Here's how I level volumes across presets and snapshots, including appropriate volumes for rhythm and leads.

1. Install this free loudness meter: https://youlean.co/youlean-loudness-meter/

I use “loudness” instead of decibels since that’s how we/the audience perceive volume (and it’s a recording studio standard).

2. Get an external looper pedal (like the Acoustic Loop1 Looper Pedal) and connect it to guitar in on your helix/stadium.

Note: We need to use an external pedal to get clean droning of notes so we can be hands free to adjust volumes. We cannot use the looper in the helix since 1) that would require adding the looper to every preset and 2) it would include modeling/effects

3) record the following in your external looper: a 5-10 second loop droning on the open A string followed by a 5-10 second loop droning on the open G string. Pick as you normally would (the importance is consistent strength of the picking) - I chose to pick like the opening lick to the dick dale song misirlou.

We need A and G so we can measure the loudness for low and high notes (high notes tend to be louder).

4) open hx edit and the loudness meter.

5) switch to your desired preset and snapshot.

6) open the level of your preset’s final output and set it to snapshot mode

7) play the loop on your external looper and watch the short term and integrated levels.

Short term = the immediate levels. Integrated = the average of levels over the last 5+ seconds

Tip: you can press the red X under the meter readings to reset the level readings

8) for rhythm snapshots, set the final snapshot output level to negative 22 LUFS.

For lead snapshots (solos, licks, etc), set the final snapshot output level to negative 18 LUFS (which essentially makes leads 4db louder than rhythm).

If you can’t get the level precisely at my recommendations, it’s fine to be .5 higher or lower on the integrated average

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FWIW - I determined the appropriate rhythm level by measuring the loudness of several factory helix/stadium presets of all different styles. I then set leads to 4db higher (seems to be my and Reddit’s consensus on lead volume) and remeasured.

Tip for co-guitarists: use the same helix/stadium setlists, set your helix physical master volume to the same, set the boards volumes to the same, set your guitar volume to maximum.

Final tip: I always add a 0-4db gain control to the expression pedal of every preset. This allows me to adjust on the fly if needed.

Tips & Tricks

Presets