Line 6 Helix

guitarmangler

That’s super cool solution. Nice work .

chris45

chris45 said:

I love the Helix preset pack - not particular "out there" tones but really useful for my (admittedly dad rock) tastes.  I use the IRs for my one presets too they are just so usable when I find I am adjusting and EQing the stock cabs all the time.  I am going to do some comparison tests on the Helix over the next few days for a Plexi and different Its including MBritt and will post on sound cloud.

Here's a simple rock riff, repeated three times each with a different IR.  The first is Ownhammer's "Summary" Marshall 57A.  The second is MBritt's Marshall "2 4 Brt" IR.  The 3rd is the Helix internal 25 greenback cab using a 57 dynamic at 1".  All other settings are identical between each repeat and there is no EQ applied elsewhere within the Helix preset or is added in the recording process.

https://soundcloud.com/user-230845798/demo-of-3-different-plexi-irs

In my view the Ownhammer and MBritt tones, while noticeably different, are usable straight out of the box, while the Helix internal cab is quite fizzy and not that pleasant.  I should say that I played around with the distance parameter a lot and the 1" setting I used was the "best" to my ears.  Not to say that I couldn't get something I like if I added another cab and a different mike, but with the other two I am good to go immediately.  Any comments welcome!

JohnCordy

on IR talk - the tonejunkie free ones are worth checking out

Bezzer

chris45 said:

In my view the Ownhammer and MBritt tones, while noticeably different, are usable straight out of the box, while the Helix internal cab is quite fizzy and not that pleasant.  I should say that I played around with the distance parameter a lot and the 1" setting I used was the "best" to my ears.  Not to say that I couldn't get something I like if I added another cab and a different mike, but with the other two I am good to go immediately.  Any comments welcome!

Interesting comparison.  I preferred the second and third personally (not trying to be contrary, I will explain why).  In that sparse setting I can understand why the darker, earlier settings would appeal.  My tracks and mixes are a lot denser generally however and all that low would end up being cut off anyway and I'd be boosting the mids and highs to get the guitar sitting in the mix.

It's horses for courses at the end of the day.  Superbly shows the power of IRs though!

builttospill

Just downloaded the MBritt presets onto my Stomp.. holy shit! that Plexi lead tone is amazing on my strat.. blackface lead is also excellent... I’ve just deleted my poor attempts. 

Jota

I went back and loaded the mbritt presets again.

No, still can't find them useful. I must be doing something wrong.

kennedydream1980

Jota said:

I went back and loaded the mbritt presets again.

No, still can't find them useful. I must be doing something wrong.

I've never got on with his presets either, that goes for all the various platforms he has presets for (Atomic Amplifire, Helix and Kemper) However he has stated many times that his stuff is dialed in for playing loud through a big PA and by all accounts this is where they come alive.

Jota

kennedydream1980 said:

Jota said:

I went back and loaded the mbritt presets again.

No, still can't find them useful. I must be doing something wrong.

I've never got on with his presets either, that goes for all the various platforms he has presets for (Atomic Amplifire, Helix and Kemper) However he has stated many times that his stuff is dialed in for playing loud through a big PA and by all accounts this is where they come alive.

I play with in-ears and that's how I try to dial in my sounds. If I can't make them sound right I don't think a loud PA would help but as I said, I'm probably the one doing things wrong.

He has far more experience than me and probably better ears.

Jetfire

Recently I've been getting abit meh about the helix LT, so I think a few things have/will help:

New headphones - I think my current ones are too "sheeny/shiney" top end wise so I'll be trying a new set out soon

Having two IRs side by side at the end of the chain which then go directly out, no panning etc Id suggest this mainly for headphone jamming more anything. 

When going to my Yamaha DXR10, Ive set the volume knob on the front to only change the digital volume/headphone volume rather than the volume of the XLR/1/4 inch jack, it makes it easier to deal with I have found as I'm not thinking "have I set this right?" and if I need to increase the output, I can do via the interface.

guitargeek62

Toying with coming back to the Helix fold again, could do with some feedback please! 

