presets exported from this O mode can exceed
the capabilities of any Helix or HX device. You can consult this table to determine if a preset from one source device (or Helix Native HC mode) will be able to be translated to other
devices. See the Preset Translation Compatibility table for more info.

HC MODE / DEVICE FEATURE COMPARISON

HC Mode or Device Type:

Feature

Off

(Helix Native only)

Helix HX Stomp XL HX Stomp HX Effects

Included

Models*

Blocks Per Path Capacity

Max. Block Type Per Path

Max. DSP Limit

Snapshots

Per Preset

Preset Library

(independent per HC mode)

IRs Library

Favorites Library

(shared between HC modes)

Full set of v3.10 Helix

models

16 16 8 8 9

None

None Same as Helix device

8 8 4 3 4

8 Setlists for up to

1,024 Presets.

4 Presets per Bank

Bundle support

included

Holds up to 128 each

User IRs &

Favorites

Full set of v3.10 Helix

models

2 Amps, 2 Cabs,

2 IRs (1,024 sample) or

1 IR (2,048 sample),

1 Poly Pitch eect*

8 Setlists for up to

1,024 Presets.

4 Presets per Bank

Bundle support

included

Holds up to 128 each

User IRs &

Favorites

Full set of v3.10 Helix

models

2 Amps, 2 Cabs,

2 IRs (1,024 sample) or

1 IR (2,048 sample),

1 Poly Pitch eect*

Same as

HX Stomp XL device

1 Setlist for up to 128

Presets.

4 Presets per Bank

Holds up to 128 each

User IRs &

Favorites

Full set of v3.10 Helix

models, except 6

Switch Looper

2 Amps, 2 Cabs,

2 IRs (1,024 sample) or

1 IR (2,048 sample),

1 Poly Pitch eect*

Same as

HX Stomp device

1 Setlist for up to 126

Presets.

3 Presets per Bank

Holds up to 128 each

User IRs &

Favorites

Full set of v3.10 Helix
models, except Amps

& Cabs

2 Amps, 2 Cabs,

2 IRs (1,024 sample) or

1 IR (2,048 sample),

1 Poly Pitch eect*

Same as

HX Eects device

1 Setlist for up to 128

Presets.

4 Presets per Bank

Holds up to 128 each

User IRs &

Favorites

* Poly Pitch type eects are those that utilize polyphonic pitch processing: Delay - Poly Sustain, Modulation - Poly Detune, and Pitch/Synth - Poly Pitch, Poly Wham, Poly Capo, and
12-String.

NOTE: Likewise, if importing multiple presets at once, a setlist, or a bundle, where one or more presets are not able to be translated to the current device, the non-translatable
presets display an error window and are not imported, while the eligible presets are successfully translated and imported.

Input and output block options and controller support also dier among the Helix and HX device types (e.g., HX devices include no Variax input or EXP 3 pedal options as Helix
devices do). These non-compatible features do not prevent preset translation. Typically, non-compatible input and output block settings are translated to the common Main In or Main
Out, and non-supported controller assignments are removed from the preset.

5

Preset Translation Compatibility Table

The following table provides an overview of the preset translation capabilities from each source device (or each source Helix Native HC mode).

PRESET TRANSLATION COMPATIBILITY

Can Be Translated To:

Created With:

Helix Native

HC mode = Off

Helix

(Rack, Floor, LT)

or

Helix Native

HC mode = Helix

HX Stomp XL

or

Helix Native

HC mode = HX Stomp XL

HX Stomp

or

Helix Native

HC mode = HX Stomp

HX Effects

or

Helix Native

HC mode = HX Effects

HC Mode Off

(Helix Native)

If does not exceed Helix

�

block count and DSP

� �

� � �

Helix

(Floor, Rack, LT)

limits

HX Stomp XL HX Stomp HX Effects

If does not exceed HX

Stomp XL Block and Path

count, and DSP limits.

Snapshots greater than 4

are discarded.

If does not exceed HX

Stomp XL Block and Path

count, and DSP limits.

Snapshots greater than 4

are discarded.

If does not exceed HX

Stomp Block and Path

count and DSP limits.

Snapshots greater than 3

If does not exceed HX

Stomp Block and Path

count and DSP limits.

Snapshots greater than 3

Snapshots greater than 3

� � � �

� � �

Snapshots greater than 3

are discarded.

are discarded.

�

are discarded.

�

are discarded.

Path count, and DSP limits.

Path count, and DSP limits.

Path count and DSP limits.

Path count and DSP limits.

If does not exceed HX

Eects Block type and

Snapshots greater than 4

are discarded.

If does not exceed HX

Eects Block type and

Snapshots greater than 4

are discarded.

If does not exceed HX

Eects Block type and

If does not exceed HX

Eects Block type and

�

6

Feature Compatibility

The following sections provide details on the compatibility of the major features between
device types, and between HX Edit and Helix Native.

HX Edit Backup Files

The HX Edit application includes a feature that creates Helix Backup (.hxb) les to
restore a Helix or HX device’s presets, IRs, and global settings (see page 27). Helix
Backup les are specic to each device type and, therefore, cannot be opened or
utilized in HX Edit when a dierent source device is connected.

Helix Native plugin does not currently include this backup functionality and, therefore,
does not support creating or opening Helix Backup .hxb les.

Block Copy and Paste

Using the Copy Block and Paste Block commands, you can copy and paste any
block type between any presets within HX Edit, as well as between multiple HX Edit
windows (with any Helix or HX device connected) and any instance of the Helix Native
plugin. It is also possible to drag and drop any processing block to move it within the
current preset, or to copy it into any other HX Edit device window. Restrictions apply
when copying, pasting, and moving some block types, depending on the source Helix/
HX device (or source Helix Native HC mode) and the destination. Please see “Cutting,

Copying, Pasting, and Clearing Blocks” on page 32.

Snapshot Copy and Paste

The current Snapshot, along with all its settings, can be copied and pasted using the
Copy Snapshot and Paste Snapshot commands either within the current HX Edit

preset or within the current Helix Native preset. Also, see “Conguring & Managing

Snapshots” on page 24.

Command Center Copy and Paste

Within the Command Center window, once a command assignment is created for any
footswitch, EXP Pedal, or other controller, you can use the Command Center’s Copy and
Paste command options to copy assignments between controllers, as well as between

controllers within other HX Edit presets within the current HX Edit device window.*

Helix Native plugin does not include the Command Center, therefore, it is not possible
to copy Command Center assignments between HX Edit and Helix Native. See “The

Command Center Window” on page 45.

Input & Output Block Settings

When Importing a Helix/HX hardware-exported Preset into HX Edit with a different

device type connected - During preset translation, the Input and Output block settings
are changed to “Multi” or “Main” if the connected device does not support the original

options (also see “Preset Translation” on page 4).

When Importing a Helix Native-exported Preset into Helix/HX Hardware - All input
and output blocks that were set to “Host” will default to the “Multi” setting within the
Helix devices, and to the “Main” setting in HX devices. Any input block set to “None” will
remain as set to “None” within the hardware.

When Importing a Helix/HX hardware-exported Preset into Helix Native Plugin - All
input and output blocks that were set to physical inputs and outputs (other than “None”)
will default to the “Host” setting within the plugin. Any input block set to “None” will
remain set to “None” within the plugin.

Hardware Blocks (Send, Return, FX Loop & Looper)

When Importing a Helix Hardware-exported Preset into Helix Native - These
hardware block types are only functional within Helix/HX devices. Within Helix Native,
these blocks oer no routing functionality, and their parameters are not editable.

Impulse Responses

Impulse Response (IR) les are able to be utilized within IR blocks of all Helix and HX
devices, as well as by the Helix Native plugin in any HC mode. If you are to be sharing
Helix presets between Helix Native plugin and Helix or HX devices, it is a good idea to
build and maintain your IR libraries similarly on each to allow the same IR les to be
utilized for your presets that include them—see page 16.

NOTE: IRs, including those from the Line 6 Marketplace online shop and 3rd party
vendors, are supported by all Helix and HX devices, as well as by Helix Native plugin.
Any of your IRs can be imported and exported, as well as dragged and dropped,

between HX Edit and Helix Native IR library windows.

Favorites

Favorites that you’ve created on your Helix or HX device, as well as Favorites les (.fav)
exported from HX Edit, are compatible with any Helix or HX device and Helix Native
plugin—wherever as the specic model type is supported. See page 20.

*TIP: As of rmware version 3.0, HX Stomp devices include the Command Center

feature too!

7

Controller Assignments

Controller assignment types vary between Helix and HX devices, for example, a Helix
Floor preset may include an EXP 3 controller assignment, which Helix LT and HX
devices do not include. Therefore, if a preset is imported and translated to a dierent
device in HX Edit, non-supported assignments are discarded.

The Helix Native plugin does not utilize any hardware-based Bypass, Controller, or
Command Center Assignments that may exist within HX Edit-exported presets. Any
such assignments remain intact within your presets, but are essentially ignored by Helix
Native.* Snapshot and MIDI In type assignments, however, are supported in both Helix
hardware and Helix Native plugin.) Helix Native plugin includes its own functionality to
create plugin parameter - Automation Controller type assignments, which are similarly
ignored when Helix Native presets are imported into the HX Edit application.

*TIP: Helix Native includes a Preferences option to show or hide existing

hardware-based assignments within its Assignments tab.

MIDI In Bypass & Controller Assignments

Using HX Edit, you can create MIDI In Bypass Assignments to remotely toggle the
bypass state of most block types, and MIDI In Controller Assignments to remotely
control most Helix parameters, via external MIDI controller devices or MIDI software.
MIDI In assignments saved within HX Edit-exported presets are supported when
imported into other Helix/HX devices, as well as in Helix Native plugin. See “Creating a

Bypass Assignment” on page 40.

DSP Limit

In order to maintain preset compatibility with Helix and HX devices, each HC mode
within the Helix Native plugin incorporates DSP limits on its presets, matching the limits
of the respective hardware devices (also see the following Preset Spillover section).
The exception to this rule is when the “O” HC mode setting is in use in Helix Native.
This mode eectively removes the DSP limits on presets, as well as several other
restrictions. For this reason, presets exported from the Helix Native - HC O mode
may not be translatable in HX Edit for any device. See “Preset Compatibility with Helix

Native Plugin” on page 4.

Preset Spillover Mode

Helix Floor, Rack, and LT devices include the Preset Spillover Mode (accessible in the
device’s Global Settings > Preferences) which, when activated, dedicates 50% of its
DSP to providing full “spillover” for the decay of delay and reverb tails, as well as a

smooth transition across a preset change. To achieve this processing, the device limits

its signal ow to Path 1 (with Path 2 visibly removed). Therefore, if the connected Helix
device has Preset Spillover Mode active, when loading any Helix preset, only its Path
1 blocks and settings are visibly loaded and audible (as shown in the following HX Edit
image), and any existing bypass or controller assignments for path 2 blocks are non­functional.

The Signal Flow shows one main path when Preset Spillover Mode is active

Note that a preset’s existing Path 2 blocks remain part of the preset, even if the preset is
saved while Spillover is active, so you’ll see them appear on Path 2 for the preset when
Spillover is turned O. Considering this behavior, the best practice is to start with empty
New Presets when you have Preset Spillover On and utilize them for the Spillover mode
only, and you’ll not need to concern yourself with Path 2 blocks or settings!

NOTE: When in Spillover mode, you’ll need to ensure that your preset’s Path 1A and
Path 1B Output blocks are set to physical Helix outputs (i.e., the imported preset

may have a Path 1 Output block set to Path 2A, which will result in no audible output).

Please see your Helix Owner’s Manual for details.

Marketplace Assets

Premium presets and IRs purchased from the online Marketplace are compatible with
Helix devices and Helix Native plugin. Marketplace also includes presets and bundles
specically for HX devices as well. The import of premium Marketplace assets requires

online license Authorization. Please see “Marketplace & Account Options” on page

53.

8

NOTE: Version 1.70 of Helix Native and 2.70 of HX Edit and device rmware (or later
versions) are required for full support and use of premium Marketplace presets and

IRs.

GUI Overview

HX Edit has a very intuitive, easy-to-use interface. The main application window
automatically detects your specic Helix or HX device type and displays all its options

within the main application window.

TIP: As covered in “Multi-Device, Multi-Window Support” on page 3, if you

have more than one device connected, a separate application window is available

for each device.

Within the application window, the navigation is divided into three main sections:

The Librarian Window - For managing presets, Impulse Responses (IRs), and

Favorites.

The Signal Flow Window - Where you can add and move amp, eects & mix
blocks, and customize your complete signal path routing.

The Inspector Window - Where you can choose from the huge selection of
models, edit their parameters, create bypass & controller assignments, and more.

Presets

Tab

LIBRARIAN

IRs
Tab

Favorites

Tab

Show/Hide

Librarian

Signal Flow

Window

Undo/Redo

Buttons

Tempo

Controls

HX Device Owners: With an HX device connected, its application window

displays the single signal ow, just as on your HX hardware screen. As
covered in this chapter for Helix devices, you can utilize the application’s

signal ow to bypass, move, clear, copy & paste blocks, create split paths, and more.

The HX Edit signal ow—with an HX Stomp XL or HX Stomp connected

The HX Edit signal ow—with an HX Eects connected

TIP: The Command Center, for creating MIDI control assignments and Global EQ

(Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp only) are available as separate windows from

the application’s Window menu.

Resizing the Application Window

The HX Edit main application window is resizable, allowing you to adjust it to best t
your screen size and workow. Simply click and drag any corner or edge of the window
to adjust to the preferred size, or click the “Maximize” button at the top of the window
to use it in full-screen mode. If you have multiple devices connected, each device’s
application window is independently resizable.

EDITOR

It is also possible to show or hide the Presets/IRs/Favorites Librarian panel, by clicking
on the toggle button at the top left of the Signal Flow window (or via the Window menu’s

Show/Hide Librarian command).

Menu

Edit TabMy Account/Preferences

The HX Edit main GUI (Helix Floor device)

Inspector

Window

Bypass/Controller

Assign Tab

The Librarian window Show/Hide toggle button

9

Application Menus

At the top of your computer screen (Mac) or top of the application window (Windows),
you’ll nd the familiar application menu bar for the current device. Note that the available
commands dier within the File and Edit menus depending on the application window,
tabbed panel, and/or specic control that currently has “focus.” The window focus is
indicated by a blue outline appearing around the Librarian, Signal Flow, or Inspector
windows.* To change focus, simply click within the desired window, or use the TAB key.
To follow are descriptions of the included application menu commands for Mac and
Windows. See “Keyboard Shortcuts” on page 67 for additional information.

*NOTE: It is possible that the Librarian’s Presets or IRs tab currently has focus, but
if you’ve “hidden” the Librarian panel, you will not see its blue outline focus indicator.

Using the TAB key will advance the focus to the other windows, even when the Librarian

is hidden.

NOTE: On Mac computers, HX Edit has one common, main application menu at the top

of your screen. If you have multiple Helix devices connected and multiple app windows
open, available menu commands & keyboard shortcuts act only upon the current “foreground”
application window. (Choose the desired device within the Devices menu to bring its
application window to bring it to the foreground.)

HX Edit (Mac only)

• About HX Edit - Launches the About box screen, which displays the versions

of the HX Edit software and connected Helix device rmware, as well as legal
information.

• Check for Updates - Launches the built-in updater to check for an install any

available software and device rmware updates—see “Updater & Additional

Resources” on page 79.

• Preferences - Launches the Preferences window, where you can select

application and hardware settings—see “Preferences and About Box” on page

50. You can also launch the Preferences window by clicking on the “gear icon”

button or device indicator at the bottom of the application window.

• Quit HX Edit - Exits the application for all connected devices.

File

When a preset within the Presets tab currently has focus (or, when the Presets tab is
displayed and focus is within any other window), the following commands are selectable:

• Save Preset - Saves changes for the currently loaded preset to the device’s

Preset Library.

• Save Preset As - Displays the Save As window, allowing you to choose the

desired Setlist and Preset Library location where to save the current tone. Note

that choosing an occupied preset location will overwrite the existing preset

within the location on your device.

• Import Preset - Imports any .hlx preset le (or les) from your computer,

replacing the currently selected library preset(s).

• Export Preset - Exports the currently selected preset (or presets) and saves

each to your computer as a .hlx le.

• Import Setlist - (Helix devices only) Imports any .hls setlist le from your

computer, replacing the current setlist on your Helix.

• Export Setlist - (Helix devices only) Exports the current setlist and saves it to

your computer as a .hls setlist le.

• Import Bundle - (Helix devices only) Imports any .hlb bundle le from your

computer, replacing all setlists and presets within the Helix.

• Export Bundle - (Helix devices only) Exports all the current setlists and their

presets from your Helix and saves them to your computer as a .hlb bundle le.

When an IR slot within the IRs tab currently has focus, the additional following
commands are available:

• Import Impulse - Imports an Impulse Response le (or les) from your computer,

replacing the currently selected library Impulse(s).

• Export Impulse - Exports the currently selected Impulse (or IRs) and saves

each to your computer.

When a Favorites slot within the Favorites tab currently has focus, the following
commands are available:

• Import Favorite - Imports a Favorite le (or les) from your computer.

• Export Favorite - Exports the currently selected Favorite (or Favorites) and

saves each to your computer.

TIP: Please see “Presets Panel”, “IRs Panel”, and “Favorites Panel” for
details on these menu command behaviors.

The following, additional File menu commands are available regardless of window
focus:

• Create Backup - Launches the Create a Helix Backup window, where you can

export a full backup of your device’s Presets, IRs, Global Settings, Favorites,
and User Defaults—see page 27.

• Restore From Backup - Launches the Restore From Backup window, where

you can restore your device’s Presets, IRs, Global Settings, Favorites, and User
Defaults from a previously created backup—see page 27.

• Extract Files From Backup - Launches the Extract Files From Backup window,

where you can choose one of your saved Helix Backup les, and choose to
extract the Favorites, IRs, and/or Presets from the backup—see page 28.

• Preferences - (Windows only) Launches the Preferences window, where you

can access application and hardware settings—see page 50. You can also

launch the Preferences window from the “gear icon” button or the connected
device indicator at the bottom of the application window.

• Quit - (Windows only) Exits the application.

10

Edit

Regardless of tab focus:

• Undo - Reverses the last supported edit action.

• Redo - Reverses the last performed Undo action.

TIP: Please see “Undo / Redo” on page 25 for details.

When the Presets tab has focus:

• Copy Preset - Copies the selected Preset(s) to the clipboard.

• Paste Preset - Pastes the last-copied preset(s), replacing the preset(s) within

the selected preset library location(s).

• Select All Presets - Selects all Presets within the current Setlist.

• Rename Preset - Renames the currently loaded preset.

When the IRs tab has focus:

• Copy IR - Copies the selected IR(s) to the clipboard.

• Paste IR - Pastes the last-copied IR(s), replacing the IR(s) within the selected

IR library location(s).

• Clear IR - Deletes the selected IR(s) from the IRs library.

• Select All IRs - Selects all IRs within the IRs library.

• Rename IR - Renames the currently selected IR.

• Clear Block - Deletes the selected block.

• Rename Preset - Renames the currently loaded preset.

When the Command Center window has focus:*

• Cut Command - Copies the currently selected (instant, footswitch, EXP pedal,

or Variax knob) controller’s command settings to the clipboard and clears the
command settings from the controller.

• Copy Command - Copies the currently selected controller’s command settings

to the clipboard.

• Paste Command - Pastes the last-copied controller’s command settings to

the selected controller.

• Clear Command - Deletes the selected controller’s command settings.

*NOTE: When working in “The Command Center Window” you can access
these Edit commands as follows:

Mac - These commands are available within the main application’s Edit menu at

the top of your screen when the Command Center window has focus.

Windows - The Command Center window itself includes an Edit menu with these

commands.

TIP: Copy Block and Paste Block, as well as drag and drop of processing
blocks, can be also used between multiple HX Edit windows, and back and

forth with Helix Native plugin! See “Cutting, Copying, Pasting, and Clearing

Blocks” on page 32 for details.

When the Favorites tab has focus:

• Copy Favorite - Copies the selected Favorite(s) to the clipboard.

• Paste Favorite - Pastes the last-copied Favorite(s) and displays a prompt to

copy as new or replace the selected Favorite.

• Clear Favorite - Deletes the selected Favorite(s) from the library.

• Rename Favorite - Renames the currently selected Favorite.

When the Signal Flow window has focus:

• Cut Block - Copies the currently selected block and its settings to the clipboard

and removes the block from the Signal Flow.

• Copy Block - Copies the currently selected block and its settings to the

clipboard.

• Paste Block - Pastes the last-copied block’s model and its settings to the

selected block location. When an existing block is selected as the paste
location, this replaces the existing block.

• Paste Block Before -

When an existing block is currently selected, pastes the

last-copied block’s model and its settings to the location before the selected block.

• Paste Block After -

When an existing block is currently selected, pastes the

last-copied block’s model and its settings to the location after the selected block.

Snapshots

• Copy Snapshot - Copies the currently loaded preset’s snapshot to the

clipboard.

• Paste Snapshot - Pastes the last-copied snapshot contents, replacing the

currently loaded snapshot’s contents.

• Rename Snapshot - Allows you to edit the title of the currently loaded snapshot

(Helix and HX Eects devices only).

• Snapshots - Any of the current preset’s snapshots can be selected directly

here. (Note that Helix devices oer 8 snapshots, HX Stomp XL and HX Eects
oer 4, and HX Stomp oers 3.)

*NOTE: When working in “The Command Center Window” you can access
the Snapshots commands as follows:

Mac - These commands are available within the main application’s Snapshots

menu at the top of your screen when the Command Center window has focus.

Windows - The Command Center window itself includes a Snapshots menu with

these commands.

TIP: Please see “Conguring & Managing Snapshots” on page 24 for
details.

11

Window

• Show / Hide Librarian - Toggles the Presets/IRs/Favorites librarian panel

between shown and hidden for the current device window.

• Command Center - Displays the Command Center window (Helix and HX

Eects devices only)—see page 45.

• Global EQ - (Helix devices only) Displays the Global EQ window—see page

49.

• Close - Closes the Command Center, Global EQ, or main application window

(whichever has focus). Note that the main HX Edit window can be re-opened
using the Devices menu commands.

Help

• HX Edit Online Help - Takes you to the Line6.com Support site where you can

nd the helpful info on HX Edit and Helix & HX devices.

• HX Edit Application Pilot’s Guide - Launches the PDF you are reading now.

• Check for Updates - (Windows - this command is found within the Apple menu

on Mac) Launches the built-in updater to check for an install any available
software and device rmware updates—see “Updater & Additional Resources”

on page 79.

• About HX Edit - (Windows only) Launches the About box, which includes the

software version and legal credits.

Devices

Displays a selectable option for each connected Helix or HX device’s individual HX Edit
application window. Choosing a device within the menu will bring its HX Edit forward,
if it is currently not in the foreground, and re-displays the window if it is currently
minimized or closed. A checkmark appears to the left of the device window that is in
the foreground. See “Multi-Device, Multi-Window Support” on page 3.

Preferences, Help & Account Options

At the bottom left of the application window, click on the menu buttons to access the
app’s Preferences, Help & About Box, (see page 50) and My Account options (see

page 53)

Preferences Help/About Account Options

12

Presets Panel

The Librarian’s Presets tabbed panel provides functionality for importing, exporting,
and managing presets & setlists.

Presets Tab

Setlist Commands

Setlist Menu

Preset Commands

Loaded Preset

Selected Preset

Premium Marketplace presets are otherwise able to be utilized just like any other Helix
presets. When imported, these premium Marketplace presets are indicated by guitar
pick “badges” to their right within the Presets panel.

Premium Marketplace presets are indicated with golden guitar pick badges

The Presets panel

You’ll nd the same commands for copying, pasting, renaming, importing, and exporting
within the application’s File & Edit menus. These commands are also accessible via

“Keyboard Shortcuts”.

TIP: Helix device presets, setlists, and bundles can also be imported and utilized

within other Helix devices and the Helix Native plugin! Please see “Preset

Compatibility” on page 4 for more info.

HX Device Owners: All functionality described in this chapter is the same
for use with all Helix and HX devices unless otherwise noted.

Premium Marketplace Presets

If you’ve purchased and downloaded premium Helix or HX presets from the Marketplace,
you must be Signed In to your Line 6 account within HX Edit and have your computer
Authorized to allow HX Edit to initially Import or Export these presets (as well as for any

setlists or bundles that include premium presets).*

*NOTE: Once you’ve initially imported your Marketplace assets to sync their

licenses with your account, you don’t need to have HX Edit actively Signed In to use

them—and it is not necessary to even be connected to the Internet once your
computer has been Authorized, except to Deauthorize the computer. Please see

“Authorize / Deauthorize Your Computer” on page 55.

Selecting, Loading & Saving Presets

It is important to note there is a dierence between the selected and loaded preset
within the Presets panel.

To Select a Preset - Click once on a preset location in the Presets panel and
you’ll see it become highlighted in gray. This indicates the preset is selected,
meaning that a preset command (Copy, Paste, Import, etc.) will act upon this
preset (even if a dierent preset is the one currently loaded within the Signal Flow).

To Load a Preset - Double-click on any preset (or click once to select it and then
hit your Enter/Return key) and you’ll see the preset highlighted and with amber­colored text, indicating it as the preset currently in use. If no other preset is
currently selected (highlighted in gray), menu commands will act upon this loaded
preset, since it is eectively also the selected preset.

To Save a Preset - Once a preset is loaded from the Presets Library and edited,
you’ll most likely want to save the preset to retain your changes.* To save the
Preset to your device’s library, choose the Save or Save As option from the
app’s File menu, or click the Preset Save button that appears at the top of the

Signal Flow panel (see “Naming & Saving the Preset” on page 24). See the

next section for the option to Export a preset to save it to your computer.

*TIP: Before editing a preset you may wish to rst copy it to another location in the

Presets panel, or export it, to be sure you have an original version of the preset

before making changes.

13

Importing and Exporting Preset Files

Presets are able to be exported to your computer as individual (.hlx) les,
allowing you to create a limitless collection of tones that can be imported back
onto your device’s internal preset library at any time.

To Import a Preset File - It is recommended to select an empty “New Preset”

location within the Presets panel and select the Import Preset command. A

brief dialog will inform you that importing will overwrite any preset information in
the selected location. Click Yes to continue. A system window will display a le
browser for selecting the preset you wish to import. Once imported, the preset
will reside on your Helix or HX device’s internal memory, within the selected

preset location.

