Line 6 Helix - Reaper MIDI Tutorial for Preset and Snapshot Switching

[@bmestler]

One important step...don't forget to set up the helix in the 'MIDI devices' section of the preferences and enable output. On the track, set a MIDI hardware output to the helix and check that the send to channel in reaper matches the base channel of the helix midi options

[@DanCapeau]

Yes! I remember in a comment a few years ago this was mentioned and I skipped over it in the video so it's very important to have this be the case!

[@bmestler]

6 years later and this is still SUPER helpful. Thanks so much!!!!

[@CoredusK]

This is INCREDIBLE. Amazing!! I heard that Tesseract has all their patch switching controlled by midi, and now it looks like it's actually possible to do it with Helix as well! Already have click tracks for most of the band's song in Reaper, so having automatic switches of patches and snapshots is gonna be freaking GOD MODE.

[@DanCapeau]

Thanks so much!

[@MIRAGEBANDFR]

I'm trying to auto-switch to another guitar preset, and I tried what you show on this video but I just can't understand how to put "user" bank when I double click on ".Bank/Program" section... It's been YEARS since I found someone who has the solution, but I don't get it 😢 Please help me!

[@RyanChansler]

Great tutorial! I can get it to change presets, but for some reason it won't work with snapshots.

[@skettimaggetti]

Good video. These were the exact steps I needed for my HX Effects. Thanks!

[@DanCapeau]

Nice. Glad I could help!

[@c0veredinash]

Maaaate, thank you so much, I hate tap dancing at gigs . This works perfectly.

[@DanCapeau]

Awesome! You're welcome dude! I'm really itching to try this out live with my band

[@c0veredinash]

+Dan Capeau yeah mate, i'm slowly piecing together a pa and all the gear i need to gig solo. So anything that helps is welcome.

[@monteself6826]

ok I tried Reacontrol, couldn't get it working tonight, but I was able to delete reacontrol and press record and select a patch, the funny thin is the "Program control change" "69 Hold pedal 2" and Bank show up, BUT when I record only the patch will change not the snapshot. to late , will start again tomorrow, maybe try reacontrol again, Helix AND Reaper both have be updated a few time already since this video.

[@austinpond7360]

I feel like I'm getting so close! Is there any reason why when I click for the bank program like you have at 2:32 it doesn't show "user" in the bank. and when I click the dropdown it only shows general Midi and then all the general midi banks. I try and load the GM.reabank but nothing changes.

[@DanCapeau]

I'm not sure why you're not seeing a user bank but just know that it's not reading the actual Helix back names. Also make sure that you have the routing on the midi track to have the midi output to your interface or helix directly. I think thats the only part i accidentally missed in this video

[@vamband]

@@DanCapeau I just spent a while trying to get this to work with no luck, then I came across this comment! once I linked the MIDI tracks output to the HELIX it worked magically! This should have been the #1 thing in your vid, its crucial to the connection! I would at least put it in your description so people can achieve this too without frustration. Next time, might want to start with no MIDI notes and walk thru the process from scratch, just like a new user. Thank you for the video! much appreciated

[@Moises-nr3mw]

Hello excellent video, could you explain how to control the presets with a button, because in the midi the presets are executed in sequence. But I need a very separate button to control.

[@adammcpherson8426]

YES! Thank you so much! This is bad ass.

[@dakotaskyhook53]

How do you get the changes to happen correctly when you play live? How do you "start" the timing? Do you somehow kick it off thru midi?

[@DanCapeau]

Dakota Skyhook yeah you would ideally have the backing track loaded into the session and start the playback. That would trigger the midi changes at a set time.

[@dakotaskyhook53]

@@DanCapeau Any idea how to change Helix Native on the fly like you are doing with the Helix Floor? I tried the same steps, but it's not changing to my preset and/or snapshot.

