Line 6 Helix - Setting Up Outputs for Live Use- Bypassing Big Volume Knob - 2 Minute Tip 

I’ve watched 4 vids that were 10 minutes or more and in 5 you explained everything. Flawlessly . Thank You

For some weird reason I had missed the big volume part of things when I read the manual… nd boy I love it . Thanks Steve even though you’ll never see this 😅

Wow, this is the first time I've ever heard that you can control what the big volume knob can control. That's a huge deal, I thank you for bringing it up.

...and here I was rocking tape on my big volume know for the exact reason you demonstrated🙂 Great tips Steve, thanks!

Please feel free to ask questions here! Thanks for watching

Thank you SO much for this video - it addressed the EXACT question I had regarding the Helix's outputs. I have a Kemper (and still love it, but it's gotta get shipped out for a repair - footswitches are finally being lame after 3 years) and I have it set up this very same way for the very same reasons you have. I just needed to make sure that if I buy a Helix (to add to my amp tone possibilities, and to have a similar backup rig whenever my Kemper has to get shipped out for God knows how long it'll take to get repaired) I could run the Helix the same way at my gigs. Again, thank you so much for the help! And I subscribed to your channel to get more help and info from you as I move forward on the Helix!

Thanks Steve, I'm just back from a rehearsal using my new Helix rack set up. I couldn't work out why my frfr signal was so weak till I watched this. I love the idea of splitting the FOH level from backline too man.....superb. Thanks again.

Just picked up a Helix Floor last week and have learned more from you than any other source. I know these are old but I appreciate all of these to get set up before taking it on stage for the first time!

Super tip. My sound Engineer will love me, on my next gig thanx to you :-) Thank you Steve

Was jamming with friends tonight (LT Powercab combo here) and were trying to accomplish this exact thing. Alas, I forgot I could page over for more settings lol. But now I know for next time. Soooo much better when playing through an amplified soundboard and the big knob has no effect!!! Just a great option to control your own monitor.

Hey Steve. Somehow my big vol knob got switched back to 1/4 and xlr. It was driving the sound guy nuts. While it was fun to torment him, I couldn't remember where this setting was. Thanks! Now all is good again.

Thanks mucho - Sometimes directions from the engineers are not that great because everything to them is simple. It takes people like you (with real world experience) to relate basic ideas to us commoners that they skip. I heard there was a way to turn off the 'big volume knob". Not well explained in the manual. I see now that you can't turn it off, you can only change what that knob will control. I actually like the idea better that it will control the out to my amp (1/4 inch) but not the out to the board. Just what I needed, thanks again for being on our side.

Steve, I got a great method for stabilizing the big volume knob. I play table tennis and I buy my own rubbers and glue them to the paddle. There's always left over rubber after cutting the it to the shape needed for the paddle. I cut a circle the size of the knob and glued it to the bottom of the knob. You can still turn it, but you have to use a LOT of pressure. No way that thing is moving unless I want it to!

Steve, thank you for making this video, I learned something new and I really appreciate the time you took to do this.

Great video, mighty helpful. I was wondering why my volume knob wasn't working so jumped over to the interwebs and this was the first recommend video and it fixed it. I keep waiting to find the bottom of the rabbit hole of all the options and different things my helix will do, but it just keeps going. First piece of gear I've ever owned that continues to impress and surprise me with the more time I spend with it. Keep up the good work. All of these little tips and tricks are golden and a big help for the rest of us that haven't taken the time for the deep dives into the unit.

Since my audio interface got fried due to lightning strike (still don’t know how that happened), I use the helix floor as my audio interface, but also sending my AES to my powercab 212 plus (or just using headphones at night)… this really helped, especially the big knob. I just want the big knob to control the volume of my studio monitors. Amp via amp vol knob, guitar, via headphone knob

Awesome tip!

Very helpful and easy to follow! Thank you!

I swap the volume knob with the joystick knob, gives more stability with toggling around and it might help with the volume getting rubbed by the cable

Very nice & quite logical. Thanks, Richard

I love how your houses decorations is literally just a bunch of guitars. 😂

THANKS!!!!!

Good tips Steve.

That’s great info!

Helped a lot man thanks

Just had a gig where my xlr was too hot to front of house. I couldn't find the line/mic setting! Thanks!

Thank you Steve. This video is so important and its the best way to dial the best tone. I tried this in live and man the tone is like a "house" :))). I go direct to FOH without amp and pedals. Its big big difference in tone. That is a holy grale of helix :))). My question is when I put this settings on helix- XLR on MIC and to FOH, big knob on 1/4, what is the best leveling output patch at the end of chain? Is that 0db output level or is not important? My acoustic patch is +20db but my other patch is -18db. I am confused. Man thank you for everything about helix. You are the first man. Chears

Thank you for this...

I've been using link cable into my powercab and then the out on the powercab to FOH. I guess it's kind of the same thing because the powercab volume doesn't effect the signal to FOH and is has a virtual 57 mic in the output. I just worry that when I don't have my powercab one day, I won't know how to set the Helix for FOH. I should probably use this method and get used to it. Powercab does make it easy. After about 8 months with the Helix, I'm struggling with some of the tones live. I miss a the feel of my amp sometimes.

