Swells – Line 6 HX Effects Patch

This demo is for the Helix version of this patch patch. The HX Effects version contains the same block except for the amp-specific effects.

(FREE) PREMIUM P&W HX EFFECTS PATCH FOR THE ULTIMATE IN AMBIENCE

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. 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 If you get an error importing a patch, the problem is most likely outdated firmware on your Helix/HX Edit. You will need at least version 2.82.

2. REVERBS: The 2.6 Firmware update changed the mix levels of the new (HX) reverbs. This patch accounts for those changes, so if you are not updated to 2.6 or later on your Helix, the reverbs will not sound right.

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

Here is the signal flow and effects:

1. Input
2. Volume (log curve) – mapped to EXP 2 (turned off by default – connect an expression pedal to EXP 2 to use this)
3. Vintage Swell – used in ‘AutoSwell’ snapshot
4. Reverse Delay – mapped to switch labeled ‘Reverse Delay’
5. Adriatic Swell – mapped to switch labeled ‘Dual El Cap’ (voiced to sound like Bradford’s El Cap delay)
6. Cosmos Echo – huge ambient delay – mapped to switch labeled ‘Cosmos Echo’
7. Double Tank – mapped to switch labeled ‘Ghost Verb’ (voiced to sound like Bradford’s favorite Empress Reverb sound)
8. Searchlights Verb – mapped to switch labeled ‘Searchlights’
9. Octo Verb – mapped to switch labeled ‘Shimmer’

SNAPSHOTS

There are three snapshots included in this patch to get different sounds (all patches feature the same snapshots).

They are:

• Snapshot 1: BasicSwell. Basic (but huge) ambient swells
• Snapshot 2: SHIMMER. Adds the Octo verb
• Snapshot 3: Not used
• Snapshot 4: Auto Swell – Turns on the auto-swell block
  

USAGE

DO NOT STRUM BIG CHORDS WITH THE VOLUME UP 🙂

As its name implies, this patch is meant to be used for volume swells. If you strum a big chord with the volume up, it will sound like a hot mess. Use the volume pedal to swell in.

AUTOSWELL SNAPSHOT:

The AutoSwell snapshot uses the Vintage Swell (autoswell) effect block. This lets you essentially play swells without using the volume pedal. How hard you strike the strings will affect how well the autos well effect works.

We recommend adjusting the ‘Threshold’ parameter to suite the effect to your playing style. The harder you strike the strings, the lower the threshold needs to be.

REVERBS and DELAYS:

We’ve layered multiple different reverbs and delays into this patch to give the swells character and ambiance. For really basic swells, try using just the Cosmos Echo and Searchlights (or any of the other reverbs). We recommend leaving them all on for the most ambiance.

VOLUME/EXPRESSION PEDALS:

The easiest way to use this patch is with a volume pedal in front of the HX Effects (it can be anywhere in the chain as long as it’s in front of HX Effects). You don’t need to assign anything to the expression pedal input if you don’t want to. If you’d like to use the volume block inside this patch, you can connect any expression pedal to EXP 2, which will control the Volume block by default (make sure to turn the volume block on, though).