To Export a Preset File - Select the preset by single-clicking on it in the Librarian

- Presets panel and select the Export Preset command. This creates a copy
of the preset in its last-saved state from your Helix or HX device’s memory and
saves it to your computer. The familiar “save” window is presented, in which you
can edit the lename and choose a destination folder.

TIP: If you happen to own both a Helix (or Helix Native plugin) and HX device, it is

recommended to export your HX devices’ presets into their own, individual

directories to avoid mixing them up with Helix and Helix Native plugin preset les.
Note that presets are exported in the format of the specic device you are using, which

determines its behaviors for use with HX Edit preset translation and Helix Native’s
Hardware Compatibility modes—see “Preset Compatibility” on page 4.

Renaming, Reordering, Copying, and Pasting Presets

These functions allow you to customize your presets within the Presets panel. Choose
Rename, Copy, or Paste from the row of preset command buttons or application’s
Edit menu and it will act upon the selected (highlighted) preset. You can also right-click

on a preset in the list to open a context menu with these same commands. For most

commands, it is also possible to multi-select a number of presets by using Shift+Click
to select a contiguous set of presets, or Cmd+Click (Mac) or Ctrl+Click (Windows) to
select a non-contiguous set.

TIPS: There is no command to “delete” a preset, but you can right-click on a block

within the signal ow and use the Clear All Blocks command.

NOTE: Copy/Paste of presets and IRs between HX Edit and Helix Native, or

between multiple HX Edit device app windows is not currently supported. However,

you can use drag and drop for these actions! See the next section.

Drag and Drop Presets

It is possible to drag and drop any preset (or multi-selected presets) directly from the
Presets panel to perform the following actions.

• Import - Drag a .hlx preset le from any computer folder and drop directly onto

a Presets panel slot to import it into the device’s Presets Library.* This import
action replaces and overwrites the slot’s existing preset.

• Import and Load - Dragging a preset from a computer folder and dropping

it directly into the currently loaded preset’s slot within the Presets Library, or
dropping it directly into the Signal Flow window, will both Import the preset and
load it as the new current tone, replacing the previous tone. (Note that if you
drag and drop a preset into a slot that is not that of the currently loaded preset,
this will import the preset into the library, but not also load it.)*

*NOTE: If you import a preset that was created with a dierent source Helix/HX
device (or created with a dierent Helix Native HC mode) than currently in use,
HX Edit will attempt to translate the preset for the current device. (See “Preset

Translation” on page 4.)

• Export - Drag one or multiple presets from the Presets panel and drop into any

folder on your computer to export a copy of the .hlx preset le(s) there.

• Reorder - Drag vertically to another location within the Presets panel to reorder

the presets within the setlist as desired. When the preset is dropped into the
new location slot, the surrounding presets are shifted upward or downward
accordingly.

• Copy Between Two Devices - If you have multiple devices connected, it is

possible to drag and drop presets between the multiple HX Edit device app

windows’ Presets panels, or directly into the Signal Flow, assuming the presets
can be translated between the device types. (See “Preset Compatibility” on

page 4.)

• Copy To/From Helix Native Plugin - (Helix devices only) Drag a preset from

the plugin’s Presets panel and drop directly into the Presets panel of the HX
Edit app to import and load the preset on your Helix device, replacing and
overwriting the previously loaded preset. Likewise, you can also drag and drop
presets from HX Edit into Helix Native plugin (see “Preset Compatibility” on

page 4).

Importing and Exporting Setlists

The Presets panel allows you to instantly save the currently loaded setlist,
including all its saved presets, to a Helix setlist le (.hls). This is very handy for
making a backup of all presets within a setlist, so that a group of presets can
easily be loaded back into your Helix in a single action.

HX Device Owners: A Setlist for your HX device consists of all presets
within the device’s preset library. Similar to the steps described here for Helix
devices, you can use the HX Edit Import Setlist and Export Setlist

commands, found within the app’s File menu.

14

To Import a Setlist - Select the Import Setlist command. This will prompt you
to ensure that you wish to replace the currently selected setlist and the presets
therein. Continue through the Open window to select the setlist you wish to load
onto your connected device.*

*NOTE: If you import a setlist that was created with a dierent source Helix/HX
device (or created with a dierent Helix Native HC mode) than currently in use,
HX Edit will attempt to translate its presets for the current device. (See “Preset

Translation” on page 4.)

To Export a Setlist - Select the Export Setlist command to display the Save As

dialog.

Changing Setlists

(Helix devices only*) To change the active setlist shown in the Presets panel, click on
the Setlist menu and choose from among your device’s setlists. The currently-selected
setlist will be indicated with an “open folder” icon in this menu.

*HX Device Owners: With an HX device in use, there is no Setlist menu,
since these devices’ Presets Libraries include only one setlist. However,
you can use the Import Setlist option to replace the current setlist with

one saved on your computer.

Renaming Setlists

To rename the current setlist, right-click on the setlist name within the Setlist
menu and type in your desired title.

HX Device Owners: The single Setlist on your HX device displays no name
on the hardware or within HX Edit. However, you can edit the Setlist’s
lename when Exporting the le to your computer.

The Import Bundle and Export Bundle options are found in the application’s
Preferences > Presets/IRs tab (see “Preferences and About Box” on page 50).

Bundle options within the Preferences window (for Helix devices)

To Import a Bundle - Click the Import Bundle button and a prompt is displayed
to replace all setlists and presets within your Preset library. Continue through
the File – Open window to select the bundle you wish to import. Note that it is
possible to optionally import any bundle that was exported from the Helix Native
plugin or any Helix device.

To Export a Bundle - Click the Export Bundle button to create a copy of all
presets and their last-saved settings that exist in all setlists as a Helix bundle
(.hlb) le.

NOTE: (Helix devices) On the next power-up after importing multiple presets, or
importing any setlist or bundle, you may see your device perform an additional
“Rebuilding Presets” process during boot up. This process is normal and optimizes

preset loading times on the hardware.

Importing and Exporting Bundles

A Bundle le (.hlb) includes all 8 setlists’ contents of your Helix device, including
all their presets and saved settings, wrapped up in a tidy package.* This makes it

easy to export to create and store a backup of your Helix device’s complete
Preset library, and easily restore your device’s Presets library to your device (or to the
Helix Native plugin) by importing the bundle.

NOTE: Bundle les do not contain any of the Helix device’s Global Settings or
Impulse Response (IR) les. To include all these Helix items, use the Create &
Restore Backups feature—see page 27.

*HX Device Owners: HX devices do not support Bundle les, therefore, you
will see no available Bundle options.

TIP: Wanting to restore the Factory Presets & settings for your device? You can do

so by performing a Factory Restore—please see your Helix or HX device’s Owner’s

Manual for details (and remember to use HX Edit to rst do a backup of your current

presets!)

TIP: Visit the line6.com/customtone site to share your tones and download from

the huge online library of artist and user presets!

15

IRs Panel

The Librarian’s IRs panel provides a list of all Impulse Response les (along with
respective ID numbers in the left column) that currently reside on your Helix or HX
device. Initially, this IRs panel is empty, awaiting your import of Impulse Response les.

IRs Tab

IR Commands

Selected IR

IR Index Numbers

The IRs panel

HX Device Owners: IR les can be used by all Helix and HX devices. All
functionality described in this chapter is the same for use with all devices unless

otherwise noted.

What are Impulse Responses?

Impulse Responses (or “IRs”) that can be used in Helix & HX devices are audio les that
are the result of capturing the sound of a test tone (frequency sweep) through a guitar or
bass amp speaker cabinet, which has been de-convolved with the original tone signal.
This represents the frequency response of the miked cabinet itself and can be used
to simulate the way it alters the sound. This is similar to a convolution reverb, but with
much shorter decay.

Add an IR block to your preset as an alternative to using one of the Cab blocks to
provide speaker cabinet simulation. Several companies now oer large selections of
professionally recorded IR les that can be used in Helix devices, or you can even do
some research on how to record and create your own. Feel free to jump on your favorite
guitar gear forums and join the ongoing, sometimes heated, discussions about the best

and most realistic IRs, and methods to create them.

You can also nd some IRs that were created using this convolution process to capture
the properties of acoustic guitar bodies, guitar pickups, and other sources. These IRs
can certainly be used in the Helix IR blocks as well, to allow even deeper tone sculpting!

TIP: Line 6 oers a free pack of IRs from Allure. You can grab them now at http://

line6.com/allure/.

You can also nd a great selection of IRs, specically created for Helix products, on the
Marketplace—see page 53.

IR Formats and Restrictions

For all Helix and HX devices, as well as Helix Native plugin, the following IR le types

are supported.

• Helix Impulse Response (.hir) - This is the proprietary Line 6 IR le format.

All IRs purchased through the Marketplace are of this le type. (Please also see

“Marketplace & Account Options” on page 53.)

• WAV (.wav) - Most IR producers and vendors typically oer IRs within the .wav

format. It is possible to import a mono or stereo .wav le IR, regardless of its bit
depth, length, or sample rate frequency. While this is very convenient, please
be careful to import only .wav les that were created specically for use as IRs,
not just any audio .wav le, or you may experience unexpected sonic results.

Importing and Exporting IRs

To access the IRs stored on your Helix or HX device, click on the IRs tab. From here you
will be presented with a list of up to 128 IRs and their index numbers.

NOTE: Premium Helix IRs purchased from Marketplace are also imported &

exported using the following steps. It is required that you have Authorized your
computer and that you are Signed In to your Line 6 account in HX Edit to initially Import
or Export them. Once imported into HX Edit, no active Internet connection is necessary
to utilize your Marketplace IRs. Please see “Marketplace & Account Options” on page

53 for details.

To Import an IR, select the desired index location in the application’s IRs panel and

select Import. Select the desired IR .hir or .wav le you wish to load onto your device. It
is also possible to select multiple IR les and all will be imported in one action.

16

When premium Marketplace IRs (.hir les) are imported, they are indicated by a golden
guitar pick “badge” to their right within the IRs panel.

Premium Marketplace IRs are indicated with a golden guitar pick badge

To Export an IR, click Export to display the Save As dialog.

You can also drag and drop to and from the IRs panel to export and import IRs—see
the following section.

TIP: Use the File menu’s Create Backup & Restore From Backup options to

create a backup of your IRs panel’s contents, and restore from the backup, at any

time—see “Creating & Restoring Complete Device Backups”.

Renaming, Loading, Copying, and Clearing IRs

Several actions can be performed by clicking the commands above the IRs list view,
which will act upon the selected (highlighted) IR. You can also right-click to choose
these options from the context menu (or use the app’s “Keyboard Shortcuts”).

NOTE: Copy and Paste of presets and IRs between HX Edit and Helix Native, or
between multiple HX Edit device app windows, is not currently supported.
However, you can use drag and drop for these actions! See the next section.

Drag and Drop IRs

There are several drag and drop options that allow you to import and export single or
multiple IR les between your computer’s directories and HX Edit, as well as load IRs
into your current tone.

• Import - Drag one or more IR les from your computer folder directly into the

IRs panel. When multiple les are being dragged in, they are imported starting

with the selected IR index slot.

• Export - Select one or more IR index locations and drag from the IRs list view

directly to your computer to export the IR les to the selected hard drive folder.

NOTE: When exporting IRs from the HX Edit IR panel, any Marketplace
purchased IR is saved to your computer as a Helix IR (.hir) type le. The .hir
les are proprietary to Line 6 products and licensed to you via the Line 6
account on which you purchased them. Any IR that was originally imported
as a .wav le is exported as a .wav le.

• Copy - It is also possible to drag and drop IRs within the IRs list view to create

a copy of the IR in a new index location.*

*NOTE: There are no options oered to move or reorder IRs in a single
operation. Use the Copy, Paste, and Clear functions to rearrange IR within the

IRs list as needed.

• Copy Between Helix / HX Devices - If you have multiple devices connected,

it is possible to drag and drop IRs between the multiple HX Edit device app

windows’ IRs panels to copy them between devices.

• Copy To/From Helix Native Plugin - With an instance of the Helix Native

plugin open, drop IRs from the HX Edit application’s IRs panel directly into the
IRs panel of the Helix Native. It is also possible to drag IRs from Helix Native
directly into the IRs panel of HX Edit to import copies of the same IRs.

• Load into Current Tone - Once you’ve imported one or more IRs into the IRs

Library, you can drag any IR from the Library window and drop it directly into

the desired position within the Signal Path in the Edit window to create an IR

block loaded with the IR le. See the next section.

17

Loading an IR in an IR Block

When you insert an IR block within your preset’s Signal Flow from the Model

Menu, it initially defaults to referencing the IR that resides within the #1 IR index
location (if you have not yet imported any IR le into the referenced index location, the
“empty” IR block has no eect on the signal).

To follow are a few methods for loading an IR into an IR block, which determines the IR
le that is associated with the IR block (also see “IR File Reference” on page 18 for

additional behaviors).

Use the Edit tab’s IR Select slider - Select the IR block within the Signal Flow,
then, in the Edit tab, use the IR Select parameter slider (or its menu at the
right) to select the IR index number (1-128) that includes the desired IR.

Choosing an IR by its Library (1-128) index number within the Edit tab

Double-click in Library - Select the IR block within the Signal Path and then
double-click on the preferred IR within the IRs Library list to load into the IR

block—replacing any currently referenced IR. Note that no action is performed

if you do not have an IR block selected.

Drag and drop - As mentioned in the preceding section, you can also add an
IR block already loaded with an IR by dragging the desired IR from the IRs
Library panel and dropping it directly into an empty location within your Signal
Path. (Drag and drop from the IR Library always adds a 1024 Sample type IR
block.)

You can use the other IR block parameter sliders in the Edit tab to further shape the IR’s
tone and level—see “Editing Model Parameters” on page 36. Once done selecting

an IR and its parameter options, be sure to save the preset to retain your IR block

settings.

TIP: Optionally, you can create a Snapshot assignment (see page 44) on the IR

Select parameter, which then allows you to change the IR within the block as

desired, per snapshot!

Whenever you load a preset that includes one or more IR blocks that reference an
empty IR index location, a pop-up is displayed to alert you. For example, the alert
shown below is telling you that the preset includes two IR blocks, on Paths 1A and
1B, which cannot locate their originally associated IR les. The “Position” denotes the
block position of each IR block from left to right on the path, starting with “0” for the left
position. Please see the next section for more related IR behaviors.

Missing associated IR(s) alert pop-up

IR File Reference

Once an IR block is congured to utilize an IR index slot that includes an imported IR
(.wav or .hir) le, and the preset then saved (using HX Edit and device rmware version

2.90 or later), the preset creates a “reference signature” to the imported IR from its le
name. Likewise, if you save your IR block as a Favorite (see page 20), or set the IR
block’s current settings as the User Model Defaults (see page 34), the IR bock also
creates a reference to the specic IR le within your IR library. Therefore, if you happen
to change the order of your IRs within the IR library list, your preset (or IR Favorite or IR
User Model Default) will still intelligently reference the originally associated IR le, even
if it now resides in a dierent IR Library index location. The following behaviors apply:

• If you Clear or Replace the IR le within the IR index slot for which the preset’s

IR block is congured to use, upon the load of the preset/IR Favorite/User
Model Default IR, the IR block will rst attempt to locate another instance of the
missing, associated IR le within the IRs Library and automatically utilize it and

its residing index slot.

• If the congured IR index slot is currently empty, you’ll be alerted that the IR

block’s associated IR le cannot be found (see the previous section). The IR
block continues to utilize the same (now empty) IR index slot. You’ll want to
congure the IR block to utilize an occupied IR index slot (or import an IR
into the currently referenced slot) and re-save the preset (or recreate a new
Favorite or User Model Default for the IR block).

• If the original IR le is cleared from the Library and the IR index slot now

includes a dierent IR le, you’ll be alerted that the associated IR cannot be
found, and the IR block utilizes this new IR le within the congured index
slot. You’ll need to save the preset (or recreate a new Favorite for the IR
block) with this reference to the new IR le, or congure the IR block to use
a dierent, occupied IR slot, to avoid seeing the alert pop-up on future loads
of the preset/Favorite.

18

• Once an IR block is congured with an IR Library index selection, and the preset

then saved (or the IR Favorite or IR User Model Default then created), the IR le
retains this reference signature when exported from the library—thus, even if
you import the exported IR le again into any index slot within your IRs Library,
the IR block will still be able to locate and utilize it.*

Yes, the above rules all sound a bit complicated. But in typical use, all this really means
is that if you happen to import your IRs into dierent IR library slots than where they
used to be, your saved preset, IR Favorite, or IR Model User Default will not lose its IR

le reference!

*NOTE: The IR le reference functionality is also incorporated in the Helix Native

plugin. Therefore, presets and IR Favorites exported from Helix Native v3.0 will
exhibit the same behaviors and attempt to locate their referenced IR .wav les from
within the HX Edit IR library upon loading. Likewise, presets and IR Favorites exported
from HX Edit will attempt to locate their IR blocks’ referenced IR .wav les when
loaded within Helix Native. The moral of the story here is simply to import the same
IR .wav les into both HX Edit and Helix Native if you plan on sharing your crafted
presets and/or Favorites between them, and the proper IRs will automatically be
utilized from your IR library, regardless the IR slots where they reside.

NOTE: We highly recommend using the Create Backup feature in HX Edit to make

it easy to restore your complete preset and IR libraries (see page 27). Immediately
after performing a Restore From Backup, it is also best to power your device o and
on again and allow all presets to “rebuild,” for best preset performance and IR le
reference functionality.

19

Favorites Panel

The Librarian’s Favorites panel provides a list of all blocks you’ve added to your Helix/
HX device’s library as Favorites. This functionality allows you to customize any Helix/HX
amp, cab, IR, eects, send/return/fx loop, or looper block’s settings, and then optionally
name and store it within the Favorites library of your device, where it is easily accessed
for adding to presets. Additionally, you can export your Favorites to your computer
as (.fav) les, allowing you to create a massive collection, import into other Helix/HX
devices, and share with others!

TIP: The Helix Native plugin also oers the same Favorites functionality—which
means you can freely import, export, and even drag and drop your Favorites

between HX Edit and Helix Native!

Initially, this Favorites panel is empty, awaiting your creation or import of up to 128
Favorites. Once added, Favorites appear within the panel as shown below and can

be renamed, copied, exported, reordered, and cleared as desired—see “Managing

Favorites” on page 21.

Favorites tab

Favorites commands

View By menu

NOTE: If you don’t want a Favorite to be recalled with a stored bypass

assignment, add the block to Favorites before you create an assignment (or
remove any existing bypass assignment before proceeding). Controller and
snapshot type assignments are not stored as part of Favorites.

2. With your block still selected within the Signal Flow, click on the “star” button at
the top right of the Inspector’s Edit Tab.

3. Alternatively, right-click on the block within the signal ow and choose Save As
Favorite.

Selected Favorite

The Favorites panel

Adding Blocks as Favorites

Once you’ve dialed in a processing block exactly the way you like it, you can save it as
a Favorite so the block can be accessed very quickly when building presets, complete
with your stored parameter settings, bypass state, and existing bypass assignment.*
Input, Output, Split, and Merge block types are not available to be saved as Favorites.

*NOTE: For HX Eects devices, existing bypass assignments are not saved with

Favorites.

There are several ways to add a block to your Favorites library:

1. Add or select any amp, cab, IR, eects, send/return/fx loop, or looper block in

the Signal Flow and tweak its parameters and block bypass state as desired.

4. The Save As Favorite window appears.

20

At the top of the Save As Favorites window, you can choose to either Add as a
New Favorite or Replace an Existing Favorite.

To Add as a new Favorite, choose this option.

• Type in a custom name for your Favorite, if desired.

• If your Favorites panel’s View By sorting option is set for Device List (which

displays Favorites in the same order as you see on your Helix/HX device), you
will see the “Choose where to add in favorites list” text in the Save As Favorites
window, as shown in the preceding image. Optionally, click in a dierent,
desired position where you would like your new Favorite saved.

• Click Save to add the new Favorite, or Cancel to exit without adding the Favorite.

To Replace an existing Favorite, choose this option at the top of the window.
Note that if the block you selected is already an existing Favorite, this option
will be selected as the default, with the existing Favorite highlighted in the list
below.

• You can optionally edit the name of the Favorite you are replacing.

• Click Save to add the new Favorite, or Cancel to exit without adding the

Favorite.

Once a Favorite is inserted into your preset, you can optionally edit its settings further,
add bypass, controller, and snapshot assignments, and move, copy, paste, or clear it
just as you can with any other block. Note that the same preset rules apply to Favorites
as they do for blocks of the same model type (e.g., a maximum block number and type
limits, DSP limit, etc.).

The Model Menu - Favorites Category

NOTE: If you replace and overwrite an existing Favorite that is already in use
within your presets, the presets remain unchanged.

5. You’ll see the Favorite now added to the Favorites lists within both the Library
panel’s Favorites tab and the Edit tab - Model menu’s Favorites category.

Within the Model menu’s Favorites list, you can also right-click any Favorite and
choose to Rename or Clear—see “Adding a Block to Favorites” on page 34.

TIPS: You can also import Favorites (.fav) les into your Favorites library, as covered
in the following sections.

When you add an IR block as a Favorite, the IR le you have it set to use is automatically
recalled, even if moved to a dierent IR slot in the IR Library (see “IR File Reference”

on page 18).

The contents of your Favorites library are included when you a create a backup (see

“Creating & Restoring Complete Device Backups” on page 27).

To Insert a Favorite into your Current Preset

Double-click on the desired Favorite within the Favorites panel to insert it into the
currently-selected block location within the Signal Flow. Note that if an existing
processing block is currently selected, this replaces that block with the Favorite. Or,
you can alternatively drag from the Favorites panel directly into an empty block location
within the signal ow (also see “Drag and Drop Favorites” on page 22).

You can also choose a Favorite from the Edit tab - Model menu - Favorites category,
much like choosing any other category’s model, to add it to your tone.

TIP: You can also right-click on any Favorite within the Model menu - Favorites
category list to Rename, Clear, or change the View By sort order.

Managing Favorites

The row of commands at the top of the Favorites panel allows you to Import, and
Export (see the next section), Copy, Paste, or Clear the selected Favorite(s) within

the panel. You can also access these commands via the application’s Edit menu or
via right-click on any Favorite. Note that the following commands are not available for
Undo/Redo.

• To Copy and Paste - Select one or multiple Favorites within the panel and

choose the Copy command. Select the Favorite within the panel above which
you want to position the copied Favorite(s), and choose the Paste command.

• To Clear - Select one or multiple Favorites within the panel and choose the

Clear command to delete them from the Favorites library.

NOTE: Clearing any Favorite from the Favorites panel does not remove
instances of the Favorite block that is in use within any preset—your presets

simply retain the block and its existing settings.

• To Rename - Select the Favorite within the panel and choose the Rename

command to type in your own custom name. It can be extremely helpful to
name your Favorites descriptively!

NOTE: The name of the Favorite within the Favorites panel/model menu is also
the name that is displayed on your device’s footswitch scribble strip if you have

a bypass assignment created for the block.

21

• To Reorder - When the View By option is set to Device List, it is possible to

drag Favorites within the panel to reorder them (also see the next bullet point).

Click on one or multiple Favorites and drag up/down within the panel. A blue
line appears while dragging to indicate the target “drop” location.

• To Change the List Sorting - Choose the preferred View By option from the

menu to change the sorting order. This View By option can also be changed
by right-clicking within the Model menu - Favorites category list, or within the

“Preferences - View Tab”. The View By options are:

• Device List - The same order as displayed on your device’s Favorites list.

Note that when this option is in use, you can reorder Favorites in the panel or
on your device, and the lists remain in sync.

• Category - By the model’s original Model menu Category (Distortion,

Modulation, Amp+Cab, etc.)

• Name (A-Z) - Ordered alphabetically by the Favorites’ names.

Importing and Exporting Favorites

Any of the Favorites within the panel can be exported as Favorite (.fav) les to your
computer. These les can then be imported into HX Edit for any Helix or HX device.

To Import a Favorite

1. There are a few ways to access the Import Favorites command:

- Click the Import command at the top of the Favorites panel

- Choose Import from the application’s File menu

- Right-click on any Favorite within the Favorites panel and choose Import

Then browse to the folder on your computer containing your .fav les, and
choose the le(s) to import.

TIP: You can also import via drag and drop—see the following section.

2. If the panel’s View By menu is set to the Device List option, the Import Favorites

window appears, where you can choose to insert the imported le(s) as new

Favorites (the default option), or you can choose to Replace the currently
selected Favorite(s) within the list. Click OK to import.

NOTE: It is possible to Import the same .fav le more than once within the Favorites

panel. The best practice is to avoid creating duplicate Favorites, and use unique

and descriptive names for your Favorites within your library!

To Export a Favorite

1. Click to select the desired Favorite(s) within the Favorites panel.

2. There are a few ways to access the Export Favorites command:

- Click the Export command at the top of the Favorites panel

- Choose Export from the application’s File menu

- Right-click on any Favorite within the Favorites panel and choose Export

3. Browse to or create a folder on your computer where you wish to save your .fav

les.

TIPS: You can also import via drag and drop—see the following section.

Once a Favorite is inserted into the signal ow, you can copy the block and

paste it into the current, or another preset. You can also paste it into another HX

Edit device’s window, or into Helix Native (in which case it is pasted as a regular,
non-Favorite block type, but with all settings intact).

It’s a good idea to create a single “Favorites” folder on your computer, especially
if you own more than one Helix/HX device and/or Helix Native, and export all your
Favorites there to make them easy to nd!

Drag and Drop Favorites

You can also drag Favorites to perform the following tasks:

• Drag from the Favorites panel directly into the Signal Flow to insert the Favorite

block into your current preset.

• Drag one or multiple Favorites (.fav) les from your computer directly into HX

Edit to import them. Drop directly into the Favorites panel, on top of an existing
Favorite within the list to import the Favorite(s). The Import Favorite window

appears where you can choose to import before the Favorite you dropped onto,

or to replace it.

• Drag from the HX Edit - Favorites panel to your computer to export as Favorites

le(s).

• If you have multiple Helix or HX devices connected, drag from one HX Edit

window’s Favorites panel into the other HX Edit Favorites panel to import it there.

• Drag either direction between the HX Edit and Helix Native plugin Favorites

panels to import Favorites.

