Do I sell everything and buy a Helix?

stickyfiddle · January 2017

Cabicular said:

Buy the Torpedo reload
best thing I bought
or buy a Helix the other best thing I bought

Er.. thanks!

RandallFlagg · January 2017

stickyfiddle said:

I have no idea what IRs are. Is it essential a speaker emulation?

Do I need them if putting it through an amp?

You don't need IRs if you are using a guitar cab, if going direct for recording or FRFR then you can use the inbuilt cabs or 3rd Party IRs. The stock stuff is good but so are 3rd party IRs.

IRs can be a rabbit hole so try and limit yourself to speakers/cabs that match those you know or will be a suitable match for the Helix amps. I just have a few IRs that I like to use.

IR packs come with many files, which are the speaker cab captured using different microphones and/or different mic placement. You should load a batch and scroll through them to see what one you prefer. This can be done easily on the Helix within the IR block.

stickyfiddle · January 2017

Ok, thanks all. I'll add IRs to the "don't worry about them until I know they're a problem" pile.

I need to have a big think, try all my gear with the Badcat and work out what I really don't need. I have a feeling I have pedals I've even forgotten I have, and definitely have a couple of fuzzes I haven't plugged in in probably 2 years.

Wazmeister · January 2017

fretmeister said:

Helix also has dual paths. Ax8 doesn't.

if that is important to you.

Mate, the AX8 has dual paths... not sure if its the same as Helix but you can easily make them

Teetonetal · January 2017

Tweak vs play is non issue. Ignore that.
Being a pedal head also a non issue. The rate they update it means lots of new stuff... plus those 4 loops means pedals are always an option.

For home use not much is better

Bridgehouse · January 2017

Whatever you do, if you do get a Helix then don't judge it in the first 30 mins. It takes a bit of time and playing around to get the sort of tones you will probably want.

I hear of lots of people that get one, give it an hour or so then declare it's crap and overrated and send it back.

Until you have built your own patch and tweaked all its parameters to get it right then you don't know whether Helix will suit. After 6 months I'm still finding stuff out that improves my sound and it's a joy to find out that it can get even better. However, I found some of the stock patches uninspiring.

Oddly though I find the out the box bass ones to be pretty good - I use them a lot, and I can't wait for the next update with a stack load more...

fretmeister · January 2017

Wazmeister said:

fretmeister said:

Helix also has dual paths. Ax8 doesn't.

if that is important to you.

Mate, the AX8 has dual paths... not sure if its the same as Helix but you can easily make them

Oh.

i was sure the AX8 couldn't do 2 separate paths with 2 amps etc.

guitarfishbay · January 2017

It can't do 2 amps at once, you need the Axe FX 2 for that.

Sporky · January 2017

You can do four independent paths with the Helix using the FX loops as extra ins and outs.

fretmeister · January 2017

It's the 2 amp thing I like best. Amazing for bass.

Bridgehouse · January 2017

fretmeister said:

It's the 2 amp thing I like best. Amazing for bass.

2 amps?

Bass?

Pls expand on this...!

guitarfishbay · January 2017

Bridgehouse said:

fretmeister said:

It's the 2 amp thing I like best. Amazing for bass.

2 amps?

Bass?

Pls expand on this...!

One common way to do it is one amp for your lows (usually clean) and the other for your high end, often overdriven to cut through. EQ filters can be used to define these so there's not too much overlap (low passing the highs from the clean, and highpassing the lows from the overdriven amp).

It is a good way to do things but then you could plug into a Darkglass/other preamp and use the blend knob and get most of the same result in one place.

Bridgehouse · January 2017

guitarfishbay said:

Bridgehouse said:

fretmeister said:

It's the 2 amp thing I like best. Amazing for bass.

2 amps?

Bass?

Pls expand on this...!

One common way to do it is one amp for your lows (usually clean) and the other for your high end, often overdriven to cut through. EQ filters can be used to define these so there's not too much overlap (low passing the highs from the clean and the lows from the overdriven amp).

It is a good way to do things but then you could plug into a Darkglass/other preamp and use the blend knob and get most of the same result in one place.

I need to investigate this more! Top tips, so thanks!

fretmeister · January 2017

Watch some Billy Sheehan rig explanations on YouTube.

I often run 3 signals.

1: super deep and low. Lots of compression. Almost a reggae sound.
2: clean highs, compressed. Cut the low end of the signal, to be mixed in parallel with
3: drive and other fx. Turn in or off as needed.

The reason for 3 is that sometimes the drive settings won't Mix well with the super deep. Not enough bite on a reggae sound so adding drive to it is muddy.

1 goes to 1 cab
2 & 3 go to another cab, blended.

No amp EQ compromises for a cab then either.

Sometimes I run 4, adding something in the low mids or a separate super low FX path.

But I use outboard gear as well for that, with an Ampeg SVP-BSP next to the Helix. Im hoping the incoming Pearce models will let me do it all internally if I can manage the DSP enough.

guitarfishbay · January 2017

It can be worth experimenting with sending the driven sound through a guitar cab (though if doing it for real and not with IRs be mindful of cutting the lows so you don't blow the speaker up). Guitar amps make for good bass drive options too.

There's a lot that can be done to help a bass be more audible across it's range - just a plain clean bass sound doesn't always cut it against guitars while keeping a solid low end, hence splitting the signal.

Bridgehouse · January 2017

This is great info!! I shall be experimenting at the weekend!!

ThePrettyDamned · January 2017

What pedals do you like? If it's the standard stuff (dirt, delay, boost, mod) the Helix will cover it. If you have some more unusual custom made or unique circuits, it won't. Most "boutique" dirt pedals especially are made in quite big quantities these days and not rare so are easily replaced if you did miss them.

But it has loops - so keep the synth pedals and weird noise boxes and bit crushers that the Helix doesn't emulate.

guitarfishbay · January 2017

Bridgehouse said:

This is great info!! I shall be experimenting at the weekend!!

Here's a quick overview of how Doug from Kings X gets his bass tone with his signature amp, which is basically two separate channels to do the clean lows distorted highs thing. He does play each sound in isolation to give an idea of how each individual part works.

Teetonetal · January 2017

BTW looks like helix vst will have a 15 day trial. That could be a very good way of seeing if it fits for you before splashing the cash on the hardware!

BintyTwanger77 · January 2017

I played a Helix into an amp & cab for 30 mins, and it didn't do anything for me, BUT it was only for 30 mins

So many people on TGP are making the transition to the Helix and raving about them, my first guess is it requires a lot more tweaking work, or at least another chance.

The best thing about the Helix seems to be the sheer versatility and ease of use.

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Do I sell everything and buy a Helix?

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