Kemper/Helix/Fractal users, have you gone fully digital and do you plan to?

Drew_TNBD · April 2017

Things I use my Helix for:

- Re-amping box. I basically never use my previous reamping boxes now. The benefit: No mucking around setting levels or fixing ground loops or noise-floor. DI's are captured digitally, and they're sent back to the amp digitally too.

- Effects unit. I hook it up in 4-cable method with my amps and use the snapshots to simulate different pedalboard setups. The benefit: No messing around with patch leads, no ripping up my pedalboards to try out different orders, a wide variety of tones that are more accessible with my feet than my single stomps.

- Amp footswitch controller. Again, hooked up in 4-cable method I can also switch my amps at the same time as switching my effects. The benefit: No more tap dancing. I can use the same switcher with all of my amps, and so have the same feet workflow regardless of which amp I decide to use.

- Impulse response loader. So again... in 4-cable method, I hook it all up. Then I take the amp speaker output into a loadbox, and then back into the Helix. Then I can dedicate a path on the Helix purely for impulse responses, and process the real amp that way. Saves me having to run an IR loader in my DAW, which can often cause latency.

- With a camera connection kit cable, I can connect the Helix to an iPad and use it as a sound interface. This is good because I can then run apps like LooperVerse and 'Loop The Group' for on the fly composition. Gets me away from the computer and into more of a 'standalone writing' headspace.

- Direct recording. So for most demos we write, I've been going DI'd with the Helix into my computer via SPDIF, and recording the amp+cab+fx output, as well as the guitar DI for reamping later. It means I can craft tones in a rough sense, and come back to them later on. Benefit: Speeds up the writing process and doesn't piss my neighbours off too much!

For comparison sake, I put this together the other day based on my singles board:

Drew_TNBD · April 2017

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jgsxosy1a58rt33/BoardComparisons.png?dl=0

Digital_Igloo · April 2017

Sporky said:

guitarfishbay said:

I'm actually gutted Line 6 haven't put a conventional midi port on the Helix Smart Controller that goes with the Rack unit. I'd totally buy it if it did.

I don't think it'd work though - I suspect it's all driven from the Helix Rack, with very little "brain" in the controller.

Correct. If Helix Control worked as a standalone MIDI controller, the thing would be at least $650-700.

Jonathanthomas83 · April 2017

@Digital_Igloo Which I think there's a market for, given the price of the RJM. I think you should do it!

Digital_Igloo · April 2017

Jonathanthomas83 said:

@Digital_Igloo Which I think there's a market for, given the price of the RJM. I think you should do it!

Theres some sort of market for almost anything. Line 6 has way more overhead than RJM, so any new product's market would have to be big enough for us to prioritize it over, say, new Helix firmware or a new fancy amp or something. And MIDI foot controllers are definitely niche.

You're not suggesting this, but sometimes people will say "Line 6 should make a thing like [Product X] because it'd likely be cheaper than [Product X]." That's a total non-starter from our standpoint; "me too" boxes are BORING. Not every product we make is a grand slam, but we'd rather go big and risk failure than play it safe. I'm pretty sure that's a big reason why Yamaha wanted to acquire us.

Jonathanthomas83 · April 2017

Nope, definitely not suggesting that. I think your Helix controller would be amazing with other digital modellers, that's what I hope came across, @Digital_Igloo :-)

Sporky · April 2017

I wonder if it'd be more realistic to make Helix Brain. No audio processing, just MIDI and USB in and out and a connection for a Helix Controller. Much less to invent.

Roland · April 2017

Jonathanthomas83 said:

It's a bit of a hot topic around these parts lately and I'm interested to see who's gone all in, 100%?

So, who has? Who plans to? Who won't? ...And why? :-)

I've been using digital live since the GT-8 came out, and switched to an AxeFX eight or nine years ago. Digital reduced the amount of equipment I had to carry. It also simplified onstage workflow, and increased reliability. The AxeFX does a marvellous acoustic simulation, so no fragile guitars and feedback.

bloodandtears said:

My concern with the new stuff (AxeFX, AX8, Helix, Kemper, etc), is the latency between patch changes; now I know you can create things such as scenes etc that workaround such things.. but jumping from clean to rhythm to lead is something I have gotten used to. I expect they can do this but have heard of latency issues which rule them out as live performance tools for me.

If you set it up correctly there is no latency. As the only guitarist in the band I often need to jump settings between beats. The method I use comes from before Scenes were invented. Each patch contains two amps. Pressing an IA switch mutes one and unmutes the other. Similarly IAs turns effects on or off. I only change patches between songs.

guitarfishbay · April 2017

Yeah totally understand making it cheaper for Helix rack users.

I just think it's a great design

Jonathanthomas83 · April 2017

Roland said:

The AxeFX does a marvellous acoustic simulation, so no fragile guitars and feedback.

I've not tried that yet, how do you go about setting it up? Is it a block? Sorry, I'm not in front of my Axe FX at the moment!

Roland · April 2017

@Jonathanthomas83 ;Here's a picture. It was started a few years ago by Scott Peterson, and has been updated by a number of people, including Larry Mitchell and Yek. This is my version, which build on what others have done. I've not put it on Axechange because I would have to explain the IAs which I use to switch things on and off whilst playing.

Image: http://thefretboard.co.uk/uploads/editor/nx/j3rwx19ch3w7.jpg

Ignore the top line. That's so I can switch to electric guitar without missing a beat.

The simulation relies on two separate IRs in the stereo can, with pre and post EQ, and pre and post compression. The first IR is Scott's. The second is one I created from the Tonematch which was in Yek's version of the patch.

The trick is to balance the levels, EQs and compression ranges for your own guitar. Mine is tailored for the neck pickup in my main Telecaster.

If you PM me an email address I'll send you copies of the patch and IRs.

Vibetronic · April 2017

totally digital here. I've only ever really liked 'proper' amps before, but have been completely converted by the AX8 - about 5 months after I got it I still can't believe the sounds I can get from it, and I've barely scratched the surface. It's just so much more convenient than hefting an amp around and sounds just as good (to me). I've used loads of modellers/rack stuff etc before, but was never completely satisfied with them and always ended up selling; they were ok(ish) for home recording, but the axe-fx stuff just sounds great straight out of the box. And I'm using effects properly for pretty much the first time (aside from home-recording); only really used a DS1 for a bit of overdrive before, but this just makes it a lot simpler and it's so easy to use. Can easily see myself upgrading to the full Axe-FX thing in a year or two.

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Kemper/Helix/Fractal users, have you gone fully digital and do you plan to?

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