• Drag from another device’s HX Edit (or the Helix Native) - Favorites panel

directly into the HX Edit Signal Flow to add the block to your current tone. Note
that this adds the block along with its settings as a standard block type (not as
a Favorite) into the preset—no new Favorite is imported into the library of the

receiving device.

22

Working in the Editor

The Editor portion of the HX Edit user interface consists of the Signal Flow and Inspector windows. The Signal Flow window is where you’ll see the signal paths for your currently­loaded preset, appearing much like the Home screen of your Helix, or Signal Flow screen of your HX device. The lower Inspector window contains 2 tabbed panels, Edit & Bypass/

Controller Assign, where you can select models, tweak parameters, congure controllers, and more. Regardless of which of these tabs you have selected, the current preset’s Name
Field, Save, Snapshots, Undo, & Tempo options are always available at the top of the window. Additionally, there are dedicated windows for the Command Center for MIDI assignments

(see page 45), and the Global EQ (Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp only—see page 49), accessible from the application’s Window menu. If you have not already done so, be
sure to read through the in-depth information in your device’s Owner’s Manual to get an understanding of the features we’ll be covering in the following sections.

HX Device Owners: HX Edit application functionality described within this chapter is the same with Helix or HX devices, except where noted.

Librarian Show/Hide

Button

Signal Flow Window

Inspector Window

Preset Name Field

Preset Save Button Snapshots Menu Undo / Redo Buttons Tempo Controls

Edit & Bypass
Controller Assign Tabs

23

Naming & Saving the Preset

The Preset Name eld at the top of the Editor displays the title of the currently loaded
preset. Double-click on the text here to optionally rename the preset. Whenever you see
your preset’s title appearing in the italicized text at the top of the Signal Flow window,
it indicates that the preset has been edited from its last-saved state.

The Preset Save button at the top of the Editor launches the Save To Library window,
where you can optionally re-title the preset in the Name eld, and then choose the
desired Setlist and Preset location to save the currently-loaded tone, overwriting the
preset that resides within the selected location. (The currently loaded preset is selected
by default, so you can overwrite it simply by clicking the OK button.)

The Preset Save To Library window

Alternatively, you can choose the Preset Save or Preset Save As command from the
HX Edit – File menu. As covered in “Presets Panel” on page 13, there are also the
Librarian window options, Copy and Export, to create & store copies of your presets.

Configuring & Managing Snapshots

Your device oers the ability to congure the 8 snapshots within a Helix preset (or
3 snapshots of HX Stomp preset, or 4 snapshots of an HX Stomp XL or HX Eects
preset), allowing you to recall a customized set of options for your current blocks
instantly, without the brief lag time associated with changing presets! A snapshot is
capable of storing the bypass state of any amp or eects block, up to 64 assigned
parameter values, tempo settings, and more (please see your device’s Owner’s Manual
for specics).

There are two ways to select a snapshot within HX Edit: by clicking on the Snapshots
menu at the top of the Edit window, or by using the commands within the application’s
Snapshots menu. To edit its settings, select the numbered snapshot you want as your
destination, then congure the desired tone options for this snapshot.*

The Edit window’s Snapshots menu The menu bar’s Snapshots menu

*NOTE: You can use your device’s Global Settings > Preferences > Snapshot
Edits to choose between Recall (automatically stores your changes to the current

snapshot) versus Discard (does not store changes to the current snapshot).

The camera icon within the Edit window’s Snapshots menu is displayed in red
when the hardware’s option is set to Discard.

Once your desired destination snapshot has been selected, use the following steps to
congure your settings.

To Store a Block’s Bypass State Per Snapshot - Click on the Bypass button
above any block within the Signal Flow and set your desired bypass state for the
block (or you can toggle the block’s Bypass button within the Edit tab). Any amp
or eects block’s Bypass state will, by default, be remembered and recalled per

Snapshot.

If you prefer to exclude a block from being controlled by Snapshots, select the
block and set the Snapshot Bypass option from the block’s right-click menu to
“o” (so that no checkmark appears at the left of the menu option). Or, you can
right-click on the block’s Bypass button within the top right of the Edit tab and
access the Snapshot Bypass command from its menu. Choosing the Snapshot
Bypass option from the menu again (so that the checkmark appears at the left of
the menu command), returns the block to the default Snapshot behavior.

Edit tab - Block Bypass button right-click menu

24

Block right-click menu

The Snapshot Bypass option

To Store a Parameter’s Values Per Snapshot - Select the desired block within
the Signal Flow, then right-click directly on the desired parameter’s slider within

the Edit tab and choose the Snapshots controller option. This creates the

snapshot assignment for the parameter.
You can then simply load a snapshot and adjust the snapshot-assigned

parameter to the desired value. Repeat this step for each snapshot as desired,
and the parameter values are stored and recalled with each snapshot. We cover
more about conguring controller options in “The Bypass/Controller Assign Tab”

on page 39.

To Store a Command Center Messages and Command Values Per Snapshot

The Value parameters of any instant MIDI CC, Bank/Prog, and MMC message,
plus the state (Dim or Lit) of any CC Toggle and Ext Amp messages are always
stored and recalled when selecting a snapshot. Therefore, there is no need
to manually set any of these parameters to a snapshot assignment within the
Command Center—see page 45.

Attention Helix Native Plugin Users: Snapshot settings are compatible within

presets between Helix, Helix Rack & Helix LT devices, and the Helix Native plugin!

Copying, Pasting, Renaming & Customizing Snapshots

The Copy and Paste Snapshot commands are available within the app’s main menu.
Or, right-click on the Edit window’s Snapshots menu to access these commands as
well as the snapshot Rename and LED color customization options. These snapshot
name and LED color options aect the scribble strip names (or names in Performance
View on Helix LT) and footswitch LED colors when the footswitches are in Snapshot

Select mode.

NOTE: The action of pasting a copied snapshot is not tracked by the HX Edit
Undo / Redo feature (also see next section).

To Rename a Snapshot - Right-click the desired snapshot from the Snapshots
menu and select Rename Snapshot. Type in your new name, then press Enter/
Return on your keyboard.

To Customize a Snapshot’s LED Color - When your device is set to Snapshot
footswitch mode, each footswitch LED defaults to a red color. If you prefer to
customize the LED color for the current Snapshot, choose the desired color from
the right-click menu. Or choose Auto to restore the default behavior, or Off for no
LED.

NOTE: Remember that you’ll need to Save before switching to another preset to
retain your edited snapshot settings & customizations within the current preset! The

snapshot that is in use when you save your preset is the one that is recalled when the

preset is loaded again.

Undo / Redo

The HX Edit application supports Undo and Redo for most editing actions within the
Signal Flow and Edit tab of the current preset, whether the edits are made within HX
Edit or directly on the connected Helix/HX hardware, accessible via the Undo and
Redo buttons at the top of the main window (or from the Edit menu).* The Undo / Redo
history is tracked individually per device window (if you happen to have more than
one Helix/HX device connected). Your Undo / Redo history is retained until you load a
dierent preset, exit the application, or disconnect or power o your connected Helix

or HX device.

*NOTE: See “Software Edits vs. Hardware Edits” on page 26 for additional
behavior details.

The context menu for the Snapshots menu name eld

To Copy & Paste a Snapshot - It is possible to copy all the settings of one

snapshot and paste them to another snapshot within the same preset. Select

and load the snapshot you wish to copy and select Copy. Then select and load
the snapshot you wish to overwrite and choose Paste to paste the clipboard
contents, replacing the currently loaded snapshot.

The Undo and Redo buttons

Undo is available for most actions performed within the Signal Flow and Edit tab

in HX Edit, including:

• Parameter changes

• Snapshot selection

• Block model changes

• Signal path changes (block bypass states, adding/cutting, clearing blocks,

changing path structure, etc.)

• Hardware edits and edit actions performed via external controller and MIDI

CC & PC messages (see “Software Edits vs. Hardware Edits” on page 26)

25

Actions that are not available for Undo/Redo include the following:

• Tempo changes

• Actions performed within the Presets, IRs, and Favorites Library panels—e.g.,

changing setlists, loading a dierent preset, importing, exporting, reordering,

or pasting presets, IRs, or Favorites, etc.

Editing the Tap Tempo

There are a few options available for conguring the tempo, accessible from the Tempo
Controls at the top of the Signal Flow window. Any of the current preset’s eect models
set to note division values will follow this Tap Tempo value. (Note Sync mode is available
for most delay and modulation eects—see page 36.)

NOTE: The application’s Undo history is cleared whenever a dierent preset
is loaded.

The action of Saving a Favorite to the Favorites Library is Undo-able.

• Adding, editing, and removing Snapshot, Bypass, and Controller assignments.

NOTE: Note that when Undo restores the removal of a block that includes
assignments, in most cases, these assignments are restored with the block,
but in some cases may not be able to be retained.

• Pasting a copied Snapshot and/or the Snapshot title

• Changes to any settings within the HX Edit Preferences, Command Center,

and Global EQ windows

NOTE: The Undo button and Edit menu command remain unavailable (dimmed)
until an undo-able action is performed in HX Edit. Likewise, Redo remains
unavailable until an Undo action has been applied.

Software Edits vs. Hardware Edits

Edit actions performed within the HX Edit application (or “software edits”) are tracked
individually for Undo / Redo. For example, if you adjust an HX Edit parameter slider,

move a block, and then change a block’s model, these actions are reverted individually—

one action per each click of Undo.

Edit actions performed directly on your connected Helix/HX device and via external
MIDI control (or “hardware edits”), are aggregated into a separate, single undo-able
action within the Undo history. Therefore, if you perform a number of hardware edits and
then choose Undo, all such edits are reverted in one click of Undo. Likewise, selecting
Redo after performing an Undo of several hardware edits restores all the hardware edit
changes in one click of Redo.

Tempo Select

Menu

The Tempo Controls

Tap Tempo
Button

How the Tempo Value is Recalled

Use the Tempo Select menu to choose how the tempo value is saved and recalled
(this is the same option found in your Helix or HX hardware’s Global Settings > MIDI/
Tempo screen):

• Per Snapshot - The tempo value is stored and recalled individually per snapshot

for the current preset.

• Per Preset - The tempo value is stored and recalled individually with this preset.

• Global - The tempo value is used for all presets whenever set to Global.

NOTE: Your Helix/HX device’s tempo can also be congured to follow MIDI Clock
from an external source, accessed from within your device’s Global Settings >

MIDI/Tempo screen. When your device is actively following MIDI Clock, all options for

the Tempo Controls are disabled and the Tempo value displays as “[External].”

Entering a Tempo Value

To enter a value, click on the Tap Tempo button rhythmically, or right-click directly on
the Tap Tempo button and type in your desired numerical value.

26

Creating & Restoring Complete Device Backups

Use the File menu’s Create Backup and Restore From Backup commands to create
complete backups of your Helix/HX device’s current Global Settings, IRs, Favorites,
User Model Defaults, and Presets and easily restore them back to your device at any
time. Optionally, you can also Extract Files From Backup to individually access assets
from a saved Backup. All presets are backed up from their last-saved state, therefore,
be sure to save your currently-loaded preset before creating your backup to include its

current settings.

NOTE: If you have purchased and imported Marketplace premium presets or IRs,
your computer must be in the Authorized state to be able to use the Create Backup

and Restore From Backup features, if the backup includes Marketplace premium

assets. See “Authorize / Deauthorize Your Computer” on page 55.

TIP: Backup les (.hxb) created using the Create Backup feature for any Helix

(Helix Floor, LT, or Rack) device can then be “Restored” onto any other Helix device.

This allows you to easily duplicate all your applicable Global Settings, Presets, and IRs

to another Helix in one action.

Backup les created for HX devices are only compatible with each specic
device type (HX Stomp XL, HX Stomp, or HX Eects).

To Create a Backup

Select the Create Backup command from the File menu to launch the window.

5. Description - Optionally, type in some descriptive notes. All text added here is

saved with your backup, and viewable during the Restore From Backup process.

6. Where - By default, your Backup le (.hxb) is saved to the following directory

on your computer:

• Mac - /Documents/Line 6/Tones/Helix/Backups folder

• PC - \My Documents\Line 6\Tones\Helix\Backups folder

To save to a dierent folder, click the folder button and browse to select your

preferred disk location.

7. Click Create Backup and the progress of your backup is shown, with a message
once it is completed successfully (or click Cancel to exit without creating a
Backup).

Repeat the above steps at any time to create as many individual backups as

you like. All compatible backup les for your connected Helix or HX are then

available within the Restore From Backup window.

TIP: It is highly recommended to create a full Backup before installing device

rmware, and to perform backups regularly to make sure you always have copies

of your tones, IRs, and settings!

To Restore From a Backup

Select the Restore From Backup command from the File menu to launch the window.

The Create Backup window (Helix device)

4. Name - Your backup le is automatically named with the type of device (Helix

Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, HX Stomp XL, HX Stomp, or HX Eects) and the
current date. Optionally, you can click directly on the le name here and edit it

as desired.

The Restore From Backup window (Helix device)

27

1. Backup Folder - The most-recently-used Backup folder is selected here. To

nd a backup le in a dierent folder, click the folder button and browse to the

desired location.

2. Backup File - All compatible Backup les (.hxb) that you saved within the

currently selected directory are selectable here. When selecting a backup le,

the following information is displayed so you know the details about the backup
before choosing to restore from it.

• Date: The creation date of the backup le.

• Device: The specic type of Helix device this backup was created from (Helix

Floor, Helix Rack, Helix LT, HX Stomp XL, HX Stomp, or HX Eects).

• Version: The rmware version installed on the device when the backup was

created.

• Description: Any notes that you entered within the Description eld when the

backup was created appear here.

3. Items to Restore - In the lower pane, select the individual items you wish to

be restored from the selected backup le: Global Settings, IRs, Favorites, User

Model Defaults, and Presets. Whichever items that are selected here will be
restored, overwriting those currently on your Helix device.

TIP: For Helix Floor, Rack & LT devices, click on the arrow to the left of the
Presets checkbox and expand the option (as pictured above) to individually

choose whichever setlist(s) you want to restore from the selected Backup!

4. Click Restore Backup and the progress of the restore process is shown, and

then a pop-up message is displayed once it is completed successfully (or click

Close to exit without restoring). Do not disturb the HX Edit application or device
until the Restore process is complete.

Extracting Files from a Backup

Instead of restoring a complete backup, as covered in the preceding section, you might
prefer to “extract” the IRs, Favorites, or setlists & presets from one of your saved Backup
les to your computer. Extracting allows you to browse and choose only the individual
assets you wish to import into your Helix or HX device (or Helix Native plugin).* For this
task, you can utilize the Extract Files from Backup feature.

*TIP: You can use this feature to extract the IRs, Favorites, or presets from any Helix

or HX device’s saved Backup (.hxb) le on your computer! Note that the preset

compatibility rules apply when importing the extracted presets into a dierent type of

Helix/HX device—see “Preset Compatibility” on page 4.

To Extract Files From a Backup

Select the Extract Files From Backup command from the File menu to launch the window.

TIP: For Helix devices, if the restored Backup includes presets or setlists, it is
highly recommended to power your device o and on again to allow it to

“rebuild” the presets. This process optimizes preset loading times and “IR File

Reference” functionality.

You can repeat the above steps at any time and select any available Helix or

HX Backup le stored on your computer.

The Extract Files From Backup window (Helix device)

1. All elds and options displayed in the upper portion of the window are the
same as described for the Restore From Backup window —please refer to the

individual item descriptions in the preceding section.

2. Select which items from the backup you wish to extract - In this lower portion of
the window, check the desired assets. Note that when extracting from a Backup
created from a Helix Floor/Rack/LT type device, you can check individual setlists
(as pictured above) to choose only the setlists you want.

28

3. Click the Extract Files button to start the process, and a folder including all the

extracted assets is saved to the designated Backups folder (by default, this
folder path is Documents > Line 6 > Tones > Helix > Backups).

4. Once the extraction completes, a pop-up window asks if you’d like to open the
folder of the extracted assets.

5. Click Yes to open the folder now. All extracted IR, Favorite, and preset les are
found within their own sub-folders, with all les conveniently named utilizing

their original library index slot number. For Helix device backups, each of your
selected setlists are extracted as separate sub-folders.

These extracted IR, Favorite, and preset les can now be imported into your

Helix and HX device(s), and Helix Native plugin.

29

The Signal Flow Window

The Signal Flow window allows you to directly access the Amp, Eects, Mix & Looper
blocks within your preset and congure your signal path routing simply by clicking and
dragging. Once you select any block within the Signal Flow, the Inspector’s Edit tabbed
panel below provides access to all its editable parameters. The options oered here are
essentially the same as found on your connected Helix or HX device, making editing
very straight-forward.

HX Device Owners: HX Edit application functionality described within this

chapter is the same with Helix or HX devices, except where noted.

Preset Spillover

Helix Floor, LT, and Rack devices include the Preset Spillover option (see page 8).
When Preset Spillover is “On,” you’ll see one signal path rather than two in the Signal
Flow display, reecting the Spillover state of the device. Preset Spillover is switched
On/O via your device’s Global Settings > Preferences options.

Show/Hide Block Labels Option

If you prefer a cleaner look within the HX Edit app’s Signal Flow window, you can “hide”
the descriptive text labels that appear below each block using the Show/Hide option

within the Preferences > View tab (see page 50). When set to hide the labels, you’ll

only see a block’s label appear when hovering your mouse over the block.

Path 2A

Path A

Path A

Split BlockPath 1A

The Signal Flow Window (Helix device)

Split Block

The Signal Flow Window (HX Stomp XL or HX Stomp device)

Split Block

The Signal Flow Window (HX Eects device)

Path B

Path B

Path 1B

Merge-Mixer Block

Merge - Mixer Block

Merge-Mixer Block

Block Label Option Set to Show Block Label Option Set to Hide

Block Bypass Assignment Indicator

If you create a Bypass assignment for any Amp or Eects block within your tone (via
any footswitch, EXP, or MIDI type hardware controller), you’ll see the block name label
displayed in brackets, as shown below. Please see “The Bypass/Controller Assign

Tab” on page 39 for the full info on creating Bypass assignments. (Note that if you

happen to have the above-mentioned Show/Hide Block Label option set to “Hide” you
won’t see these labels or indicators except for when hovering over the block.)

Bracketed block labels indicate block bypass assignments

Hardware Block Signal Indicators & Level Meters

Helix and HX devices include real-time level indicators and metering for specic
block types, which are very handy for visually checking and adjusting the gain staging
throughout the signal ow of your tone.

NOTE: These indicators and meters are visible only on the screen of your

device, and not within the HX Edit application at this time.

To follow are highlights of some of these features—please refer to your device’s Owner’s

Manual for more info.

Signal Indicators

(Helix and HX devices) For all Input, Output, Send, and FX Loop block types within
the Signal Flow, when an input or output signal is present, these blocks display with a
green ll to indicate a signal is present. Whenever the signal level at any of these block
types is too hot, a red ll color is displayed as a clip indicator (which means you should
reduce the signal level of block(s) preceding the red indicated block, and/or the red
indicated block’s own levels, to eliminate the clipping).

30

Level Meters

(Helix devices) Whenever an Output, Send, FX Loop, Compressor, or Gate type
block is selected within the Signal Flow, you’ll see its meter(s) appear within the lower
Inspector panel of the Helix device’s Home screen.

• For Output, Send, and FX Loop blocks, the meter measures output level and

is displayed green for normal signal levels. Whenever the signal is too hot, the
meter is displayed red to alert you of clipping.

• For a Dynamics - Compressor or Gate type block, the yellow meter measures

the amount of gain reduction being applied by the eect.

Moving Blocks & Arranging the Signal Flow

To move blocks within a signal path, click and drag any block to its desired location. To
follow are a number of pointers for arranging the signal ow.

Split Crossover: Splits the audio content so that treble frequencies are sent to
Path A and bass frequencies are sent to Path B. Use the Frequency parameter to
set the center frequency; Any signal above this frequency is sent to Path A, and
any signal below this frequency is sent to Path B.

Split Dynamic: Similar to a crossover, except the audio content above the
audio Threshold is sent to Path A, and the content below the audio Threshold
is sent to Path B (or the path routing is reversed when Reverse is On). Attack

determines how fast the signal routes to Path B once reaching the Threshold, and
Release determines how fast the signal returns to Path A once falling below the
Threshold—typically, higher values result in a smoother transition. Reverse, when
On, ips the Path.

Much like any eects type block, a Split block can be bypassed, as well as have a
bypass assignment created for it. Bypassing the Split block results in feeding equal left
and right signals to each stereo parallel path. Functionality for Split blocks and Paths
dier slightly for Helix vs. HX devices, as detailed here.

HX Device Owners: You’ll see only the HX device’s single Path 1 displayed
within the HX Edit signal ow panel. The HX Path 1 can be similarly split to
oer parallel Paths 1A and 1B, as shown in the preceding screenshots.

Path 1 / Path 2 (Helix devices only) - Unlike on the Helix hardware, within HX
Edit it is possible to copy or move a block, including its current settings, between

main Paths 1 and 2 via drag and drop. You can also Cut or Copy a block and then
Paste into any desired location on the opposite path to re-locate it there, along

with its settings intact—see the next section.

Split Paths - To create a split (or “parallel”) path, simply drag a block down
from the main signal path (Path 1A or Path 2A) and you’ll see a split path (Path
B) appear, with both a Split and Merge block created at each end (as shown in
images at the start of this chapter). Each path is stereo, with the audio content
fed to each determined by the Split block type selected (see next section). To
remove the split path, clear or move all blocks out of the parallel “B” path.

Mix (Split and Merge-Mixer) Blocks - When a Split block is selected in the
signal ow, you can choose from among 3 types of Split blocks, and adjust the

balance options using the parameter sliders that appear in the Edit tab below.

Note that you can click and drag the Split and Merge-Mixer blocks to position
them however you like within the path.

Split Path Options

There are four Split types you can choose from for any Split block.

Split Y: By default, a Split > Y appears any time parallel Path B is created. Use
the Balance A and Balance B (pan) parameters to adjust the left/right stereo
balance fed to each stereo path, respectively.

Split A/B: Use the Route To parameter to determine the total amount of signal
fed to Path A versus Path B.

Helix, Helix Rack & Helix LT Devices

If you drag a Split block down from Path A (or right-click on the Split block and choose
Create Input), it will change into a separate Input block for Path B, which then oers a
set of Input block options in the Edit panel. Likewise, if you drag a Merge block down
(or right-click on the block and choose Create Output), it becomes a separate Output
block for Path B. When dragged to Path B, the Split or Merge-Mixer block becomes
inactive and no longer aects either of the signal paths.

This functionality is how you can potentially create up to 4 individual signal paths
within one preset, each with its own input and output settings, as shown below. Once
converted to Input & Output blocks, you can drag the inactive Split or Merge-Mixer
block back up to the main Path A to restore each back to an active Split or Merge-Mixer
block (or use the right-click options to Restore them).

Inactive Merge-Mixer blocksInactive Split blocks

Split paths converted to individual paths (Helix device)

31

HX Devices

On HX devices, once a parallel path is created, the Split block can be dragged left or
right on Path A to re-position it as desired. (But unlike with Helix devices, a Split block

cannot be moved down to convert it into a separate Path B Input.)

It is possible to drag the Path A Merge-Mixer block down (or right-click on the block
and choose Create Output), as shown in the following screenshot. This routes the Path
B output separately to the hardware Send L/R output jacks, and the Merge-Mixer block

becomes inactive in this Path B position.

NOTE: If your preset already includes an FX Loop block, the option to set the

Merge-Mixer block to Path B as an Output block is not available, since the Send
L/R outputs are already in use by the FX Loop. Likewise, once you’ve set the Merge­Mixer block to Path B (Send L/R out) as an Output block, it is not possible to also add
an FX Loop block to the preset.

Once converted to an output, drag the inactive Merge-Mixer block back up to the main
Path A to restore the split path and active Merge block (or use the right-click option to

Restore it).

Inactive Merge-Mixer blockParallel Paths A & B

Split path with Path B routed to the Send L/R Output (HX Stomp XL or HX Stomp device)

Parallel Paths A & B

Inactive Merge-Mixer block

Block Cut, Copy, Paste & Clear commands are available in the Edit menu or block’s context menu

TIP: You can also use copy/paste, or drag and drop, to copy a block between
separate HX Edit device windows, and/or Helix Native, as covered below.

Note that if you copy/paste a Favorite block between HX Edit and Helix Native, the block is
pasted as a standard (non-Favorite) type block, but with all its settings intact.

Use Cut Block or Copy Block and then any of the Paste Block commands in either
HX Edit or Helix Native plugin, as follows:

• Into any path within the Helix Native plugin’s Signal Flow

• Into any path within the HX Edit app, and within any preset

• Into any preset within HX Edit when then connected to a dierent Helix or

HX device (as long as the copied Block data is the last item copied to your
computer’s clipboard)

• Into an additional HX Edit application window—also see “Multi-Device, Multi-

Window Support” on page 3

Block Cut / Copy / Paste is allowed for all block types, with some restrictions.* This
provides great exibility in re-creating tones between Helix Native, HX Edit, and even
dierent Helix & HX devices.

Split path with Path B routed to Send 1/2 Output (HX Eects device)

Cutting, Copying, Pasting, and Clearing Blocks

You can use the Cut Block or Copy Block commands for an existing processing (Amp,
Cab, IR, FX, Looper, Mix, or Favorite) block, and then use one of the Paste Block
commands to paste it, with all its current settings, into a new location within any path
and within any preset. Use Clear Block to remove the selected block from the path.
Once you’ve selected the desired block, these commands are accessed either from
the menu bar’s Edit menu or from a block’s (right-click) context menu (or via keyboard

shortcuts—see page 67).

*NOTE: Some restrictions apply for Copy / Paste of blocks, depending on the DSP

capacity and features of the particular device in use. For example, just as any Helix
device preset will prevent the addition of some block or model types as the DSP limit is
reached, the same DSP limit rules apply for Copy / Paste. Presets can also include only
one Looper block, one use of each Return, up to two IR blocks, etc. Therefore, Copy
and Paste observes these Block rules as well. Physical inputs & outputs dier between
Helix and HX devices (and between the dierent HC modes within Helix Native),
therefore, the copying of Looper, Mix, Input and Output blocks and their settings may

not be allowed, as covered throughout this chapter.

Cut Block - Clears the block from the Signal Flow and copies the block and its

current parameter settings to the clipboard.

Copy Block - Copies the block and its current parameter settings to the

clipboard.