[@DanCapeau]

Dakota Skyhook so for helix native or any other plugin, you need to use automation changes within the daw. It’s not midi changes but actually plugins settings. Whichever daw you use, you should be able to right click on the plugin and click “automation dialogue” or something to that effect. From there you should be able to selection a number of settings in the plugin and then use the piano roll midi editor to adjust those setting at a certain measure

[@AndreaA83]

Hi Dan, thank you so much for this tutorial, it has been plenty useful to me. I have a problem: every time I stop the playback, the Helix automatically reverts to Snapshot 1, it doesn't stay on the current snapshot, neither it reverts to the snapshot saved as default for that patch...it always go back to 1. This is really bugging me and I don't know how to fix it. Everything is setup exactly as per your video (bank, program changes, CC...). Can you help me, please?

[@DanCapeau]

I'm glad this helped you out! That still happens to me as well. I'm practicing a clean part and when I stop, it goes back to default distortion. I haven't ever tried to fix it so I too would be curious if someone has a fix!

[@AndreaA83]

@@DanCapeau I happen to have just found the cause and the solution 😆 It seems that since Reaper 6.37 they enabled by default the midi reset CC on playback stop. To prevent this from happening you have to go on Preferences, Audio, Playback and disable Reset MIDI CC on playback stop. I was literally going crazy with this! 😱🤯

[@DanCapeau]

@@AndreaA83 awesome! Thats great that the fix is just a reaper setting and no extra midi information needs to be added! I'm going to try this asap! Thank you!!

[@debarunpaul73]

Is it possible with Abelton live.... Please make a video with Abelton it will help me a lot...

[@baptistelouis9234]

Yo ! Nice video mate ! :) Do you think it's possible to control the helix rack directly in midi from your computer, without having to control the helix control pedal ? And do you think it would be the exact same midi tracks in reaper ? Thanks !

[@DanCapeau]

Thank you!!! I think it would be almost exactly the same as this video. I don't think the firmware for the rack vs the floor would change the midi values for the snapshots. You would just need to program the changes to a click or a backing or something because the switching will only trigger during playback

[@markbancroft3916]

Probably a dumb question, but when I go to add in CC events, I'm not seeing bars being drawn in. Instead I'm drawing in nodes with connecting lines. If I change the CC shape to square, I think it will act the same. Just curious why mine looks different.

[@DanCapeau]

Hey Mark, I just checked my old session and my thought is that there have been many updates to Reaper since this video and I think they changed it to nodes because I don't have the bars anymore. I does function the same though!

[@markbancroft3916]

@@DanCapeau right on! Thanks for the crazy fast reply!

[@OSLiveTV]

How did you create the user bank? I only have GM.bank to choose from. Thanks

[@DanCapeau]

In the helix? I just modified a blank user bank that was already there. I think it comes stock with two factory banks?? And then 4 user banks

[@OSLiveTV]

@@DanCapeau K. I thought that was in Reaper. I'll have to look in my Helix files then. I've been leaving it blank. But, I'm getting some issues so I'm trying isolate the problem.

[@floriyoo1036]

Does it work with the HX Stomp as well?

[@DanCapeau]

Flo Franzen i would think it would because the stomp uses the same system for snapshots and presets

[@Tumezuikkeli]

@@DanCapeau works!

[@emmaleon79]

Great!! Can you do this in a gig? Is it possible?

[@DanCapeau]

Yes! I actually just finished setting up a 8 snapshot preset for my bands live set and it handles BOTH me and the other guitarist's changes. I set up a patch that uses 2 complete amp and IR chains with 1 guitar using the guitar input and the other using Return 1. It's super convenient and it works just like the tutorial in this video!

[@jSattJamboree]

Man, I’m trying this but have no luck. Any preferences I need to change to get this to work?

[@dukegdl]

I spent a couple of hours suffering with this and the key is to find that window that appears at minute 2:32 put the values ​​that appear in the video and test with the send buttom. Then it will all make sense.

