Line 6 Helix

peteri

@simonk Just press any snapshot footswitch (not in front of mine but sure that does it)

simonk

@peteri nope, that takes it back to signal chain view too.

digitalscream

simonk said:

Question for LT users: you're rocking out in performance mode and then engage the tuner... is there a way to force it to exit the tuner back into performance mode? I can't seem to find it, and its a pain having to bend down to press the home key each time.

I'm pretty sure I just hit the tuner button again, and it goes back to where it was. Perhaps there's something in general settings that governs it?

simonk

digitalscream said:

simonk said:

Question for LT users: you're rocking out in performance mode and then engage the tuner... is there a way to force it to exit the tuner back into performance mode? I can't seem to find it, and its a pain having to bend down to press the home key each time.

I'm pretty sure I just hit the tuner button again, and it goes back to where it was. Perhaps there's something in general settings that governs it?

Tapping the tuner switch to exit it takes it to signal flow view as well (on mine at least). The only workaround I've found is to hit one of the preset bank switches and reselect the preset... which is almost as cumbersome as bending down to hit the home button.
Can't find anything in the globals to help either.

siraxeman

Has anyone tried anything like a treble booster in front of the Helix ? How do the inputs handle a red hot incoming signal? Hoping it can somehow handle it and not end up in horrible digital clipping ? I'll have my Heleix very soon so will find out one way or the other....

John_A

siraxeman said:

Has anyone tried anything like a treble booster in front of the Helix ? How do the inputs handle a red hot incoming signal? Hoping it can somehow handle it and not end up in horrible digital clipping ? I'll have my Heleix very soon so will find out one way or the other....

Don't put it in front it WILL clip the input, put it in a loop and put the loop first in the chain. Think of the guitar input on the Helix as an audio interface, the input to the amp is a virtual input somewhere in the signal chain

gibsongretschfan

Ok this may sound a tad harsh but I'm going to go there anyway. Last night I fogged my Helix for the first time in a couple of months. I had went back to a pedalboard (mix of digital and analog) but unforeseen circumstances meant I had to raise a little cash and off went some of those pedals (see classifieds). 

I had had zero issues returning to Helix. In my opinion the back end effects sounded just as good as the Strymons that were on my board and even though I do prefer the dirt on my board (those pedals have been zoned in over maaaaaany years and shall not be moving at any cost) I was in no way restricted by what Helix had to offer. I still had a smile on my face.

Thats even before I get to run a direct out straight to PA instead of having to mic my amp which I was using only the power amp section of for onstage monitoring. FOH was much better than squashing a 58 in front of a grill for head sorts of gigs where the band provides PA etc.

the point I was getting at is there seems to have been a number of threads recently of forum members who have spent a short amount of time with Helix and found it wanting. Some had created threads to cover their opinions and others just posted in this thread and others similar.

This is exactly what this forum is for. Let me just be clear about that.

However, there seemed to a be several forum memebera very insterested in what those members had to say about Helix. 

Now, if there are any of those on-the-fence possibly Helixers still reading by this point I would implode you to weigh the opinions of those who had owned Helix for sometime and have, for lack of a better term, gigged the bollocks off of it above those who had some free time in the evening to tinker for a a day or two.

Theres a learning curve and by hat I don't mean some magic settings that making everything sound great but there is a curve. Even for players it's experience of modellers there is too much going on to judge Helix on a trial basis where it hasn't even left the house.

Anyway, rant over. Keep safe Helixers

gearaddict

Don't implode my bollocks!

I may have misread your post.

gibsongretschfan

gearaddict said:

Don't implode my bollocks!

I may have misread your post.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave that autocorrect typo in now or this post will make no sense :')

Jonathanthomas83

You'll always get those interested in gear tests. I was particularly interested in what Clarky had to say because I'm in the Fractal camp, same as him - if Helix could work for him, then I seriously needed to go back and spend more time with it.

But yes, implode away ( ;-) ), I think you're absolutely spot on, @gibsongretschfan , I don't think some are spending the required time to get it where they need it (14 day return period isn't enough IMO), and dismiss it too early and resort to going back to their old gear...then come the inevitable "valves > digital" onslaughts. But then, maybe the instant gratification of pedals into an amp is what some want...who am I to judge! Enjoy the music :-)

gearaddict

Phew

Where I have ended up, following on from my 'will I regret' thread, is that I still have the helix and I am still using it. I'm a tough sell for this kind of technology. I just want it to sound good. Truth be told, I don't have the patience to spend a long time fiddling with parameters. When the answer to a problem is to add 3 different eq blocks each with multiple parameters, or go through 50 cabs or 1000 IRs trying to find one you like and then, when you have, try the 10 mics each with multiple parameters, I just lose the will.

