This Helix thing then....

BRISTOL86

Hi Folks

Can someone give me an idiots guide to the Helix (LT) in terms of what it does and doesn’t do? 

Long story short, I only play at home. That’s likely to be the case for the next several years.

At present, I use a combination of a Roland Blues Cube (at half a watt) and a small pedalboard, however about 50% of the time, I plug directly into my Scarlett 2i2 and use amplitube - either because I want to record something on the Mac or because it’s late and I like to be able to get a variety of different tones and effects with a single click. 

Someone said to me I’d be better off with a Helix as it does everything my current setup/purpose does and more. But I’m not too sure exactly what it does. 

As I understand it, it’s basically a modelling amp/pedalboard yes? So kind of like amplitube but in a physical piece of hardware? But unlike many off the shelf modelling amp it doesn’t actually produce any sound in it’s own right? So what does one need to plug it into in order to hear what you’re doing with it?

Does it act as an audio interface too? IE would it do what the Scarlett does and allow me to record direct to Logic? 

Sorry if some of this is real newbie stuff but I’ve never paid them any attention until now. 

Teetonetal

Yes, it functions as an audio interface and it's excellent for this.

To get sound out it needs speakers or headphones. I plug mine into a headphone amp, with then some cheap behringer monitors, or some good headphones providing the sound. Occasionally I plug it into my PA. Put 90% of it's use is for quite home practice and record at home via headphones.

Speakerwise, the world is your oyster, but people get good results either using FRFR powered speakers, or a poweramp and guitar cab. Others on here will be able to give you a much better idea.

No doubt you could put it in front of the cube, but I think getting it to sound good that way, will take effort.

BRISTOL86

Thanks @Teetonetal ;

The idea is I’d sell the cube to fund the Helix if I decide it’s right for me. Although I use headphones a lot when I practice at unsociable times I do prefer to have sound coming from speakers so I’d need to get something for that.

Preferably something that I could also use as the sound output from the Mac so that I don’t have to keep plugging in and unplugging kit depending on the purpose (would be handy for say playing a backing track on YouTube and having the Helix sound coming out the same place - how would this work with headphones - can I route Mac audio through the Helix??)

Teetonetal

Keep the speakers connected to helix, then you can use helix with or without the mac.
To get sound out of the mac via the speakers, you would need helix switched on though.  That's exactly how I run mine.

Mac attached to helix via USB, Helix into samson s-phone headphone 4 channel amp - speakers and headphones plugged into s-phone.

guitarfishbay

Demo the Helix Native software before buying the unit. There’s a decent length free trial and the sounds are the same.

If you’re spending half your time playing through a computer it’s also worth considering the plugin and getting some studio monitors for when you want to listen through speakers and doing everything through the computer.

This is of course assuming you’re not intending to gig, as that’s where a hardware unit would be preferable.

BRISTOL86

Is the headphone amp necessary or can you plug headphones directly into the Helix?

Speaker wise I’ve just been reading about the iLoud micro monitors which would fit my setup quite well (ie small!) and serve as good music listening speakers as well as speakers for the Helix. 

They have a phono input as well as well as a 3.5mm jack input so I think I can run a 3.5mm cable from the Mac headphone socket directly to the speakers. 

BRISTOL86

guitarfishbay said:

Demo the Helix Native software before buying the unit. There’s a decent length free trial and the sounds are the same.

If you’re spending half your time playing through a computer it’s also worth considering the plugin and getting some studio monitors for when you want to listen through speakers and doing everything through the computer.

This is of course assuming you’re not intending to gig, as that’s where a hardware unit would be preferable.

Thanks for that. Didn’t even know there was a software only option! I do like having a physical thing to use and I like the idea of changing quickly between tones using foot switches etc but definitely worth looking into!

BRISTOL86

As a general point - is there a convincing reason to stick to a ‘real’ amp and pedals in my position?

Playing only at home and at bedroom volume levels it seems overkill, especially when my amp has never been above the 0.5W setting. Seems a good way to make some more space and have more variety in the tones and effects I can get. 

sw67

I play live but since i purchased the helix my amps have not been used in the house. We played at the drummers house for his birthday last week and i just used the helix into the pa. 

stratman3142

BRISTOL86 said:

Is the headphone amp necessary or can you plug headphones directly into the Helix?

You can plug headphones directly into the Helix.

Sporky

stratman3142 said:

BRISTOL86 said:

Is the headphone amp necessary or can you plug headphones directly into the Helix?

You can plug headphones directly into the Helix.

Though, reportedly, some people don't like how the Helix sounds through lower impedance headphones.

BRISTOL86

Thanks all for your help. Going to do a lot of reading in the coming days and go to PMT and hopefully they’ll demo for me. 

Here’s a wider queation and potential can of worms....

When using a digital solution like this (or amplitube or even a traditional modelling amp) how much difference does the guitar make? 

Obviously it’s been done to death how much effect the guitar itself has on sound but that argument tends to be based around using traditional amplification. Playability aside - would you expect to hear much difference say between a £200 Squier and a £2k custom shop Fender when played through a completely digital solution such as the Helix? 

Teetonetal

Sporky said:

stratman3142 said:

BRISTOL86 said:

Is the headphone amp necessary or can you plug headphones directly into the Helix?

You can plug headphones directly into the Helix.

Though, reportedly, some people don't like how the Helix sounds through lower impedance headphones.