[@jSattJamboree]

I messed with this for hours as well, and finally found that I needed to open the routing menu in the track I was on and set it to output to the Helix MIDI device. Great tutorial, but it’s missing some of the beginning steps to get setup to have everything work.

[@DanCapeau]

@@jSattJamboree yes! My apologies for not including that. Thank you for posting this.. You definitely need to set tge Helix is an input or output midi device in the preferences menu! I honestly wish this was a little easier, even programming it now after so long but its not

[@vamband]

@@jSattJamboree ^ this is the missing step for anyone that finds this vid trying to make it work in Reaper!

[@jozedubre8446]

Hello ! Have u ever managed to do Preset changes on the VST version ?

[@DanCapeau]

Hello there. I haven't tried to do so but I would imagine you would have to open the automation dialogue of the plugin, check off the preset box, and then use the daw midi preset piano roll to switch them.

[@jozedubre8446]

@@DanCapeau Checked everything, didn't work. Just could do preset change of the daw plugin preset, not of the plugin. So it works in Reaper (which i don't use but I've tried) as vst preset number call thru Program change. On Cubase, you can only do Previous or Next VST Preset. Snaphots work within the plugin with program change, thou. But it is not enough. What you can do to control an external hardware Helix, you cannot do on the VST version. Not good.

[@Adieu]

might get a helix and want to be able to change presets like how i usually do with the axefx live. would it be the same process of setting up the cc changes?

[@DanCapeau]

Adieu absolutely. Helix is fully midi controllable. Be warned that if you changed presets mid song, just like every other amp modeler, you will have a small cutout of audio. HOWEVER if you use the snapshots within presets for different parts of a song, the switch is instantaneous with no loss of audio. Then you could seemingly run different presets for each song with different snapshots for each song, depending on how many tone changes the song requires. Helix is, in my opinion, the best piece of professional hardware for something like this. Best of luck and if you have any more questions, I’d be happy to try to answer them for ya

[@Adieu]

hi dan , thanks so much for the reply. currently using the axefx for recording. and have used it for gigs. my main thing is i run preset changes from the laptop so wanted something lighter that i could travel with whilst being affordable. after reading this it seems that its an extremely powerful piece of gear. btw by "snapshots" do yo u mean they are similar to "Scenes" in the axe? thanks

[@DanCapeau]

Adieu yeah I believe it’s the same concept. For Helix, A preset is an entire rig and snapshots are different settings / bypass states of the rig components. And you can still combine stomp mode with snapshots for cool momentary effects

[@iammamidala]

Do you know how you'd go about doing this with Helix Native and the hardware modeler ?

[@DanCapeau]

So with helix native, you have to use automatons to change presets and snaps. Depending on the daw, you would right click the plugin and go the automation dialogue to control preset and snaps with value changes. Unless you mean control helix native with a foot controller, in which case you would need to use midi messages to switch, similar to the ones in this video but I don't really know how you'd go about that

[@jeremino263]

thanks man

[@adammcpherson8426]

You're just hooked up via USB correct?

[@DanCapeau]

Adam McPherson thanks dude! in this video i have my midi out of the helix going into my Akai MPK249 midi in. And that is connected via usb to my computer. So As long as you have a midi input device hooked up to your pc/mac, it will work :)

[@adammcpherson8426]

Dan Capeau thank you! I litterally JUST found what i was doing wrong. I needed go route the output of my midi track to my helix. FYI it works only being connected to my computer via USB. No midi cables or interface or anything. Cheers and thanks again!

[@DanCapeau]

Adam McPherson oh really? Well that's helpful too! Thanks for sharing and im glad it's working for ya

[@karlhunt6920]

Thank you so much for sharing this, I've spent the best part of an hour trying to get this to work, and now it does! Thanks Adam!

[@GuitarKid581]

@@adammcpherson8426 I'm trying to do it that way as well but I'm not getting it. The helix isnt an option for the track output?