Line 6 Helix

ThePrettyDamned

Drew_fx;715968" said:

There wasn't a single bad tone in that video. Great stuff.

Drew_fx;715968" said:

There wasn't a single bad tone in that video. Great stuff.

Agreed. Really sounds great!

bingefeller

That Zack of Fuse patch sounds fantastic.

ElectroDan

Finally! Sound really good.

 

Fuzzdog said:

Damn you, Line 6.  I had settled into a nice groove of not buying new shiny things and being perfectly content with what I had.

Anyone know what eBay category is best for listing kidneys?

I don't think you can list them as used. I'm told "with defects" is the correct work-around.

dindude

Does sound a lot better through proper speakers now I've had the chance. Still a little disappointed that the sounds so far are largely what modelling does best day in day out, I.e. pretty cleans, and ultra gained stuff. I can get that stuff out of my good old Digitech GSP1101 - It's the in between stuff that is really hard to nail - for example I've never heard a convincing low to mid gain Plexi model (fractal included).

The very first demo when it was announced with a fuzz and vibe was very promising though so here's hoping.

Basically, the looks and functionally are absolutely bang on, I just hope they have got the sounds as bang on too.

RMJ

Demos sound great. I remember Sean Halley did a bunch of vids on the eleven rack and made that sound way way way better than I can. Hopefully that isn't the case here!

Fortheloveofguitar

RMJ;716358" said:

Demos sound great. I remember Sean Halley did a bunch of vids on the eleven rack and made that sound way way way better than I can. Hopefully that isn't the case here!

I've just viewed those Eleven rack vids.

It sounds better than the Helix in those videos.

ElectroDan

My only niggle is that I'm not blown away by the sounds I'm hearing. I want it to be that good, and for me to part with a grand it would need to be. It looks better than anything else and seems so well thought out.

I think if I'd never heard an Axe FX2 I might be happy enough with it, but of the tones the users are posting on the forum there are just outstanding. I'm going to wait and see if the AX8 lives up to expectation, before I put my amp into semi-retirement.

digitalscream

Fortheloveofguitar said:

I've just viewed those Eleven rack vids.

It sounds better than the Helix in those videos.

To be fair, the Eleven Rack is (in my opinion) a very special bit of kit. It didn't have anywhere near the computing power of any of the other high-end gear, but they somehow managed to make it generate amazing sounds. Those are the videos that sold me on it.

The problem is that it's basically unusable live, because the workflow just doesn't lend itself to the things you need (particularly the patch gap). If the Helix can get most of the way there and solve those workflow problems it's going to be good enough - and, to me, worth the money.

ToneControl

who can tell me whether or not it completely destroys the tone of a top notch clean amp and good single coil guitar?

Heartfeltdawn

Drew_fx said:

There wasn't a single bad tone in that video. Great stuff.

Really? I thought it had some P&W cleans and some of the rock stuff sounded like it had been taken from a PS1-era Japanese racing game. 

Still hoping for a Helix FX unit here. No amps, just effects, churn out a true M9 replacement.  

digitalscream

ToneControl said:

who can tell me whether or not it completely destroys the tone of a top notch clean amp and good single coil guitar?

At this point, only the people who work for Sweetwater (I think) and Line 6, and they're somewhat biased.

Besides, you should never trust somebody else's opinion on that.

Cabicular

ToneControl;716772" said:

who can tell me whether or not it completely destroys the tone of a top notch clean amp and good single coil guitar?

I'd be happy if it was as good. There are a lot of other advantages of this kind of system seeps with expression pedal control

My problem is I don't think it is...
I'll have to try a unit . Tone is as much about how it feels as how it sounds

Cabicular

Just watched that 'in the studio video'
The digital grittiness is still there although it's not as prominent as it is on the fire hawk and below
Cut your string ends!!! I can't abide that .. Scruffy git

hugbot

Heartfeltdawn;716910" said:

Drew_fx said:

There wasn't a single bad tone in that video. Great stuff.










Really? I thought it had some P&W cleans and some of the rock stuff sounded like it had been taken from a PS1-era Japanese racing game. 

Still hoping for a Helix FX unit here. No amps, just effects, churn out a true M9 replacement.  

There aren't enough effects models at stock to justify an fx only unit.

Fortheloveofguitar

I'm crying out for something like this or the Kemper, Axe fx for lots of tonal choice.

Though the more I look at it for actual tone quality and feel, I think buying several normal amps may be a better option.

Clearly more expensive though.

Moltisanti

i just watched the intro video for the first time and i must admit it does look fantastic - a huge leap from the previous Line 6 stuff

digitalscream

Not sure if anyone's spotted this, but Thomann appears to have a release date:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/line6_helix_guitar_processor.htm

Heartfeltdawn

hugbot said:  

There aren't enough effects models at stock to justify an fx only unit.

70 effects aren't enough? 

http://line6.com/data/6/0a064389866f55b3ac45d380c/application/pdf

The M-series had over 100 effects. More distortion options than the Helix (which most people ignored for stompboxs), more filter option than the Helix (26 versus 2 - not exactly a well used effect). Where it matters in the delay/reverb/modulation section, the Helix looks well stocked. A £500 Helix FX that was the same size as the M9 and offered up the same level of control over the effects chain would be a serious player in the effects world. 

hugbot

I feel like its missing some obvious ones. A POG for one thing, reverse reverb, two filters seems a bit tragic unless they're both insanely cusomisable, frequency shifter - one of my faves from the M series. ect

Its not shabby, its just not as well stocked as the M series to be a good enough successor I think.

digitalscream

I suspect it's going to be released as a work-in-progress, with a few modules held back for a later update or two. Regular updates (but not with breaking changes, like Fractal) are a popular request, so it's likely to actually help sales if they put out extra content periodically.