Akai New Headrush: looks like a Helix! (Best thread version)

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  • Looks like they included an aux input for playing along to backing tracks. That's a plus and something annoying missing from the Helix.
    If your backing tracks come from PC, Mac, iOS, or certain class-compliant Android devices, Helix streams them automatically via USB from all major outputs (or you could route it to specific targets like the headphones for a click track). But if you're using a CD player, minidisk player, DAT machine, cassette deck, or 4-track, you can use Returns 1/2 or 3/4 for Aux In. If you're using a wax cylinder or can and string, however, you're out of luck.

    ;)
    Chief Product Design Architect, Yamaha Guitar Group | Line 6 | Ampeg
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  • I'm aware of those things. It's annoying that you can't adjust the volume on the iPod/iPhone/iPad when using the USB option.

    It's also annoying to have to build a separate fx return in to every single patch to practice along to music rather than having a simple 3.5mm aux in like loads of other (cheaper) devices have.

    I love my Helix and the options it offers are brilliant. There are workarounds for almost every possible scenario but I still maintain it's a shame that it doesn't have an aux in specifically designed to simply plug and play along to music/metronome. 

    I never ever use the aux input for guitars. It would be great if in a future update there could be a global option to mix this straight to output for playing along to jam tracks. 
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    @handsomerik put it in idea scale. I think it would be a useful global option.
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  • NelsonPNelsonP Frets: 3347
    I'd like to see a high quality, reasonably priced modelling board, that has the very best tone, but without all the 'studio' level features that only professionals really need.

    Right now I could get an amplifire 12 AND a Bassbreaker 15 for less than a helix.

    And as good as the helix appears to be, nearly 
    £1,300 is a ton of money to be dropping on a digital device that will date pretty quickly.

    Maybe the headrush is what I'm looking for. Let's see.....
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  • Date pretty quickly? It won't be replaced for years and it'll sound the same (or improve with FW updates) as it does now.

    Though the Headrush could be great value for money for sure.
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  • timmysofttimmysoft Frets: 1962
    OK OK, I merged the threads :)

    Also...somebody's got hold of a pre-production model:



    Sounds pretty damn good in a mix to me.
    Sounds decent, definitely suited to that style of music.

    Interesting pedal for sure, i think it'll really open up the Multi Fx market again like back in the 90's with the GT5, Zoom 4040, Digitech RP6. Technology made super fast progress at that point, i think thats about to happen all over again.
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  • NelsonPNelsonP Frets: 3347
    In my experience, digital stuff does date pretty quickly and it only really holds its value until the next shiny thing comes along.

    E.g. My 10 year old pod xt is worth buttons. My 25 year old mesa is worth a lot more than I paid for it.
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  • NelsonP said:
    In my experience, digital stuff does date pretty quickly and it only really holds its value until the next shiny thing comes along.

    E.g. My 10 year old pod xt is worth buttons. My 25 year old mesa is worth a lot more than I paid for it.
    Your computer is worth less than half what you paid for it 6 months after you bought it (when the next generation of all the hardware comes out). Does that make it useless or a bad purchase?

    Besides, high-end digital units do far more than your Mesa can. They're not really comparable in terms of function.
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  • Value, sounds, and dating are not the same thing.
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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4718
    NelsonP said:
    In my experience, digital stuff does date pretty quickly and it only really holds its value until the next shiny thing comes along.

    E.g. My 10 year old pod xt is worth buttons. My 25 year old mesa is worth a lot more than I paid for it.
    Your computer is worth less than half what you paid for it 6 months after you bought it (when the next generation of all the hardware comes out). Does that make it useless or a bad purchase?

    Besides, high-end digital units do far more than your Mesa can. They're not really comparable in terms of function.
    Generally I agree that digital gear tends to drop like a stone in value and go out of fashion.  But there are exceptions.  

    For example, the Vox Tonelab SE came out in 2004. Although 'old tech' now, it was way ahead of its time and is still very highly regarded because it still sounds good and has great gigging functionality/simplicity.  What's interesting is that these units (and its successor, the smaller TLLE) are still commanding very healthy used prices.  When new the TLSE was around £225, but in good condition with the original Vox gig bag these are still being sold (actual) for £150-200.  Also, the Vox VC12 floor controllers for the original 'Blue' Valvetronix amps (and the limited edition VTX150 Neodymium Pro) sold for around £225 when new, and because these controllers are very scarce, are still commanding £175 - 200 used.  A TLLE in good condition still commands £150 or more.    

    And The Hughes & Kettner Zentera with the Z-Stage board has almost a cult following with owners very rarely selling them, but with these all digital amps commanding top prices when they do come up. 

