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Comments
very nice solution… have a wiz..
found some good things and not so good things..
the 6 tap delay is… erm… a bit crap..
you don't have complete control over all taps..
I did manage to create my clean morphs to pad
but the pad tone is not close to what I get with the Axe or VG-99
mostly because the pitch shifter is not good with chords.. it's just not good enough when playing more than one note..
discovered that I can assign the split A/B to controllers.. this is really seriously useful to control the level per snapshot you can send to a path2b loop [which contains a delay in parallel]
the delays lack an 'input-level' control which is a pain in the ass..
in the Axe, this controls how much signal enters the wet side of the delay
so for example… I have a riffing tone that cleans and adds delay via the expression pedal [as it goes heel down]..
I assigned the delay's mix control to the pedal [toe=0 / heel=50]
tow down, riffing is nice and dry..
heel down, tone cleans and the delay comes in nicely..
back to toe down, the delay tails vanish.. which sounds un-natural..
solution:
place the delay in parallel with a Vol block in front of it
set the delay's mix=100
Vol assigned to the pedal toe=0 / heel=100
assign the split A/B to snapshot to route path2a / 2b 75% / 25% respectively for this snapshot
so….
heel down, cleaned with delay..
move to toe down and riff dry but the delay tails will be able to fade and so sounds more natural
the phasers are shockingly poor.. far too polite.. not chewy enough..
the chorus is pretty..
the dual pitch shifter when used for stereo spreading is really rather nice when set +5cents left / -6 cents right, mix in the low 20's.. it's subtle 'seen and not heard stuff.. so you don't notice it until you bypass it and then the tone goes a little flat.. which is just how it should be..
I'm coming to the conclusion that I reckon I can make all of my required tones with all the control feature..
but [a big but at that]… I'll need to split what I currently do with the Axe in a single preset into a couple of presets in the Helix.. I'd need to analyse the tone transitions mid-song to work out if I can find a way of ensuring I don't do preset changes mid-song.. because preset changes will be double tap [hit bank then hit preset to get back to snapshots]..
in a song in 17/8 this will be a major pain in the rear..
I will also need more presets to get through a gig
it's a nice unit and has many great features.. a joy to configure
some of the tones I'm getting are working quite well so I'm convinced that with time and effort I could get it to where I want it to be.. feel wise though it's still lacking something.. there's not enough compression with the hi-gain tones so you have that hi-gain tone, but a mid-gain feel.. not good for a shredder with a very light touch..
and I run out of DSP too quickly.. so I keep getting almost there.. but never quite make it..
the paths are a nice idea.. but I miss the grid so much.. the grid in the Axe is just sooooooo powerful..
so… could I live with a Helix???
yes I reckon I could..
the next question is do I want to [even to save weight on a flight]???
I'm not sure..
I will continue noodling with it though until I have to return it in Sept..
I may uncover more solutions that'll change my mind..
I'm considering getting a helix later I the year, I'm really enjoying Clarky's adventures and is encouraging how a pro rates it, despite its limitations for him.
Thing that's scary though is how much time a mere mortals will have to invest in getting something good from it.
In a similar vein, but nowhere near as complex, I'm currently trying my best to recreate a very specific shimmer (using particular intervals) from the Big Sky with my Axe FX - which has no dedicated Shimmer engine on either the reverb or the delay, so it takes some creativity. I'm 90% there but it's a complex thing to achieve. These things may not be obviously achievable at first glance, so it takes some time to get used to the capabilities of the unit so that you can find an alternative way to do things.
Getting something good out of both the Helix and Fractal has never taken very long at all, in my experience anyway and many would agree.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
My needs are simple. I can easily gig with light crunch, slightly heavier crunch and lead.
Very occasionally I get really adventurous and add a bit of delay or phaser but that's about it.
What attracts me though are the options. When I have a fender amp, after a while a hanker after a Marshall and vice versa. The idea of being able to do that from 1 unit really appeals.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
what are your needs??
my needs due to the morphing etc are not easy to solve and take a lot of time to set up..
even if you have previous experience creating solutions like this
I've been using this sort of config since the early 90's so I have plenty of previous knowhow to fall back on..
I reckon my config needs place me in fewer than 1% of all guitarists
most fellas want a few amps and some stomps which is far simpler to config..
this being the case the Helix is an excellent unit.. very easy to use..
and you still have plenty of scope to be more adventurous
the final part is tone and feel..
this is down to your ear and your playing style..
you must try one and find out for yourself to see if it can hit the spot..
absolutely…
it's also worth noting
having never seen this unit before, I created my first basic no bells and whistles preset using 4 snapshots within 30 or 40 minutes..
within the next 30 mins I had snapshots and the expression pedal controlling parameters..
this included looking through the manual and learning how to configure from he front panel as well as using the editor..
so it was after that first hour and a bit that I started working out how to get it to jump through my own specific and rather tricky hoops
absolutely..
it's worth noting that getting my Axe presets where they are today took hundreds of hours of experimentation and fine tuning..
Most normal people have reasonable needs!!
I've always described the Axe as being like owning a warehouse full of amps.. over 200 models..
it's wonderful…
that said.. live I use 3 models.. studio I use less than 10
you need another wiz
Set that drop box up with your patches!
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
Now that Helix Native is here, you might solve your DSP problem by using a laptop and a suitable foot controller.
That would weigh less for flying.
IIRC You can use Native with DSP limits like the hardware, or turn the limits off and go nuts.
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
DSP limits are only part of the prob for me..
at least so far…
I need to try some more config ideas..
my biggest concern is having to change preset mid-song: double tap [bank then select preset]
cos that's certainly not something I could live with.. not with the sort of crap I play live..
You can also assign Command Center messages to recall any setlist, preset, and or snapshot in the unit, so with a short MIDI cable, any preset can go to any other preset.
I'm thinking [bit of a guess right now] that I'll need to create 2 presets in the Helix to cover it all