32

Paste Block - Pastes the most recently cut or copied block to the selected

destination. If you select an existing block, this will replace the existing block and its
settings. To follow are a few handy copy & paste tips.

• Paste Block After / Paste Block Before - If you select an existing block, you

can alternatively choose either of these commands to paste the block in your
preferred location. All these Paste Block commands are selectable within the
main Edit menu, as well as from a block’s right-click context menu.

• Mix Type Blocks (Helix devices only) - Copy & Paste are available for any

Input, Output, Split and Merge type block as well, where its settings can be
copied & pasted into a location with the same block type. (When copying these
blocks between dierent device types, which may include unique parameters
per device, only common parameters are pasted.)

• Favorite Blocks - Copy & Paste are also available for any Favorite type block

as well, where the block and its current settings can be copied just like any
processing block.

NOTE: If you paste a copied Favorite block (or drag/drop it) into the signal

ow of another HX Edit or Helix Native Signal Flow, it pastes the block as a
standard (non-favorite) type block, thus, no respective “Favorite” is imported into
the new device or Native.

If you paste a copied Favorite block (or drag/drop it) into the Favorites panel
of another HX Edit/Helix Native window, the Favorite is imported into the new
device or Native Favorites library.

• When copying a block within the same window, or between separate HX Edit

(and/or Helix Native) windows. All existing assignment types are copied with
the block, except for any footswitch-based Bypass assignment.*

• When copying a block from HX Edit to Helix Native, it may not appear that

its hardware-based controller assignments are retained, since the Helix Native
does not support them. But if you copy the same block back into an HX Edit
window again, you’ll see its original assignments are indeed still intact.*

*NOTE: When copying a block with existing hardware-based assignments, the

assignments will not be retained if the destination device does not include or
support the specic controller type (e.g., if copying a block with an EXP 3 controller
assignment from a Helix Floor to an HX Stomp device, the assignment is not

shown or supported, since HX Stomp includes no EXP 3).

Clear Block - Choose Clear Block from the application’s Edit menu, from the
block’s (Right-click) context menu, or by clicking the “X” button that appears
when you hover your mouse cursor over a block. Alternatively, you can select
an existing block in the Signal Flow and choose None from the Edit tab’s Model

Browser.

Clear All Blocks - Available in the block’s context menu, this removes all
processing blocks from the signal ow. (Input & Output block settings remain

unchanged.)

NOTE: Only one Looper block can exist within any preset at a time. Therefore, you

cannot Copy and then Paste a Looper block within the same preset. But you can
use the Cut Block command and then Paste Block to eectively “move” a Looper
block, including its settings, to a new location, such as to a dierent path.

Drag and Drop Blocks

You can also use “drag and drop” to copy/paste a block within the current preset, as
well as between separate HX Edit and/or Helix Native windows. Copy or Move can be
performed with any processing type blocks - Amps, Cabs, IRs, FX (as long as the block
type is supported by the target destination’s Signal Flow). The following drag and drop

actions are available.

• Drag and drop of a block anywhere within the current HX Edit Signal Flow

moves the block (including when dragging between Paths).

• Holding the Alt/Option (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) key and performing drag and drop of a

block anywhere within the current HX Edit Signal Flow copies the block.

• Drag and drop of a block into the Signal Flow of any other HX Edit or Helix

Native plugin window copies the block.

• Holding the Alt (Mac) or Ctrl (PC) key and performing drag and drop of a block

into any other HX Edit or Helix Native plugin window moves the block.

• Since performing a drag and drop of a block between separate windows is

essentially the same as a Copy/Paste Block operation, the same rules and
behaviors apply—please see the preceding section.

NOTE: When dragging a block, if you try to drop it on top of an existing block, you’ll

see the existing block shift left or right to place your dragged block before or after
it. Unlike when using the Copy and Paste commands, it is not supported to replace an
existing block via drag and drop.

See “Drag and Drop Favorites” on page 22.

Adding & Bypassing Blocks

To Add Any Type of Block to Your Tone - Simply hover your mouse cursor over
the desired location on any path and you’ll see an empty “None” block location
appear. Once you select the location, choose any type of block from the Model
List Menu in the Inspector’s Edit tab below (see the following chapter for more
info). If you select a location already occupied, choosing a dierent model from
the menu will replace the selected block’s model.

When hovering over a block, you’ll see its Bypass and Clear buttons appear

33

To Toggle the Bypass of a Block - Do any of the following:

• Hover your mouse cursor over a block within the Signal Flow and use the

Bypass button that appears above the block.

• Right-click on the block and choose Bypass from the context menu.

• Click on the desired block to select it, then use the Bypass button within the

Edit tab.

• Click on the desired block to select it and hit the Spacebar.

• A block’s bypass state, by default, is also stored and recalled with each

Snapshot (see “Conguring & Managing Snapshots” on page 24).

Adding a Block to Favorites

Once you’ve dialed in an amp or eects block exactly the way you like it, you can
save its settings as a “Favorite” so the block can be added very quickly to other tones,
complete with your stored parameter settings, bypass state, and existing bypass
assignment. Please refer to “Favorites Panel” on page 20 for details on how to add,

utilize, and manage Favorites.

Configuring a Model’s User Defaults

If you nd yourself constantly re-tweaking your commonly-used models, you can save any
model’s settings as its new defaults (excluding
so the model shows up that way every time you add it to a preset.

1. Choose any model and tweak it exactly how you like it—including any of its

parameters and bypass state (existing bypass, MIDI, snapshot, and controller
assignments are not stored with the User Defaults).

2. With the model’s block selected within the Signal Flow, right-click on the block

and choose User Default.

Input, Output, Split, or Merge Mixer blocks)

All your current parameter settings are now saved as the default for future uses of
the model. (Existing presets that already include the model are not aected.)

NOTE: To return a model to factory defaults, select the model’s block, right-click

on it, and select Factory Default.

TIP: Your User Defaults are included when creating backups in HX Edit—see

“Creating & Restoring Complete Device Backups” on page 27.

34

The Edit Tab

The Inspector window’s Edit panel provides access to all models via its multi-level
Model Browser, where you can choose from numerous categories of models to make
up your tone. This panel also displays all available parameters for the block that is
currently selected within the Signal Flow window, providing easy access for editing.

HX Device Owners: HX Edit functionality described in this chapter is the
same for all Helix and HX devices, except where noted.

Selecting Models

As mentioned in the previous chapter (page 33), add models to your current preset

by selecting the desired empty location on any path within the Signal Flow window and
then choose the specic model you want from the Model Select Menu. You can also
select any existing block within the Signal Flow and change its model this way.

List/Grid View Toggle

Sub-category Menu

Model List view Model Grid view

For block categories that oer it, you’ll see a sub-category menu at the top of the
Model List, where you can choose to see Mono, Stereo , or Legacy type models.
Amp categories oer Guitar & Bass sub-categories, and for Cabs you’ll see Single & Dual
category options (also, see “Model Lists” on page 56).

Once you click on any model in the Model List, it is instantly active and loaded into
the selected Signal Flow location. You’ll see the selected model’s editable parameters
appear at the right of the Edit panel. If you want to remove an existing block, select it

within the Signal Flow and choose the None category’s Empty Block option (or use the
Clear Block menu command).

DSP Limit

As in your Helix or HX device’s Model Select menu, when the current preset reaches
a high DSP usage, some models become non-selectable within the menu. In the HX
Edit app’s menu, you’ll see models dimmed to indicate this, as shown below. To free
up more DSP resources for the current preset, try removing some models, or selecting
“Simple” or “Legacy” type models. For Helix devices, utilize both Path 1 and Path 2 to
take advantage of all available DSP power. (See the DSP Management information within
your device’s Owner’s Manual for details.)

Category List

Choose the type of block rst in the Category List at the left to see all of its available

models appear in the Model List. Note that, once you’ve selected a category, you can
toggle the List/Grid View toggle button to change between a menu list or grid type

display of the category’s models.

HX Effects Owners: HX Eects devices do not include Helix Amp, Preamp, or
Cab type models, therefore, these categories will not be available.

Model List/Grid

The Edit Panel’s Model Browser

Parameter Sliders

Dimmed models

Unavailable models appear dimmed when the preset’s DSP limit is reached

NOTE: See “Preset Compatibility” on page 4 for relevant information about

DSP limits and the use of Helix presets with the Helix Native plugin.

35

Editing Model Parameters

Once added to your tone, simply click on any block to select it, then choose the desired
model type and tweak its parameters in the Edit panel. To follow are a few editing tips

(also see “Keyboard Shortcuts”).

Toggling Model Bypass - A Bypass button is available at the top right of the Edit
panel for any model that oers a bypass option. When a model is bypassed, its

parameters appear dimmed to indicate this state.

Note Sync - Most modulation and delay eects models oer a Note Sync option,
allowing the modulation rate or delay repeat time to follow the device’s main Tap

Tempo value (see “Editing the Tap Tempo” on page 26). For models that oer

it, you can click the Note Sync button within the Edit tab to toggle the feature on/
o. When active (the Note Sync button is lit), the parameter will change to oer
note division values, as shown in the following screenshot.

Note value options Note Sync (active)

Edit tab - model active Edit tab - model bypassed

Save to Favorites - The “star” button at the top right of the panel allows you to
add the model, along with its current settings, to your device’s Favorites library—

see page 20.

Adjusting Parameter Sliders - There are several ways to adjust slider values:

• Click on any slider’s “handle” and drag it to the desired value.

• Click on the desired range location within a slider’s path and it will jump to the

clicked value.

• While hovering your mouse cursor directly over any slider’s path, use your

mouse wheel to adjust it.

• Click the up/down arrow buttons at the right for small, incremental adjustments.

If a down arrow is displayed at the right, click on it to expand its menu.

Type in a Precise Value - Double-click anywhere on a slider’s path or on its
value to manually type in a precise numerical value.

Resetting Sliders - If you’re not happy with your slider adjustment, Cmd+Click
(Mac) or Ctrl+Click (Windows) on the slider to reset it to its initial default value.

Accessing All Parameters - Note that some model types, such as amps and
complex eects, may have more sliders and controls than you can see all at once
in the Edit tab. You can re-size the application window to show more sliders, or
click and drag the vertical scroll bar at the right to access all parameters (or use
your mouse wheel when hovering your mouse cursor over the scroll bar).

A Delay block congured for Note Sync

Impulse Response Block Options - When an IR block is selected in the Signal
Flow, you’ll see IR block parameter sliders here in the Edit panel, just like for any
other block. Use the IR Select parameter to choose the index number for the
desired IR from your IR Library. Remember that you’ll need to import IR les into
your Helix or HX device using the application’s IRs tab for an IR block to utilize

them—see “Importing and Exporting IRs” on page 16.

Looper Block Options - It is possible to add a Looper type block to a preset,
and view and edit several Looper block parameters within the Edit tab. However,
it is not possible to toggle the Looper mode of your connected device on and o

within the HX Edit application.

TIPS:

Right-click on a slider for a handy menu to assign external control of the

parameter to one of your Helix or HX device’s controllers, or to an external MIDI

controller—also see page 42.

Alt+Click directly on slider in the Edit tab to instantly create a Snapshot Controller
Assignment for the parameter—see page 24.

By default, all Amp & Eects blocks’ bypass state is automatically stored and recalled
per Snapshot. If you prefer, you can exclude a block’s bypass state from being

recalled via Snapshot changes—see page 24.

36

Editing Input, Output, Split & Mixer Blocks

Much like Amp & Eects blocks, you can click on the Input, Output, Split or Mixer
blocks of any path and access their options in the Edit panel.

Input Block Options:

• Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp Devices - Dierent parameters, such as

Gate, Level, Pan, etc., are displayed depending on the specic input type you
select from the Input block’s menu. If the Multi or Variax input type is selected
(available on Helix devices only), you’ll see options here for selecting a Variax
model, individual string tunings & levels, and more.

• HX Effects Devices - The path’s input is “xed” and, therefore, is not selectable

and does not oer block options.

Output Block Options:

• Helix Devices - When the Output block of any path is selected, you’ll see output

routing options available, as well as other options the selected Output block for
your device oers (Pan, Level, L6 LINK - Powercab® & DT amp options, etc.). In
addition to your Helix device’s analog and digital outputs, you can also choose
to route the output of one path to the input of another later path. Note that you
can route the output of Path 1 into Path 2 in a “serial” fashion to take advantage
of both paths’ DSP capacity!

NOTE: When an FX Loop block exists within your Helix preset, the Output

block will not oer options to choose the same Send output(s) as utilized by
the existing FX Loop block. Likewise, once an Output block is set to utilize an Send
output(s), no FX loop block which utilizes the same Send output(s) can be added

to the preset.

• HX Devices - When a split path is created, the Mixer block can be dragged

down to Path B to create a separate “Send” output (see “Split Path Options”

on page 31). When this dual-output, split path conguration exists, you can

click on the Path A (Main) output or the Path B (Send) output to access Pan and
Level parameters for each. The HX Stomp XL and HX Stomp devices’ Path B
output additionally oers a Mono/Stereo option.

L6 LINK - Powercab Plus and DT 25/50 Amp Options

Helix Floor, Rack, and LT devices include the Line 6 proprietary L6 LINK technology,
providing a simple, single-cable connection for mono/stereo audio and remote control
capability between Helix and up to two Line 6 Powercab Plus 112 or 212 powered
speaker systems or DT 25/50 amps. This allows you to store and recall Powercab Plus/
DT parameters via your Helix device—globally or even per Helix preset!

For L6 LINK functionality, the following versions (or later) are required:

• Helix device rmware v2.80

• Powercab Plus system rmware v2.00

• HX Edit v2.80 (if you wish to use HX Edit to access these Helix-L6 LINK

parameters).

For best results, it is highly recommended to use the latest available application

and rmware versions for all your Line 6 products.

These options are accessible in HX Edit by selecting the Output block within the Signal
Flow window, and choosing either the Multi or Digital output block type within the Edit
tab. Click on the Powercab or DT 25/50 tab to congure the desired options for your

respective device(s).

NOTE: When an FX Loop block exists within your HX preset, it is not possible

to move a Merge-Mixer block to create a Path B output, since the Send L/R
outputs are already in use—see “Split Path Options” on page 31.

Split Block Options - If your preset includes a split path, click directly on the
point on the main path where the signal divides to select the Split block and you’ll
see options for choosing dierent Split block types and their parameters. Note
that there is also a Bypass switch for Split blocks which, when bypassed, feeds

an equal signal balance to each parallel path.

Mixer Block Options - If your preset includes a split path, click directly on the
point on the main path where the signal returns to select the Merge-Mixer block
and you’ll see several mixer options for blending the two paths’ signals.

The L6 LINK Powercab and DT 25/50 amp options

Within the Powercab and DT 25/50 tabs, you’ll see the following sets of controls at the
top of the screen.

Remote - Selects the Speaker Remote behavior from Helix to your connected
Powercab Plus or DT unit(s).

• Off - No remote control settings are sent from Helix to the unit(s).

• Preset - All settings within the tab are saved with this Helix preset only, and are

sent from Helix to the L6 LINK-connected unit(s) upon load of the Helix preset.

37

• Global - All settings with this tab are sent from Helix to the L6 LINK-connected

unit(s). These sent settings remain the same regardless of the Helix preset that

is loaded.

Note that the following three options will change to indicate whether they are
applied per preset or globally, depending on the respective Remote option

selected.

Mode - (Powercab tab screen only) Select the desired Powercab Mode (Flat,
Speaker, or User IR).

Flat Voicing - When Flat is selected for the above Powercab Mode option,
you’ll see this row of controls to select either FRFR, LF Flat, or LF Raw for
the Voicing function of the Powercab Flat mode.

Select - Allows you to congure the remote settings for each unit “1” and “2” of
the L6 LINK-connected unit(s), or “1+2” for adjusting both simultaneously. You’ll
see the sliders within the tab change accordingly when you select 1, 2, or
1+2 Link, allowing you to control the respective unit(s), as described below.

• When using one Powercab 112 Plus or a single DT amp - it can be controlled

from Helix by selecting 1.

• When using two Powercab 112 Plus systems or DT amps - the rst can be

controlled from Helix by selecting 1, the second can be controlled by selecting
2, or both can be controlled as one by selecting 1+2 Link.

• When using one or two Powercab 112 Plus amps - selecting 1 controls the

left speaker(s) of the unit(s) and 2 controls the right speaker(s), or both speakers
can be controlled as one by selecting 1+2 Link.

NOTE: Any of the individual sliders within the tab can optionally be assigned to the

Snapshot controller and then the slider value changed per Snapshot. Or, any slider
can be assigned to a Helix hardware or external MIDI controller, and the slider value
changed remotely. These controller assignments will function whether the L6 LINK
settings are congured for the above Preset or Global operation.

Please refer to your Powercab Family Pilot’s Guide or DT amplier documentation for
details on the individual Mode, Speaker, and other options available for these devices.

NOTE: L6 LINK can also be used to connect up to two Line 6 StageSource powered

speakers. When two StageSource speakers are connected, the Helix left channel audio
is automatically routed to the rst StageSource and the right channel audio to the 2nd
StageSource. Helix does not send any control or parameter messages to StageSource
speakers via L6 LINK, therefore, there are no Helix Output block options to congure.

38

The Bypass/Controller
Assign Tab

This tabbed panel combines the options found within the Controller Assign screens
of your Helix or HX device (as well as the options within the Helix, HX Stomp XL, and
HX Stomp devices’ Bypass Assign screens), allowing you to assign model parameter
functions to your device’s footswitches & expression pedals, or external MIDI controllers
for real-time, remote control. It is also possible here to assign model parameters to be
stored and recalled with snapshots, as well as to customize footswitch labels and LED

colors.

HX Device Owners: HX Edit functionality described in this chapter is the
same for all Helix and HX devices, except where noted.

Editing an Existing Assignment

When working with Factory Presets, you’ll see that most already have some existing
assignments, and they appear within the Assignments List at the left of the Bypass/
Controller Assign tab (see the previous image). Once you create your own Bypass &
Controller assignments, you’ll see them appear within this list as well. At any time you

can select an assignment within the list to see and edit its options, as described below.

Please also refer to the following examples for creating specic assignments types for
more info.

Clearing Existing Assignments

If you right-click directly on any existing Bypass or Controller assignment within the
Assignment List, you’ll nd handy options for deleting the selected or all assignments.

TIP: For creating & managing assignments for the transmission of MIDI commands

from your (Helix or HX Eects) device’s footswitches and pedals, see “The Command

Center Window” on page 45.

In addition to the options for creating assignments, a list of existing bypass & controller
assignments for the current preset appears within the left portion of this panel, allowing
you to select and edit assignment options. (This handy display of existing assignments
in one list is something not found on your Helix or HX device’s screens.)

Column HeadersAssignment List Selected Block

Selected Assignment Bypass/Control

Parameters

The Bypass/Controller tab

Attention Helix Native Plugin Users: The Helix Native plugin’s Automation/

Controller Assign panel supports a dierent set of controller assignments (for use
with host DAW software’s parameter automation). Therefore, Helix Native will essentially
ignore any HX Edit-created hardware controller assignments saved in a preset—see

“Preset Compatibility” on page 4.

Assignment Menu

Footswitch/Controller

Menu

The Clear Assignment options within an assignment’s context menu

Clear Assignment - Deletes the assignment that you clicked on.

Clear All Assignments - Deletes all Bypass, Controller, Snapshot, and MIDI

assignments that exist within the current preset.

Minimum & Maximum Sliders

Use the Min & Max sliders to set the range of control. For example, if creating a controller
assignment utilizing an EXP Pedal, the Min setting equates to the pedal’s “heel down”
value, and the Max to its “toe down” value. If assigning to a footswitch, clicking the
switch toggles between your congured Min & Max values. (Note that if assigning to a
snapshot, all you need to do is set the single parameter value you wish to be recalled
with the currently-loaded snapshot.)

TIP: You can “reverse” the behavior of a controller by setting the Min to 100% and the

Max to 0%, such as to make an assigned Wah pedal work backward!

Latching/Momentary Footswitch Option

For amp & eects models, you’ll also nd the Type option here to have the assigned
footswitch behave as Latching (alternating On/O on each click) versus Momentary
(active only while the footswitch is held down).

39

MIDI CC In Selector

For assignments that oer remote control via external MIDI, this parameter is where
you can dene the specic MIDI CC value (CC 0-127) to match the MIDI CC value
being transmitted from your external MIDI controller device or MIDI software. Your MIDI
hardware or software must be capable of sending MIDI CC messages via 5-pin MIDI
cable or USB to your Helix or HX device.*

*NOTE: Your Helix or HX device can receive MIDI from either its 5-pin MIDI IN jack
or over USB. (MIDI over USB can be received when connected to a computer, via a
DAW host or MIDI software.) Use the device’s Global Settings - MIDI Tempo

options to congure its receiving MIDI channel and other MIDI options.

Switch LED Option

By default, the color of the LED light surrounding your assigned footswitch is set to
Auto Color, where it intelligently takes on the color according to the assigned model
type. You can optionally use this slider to manually congure this LED color as desired.

Customizing a Footswitch Label

For any selected Bypass or Controller assignment that is created using your device’s
Footswitch, you’ll see a Customize control displaying the block model’s default name.
This is the label displayed on the hardware’s scribble strip for this footswitch (or on
the LCD screen for a Helix LT, HX Stomp, or HX Stomp XL device) when your device is
in Stomp Footswitch Mode. If you want to customize this label, double-click on the
existing name, type your new text in the eld, and hit your Enter/Return key. To clear
your text and return to the default model label, click the Clear (eraser) button to the
right of the eld.

Creating a Bypass Assignment

Create a Bypass assignment for any Amp, Cab, IR, Eect, Looper, or Split type block to
allow it to be toggled on/o via one of your Helix or HX device’s footswitches, controllers
or via external MIDI.

NOTE: On Helix devices, adding a Volume Pedal, Pan, Wah, or Pitch Wham block
automatically creates a Bypass assignment to the Helix onboard pedal’s EXP Toe
footswitch. On HX devices, a Bypass assignment is automatically created for these

block types on EXP 1 / EXP 2. You can change or clear this assignment if desired—see

“Editing an Existing Assignment” on page 39.

Creating a Bypass Assignment Using a Footswitch

1. Click on the block within the Signal Flow for which you want to create the Bypass
assignment.

2. At the right of the Bypass/Controller Assign panel, if not already selected by
default, click the Assignment Menu and choose Bypass as the parameter to
control.

3. Click on the Footswitch/Controller Menu to select the desired footswitch or
controller and your assignment is created.

The Customize label control

NOTE: If a footswitch includes one or more additional block Bypass, Controller, or
Command Center assignments, the default label appears as Multiple (X) with “X”

being the number of assignments. You can customize the label in this scenario, but
note that it can also be customized within the Custom eld of the other assignment
panels as well, with the latest customization edit aecting the label in all places.

Selecting a footswitch controller for block Bypass assignment

TIP: Alternatively, right-click on a block within the Signal Flow and choose the desired

Footswitch or Controller to quickly create a Bypass assignment.

Creating a Bypass Assignment Using an External MIDI Controller Source

It is also possible to congure a block to be controlled remotely via an external MIDI
controller switch, or via MIDI software on your DAW computer. All that is required is that
the MIDI controller is capable of sending MIDI CC messages via 5-pin MIDI cable or
USB to your Helix or HX device.*

A MIDI Bypass assignment can be created independently of a Helix or HX hardware
controller source assignment for the same block. You will only see one Bypass assignment
entry displayed within the HX Edit app’s Assignments List, regardless if it includes an
active MIDI assignment source, hardware controller assignment source, or both.

*NOTE: Your Helix or HX device can receive MIDI from either its 5-pin MIDI IN or
over USB. (MIDI over USB can be received when connected to a computer, via a
DAW host or MIDI software.) Use the device’s Global Settings - MIDI Tempo

options to congure its receiving MIDI channel and other MIDI options.

40

1. Click on the block within the Signal Flow for which you want to create the MIDI­In Bypass assignment.

2. At the right of the Bypass/Controller Assign panel, if not already selected by
default, click the Assignment Menu and choose Bypass as the parameter to
control.

3. Set the MIDI In parameter to match the MIDI CC number (0–127) that your
external MIDI controller is sending. To “disable” the MIDI assignment, simply
set this parameter to Off.

Setting the MIDI In’s CC number in the Bypass/Controller Assign panel

Or, instead of steps 2 & 3 above, you can right-click directly on the desired
block within the Signal Flow and choose MIDI In and your MIDI CC from the
menu.

Creating a Bypass Assignment Using an Expression Pedal

It is also possible to assign a block’s Bypass to an Expression pedal (or to a Variax
knob on Helix devices). An example of this is to congure a Wah block so that resting
the pedal at the “heel” position toggles the eect o, and then moving the pedal away
from this position to use the Wah automatically activates the eect again. Set this type
of conguration using the following steps.*

*HX Effects Owners: On HX Eects, this type of EXP 1 - Bypass conguration

is congured automatically for any Wah or Pitch Wham type block you add to
your tone, and to EXP 2 for any added Volume/Pan block. You can follow these steps
to manually create an EXP Pedal - Bypass assignment for any type of block.

1. Start by adding a Wah block to your tone and selecting it within the Signal Flow.

2. If using a Helix device with an onboard EXP 1 pedal, move the pedal forward and

click the Toe Switch so that it is set to EXP Pedal 1, and the Wah block is active.

3. On a Helix, HX Stomp XL, or HX Stomp device, since the Wah block is already
automatically assigned to a footswitch for bypass, you’ll need to change its
Bypass assignment to EXP Pedal 1 instead.

Select the Wah block in the Signal Flow view and go to the Bypass/Controller
Assign tab. Select the existing Bypass assignment in the list at the left, then
select the EXP Pedal 1 controller from the Controller/Switch menu at the right.

Setting the MIDI In’s CC number from the block’s right-click menu

Your conguration is now complete and your external MIDI source should

successfully toggle the selected block’s Bypass. You’ll also see the CC number
you selected shown in the Assignment list’s Source column (“MIDI In 11”).

TIP: Alternatively, you can utilize the Learn (MIDI Learn) feature within the Bypass

Assign screen of your Helix or HX device to create a MIDI Bypass Assignment.

NOTE: With Helix and HX Eects devices, you can use CC67 to toggle the Bypass
of a Looper block. This is a pre-dened, global MIDI CC hardware assignment that
does not appear within the HX Edit Bypass/Controller Assign panel.

