Line 6 Helix

TTBZ

gibsongretschfan said:

TTBZ said:

Finally had my first go on a Helix today and was well and truly underwhelmed. Was really looking forward to it and went into it open minded.. Just didn't feel or sound nice at all to me. Not bad but not good either! I've honestly got better sounds that I'd be happy to record and gig with out of a Marshall CODE. I think this was just factory presets though so I'd like to try it again with presets from someone who has had it for a while and done some good presets with IRs. But on first impression, it's a no from me. The weird synthy presets were fun though.

How were you using it? Into headphones or monitors or an amp?

Headphones which may explain some of why I wasn't so keen. I'm one of those users who doesn't have time to tweak endlessly so something that's simple and offers instant gratification is probably better for me!

Cabicular

TTBZ said:

gibsongretschfan said:

TTBZ said:

Finally had my first go on a Helix today and was well and truly underwhelmed. Was really looking forward to it and went into it open minded.. Just didn't feel or sound nice at all to me. Not bad but not good either! I've honestly got better sounds that I'd be happy to record and gig with out of a Marshall CODE. I think this was just factory presets though so I'd like to try it again with presets from someone who has had it for a while and done some good presets with IRs. But on first impression, it's a no from me. The weird synthy presets were fun though.

How were you using it? Into headphones or monitors or an amp?

Headphones which may explain some of why I wasn't so keen. I'm one of those users who doesn't have time to tweak endlessly so something that's simple and offers instant gratification is probably better for me!

Best way to do it is just set up as you would real gear
so if you like Marshall’s stick one up
pick a 4x12 with greenbacks
put an OCD in front or a tubescreamer and a reverb or delay afterwards
once you have the core sound work from there
If you don’t know what an AC30 Top Boost is it does then leave it alone for now

gibsongretschfan

TTBZ said:

gibsongretschfan said:

TTBZ said:

Finally had my first go on a Helix today and was well and truly underwhelmed. Was really looking forward to it and went into it open minded.. Just didn't feel or sound nice at all to me. Not bad but not good either! I've honestly got better sounds that I'd be happy to record and gig with out of a Marshall CODE. I think this was just factory presets though so I'd like to try it again with presets from someone who has had it for a while and done some good presets with IRs. But on first impression, it's a no from me. The weird synthy presets were fun though.

How were you using it? Into headphones or monitors or an amp?

Headphones which may explain some of why I wasn't so keen. I'm one of those users who doesn't have time to tweak endlessly so something that's simple and offers instant gratification is probably better for me!

Pretty much what @ ;

Also, Helix doesn't seem to have a very good rep through headphones.

get some studio monitors or even a power amp and cab then create a new patch. Nice and simple just an amp and cab (if you are going through monitors) an overdrive and some reverb and a delay if you fancy. Twin for clean, Matchless for a bit of hair, Plexi for Hendrix and Mod 2204 for 80's and finally the Archetype for high gain. 

It works. Honestly!

Jonathanthomas83

The sheer number of people who say the same thing about being “underwhelmed” but spend very little time with a unit does grate with me a little. If only because it sends out a somewhat negative message to those curious.

Truth is, modelling isn’t for you if you want it easy. There’s too much to think about with correct IRs (and other stuff), IMO. You really need to understand the basics of what your physical gear is doing in order to make the modelling equivalent work for you, just my opinion. But if you’re not in that frame of mind, I feel it’s way to easy to dismiss and go public about it and in turn, put people off. And judging by the wisdom given to a few posts, get the odd few jumping on your bandwagon.

No offence intended to anyone in particular.

Cabicular

Thing is I currently have the following set up in my Studio room
Matchless King Cobra
DrZ Max 38
Drz Ghia
Blackstar Artisan 30
Mesa Boogie MK4
65 Amps London head
Lazy J20
and a couple of big pedal boards 
So I am switching between those setups and the Helix and Kemper pretty much constantly
if I’m writing and recording the Helix gets used
Occasionally I’ll fire up the Kemper for some lower gain gritty stuff or some of the clean stuff
When I fire up the real stuff it isn’t instantly more gratifying and the limitations quickly some to light
Don’t get me wrong, the black star and j20 running in stereo with the ThorpyFX board in front of it is something to behold
but most of my helix patches really give me that warm satisfied feeling as well.
Just for the perspective of someone who is running a lot of different rigs

siraxeman

Jonathanthomas83 said:

The sheer number of people who say the same thing about being “underwhelmed” but spend very little time with a unit does grate with me a little. If only because it sends out a somewhat negative message to those curious.

True, a good point generally but in the case of using headphones you could tweak that thing till the cows come home and never a good (dirty) tone will be found. Helix is great, but that definitely excludes via headphones. Here its CRAP. Await someone to show us a great patch dirty that sounds good in the cans.......(I want you to prove me wrong......can ya?)

Cabicular

Depends on the cans...

siraxeman

^^ at least my JMP-1 sounds good in the old cans...(**IF you go via the speaker sim output that is!!** if you don't it sounds like a Helix ) 

I'd say to anyone who wants an headphone solution don't bother wasting your money on a Helix, it sounds no better than the Zoom G2 or Boss GT***...or the Digitech GSP's they all sound roughly the same here. 

