The Helix VS Fractal FX8 Thread

Musicman20

Can't Line 6 just update the tuner software?!

John_A

Musicman20 said:

Can't Line 6 just update the tuner software?!

They have done, and I suppose may do again as a lot of people still don't like it.  I do like it mainly because it's so big I can see it

Teetonetal

I don't get the tuner hate at all. I find it quick and responsive. Is it a drop tuning issue?

guitarfishbay

How are people who find it good enough tuning?  I've not used it at all, so I have no baseline.

I typically try to pick about once a second or so, and about a moderate level - not super soft but not hard enough to send the string audibly sharp.

I know some people hit the string once and tune to the decay, which I find less of a good compromise (generally ends up with attack and most shorter notes sounding a little sharp).

Tuning is one of those things you take for granted until you try and stick a synth against a guitar and you wonder why in isolation both guitar and synth sound in tune, but together something isn't quite right.... not that this has ever happened to me of course......

Drew_TNBD

Teetonetal said:

I don't get the tuner hate at all. I find it quick and responsive. Is it a drop tuning issue?

With respect, have you used many other tuners? The Helix tuner is objectively not as good as say, a Polytune or a TU-2.

guitarfishbay

I've not tried a Polytune, but I've never felt like a TU3 wasn't good enough

The Fractal tuner is very good.  I dunno if it is the same on the FX8, but I like the spinning dial for fine tuning on the Axe FX.

Teetonetal

Drew_TNBD said:

Teetonetal said:

I don't get the tuner hate at all. I find it quick and responsive. Is it a drop tuning issue?

With respect, have you used many other tuners? The Helix tuner is objectively not as good as say, a Polytune or a TU-2.

Well.

Tu 2 and 3 are on my current boards. Various crappy and good hand held for teaching.  Korg rack mounted versions in studios. Logic and Sgear inbuilt tuners and a poly tune spring to mind.

Apart from the really really horrible quick e tune things I can't say any of those devices give me any grief though I didn't enjoy the poly tune. Though I'm rarely straying from standard or drop D.

I'm genuinely surprised that tuning on helix is an issue.

Also I hate carousel modes.

Teetonetal

@guitarfishbay i really had to think about how I tune. I switch to bridge pup and pick every 2 seconds tuning to decay whilst level is still good before it tails off.

guitarfishbay

Teetonetal said:

@guitarfishbay i really had to think about how I tune. I switch to bridge pup and pick every 2 seconds tuning to decay whilst level is still good before it tails off.

Yeah I never used to think about it either.

120bpm is 2 beats per second, at 2 seconds that's a whole bar of you think about it in 4/4, not always a common note length for rhythm playing, depending on style etc.

I'm not being exact about it with a metronome or a stopwatch, but I do tend to continuously pick a bit more often to avoid only tuning to the decay.

The pitch arc of a string goes quickly sharp, quickly most of the way back down, and slowly all of the way down, relative to picking strength and guitar setup of course. There's a range of cents where it essentially sounds in tune, but I found tuning so the decay part was perfectly in tune gave a lot less room for where the attack can go to, if that makes sense. 

I do play in drop B, and despite using a .064 low string I find I have to be more careful with it than if I was playing in E with 10s for example. And also I tend to play faster songs 

Clarky

Sporky said:

Also if I remember correctly the Fractal stuff has things like an internal envelope generator and LFO(s) that you can use to control things?

I'd like those - the Reflex solves the latter, but an envelope generator (and a pattern generator) would be lovely things in the Helix

We live in a glorious age.

if it has the same control stuff as the Axe-FX it'll also have a 32 step sequencer

Drew_TNBD

Yeah the control stuff is very cool.

guitarfishbay

I pretty much only use the graph thing for plotting ideal control pedal response. It's very useful though

octatonic

Drew_TNBD said:

Yeah the control stuff is very cool.

It is great to be able to do the stuff that it does but I rarely find I do.
I have a couple of autowah type things and two sequencer based things but that is it.

Drew_TNBD

I think for a chunk of my stuff I could get rid of my physical wah and just use a model and the control stuff. Can do that with the helix yet though.

welshboyo

Drew_TNBD said:

I think for a chunk of my stuff I could get rid of my physical wah and just use a model and the control stuff. Can do that with the helix yet though.

I've replaced my CAE wah with the "Colourful" model on the Helix (have to run the mix down quite a bit though as its too in yer face otherwise) - struggling with it a little though, mainly the pedal travel - too many years using a proper one - especially for those small movements instead of the full travel shit

Jonathanthomas83

welshboyo said:

Drew_TNBD said:

I think for a chunk of my stuff I could get rid of my physical wah and just use a model and the control stuff. Can do that with the helix yet though.

I've replaced my CAE wah with the "Colourful" model on the Helix (have to run the mix down quite a bit though as its too in yer face otherwise) - struggling with it a little though, mainly the pedal travel - too many years using a proper one - especially for those small movements instead of the full travel shit

Sounds like a job for a really nice Mission expression pedal... http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/111448/fs-mission-sp-1-spl-expression-pedal ;-)

Cabicular

welshboyo said:

Drew_TNBD said:

I think for a chunk of my stuff I could get rid of my physical wah and just use a model and the control stuff. Can do that with the helix yet though.

I've replaced my CAE wah with the "Colourful" model on the Helix (have to run the mix down quite a bit though as its too in yer face otherwise) - struggling with it a little though, mainly the pedal travel - too many years using a proper one - especially for those small movements instead of the full travel shit

Yeah the wah is all in the heel I find
i do wonder how much of it is the raised platform though

guitarfishbay

I've never had an issue with a real crybaby, or volume pedal, but any onboard pedal from Boss to L6 (had the HD500x) and now the Behringer FCB I have all don't feel as good.  I agree there's something in the raised platform but I don't think it's the only factor.  I probably would find the FCB unusable if I couldn't edit the sweep on the Fractal

Jonathanthomas83

Sounds like you all need my Mission expression pedal, really.

Drew_TNBD

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Sounds like you all need my Mission expression pedal, really.

oooooo i quite fancy that!