Selecting an expression pedal controller for block bypass assignment

4. Once the assignment is created, you can congure its option sliders at the right

of the panel.

Conguring an expression pedal - Bypass assignment options

• Position - For a Bypass assignment, this determines the position of the

controller where the block’s bypass is triggered. Set this slider to 5% or lower
to establish a “heel down” resting position to trigger your bypass toggle.

41

• Wait - Determines the duration of time for which the assigned controller must

rest at the congured Position value before the bypass is triggered. For this
type of Wah Bypass assignment, 300 ms is generally a good setting, since it
prevents unwanted bypass triggering during the typical use of the pedal for
your Wah eect.

Once congured, you’ll see that your EXP 1 pedal’s heel down position toggles
the Wah block o, and as soon as you move the pedal, it activates the Wah

until you move the pedal back to the Min heel position and rest it there for 300
ms or more (as determined by the Wait slider). You can choose to congure
other blocks’ parameters with a “pedal bypass” using these same steps as
well.

TIP: By default, all blocks are automatically assigned for Snapshot Bypass—that is,

each block’s bypass state is automatically remembered and recalled per Snapshot

by default. You can also choose to exclude any block from Snapshot Bypass—see

“Conguring & Managing Snapshots” on page 24.

Bypass Assignments for Multiple Blocks

For Helix & HX hardware, you can only assign the Bypass toggle of any particular
block to one footswitch at a time. If a block already has an existing Bypass assignment
and you change the assignment, this will move the assignment to the newly selected
footswitch or controller. But it is possible to assign the Bypass function for multiple
blocks to one common footswitch or controller for simultaneous switching.

Each Helix or HX device’s footswitch or controller can have up to 8 assignments.
You can additionally create Controller and (on Helix or HX Eects) Command Center
assignments utilizing footswitches that simultaneously include Bypass assignments.
It’s also possible to create snapshots that include multiple Bypass & other parameter
changes all in one click—see the respective sections for more on these assignment
types!

Block Bypass Assignment Indicator

Once you’ve created a Bypass assignment for a block, you’ll see the block’s name label
displayed in brackets to indicate this. (See page 30.)

Creating a Controller Assignment

Just as on your Helix or HX device’s Controller Assign screen, you can create a
Controller assignment for practically any block’s parameter (yes, even any Input,
Output, Split and Merge block parameter!) to allow it to be controlled by a remote
device’s footswitches or controllers, or by external MIDI gear.* Here in the Bypass/
Controller Assign tab you can also congure a Snapshot assignment, to allow your
desired parameter settings to be stored & recalled with a preset’s snapshots.

*NOTE: Your Helix or HX device can receive MIDI from either its 5-pin MIDI IN or
USB. (MIDI over USB can be received when connected to a computer, via a DAW
host or MIDI software.) Use the device’s Global Settings - MIDI Tempo options to

congure its receiving MIDI channel and other MIDI options.

Creating a Controller Assignment Using an EXP Pedal or Footswitch

1. Click on the block within the Signal Flow that includes the parameter for which
you want to create the Controller assignment.

2. At the right of the Bypass/Controller Assign panel, click the Assignment menu
and choose the parameter to control—for this example we’ll choose the Mix of
a 70s Chorus block.

Selecting a Chorus block’s Mix parameter for controller assignment

3. Click on the Switch/Controller menu to select the desired controller and your
assignment is created. We’ll choose the EXP Pedal 1, but you can alternatively
choose any EXP Pedal (or if using a Helix device, one of the Variax Knob
controllers). It is also possible to choose one of your device’s Footswitches as

the controller, which allows you to then congure a specic parameter value for
each of the two states of the footswitch. More on this in the nal step.

Bracketed block labels indicate block bypass assignments

TIP: A handy trick is to create a multi-bypass assignment to toggle one block o and

the other on simultaneously, such as to change between two dierent distortions,
between two dierent amps, etc. To reverse the switching, select one block within the
Signal Flow and manually click its Bypass button so that one block is in the opposite
bypass state as the other. Now whenever you toggle the assigned Bypass footswitch, both
blocks’ bypass states are toggled oppositely.

Selecting an EXP Pedal controller for controller assignment

TIP: Alternatively, right-click on the Mix slider for the 70s Chorus within the Edit tab

to access the context menu and quickly create a Controller assignment.

42

4. Once you’ve created the Controller assignment, you’ll see it appear in the list at
the left of the Bypass/Controller Assign tab. Select the assignment in the list to

access options specic to the type of controller you’ve chosen. For EXP Pedal

and Variax Knob controller types, there are options for the Min and Max, which
allow you to limit the range of the assigned parameter as you move the pedal or
knob controller from minimum to maximum position. For our example, we’ll set
the Max slider to 50% so that it achieves a 50% wet/dry Mix balance when our
controller is moved to full open.

Conguring options for an EXP Pedal controller assignment

Creating a Controller Assignment Using an External MIDI Controller Source

It is also possible to congure a block’s parameter to be controlled remotely via an
external MIDI controller device, or via MIDI software.

1. To congure a parameter for external MIDI control, you can essentially use the

same steps as in the above controller assignment example. However, in step 3
you will want to select MIDI CC from the Footswitch/Controller Menu.

If you have chosen a Footswitch as your controller rather than an EXP Pedal or
Variax Knob, you’ll have a few more options, as described below.

Conguring options for a footswitch controller assignment

• Type - Choose the footswitch behavior:

• Latching - Press and release the footswitch to toggle between the “On/O”

states.

• Momentary - Press and hold and the footswitch. While held down, the “On”

state of the switch is active. While released, the “O” state is active.

• Min and Max - Congure these two sliders to the specic values you’d like the

“O” and “On” footswitch states of the assigned footswitch to toggle between.

• Switch LED - Customize the color of the LED that surrounds the assigned

footswitch on your device.

• Customize - You can edit the name that appears for the assigned footswitch

label on your device by clicking in this eld. To return to the default label, click

the eraser button.

Selecting MIDI CC as the controller type

2. Once the assignment is created, congure the Min & Max sliders to limit the

range of the assigned parameter control, if desired. You then need to set the
MIDI CC In slider value to match the MIDI CC number being sent from your
external MIDI source. If this value does not match the MIDI CC being sent, the
parameter will not respond.

Conguring a MIDI CC assignment’s options

Your conguration is now complete and your external MIDI controller source

should successfully control the selected 70s Chorus - Mix parameter. The
assigned CC number is shown in the Assignment list’s Source column (“MIDI
CC 16”) for reference.

TIP: Alternatively, utilize the Learn Controller (MIDI Learn) feature within the Controller
Assign screen of your Helix or HX device to create a MIDI Controller assignment.

43

Creating a Snapshots Controller Assignment

Congure a block’s parameter with a Snapshots assignment to allow the parameter’s
settings to be stored & recalled with a preset’s snapshots.

1. Since a Snapshots assignment is simply one type of controller assignment, you

can follow the same steps 1 and 2 from “Creating a Controller Assignment Using

an EXP Pedal or Footswitch” on page 42 to select the block within the Signal

Flow, and then choose the desired parameter in the Bypass/Controller Assign
tab’s Parameter Menu.

2. In the Controller Menu, choose Snapshots.

Selecting the Snapshots controller type

TIP: Click on the desired slider within the HX Edit Edit tab and use the “Alt+click” or

“S” keyboard shortcuts to instantly create a Snapshots controller assignment.

3. Unlike with other controller types, you won’t see any options in the right of the

Bypass/Controller tab for a Snapshots controller assignment.

A snapshots assignment is created—there are no congurable options for this assignment type

With this assignment created for the parameter, simply choose the desired
snapshot from the Snapshots Menu at the top of the HX Edit application
window, and then whatever value you set for this parameter is automatically

stored and recalled with the snapshot. This allows you to congure up to 8
dierent values on Helix devices (or 4 values on HX Eects and HX Stomp XL,
or 3 values on HX Stomp) for each preset—one for each available snapshot.

Please see your device’s Owner’s Manual for details on using snapshots.

Controller Assignments for Variax and L6 LINK Parameters

(Helix devices only) It is also possible to create hardware, MIDI, and snapshot controller
assignments for the individual Input block–Variax parameters, and Output block–L6 LINK
(Powercab and DT 25/50) parameters. Controller assignments can be created the same
as any other block parameters, by selecting the Input or Output block, and ether right­clicking directly on the desired Edit tab–parameter slider, or by using the menus within the
Bypass/Controller Assignment tab.

Note that these parameter types are grouped within their own sub-tab panels

within the Edit tab. Please also see “L6 LINK - Powercab Plus and DT 25/50 Amp

Options” on page 37.

As an example, the following shows a Footswitch Controller assignment created for
the L6 LINK–Powercab–Speaker Type select parameter within the Bypass/Controller
Assignments tab. In the Assignments list at the left, you can see the created assignment
selected, so that the assignment’s options appear in the inspector at the right. Note
that, since the options for this assignment are deep within the Bypass/Controller tab’s
Powercab sub-tab, a “back” arrow button is available at the top left of the inspector
pane. Clicking this allows you to easily navigate back to the main Output block options.

Back button

Options for an existing L6 LINK–Powercab parameter’s Footswitch Controller Assignment

Multiple Controller Assignments

Just as on the hardware, you can only assign a parameter to one Controller at a time.
However, it is possible to assign multiple parameters to one common Controller, for
example, you could create the following Controller assignments:

• Congure an EXP Pedal for the Mix parameters of two dierent eects to blend

between them.

• Congure an EXP Pedal to simultaneously adjust a few of the Input block >

Variax String Level parameters if you happen to want that level of control over
individual string volumes!

It is also possible to create additional Bypass assignments and/or Command Center
assignments on footswitches that also include Controller assignments—see the
respective sections for more on these assignment types.

NOTE: If a footswitch includes one or more additional block Bypass, Controller or
Command Center assignments, the default label appears as Multiple (X) with “X”
being the number of assignments. You can optionally customize the footswitch

label—see “Customizing a Footswitch Label” on page 40.

The footswitch label can also be customized within the Customize label eld within the
Command Center window, with the latest customization edit aecting the label in all

places. See the next chapter.

44

The Command Center Window

To display the Command Center window, select it from the application’s Window menu.
This window oers the options found within the Helix or HX devices’ Menu - Command
Center screen, allowing you to create MIDI, Bank/Program, MMC, External Amp
Channel Switching, and even Hotkey (QWERTY key) output assignments (as well as CV
assignments on Helix devices) to remotely control other gear from your device. You can
also congure footswitches to expand your device’s Stomp mode with additional control
functions (see “HX Preset, Snapshot, and Looper Commands” on page 47). Please
refer to your Helix or HX device Owner’s Manual for details on the types of commands
supported and their options. Many of the Command Center window functions are also
accessible using keyboard shortcuts—see page 67.

The Command Center window is a “oating” window, therefore, you can keep it open or
closed as desired while using HX Edit. If it gets hidden behind the main HX Edit window,
simply click on it, or use the Cmd+Shift+M (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+M (Windows) shortcut
to bring it to the foreground.

TIP: Your Helix or HX device makes an excellent external USB remote control device

for host DAW and other popular software applications! Note that you can easily copy

and paste all commands into other presets too—see “Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear

Commands” on page 46.

For Helix devices, check out the presets that include “Remote” in their titles, found within
the TEMPLATES Preset Library, which are pre-congured for sending commonly used
control commands for specic, popular DAW applications. Several of the Template
presets are congured with Hotkey assignments to control other software apps (see the
following “Hotkey Assignment “section).

Instant Controllers

Snapshots Menu

EXP Pedal Toe Switch

Variax Knobs

Selected Controller

Command Menu

NOTE: The application’s Command Center window will show Control selector
items specic to your device. For example, as shown above, the Helix Floor device

oers more hardware options for controller assignment (Variax Knobs, 3 EXP Pedals,

and a Pedal Toe switch), than are available with an HX device.

Command Center assignments remain intact on exported presets, and are translated
where possible when loaded on a dierent Helix or HX device type—not all Command
Center assignments may be available if the new device does not include the equivalent
footswitch and controller types.

Attention Helix Native Plugin Users: Helix Native does not include the

Command Center or support for creating or customizing these types of
commands. However, existing Command Center assignments are retained even after
loading, editing, or exporting presets with Helix Native. See “Preset Compatibility with

Helix Native Plugin” on page 4.

Creating a Command Center Assignment

Click directly on any source Control Selector item (Instant , Footswitch, EXP Pedal,
or Variax Knob) for which you want to map an assignment. Then, in the inspector pane

at the right portion of the window, click on the Command menu to choose the type
of message you wish to transmit from this source control. Once a command type is
selected, congure its options using the parameter sliders that appear. Once you save,
these Command Center settings are stored individually with the current preset.

You’ll see a turquoise triangle indicator above the source control items which include

an assignment. To remove an existing assignment, select the source control item again

within the Command Center window and choose None from the Controller menu, or
right-click and choose one of the Clear Command options from the context menu.

Assignment Indicators

Footswitches

The Command Center window (Helix Floor device)

EXP Pedals

Inspector

Done Button

45

Creating a Hotkey Assignment

Any Instant or Footswitch type controller on your Helix or HX Eects device can also be
congured to send “QWERTY” keyboard commands to your computer via USB. This
allows you to remotely control DAWs, DJ software, lighting software, media players,
video software, browsers, photo editing software, video games, etc… If you can control
it with your computer keyboard, you can now control it with your feet! To create a
Hotkey assignment:

1. Select the desired Instant or Footswitch controller (we’ll choose Footswitch 4),

then choose Hotkey from the Command menu to see the options.

The Hotkey options

2. Manually choose your specic command by clicking the Keystroke dropdown

menu, selecting the desired keyboard character, and optionally adding up to three

modier keys (Shift, Control, Command, etc.) via the three Modier options.*

Or, even easier, use the “Learn” function by clicking on the little keypad icon
button in the Keystroke section, and then you’ll see it turn green, awaiting your
keyboard command to be typed.

Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear Commands

Just as on your Helix or HX Eects device, there are options available to easily Cut,
Copy, Paste, and Clear Command Center assignments. Using these commands from

the application’s Edit menu*, from the individual controls’ right-click context menu,
or using “Keyboard Shortcuts”, you can copy and paste an assignment from one
controller to another, copy & paste all command assignments within the current preset
to another preset, clear the current command assignment, or clear all of the preset’s

current command assignments.

*

NOTE: On Mac computers, these commands are available from the main

application’s Edit menu when the Command Center window has focus.

On Windows computers, the Command Center window includes its own Edit (and
Snapshots) menu:

Awaiting a keystroke to “learn” your Hotkey command

Now simply type any key, or any combination key and modier key(s) in one

keystroke, and HX Edit will automatically learn and apply it as your command.

3. Use the Type option to choose the behavior you prefer for your Footswitch
(Latching or Momentary). Optionally use the Switch LED selector and Customize

eld to add a custom LED color and scribble strip label to your device’s

Footswitch (see the following sections for details).

*NOTE: On your Helix/HX Eects device screen, you’ll see a single Mac/PC option
within these three Modier menus—this selection corresponds to the Windows key

on Windows OS systems, and to the Command key on macOS systems.

The Command Center context menu’s Cut, Copy Paste & Clear commands

NOTE: Customized label and LED color options for Footswitch controls are not
copied with a footswitch’s commands (to allow the target footswitch’s existing label

and colors to remain unchanged).

It is also possible to paste within the Command Center window for any other preset, even
if a dierent Helix device is connected to the HX Edit application while your last-copied

command data still exists on the clipboard. At this time, it is not possible to utilize the
Copy All Commands and Paste All Commands options between dierent devices.

NOTE: The dierent Helix device types oer varying sets of Command Center
assignment options, therefore, unsupported commands cannot be copied between

dierent Helix devices.

46

To Cut, Copy, or Clear - Simply right-click on the desired instant , Footswitch, EXP
Pedal, or Variax Knob source controller item that includes the assignment and choose
the command from the context menu.

• Use Cut if you want to clear the assignments of the selected Control Select

item, and also copy the assignments to the clipboard.

• Use Copy All if you want to copy the complete set of existing Command Center

assignments within the current preset and you can then load a dierent preset

and use Paste All Commands within its Command Center window to copy all
in one action.

• Use Clear All if you want to wipe out all the Command Center assignments

from the current preset and start clean.

To Paste - Once you’ve copied Command Center assignment data to the
clipboard, right-click on your desired destination controller item (within the same

preset, or in another) and choose the Paste or Paste All option.*

*NOTE: It is not supported to copy and paste the commands between Instant and
Footswitch type source controllers.

Configuring Unique Command Values Per Snapshot

Once you’ve created an assignment to any Instant, Footswitch, Pedal, or other controller
within the Command Center, it is possible to congure the command’s values dierently
per snapshot if desired, allowing a great deal of message variety possibilities within a
single preset. (Most Commands’ parameter values are automatically stored & recalled
per snapshot—there is no need to manually create a Snapshot controller assignment.)

For example, if you have congured one of the Instant controllers with a MIDI CC type
command, you can congure the MIDI Channel, CC #, and/or Value to be dierent per
Snapshot, thus triggering a dierent function on your MIDI-connected hardware each
time you change to a dierent snapshot within the current Helix preset!

Please refer to your Helix or HX device’s Owner’s Manual for details about Command
Center command types and their specic behaviors.

You’ll see a Snapshots menu at the top of the Command Center window. This menu
is oered here as a convenience so that you don’t need to close out of the Command
Center window just to select a dierent snapshot index number from the main window
menu (although changing snapshots from the main window performs the same function).

The Command Center’s Snapshots menu

To store your Command Center assignment settings per snapshot - First, select

the desired snapshot index number from the Command Center’s Snapshots menu, then
edit the values of your existing Control Center assignments that you wish to be stored.
The settings are automatically retained per snapshot during editing—save your preset
once your edits are complete. (See “Conguring & Managing Snapshots”.)

TIP: You can also Copy and Paste a Snapshot to any other Snapshot number, to

save time recreating your Command Center and other Snapshot settings. Access
these Copy and Paste Snapshot commands via the main application Snapshots menu
(on Mac, when Command Center window has focus), of from the Snapshots menu at the
top of the Command Center window (Windows).

HX Preset, Snapshot, and Looper Commands

These “HX” commands allow you to congure Stomp mode switches for even greater
control of the internal functions of your device. These commands are saved per preset.

Conguring the MIDI CC options on an Instant controller

TIP: For Instant commands, the Wait Time parameter (rmware v3.10 and later) allows

you to delay certain events by up to 1000 ms. This may help your Helix/HX device control

older MIDI gear that may behave incorrectly when receiving multiple commands at once.

Note that it is not possible to store or recall a dierent Command type per snapshot,
only the values of the sliders for the current command (with the exception of the Switch
LED color and Customize label values for Footswitch controllers).

HX Command options within the Command Center Footswitch - Commands menu

NOTE: Although Stomp mode switches can be assigned to multiple functions,
to avoid unintended behavior, we strongly recommend the HX Preset, HX

Snapshot, and HX Looper commands are assigned only to empty footswitches.

47

HX Preset - Allows you to congure a Stomp mode footswitch to immediately
“jump to” any other preset within the current setlist. With any footswitch controller
selected in the Command Center window, set the Command parameter to HX

Preset, and then set the Preset parameter Next or Previous, or choose the
specic preset (01A~32D) within the current setlist that you wish to load.

HX Snapshot - Allows you to congure a Stomp mode footswitch to immediately

recall any snapshot within the current preset. With a footswitch controller
selected in the Command Center window, set the Command parameter to HX
Snapshot. The additional options then allow you to recall the desired snapshot

index number, or Next or Previous snapshot, independently per each Press
and Release or each Press and Hold of the footswitch. (Note that the assigned,

Stomp mode footswitch’s label and LED will only indicate the command assigned

to the Press function.)

HX Looper - For a preset that includes a Looper block, this command allows you

to congure an instant or Stomp mode footswitch to trigger any function of the

Looper (Play, Stop, Record, etc.).

NOTE: A Looper block must be present in your preset for HX Looper
commands to function.

• With any instant command controller selected in the Command Center

window, set the Command parameter to HX Looper and then use the Function

parameter to choose the specic Looper function you wish to trigger. (Note

that it is possible to create HX Looper commands on more than one Instant

command, so you’ll want to be careful not to set them to trigger multiple,
conicting Looper functions!)

• The HX Looper, instant command assignment’s Function parameter value

is automatically stored and recalled per snapshot. This allows you to record a
loop and, for example, congure an instant command to automatically Play
the Loop when loading one Snapshot, and Stop when loading a dierent

Snapshot.

• With any Stomp mode footswitch controller selected in the Command Center

window, set the Command parameter to HX Looper. The additional options
then allow you to toggle the desired Looper functions independently per each

Press and Release or each Press and Hold of the footswitch.

• Note that the assigned, Stomp mode footswitch’s label and LED will only

indicate the command assigned to the Press function.

• The HX Looper command, Stomp mode footswitch assignment parameter

values (Behavior, Press, and Release) are automatically stored and recalled
per snapshot.

Customizing a Footswitch Label

When you create a Command Center assignment to the selected footswitch control
within the Command Center window, you’ll see the Customize eld available within the
parameter display at the right.

You can customize the text in this eld to determine what is displayed on the hardware’s
footswitch scribble strip (or on the screen for a Helix LT, HX Stomp, or HX Stomp XL
device) when in Stomp Mode. To clear your text and return to the default label, click the

Clear (eraser) button to the right of the eld.

Clear buttonCustomize label eld

NOTE: If the footswitch includes one or more additional block Bypass, Controller,
or Command Center assignments, the default label appears as Multiple (X) with

“X” being the number of current assignments. You can customize the label in this
scenario, but note that it can also be customized within the Customize eld of the
Bypass/Controller Assignment tab as well, with the latest customization edit aecting

the label in all places.

This Command Center Footswitch Label - Customize option is not available for the
footswitch if you have selected the HX Preset, HX Snapshot, or HX Looper type
command.

Customizing a Footswitch LED Color

When the selected footswitch within the Command Center window includes a
Command Center assignment, the color of the LED on/o indicator light surrounding
your footswitch can be customized to your color choice for Stomp footswitch mode by
using the Switch LED slider/menu at the right.*

The Command Center - Switch LED parameter

The options are as follows:

• Choose one of the 10 colors

• Auto Color - The LED intelligently takes on the color according to the assigned

model type.

• Off - The LED remains unlit, regardless of the switch state.

*NOTE: This option is also found within the Bypass/Controller Assign panel.

Customizing an LED in either will overwrite the LED’s current Stomp footswitch

mode settings.
This Command Center - Switch LED option is not available for the footswitch if you

have selected the HX Preset, HX Snapshot, or HX Looper type command.

48

Global EQ Window

The Global EQ, accessed from the application’s Window menu, oers a large graphical
interface for the Helix, HX Stomp XL, or HX Stomp device’s Global EQ feature.* As its
name suggests, the Global EQ settings and bypass state are indeed global and not
saved or recalled with any preset or snapshot. HX Edit functionality described in this
chapter is the same for all Helix, HX Stomp XL, or HX Stomp devices, except where

noted.

The Global EQ window is a “oating” window, therefore, you can keep it open or closed
as desired while using HX Edit. If it gets hidden behind the main HX Edit window, simply
click on it, or use the Cmd+Shift+G (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+G (Windows) shortcut to bring
it to the foreground.

*HX Effects Owners: HX Effects devices do not include the Global EQ feature.

Reset Button

Apply EQ Output Menu

Bypass Button

Adjusting Global EQ Parameters

The Global EQ window oers two methods in which you can view & adjust its settings:
by dragging any band’s edit “node” within the graph or by adjusting the selected band’s
parameter sliders within the lower inspector portion of the window. The EQ processing
is functional whenever its Bypass button is set to “active” in this window (or via your
device’s Bypass button when viewing its Global EQ screen).

Reset - Click the Reset button to instantly return all parameters to their default,
“at” values.

Apply EQ Output Menu - (Helix devices only) Select your Helix device’s output(s)
on which you want the Global EQ to be active.

Bypass Button - Toggle the Bypass to globally enable or disable the EQ.

Band Edit Nodes - Click and drag the desired band’s Edit Node in the upper
graph to adjust its Frequency and Gain. Note that the respective parameter
sliders move within the inspector pane while adjusting any edit node.

Inspector Pane - This lower portion of the window oers a set of adjustable
parameters for each of the EQ’s ve bands.

Band Parameters - Each band has its own set of sliders. Note that the Low
Cut and High Cut are “shelving” type lters, allowing you to set the roll-o point
for the low and high frequencies, respectively. The middle 3 bands are fully
parametric, with controls for choosing the center Frequency, Gain (with a boost
or cut of up to 12 dB), and Q (the width of the frequency range aected). Adjust
the sliders as follows:

• Click and drag any slider’s handle or use the Up/Down buttons at the right of

each slider

• Right-click on a slider to enter a precise value numerically

• Turn your mouse wheel while hovering your cursor over any slider

• Click on a slider and use the comma/period or -/+ shortcut keys to incrementally

adjust its value

• Double click on a slider to individually reset it to its default value

Inspector Pane Band Parameters

The Global EQ is a 5-band, parametric style equalizer, situated after all other processing
blocks of your signal path, allowing for sculpting your overall tone just before it is sent
out your Helix (1/4" and/or XLR) or HX Stomp XL/Stomp (Main 1/4") outputs. This is
especially handy for ne-tuning your tone to compensate for a venue’s stage or room
sound, without having to go in and tweak all your presets.

Level Slider

Band Edit Nodes

Done Button

Level Slider - (Helix devices only) Adjusts the post-EQ output level, oering a
“make-up gain” to compensate for the overall output level change incurred by EQ

parameter settings.

Done Button - Click to close the Global EQ window.

TIP: Try the handy keyboard shortcuts for adjusting Global EQ options—see page

67.

49

Preferences and About Box

The Preferences Window

The HX Edit Preferences window includes three tabbed screens to edit application
options: View, Presets/IRs, and Device Settings. This window is accessed by either
selecting Preferences from the HX Edit menu (Mac), Help menu (Windows), or by

clicking the Preferences button (or on the Helix/HX device indicator icon) at the bottom
of the main HX Edit window.

Click the Preferences (gear icon button) or device indicator to open the Preferences window

NOTE: If you happen to have multiple Helix/HX devices connected, each HX Edit

application window includes its own Preferences window, and all settings within it
pertain to HX Edit’s use per individual device.