    I'm sure there are other examples too.  
    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    The drop in value thing gets rolled out with every bit of digital gear, I used to roll it out as well. The churn in music gear isn't as quick as computers or phones so slightly less of an issue and if it does what you want how much does it matter ( cars lose an eye watering amount of money bought from new but people still do)anyway. 
    For someone like me it would get relatively little use: I don't normally record stuff, I only use a handful of sounds, I don't gig that often, home use would be limited. So, in my case, a Helix/ Headrush would be an expensive purchase to gather a lot of dust. 
    I guess if you want to buy one to see how you get on with the notion you are likely to move it on but not lose money then I guess you need to wait for used ones and benefit from their drop in value.
    If I was interested I would still feel very anxious about having a £900 digital unit at my feet in a pub. Let's say my current pedal board got beer poured on it and or a 20 stone punter crash landed I would be very unlucky if everything was trashed as it's eight separate devices on a board ( slatted so beer can pour through). 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4718
    A beer friendly pedal board...cool! 
    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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  • wibblewibble Frets: 1083


    In the USA it's going to be $999 and April in store.

    So expect it to cost £999 over here then! (or more, thanks Brexit!)
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27569
    That's still usefully less than a Helix if you don't need the loops (and, at a guess, as flexible routing).
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26451
    edited January 2017
    wibble said:

    In the USA it's going to be $999 and April in store.

    So expect it to cost £999 over here then! (or more, thanks Brexit!)
    They've already said it'll be £899 in the UK. Assuming we don't have another currency crash by then...perhaps we just need to buy them before A50's invoked ;)

    Also...he seemed to be dodging/glossing over some questions in that video. Not sure whether he didn't know, but the guy was clearly asking what the "quad-core processor" is in it, and his explanation of "Eleven HD Expanded" was pretty anaemic.

    Sporky said:
    That's still usefully less than a Helix if you don't need the loops (and, at a guess, as flexible routing).
    Yeah, the routing's based on templates rather than "freehand" routing like the Helix. I'd imagine that could be slightly annoying, although seeing the interface I think it might actually be possible to get four amps running simultaneously (albeit only with two actual signal paths).

    While I was 100% gung-ho for this unit, my situation's changed somewhat now and Helix Native is the frontrunner for me. The idea of being able to get rid of a good 40% of the clutter in my office and run with a single pedal (the TC Mimiq) into my interface is simply too attractive.
    <space for hire>
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  • rossyamaharossyamaha Frets: 2439
    Didn't know Ed Sheeran was working for Sound On Sound. Good on him keeping it real. 

    I play guitar and take photos of stuff. I also like beans on toast.

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27569
    Yeah, the routing's based on templates rather than "freehand" routing like the Helix. I'd imagine that could be slightly annoying, although seeing the interface I think it might actually be possible to get four amps running simultaneously (albeit only with two actual signal paths).
    That'd probably work for an awful lot of people, but if they'd come out at the same time I think I'd still have gone Helix for that routing.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • Sporky said:
    Yeah, the routing's based on templates rather than "freehand" routing like the Helix. I'd imagine that could be slightly annoying, although seeing the interface I think it might actually be possible to get four amps running simultaneously (albeit only with two actual signal paths).
    That'd probably work for an awful lot of people, but if they'd come out at the same time I think I'd still have gone Helix for that routing.
    Yeah, that's fair. Obviously, the ideal would be a Helix with a touchscreen interface ;)
    <space for hire>
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  • mixolydmixolyd Frets: 826
    Several videos in and no sign of a decent tone from this thing.  Helix sounded a bit pants in the first few videos and came good when better IR's were brought in but the whole emphasis on meaningless and deceptive marketing-speak makes me sceptical of this one.

    When it comes to home use, the announcement of Helix Native has changed the game.
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  • mixolyd said:
    Several videos in and no sign of a decent tone from this thing.  Helix sounded a bit pants in the first few videos and came good when better IR's were brought in but the whole emphasis on meaningless and deceptive marketing-speak makes me sceptical of this one.

    When it comes to home use, the announcement of Helix Native has changed the game.
    I'm still pretty confident that it'll sound good - the Eleven modelling is excellent (still my favourite, certainly above Fractal's stuff, but I haven't played with the Helix enough to know). I suspect that their "rebuilt from the ground up" just means "recompiled for the new processor" and reworked to allow more sensible signal paths, and none of the information they've released contradicts that.

    You're right, though - all the info they're putting out at the moment is pretty much meaningless beyond "we've fixed the problems everyone reported with the Eleven Rack". Loads of people have asked about spillover across all their social media accounts, and they still refuse to answer.

    This dents my confidence in the product as a whole.

    You're 100% right, though; for home use, Helix Native has totally changed the landscape. It'll depend on how CPU-intensive it is to a certain degree, but when DAWs like Reaper allow you to offload VST processing to another machine that's easily solved.
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