1) How are the hi-gain sounds now? Seems like they’ve improved quite a bit, and added some new models. I’d be looking to create some Adam Jones-y tones primarily.

2) Is there anything it can’t do well these days? I know pitch-shifting was a bit of a gap before, but have lost track of the updates and releases.

CONTEXT: I had one for a little under a year when they first came out, ran it through a pair of HS7s at home, all of which are long gone. I’ve since tried to incorporate a HX FX into a traditional setup, but didn’t use it enough to warrant keeping it. I’m now toying with moving back to a HX (LT/Full/Rack) to replace my current amp and pedalboard rig rather than simply upgrading my current amp.

*edit* looks like I can still get the discounted Native option too, but suspect I’d prefer the hardware instead. I’m tempted by the rack and controller option this time around, with views on adding a powercab in the not so distant future.

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

guitargeek62 said:

Toying with coming back to the Helix fold again, could do with some feedback please! 

1) How are the hi-gain sounds now? Seems like they’ve improved quite a bit, and added some new models. I’d be looking to create some Adam Jones-y tones primarily.

I'm no expert on high gain tones, but from what I've heard and what everyone else says, the 'Revv' amp models they brought out with update 2.8 (I think?) was a real game changer for high gain stuff. 

sgosden

Rev and Friedman models are great for high gain 

guitargeek62

Oh cool - hadn’t spotted the Revv in the chatter or model lists. Looks like the Mk IV and Archon have been added too since I last checked, neat!

Cirrus

1) How are the hi-gain sounds now?

I'm scrolling through the list now...

my feeling is that the Marshall higher gainers are quite underwhelming. No punch and none of the aggressive upper mid roar I want from a 2204, for example. Which is a shame for earlier Adam Jones sounds, since I believe he used a jmp, and later added higher gain amps alongside it? Nonetheless, I'd say that picking the model of the exact amp isn't that important. A good amp model in the right ballpark is a good amp!

The Placater is great. Probably my favourite all-round higher gainer since it has a bit of a vintage thing going on in the mids. It's the only model where I've really appreciated the extra switches - they make it a very versatile option.

Never spent much time with the Cartographer or Bogner models, probably unfair to judge them though any model with two drive controls in the Helix confuses me because I am tres stupyd.

The Mesas have never blown me away. I was excited about the Cali IV but maybe I'd hate the real amp too.    And I'd go so far as to say that the Rectifier model is awful.

Archetype is great, though a little modern for the contexts I record in. I think @WiresDreamDisasters likes that one.

"Angl" sounds like my experience of real Engls, so I don't like it. 

Love the SLO, I use it in the same way I use the Placater but it's got a different voicing and the OD channel is more saturated.

The Peavey isn't a sound I ever need but TBH it is fun to play through.

Revv Gen Red is amazing. Very saturated high gain, but punchy and the resonance setting is powerful.

I never take the "line 6" models seriously but to be fair.... they're not bad. The "2204 Mod" sounds better to me than the Marshall 2204 model.

2) Is there anything it can’t do well these days?

Pitch Shifting, still. There's a team working on it, but I've heard nothing apart from that in the 20 months I've had a Helix and been interested in that.

I wish you could have more control of the model lists. Firstly, I'd love to be able to hide models I will never use. I just don't want to see them. Secondly, I wish you could save your own default settings, because it would make setting up new patches and choosing between amps way, way faster.

Finally, IMO the built in Cab models are still not great, and IRs, once you find ones that work for you, will be a big improvement. There's no reason it needs to be that way; the built in cabs ARE IRs. But the way you browse between them, where the mic etc settings default to totally arbitrary settings you'd never use, make it impossible to quickly A/B and pick a cab. It'd be so much easier if it maintained your mic choice and just let you switch the cab in front of that mic.

guitargeek62

Wow - thanks @Cirrus, that's really helpful!


I'm going to spend today checking out the competitors* online too, but sounds like I'll still be happy enough with the Helix for my needs. I agree with you about the Cali Recto - I remember thinking there was something "off" about it on my one but can't remember exactly what it was that made me think that.

Shame about the pitch-shifting, but that shouldn't affect me too much. Some of the new effects that have been added since the v1.x days look very intriguing though, looking forward to trying them out.


