Helix DSP.3 help thread

OK, so I just got my Helix DSP.3, so I figured that I'd start a thread for any questions that I have along the way... Hopefully, this comes in handy for other new Helix users in the future as well.

Some background - I'm relatively new at "real" car audio. Before I got my 2018 Challenger, I only had experience with those 45Wx4 RMS "redbrick" amps and "plug and play" 2DIN replacement radios for GM's. :-) The last "redbrick" amp (Kicker KEY180.4) that I installed in my Impala did have an auto-tuning DSP, but it was all automatic and you couldn't adjust anything yourself. When I got my Challenger, I went with a Rockford Fosgate DSR-1, simply because for $250, it provided both OEM integration as well as a full DSP system - all for ~$250! It even has full 31-band-per-channel parametric EQ and was able to be tuned over bluetooth via an Android or iOS app. I learned a lot playing with it over the last few months, but decided to upgrade to something a little higher end - and Helix seems to be *the* DSP to have in terms of quality/functionality.

So I ordered a Helix DSP.3, which arrived the other day. It will be connected to my Challenger via the PAC Audio AmpPro 4 (for OEM integration purposes) via TOSLINK digital connection - and I'll be using the same amp as I was using with the DSR-1 - a JL Audio XD600/6v2.

I've been playing with the Helix DSP PC-Tool app and it seems pretty straight forward. I'm in the process of connecting the DSP.3 "on the bench" (connecting to a media player that has an optical out connection) so that I can play around with it a little before I actually install in my car (easier to learn something in the house on a workbench compared to in a car!). I have it powered up and have connected to it from my laptop and done some basic configurations. Haven't connected anything to the RCA outputs yet though - so not really sure if it's fully working yet.

Anyway, first stupid question - all of the Helix DSP docs say you have to press the "Store DSP" button to save the settings to the DSP. However, there is no such button in the current version of the software. I'm assuming the "Save&Store" button now performs that function? :-)

Thank you!
 
OK, so I just got my Helix DSP.3, so I figured that I'd start a thread for any questions that I have along the way... Hopefully, this comes in handy for other new Helix users in the future as well.

Some background - I'm relatively new at "real" car audio. Before I got my 2018 Challenger, I only had experience with those 45Wx4 RMS "redbrick" amps and "plug and play" 2DIN replacement radios for GM's. :-) The last "redbrick" amp (Kicker KEY180.4) that I installed in my Impala did have an auto-tuning DSP, but it was all automatic and you couldn't adjust anything yourself. When I got my Challenger, I went with a Rockford Fosgate DSR-1, simply because for $250, it provided both OEM integration as well as a full DSP system - all for ~$250! It even has full 31-band-per-channel parametric EQ and was able to be tuned over bluetooth via an Android or iOS app. I learned a lot playing with it over the last few months, but decided to upgrade to something a little higher end - and Helix seems to be *the* DSP to have in terms of quality/functionality.

So I ordered a Helix DSP.3, which arrived the other day. It will be connected to my Challenger via the PAC Audio AmpPro 4 (for OEM integration purposes) via TOSLINK digital connection - and I'll be using the same amp as I was using with the DSR-1 - a JL Audio XD600/6v2.

I've been playing with the Helix DSP PC-Tool app and it seems pretty straight forward. I'm in the process of connecting the DSP.3 "on the bench" (connecting to a media player that has an optical out connection) so that I can play around with it a little before I actually install in my car (easier to learn something in the house on a workbench compared to in a car!). I have it powered up and have connected to it from my laptop and done some basic configurations. Haven't connected anything to the RCA outputs yet though - so not really sure if it's fully working yet.

Anyway, first stupid question - all of the Helix DSP docs say you have to press the "Store DSP" button to save the settings to the DSP. However, there is no such button in the current version of the software. I'm assuming the "Save&Store" button now performs that function? :-)

Thank you!

Yes, Save & Store is the one... If you consider the Helix software straight forward, then you are a much smarter and intuitive guy than me! Lol
 
Ok, thanks guys. I assumed that was the case, but since I didn't have anything connected to the outputs yet, I wasn't sure. What really made me curious is that the status led would be flashing while connected to the DSP.3 with my laptop, which the manual mentioned was due to nothing being saved to the DSP yet - or something along those lines - so I thought that maybe it wasn't saving to the DSP.

However, I have since connect the RCA outputs to an A/V receiver I had laying around - and connected some old car speakers to it's speaker outputs and everything seems to be worked as expected so far (my crossovers are working, etc). Will play around with it a little more this weekend.

The Helix software does seem straight-forward to me, but maybe that is just because I wasn't really "used to" anything else before-hand. Just the DSR-1 app, which is a mobile app - not a full-featured windows-based app like the Helix, MiniDSP, Dayton Audio, etc... Like I said, I'll be spending some time with the Helix "on the bench", in-house, before installing in the car, so I'll do all of my experimenting and learning before I go to install in the car. Just find that doing that makes life a lot easier (I have a good 12V setup to use in-house for stuff like this - used it a lot when fixing/selling 2DIN head-units over on the ImpalaForums).

