Line 6 Helix

horse

I don't suppose anybody has or could recommend a patch that uses just a single lane that might be suitable for post rock, that they know sounds ok via PA at drummer volume?
I could do with one, but won't have chance to experiment at loud volume in advance, so am conscious my EQ might be way off.

nickp

I bought Chris buck’s presets just to see how a tasteful and extremely talented guy sets his up.  He uses an amp as a pedal platform (Texas cali) and uses stacked pedals to get his gain tones.   Uses it in stomp mode not snapshot   Be a great place to start for a rock band.  It’s not rocket science but the eq is nice and as a consequence it sounds great

nickp

https://youtu.be/BXRlnjiqSd0?si=KMbA9lXrSxnKTfar

jellybelly

Coming up to a year since 3.80 - am I being to optimistic for some new effects soon @Digital_Igloo ?

fretmeister

jellybelly said:

Coming up to a year since 3.80 - am I being to optimistic for some new effects soon @Digital_Igloo ?

What are you hoping for?

jellybelly

fretmeister said:

jellybelly said:

Coming up to a year since 3.80 - am I being to optimistic for some new effects soon @Digital_Igloo ?

What are you hoping for?

As a HX FX user, some interesting effects after the bass wah I got in 3.8!

Stuff I'd love to see:
- poly engine auto swell effect
- crowther hotcake OD
- Roland BeeBaa fuzz
- small clone chorus
- maybe an auto wah/envelope filter like a DOD440

Anything fun to mess with!

stickyfiddle

Ramping trem with definable top and bottom tempos and ramp speed... 

renaldo

I don't need them but I'd like some new amps:
Marshall JCM900 and Silver Jubilee
Fender BF Vibroverb. Brown Deluxe? Tweed Pro? 

Otherwise, a few more cabs and mics updated to 3.50 standard, like the 1x12 Field Coil (I really like the Stone Age amp), 1x12 Celest 12H, and the 87 Cond.
In terms of effects, SIB Echodrive, 1981 DRV, and Hudson Broadcast would be nice

fretmeister

Jubilee would be nice.

I’d like some Markbass heads and cabs. I can get really close with the studio pre and a retro reel and eq but it would be a lot easier if it was one block! 

stratman3142

I'm hoping for a way in which I can set an effects parameter in a way that it ripples through to all presents where I use that effect, maybe that could be achieved in some sort of link option.

I use my LT in pedal board mode with different presents/snapshots giving me multiple pedal board options.

For example, if I tweak the OD settings I want those to ripple through the all the other pedal boards I've linked.

relic245

stratman3142 said:

I'm hoping for a way in which I can set an effects parameter in a way that it ripples through to all presents where I use that effect, maybe that could be achieved in some sort of link option.

I use my LT in pedal board mode with different presents/snapshots giving me multiple pedal board options.

For example, if I tweak the OD settings I want those to ripple through the all the other pedal boards I've linked.

That has always been top of my wishlist too.

jellybelly

renaldo said:

I don't need them but I'd like some new amps:
Marshall JCM900 and Silver Jubilee
Fender BF Vibroverb. Brown Deluxe? Tweed Pro? 

Otherwise, a few more cabs and mics updated to 3.50 standard, like the 1x12 Field Coil (I really like the Stone Age amp), 1x12 Celest 12H, and the 87 Cond.
In terms of effects, SIB Echodrive, 1981 DRV, and Hudson Broadcast would be nice

Ah the broadcast would be cool, some other preamps like a The Big Trees or the new Peavey Josh Homme reissue one would be great too, although with IRs maybe it's bringing the HXFX too close to a do-it-all box for their sales model...

Yerman

Helix is exactly 10 Years old on June the 11th.

Bats_

Pretty crazy that a piece of tech is still usable after 10 years, and it’s even better then when it first came out. 

topdog91

Hi all, following up from my Helix thread (https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/276235/i-can-feel-the-dark-side-calling-help).

My current preset, based on the 01A Quick Start template is something like:

Volume
Wah
Ampeg Opto Comp
Minotaur (low gain)
Teemah (mid gain)
Heir Apparent (high gain, probably not the right choice and realistically most of the gain I need for my gigs is by stacking low and mid; also suggestions welcome for best drives to stack in Helix)
US Deluxe Nrm (bypassed, read on)
Chorus
Flanger (only used in Murder on the Dance Floor)
Tremolo (only used in Pretty Woman)
Ring Mod (only used in Dakota)
Delay
Reverb
Cab (bypassed, read on)

I've used this preset to replace my pedal board in several rehearsals and our last gig, effects only plugged into an amp (Peavey Classic 30 clean channel) and the sounds are already decent enough for me to continue on the journey. I haven't yet compared effects of the same type i.e. which drive(s), chorus, flanger, delay etc, so it's only going to get better.