Nice idea on hiding models too, and on being able saving default settings for models - I'm amazed they still haven't added that as it was a common request since day one!


RE: IRs I'd only briefly dabbled with some on my one but noticed the improvement straight away. I'd really like to hear one through the PowerCab Plus 112 now though, so I'll probably get one of those when it comes up at the right price.




*Boss GT-1000 & Headrush Pedalboard, not sure anything else out there would interest me?

neilg

Cirrus said:

Secondly, I wish you could save your own default settings, because it would make setting up new patches and choosing between amps way, way faster.

In Richie Castellano's NAMM review video he mentioned that at the invite only Line 6 event they were told that this would be coming in the next software update but one.

rossyamaha

I see a lot of people saying they don't like some of the high gain stuff and the same models keep coming up so here's my 2 penneth. 

Dual Rectifier 

This has come up so many times it's mental. But heres the thing. There are sooooo many dual rectifers. Loads of versions or revisions as they call it and more often than not, the sound of a rectifier in your head is more often than not the amp boosted with, usually a tube screamer. It's also quite picky about cabs. I've found a couple of the free Ownhammer ones work really well but you will need to use the low cut to tighten things up a bit more. 
I have no idea which version we have but there are good ones and bad ones and the ones that people pay huge money for Rev F I think that one is. 

Mark IV

Another one that out of the box doesn't sound quite right. The default settings on all models are a compromise. I like this better, but I like this better etc. There are so many variations of how people set these up it's impossible to get a default setting everyone likes. The trick to this one, like the real amp, is using the 5 band graphic in conjunction with the amp controls. Mark series amps are notoriously hard to dial in and the model, albeit easier, is still tricky. Everything works together and changing one things makes lots of other things happen so you have to compensate. Again, play with the IR's as well as stock cabs. 

JCM 800

This unfortunately again, is one of those amps where there have been many different versions and some are liked more than others. I believe the one we have is a later one rather than the much more desirable earlier post JMP one. Which is an awesome amp! Like other models, be aware of the "master volume" of the model. That can change things dramatically. Turn the gain down and the master up. Or the other way round. The gain character changes quite a lot. 

Either of the Bogners!

Bogner amps are normally quite dark so similar to the Boogie models, you may find you have settings quite extreme. This is normal. 

As I said earlier, the actual defaults will rarely please everyone. Some of them actually changed in the last firmware update. The next one will let you store your own defaults which is pretty cool. As we get more feedback, things will continue to get better so don't be afraid to post about it. We're always watching/ listening. 

PolarityMan

guitargeek62 said:

Wow - thanks @Cirrus, that's really helpful!


I'm going to spend today checking out the competitors* online too, but sounds like I'll still be happy enough with the Helix for my needs. I agree with you about the Cali Recto - I remember thinking there was something "off" about it on my one but can't remember exactly what it was that made me think that.

Shame about the pitch-shifting, but that shouldn't affect me too much. Some of the new effects that have been added since the v1.x days look very intriguing though, looking forward to trying them out.


Nice idea on hiding models too, and on being able saving default settings for models - I'm amazed they still haven't added that as it was a common request since day one!


RE: IRs I'd only briefly dabbled with some on my one but noticed the improvement straight away. I'd really like to hear one through the PowerCab Plus 112 now though, so I'll probably get one of those when it comes up at the right price.




*Boss GT-1000 & Headrush Pedalboard, not sure anything else out there would interest me?

The revv is great but its not Tool like in the slightest

PolarityMan

Here's how I nail my Adam Jones tones:

https://scontent-lhr8-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/s960x960/52605567_2144854555561528_1971584808580546560_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_sid=110474&_nc_ohc=M-HEA2YKaS0AX_iNQu9&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr8-1.xx&_nc_tp=7&oh=07782eec6f18739368b8e176bb814535&oe=5EB1216D

(red cable is also a critical component)

guitargeek62

PolarityMan said:

Here's how I nail my Adam Jones tones:

(red cable is also a critical component)

That's a lovely guitar stand you've got there, looks just like a VH4 - very cool!