Line 6 Helix

TimmyO

robinbowes said:

TimmyO said:

Only used the Piezo ones (with a piezo guitar)

I presume you are actually *using* an electric guitar pickup with the electric IR ? 

If it's just a level thing what does turning the output level on the IR block do?

I'll have a try with mine tomorrow using an electric guitar and the electric IR (I have the Hummingbird one) 

Yeah, I'm using an electric guitar.

It seems like more than a level thing - I'm hardly getting anything, and there is all HF. The piezo sounds louder at -18db than the electric at +6!

R.

Hi @robinbowes - I had a dabble with this today.

I set up a patch with a Piezo IR block and an Electric IR block.




Like you I found that the electric IR is *much* quieter - although switching between the various electric IR options (1a -> 5c) they vary in apparent loudness too, but all still very quiet compared to the piezo IR.

The level settings here equate to roughly comparable overall loudness in the room (for me)






I was using a neck Humbucker (but nothing hot and rawk-y) 


As an aside I found that if you play a Piezo pickup acoustic through the *electric* IR you get something that must contend for the most horrible guitar sound ever heard lol 

I'm not sure why the electric IR generates so little level - might be worth asking 3Sigma

Tim

robinbowes

OK, thanks for confirming - that's exactly what I found.

I was hoping the "electric" IRs would be similar to the piezo but tuned for the output of a magnetic pickup from an electric guitar. I may be mistaken.

I'll throw it over to 3 Sigma to find out what's what.

R.

LoFi

TimmyO said:

Facebook suggests there is another forum convert to our cult as of this afternoon... 

<Puts bag over head, rolls up left trouser leg...>

Yup, this thing is awesome - been playing with it all day, and feel like I've barely scratched the surface.

TimmyO

robinbowes said:

OK, thanks for confirming - that's exactly what I found.

I was hoping the "electric" IRs would be similar to the piezo but tuned for the output of a magnetic pickup from an electric guitar. I may be mistaken.

I'll throw it over to 3 Sigma to find out what's what.

R.

yep that's what they are (and the electric one, level aside, does sound better than the piezo one on an electric pickup source) 

welshboyo

So, a comforting thought here for us Helix users - as a backup it works a treat!!

Gig at weekend, running my Shiva in 4CM with the XLR's feeding the PA via an IR (to save on micing the amp up) , the amp blew a valve a few seconds into a song, once I got the initial panic out of the way and realised the amp had blown its fuse, I simply changed preset to one of my "direct" patches (which uses the Mahadeva/Shiva model) and just carried on with the gig.

The band noticed as I stopped playing for a few seconds but a few of our muso mates who came to the gig didn't even know the amp had gone down and the sound of the Helix direct was exactly the same.

Teetonetal

welshboyo said:

So, a comforting thought here for us Helix users - as a backup it works a treat!!

Gig at weekend, running my Shiva in 4CM with the XLR's feeding the PA via an IR (to save on micing the amp up) , the amp blew a valve a few seconds into a song, once I got the initial panic out of the way and realised the amp had blown its fuse, I simply changed preset to one of my "direct" patches (which uses the Mahadeva/Shiva model) and just carried on with the gig.

The band noticed as I stopped playing for a few seconds but a few of our muso mates who came to the gig didn't even know the amp had gone down and the sound of the Helix direct was exactly the same.

I must admit, this is one of the things that is pushing me towards replacing my giging pedal board with an LT. I've been experimenting over the weekend and till now I can't find a sound I use that the helix can't get really, really close to. (yes, that does mean I'd have 2 helices).

Cabicular

Teetonetal said:

welshboyo said:

So, a comforting thought here for us Helix users - as a backup it works a treat!!

Gig at weekend, running my Shiva in 4CM with the XLR's feeding the PA via an IR (to save on micing the amp up) , the amp blew a valve a few seconds into a song, once I got the initial panic out of the way and realised the amp had blown its fuse, I simply changed preset to one of my "direct" patches (which uses the Mahadeva/Shiva model) and just carried on with the gig.

The band noticed as I stopped playing for a few seconds but a few of our muso mates who came to the gig didn't even know the amp had gone down and the sound of the Helix direct was exactly the same.

I must admit, this is one of the things that is pushing me towards replacing my giging pedal board with an LT. I've been experimenting over the weekend and till now I can't find a sound I use that the helix can't get really, really close to. (yes, that does mean I'd have 2 helices).

