Using Helix as midi controller

[Austinzb7]

Anyone able to help guide me through setting up line 6 Helix snapshots as midi controller to switch channels on the ada mp-1 original?

[rnolan]

Hey Austin, welcome to the depot  :wave: .  I'm not particularly across the L6 Helix but from a glance it seems that the snapshots are similar to what you can program a Behringer FCB1010 to do i.e. send a bunch of midi commands at the same time on different midi channels from one button press.  The only command that will be of use for you with a MP-1 is standard midi program change, and you will need to ensure the appropriate midi channel is selected on both the sender (L6 H) and receiver (MP-1).  The MP-1 has no real time midi functionality.  However, you could do a snapshot that selects a MP-1 program and changes other L6H parameters (or other midi controllable gadgets) at the same time. 

So use a standard 5 pin midi cable from the L6H midi out to the MP-1 midi in.  The MP-1 midi in is a 7 pin socket but you can plug a standard 5 pin midi lead into it (the other pins (6 & 7) are to phantom power a midi floor pedal using a 7 pin midi cable with a 9v wall wart plugged into the back of the MP-1).  Then program the L6H snapshot to send the midi program number that you want on the MP-1.  So when you select "that" snapshot on the L6H it will send the program change number to the MP-1.

Tip: MP-1 midi programs are 1 to 128, other midi controllable devices (e.g. Alesis) are 0 to 127 so prog 1 in MP-1 = prog 0 in Alesis etc.  So program change numbers in the L6H may be 1 different i.e. L6H midi program 15 = MP-1 program 16

So it seems (again at first glance) the L6H is a cloner (computer simulations of real sounds) so you could (I'm assuming the L6H has a FX loop??) put the MP-1 in the loop and use a snapshot to change the MP-1 program i.e. use the MP-1 as an effect (like a distortion pedal). 

But given the MP-1 actually makes the real (analogue) guitar sound (that things like the L6H are computer copying/simulating), I'd put the L6H in the MP-1 loop and just use the L6H effects. 

Or alternately (always lots of ways to patch things  ) you could run the MP-1 before the L6H (still use it to change MP-1 programs) and thus pick up/use stuff like cab, amp emulations etc. to feed a DAW or full range monitors.

[Austinzb7]

Right now im running it in the L6H fx loop and it sounds great, but i cant for the life of me figure out what to send from helix

I have both devices on midi channel 1 but not sure what to send for cc# and value and what does what

Also i am infact using a 5-5 midi cable, do i need a 5-7 of can i ignore the 7pin phantom power?

[MarshallJMP]

A 5 pin midi will work fine, have you plugged the midi cable to the midi in of the mp-1 and midi out of the helix? CC's don't matter since the MP-1 doesn't recognise these. It can only do PC (program change). So you need to make sure the helix put out PC to the mp-1 and it should work. Reading the manual you need to make sure that midi thru is set too off. Midi pc send is on and it send via the 5 pin midi out. Also seems you need to set duplicate PC send too. I found this info on page 65 of the manual.
Global setting>mid/tempo

[Austinzb7]

Yep this led me to the solution, to anyone with a similar issue, to send from the helix to ada you need to use the bank/program send, not the midi cc send

[MarshallJMP]

Ok great!