Helix v HD500 (fx only)

firepaulmusic

so I'm thinking about ditching all my pedals and spending a grand+ on either a Helix or FX8. Just hit thinking about why I don't just spend £200 on my band mates HD500 and use it in 4 cable method. Are the other two units that much better when all you are using us the fx? I know the Helix interface is something a bit special bad the FX8 is optimised for 4 CM.

Cabicular

In short yes
the HD500 seems to colour the sound with a high frequency kind of klang plus the interface is dreadful IMO
FX8 is a good move if you are married to your amp but the Helix will give you other options too like direct to desk routing and recording

Grumpyrocker

The HD500 is  an absolute faff to use in 4CM. The effects loops is really noisy and drops the level too much. And the whole signal chain is a nightmare to use for 4CM. It's doable - but you have to waste effects blocks on EQ blocks to to get the gain back lost by the FX loop.

gearaddict

The Boss GT series might be a better bet for 4CM and about the same price as the HD500.

Wazmeister

The 4CM is a piece of piss with the FX8. 

No setting levels needed either; automatically goes to unity volume somehow.

bloodandtears

HD500X sans amp works fine for me.. FRFR type approach...

I couldn't warrant a pedal FOH that costs over a grand.. it would get damaged...

digitalscream

bloodandtears said:

I couldn't warrant a pedal FOH that costs over a grand.. it would get damaged...

Surprising how many people say this, yet are unaware of the fact that the pedalboard they happily keep at the front cost that much anyway.

I recently discovered that my very small board (just six pedals) actually has a replacement value of over £900.

firepaulmusic

Wazmeister said:

The 4CM is a piece of piss with the FX8. 

No setting levels needed either; automatically goes to unity volume somehow.

Sell me yours, stock keeping all the fun for yourself ;-)

EricTheWeary

digitalscream said:

bloodandtears said:

I couldn't warrant a pedal FOH that costs over a grand.. it would get damaged...

Surprising how many people say this, yet are unaware of the fact that the pedalboard they happily keep at the front cost that much anyway.

I recently discovered that my very small board (just six pedals) actually has a replacement value of over £900.

My board would be, I think, around £700 to replace the board, pedals, power supply, cables and it doesn't even really do much. Because it was bought in bits ( the most expensive single bit probably £130)I guess the psychology of it is I don't look at it as such an expensive item. 

However, some assumption that individual pedals are generally more durable than things with screens ( maybe not correctly...?) and given a small accident ( as opposed to having it stolen or dropped in a lake) or normal wear and tear not everything would need replacing at once which would seem ( again, assumption) to be the case with something like a Helix. 

bloodandtears

^^^ this.....  all your eggs in a very expensive basket...    my used HD500X was a fraction of the cost...

gearaddict

I was wondering about the HD500X recently...using the front row of buttons to control the channels of my amp (the provided stageboard is a midi controller, so I assume the POD can be set up to do this) and the back row to switch effects in and out...could be a neat solution.

gearaddict

So, I failed to resist temptation to pick up a new toy and bought a HD500X on ebay last night. I know it's not the quality of the Helix or Fractal but I just can't be spending that kind of money on this. Initial plan is to set it up as a midi controller for the Switchblade but not use the switchblade effects (which are fine but pretty limited), instead getting all the stompbox stuff from the Pod.

I'll probably have a play with the amp modelling via the fx return of the amp too, just to see how it sounds.

The only other pedal I have to have is the morpheus droptune...we do one song that needs to be in drop D and down a step...which is too floppy for the strings! Unless the pod does drop tuning...don't think it does though.

Oh well...should be fun.

I really need to sell some gear. My cupboard is filling with amps and pedals and Mrs Addict is bound to notice sooner or later. 

gearaddict

Grumpyrocker said:

The HD500 is  an absolute faff to use in 4CM. The effects loops is really noisy and drops the level too much. And the whole signal chain is a nightmare to use for 4CM. It's doable - but you have to waste effects blocks on EQ blocks to to get the gain back lost by the FX loop.

Hmm...I had a Pod X3 at one point...I do remember that being a pain for 4CM, although I think that was more due to the fact you had to be quite careful about the levels of each patch to avoid unexpectedly blowing your ears out by switching to a patch you'd never used before. I don't remember the FX loop being particularly awful but then I was using a DSL50 at the time so any badness may have been masked by the inherent badness of the DSL FX loop. Which was quite sucky.