Going back to an old-fashioned all analogue board after running a Helix for the past 2 years

gibsongretschfan

Lebarque said:

No doubt the Helix is convenient and flexible, but it's a compromise on tone compared to good quality analog pedals IMO. Not to mention 'death by digital menus' syndrome. Maybe I'm just old and like a simple pedal with three knobs, so I can focus on playing.

It’s a compromise in only that you may prefer other pedals but not in actual sound quality in my opinion.

for instance, there are some really great drives.... just don’t happen to be modelled after the ones I use in real life so I use external ones I prefer

i hate digital menus and drop down folders etc yet I love Helix. It’s the perfect mix of tweakability, intuitive control and depth when needed

mr-mac

I am same with helix my hears hear something a tiny tiny bit synthetic to it.  I like em and they defo do job but not for me.  I found myself happier with my gsp1101 but guess it depends on type of music and sorta tone yohr looking for which works best for you . Can't see myself going pedal board except maybe a very small one for lighter gigs.  Though contemplating building a gsp into a 1x12 combo instead.

John_A

Lebarque said:

No doubt the Helix is convenient and flexible, but it's a compromise on tone compared to good quality analog pedals IMO. Not to mention 'death by digital menus' syndrome. Maybe I'm just old and like a simple pedal with three knobs, so I can focus on playing.

I think exactly the opposite.  My 'tone' with the Helix is better, I have a virtual board with more effects that I could ever own, and I spend more time messing on with real pedals than I do on the Helix.  No right or wrong, each to their own

robinbowes

Lebarque said:

No doubt the Helix is convenient and flexible, but it's a compromise on tone compared to good quality analog pedals IMO. Not to mention 'death by digital menus' syndrome. Maybe I'm just old and like a simple pedal with three knobs, so I can focus on playing.

No, there's no tone compromise. I sound better with my Helix with much less effort than I did with real amps and pedals.

And I find I can totally focus on playing because I don't have anything distracting me. I just choose my preset and play.

R.

Sporky

Helix sounds better. And the control interface is very flat - no cascading menus. 

meltedbuzzbox

It produces a nice recorded sound. I would never say it sounds better though. 

John_A

meltedbuzzbox said:

It produces a nice recorded sound. I would never say it sounds better though. 

Having to'd and fro'd between the two, I thing Helix sounds better.  Better than my set of 'real' pedals anyway

digitalscream

Lebarque said:

No doubt the Helix is convenient and flexible, but it's a compromise on tone compared to good quality analog pedals IMO. Not to mention 'death by digital menus' syndrome. Maybe I'm just old and like a simple pedal with three knobs, so I can focus on playing.

I've come across a number of people with similar arguments - particularly on Facebook - telling me that I'm compromising my tone by using the Helix. The thing is...I've never, ever managed to get the tones I want from an amp + pedal setup, and yet I can with a Helix. With amp distortion, I have to live with whatever channels I'm given...an amp doesn't actually exist that can do everything I want. Same with pedals.

The fallacy is to act as though amps and pedals don't involve compromise. They sure do - the additional noise in the signal chain, pedals that don't play nicely together, tap-dancing to get everything you need, the sheer weight and maintenance overhead etc. Eventually, you decide that you want a simpler life, so you compromise on the number of pedals you take with you...then you realise that you're breaking your back lugging it all over the place, so you compromise again on the number of pedals, and see if you can pick a lighter amp...and suddenly, without even noticing it, you're no longer getting the tones you want because all the non-tone implications of the amp + pedal rig are making it impossible to do so.

That's exactly how I ended up with a Helix, and I've never been happier or more able to put in a good performance. Even if I was compromising my tone to get there (which I'm not), I'd still be happy and so would my band's fans - because they don't give a toss about that last 2% of tone that guitar forum inhabitants are always obsessed with, and neither am I.

meltedbuzzbox

John_A said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

It produces a nice recorded sound. I would never say it sounds better though. 

Having to'd and fro'd between the two, I thing Helix sounds better.  Better than my set of 'real' pedals anyway

I've never really fallen in love with most of the sounds fx wise. There are some good ones no doubt. 
But its that easy to add my favourites its no biggy. But I do only use the Helix for recording at home. 

Vaiai

I have just joined a function band and they don't mic up most of the time so they don't want me thru the PA as it will cause an imbalance in sound with the other guitarist. So I am still using Helix but also using the Victory V30 and a Hoffnine 1x12, does sound great so it's no hardship - but I need to start lugging all that around again! 
I can still use it at rehearsal luckily!

