Line 6 Helix

siraxeman

Don't get me wrong - I AM a Helix fan!! The Helix can do more and I do concede the amp modelling is better on the POD HD even never mind the Helix. It is a more capable unit, my point is simply for 4CM live use your can do most of what any 'normal' musician would want from an FX unit even without any extra exp pedals or footswitches being added or external pedals from your pedalboard being grafted in. But even that you can do on the GT-100 - just not as much as on the Helix as it has more loops 4 to the GT-100's 1 loop. And has more buttons available ie 10 to the GT's 6. (not counting the ACCEL and expression pedals) 8 if you count those.

but £309 vs £1147....is the Helix close to that much better ? Hmmm....not so sure! Saying that i'll still end up being daft n get one....desire will overtake me methinks. I will justify it by telling myself the amp modelling is betterer and that's something that I will use at home if not live.

Cabicular

Price is obviously relevant but if you can have either one does what you want and one doesn't it's a no brainer
None of my guitars are 4 times better than the squire equivalent
But if you are just looking for a multifx and have mild requirements then the Helix is hard to justify
But I don't regret mine for a second

Sporky

The Helix probably isn't justifiable on a purely cost basis if what you want can be done in the GT-100. It has an excellent interface, certainly, but I never found the Boss/Roland interfaces very tricky to use.

If you're going a bit further with sound manipulation then it becomes more worth it. Plus you get the multichannel USB interface and all those FX loops and inputs and outputs.

siraxeman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngj12degBiE

my fave demo I think of the GT-100. There's only 2 really good uns so far for the Helix - Paul Hindmarsh at Andertons and Pete Thorns. For ME personally and specifically for LIVE use there's no sense in the Helix. Still probably won't stop me buying one though. GAS is a dreadful disease to which there is no known cure. )

siraxeman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTesPdFsXmI and Alex Hutchings has a lil twiddle...

johnny9fingers

siraxeman said:

Don't get me wrong - I AM a Helix fan!! The Helix can do more and I do concede the amp modelling is better on the POD HD even never mind the Helix. It is a more capable unit, my point is simply for 4CM live use your can do most of what any 'normal' musician would want from an FX unit even without any extra exp pedals or footswitches being added or external pedals from your pedalboard being grafted in. But even that you can do on the GT-100 - just not as much as on the Helix as it has more loops 4 to the GT-100's 1 loop. And has more buttons available ie 10 to the GT's 6. (not counting the ACCEL and expression pedals) 8 if you count those.

but £309 vs £1147....is the Helix close to that much better ? Hmmm....not so sure! Saying that i'll still end up being daft n get one....desire will overtake me methinks. I will justify it by telling myself the amp modelling is betterer and that's something that I will use at home if not live.

I can recreate my old fashioned pedalboard which came in at well over £2k, and swap in many other pedals I haven't owned (not my Z-Vex Seekwah, however, which made an occasional appearance, and still does via one of Helix's loops). I have most of my Amp collection modelled pretty accurately (often to within single-figure percentage constraints) I have an interface, I have a switching system...and for the first time I have all this, at a level of quality of performance I can tolerate, for roughly a grand (I bought mine early). And it's portable. And it's really easy to use. And it's only going to get better as more effects and more amps come online. And then, if we ever get scenes and some really kick-ass reverbs...it won't get much better...or at least not so even folk like us can really hear much perceptible difference. The Axe FX II made financial sense, really. But the Helix is a no-brainer; and I'll guess, the Helix will become the industry standard for a couple of years. Fractal have to up their game with their interfaces and their ease-of-use. I fear Kemper may be in for a difficult ride. From what I understand the Helix still has waiting lists or at least backed-up back-orders in some areas. Fractal and Kemper don't have quite the same problems.