I don't like how it sounds through any headphones using the headphone out, harsh and aggressive... qualified by not tried in recent firmware and all available headphones

Sporky

BRISTOL86 said:

Obviously it’s been done to death how much effect the guitar itself has on sound but that argument tends to be based around using traditional amplification. Playability aside - would you expect to hear much difference say between a £200 Squier and a £2k custom shop Fender when played through a completely digital solution such as the Helix? 

Dunno about those two, but my different guitars sound as different through the Helix as they did through my pedalboard and/or amps.

So if you've basically set up input -> edge-of-breakup amp then there's clear differences between them, but if you've got input -> fuzz -> wah-> fuzz -> fuzz -> reverb -> wah -> fuzz -> delay -> fuzz -> wah -> fuzz then it just sounds like a dying elephant even with nothing plugged in.

BRISTOL86

Sporky said:

BRISTOL86 said:

Obviously it’s been done to death how much effect the guitar itself has on sound but that argument tends to be based around using traditional amplification. Playability aside - would you expect to hear much difference say between a £200 Squier and a £2k custom shop Fender when played through a completely digital solution such as the Helix? 

Dunno about those two, but my different guitars sound as different through the Helix as they did through my pedalboard and/or amps.

So if you've basically set up input -> edge-of-breakup amp then there's clear differences between them, but if you've got input -> fuzz -> wah-> fuzz -> fuzz -> reverb -> wah -> fuzz -> delay -> fuzz -> wah -> fuzz then it just sounds like a dying elephant even with nothing plugged in.

Thanks for that. Just my general newbishness/curiosity that wondered how much of the sound was down to the instrument itself in this sort of setup vs a more traditional one.

Got on the phone to PMT this morning and they told me to come down for a demo of it so I’ll try and get down there on the weekend. 

NelsonP

Some random thoughts;

Helix LT does pretty much everything except actually amplify the signal. Think of it as a ton of (modelled) amps, cabs and effects in a box, with the added bonus of footswitches, an expression pedal, a looper and a USB interface. Its a very well thought out piece of kit and really flexible.

Obviously depends how much money you've got to spend but if I were you I'd try out modellers at a range of prices as its possible that something cheaper will meet your needs nearly as well. Even some of the lower end modellers will work as a USB interface and can be made to sound pretty decent. I have an old Line 6 POD XT and FBV Express pedal (both of which are available on ebay now for less than £50 each) that will do all of this. I also have an Atomic Amplifire which sounds much better but needs an interface for recording work.

Overall, Helix LT probably offers the most comprehensive features for the price. Boss GT1 or 100, Zoom G3n / 5n, Mooer GE200, Atomic Amplifire all worth considering. You could also get an AmplifireBox and plug it straight into your interface for monitoring (it has no headphone out).

Monitoring options are i) headphones, ii) studio monitors, iii) FRFR e.g. Alto TS 212, Yamaha DBR/DXR, iv) straight into the effects return of a regular amp and cab with all amp and cab modelling switched off.

An aux in may be of interest if you want to jam along to backing tracks. You can just plug in your phone or PC to do this.
Despite lacking a dedicated aux in, I think you can do this on Helix LT by just sticking a return at the end of the signal chain and using the effects loop.

It's nice to have foot switches at your feet rather than mucking about with a PC and mouse and a hardware modeller will also allow you to play live direct into a PA.

BRISTOL86

Thanks Nelson that’s very helpful. As far as I can tell, for bedroom playing a cheap pair of monitor speakers (I’m looking at the iLoud micro monitors due to their small footprint) in conjunction with a good pair of headphones should see me right.  

If I ever progress to live playing or jamming with others then I can cross that bridge when I come to it in terms of amplification. 

Bridgehouse

I use my Helix at home - got some Yamaha monitors and some decent headphones - USB into my Mac and use the interface. It's a very good audio interface infact. 

Use it for recording and playback. If I use iTunes I can play tracks and play bass along with it - an eq tweak in iTunes and I can drop the bass out from the original track.

fnpt

Bear in mind that he Helix LT does not have a mic preamp so for recording you will need to buy one.

Also, the expression pedal in the LT is very fragile, I'm on my second LT and this one is already showing signs that will eventually break. As such, I would go with the full helix unit if the price is close.

Having said that, it sounds great with no comparison with other unit at this price range. I had an 11 rack before and there is no comparison. It is ideal for home.

What I also suggest is buying powered monitors with headphones out if you want to practice quietly otherwise you will have to get high impedance headphones or it will sound harsh.

BRISTOL86

Bridgehouse said:

I use my Helix at home - got some Yamaha monitors and some decent headphones - USB into my Mac and use the interface. It's a very good audio interface infact. 

Use it for recording and playback. If I use iTunes I can play tracks and play bass along with it - an eq tweak in iTunes and I can drop the bass out from the original track.

So the helix and the Mac are both plugged into the same speakers? Is that direct from Mac into speakers (ie no audio connection between helix and Mac) ?

Bridgehouse

BRISTOL86 said:

Bridgehouse said:

I use my Helix at home - got some Yamaha monitors and some decent headphones - USB into my Mac and use the interface. It's a very good audio interface infact. 

Use it for recording and playback. If I use iTunes I can play tracks and play bass along with it - an eq tweak in iTunes and I can drop the bass out from the original track.

So the helix and the Mac are both plugged into the same speakers? Is that direct from Mac into speakers (ie no audio connection between helix and Mac) ?

No you can set the Mac to output all audio to Helix then into the monitors as passthrough.