Line 6 Helix

fretmeister

That's the one. Less clank that the older one. Sounds great for his use, but I want more clank!

DesVegas

Haha!! http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/73125/fs-line-6-helix-owned-for-1-week-new-mint

fretmeister

Blimey.

I have no idea whether L6 warranty is transferable or not - but I'd rather spend a little more on a new one with full back up.

Cabicular

fretmeister;1038164" said:

Anyway, I started using it with bass after spending a week on guitar.

The bass amp models are great - but I'm also using just the preamps as I'm using the FX return on a real bass amp for power.

However - the existing drive pedal models are a bit shite for bass use for anything other than adding a tiny bit of grit, or going for a more old fashioned flubbyish drive.

So I can do the older Geddy Lee thing nicely, but so far I can't do a super modern bass drive, or even Billy Sheehan's old Pearce BC-1 drive / fuzz thing

I'm working my way through a list of parallel drive combinations with a variety of EQ blocks to see if I can get somewhere close to modern bass drive pedals like the Darkglass units.



This is actually a Fractal tone grab of the Darkglass B7K





That kind of thing.

After I've exhausted the drive pedal options I'll start mixing bass and guitar preamps in parallel and see what happens there - that way could well be more successful than the drive pedals

I'm really hoping I can find a way to not need to connect my real pedals in the loops and still get the madness I want. Otherwise I'll need an even bigger rack with a pedal tray, and I don't want to have to lift that!

Catchy little number that ...
I reckon you could get close to that running parallel paths and maybe the Soldano pre amp in the dirty bit
I'd run the LA comp at the end of the clean signal just to even out and put a bit of top end on the direct signal

guitarfishbay

fretmeister said:

That's the one. Less clank that the older one. Sounds great for his use, but I want more clank!

How different is the bass though?  I can't tell from the headstock cam which bass that is in that vid - the pickups will have a big impact.

Sounds like he's using more drive and a lower clean blend level in the rig rundown video too.

guitarfishbay

O/T but I find the low string sound in that rundown vid, and that of several other people using Dingwall type basses, quite strange.  I get why people like it, but it almost sounds like a bass patch on a keyboard to me, like it is too clean.  But then on another day I really like it.

fretmeister

guitarfishbay said:

fretmeister said:

That's the one. Less clank that the older one. Sounds great for his use, but I want more clank!

How different is the bass though?  I can't tell from the headstock cam which bass that is in that vid - the pickups will have a big impact.

Sounds like he's using more drive and a lower clean blend level in the rig rundown video too.

It's a Dingwall Combustion, from before the time he got a signature model.

I can nail that sound perfectly with my physical pedals and a selection of loop / mix units. I just want to try and do it in the Helix.

hugbot

Too clean is pretty much par for Djent types since their thing is being able to hear every note of their precision riffage.

Cabicular

It's quite a 'warwicky' thumb clean
It's a monster tone but overwhelming for anything but that style of music
A good multi band compressor would really help but The Helix don't got one

hugbot

In theory you could parallel route a compressor to just the highs or lows

guitarfishbay

I'm not sure a multiband compressor is needed for this kind of tone.

If you smack the strings hard enough then it'll end up fairly even, more tight on the bass and more aggressive in the high mids.

Bass is a really interesting instrument - I actually think the player matters more on bass than it does guitar, just because of how different the low end can be between playing styles.

fretmeister

Cabicular said:

It's quite a 'warwicky' thumb clean
It's a monster tone but overwhelming for anything but that style of music
A good multi band compressor would really help but The Helix don't got one

I use a DG Supersymmetry and it works fine.

Nelly uses the Cali76 pedal.

Cabicular

Depends on the Bass and the player I guess
I've always found the low end can get overwhelming when pick attacked like that and it's nice to get a boost of the upper mids but that's just based (no pun intended) on the players I've dealt with

fretmeister

I've been playing with the guitar amp models for bass.

I'm getting great results using the GK bass model as the always on clean sound and using (can't remember the name) the compressor that gives proper controls!

And on the other path using the PV amp with the 10 band EQ. This one with different compression settings to account for the heavy compressive effect of the PV amp.

Next I need to see if I can set the filter like my beloved MXR Bass Envelope Filter, and have a proper fiddle with the synth.

Much much better than using the pedal models, although I will now try the pedals on top anyway, because BASS.

Cabicular

I wouldn't mind a copy of the patch when you're done if that's ok
Interested

Sporky

rossyamaha said:

@Sporky, yes I owe you a 50p and a KitKat. It appears there is no global cab sim off. At the moment. 

I had spotted that substantial progress has already been made with the various firmware updates, and it's already an enormously capable unit.

hugbot

Quck question for users, is it possible to dip into path B multiple times, like this?

fretmeister

Dunno! Not tried it.

Sporky

It is not. Currently, at least.

Hmm. Though you might be able to by using FX loops with patch leads in them and being cunning about patch design.

hugbot

I'm wondering if it can replace my RE20, and one of the things I like about the Re20 is having reverb + delay in parallel, though that means you use up a path.