Jonathanthomas83

Fuckin love a good set of cans.

siraxeman

2 old coke cans with string are teh best for pure toanz.Oh yes.

Cabicular

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO Studio Headphones - 250 Ohm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0006NL5SM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kYu2zbZ33DGVT

250 ohms 
The nuts. I always recommend them. Never had a complaint

Jonathanthomas83

Could it be that the headphone out is just shitty? Headphones with the Axe FX sound great. So maybe a headphone amp would help with the Helix, maybe?

Cabicular

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Could it be that the headphone out is just shitty? Headphones with the Axe FX sound great. So maybe a headphone amp would help with the Helix, maybe?

It’s the opposite it’s just not designed for domestic headphones

Helix's headphone amp is LOUD; it's designed to drive high-impedance studio headphones to stage volumes. Low impedance headphones distort way faster, fatigue your ears, and at a high enough volume, can damage your hearing. With Helix you could conceivably split the headphone output to two pairs of 200-300 Ω cans/IEMs and drive both over the sound of a drummer (and adjust respective levels via MIDI CC control of path output blocks).

TTBZ

Ok perhaps I should take back what I said then. Weird that it doesn't sound good through headphones though when I thought that was one of the attractions. I was using yamaha headphones btw, not sure which model - was on the Yamaha stand at Amplify at excel this weekend. The Revstar I played through it was great though, nice guitars!

simonk

It can sound great with headphones... you just have to pick the right ones. I use a pair of Roland RH-200's with it and they sound sweet. My go to music listening headphones AT-M50's sound shite by comparison.

gearaddict

Yeah, I dunno...I've been using the helix LT for a couple of months now and it's not really working for me. I'll probably end up moving it on. I had all sorts of ideas about going FRFR and using a much bigger variety of tones but actually my needs are pretty basic and I think for people like me the Helix is just overkill. And having a 750 quid pedal on the floor doesn't make sense. I don't do any recording or use loads of different tones...just a basic rock tone and some delay and chorus. Of course the Helix does this...but not any better than a simple amp and a couple of pedals.

I think also some people like the experience of using modellers and some don't...I just seem to lack the ability to make sounds better by tweaking. If I can't get a sound immediately then the more I work on it, the worse it gets! In that respect my experience of working with the helix is not much different from the HD500X - I end up constantly tweaking and never actually playing.

Not saying anything negative about the Helix - just that modellers aren't for everyone.

gibsongretschfan

Jonathanthomas83 said:

The sheer number of people who say the same thing about being “underwhelmed” but spend very little time with a unit does grate with me a little. If only because it sends out a somewhat negative message to those curious.

Truth is, modelling isn’t for you if you want it easy. There’s too much to think about with correct IRs (and other stuff), IMO. You really need to understand the basics of what your physical gear is doing in order to make the modelling equivalent work for you, just my opinion. But if you’re not in that frame of mind, I feel it’s way to easy to dismiss and go public about it and in turn, put people off. And judging by the wisdom given to a few posts, get the odd few jumping on your bandwagon.

No offence intended to anyone in particular.

Aren't you a Fractal guy?

either way truer words have never been posted on this thread.

gibsongretschfan

Cabicular said:

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO Studio Headphones - 250 Ohm https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0006NL5SM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kYu2zbZ33DGVT

250 ohms 
The nuts. I always recommend them. Never had a complaint

I ALWAYS agree with what you say but I still think Helix lacks a little through cans and I own the ones you posted. Maybe it's the reverb? S-Gear still slays it through cana

siraxeman

Is there any decent patches out there that someone can point a link to? Tried a few on the line 6 site last night and some of 'em are awful. Are all Fremens patches using IR's? Are they the critical missing link? Just watched Paul Glovers Helix & 3 Sigma Audio IR's and I gotta say in agreement with the video that some of 'em are night n day betterer than the stock cabs in the Helix. Methinks i'll buy the Fremen big pack first n go from there....seems you get some IR's in them...wonder if he's selling some other buggers IR's off as his own?

gibsongretschfan

gearaddict said:

Yeah, I dunno...I've been using the helix LT for a couple of months now and it's not really working for me. I'll probably end up moving it on. I had all sorts of ideas about going FRFR and using a much bigger variety of tones but actually my needs are pretty basic and I think for people like me the Helix is just overkill. And having a 750 quid pedal on the floor doesn't make sense. I don't do any recording or use loads of different tones...just a basic rock tone and some delay and chorus. Of course the Helix does this...but not any better than a simple amp and a couple of pedals.

I think also some people like the experience of using modellers and some don't...I just seem to lack the ability to make sounds better by tweaking. If I can't get a sound immediately then the more I work on it, the worse it gets! In that respect my experience of working with the helix is not much different from the HD500X - I end up constantly tweaking and never actually playing.

Not saying anything negative about the Helix - just that modellers aren't for everyone.

I played a function gig last week with the Litigator amp, Minotoaur overdrive pedal, tape delay and 70's chorus. had a celestion v30 IR going straight to FOH a feed going to a valve power amp and V30 cab for monitoring on stage

simple. sounded great.

just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it