I don't have a clean boost for solos; I realized a while back on my pedal board that hitting the compressor or low gain before any overdrive in use, and / or turning my guitar volume up from 7-8 to 10, gave my solos the presence to "sing" and cut through. I find post-overdrive clean boosts good in theory, but in practice they often amplify a rhythm tone that sounds wimpy for lead playing. If there's a better approach with Helix, I'd like to hear it.

Some questions and comments that I hope the hivemind can help with:

1. Going direct sometimes, real amp other times. We have a pub gig tonight in Morden and if I don't take my amp I can chill on the Tube instead of driving all the way across London. I've never played a gig without an amp but spent some (not much) time in the rehearsal room yesterday and it sounded okay so I'm up for the challenge. I'm checking to see if we'll have wedges as we'll be playing as a four-piece without our keyboard player and his PA. If there are no wedges, I'll probably take my amp and drive because I'd be worried about not hearing myself well; perhaps unfounded in a small gig but I don't want to risk it. I also have this idea that direct sounds better in larger gigs but not sure if that's grounded in reality.

Anyway, originally I thought that I could have the same preset(s) for direct and real amp by configuring parallel paths with the amp and cab path going to XLR and the real amp path to the 1/4". The problem is as you see above there are six modulation effects between amp and cab; I'd need to copy those into my real amp path.

Even if I moved the flanger, tremolo and ring mod to song-specific patches, it's still duplicating three blocks, I might run out of DSP and it seems painful to maintain.

I'd prefer not to duplicate patches for real amp and direct because then it means two changes every time I make one actual change. The saving grace could be as the amp sim gain is relatively low, the modulation effects could go before the amp sim i.e. I can simulate all effects going into the front of the amp (sim) like when using my real amp. This would make the parallel path at the end of the patch much shorter (just amp, reverb, cab to the XLR).

Is this viable or is duplicating presets for direct / real amp the only reasonable way to go?

2. Handling different songs and use of presets / snapshots / setlists. One patch per song feels inefficient for the kind of cover band stuff I do. I'm generally quite happy stomping effects on and off in a song like with a pedal board but in some songs I'd like to minimize the tap dancing.  I have the switches in stomp mode configured for 10 stomps but I think I can go back to 8 stomps if I move the flanger, tremolo and ring mod to song-specific patches (another reason to do this!).

I think I need presets such as:
Standard Board where I can stomp around as usual.
Blinding Lights (fairly scooped but not overpowering heavy distortion for power chords transitioning to clean with delay for verses)
Dakota (ring mod to start, then overdriven sustaining wet lead tone for long notes, then clean for verses, back to sustain for the bridge, overdriven not so wet for chorus)
Let's Dance (intro clean, verse clean with two delays, chorus with one delay, overdriven solo with no delays)
Murder on the Dance Floor (flanger instead of chorus, two tones, one funky and one solo)
Pretty Woman with tremolo instead of chorus 
Sex on Fire (intro low gain, chorus more loud wet noise etc etc)

I guess the brackets should be covered by snapshots. Great, but what about navigating from preset to preset if I use the Standard Board preset for 90% of songs? What's the most efficient way to change to other presets in the heat of battle? I guess that is what the setlist feature is meant to achieve but I don't fancy programming a set in advance when 90% of songs will be the same preset and the order may change. For this reason I don't see much mileage in the preset up and down switches.

I think what I need to do is something like:
Start in Standard Board preset, do my thing.
Next song is Dakota - hit the Preset / Stomp switch and Dakota should be visible in the list so step on it.
Ah crap, I'm back in preset mode but I need to be in snapshot mode because Dakota uses snapshots. Step on both left hand switches. It would be good if the Standard Board preset was usually in stomp mode but the song-specific presets were usually in snapshot mode. Is that possible? How can I make this smoother?

This also seems to imply that if I do have to build separate presets for direct and real amp, I should put them in separate setlists, so that I have less presets to scroll through. e.g. If I'm going direct, I don't need to see presets Dakota and Dakota Direct.

