Play At Home – Line 6 HX Effects Patch

IMPORTANT NOTES

UPDATE YOUR FIRMWARE: Please upgrade the firmware on your HX Effects and the HX Edit software from Line 6 to the latest before installing this patch. Even if your HX Effects is up to date, the ‘HX Edit’ app needs to be updated as well. If you get an error importing a patch, the problem is most likely outdated firmware on your HX Effects/HX Edit.

PATCHES

This download includes two patches based on the Helix version of this patch. The different effects are spread between these two patches, with our favorite effects in the 1st patch. Feel free to copy and paste different effects in and out between the two patches to fit your playing style.

• PlayAtHome WT – This patch includes our favorite elements of the full Helix patch
• PlatAtHome WT 2– This patch includes the additional effects from the Helix version that we couldn’t fit into the main patch.

HOW TO IMPORT THIS PATCH

1. Connect your HX Effects to your computer using a USB Cable
2. Download and instal the ‘HX Edit’ app from Line 6
3. In the ‘HX Edit’ app, drag and drop the patch into a slot in the ‘PRESETS’ column

SIGNAL FLOW AND EFFECTS

MAIN PATCH

1. Input
2. Bleat Chop Trem – This is a random pattern trem for fun textures; reminiscent of how Bradford likes to use trem with a ramping speed
3. Glitch Delay – Glitchy and pitch-shifting delay set to 1/4 notes with 4 divisions so it will sound like it’s playing 16th notes. It’s also locked to tempo so it will vary based on what you have the patches tempo set to. Adjusting the subdivision or delay divisions will yield different results.
4. Poly Sustain – This will grab whatever notes you feed it and freeze that exact second of time you hit it. This is before the “standard” wet effects so they will be added on to what you freeze. This was done intentionally so everything is hitting the same layer of verb but also to optimize DSP and allow wet effects to be in stereo.
5. Shuffling Looper – This is dialed in to give you a small resemblance to what you originally placed but it shuffles it a ton! Play something rather ambiguous so it sits well. If you have already used the Poly Sustain before recording using the Shuffling Looper, this will also record the Poly Sustain due to the signal chain. Either record this first and then the Poly Sustain to avoid that if you wish to have 2 separate sounds or just swap the order they appear in the chain. The light is white and dimmed when off. Press once (red) to record and then again to play back (green). Double tap to stop. Light will be white. Press and hold to clear. Light will return to white and dimmed.
6. Dynamic Hall- ambient reverb – mapped to a switch labeled ‘Dynamic Hall’

2nd PATCH

1. Deluxe Comp – not mapped to a switch, always on
2. Heir Apparent – mapped to switch labeled ‘KOT (Yellow)’
3. Auto-Volume – use this to do volume swells automagically and hands-free 🙂
4. Transistor Tape Delay – Just a standard dotted 8th delay for your usage . Mapped to switch labeled ‘TAPE’
5. Plate Verb – subtle reverb – mapped to a switch labeled ‘Plate’
6. Output

USAGE – WHAT IS THIS THING?

This patch is meant to be used in ‘stompbox mode’ and is really meant to be used to “play at home” as you seek to be creative and as you see fit. I (Bradford) have enjoyed creating this patch and have enjoyed creating beds of glitchy delays and random goodness to just sit and listen to. I know it sounds odd, but during 2020 I grew to really love using the guitar to do more than play soaring melodic lead lines. Maybe you just want to have fun tweaking a couple notes you recorded using the Shuffling Looper and seeing how the effects work. Or maybe you do not have a keys player one week and you need to cover some of that ground during a pastor’s sermon wrap-up. Or maybe you just really like hearing the guitar make unpredictable sounds. I think this patch will bring endless hours of getting lost in the Helix and lead to you ending up with an appreciation for quirky effects like I have. It’s different and we all can use different sometimes. 

We recommend setting up your Helix to use all ten stomps (stompbox mode)  so you can see all the stomps in the patch. The Helix LT does not allow 10-button stomp mode, so you’ll have to re-arrange the button assignments to suite your preferences. You may find you want to leave the Plate verb on all the time anyways so you could pull that off a button. And you may not want the AMP DRIVE on a button either. Just some suggestions 🙂

STEREO:

Everything after the amp block runs in stereo. If you are able to run stereo, the wet effects will sound bigger and better. If you only use the L/Mono output of the Helix, everything will be summed to mono automatically. NOTE: Do not use just the Right output of the helix – some of the delays will not be audible if you do this.

WHY NO SNAPSHOTS?

This patch is meant to create ambient textures and soundscapes. Assigning the effects to snapshots may inadvertently result in erasing what you have been building. But if you find some combination of effects you would like to engage at the same time we left the snapshots blank for you to set them up as you wish!

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS:

Every rig is different, and we realize that HX Effects is made to be integrated into many different types of setups. You may want to make changes (especially to the drives) based on what you are running HX Effects into. Delays and reverbs will likely need a bit of adjustment depending on how your amp reacts to them (or if you decide to use them pre or post amp)