Restore Factory Settings

This button at the bottom left of the Preferences window resets all items in all three tabs
of the Preferences window back to the initial factory default settings.

Preferences - View Tab

The View tab

This tab includes two options.

Show/hide name labels - The Show Names setting is the factory default. If you
prefer to have the Signal Flow window not show labels beneath each block, you

can choose Hide Names here (see page 30).

Manage Favorites By - The Favorites tabbed panel and Model menu’s Favorites
category by default match the same order as seen on your device. This
Preference change the default Device List order to alternatively be sorted by
model Category or alphabetically by Name (A-Z)—see page 20.

Preferences - Presets/IRs Tab

NOTE: Your Helix or HX device also includes several additional settings within its

Global Settings screens (as well as its own Restore options) This Restore Factory
Settings button restores only the settings shown within the HX Edit application’s
Preferences window.

Check for Updates

Use this button to manually check for, and optionally install, any available HX Edit
application or rmware updates for your connected Helix or HX device (an active
Internet connection is required) See “Updater & Additional Resources” on page 79.

The Presets/IRs tab

This tab includes the following options for the Presets and IRs Librarian tabs.

Preset Numbering Format - The presets within the Librarian’s Presets Panel can
be numbered as Bank numbers & letters (as 01A-32D, the factory default setting)
or sequentially (as 000-127) within each setlist, depending on which is more
convenient for you.

Stereo IR Import - When a stereo IR .wav le is imported by a Helix or HX
device, it must be converted to mono. This preference lets you choose whether to
take the left channel (the factory default) or right channel of the source IR le or to

sum both channels to mono.

50

Import Bundle & Export Bundle - (Helix devices only) A Bundle is a single le
containing the complete contents of the Helix device’s Preset Library (or, the
full Preset Library from Helix Native plugin, if exported from Helix Native). These
buttons allow you to Import a Helix Bundle le from your hard drive or create
and save all your device’s setlists and presets in their currently-saved state as a
Bundle le to your hard drive. Please see page 15 for details.

Preferences - Device Settings Tab

The Device Settings screen oers options for your connected device’s congurable
EXP and Footswitch options. Note that these options only exist for Helix LT, HX Eects,
HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp devices (you’ll see no options in this tab with a Helix Floor
or Rack device in use since these devices do not utilize shared EXP jacks).

Helix LT

Helix LT Device Settings

EXP 2/Ext Amp Option - Helix LT devices incorporate a “shared” EXP PEDAL 2/

EXT AMP jack. This option allows you to choose the jack’s functionality (same as
the Helix LT hardware’s Global Settings > Preferences option).

HX Effects

HX Eects Device Settings

Pedal 1 and Pedal 2 Jack Options - For the HX Eects device’s two rear panel
Pedal jacks, these options allow you to choose their functionality (same as the

HX Eects hardware’s Global Settings > Preferences options).

HX Stomp XL and HX Stomp

HX Stomp XL Device Settings

HX Stomp Device Settings

The HX Stomp XL and HX Stomp device’s rear panel includes a multi-functional TRS
expression pedal and footswitch jack (EXP 1/2 FS 7/8 on HX Stomp XL and EXP 1/2 FS
4/5 on HX Stomp). These EXP/FS options allow you to choose the individual functions
for the jack’s “Tip” and “Ring” connections. These are the same as the hardware’s
Global Settings > Preferences and Footswitches options—please refer to your device’s

Owner’s Manual for details.

EXP/FS Tip - Determines whether the jack’s Tip signal is an Expression Pedal
1 input jack or a Footswitch 7 (HX Stomp XL) or Footswitch 4 (HX Stomp) input
jack.

EXP/FS Ring - Determines whether the jack’s Ring signal is an Expression Pedal
2 input jack or a Footswitch 8 (HX Stomp) or Footswitch 5 (HX Stomp) input jack.

Tap, FS7, FS8 Functions (HX Stomp XL)
FS3, FS4, FS5 Functions (HX Stomp)

Determine the behavior for each footswitch, such as for Tap/Tuner, All Bypass
Stomp Footswitch, Bank Up/Down, Preset Up/Down, Snapshot Up/Down, or

Toggle EXP.

51

The About/Legal Box and Help Options

These options are available by:

• Selecting About HX Edit from the HX Edit menu (Mac), Help menu (Windows)

• Selecting the Help or Pilot’s Guide options from the application’s Help menu

• Or, selecting any of these options from the button menu at the bottom left of

the HX Edit main window

Click the button to access the menu

About Box

Choose About at the left of the window to display the About Box screen, which provides
version information for the HX Edit application.

Connected device’s
rmware version

For Helix and HX device rmware updates, click the Check for Updates button to
use the Updater feature built right into the HX Edit app (see “Updater & Additional

Resources” on page 79). The latest Line 6 Updater and HX Edit application installers

can be downloaded free from line6.com/software.

Legal Information

Choose the Legal tab at the left of the window to display the Legal screen, which lists
all the necessary trademark, copyright, and other legally required statements for the HX
Edit software.

Online Help

Choose the Online Help option from the menu to go directly to the Line 6 Support
website page within your browser app. Here you can nd the Knowledge Base, FAQs,
videos, User Forums, and more for HX Edit and Helix/HX devices.

Pilot’s Guide

Choose the Pilot’s Guide option from the menu to open the PDF document you are

now reading.

HX Edit app version

The HX Edit About box screen - About tab selected

Note that your connected Helix/HX device’s current rmware version is displayed at
the top of this window. It is always recommended that you use the latest available
versions of both your device rmware and HX Edit application. If you are also to be
using and sharing presets with the Line 6 Helix Native plugin, it is also recommended
to use the latest version of it (also see “Preset Compatibility with Helix Native Plugin”

on page 4).

Please be sure to read the Release Notes available with all rmware, device

driver, and application versions before installing, since there may be specic
instructions for the order and procedure for your installations, depending on the existing
versions you already have installed.

52

Marketplace &
Account Options

Marketplace

Now open for business is the Line 6 Marketplace online shop, where you’ll nd 3rd­party, premium add-on assets that even further enhance the functionality of your Helix
and HX devices, as well as for Helix Native plugin! As of this writing, professionally
crafted presets and IRs are available. Check back often on the Marketplace site for
product news and announcements. As covered within this chapter, you’re only a few
clicks away from using new Marketplace assets on your system, right from the My

Account menu in HX Edit.

NOTE: Version 2.70 of HX Edit and device rmware, and 1.70 of Helix Native (or
later versions) are required for full support and use of premium Marketplace presets

and IRs.

To download your purchased assets, click on the Manage Account command
within the HX Edit app’s My Account menu (or go directly to https://line6.com/

account/), sign in to your account, and select Helix Marketplace from the

Hardware & Software section at the left.

Licenses for your purchased assets are automatically added to your Line 6
account and “synced” the next time you use the HX Edit application, as long as
you are actively signed in to your Line 6 account from the My Account menu (see

“Sign In / Sign Out” on page 54).

Import and Utilize Your Marketplace Assets

An Internet connection is required for the computer where you’ll be using the HX Edit
app to authorize it for the use of Marketplace premium assets, and for the sync with
your Line 6 account to initially authenticate your newly purchased Marketplace licensed
assets. Otherwise, an active Internet connection is not required for the use of HX Edit.
Please see the following sections for details about signing in and authorization.

Once you’ve signed in and authorized your computer via HX Edit, your premium
Marketplace presets and IRs can then be imported and used just like any other
presets and IRs within HX Edit (and/or within Helix Native).

Once imported, premium Marketplace presets and/or premium IRs (.hir les),
appear with a golden guitar pick “badge” at their right in the HX Edit librarian lists.
(See page 14. and page 16 for more about importing presets and IRs.)

Get Your Marketplace Assets

Access the Marketplace website by choosing the Get More Presets and Get More
IRs, commands within the My Account menu at the bottom left of the HX Edit window

(or go directly to https://line6.com/marketplace/). When visiting the Marketplace site,
simply sign in to your Line 6 account, choose the desired pack(s) of presets or IRs, add
them to your cart, and check out.*

*NOTE: Be sure to log in to the same Line 6 account on which you’ve authorized
your computer for HX Edit and Helix Native to ensure your Marketplace purchased
assets are added to the correct account!

Once your purchase is complete, your downloadable Marketplace assets are deposited
into your Line 6 account, including your personal license that allows you to import them
on your authorized computer system. Each Marketplace purchase is downloadable as
a “zip” le that you’ll need to “unzip” on your local hard drive once downloaded.

The golden guitar pick badges indicate premium Marketplace presets and IRs

53

The My Account Menu Options

At the bottom left of the HX Edit application window, you’ll see the My Account menu
and account status indicator. Initially, before you’ve signed in to your Line 6 online
account and/or authorized your computer for Marketplace premium assets, you’ll see
this menu displayed with the My Account label.

The My Account menu (not signed in or authorized)

Clicking on the My Account menu displays options for signing in & managing your Line
6 account, as well as for access to the Marketplace online shop.*

*NOTE: It is not required that your computer have an active Internet connection, nor

do you need to be signed in or authorized at all for the HX Edit app itself to be
functional. But signing in is necessary to authorize (or deauthorize) your computer to
allow the import and export of premium assets purchased from the online Marketplace.

If you don’t plan to use Marketplace premium assets, you don’t have to worry
about signing in and out with HX Edit, and you can simply ignore the following
Sign In / Sign Out and Authorize / Deauthorize sections.

Sign In / Sign Out

If you are not currently signed in, choose Sign In from the menu and enter your Line 6
account user name and password in the Sign In window. If you have forgotten your sign
in credentials, or have not already created a Line 6 account, choose the Forgot my
password/username or Create a Line 6 account option within the window. If you are
already signed in and wish to sign out, choose the Sign Out option from the menu.

TIP: If you plan on purchasing premium Marketplace assets, it is easiest to simply

remain actively signed in, with your computer in the authorized state. This allows the
licenses for your purchased assets to automatically be “synced” from your Line 6 account,
and for the assets able to be utilized for all actions within the HX Edit app.

The Line 6 account Sign In window

Computer Authorization Status Indicator

Once you’ve signed in, your computer is automatically authorized, as conrmed by a
pop-up window letting you know the sign in and authorization were successful. You’ll see
the My Account menu label display your rst name (derived from your Line 6 account)
and indicate the status of your account sign in and computer authorization (more details
about authorization in the following section).
Whenever signed out, the menu button displays the “My Account” label, with no colored

authorization indicator.

Signed in with computer authorized

Signed out with computer Deauthorized

Once you’ve authorized your computer, you can optionally sign out, and your computer
remains in the authorized state, allowing you to continue to perform import, export, copy,
and backup actions with your Marketplace assets, even if your Internet connection is not
currently active.

Signed in with computer Deauthorized

54

Note that you will need an Internet connection to be able to sign in again to access the
Deauthorize and Authorize options from the menu, as well as to initially synchronize with
your online Line 6 account after making any new Marketplace purchase (see “License

Synchronization”).

Authorize / Deauthorize Your Computer

It is necessary for your computer to be in the authorized state for performing any HX Edit
Import, Export, Copy/Paste, or Backup/Restore action that includes your purchased
Marketplace premium IRs or presets (as well as setlists or bundles that include them).
Simply signing in to your Line 6 account will authorize your computer automatically.*

*NOTE: It is permitted to authorize a maximum of 4 of your computers concurrently.
If you’ve already authorized 4 computers, you can deauthorize one computer to
free up one of your authorizations.

Deauthorizing You Computer

While signed in to your Line 6 account, choose the Deauthorize Computer command
from the My Account menu and the brief online deauthorization process completes
automatically. You’ll see a conrmation dialog appear and the Authorization Status
Indicator for the My Account menu will change to red to indicate your deauthorized
state (see preceding section). Additionally, deauthorizing your computer will also
automatically sign you out of your Line 6 account.

When deauthorized, the HX Edit application still functions to provide all preset & IR
librarian and signal ow editing tasks, however, Marketplace-purchased assets are not

able to be imported or exported with the HX Edit app. You can choose Authorize
Computer from the menu to authorize the computer again at any time, providing you

have not exceeded the 4 computer authorization limit.

License Synchronization

Whenever you make a purchase from Marketplace, a license for each product you
purchase is deposited into your online Line 6 account. For the HX Edit application to
access your new licenses and eectively “unlock” your purchased assets, it needs to
perform a “sync” process with your Line 6 account. You must have an active Internet

connection and be signed in within HX Edit on your next use of the app after your

purchase for this license synchronization to occur.

When signed in, this brief sync takes place automatically in HX Edit on the next launch
the application, or if already running, when clicking on the HX Edit app window. (Note
that it may take up to 5 minutes before sync occurs if HX Edit was already running.)
Once the license sync has completed, an active Internet connection is not required
for the use of these Marketplace purchased assets within HX Edit or within your Helix

hardware.

Manage Account

Choose this menu option to be taken to the Line6.com My Account page to view
and update your Line 6 user account—view and manage add-ons and Marketplace
purchases, register Line 6 gear, update your personal information, and more.

Helix Native Plugin Owners: This authorization/deauthorization within HX Edit

globally authorizes/deauthorizes your computer for the use of the Helix Native
plugin (and the use of Marketplace assets within it) as well, assuming your Helix

Native license and Marketplace purchases were performed using your same Line 6

user account. Please also see the Helix Native Pilot’s Guide.

55

Distortion Models

Model Lists

To follow are the lists of all Eect, Amp, Speaker Cabinet & Microphone models included
in Helix and HX devices, as well as the original gear they are based on.* Models, in
many cases, include some unique parameters, typically based on the controls found
on the original gear we modeled. However, you will also nd a set of options that are
common to model category types, as described in the sections that follow.

HX Effects Owners: Note that HX Eects devices include all Eects models, but
not the Amp, Cab, and Mic models within the following lists.

Effects Models

The following Eects models are found within each of the Helix and HX device’s
respective block category menus (Distortion, Dynamics, EQ, etc.). Once you’ve selected
an eects category in the application’s Model Browser menu, you’ll see up to three
eects sub-categories: Mono (no icon), Stereo , and Legacy , vary in behavior,
just as on the classic Line 6 eects from where these models originated. Mono models
process in mono, as you’d expect, collapsing the stereo output of any block preceding
it to mono. Stereo models process the signal as discrete stereo-in, stereo-out. Legacy
type models, just as on earlier Line 6 devices, are a mixed bag and can be either mono,
stereo, or mono-in/stereo-out.

NOTE: “Legacy” models are eects from the classic Line 6 DL4™, DM4™, MM4™,
and FM4™ stompboxes as well as M13®, M9®, and M5® processors.

TIP: The Favorites category that appears at the start of the Model menu is initially

empty, awaiting your addition of preferred models—see page 20.

Distortion Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Kinky Boost

Deranged Master

Minotaur

Teemah!

Heir Apparent!

Tone Sovereign

Alpaca Rogue

Compulsive Drive

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

Mono, Stereo Xotic® EP Booster
Mono, Stereo Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Mono, Stereo Klon® Centaur
Mono, Stereo Paul Cochrane Timmy® Overdrive
Mono, Stereo Analogman Prince of Tone
Mono, Stereo Analogman King of Tone
Mono, Stereo Way Huge® Red Llama (modded)
Mono, Stereo Fulltone® OCD

Model Subcategories Based On*

Dhyana Drive

Horizon Drive

Valve Driver

Top Secret OD

Scream 808

Hedgehog D9

Stupor OD

Deez One Vintage

Deez One Mod

Ratatoullie Dist

Vermin Dist

KWB

Legendary Drive

Swedish Chainsaw

Arbitrator Fuzz

Pocket Fuzz

Bighorn Fuzz

Triangle Fuzz

Ballistic Fuzz

Industrial Fuzz

Tycoctavia Fuzz

Wringer Fuzz

Thrifter Fuzz

Xenomorph Fuzz

Megaphone

Bitcrusher

Ampeg Scrambler

ZeroAmp Bass DI

Obsidian 7000

Clawthorn Drive

Mono, Stereo Hermida Zendrive
Mono, Stereo Horizon Precision Drive
Mono, Stereo Chandler Tube Driver
Mono, Stereo DOD® OD-250
Mono, Stereo Ibanez® TS808 Tube Screamer
Mono, Stereo MAXON® SD9 Sonic Distortion
Mono, Stereo BOSS® SD-1 Overdrive
Mono, Stereo BOSS DS-1 Distortion (Made-in-Japan)
Mono, Stereo BOSS DS-1 Distortion (Keeley modded)
Mono, Stereo Pro Co RAT (with LM308 opamp)
Mono, Stereo Pro Co RAT
Mono, Stereo Benadrian Kowloon Walled Bunny Distortion
Mono, Stereo Carvin® VLD1 Legacy Drive (hi gain channel)

Mono, Stereo BOSS HM-2 Heavy Metal Distortion (MIJ)

Mono, Stereo Arbiter® Fuzz Face
Mono, Stereo Jordan Boss Tone Fuzz
Mono, Stereo
Mono, Stereo Electro-Harmonix Big Mu Pi
Mono, Stereo Euthymia ICBM Fuzz
Mono, Stereo Z.Vex Fuzz Factory
Mono, Stereo Tycobrahe® Octavia
Mono, Stereo Garbage’s modded BOSS FZ-2
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Subdecay Harmonic Antagonizer
Mono, Stereo Megaphone
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Ampeg® Scrambler Bass Overdrive
Mono, Stereo Tech 21® SansAmp Bass Driver DI V1
Mono, Stereo Darkglass® Electronics Microtubes® B7K Ultra
Mono, Stereo Wounded Paw Battering Ram

‘73 Electro-Harmonix® Ram’s Head Big Mu Pi

®

®

56

Distortion Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Tube Drive

Screamer

Overdrive

Classic Dist

Heavy Dist

Colordrive

Buzz Saw

Facial Fuzz

Jumbo Fuzz

Fuzz Pi

Jet Fuzz

L6 Drive

L6 Distortion

Sub Oct Fuzz

Octave Fuzz

Legacy Chandler Tube Driver
Legacy Ibanez Tube Screamer
Legacy DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250
Legacy Pro Co RAT
Legacy BOSS Metal Zone
Legacy Colorsound® Overdriver
Legacy Maestro® Fuzz Tone
Legacy Arbiter Fuzz Face
Legacy Vox® Tone Bender
Legacy Electro-Harmonix Big Mu Pi
Legacy Roland® Jet Phaser
Legacy Colorsound Overdriver (modded)
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy PAiA Roctave Divider
Legacy Tycobrahe Octavia

Dynamics Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Deluxe Comp

Red Squeeze

Kinky Comp

Rochester Comp

LA Studio Comp

3-Band Comp

Noise Gate

Hard Gate

Horizon Gate

Autoswell

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo MXR Dyna Comp
Mono, Stereo Xotic SP Compressor
Mono, Stereo Ashly® CLX-52 (in conjunction w/ B. Sheehan)
Mono, Stereo Teletronix® LA-2A
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Horizon Precision Drive - Gate Circuit
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original

Dynamics Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Tube Comp

Red Comp

Blue Comp

Blue Comp Treb

Vetta Comp

Vetta Juice

Boost Comp

Legacy Teletronix LA-2A
Legacy MXR Dyna Comp
Legacy BOSS CS-1
Legacy BOSS CS-1 (Treble switch on)
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy MXR Micro Amp

EQ Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Simple EQ

Low and High Cut

Low/High Shelf

Parametric

Tilt

10 Band Graphic

Cali Q Graphic

Acoustic Sim

®

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo MXR 10-Band Graphic EQ
Mono, Stereo MESA/Boogie Mark IV Graphic EQ
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

57

Modulation Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Optical Trem

60s Bias Trem

Tremolo/Autopan

Harmonic Tremolo

Bleat Chop Trem

Script Mod Phase

Pebble Phaser

Ubiquitous Vibe

Deluxe Phaser

Gray Flanger

Harmonic Flanger

Courtesan Flange

Dynamix Flanger

Chorus

70s Chorus

PlastiChorus

Trinity Chorus

Bubble Vibrato

Vibe Rotary

122 Rotary

145 Rotary

Retro Reel

Double Take

Poly Detune

†

AM Ring Mod

Pitch Ring Mod

Mono, Stereo Fender® optical tremolo circuit
Mono, Stereo Vox AC-15 Tremolo
Mono, Stereo BOSS PN-2
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper
Mono, Stereo MXR Phase 90
Mono, Stereo Electro-Harmonix Small Stone
Mono, Stereo Shin-ei Uni-Vibe
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo MXR 117 Flanger
Mono, Stereo A/DA Flanger
Mono, Stereo Electro-Harmonix Deluxe EM
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo BOSS CE-1
Mono, Stereo Modded Arion SCH-Z chorus
Stereo Dytronics® Tri-Stereo Chorus
Mono, Stereo BOSS VB-2 Vibrato

Stereo Fender Vibratone
Stereo Leslie® 122
Stereo Leslie 145

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Stereo Line 6 Original

Modulation Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Pattern Tremolo

Panner

Bias Tremolo

Opto Tremolo

Script Phase

Panned Phaser

Barberpole

®

Dual Phaser

U-Vibe

Phaser

Pitch Vibrato

Dimension

Analog Chorus

Tri Chorus

Analog Flanger

Jet Flanger

AC Flanger

80A Flanger

Frequency Shift

Ring Modulator

Rotary Drum

Rotary Drum/Horn

Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy 1960 Vox AC-15 Tremolo
Legacy 1964 Fender Deluxe Reverb

®

Legacy MXR Phase 90 (script logo version)
Legacy Ibanez Flying Pan
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Mu-Tron® Bi-Phase
Legacy Shin-ei Uni-Vibe
Legacy MXR Phase 90
Legacy BOSS VB-2
Legacy Roland Dimension D
Legacy BOSS CE-1
Legacy Dytronics Tri-Stereo Chorus
Legacy MXR Flanger
Legacy A/DA Flanger
Legacy MXR Flanger
Legacy A/DA Flanger
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Fender Vibratone
Legacy Leslie 145

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

†

The Poly Detune model utilizes polyphonic pitch shifting and, therefore, is extremely DSP-intensive—possibly utilizing up to half of all DSP available for Path 1 or Path 2!

58

Delay Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Simple Delay

Mod/Chorus Echo

Dual Delay

Multitap 4

Multitap 6

Ping Pong

Sweep Echo

Ducked Delay

Reverse Delay

Vintage Digital

Vintage Swell

Pitch Echo

Transistor Tape

Cosmos Echo

Harmony Delay

Bucket Brigade

Adriatic Delay

Adriatic Swell

Elephant Man

Multi Pass

Poly Sustain

Glitch Delay

Euclidean Delay

Ping Pong

Dynamic

Stereo

Digital

Dig w/Mod

Reverse

Lo Res

†

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original

Stereo Line 6 Original
Stereo Line 6 Original
Stereo Line 6 Original
Stereo Line 6 Original

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo TC Electronic® 2290
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Maestro Echoplex EP-3
Mono, Stereo Roland RE-201 Space Echo
Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo BOSS DM-2
Mono, Stereo BOSS DM-2 w/ Adrian Mod
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy TC Electronic 2290
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original

Delay Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Tube Echo

Tape Echo

Sweep Echo

Echo Platter

Analog Echo

Analog w/Mod

Auto-Volume Echo

Multi-Head

Legacy Maestro Echoplex EP-1
Legacy Maestro Echoplex EP-3
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Binson® EchoRec
Legacy BOSS DM-2
Legacy Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Roland RE-101 Space Echo

Reverb Models

Model Subcategory Based On*

Dynamic Hall

Hot Springs

Glitz

Ganymede

Searchlights

Plateaux

Double Tank

Plate

Room

Chamber

Hall

Echo

Tile

Cave

Ducking

Octo

‘63 Spring

Spring

Particle Verb

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original
Legacy Line 6 Original

®

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

†

The Poly Sustain model utilizes polyphonic pitch shifting and, therefore, is extremely DSP-intensive—possibly utilizing up to half of all DSP available for Path 1 or Path 2!

59

Pitch/Synth Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Pitch Wham

Twin Harmony

Simple Pitch

Dual Pitch

3 OSC Synth

Poly Pitch

Poly Wham

Poly Capo

12 String

†

†

†

†

3 Note Generator

4 OSC Generator

Bass Octaver

Smart Harmony

Octi Synth

Synth O Matic

Attack Synth

Synth String

Growler

Mono, Stereo Digitech Whammy
Mono, Stereo Eventide® H3000
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono Line 6 Original
Mono Line 6 Original
Mono Line 6 Original
Mono Line 6 Original

‡

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original

‡

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Legacy EBS® OctaBass
Legacy Eventide H3000
Legacy Line 6 Original

Legacy Line 6 Original

Legacy Korg® X911 Guitar Synth

Legacy Roland GR700 Guitar Synth

Legacy Line 6 Original

Filter Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Mutant Filter

Mystery Filter

Autolter

Asheville Pattrn

Mono, Stereo Musitronics Mu-Tron III
Mono, Stereo Korg A3
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Moog® Moogerfooger® MF-105M MuRF Filter

Filter Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

®

Voice Box

V Tron

Q Filter

Seeker

Obi Wah

Tron Up

Tron Down

Throbber

Slow Filter

Spin Cycle

Comet Trails

Legacy Line 6 Original

Legacy Musitronics® Mu-Tron III

Legacy Line 6 Original

Legacy Z Vex Seek Wah

Legacy Oberheim® voltage-controlled S&H lter

Legacy Musitronics Mu-Tron III (up position)

Legacy Musitronics Mu-Tron III (down position)

Legacy Electrix® Filter Factory

Legacy Line 6 Original

Legacy Craig Anderton’s Wah/Anti-Wah

Legacy Line 6 Original

Wah Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

UK Wah 846

Teardrop 310

Fassel

Weeper

Chrome

Chrome Custom

Throaty

Vetta Wah

Colorful

Conductor

Mono, Stereo Vox V846
Mono, Stereo Dunlop® Cry Baby® Fasel model 310
Mono, Stereo Dunlop Cry Baby Super

Mono, Stereo Arbiter Cry Baby

Mono, Stereo Vox V847

Mono, Stereo Modded Vox V847

Mono, Stereo RMC® Real McCoy 1

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original

Mono, Stereo Colorsound Wah-fuzz

Mono, Stereo Maestro Boomerang

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

†

These indicated Pitch/Synth models utilize polyphonic pitch shifting and, therefore, are extremely DSP-intensive. Any one might take up half of all DSP available for Path 1 or Path 2!

