Inputs and outputs
Every jack on the Helix Floor, on a diagram you can click — what it's for, and the thing about it that costs people an evening.
Helix Floor · Rear panel · schematic, drawn from Line 6’s panel diagram
GUITAR IN
TS, ¼″rear panel
Your main instrument input.
It has a switchable pad and a selectable input impedance. If a guitar sounds harsh or dull, impedance is the control almost nobody touches and it is the one that changes how your pickups load.
Helix Cheat Sheet (Rev D)Facts about the audio path
For a mono rig, use the LEFT/MONO jack
Both output pairs are stereo. The left jack of each pair is the one that carries a summed mono signal — take the right one on its own and you get half the picture. This is the most common cabling mistake with any stereo modeller.
Helix Cheat Sheet (Rev D)The ground lift is a physical switch, not a menu item
It sits between the sends/returns and the XLR outputs on the rear panel. Reach for it first when there is hum.
Helix Cheat Sheet (Rev D)The guitar input has selectable impedance
Set it to Auto and it follows the first block in your chain, which is usually right. Set it by hand if a guitar sounds harsh — a lower value loads the pickups and softens the top end, exactly as a real vintage pedal does.
Helix 3.80 Owner's ManualUSB is 8-in / 8-out at 24-bit / 96 kHz
Enough to record the processed sound and a clean dry track at the same time, which is what makes re-amping possible later.
Helix Cheat Sheet (Rev D)The VOLUME knob does affect USB 1/2
Unusually, the master volume is in the path of the first USB output pair. If your DAW level moves when you touch the knob, that is why — record on a different pair if you want it isolated.
Helix Cheat Sheet (Rev D)