I'm sure I'll still have some questions though - which is why I wanted to start a new thread. :-)

Thanks again.
 
A few more questions for the Helix masters out there! :-) Again, besides for my own benefit, I'm hoping this thread becomes a very useful thread for other new Helix users in the future.

1. Somewhere (probably over on DIYMA) I saw a way to do "proper" rear-fill with a Helix (DSP.3 in this case, obviously). Anyone know how to do that? I'll try to find the thread over on DIYMA too, but wanted to at least put the question here as well. If I find it over on DIYMA, I'll update this post.

2. Under the FX tab, there is "Augmented Bass Processing". However, the very top says "Augmented Bass Processing applied on Channel F". Why channel F? I would think that it would be used for channel H (the last channel on the DSP.3, which is normally used for subs)? Channel F would be one of my rear deck speakers (A/B=Dash mid/highs, C/D=Door midbass, E/F=Rear Deck, G=NotUsed (center if you had it) and H=Sub).

3. Under the FX tab, this is also a "Front Processing" tab. It says "Front Processing on Channel A + B", which is cool (my mids/tweets). Then there is a check-box "For active Setup Link to C + D". I'm assuming that in my case (3.5" coaxial dash speakers handle mids and highs), that I would NOT want to link C + D - correct? The manual doesn't go into much detail about these options, so just looking for clarification.

4. Does anyone actually use the RTA in the Helix software? Or do folks mainly use REW? Just wondering if it's worth spending the time to become familiar with the Helix RTA....

5. Oh - one last question - is there a list of all keyboard shortcuts anywhere? If I didn't see @Skeizr mention the "R" keyboard shortcut over on DIYMA, I would have no idea that I could import REW EQ files into the Helix app! That is going to be a huge timesaver! Just wondering what other cool keyboard shortcuts I may be missing...

Thanks in advance!
 
I found the post over on DIYMA on how to do differential rear fill on the Helix - here is the link:
https://www.diymobileaudio.com/foru...iscussion/307730-how-rear-fill-helix-dsp.html

Anyone care to take a stab at #2, #3, #4 or #5?

For #2, I did notice that the DSP.3 manual actually says it's for channel H (which makes sense), so maybe it's just a software "display" issue (says channel F, but will really process on channel H on the DSP.3)?
I'll comment once I get to a computer

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
A few more questions for the Helix masters out there! :-) Again, besides for my own benefit, I'm hoping this thread becomes a very useful thread for other new Helix users in the future.

1. Somewhere (probably over on DIYMA) I saw a way to do "proper" rear-fill with a Helix (DSP.3 in this case, obviously). Anyone know how to do that? I'll try to find the thread over on DIYMA too, but wanted to at least put the question here as well. If I find it over on DIYMA, I'll update this post.

2. Under the FX tab, there is "Augmented Bass Processing". However, the very top says "Augmented Bass Processing applied on Channel F". Why channel F? I would think that it would be used for channel H (the last channel on the DSP.3, which is normally used for subs)? Channel F would be one of my rear deck speakers (A/B=Dash mid/highs, C/D=Door midbass, E/F=Rear Deck, G=NotUsed (center if you had it) and H=Sub).

3. Under the FX tab, this is also a "Front Processing" tab. It says "Front Processing on Channel A + B", which is cool (my mids/tweets). Then there is a check-box "For active Setup Link to C + D". I'm assuming that in my case (3.5" coaxial dash speakers handle mids and highs), that I would NOT want to link C + D - correct? The manual doesn't go into much detail about these options, so just looking for clarification.

4. Does anyone actually use the RTA in the Helix software? Or do folks mainly use REW? Just wondering if it's worth spending the time to become familiar with the Helix RTA....

5. Oh - one last question - is there a list of all keyboard shortcuts anywhere? If I didn't see @Skeizr mention the "R" keyboard shortcut over on DIYMA, I would have no idea that I could import REW EQ files into the Helix app! That is going to be a huge timesaver! Just wondering what other cool keyboard shortcuts I may be missing...

Thanks in advance!

2) Why channel F, i have no idea. I have never used this feature. I dont even know what the feature is for tbh, but knowing Audiotec Fischer, there is a reason it exists and a reason that its that channel. I can try to get an answer for you

3) you would probably want to link them (i think it only links them for that feature, not everything else) so it makes the changes to the coax's AND the midbass.

4) I dont for 2 reasons. I have started using a 5-mic array with Systune, and because i was just used to using rew. essentially i didnt fix what wasnt broken. I have wanted to try it and use its Auto EQ recently to see how it does but i keep forgetting. I will make sure to do that soon and report back

5) i remember seeing a list somewhere on their site somewhere. Just not sure exactly where.

This is probably the least helpful ive been able to be a with a helix question ever lol. sorry.
 