Hey Steve - thanks for all the help! Question - If XLR is set to mic and going to FOH is there a way to control the level of that signal with the setup you use? Would FOH always be happy with mic level? I'm going to use my Helix live for the first time next Friday. I'll be using your setup with an FRFR on stage for me and XLR out to FOH.

Hi, i always thought to use instrument line when going to an amp (either power amp or front). Can you tell us why you use line level? Thanks!

Steve, I appreciate the video! Keep them coming! Question...do you set anything for volume to the Powercab using the Line6 link output?

Thank you. This and all your videos are very informative. Especially helpful as I am new to the Helix as my gig rig. My question: When you create your patches for a LIVE gig and volume level them at home, what loudness (LUFS) do you shoot to create them at (-23db, -15db, ??? ), so that when you send Mic level to FOH they have enough headroom to increase or lower you to fit in the mix and give you headroom for Solo boosts, etc, so you dont clip?

Hey buddy. I know you have a flood of comments. I’m a new helix user. And I’ve been looking at different resources on this. Some people say use “instrument” for your 1/4” out put. And “line” from your XLR to front of house, studio monitors, and so on. My guitar tech said he uses the reverse. “Line” for his 1/4” and “instrument” as “XLR” outputs. My helix was set “instrument” for 1/4” and “line” to XLR and I thought sounded fine. So, Is this one of those things that’s like “whatever sounds best to you” type of things? Sorry for the long comment!

What if I want to use both xlr outs from helix to a PreSonus rack mixer which has (mic/line inputs) Can I set it to line level in the helix without any adverse effect on tone?

Good stuff, Steve ... thanks! When you set the xlr to skip the volume knob, is the defaylt volume setting on max? I always run max volume to FOH and want to make sure max is still being sent if I bypass the knob.

Hey Steve, love your videos! You're a great teacher! My question is when you switch to your master volume to control quarter inch what level does it set your xlr ( helix pedal) too?

Valuable tip, thank you. Any thoughts on putting an EQ pedal between the Helix and FRFR? I'd like to tweak my stage tone without interfering with front of house. Can an EQ pedal still work with line level output from the Helix?

Mate, love this tip. Thanks so much. I'm wondering - is there a way to connect the 1/4 inch to a tube amp on stage for my own sound and the band on stage, and run no amp sims on that. But the XLR out to the FOH, run an amp sim on that, at the same time? Whilst using the same effects on both?

Hello Steve Im using helix floor into PC+ , xlr to FOH , L_6 to PC . I notice you use the 1/4" to PC+ and explain how to adjust volume to PC+ How do I control signal strength to PC+ through L-6 link . I use Helix for sound , no PC speakers with new 3.5 update. Would I be better off just using 1/4" to PC as you do on this video ? I am a bit confused on this subject . Thank you and great channel I only recently discovered .

HI - thanks for the videos! I have been trying the big knob at 100% as you and others have recommended. With my IR at -18, I have to keep my channel volumes pretty low in order to keep my levels where the mixer can handle them without clipping... depending on the amp model, it's between about 3.5 and 5.5....That's with my output set to line for the xlr to the mixer (mic level is too hot)... does that make sense to you? So many conflicting opinions/advice... just looking for a reality check. Keep up the great work! Thanks!

If you set the large volume knob to "digital", does it control the volume coming out of the L6 link to the Powercab ?

4:27 happened to me once while using a Drop pedal, I believe I went two whole steps down...ugly.

Hey Steve, where do you normally set the level on your frfr itself? What is your starting point?

When there is a backline amp - a Hot Rod or something - do you change the 1/4 inch out to instr level? Thanks. I enjoy the channel!

How would you recommend controlling overall volume level on the hx stomp to the front of house? Do you use the channel volume? External volume knob? Lower the output main level db at the end of the chain? I use the channel volume from the amp block but some say to leave it ok 10 for more headroom.

Hey Steve, I'm having trouble with my patches going into a power amp and then a cab. The sounds are all to harsh, distorted and not even close to what I did on the editor.

If you make the volume lead boost video can you also include balancing the volume levels between patches so one is not louder than the other?

When the knob is set to Multi/XLR etc. I know when I need to turn down my signal for FOH. But when I disable volume knob for XLR that function isn’t available. How much signal is going through via the XLR out? will it mimic at 12o’clock signal?

Real helpful man. Thanks a lot. Can you please tell me how to avoid this: I add a block do a specific snapshot and it enables it for the whole patch. I then have to go to each snapshot to disable it. Is it just how it is?

hi Steve! I’m using hx stomp and canvas walrus for my go-to direct setup, what’s ur best recommendation to set the output level ? I currently run instrument output (hx stomp) setting with Line isolator (walrus canvas) to FOH. and i don’t know if this only me or no, i love the tone when i use headphone out for practice its sounds fuller and harmonic. when i’m trying live, it sounds different 😭 sorry for the long comment tho

what if the front of house needs more signal from you? do have to switch back over?