NelsonP

thecolourbox said:

I saw a helix the other day though and it was massive, much bigger than my pedal collection. I appreciate it is good and sounds brilliant but for my space available and use case, pedals still win to be honest

Try an Atomic Amplifire. Either 6 or 12.
Much smaller footprint. Sounds fantastic and has most of the effects you'll need.

And you can always add an expression pedal ( or two) if needed.

Lebarque

 OK, here's where I'm at: I a/b'd my vibe, trem, wah, chorus, reverb and delay (I use amp dirt mainly) with the HX effects and my pedals were clearly better. That's not too say that I wasn't impressed with the Helix, but the quality of sound didn't quite match up and inspire me to play and create, like my pedals do. I freely admit that I am spoilt with some really good pedals and amp though. I guess it comes down to priorities. If you are prepared to accept a level of tone for the convenience of the Helix, it's perfect. If, like me, you're willing to accept tap dancing and cables for the ultimate tone, premium pedals are still the way forward at the current time. Give it another few years and I'm sure Line 6 will catch up, but they're not there yet.

Another thing that bothered me was the dry through signal on the HX effects. It was bright and brash, not like a good buffer in a pedal chain.

Heartfeltdawn

digitalscream said:

I've come across a number of people with similar arguments - particularly on Facebook - telling me that I'm compromising my tone by using the Helix. The thing is...I've never, ever managed to get the tones I want from an amp + pedal setup, and yet I can with a Helix. With amp distortion, I have to live with whatever channels I'm given...an amp doesn't actually exist that can do everything I want. Same with pedals.

If it gets the tone you want, you aren't compromising the tone. Anyone claiming otherwise is simply being an arse. 

Sporky

Pedals would compromise my tone. No quad parallel paths for starters. No snapshots. No expression control of whatever I want. 

I can see that if you're into historical reenactment then you'd probably miss a lot of the power of the Helix.  

Freebird

Wazmeister said: What

I'm trialling the HX and Helix Floor at the moment... the HX is amazingly good

Better than an FX8?

Lebarque

Snapshots? The ability to change a sound without a pause? WOW! :0)

Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight. Like the chap said above, if digital jiggery pokery floats your boat and gets the tone you want, it's all good. My point is that if you sit down and compare the quality of tone of eg. a Mojovibe with the vibe on the Helix, there is a marked difference.

John_A

Lebarque said:

Snapshots? The ability to change a sound without a pause? WOW! :0)

Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight. Like the chap said above, if digital jiggery pokery floats your boat and gets the tone you want, it's all good. My point is that if you sit down and compare the quality of tone of eg. a Mojovibe with the vibe on the Helix, there is a marked difference.

A snapshot is a lot more than that, it's the ability to change all the settings on every bit of your rig in an instant.

dont know the mojovibe, have only used a space echo briefly, and never owned a real Klon but the Helix versions of all of them sound great.  I'm not fastidious about 'tone' but have ABd a few pedals with Helix models and the differences were so small, if there was any at all.  

Sporky

Lebarque said:

Snapshots? The ability to change a sound without a pause? WOW! :0)

Interesting that you ignored all the other bits that an analogue board can't do either. 

Danny1969

I did a gig on Friday as a guest guitarist in a Thin Lizzy trib (band I was in a couple of years ago) The guy who replaced me (superb guitarist) was using a Helix into a PA speaker. I was using a little 15 watt Laney thing someone lent me. I watched him soundcheck and good as a sound as it was it sounded more absent from the room than my basic amp tone if that makes any sense ... it's not that he was using reverb or delay or even that it was duller sound .......... just sounded " less in your face" than mine. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just an observation as that's the first chance I've had to study one being used live. If I'm honest for that application....playing Lizzy tunes originally recorded on old Marshalls I preferred the sound of the Laney. 

I have used the Helix indoors though and was well impressed with the basic Plexi tones and the ease of use. 

Wazmeister

Interesting night at band tonight... my beloved Redplate 'went down' (probably a valve), and had limited sound, headroom and volume coming out of it.

Up stepped the HX; quickly tried a few overdrives, which I hadn't really experimented with that much before. The OCD setting, with lower gain, saved the night and enabled me to 'limp home'.

I do like the simplicity of the HX.

I did though, have a brief yearning for a Kemper tonight as a back-up and second amp.

Hmmm....