‡

The 3 Note Generator and 4 OSC Generator models make sound without any instrument connected, therefore, their blocks are turned o by default. Be sure to rst set your Helix volume to low, and press BYPASS to

turn them on.

60

Volume/Pan Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Volume Pedal

Gain

Pan

Stereo Width

Stereo Imager

Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original
Mono, Stereo Line 6 Original

Stereo Line 6 Original
Stereo Line 6 Original
Stereo Line 6 Original

Common FX Settings

Parameter Description

Drive

Bass

Mid

Treble

Speed

Rate

Time

Depth

Feedback

Decay

Predelay

Adjusts the amount of overdrive, distortion, or fuzz.

Adjusts the bass level.

Adjusts the midrange level.

Adjusts the treble level.

Adjusts the speed of the eect, with higher settings providing faster

rates. Activate the model’s Note Sync parameter to toggle between

Hz and note values. Choosing a Hz value provides a specic
modulation speed in cycles per second; choosing a note value provides
a time based on the current tempo. Not all Speed parameters can be
synced to note values, as they may be non-linear and highly interactive.

Adjusts the rate of the eect, with higher settings providing faster

rates. Activate the model’s Note Sync parameter to toggle between

Hz and note values. Not all Rate parameters can be synced to note
values, as they may be non-linear and highly interactive.

Adjusts the delay/repeat time, with higher settings providing longer
delays. Activate the model’s Note Sync parameter to toggle
between Hz and note values. Choosing a ms value provides a
specic time in milliseconds; choosing a note division value provides
a time based on the current tempo. With a note division value, this
parameter’s value is retained when changing models.

Adjusts the intensity of the modulation. Higher settings result in more
extreme pitch bending, wobble, or throb, depending on the eect.

Adjusts the amount of delayed signal fed back into the eect. Higher

settings can provide more dramatic textures.

Sets the length of time the reverb eect sustains.

Determines the time before the reverb eect is heard.

Parameter Description

On stereo delays, the Scale oers control over the left & right channel
repeats proportionately. The left channel repeats following the Time

Scale

Spread

Headroom

Low Cut

High Cut

Mix

Level

Trails

*TIP: Note that your Helix/HX device also oers a Trails On/O option within its Tuner

screen—when set to “On,” the decays of your delays and reverbs, as well as the

playback of an active Looper block, will continue to be heard when the Tuner is engaged.
(On Helix devices, in some congurations where path 1’s output is routed to path 2, the

Tuner’s Trails On setting may not be able to pass audio since the signal may be fed only
to the output blocks.)

value and the right channel will repeat at a time that is the percentage

of the left time. For example, if a delay’s Time is set for 1 second and
the Scale set to 75%, the left channel will repeat at 1 second and the
right at 750 milliseconds (ms).

Spread diers slightly among stereo delay eects. For most delays,
it adjusts how widely the repeats bounce left and right. With the Ping
Pong Delay, for example, 0 is in the middle (mono), and 10 is full left to
right panning for the repeats.

For modulated stereo delays, Spread aects the LFOs’ (low frequency
oscillators) stereo modulation behavior. At 0 the LFOs are in sync. At
10, the two LFOs are 180 degrees out of sync, so that when one side is

modulating up, the other side is modulating down.

Some mod and 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.

Filters a portion of the block’s bass and/or treble frequencies, which
can help remove rumble and/or high-end harshness.

Blends the eected “wet” signal vs. the “dry” signal passed through the
block. When set to 0%, the path bypasses the eect completely. When
set to 100%, the entire path is fed through the eect, and no dry thru

signal is heard.

Adjusts the overall output level of the eects block. Be careful not to
boost this parameter too high on multiple blocks, as digital clipping
could occur. You should typically leave this at 0.0dB for most blocks.
Where the original pedal’s level or volume knob behavior doesn’t really
apply to dB values, 0.0-10 may be used.

Trails O: Any delay repeats or reverb decays are instantly muted when
the block is bypassed.

Trails On: Any delay repeats or reverb decays continue to decay
naturally when the block is bypassed or a dierent snapshot is

selected.*

61

Amp Models

The following guitar & bass amp models are found within the Amp+Cab, Amp, and
Preamp block category menus for all Helix devices, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp devices
(rmware v3.0 and later). Note that you’ll also see Guitar and Bass subcategories for the
Amp+Cab & Amp categories, and Guitar, Bass, and Mic subcategories for the Preamp
category.

HX Eects Owners: Amp, Preamp, Speaker Cab, and Mic models are
not supported by HX Eects devices, therefore, you will not see these
categories or models within the HX Edit Model menus when the HX Eects

is in use.

• Amp+Cab blocks include an Amp plus a matched Cab model. You can change

out the Cab for sonic variation (see the list of “Speaker Cabinet Models” on

page 64).

• Amp blocks are identical to Amp+Cab blocks, except they contain no matched

Cab model. Using an Amp block is the best choice if you want to use an IR
block. Or try using a few IR or Cab blocks in a parallel Split Path for even more

variation.

• Preamp versions of each amp model are also included, which provide the tone

of just the preamp stage of the amp. Preamp blocks require less computer
processing than a full Amp block.

Amp Models

Model Subcategory Based On*

WhoWatt 100

Soup Pro

Stone Age 185

Voltage Queen

Tweed Blues Nrm

Tweed Blues Brt

Fullerton Nrm

Fullerton Brt

Fullerton Jump

Grammatico Nrm

Grammatico Brt

Grammatico Jump

US Small Tweed

US Princess

Guitar Hiwatt® DR-103 Brill

Guitar Supro® S6616

Guitar Gibson® EH-185

Guitar Victoria Vintage Queen

Guitar Fender Bassman® (normal channel)

Guitar Fender Bassman (bright channel)

Guitar Fender 5C3 Tweed Deluxe (normal channel)

Guitar Fender 5C3 Tweed Deluxe (bright channel)

Guitar Fender 5C3 Tweed Deluxe (jumped channels)

Guitar Grammatico LaGrange (normal channel)

Guitar Grammatico LaGrange (bright channel)

Guitar Grammatico LaGrange (jumped channels)

Guitar Fender Champ

Guitar Fender Princeton Reverb

®

®

Amp Models

Model Subcategory Based On*

US Deluxe Nrm

US Deluxe Vib

US Double Nrm

US Double Vib

Mail Order Twin

Divided Duo

Interstate Zed

Derailed Ingrid

Jazz Rivet 120

Essex A15

Essex A30

A30 Fawn Nrm

A30 Fawn Brt

Matchstick Ch1

Matchstick Ch2

Matchstick Jump

Mandarin 80

Mandarin Rocker

Brit J45 Nrm

Brit J45 Brt

Brit Trem Nrm

Brit Trem Brt

Brit Trem Jump

Brit Plexi Nrm

Brit Plexi Brt

Brit Plexi Jump

Brit P75 Nrm

Brit P75 Brt

Brit 2204

Guitar Fender Deluxe Reverb (normal channel)

Guitar Fender Deluxe Reverb (vibrato channel)

Guitar Fender Twin Reverb® (normal channel)

Guitar Fender Twin Reverb (vibrato channel)

Guitar Silvertone® 1484

Guitar ÷13 JRT 9/15

Guitar Dr Z® Route 66

Guitar Trainwreck® Circuits Express

Guitar Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus

Guitar Vox AC-15

Guitar Vox AC-30 with top boost

Guitar Vox AC-30 Fawn (normal channel)

Guitar Vox AC-30 Fawn (bright channel)

Guitar Matchless® DC30 (channel 1)

Guitar Matchless DC30 (channel 2)

Guitar Matchless DC30 (jumped)

Guitar Orange® OR80

Guitar Orange Rockerverb 100 MkIII (dirty channel)

Guitar Marshall® JTM-45 (normal channel)

Guitar Marshall JTM-45 (bright channel)

Guitar Marshall JTM-50 (normal channel)

Guitar Marshall JTM-50 (bright channel)

Guitar Marshall JTM-50 (jumped)

Guitar Marshall Super Lead 100 (normal channel)

Guitar Marshall Super Lead 100 (bright channel)

Guitar Marshall Super Lead 100 (jumped)

Guitar Park® 75 (normal channel)

Guitar Park 75 (bright channel)

Guitar Marshall JCM-800

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

62

Amp Models

Model Subcategory Based On*

Placater Clean

Placater Dirty

Cartographer

German Mahadeva

German Ubersonic

Cali Texas Ch1

Cali Texas Ch2

Cali IV Rhythm 1

Cali IV Rhythm 2

Cali IV Lead

Cali Rectire

Archetype Clean

Archetype Lead

ANGL Meteor

Solo Lead Clean

Solo Lead Crunch

Solo Lead OD

PV Panama

Revv Gen Purple

Revv Gen Red

Das Benzin Mega

Das Benzin Lead

Line 6 Elektrik

Line 6 Doom

Line 6 Epic

Line 6 2204 Mod

Line 6 Fatality

Line 6 Litigator

Line 6 Badonk

Guitar Friedman BE-100 (clean channel)

Guitar Friedman BE-100 (BE/HBE channel)

Guitar Ben Adrian Cartographer

Guitar Bogner® Shiva

Guitar Bogner Überschall

Guitar MESA/Boogie Lone Star® (clean channel)

Guitar MESA/Boogie Lone Star (drive channel)

Guitar MESA/Boogie Mark IV (channel I)

Guitar MESA/Boogie Mark IV (channel II)

Guitar MESA/Boogie Mark IV (lead channel)

Guitar MESA/Boogie Dual Rectier

Guitar Paul Reed Smith® Archon® (clean channel)

Guitar Paul Reed Smith Archon (lead channel)

Guitar ENGL® Fireball 100

Guitar Soldano SLO-100 (clean channel)

Guitar Soldano SLO-100 (crunch channel)

Guitar Soldano SLO-100 (overdrive channel)

Guitar Peavey® 5150

Guitar Revv® Generator 120 (purple/gain ch. 3)

Guitar Revv Generator 120 (red/high gain ch. 4)

Guitar Diezel VH4 (mega chanel)

Guitar Diezel VH4 (lead chanel)

Guitar Line 6 Original

Guitar Line 6 Original

Guitar Line 6 Original

Guitar Line 6 Original

Guitar Line 6 Original

Guitar Line 6 Original

Guitar Line 6 Original

Amp Models

Model Subcategory Based On*

Ampeg B-15NF

Ampeg SVT Nrm

Ampeg SVT Brt

Ampeg SVT-4 PRO

®

®

Woody Blue

Agua 51

Cali Bass

Cali 400 Ch1

Cali 400 Ch2

G Cougar 800

Del Sol 300

Busy One Ch1

Busy One Ch2

Busy One Jump

Studio Tube Pre

Bass Ampeg B-15NF Portaex

Bass Ampeg SVT® (normal channel)

Bass Ampeg SVT (bright channel)

Bass Ampeg SVT--4 PRO

Bass Acoustic® 360

Bass Aguilar® DB51

Bass MESA/Boogie M9 Carbine

Bass MESA/Boogie Bass 400+ (channel 1)

Bass MESA/Boogie Bass 400+ (channel 2)

Bass Gallien-Krueger® GK 800RB

Bass Sunn® Coliseum 300

Bass Pearce BC-1 preamp (channel 1)

Bass Pearce BC-1 preamp (channel 2)

Bass Pearce BC-1 preamp (jumped)

Preamp > Mic Requisite Y7 mic preamp

®

Common Amp Settings

®

Parameter Description

Master

Sag

Hum

Ripple

Bias

Bias X

Adjusts the amount of power amp distortion. This parameter is highly
interactive with all other power amp parameters—the lower the Master
is set, the less eect the other controls will have.

Lower Sag values oer “tighter” responsiveness for metal and djent
playing; higher values provide more touch dynamics & sustain for blues
and classic rock ris.

Controls how much heater hum and AC ripple interacts with your tone.
At higher settings, things get freaky.

Changes the Bias of the power tubes. Lower values achieve a “colder”
Class AB biasing. At maximum, the amp is operating in Class A.

Determines how the power amp tubes’ voicing reacts when pushed
hard. Set low for a tighter feel. Set high for more tube compression.
This parameter is highly reactive with the Drive and Master settings.

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

63

Speaker Cabinet Models

The following Cab models are available within the Amp+Cab and Cab block category
menus for all Helix devices, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp devices (rmware v3.0 and
later). All Cab models also include your choice of Mic model type used on the Cab, as
well as several Mic settings (see the list of “Microphone Models” on page 65).

There are two subcategories of Cab blocks—Single and Dual. Not surprisingly, Dual
Cabs require twice as much processor usage as single Cabs. When selecting a Dual
Cab within the Model menu, there are two model tabs, allowing selection of the specic
cab and settings for each. Dual Cab blocks are stereo, with each of the two cabs
panned hard left and right.

Cab Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

Soup Pro Ellipse

1x8 Small Tweed

1x10 US Princess

1x12 Field Coil

1x12 Fullerton

1x12 Grammatico

1x12 US Deluxe

1x12 US Princess

1x12 Celest 12H

1x12 Blue Bell

1x12 Lead 80

1x12 Cali IV

1x12 Cali Ext

2x12 Double C12N

2x12 Mail C12Q

2x12 Interstate

2x12 Jazz Rivet

2x12 Silver Bell

2x12 Blue Bell

2x12 Match H30

2x12 Match G25

4x10 Tweed P10R

Single, Dual 1 x 6x9" Supro S6616
Single, Dual 1x8" Fender Champ

Single, Dual 1x10" Fender Princeton Reverb
Single, Dual 1x12" Gibson EH185
Single, Dual 1x12" Fender 5C3 Tweed Deluxe
Single, Dual 1x12" Grammatico LaGrange
Single, Dual 1x12" Fender Deluxe Oxford

Single, Dual 1x12" Fender Princeton Reverb
Single, Dual 1x12" ÷13 JRT 9/15 G12 H30
Single, Dual 1x12" Vox AC-15 Blue
Single, Dual 1x12" Bogner Shiva CL80
Single, Dual 1x12" MESA/Boogie Mk IV
Single, Dual 1x12" MESA/Boogie EVM12L
Single, Dual 2x12" Fender Twin C12N
Single, Dual 2x12" Silvertone 1484
Single, Dual 2x12" Dr Z Z Best V30
Single, Dual 2x12" Roland JC-120
Single, Dual 2x12" Vox AC-30TB Silver
Single, Dual 2x12" Vox AC-30 Fawn Blue
Single, Dual 1x12" Matchless DC-30 G12H30
Single, Dual 1x12" Matchless DC-30 Greenback 25
Single, Dual 4x10" Fender Bassman P10R

Cab Models

Model Subcategories Based On*

4x12 WhoWatt 100

4x12 Mandarin EM

4x12 Greenback25

4x12 Greenback20

4x12 Blackback30

4x12 1960 T75

4x12 Uber V30

4x12 Uber T75

4x12 Cali V30

4x12 XXL V30

4x12 SoloLead EM

1x12 Del Sol

1x15 Ampeg B-15

1x18 Del Sol

1x18 Woody Blue

2x15 Brute

4x10 Ampeg HLF

6x10 Cali Power

8x10 Ampeg SVT E

Single, Dual 4x12" Hiwatt AP Fane
Single, Dual 4x12" Orange Eminence
Single, Dual 4x12" Marshall Basketweave G12 M25
Single, Dual 4x12" Marshall Basketweave G12 M20
Single, Dual 4x12" Park 75 G12 H30
Single, Dual 4x12" Marshall 1960 AT75
Single, Dual 4x12" Bogner Uberkab V30
Single, Dual 4x12" Bogner Uberkab T75
Single, Dual 4x12" MESA/Boogie 4FB V30
Single, Dual 4x12" ENGL XXL V30
Single, Dual 4x12" Soldano
Single, Dual 1x12" Sunn Coliseum
Single, Dual 1x15" Ampeg B-15
Single, Dual 1x18" Sunn Coliseum
Single, Dual 1x18" Acoustic 360
Single, Dual 2x15" MESA/Boogie 2x15 EV
Single, Dual 4x10" Ampeg SVT 410HLF
Single, Dual 6x10" MESA/Boogie Power House
Single, Dual 8x10" Ampeg SVT

®

®

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

64

Microphone Models

Model Based On*

57 Dynamic

409 Dynamic

421 Dynamic

30 Dynamic

20 Dynamic

121 Ribbon

160 Ribbon

4038 Ribbon

414 Cond

84 Cond

67 Cond

87 Cond

47 Cond

112 Dynamic

12 Dynamic

7 Dynamic

Shure® SM57

Sennheiser® MD 409

Sennheiser MD 421-U

Heil Sound® PR 30

Electro-Voice® RE20

Royer® R-121

Beyerdynamic® M 160

Coles 4038

AKG® C414 TLII

Neumann® KM84

Neumann U67

Neumann U87

Neumann U47

AKG D112

AKG D12

Shure SM7

Mic Models

Cab & Mic Settings

Parameter Description

Mic

Distance

Low Cut

High Cut

EarlyRec

Level

*See “U.S. Registered Trademarks” on page 66 All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them.

These trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

Selects one of the 16 available mic models.

Sets the distance (1 inch to 12 inches) between the mic and the

speaker grille.

Filters a portion of the cab’s bass and/or treble frequencies, which can
help remove rumble and/or high-end harshness.

Sets the amount of “early reections.” Higher values add more
reective room sound to your Amp tone.

Adjusts the overall output level of the Cab.

65

U.S. Registered Trademarks

All product names used in this document are trademarks of their respective owners and neither Yamaha Guitar Group nor Line 6 are associated or aliated with them. These
trademarks appear solely to identify products whose tones and sounds were studied by Line 6 during sound model development.

5150 is a registered trademark of ELVH Inc.
Acoustic is a registered trademark of GTRC Services, Inc.
Aguilar is a registered trademark David Boonshoft.
AKG and Digitech Whammy are registered trademarks of Harman International Industries, Inc.
Arbiter is a registered trademark of Sound City Amplication LLC.
Ashly is a registered trademark of Ashly Audio, Inc.
Binson, Dytronics, LA-2A and Teletronix are registered trademarks of Universal Audio, Inc.
Beyerdynamic is a registered trademark of Beyer Dynamic GmbH & Co. KG.
Bogner and Überschall are registered trademarks of Bogner Amplication.
BOSS and Roland are registered trademarks of Roland Corporation U.S.
Carvin is a registered trademark of Carvin Corp.
Colorsound is a registered trademark of Sola Sound Limited Corporation, UK.
Cry Baby, Dunlop, Fuzz Face, MXR and Uni-Vibe are registered trademarks of Dunlop

Manufacturing, Inc.
Darkglass and Microtubes are registered trademarks of Darkglass Electronics, TMI

Douglas Castro.
DOD is a registered trademark of DOD Electronics Corporation.
Dr. Z is a registered trademark of Dr. Z Amps, Inc.
EBS is a registered trademark according of EBS Holding.
EchoRec is a registered trademark of Nicholas Harris.
Electrix is a trademark or registered trademark of IVL Technologies, Ltd. in the U.S. and/

or other jurisdictions.
Electro-Harmonix is a registered trademark of New Sensor Corp.
Electro-Voice is a registered trademark of Bosch Security Systems, Inc.
Eminence is a registered trademark of Eminence Speaker, LLC.
Engl is a registered trademark of Beate Ausug and Edmund Engl.
Eventide is a registered trademark of Eventide Inc.
Fane is a trademark of Fane International Ltd.
Fender, Twin Reverb, Bassman, Champ, Deluxe Reverb, Princeton Reverb, and Sunn are

registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corp.
Fulltone is a registered trademark of Fulltone Musical Products, Inc.
Gallien-Krueger is a registered trademark of Gallien Technology, Inc.
Gibson and Maestro are registered trademarks of Gibson Guitar Corp.
Heil Sound is a registered trademark of Heil Sound Ltd.
Hiwatt is a registered trademark of 9574565 Canada Inc.
Ibanez is a registered trademark of Hoshino, Inc.
Klon is a registered trademark of Klon, LLC.
Korg is a registered trademark of Korg, Inc.
Leslie is a registered trademark of Suzuki Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

Marshall is a registered trademark of Marshall Amplication Plc.
Matchless is a registered trademark of Matchless, LLC.
MAXON is a registered trademark of Nisshin Onpa Co., Ltd.
Mesa/Boogie, Lone Star, and Rectier are registered trademarks of Mesa/Boogie, Ltd.
Moog and Moogerfooger are registered trademarks of Moog Music, Inc.
Musitronics is a registered trademark of Mark S. Simonsen.
Mu-Tron is a registered trademark of Henry Zajac.
Neumann is a registered trademark of Georg Neumann GmbH.
Orange is a registered trademark of Orange Brand Services Limited.
Park is a registered trademark of AMP RX LLC.
Paul Reed Smith and Archon are registered trademarks of Paul Reed Smith Guitars, LP.
Peavey is a registered trademark of Peavey Electronics Corporation.
Revv is a registered trademark of Revv Amplication Inc.
RMC is a registered trademark of Richard McClish.
Royer is a registered trademark of Bulldog Audio, Inc. DBA Rover Labs.
Sennheiser is a registered trademark of Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG.
Shure is a registered trademark of Shure Inc.
Silvertone is a registered trademark of Samick Music Corporation.
Supro is a registered trademark of DAG Audio Group LLC.
TC Electronic is a registered trademark of MUSIC Group IP Ltd.
Tech21 is a registered trademark of Tech21 Licensing Ltd.
Timmy is a registered trademark of Paul Cochrane AKA PAULCAUDIO.
Trainwreck is a registered trademark of of Scott Alan Fischer and Mona Fischer.
Tube Screamer is a registered trademark of Hoshino Gakki Co. Ltd.
Tycobrahe is a registered trademark of Kurt Stier.
Vox is a registered trademark of Vox R&D Limited.
Way Huge is a registered trademark of Saucy Inc.

Xotic is a registered trademark of Prosound Communications, Inc.

66

Keyboard Shortcuts

Tab

Shift

+

Tab

T

T

+

F1

?

/

+

,

<

+

command

⌘

Q

+

⌘

S

+

⌘

S

+

The following keyboard shortcuts are available to speed up tasks when working in the HX Edit application. Where indicated, some shortcuts require that “focus” be placed on a
window, panel, or specic control to be able to trigger its function. To place focus within the desired window, press your Tab key to cycle focus between the Librarian, Editor, and
Inspector windows—the window is outlined in blue to indicate it has focus. Whenever the Command Center, Global EQ, or Preferences modal windows are opened from the app’s
Window menu, they will automatically have focus. To place focus on a tabbed panel, click directly within the desired Presets, IRs, Favorites, Edit, or Controller Assign panel. To
place focus on any block or on any parameter slider, button, or menu list, simply click directly on it to select it or use the Up/Down and Left/Right arrow keys to navigate through
blocks, presets, IRs, or menu items.

HX Device Owners: Shortcuts listed in the following tables are the same for use with Helix and HX devices, except where noted.

Global Shortcuts

Command Mac PC Function - These shortcuts perform the following functions regardless of focus

Window Focus

Toggles focus between the Librarian, Signal Flow, and Inspector (as indicated by blue outline of selected window)

(forward)

Window Focus

Performs same focus action as above, but rotates through Librarian, Signal Flow and Inspector in reverse order

(reverse)

Enter Tap Tempo

Tap Tempo Mode
Selection

HX Edit Pilot’s

Guide

About Box Window

N/A

N/A

Shift

Alt

“Tap” the key rhythmically to enter the system Tap Tempo value

Changes the Tap Tempo Mode menu selection (Per Snapshot, Per Preset or Global)

Launches this PDF document you are now reading

Displays the About HX Edit window, containing application version information

HX Edit Menu Commands - Shortcuts (Mac only)

Command Mac PC Function - These shortcuts perform the following functions, regardless of focus

Preferences

Quit HX Edit

command

*See the File Menu Commands table for PC equivalent shortcuts.)

*

*

Opens the Preferences window

Quits the HX Edit application

Command

Save Preset

File Menu Commands - Shortcuts

Mac PC Presets/IRs/Favorites Tab Focus Signal Flow Panel Focus Inspector Tab Focus

command

Ctrl

Saves the currently loaded preset

67

Command

S

+

command

Shift

S

+

+

⌘

Ctrl

I

+

E

+

⌘

Ctrl

E

+

I

+

⌥

command

Alt

I

+

E

+

⌥

command

Alt

E

+

I

+

command

Shift

I

+

E

+

command

Shift

E

+

Alt

+

Return

Enter

Q

+

Z

+

command

⌘

Ctrl

Z

+

Z

+

command

Shift

Z

+

X

+

⌘

Ctrl

X

+

C

+

⌘

C

+

Save Preset As

File Menu Commands - Shortcuts

Mac PC Presets/IRs/Favorites Tab Focus Signal Flow Panel Focus Inspector Tab Focus

shift

⌘

+

Ctrl

+

Displays the Save As window, where you can choose the destination setlist and preset

Import Preset/IR/

Favorite

command

I

Imports a preset or IR into the currently-

selected librarian list slot, or imports a

These shortcuts are functional and act upon the Presets, IRs, or Favorites
tab, whichever is currently displayed within the Library window

Favorite into the list, with prompt to add
as new or to replace selected Favorite

Export Preset/IR/

Favorite

Import Setlist

Export Setlist

Import Bundle

(Helix devices)

Export Bundle

(Helix devices)

Preferences *

Quit *

command

option

option

shift

shift

⌘

+

⌘

+

⌘

+

⌘

+

Ctrl

+

Ctrl

+

Ctrl

+

Ctrl

+

Ctrl

Exports the currently-selected preset/IR/

Favorite
Imports a setlist, replacing the current

setlist and its presets

These shortcuts are functional whenever the Presets tab is currently
displayed within the Library window

No function for IRs or Favorites tabs

Exports the current setlist and its presets

as a setlist le to your computer
No function for IRs or Favorites tabs

Imports a bundle, replacing all setlists
and presets

These shortcuts are functional whenever the Presets tab is currently
displayed within the Library window

No function for IRs or Favorites tabs

Exports all setlists and their presets as a

bundle le to your computer
No function for IRs or Favorites tabs

Opens Preferences window (use ESC to close the window)

Quits HX Edit application

*See the HX Edit Menu Commands table for Mac equivalent shortcuts.