Same with me. I had to do a gig where I literally couldn't fit an amp in the car. I had a choice of a guitar amp or an L2 monitor. Since I sing the monitor is as important to me so the logic was to take that in the hope it would do both roles
Once I'd set it up I was surprised at how comfortable it was to play. A couple of songs in and I'd forgotten all about it
Haven't taken an amp since ..

fretmeister

Anyone bought any Patches? I'm more curious than anything to have a proper look at other people's settings on the back of good demo vids.

Quite enjoying Marco Fenton's ones at the moment and I'm tempted to buy 1 or 2

John_A

I,ve bought a few - The choptones rock ones are just straight forward rock amps, no snapshots or effects, but EQ'd very nicely,  Their JCM800 patch has formed the basis of my ain live patch.   Download Richie Castelano's patchs from customtone, they are free and pretty good.

John_A

Not one to normally get excited over a clean sound, but just been messing with the Archeype clean and I'm excited   It's lovely!

Bridgehouse

Quick question - setting up patches for use with a bass head and cab.

Helix out going into Line In (or FX return etc..)

I've set up the patches using Preamp models. Am I right, wrong, or numpty here?

John_A

@Bridgehouse - You are right

Bridgehouse

John_A said:

@Bridgehouse - You are right

Thanks! I was hoping that was the case, but had a brain-fart for a moment!

Cabicular

John_A said:

Not one to normally get excited over a clean sound, but just been messing with the Archeype clean and I'm excited   It's lovely!

IT's a wee bit hard on the DSP compared to some of the other clean models. Same with my other favourite the SLO clean
I guess omelette`eggs etc

fretmeister

Bridgehouse said:

John_A said:

@Bridgehouse - You are right

Thanks! I was hoping that was the case, but had a brain-fart for a moment!

I disagree.

I use the full amp models so I get the power amp section of the modelled amp too. If you are using a really clean bass amp (as I know you are) then for something like the Mesa 400+ you would be missing those massive power tubes in the sound.

I use a Tecamp Puma as my power amp - and it is pretty flat and not flavouring the sound like a guitar power amp would.

So - almost always full amp, but no cab sim / IR when going into the FX return for me on a Class D bass head.

But as always - try both and see what you like.

Bridgehouse

fretmeister said:

Bridgehouse said:

John_A said:

@Bridgehouse - You are right

Thanks! I was hoping that was the case, but had a brain-fart for a moment!

I disagree.

I use the full amp models so I get the power amp section of the modelled amp too. If you are using a really clean bass amp (as I know you are) then for something like the Mesa 400+ you would be missing those massive power tubes in the sound.

I use a Tecamp Puma as my power amp - and it is pretty flat and not flavouring the sound like a guitar power amp would.

So - almost always full amp, but no cab sim / IR when going into the FX return for me on a Class D bass head.

But as always - try both and see what you like.

I did think I'd tried the full Amp models and couldn't remember if they were a lot noisier or not. 

I'll have a play tonight and let you know how they sound through the EICH T1000. I'll not bother with the Markbass LMIII as the power amp hasn't got the heft I need...!

John_A

Sorry - Just read the 'should I be going in to the FX return bit.  Agree with Fretmeister, for guitar certainly, the full amp models seem to work better than just the pre-amps.  For guitar, before I went FRFR, I found an EQ block after the amp was useful to shape things otherwise it was too bright. (tip from @Cabicular)

It doesn't take long before you should get it sounding really good, but the good thing is the more you use it the better it sounds.  I'm creating patches now that sound way better than ones from a few months ago, and back then I thought they sounded great!  It just keeps on giving

Vaiai

I found once I had my real amp sound in the loop block when I went to add a preamp (bypassing the loop) to do just the clean sound the volume was massively different and on some I couldn't even use them (Matchless) without turning my amp up so loud I couldn't use the gain channel.
So I tend to use the full amp option as preamp just doesn't work for me in most cases. This was 4CM.

John_A

Cabicular said:

John_A said:

Not one to normally get excited over a clean sound, but just been messing with the Archeype clean and I'm excited   It's lovely!

IT's a wee bit hard on the DSP compared to some of the other clean models. Same with my other favourite the SLO clean
I guess omelette`eggs etc

I'd just been using the Twin model and this is far sweeter.  I wonder why some use more CPU than others, have they put more effort in to these?  If so looking forward to some more new ones.

Drew_TNBD

Anyone using pedals along with the Helix? I want to use a dedicated tuner pedal, an expression pedal, and possibly an additional reverb pedal... but I cannot afford the weight and portability hassle of wedging it all down to a single board. I travel on the tube with this setup, so I need to be able to keep the Helix and any extra separated.

Any thoughts? A smaller dedicated board that I leave at the practice room perhaps?