Old but still relevant video. This is what I also did on my Helix settings. However what if the FOH signal is too "hot". What options do I have to turn it down? Reducing the output signal in each preset is one option, but is there a better way do this "globally" or some how else?

What about USB out to a DAW with the POD Go ( Should have mine wednesday )

Diggin' this stuff. Any idea how to adjust the output through the USB? I'm trying to use Helix directly into Reaper via the USB but my signal is way too hot. Couldn't find anything in the instruction manual about it.

Hey Steve, I am kind of new to this Helix, I have the HelixLT. I notice when I play certain notes and Chords where the low E is played, the first icon (input) Guitar icon, it briefly flashes red in color. I guess this might mean i am clipping but i checked all my levels. The way I am set up for the time being is like this. I go from the 1/4" left / mono from the Helix to the power amp In on my Boss Katana 100. Thanks!

Hey great video but i have a question.. How do you manage that each preset has the same output volume? (For example, you play in a party band and have individual songs from clean to high gain .. your clean sound will always be quieter than the high gain sound) I can't always adjust the volume on the helix myself and the FoH man can't adjust the volume after every song. Do you have a tip? Greetings from Germany Mike ;)

Should I run a line signal into the front of a bass amp? Or instrument? Does it matter all that much if the amp sounds fine?

Can I send my two XLR signals to FOH and a left and right signal to two backline amps with power amp in? Thank you for your time!

Hello Steve, what is the option if the set-up is patches with pre-amp only - no power amp, cabinet, IR's - going out of the Helix to an amp pedal then onto a cabinet? This takes care of the amp on the stage scenario but what about FOH? Is a signal from a patch with a pre-amp only out of XLR's enough for them to work with? Thanks in anticipation.

Hey Steve, I have set up a FRFR and my amp, out of the Helix I have XLR to the FRFR and 1/4" to the amp. I have set the global settings as BIG Knob to 1/4" and Phones to FRFR. However, the BIG Knob controls 1/4" signal no problem, however I have no control over the XLR volume with the Phones knob, there is volume coming through to the FRFR, but it is controlled by my guitar volume as if its just a straight through signal. I really want to be able to control my FRFR volume from 0 to full. My patch setup is Guitar in and a split out to the two different output types. Please can you help? Thank you

Hi Steve, Been trying to used the 4 cable method and running the Helix LT into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe input jack and effects loop. There is a annoying 60 cycle hum when I connect via the Effects Loop. Have you run across this annoying issue and how would quiet the 60 cycle hum? Thanks

If i was playing in my mancave and i just chose xlr lead coz thats what i have and conected to my headrush 212 is there anything wrong setting my headrush to say 4 and I control my volume by the big knob say around 12 oclock position but tweak either way for more or less volume is there anything wrong using this way opposed to whacking knob to full then having to walk across to headrush and turn up or down? I just found using the big knob gives me control?

I never tried this, but do you hook both at the same time and transmit sound? I dont have frfr unit, i using tube amp runing into effects loop at the back using line levels 1/4 option. Thank you

HI Steve! Great video ...but it would be great if you could describe how signal chain (path) in Helix is configured? ... I mean first A path should be set to XLR and the second one to 1/4" ? Could you put it step by step? thanks! Brgds, S.

this can be very useful but my presets were way to loud and clipping the FOH mixer. i lowered all the amp settings.is there another way to do this other than setting all the presests lower volume? im using a headrush moniter now can use the knob for on stage. thanks.

Im gonna take the risk of sounding stupid but, do you recommend to do the same with the in and out level with the hx stomp? Cheers

QUESTION ANYONE,,, Im going to be running a helix stereo out to 2 frfr speakers but i cant decide on 2 10 inch or 2 12 inch,,, i e heard the 12's are too flubby and that the 10 inch speakers are perfect for amp modelers, anyone tried both and have an opinion? Im just scared to get the 2 10's and there not be enough bass,, i have 2 8 inch studio monitors to pasify right now but while theres bass wih music or synth sounds when u try to palm mute or chug it sounds horrible, opinions? Thanks in advance

Steve, signal Q: I set up my Helix going into my Powercab 112+ so that my Powercab light is yellow. Then on the Jarvis setting my signal is even at -13.00dB. Then I use the output on the PC to go to the board. The sound guy at the board constantly says my signal is too hot. Any tip for getting my sound balanced?

How do you make all the patches the same level? I have some patches that are quiet and some that will blow your eardrums. Thx

If the big knob only affects 1/4 inch outs, then how do know how much signal is going to Front of House?

what's the best way to add a volume boost for solos to existing patches with Line 6 Helix ?

Wireless!!!

That's a flawed rule. You're better off sending a line level over the XLR to the house PA because it will travel further with less signal loss and better signal-to-noise ratio

I like instrument instead of line for signal...

If you set the large volume knob to "digital", does it control the volume coming out of the L6 link to the Powercab ?