Of course, Line6 could screw it up by not keeping the updates happening. They're never going to be Fractal in that regard, and that maybe a good thing: I would guess there is an optimum time period between updates: and if Line6 are wise they will work out what this is, and exploit it. (This would help re-inforce the whole industry standard issue too.) Enough time for the update to sink in and become usable and report back bugs, but no so long ordinary users aren't clamouring for stuff. I know urgent bug-fixes on big issues are pretty standard, and the guys have already managed one big problem that almost stopped folk buying the thing in the first place. (The default mic thingy really didn't help some presets.)

It is the best piece of kit I've owned that isn't a guitar. I'd be lost without it now.

siraxeman

What's the harmoniser like on the Helix? Don't recall seeing it demo'd on any of the vids I've seen so far? I'm guessing its decent enough though... 

Cabicular

You need to watch where you put it in the chain but I use it for Detroit Rock City solo and the Trooper Both of them need modifiers to change scare but you can assign them to a foot switch

fretmeister

I've just seen that the wonderful Phil Bynoe (Steve Vai's bassist) has binned his preamps for the Helix for live use.

Hopefully more pro bassists will have a go and perhaps Line 6 will make some more bass goodies for it.

guitargeek62

I moved house a couple of weeks ago and am now playing the Helix in a much bigger room with the speakers at a higher position and closer together... I don't like it anymore.

I'm going to try some more IR's and lots of EQ tweaking but it currently sounds like an average recording instead of an amp-in-the-room again.

Sporky

Move the speakers further apart and lower down, and add some dampening to the room?

Best to fix the actual problem rather than try to tweak around it.

fretmeister

I had an amp (or more likely the amp & cab combination) like that.

Within the beam of the speaker it was horrible. Everywhere else was lovely.

I never did get the chance to try a different cab

johnonguitar

guitargeek62;1101822" said:

I moved house a couple of weeks ago and am now playing the Helix in a much bigger room with the speakers at a higher position and closer together... I don't like it anymore.

I'm going to try some more IR's and lots of EQ tweaking but it currently sounds like an average recording instead of an amp-in-the-room again.

Just save yourself weeks of IR auditioning and patch tweaking and move to a house with a better sounding room. It's the simplest soloution

siraxeman

hmmm if you liked it lower and with the speakers widerer I'd revert back to how you had it before. Failing that sell me it for a lot less than you paid!

guitargeek62

Lol - the obvious solution would be fine, except the room layout won't really allow for it!!!! There's very limited options at the apartment without rearranging more important things tbh, so I *may* look back at the amp route if I can't figure a fix.

Will let you know @siraxeman.

johnonguitar

Just watched some of Bollinger's Premier Guitar demo of the Helix

eeeeeerrrrr..... what exactly is the official Line 6 position on this demo? :')

is Bohlinger a Fractal agent or something?!

Sporky

guitargeek62 said:

Lol - the obvious solution would be fine, except the room layout won't really allow for it!!!! 

Tell the room layout to sling its hook. Physics must not be denied its victory!

Teetonetal

johnonguitar said:

Just watched some of Bollinger's Premier Guitar demo of the Helix

eeeeeerrrrr..... what exactly is the official Line 6 position on this demo? :')

is Bohlinger a Fractal agent or something?!

There are some awful demos of helix floating about. Line 6 must be pulling their hair out. I've had some issues because it's not perfect, but I've never got it to sound that bad. Sad, these guys seem to have no idea how to dial the thing in.

johnonguitar

Teetonetal;1103584" said:

johnonguitar said:

Just watched some of Bollinger's Premier Guitar demo of the Helix



eeeeeerrrrr..... what exactly is the official Line 6 position on this demo? :')

is Bohlinger a Fractal agent or something?!





There are some awful demos of helix floating about. Line 6 must be pulling their hair out. I've had some issues because it's not perfect, but I've never got it to sound that bad. Sad, these guys seem to have no idea how to dial the thing in.

I just can't understand... Did Bohlinger watch that back and smile to himself thinking "john you fucking nailed it you big sexy fucker" or did he want to crawl into a hole and die?

siraxeman

This is teh lawz in guitar gear....

Bad guitarist will make the best gear sound bad.

Good guitarist makes even average gear sound great.