Considering Helix and goodbye valve amp!

Bridgehouse

/\ - Ownhammer Ampeg IRs and Ampeg models in Helix is why I just didn't bother spending the ££ on a bass head and cab.

Discovered I had as much rig as I'd ever want on my floor in front of me all the time.

A Barefaced Frfr or two and I'm set.

Bridgehouse

Oh, and a Helix is quite a bit lighter than an SVT and an 8x10 cab.....

Sporky

Beexter said:

That's the thing - which suggests to me that getting a sound I like will be easier with the AX8...
When the cost of entry is four figures, I'm not prepared to compromise in the slightest. 

If you don't want to compromise then you really should try both. Neither is going to be chock-full of exactly (and only) the sounds you want, so ability to create and edit patches to your tastes is almost more important than fundamental sound quality.

You might well be right and find it easier to work with the AX8, but you need to spend at least an hour with each, ideally longer and with people who understand them.

professorben

welshboyo said:

Richie C is a great player and the above is a great demo - he hasn't even delved into the Snapshots side of things at this point and I think (IIRC) this was at FW1, so things have come on tremendously since then.

What gets my goat is the "I owned a POD in 1986" brigade who come on these Helix threads (not just here btw) and start blowing off about how bad modelling is etc without having any real world experience of the Helix, not even played one in a shop!! Until you actually sit down with one of these and program it yourself (which is a piece of piss!!) you will not appreciate how good it sounds, none of the Youtube vids really show the Helix off - Richie's above is the closest.

I can't see why people think the AX8 is better? why is it better? or is it just a different flavour/take on the modelling domain....

With 3rd party IR's (IMO) the Helix really pushes through and I can't get a bad sound out of it - 4CM (not IR dependant) , direct, FRFR, USB etc etc it all just works flawlessly..

He's done a video on snapshots. 
Check out his band geek live videos if you want to hear the Helix in a full mix, sounds fine to me. 

John_A

@guitarfishbay those Axe samples do sound great!

Beexter

@guitarfishbay  thanks for posting those clips. It's just reinforced my opinion. To me, the Fractal stuff sounds so much more natural. I'm absolutely not knocking the Helix - it's clearly a supremely capable unit and the interface is very next generation but for me, the Fractal just sounds better. I guess it's no different to the fact that some may prefer a Vox clean to a Fender clean - different strokes for different folks!
I agree that from a value perspective, the Helix is top dog, with the current pricing at some retailers putting it at £300 cheaper than the AX8. When you consider all the routing options and built in expression pedal, that gap is probably wider.

What I would really like to see (and have been scouring You Tube for) is a comparison demo of the Ax8 and the Helix using similar amp models through the SAME third party cab IR . I'd expect that to be a much more level comparison. I appreciate some of the comments about A/B'ing but when you're spending that much cash, I think you want to be as sure as you can be.

As it stands at the moment, much as I want to like the Helix, the AX8 looks like my next gear purchase.

Sporky

Beexter said:

 I appreciate some of the comments about A/B'ing but when you're spending that much cash, I think you want to be as sure as you can be.

As it stands at the moment, much as I want to like the Helix, the AX8 looks like my next gear purchase.

I'd again say it's worth trying both rather than deciding on the basis of other people's tastes and Youtube recordings.

Beexter

Sporky said:

Beexter said:

 I appreciate some of the comments about A/B'ing but when you're spending that much cash, I think you want to be as sure as you can be.

As it stands at the moment, much as I want to like the Helix, the AX8 looks like my next gear purchase.

I'd again say it's worth trying both rather than deciding on the basis of other people's tastes and Youtube recordings.

Trouble is, AX8 is only available online (albeit the G66 return policy looks pretty good and gives you 30 days) but given that Helix is more widely available, it's probably worth at least trying before dismissing it - it certainly has plenty of fans here which speaks volumes. Having said that, many suggest that Helix is a different animal with third party IR's and that is going to be a tall order to demo in store...

How long before Line 6 partner with an IR provider and do a firmware update with revised IR's....? The standard "cabs" seem to be the only common complaint with Helix.

guitarfishbay

This guy has done an in depth series of comparison videos covering a range of sounds (I'm never sure if playlists work as links on this forum but if not look on YouTube for Mitch Baker).



For High gain Ola Englund did a comparison, with stock IRs then using one he made.



And another one, matching settings.



I bought my Fractal a few years ago, before the Helix was even announced.  If I was buying now I'd strongly look at the Helix.    But owning a Fractal I don't see a reason for me to switch.

gearaddict

Sporky said:

Beexter said:

 I appreciate some of the comments about A/B'ing but when you're spending that much cash, I think you want to be as sure as you can be.

As it stands at the moment, much as I want to like the Helix, the AX8 looks like my next gear purchase.

I'd again say it's worth trying both rather than deciding on the basis of other people's tastes and Youtube recordings.

Wash your mouth out. What's the fun in that?

Anyway, back on planet forum...here's a guy that has an option that the Boss GT-100 is every bit as good as the AxeFX2 when used into the FX return of a valve amp. And here's the YT video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBBgo6WU28I&t=9s

Yes, I know - there are no clips to back it up.

Roland

We've said it before: There are a lot of people posting on the internet about how the particular device they own beats the perceived market leader. It says something about human nature. At least those people who make marketing videos usually know when they are talking bollocks.

In reality the Helix/Fractal debate doesn't have a single answer. It's currently about what fidelity of of sound you want, how your mind works when configuring, and what you can afford. As with previous versions of multi FX the amount of time and effort required to learn and use either Helix or Fractal outweighs the cost of acquiring ... and kicks previous versions into the long grass.