3. Legacy effects. As a rule (or not as a rule), are legacy effects "worse"? Why are they categorized as legacy?

4. Expression pedals. I have an M-Audio EX-P expression pedal that I might like to make use of. I have noticed that the Quick Start template has the internal pedal change between volume and wah with a click, but when I plug the external pedal in, the internal pedal reverts to wah (with switch) and the external pedal controls the volume.

Except the external pedal in M-Audio mode is toe-down for zero and heel-down for 100. If I flick the pedal switch to Other, it goes 0-100-0, which is even worse. I know that I can

Also the internal pedal switch is pretty stiff and lacks feel; I think whatever I use the internal pedal for, I'd try it disabled at 100% so I don't have to stomp it, is it on, is it off, is it on, ah, what am I supposed to be playing again?

I never used a volume pedal previously so perhaps I should remove the block and let the internal pedal do wah only. A volume pedal nice to have, but I don't need it for my gigs.

5. Reverb. For direct usage, I feel I need one always-on reverb to simulate my always-on amp reverb to make the base tone sound good in the room, and then the option for another reverb in front of it (or more reverb) for certain songs where I'm going for more of that old-school feel and the reverb is an effect in and of itself. Is that reasonable?

Anyway thanks for reading all this (perhaps I should have used the time to program the Helix?) and I'll be happy to hear your comments.

willo

It's been a while since I setup a Helix patch but

The legacy effects are from old Line 6 pedals. John Frusciante played Slane Castle with a DL4 and an FM4 so I think they are good enough. Is there a ring mod in there that will save you some DSP?

Instead of two reverb blocks, can you assign parameters on one block to a footswitch - keeping the block the same but increasing mix etc? TBH I generally don't bother with reverb live.

I also compromise on trying to get the 'proper' tones perfectly. I almost always use a chorus OR a flanger instead a both. I don't think anyone notices (covers band, pub gigs).

Running modulation before the amp can work, same as it does in real life. It will sound different though, and perhaps less distinct. 

I cut volume blocks if needed and use my guitar volume control.

I can't remember if you can do this in Helix but what I do in Fractal is have four scenes/snapshots and then the remaining footswitches assigned to special effects, modulation, big delays, EQ etc. These are set up to turn on in the active scene/snapshot and still be on when I return to it. But combining snapshots with FX in your footswitches could save you DSP as you could change amp gain levels with your snapshots, and remove one or more of your drive blocks. 

borntohang

Regarding expression pedals, you can change the external pedal polarity in the Global Settings menu so 100 will be toe down.

If you're using two pedals and want to get rid of a block, you can assign an EXP to control the patch level for a volume pedal without using a block or any DSP. Just be aware you won't be able to turn it off like a volume block, so you won't be able to switch between volume and wah and it will always be assigned to volume.

For your real amp vs direct, I would just disable the amp and cab blocks unless you need them and then leave them bypassed. I'm assuming you have enough DSP as you're not programming anything radical, so that shouldn't be an issue. I keep a low priority JC120 amp sim in most of my non-direct patches just for use with headphones and emergencies.

Switching between Snapshot and Stomp modes per preset is possible but requires a MIDI hack, so the easiest way is just to stay in Stomp mode all the time but on the song-specific patches assign one or more of the footswitches to be Snapshot changes in Control Center - in Stomp mode you can assign a footswitch to bypass or control any parameter, so it doesn't have to be strictly one block per switch. 

If you're tight for switches then in CC you can stack multiple Snapshots onto a single switch so it either cycles through however many you need, or for it to toggle between two snaps. I always have two of my HX switches assigned to Snaps: in Snap 1 they go to 2 and 3, Snap two to 1 and 3, and so on. That gives me three Snaps plus Tap/Tuner off three switches and then I use MIDI for any block specific toggles. If I just wanted it to cycle around 1, 2, 3 then I could get away with one switch. 

HT986M2

I think some are expecting a Helix 2 announcement.  While that would be great, I'm guessing it's going to be more of a retrospective session.

jellybelly

Ooh exciting 

I don't feel like Helix is done yet, maybe something like the Playstation/Pro thing with an upgrade of hardware but running the same software, some additional access to higher res/AI-optimised models via the new hardware maybe. 

But I think, just like in gaming, we're past the 'build it from the ground up' style development of the last 20-30 years, it's all iterations now. PS4 and PS5 Pro aren't completely different sets of hardware/software, one is just far more powerful than the other with additional graphics or sound processors bolted on. 

Monkeybone

I hope it's not going to be a new product announcement, I've literally just bought a Helix LT (albeit second hand).