My Helix Rack has no footswitches
Helix Control is a separate product
Working as designedIt is not included with the Rack. Until you add one, the rack is driven from its front panel and from HX Edit.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)Reference
Reference
Troubleshooting
Indexed by what you notice, not by what the subsystem is called — because when something is wrong you know there's no sound, not that it's a routing problem.
6 of the 9 problems below are not faults. They are documented behaviour that looks like a fault, and they are marked working as designed. “Your unit is fine” is a useful answer and nobody publishes it.
Helix Control won't power up or isn't seen
The cable is in the Variax port
Two identical RJ45 sockets sit next to each other on the rear. The footboard goes in the one marked HELIX CONTROL, into its HOST port at the other end.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)A very long cable run
Over long distances the rack may not power the board reliably. Helix Control has a DC IN jack for that, using a Line 6 DC-3 adapter.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)The footswitches are doing the wrong thing
Helix Control is in Preset mode, not Stomp mode
Working as designedPress FS6 on the footboard.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)The screen keeps changing to a block I didn't select
A foot is resting on a capacitive footswitch
Working as designedHelix Control's switches are touch-sensitive. Touching one selects its block on screen without changing the sound. Nothing is wrong.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)There's hum or buzz
A ground loop between the rack and the PA
Press the GND/LIFT switch on the rear panel, beside the XLR outputs.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)It sounds thin, quiet, or like half the effects are missing
You are using the RIGHT output on its own
Working as designedThe LEFT/MONO jack of each pair is the one that sums to mono. Move the cable.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)A cab block is running into a real guitar cab
Two speakers stacked. Bypass the Cab block, or use an Amp model rather than Amp+Cab.
Helix 3.80 Owner's ManualIt won't let me add a block
You have hit a hard cap, not the DSP ceiling
Working as designedFour amps per preset, two per path. One looper per preset. One poly effect per path. Free DSP does not unlock any of them.
Helix 3.80 Owner's ManualYou are genuinely out of DSP
Make a stereo block mono, swap a Legacy cab for the newer IR-based one, or replace two amps with one amp into a Dual cab.
Helix 3.80 Owner's ManualClicks or dropouts on the digital output
Clock termination
If the Helix is the last device in the wordclock chain, switch the terminator on. If it is not, switch it off.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)I lost my changes
The preset was never saved
Working as designedAn “E” beside the preset name means edited and unsaved. Press SAVE twice.
Helix Rack and Control Cheat Sheet (Rev C)