On #4, I was talking to Doug Dobson this weekend about this. It seems cool and he said it gets you pretty close, but some final tuning will still be needed. I was thinking about going out and trying it in a bit. Doug said any calibrated microphone will work with it so why not give it a go and see what it does.

At least, I learn and see what it does differently than what I do. At most, it gets a really good starting point that then needs just some final touches.
 
Thank you very much @SkizeR - I appreciate the feedback! For #2, I did find that the actual DSP.3 manual says that it applies the augmented bass processing on channel H, which makes more sense (since that channel would normally be the sub on the DSP.3) - so I suspect that it's just a display issue in the software (I seem to remember someone on DIYMA mentioning this bug, now that I think about it). I'll reach out to the AF people to get their input on that one and to confirm #3. I'm now thinking that the link to C & D option may be for those running 3-way front setups where the tweeters are on A & B, mids on C & D and midbass on E & F - instead of my setup, which is mid/highs on channel A & B and midbass on C & D (2-way active vs 3-way active). I'm thinking I probably wouldn't want to link C & D for that feature - but again, I'll do a little more research and/or testing and post what I find out.

I was able to figure out what I *think* is all of the hotkeys by reading through all of the DSP software release notes, but they really should document those somewhere in the software! I'll put together a list and post it as well so it's documented here on the forum at least.

I'm the type that likes to explore, test and understand every option in a piece of software, even if I won't use them. I'm strange like that. :-)

I guess some testing on the bench will give me some answers too - unfortunately, I haven't spend a single minute playing with the DSP.3 this weekend as I had planned...

Thanks again - I appreciate you taking the time to reply.
 
On #4, I was talking to Doug Dobson this weekend about this. It seems cool and he said it gets you pretty close, but some final tuning will still be needed. I was thinking about going out and trying it in a bit. Doug said any calibrated microphone will work with it so why not give it a go and see what it does.

At least, I learn and see what it does differently than what I do. At most, it gets a really good starting point that then needs just some final touches.
Definitely interested to hear your feedback! I don't even have my DSP.3 in the car yet - but I have it setup "on the bench" and plan to start messing with it very soon. The built-in RTA seemed kind of cool, I just haven't heard much about it (I think it's pretty new?). I'm brand new to Helix, so it's all new to me right now. :-)

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it!
 
On #4, I was talking to Doug Dobson this weekend about this. It seems cool and he said it gets you pretty close, but some final tuning will still be needed. I was thinking about going out and trying it in a bit. Doug said any calibrated microphone will work with it so why not give it a go and see what it does.

At least, I learn and see what it does differently than what I do. At most, it gets a really good starting point that then needs just some final touches.

i'd almost be willing to bet that it does a better job than most people can do manually, but in only 15 minutes
 
Definitely interested to hear your feedback! I don't even have my DSP.3 in the car yet - but I have it setup "on the bench" and plan to start messing with it very soon. The built-in RTA seemed kind of cool, I just haven't heard much about it (I think it's pretty new?). I'm brand new to Helix, so it's all new to me right now. :-)

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it!

believe it or not, the Helix stuff has had a built in RTA and auto eq for a long time now. Its just that no one talks about it
 
We are just going to ignore this was ever said......Don't read the quote in SkizeR's response below....;)
 
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So I was going to go test it, had almost everything set up, and then I realized I don't have the right cables...I don't have a micro usb to type b connector for my microphone to helix... One was ordered so maybe next weekend.
Your mic doesnt go into the helix. It goes into your laptop lol. Only the laptop goes into the helix

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
That was definitely a moment of not thinking there...I really don't know how it would work with the mic plugged in without a computer, that doesn't even make sense to be able to run the autotune software.....Im going to go ahead and exit in embarrassment now so I can cancel my amazon order.....:daniel:

Also...why'd you have to quote me on that...now I can't get rid of that ;)

Still will do it next weekend now that I am out of time but have the right cables....
 
Here are the Helix DSP PC-Tool hotkeys that I am aware of - if anyone knows of any others, please chime in! This is with version 4.52a - older versions may not have all of these:

DSP PC Tool Hotkeys

Arrow Keys : Navigate around app interface
. : Link / un-link all available channels
, : Activate / de-activate link groups
+/- : Adjust slider fields fields quickly
1 - 8 : Mute/Un-mute channel (1=A, 2=B, 3=C ...)
F1 - F8 : Go to specific channel (F1=A, F2=B, F3=C ...)
D : Show/hide window frame in Windows (make window "borderless")
E : Go to "EQ" section of app
H : Go to "Highpass Filter" section of app
L : Go to "Lowpass Filter" section of app
P : Go to "Phase, Polarity & Time" section of app
Q : Quit app
R : Import EQ parameters exported from Room EQ Wizard (aka "REW")
S : Save preset
 
I'm about to install the DSP.3. Currently my TWK-88 is configured to use 2 channels for the sub and I have left and right going to the sub amp. Am I correct in thinking I can merge L+R in Helix to send sub signal from H to just the L channel on the amp, but then I'll need to increase the gain on the amp to compensate for only 1 rca connected instead of 2?
 
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