The Helix is certainly better in this respect than the HD500 but it is still the same kind of thing. Especially when you start to look at the world of FRFR.

At this point I'm finding it more of a problem than an inspiration.

siraxeman

Had my Helix 2 days now and had an hour or so that's all with it, but with headphones on it sounds crappy....is there a way to make that much betterer? Plugged into my HS7's it sounds good - much better. Best or most natural headphone sound I got so far is with my JMP-1 using the speaker emulated outputs...but that's not the Helix obvs.

The very first preset patch - I think its called Mesa Roadster is totally silent when I play...so not sure why that is but I'm not worried, its obviously some setting inside that patch that's doing that all the other patches come through just fine. Might get one of my amps out later n try it into the font and then back end (FX return) to see how that sounds.

Cabicular

What is the impedance of your phones ?

peteri

siraxeman said:

Has anyone tried anything like a treble booster in front of the Helix ? How do the inputs handle a red hot incoming signal? Hoping it can somehow handle it and not end up in horrible digital clipping ? I'll have my Heleix very soon so will find out one way or the other....

Actually I find this works very well. 

I run a King of Tone in front of mine. One side quite high clean boost and the other side more of an overdrive. 

What has completely amazed me. And largely helped convert me to modelling - the Helix (and AX8 I’m trying) react ‘correctly’ they don’t clip like the older generations. They behave like amps

Try it it really works!

siraxeman

Cabicular said:

What is the impedance of your phones ?

not a clue....they're old school Beyer DT100's.

siraxeman

peteri said:

siraxeman said:

Has anyone tried anything like a treble booster in front of the Helix ? How do the inputs handle a red hot incoming signal? Hoping it can somehow handle it and not end up in horrible digital clipping ? I'll have my Heleix very soon so will find out one way or the other....

Actually I find this works very well. 

I run a King of Tone in front of mine. One side quite high clean boost and the other side more of an overdrive. 

What has completely amazed me. And largely helped convert me to modelling - the Helix (and AX8 I’m trying) react ‘correctly’ they don’t clip like the older generations. They behave like amps

Try it it really works!

Will do! Cheers!

Cabicular

siraxeman said:

Cabicular said:

What is the impedance of your phones ?

not a clue....they're old school Beyer DT100's.

It is important
the headphone socket is a high impedance one so 80s are probably not going to cut it
(although I find headphones are guff for guitars in general)

robinbowes

gearaddict said:

When the answer to a problem is to add 3 different eq blocks each with multiple parameters, or go through 50 cabs or 1000 IRs trying to find one you like and then, when you have, try the 10 mics each with multiple parameters, I just lose the will.

The thing is, it isn't.

Any modeller with amp/cab/mic simulation will never sound the same in the room as a real amp. Close, perhaps, but not (IMHO) the same.

But that's not the point. The Helix gives you the complete sound of the mic'd system, and that can take some getting used to.

But the things that makes it attractive to me are two-fold:

1. I can have a Fender Twin, an AC30, a JTM45, or a plexj stack, etc. all at the push of a button 

2. I can get all of these sounds at any volume level and in any environment. 

You don't need to fiddle and tweak endlessly. Just get your basic sounds dialled in and play the thing. You'll soon figure out what works and what doesn't. 

R. 

stonevibe

I bought a Helix LT the other day and only just got it out the box yesterday to have a go on it, as have been my usual busy self.

Have plugged it into my DT25 head via regular input and the L6 Link on the back. Think it is going to take a lot of tweaking to get it to sound decent.

I've yet to try it with any of my other amps though.

Seems like it is easy enough to tweak patches though, just not sure how much deep editing I am going to need to get it to sound reasonable with my valve amps or the DT. 

I only bought one as a good friend of mine programs all the patches for Steve Howe and I used it for a jam with him recently, as he had one on loan from Steve so he could program his set list in for a tour. I found it was way simpler than the HD500 I had owned before (which I hated with a passion) and it appears pretty straightforward to use.

When I get a spare 2 hours I am going to read this whole thread and get some info on it hopefully...

gearaddict

robinbowes said:

gearaddict said:

When the answer to a problem is to add 3 different eq blocks each with multiple parameters, or go through 50 cabs or 1000 IRs trying to find one you like and then, when you have, try the 10 mics each with multiple parameters, I just lose the will.

But that's not the point. The Helix gives you the complete sound of the mic'd system, and that can take some getting used to.

Yeah, I understand that but knowing that doesn't really help...I just want it to sound 'good' rather than 'not good'