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View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
Of course you can use things any way you like, but if the power amp and cab are not presentative of the type of preamp you are using then it wont sound 'right' eg a Dual rec preamp in to the FX return of a Hot Rod Deluxe isn't going to sound as good as a Dual Rec head into a Mesa cab. It'll be a Dual Rec flavoured sound certainly, but not as close as if you use a full amp model in to a IR in to a FRFR cab.
And bringing Guthrie Govan's opinions in to this, it's not like he's human so his opinion doesn't count
Running a plethora of different preamps like @NelsonP has done into a Mesa flavoured poweramp (which is voiced for the Calibre) is not going to give favoured results and the real deal is always going to come out on top purely because of the physics behind it.
This has been mentioned already so won't labour the point, but again proves that both sides (real/modelled) both need to be used in the correct context to make a fair comparison - its like running the real preamp of a Dual or Triple Rec into the poweramp of a Squier SP10 practice amp and stating that its lost some bottom end..
I agree, the Helix as astounding as it is (or any modelling for that matter) will never replace the raw feeling of a cooking loud valve amp, but for the gigging/recording musician who needs to put his or her hand on a wide range of tones which don't "feel" artificial in their response or more importantly the sound then they are unbeatable and will win hands-down in that regard.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
His suggestion was that some people don't like rack units precisely because they lack this connection between the preamp and poweramp - ie; it's just an audio signal being feed from one to the other, with no real connection between the components.
I've been thinking that this could also be the reason that some people don't really like modellers. Nothing to do with the modeller itself, but more that isn't a singular system with crosstalk and feedback loops and signal bleed like what you get in a fully assembled valve amp.
Again - just thinking... not saying that IS the case. But I found it interesting. I'll see if I can dig up his original statement.
In a situation where you have the preamp only, fed into the return of a valve amp, you don't have that feedback. Likewise if you run say a Kemper or AX-8 into one of the FX loops of the Helix.
So I think there is still a level of modelling that is missing for the people who want to use modellers as preamps into valve poweramps, and you can only get this by having total control over the playback system.
But doing that latency free? Not really an easy task!
Take something like the UAD cards, or even Propellerheads Reason... adding an effect even in the digital realm with no AD/DA still adds latency.
And you know what? You don't even need something as sophisticated and state of the art as a Helix to sound good and amplike live. I can still get some great live classic rock tones with my old tech Tonelab SE and LE.
Setting it 'right' for the guitar cab you're using does make a noticeable difference in feel, especially loud through a traditional cab via SS poweramp.
It's not 100% in this scenario but it's close enough for me. I don't think it's close enough for Drew.
There's a lot more flexibility for this through an IR. However IIRC Clarky just sets his however he wants, a lot lower (in frequency) than I'd set mine when using cabs.
Paging @ICBM for a bit more knowledge on that front!
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
Remember, at this point we're discussing the technology - not your choice of what you prefer. Essentially what I'm saying is that you FRFR guys who are essentially fully in the box until the moment the sound hits the speaker, you're getting a fully interactive system that the guys who plug into a real poweramp are not getting.
Same discussion with rack preamps and poweramps versus amps too tbh.