Edit Menu Commands - Shortcuts

Command Mac PC Presets/IRs/Favorites Tab Focus Signal Flow Panel Focus Inspector Tab Focus

Undo

Redo

shift

⌘

+

Ctrl

+

No function Reverses the last supported block or

signal ow action

No function Reverses the last Undo action within

the signal ow

Reverses the last supported Edit tab
action

Reverses the last Undo action within

the Edit tab

Cut

command

No function Copies the selected block & its

settings to the clipboard and deletes

No function

the block from the signal ow

Copy

command

Ctrl

Copies the currently-selected preset/
IR/Favorite (in its last-saved state) to

Copies the selected block (with its

current settings) to the clipboard

No function

the clipboard

68

Edit Menu Commands - Shortcuts

+

⌘

Ctrl

V

+

+

delete

command

⌘

A

+

⌘

A

+

R

+

command

⌘

Ctrl

R

+

C

+

command

Shift

C

+

V

+

command

Shift

V

+

R

+

command

Shift

R

+

1

+

command

⌘

1

+

2

+

command

⌘

Ctrl

2

+

3

+

⌘

3

+

4

+

⌘

4

+

5

+

command

⌘

5

+

6

+

⌘

6

+

7

+

⌘

7

+

8

+

⌘

8

+

Command Mac PC Presets/IRs/Favorites Tab Focus Signal Flow Panel Focus Inspector Tab Focus

Paste

Clear

command

V

Delete

Pastes the last-copied preset/IR/
Favorite from the clipboard into the

selected preset location

Clears the selected IRs or Favorites

Pastes the last-copied block from

No function

the clipboard into the selected block

location

Deletes the block from the signal ow No function

No function for Presets tab

Select All

Rename

command

Ctrl

Selects all 128 preset/IRs/Favorites

locations within the current setlist
Allows the selected preset/IR/Favorite

No function

Allows the currently loaded preset to be renamed

to be renamed

Snapshots Menu Commands - Shortcuts

Command Mac PC Presets/IRs/Favorites Tab Focus Signal Flow Panel Focus Inspector Tab Focus

Copy

shift

⌘

+

Ctrl

+

Copies the currently loaded snapshot to the clipboard

Paste

Rename

Snapshot 1

(All Helix & HX devices)

Snapshot 2

(All Helix & HX devices)

Snapshot 3

(All Helix & HX devices)

Snapshot 4

(Helix, HX Stomp XL, and
HX Effects devices)

Snapshot 5

(Helix devices)

Snapshot 6

(Helix devices)

Snapshot 7

(Helix devices)

Snapshot 8

(Helix devices)

shift

shift

command

command

command

command

command

⌘

+

⌘

+

Ctrl

+

Ctrl

+

Ctrl

Pastes the last-copied snapshot contents from the clipboard into the current snapshot

Allows you to enter in a new title to rename the current snapshot

Loads Snapshot 1

Loads Snapshot 2

Ctrl

Ctrl

Ctrl

Ctrl

Ctrl

Ctrl

Loads Snapshot 3

Loads Snapshot 4

Loads Snapshot 5

Loads Snapshot 6

Loads Snapshot 7

Loads Snapshot 8

69

Window Menu Commands - Shortcuts

E

+

⌥

command

Shift

L

+

M

+

command

Shift

M

+

G

+

command

Shift

G

+

0

+

⌥

command

0

+

P

I

F

control

+

⌃

shift

+

return

Shift

+

Enter

+

Command Mac PC Presets/IRs/Favorites Tab Focus Signal Flow Panel Focus Inspector Window Focus

Show/Hide Librarian Panel

option

⌘

+

Ctrl

+

Shows or hides the Presets/IRs/Favorites Librarian panel

Command Center

Global EQ

(Helix, HX Stomp XL, and
HX Stomp devices)

shift

shift

⌘

+

⌘

+

Ctrl

+

Ctrl

+

Opens (and places focus in) and closes the Command Center window

Opens (and places focus in) and closes the Global EQ window

Devices Menu Commands - Shortcuts

Command Mac PC Function - These shortcuts perform the following functions regardless of focus

Select Device’s HX Edit
Window

option

⌘

+

...

Alt

...

Displays and makes the chosen Helix or HX device’s application window the selected, foreground
window. Devices are enumerated starting with “0,” and are selected using the respective device number

in the shortcut

Librarian Window - Shortcuts

Command Mac PC Presets Tab Focus IRs Tab Focus Favorites Tab Focus

Presets Tab

IRs Tab

Favorites Tab

Display Context

Menu

or

or

or

Displays and changes focus to the

No function No function

Presets tab

No function Displays and changes focus to the IRs

No function

tab

No function No function Displays and changes focus to the IRs

tab

Displays the context menu for selected preset location
(Navigate an open menu using Up/Down Arrow keys and ENTER key to make selection. Use ESC key to dismiss menu)

Return

Change Tab Focus

Navigate Selection

Extend Selection

Contiguous Multi-

select

Shift

Shift

Changes focus between the Presets, IRs, and Favorites tabs

Navigates the preset/IR/Favorite selection within the currently displayed panel

+

Extends the preset/IR/Favorite selection within the currently displayed panel

Selects contiguous, multiple presets/IRs/Favorites within the currently displayed panel

70

Librarian Window - Shortcuts

+

⌘

+

R

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Return

Enter

shift

+

return

+

⌃

Shift

+

Return

Enter

A

Command Mac PC Presets Tab Focus IRs Tab Focus Favorites Tab Focus

Non-contiguous
Multi-select

Rename Preset/IR

Rename Setlist

(Helix devices)

Setlist 1

(Helix devices)

Setlist 2

(Helix devices)

Setlist 3

(Helix devices)

Setlist 4

(Helix devices)

Setlist 5
(Helix devices)

Setlist 6

(Helix devices)

Setlist 7
(Helix devices)

Setlist 8
(Helix devices)

command

Control

Delay click

Selects non-contiguous, multiple presets/IRs/Favorites within the currently displayed panel

Renames the clicked preset/IR/Favorite (click once and then a 2nd time 1/3 of a second or later)

Renames the current setlist No function

Displays Setlist 1 No function

Displays Setlist 2 No function

Displays Setlist 3 No function

Displays Setlist 4 No function

Displays Setlist 5 No function

Displays Setlist 6 No function

Displays Setlist 7 No function

Displays Setlist 8 No function

Signal Flow Window - Shortcuts

Command Mac PC Function - These shortcuts perform the following functions when the Signal Flow window has focus

Navigate Selection

Edit Tab

Display Block Context

Menu

Block Bypass Toggle

Amp Block Select

(Helix, HX Stomp XL,
and HX Stomp devices)

or

or

control

or

Spacebar

Selects and cycles through blocks within the Signal Flow

Activates the Edit tab, displays the edit options for the selected block, and gives focus to the Model Category of the
selected block’s model

Displays the block’s context menu*

Toggles the bypass state of the selected block

Selects and cycles through selecting the Amp, Amp+Cab and Preamp blocks within the current preset

71

Signal Flow Window - Shortcuts

E

H

B

C

Shift

+

+

option

⌥

Alt

+

shift

+

return

+

⌃

Shift

+

Return

Enter

+

⌘

+

G

Command Mac PC Function - These shortcuts perform the following functions when the Signal Flow window has focus

Block Select

Selects a block or empty block location

Single-click

Display Edit tab ­Model Browser

Double-click

Double click on any block or empty block location to display the Model Browser to choose a model

*Open context menus can be navigated by arrow keys, where ENTER makes a selection, and ESC dismisses the open menu.

Inspector Window - Shortcuts

Command Mac PC Edit Tab Focus* Bypass/Controller Assign Tab Focus

Edit Tab

Bypass/Controller

Assign Tab

or

or

Select Previous/Next

Parameter or List

Select Previous/Next

Tabbed List

Snapshot Assign

Display Context

Menu

control

or

or

or

Reset to Default

command

Control

Toggle Model List

and Grid Views

*Focus within the Edit tab is indicated by turquoise colored outline surrounding a Model Browser item, or vertical line at left of parameter sliders. See next section for more details.

No function Displays and places focus on the Edit tabbed panel

Displays and places focus on the Bypass/Controller

No function

Assign tabbed panel

Advances the focus to the previous or next parameter

No function

slider or list

(If Model Grid view is visible, Shift must be used to
advance focus out of Model Grid—see next shortcut)

Advances the focus to the rst parameter on the

No function
previous or next tabbed list (if Amp+Cab or Dual Cab,
or if Variax input parameters are present)

Click directly on any parameter slider to quickly assign/

No function
unassign its value to/from a Snapshots controller (or,
when a parameter slider has focus, press S).

Display the context menu for the selected parameter

slider

Display the context menu for the selected Bypass or

Controller Assignment within the Assignments list

(Note that the Shift+Enter shortcut does not work within

this tab, but right click actions do)

Click on any block’s parameter slider to reset it to its
default value (or, when a parameter slider has focus,

press D).

Toggles between displaying the Category/Model List

Click on any assignment’s parameter slider to reset it to

its default value (or, when a parameter slider has focus,

press D)

No function

View and Model Grid View

72

Edit Tab - Model Browser Shortcuts

Shift

+

Shift

+

G

Shift

D

+

Y

+

Q

+

Shift

M

+

L

+

R

+

S

+

F

+

Shift

W

+

+

Alt

A

+

There are numerous keyboard shortcuts available for working within the multi-level Model
Browser of the Inspector’s Edit tab. The functionality of these shortcuts is dependent
upon the element within the Edit tab that currently has focus, as described below.

List/Grid View Toggle

Category List Model List/Grid

Within the Model Browser, the element that currently has focus is indicated by a
turquoise colored outline. You can set the focus by either clicking to select an item
within the list or use your Up/Down/Left/Right arrow keys.

Sub-category Menu

Parameter Sliders

Model Focus (List View)

Model Focus (Grid View)

Edit Tab: Category List or Model/Grid List Focus Shortcuts

Mac or PC Function

Changes category or model selection

Moves focus between Category List, Model List, and Parameter

Sliders

(If Model Grid view is visible, Shift must be used to advance focus
out of Model Grid)

For navigation when the Model Grid View is in use—Moves focus to
the rst parameter slider

For navigation when the Model Grid View is in use—Displays the
Model Category Menu

(Use Up/Down Arrow keys and ENTER keys to navigate and select
Category within menu)

Toggles between displaying the Category/Model List View and

Model Grid View

Selects Distortion category

Shift

Shift

Shift

Selects Dynamics category

Selects EQ category

Selects Modulation category

Selects Delay category

Model Category

Shift

Selects Reverb category

Focus

Shift

Shift

Selects Pitch/Synth category

Selects Filter category

Selects Wah category

Slider Focus

Option

+

Shift

Shift

73

Selects Amp+Cab category (Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp
devices)

A

Selects Amp category (Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp devices)

Edit Tab: Category List or Model/Grid List Focus Shortcuts

P

+

C

+

I

+

V

+

Shift

N

+

O

+

+

+

Return

Enter

Return

N

D

S

Mac or PC Function

Shift

Shift

Shift

Selects Preamp category (Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp
devices)

Selects Cab category (Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp)

Selects IR category

Edit Tab: Parameter Slider Focus Shortcuts

Mac or PC Function

For block parameters, assigns parameter to a Snapshot controller

Double-click Enters edit mode for numerical parameter value (tap Enter/Return

key to accept edited value)

Shift

Selects Volume/Pan category

Selects Send/Return category

Shift

Selects Looper category

Edit Tab: Parameter Slider Focus Shortcuts

Mac or PC Function

Increments/decrements parameter value - ne adjustment

=

_

-

or

Increments/decrements parameter value - coarse adjustment

+

Shift

or

=

+

+

Enter

_

-

Edits numerical parameter value or shows drop-down menu for
discrete parameter choices. (Navigate an open menu using Up/
Down Arrow keys and ENTER key to make selection. Use ESC key

to dismiss menu.)

Opens the selected slider’s context menu for controller assignment

options

Shift

Shift

TIP: The above Parameter Slider Focus Shortcuts are also functional for parameter

sliders within the Inspector - Bypass/Controller Assign tab.

For “Note Sync” capable parameters (indicated by the button to
the right of the slider), this toggles the functionality between Note
Sync and ms/Hz

Sets the selected parameter to its default value

74

Command Center, Global EQ & Preferences Window Shortcuts

M

+

command

Ctrl

M

+

Tab

Shift

+

Tab

+

+

Return

Enter

Return

Enter

Delete

+

Return

Focus within these windows is indicated by the turquoise-colored outline surrounding a control, or by the vertical line at the left of any parameter slider.

Command Center Window - Shortcuts

Command Mac PC Function

Any Control Has Focus

Open Command

Center Window

shift

⌘

+

Shift

+

Opens and moves the Command Center window to the foreground
When the open Command Center window has focus, you can close it using Cmd+W (Mac) or Alt+F4 (Windows)

Focus Next

Focus Previous

Parameter Slider Focus

Adjust Parameter

Value - Fine

Adjust Parameter

Value - Coarse

Shift

Edit Numerical
Parameter Value

Customize Label Control Focus

Edit Custom Label

Remove Custom
Label

Controller Grid Focus

Select Controller
Within Grid

Command Menu Focus (as indicated)

Command Menu
Option Selection

Shift

or

or

or

=

_

-

Move focus to next command parameter

Move focus to previous command parameter

=

_

Adjusts the selected parameter slider’s value up or down using small increments

-

+

=

+

_

-

Adjusts the selected parameter slider’s value up or down using large increments

Edits the selected parameter’s numerical value, or displays a parameter’s drop-down menu for parameter options

Edits the text within the Customize label eld to create a custom name for any Footswitch label

Deletes the text within an edited Customize label eld and returns it to its default label

When any Controller (Instant, Footswitch, Variax Knob or EXP Pedal) has focus within the Grid pane—Moves the
selection to the next or previous Controller

(Use TAB to place focus on Command menu and then use Arrow keys to choose Command option)

When the Command Menu has focus, but the menu is not open—chooses the next or previous option within the
Command menu. Once the desired command within the menu list is highlighted, press the ENTER key to choose the

command

Open Command
Menu

Enter

When the Command Menu has focus, but the menu is not open—use the ENTER key to open the menu, and then use
the following shortcut keys to choose a command from the open menu list.

75

Command Mac PC Function

Esc

G

+

command

Ctrl

G

+

Tab

Shift

+

Tab

R

A

B

1

2

3

4

5

Shift

+

Tab

Q

Dismiss Command

Menu

Change Command
Menu Selection

When the Command Menu has focus and is open—use the ESC key to close the menu without making a selection

When the Command Menu has focus and is open—use the Up/Down Arrow keys to highlight the desired command in
the menu list, then use the ENTER key to select the highlighted command

Global EQ Window - Shortcuts (Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp devices)

Command Mac PC Function

Any Control Has Focus

Open Global EQ

Window

shift

⌘

+

Shift

+

Opens and moves the Global EQ window to the foreground
When the open Global EQ window has focus, you can close it using Cmd+W (Mac) or Alt+F4 (Windows)

Command Center Window - Shortcuts

Focus Next

Focus Previous

Reset

Apply EQ

(Helix devices)

Bypass

EQ Graph Pane Focus

Low Cut

Low Peak

Mid Peak

High Peak

High Cut

Adjust Edit Node -

Fine

Adjust Edit Node -

Coarse

Move focus to next control

Move focus to previous control

Invoke the Reset button to set all parameters “at”

Cycle through the Apply EQ menu’s output modes

Toggle Bypass on/o

Selects the Low Cut node

Selects the Low Peak node

Selects the Mid Peak node

Selects the High Peak node

Selects the High Cut node

Adjusts the selected edit node in small increments
Use the numbered keys above to select the desired node, then use Up/Down keys to edit Gain and Left/Right arrow keys

to edit Frequency
Adjusts the selected edit node in large increments

Use the numbered keys above to select the desired node, then use Up/Down keys to edit Gain and Left/Right arrow keys
to edit Frequency

Increment Q Value

- Fine

Increments the selected node’s Q parameter value by 0.1

76

Global EQ Window - Shortcuts (Helix, HX Stomp XL, and HX Stomp devices)

Q

+

Q

+

Shift

Q

+

Return

Enter

Return

Enter

+

+

<

Return

Command Mac PC Function

Increment Q Value

- Coarse

Decrement Q Value

- Fine

Decrement Q Value

- Coarse

Control-Specic Focus (as indicated)

Shift

Ctrl

Ctrl

Reset

+

Increments the selected node’s Q parameter value by 1.0

Decrements the selected node’s Q parameter value by 0.1

Decrements the selected node’s Q parameter value by 1.0

When the Reset button has focus—Resets all parameters to default “at” values

Bypass

Close Window

Spacebar

When the Bypass button has focus—Toggles Global EQ Bypass

When the Done button has focus—Triggers the Done button to exit the Global EQ window. Optionally, you can use the

ESC key to close the window

Apply To
Output Options

(Helix devices)

or

=

_

When the Apply To output menu has focus—Selects the Apply To output menu’s next or previous option. Optionally, you
can use the ENTER key when the menu has focus to expand and view the menu list

-

Command Mac PC Function

Open Preferences

Window

command

⌘

,

Alt

+

Enter

Opens the Preferences window
You can use the ESC key to close the window

Preferences Window - Shortcuts

77

Additional Mouse Behaviors

But wait, there’s more! To follow are additional time-saving gestures using your mouse

wheel or mouse buttons.

• Use your mouse wheel while hovering over...

• Any block within the Signal Flow to access the block’s Bypass and Clear

buttons

• Any parameter slider and adjust its value

• Any scroll bar to scroll the panel’s contents, such as within the Presets, IRs,

and Favorites panels, and Edit and Bypass/Controller Assign tabs

• The Snapshots menu to load a dierent snapshot

• The numerical Tap Tempo control to increment/decrement the tempo value

• The Setlist menu (Helix devices) to load a dierent setlist

• Left-click and hold, or right-click on...

• The Preset tab’s Setlist menu (Helix devices) to rename the current setlist

• The Snapshots menu to rename the current snapshot

• The numerical Tap Tempo control to edit the numerical tempo value

• Within the Presets Librarian tabbed window, Alt/Option + Left-click (Mac) or Ctrl

+ Left-click (PC) and drag and drop any preset (or multiple selected presets) to
copy into new preset slot locations, overwriting the presets that currently exist
there. (Dragging and dropping a preset without using a modier key moves the
preset and reorders your preset list.)

• Just try Right-clicking (or Ctrl+Left-clicking on Mac) on dierent items within

the application, and you may just discover a handy menu of commands you
didn’t know about!

78

Updater & Additional
Resources

HX Edit and Device Firmware Updater

Upon launch of the HX Edit application (v3.01 and later), it will automatically check
to see if you’re using the latest available version of both the HX Edit application and
the rmware of your connected Helix or HX device. An active Internet connection is
required for updates. It is highly recommended always to use the latest versions of
device rmware, HX Edit, and Helix Native software to benet from the latest features
and the smoothest product compatibility.

To Check For and Install Updates

1. Connect your Helix or HX device, power it on, and launch HX Edit.

2. Sign In - If you have not already done so, click the My Account button at the

lower left of the HX Edit window and choose Sign In, enter your Username and

Password, and click Sign in. If you have not yet created one, click Create a Line
6 Account in the Sign In window to go to the line6.com website, create your free

account, and then return to HX Edit and sign in.

3. If a newer HX Edit application and/or rmware version is available, you’ll be

prompted.

There are available updates for both HX Edit and the rmware for the
connected Helix Floor device in our example above.*

*NOTE: In our example above, we’re using using version “3.20” as a

ctitious example in our steps here. The potential next available HX Edit

and rmware versions may dier!

IMPORTANT! Please be sure to click and read the Release Notes

available updates rst. There may be specic instructions for the
order and procedure to perform the update, depending on your device and
computer system.

Note that only the Update Now button for the HX Edit update is selectable—
you must update the application rst before updating your device rmware.

5. Click Update Now for HX Edit, and you will be prompted to download the

application installer (this download allows you to have the installer on your
computer in case you need to run it again in the future). Click OK and choose
your download location to start the download.

6. Once the download completes, you’ll be prompted to run the HX Edit application
installer.

4. Click OK, and you’ll be presented with the available updates and their version

info. You’ll also see the notication at the bottom right of the HX Edit
app window, which you can click at any time to display the updates.

Click OK to proceed. Follow the instructions in the installer screens and
complete the HX Edit installation.

79

7. Launch the (now updated) HX Edit application. The HX Edit Updater will again

prompt you that updates are available as in step 3. Click OK, and you’ll be
presented with the Firmware update, as in step 4, but with its Update Now
button now selectable.

• Optionally, you can customize the title, description, and save location for your

Backup le within the Create Backup window (see “Creating & Restoring

Complete Device Backups” on page 27 for details). Click the Create

Backup button to proceed.

NOTE:

connection on your computer, you must use the separate Line 6 Updater

application—please skip to “Using the Line 6 Updater App” on page 81.

8. Click the Update Now button and allow the Firmware updater to start and walk

you through the following steps.

• Create Backup - You are prompted to create a backup, including all your

device’s Presets, Setlists, IRs, Favorites, User Model Defaults, and Global
Settings. Click OK to continue.

If you wish to install an earlier rmware version and/or have no Internet

• End User License Agreement: - You must agree to the terms of the License

Agreement to perform the rmware installation - read and click OK to continue.

80

• Update Device: Click Update, and the Updater does its thing—simply sit back

and wait for the update to run, as indicated by the status bar at the bottom of

the window. It is especially important not to disturb the device’s controls
and cable connections until the update fully completes!

• Update Complete: Once nished, you’ll see the Update Complete screen.

Read and perform any specic mentioned steps and click Back to HX Edit.
You’ll then be reconnected to the HX Edit app—ready to start using the new
rmware!

TIP: For some updates, rmware versions will include new Factory Presets.

However, the rmware update process does not install these new Factory Presets
automatically (since we gure you really would not want any of your existing presets
overwritten!). You can install them by performing a Factory Restore—please see your
Helix or HX Owner’s Manual for details.

TIP: Alternatively, you can manually check for available HX Edit and device rmware

updates anytime by clicking the Check For Updates button found within “The

Preferences Window”.

Using the Line 6 Updater App

As mentioned in the previous section, for updating to the latest available Helix
or HX device rmware, it is recommended to use the built-in Firmware Updater

within the latest HX Edit version. If for any reason you prefer to use an earlier
version of HX Edit, and/or wish to “roll back” to or install rmware version older than
version 2.90, you must use the separate Line 6 Updater application. The Line 6 Updater
software is installed automatically on Windows computers with the installation of the
HX Edit application—or, the latest Mac and Windows versions can be downloaded from

line6.com/software/.

IMPORTANT! Please be sure to read the Release Notes for all Line 6
application and device driver installations rst, before performing updates

or installations. Also, read the Release Notes and Special Instructions displayed

within the Line 6 Updater application when starting a rmware update (see the
following steps). There may be specic instructions for the order and procedure

to perform the update, depending on the existing version you already have
installed.

While the presets on your device will not be altered, some minor sonic changes
may still occur with some rmware updates, as noted within any rmware’s

Release Notes.

TIP: It is always a good idea to create a backup of your Helix or HX device’s

contents before performing a rmware update! The best procedure is to perform
the backup in your existing HX Edit version rst—then update to the latest device
rmware and HX Edit versions. See

on page 27.

To use the Line 6 Updater application - Once you have Line 6 Updater installed, with
your Helix or HX device connected and powered on, quit all other Line 6 and audio

applications and launch the application.

On Mac - Go to Applications > Line 6 > Line 6 Updater

On Windows® - Go to the Start button menu > All Apps (or Programs) > Line 6 >

Line 6 Updater

• Once you’ve launched the Line 6 Updater app, you will be asked to sign in to

your Line 6 account.* If you do not have an account, you must rst create one.
Follow the prompts through to the quick online registration.

“Creating & Restoring Complete Device Backups”

81

*NOTE: If the computer you are using is not connected to the Internet, it is

still possible to use Line 6 Updater in “Oine Mode” to update your device.

Please see the steps at the end of this section for details.

• Once logged in, any USB-connected and supported Line 6 products will appear

in the main view of the Line 6 Updater application. Click on the device you wish
to update and your device’s current rmware version and available updates are
displayed.

• Select the desired rmware version and click the Update button.

• The rmware’s Release Notes are shown before continuing with the update

process. Read them for important details.*

• The License Agreement is displayed next. Read through the agreement and

click Accept to agree to the terms and conditions and start the update process.

• You’ll then see the rmware’s Special Instructions displayed. Be sure to read all

instructions here carefully and follow the steps closely.

• When ready click Next and Line 6 Updater software will assist you in performing

the update in minutes. It is especially important not to disturb the device’s
controls and cable connections until the update fully completes!

While the presets on your device will not be altered, some minor sonic changes may still
occur with rmware updates, as noted within any rmware’s Release Notes.

Using Line 6 Updater in Offline Mode

If the computer you are using to run the Line 6 Updater app is not connected to the
Internet, you can use the app’s Ofine Mode to update your Helix or HX edit device’s
rmware, as follows.

• You’ll need to rst obtain the latest rmware for your specic Helix or HX device

by downloading it from the line6.com/software/ web page, then manually copy
the downloaded (.hxf) le to your computer where you’ll be running Line 6
Updater. Connect your Helix or HX device directly to the computer’s USB port.

Additional Resources

Looking for more info? We’ve got plenty of online resources, just a click away.

• Additional Help documentation covering Helix & HX hardware and Helix Native

plugin is available on the Line 6 Support site at Line 6 Product Manuals.

• Visit the Line 6 CustomTone site where you can share your presets with the

world, and download free presets created by Line 6 and other users just like
you.

• Looking for some professionally crafted presets and IRs for your Helix device

or Helix Native plugin? Check out the new Marketplace, and be sure to check
back often for news and product announcements.

• Can’t get enough Line 6 gear & accessories? Head on over to the Line 6 Online

Shop.

• Check out the Line 6 Support page for access to helpful tips, videos, discussion

forums, or to contact Line 6 Technical Support.

NOTE: While on the Line 6 software page, it is highly recommended that you

fully read the Release Notes for the rmware version that you are about to
download before running Line 6 Updater. These notes may include important
details on the steps for your specic update!

• Launch Line 6 Updater. Rather than logging in, press the Ofine Mode button.

• Choose the Helix or HX device that you wish to update.

• Click the Choose File button to browse your computer and select the (.hxf)

rmware le you obtained in the rst step.

• Now just press the Next button and proceed with the update, carefully following

all the screen instructions until the process completes.

TIP: Whenever installing rmware, you must be sure to also install the matching

version number of the HX Edit application. Please visit line6.com/software/ to nd

the correct application version.

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