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Comments
I think Helix native sounds and feels great. That's just going through the presets.
Bias sounded awful by comparison, really boomy and unnatural.
I actually thought that Amplitube sounded similar to Helix. Not quite as user friendly as Helix and the selection of amps didn't seem as good.
Will be saving up for Helix native!
That, logic and my iRig HD will be a great silent practice/recording setup!
Amplitube has a lot of amps if you get all the add on packs, but they've all been made at different times, and the later stuff is better than the earlier stuff at least for what I like.
I really rate the Amplitube SVX pack for bass, for bread and butter cleanish to warmish bass sounds. I think the options for more gritty and distorted bass tones in the Helix are better, and probably the best on any modeller available.
I still dislike the interface for Native though and I think the Amplitube one is better on a page per page basis. The only thing I prefer on the Helix is you can see all your routing in one page, whereas Amplitube is tabbed. When it comes to tweaking parameters I just can't get used to these horizontal lines and the current need for scrolling, it's clunky and slow. It wouldn't stop me using the plugin, and I still think they made a valid choice in keeping it consistent with the hardware... but I don't like it personally.
I'm finding that I like Helix Native for bass sounds, but I can't really justify it to myself on that alone, given I don't get the hardware discount Helix users get.
The only way it'd make sense to me is if I sold all my bass pedals and bought a full fat Helix and Native with the big discount... that way I'd stick with Fractal for guitars and Helix for bass. But a mixture of laziness to sell everything and genuine enjoyment from the pedals is kind of stopping that feeling like the right thing to do, at least right now.
I just don't think I get on with the full range modelling experience - I reckon with a lot of tweaking I could get something that sits well in a mix, but for just guitarplaying by myself, even at neibour friendly volumes, I just don't know where people are coming from with this - its not a patch on amp and pedals.
Nothing against Line 6 either, I've had the same experienice with S-gear and others I've tried.
I agree about the SVG pack - I use it, although in modelling terms it's quite old. I think I read they are working on a new one.
Helix sounds good - I just can't justify it on the basis it's not that much better than what I currently have.
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
If you're comparing a pair of relatively low end 5" monitors to a presumably nice 12" guitar amp you're never going to get close, even ignoring the obvious mic'd vs in the room stuff.
I strongly prefer 6" monitors to 5", it really does make a big difference like for like. The nicest 5s I've heard are the Neumanns, but next to a similar quality 6" speaker they do sound smaller and there's no getting around that, at any volume
Now i I do know that others have had similar first impression and then went on to love Helix, so I'm not saying there's not something in there. What I've got to consider is that I only get roughly 1 to 2 hours a week to properly play guitar at the moment, so I don't think endless tweaking fits with me, I want to be playing in this time.
Then just stick with amps
It's still the right choice for many people
I do also think that those on here who are really getting on with Helix use pretty high gain as a core sound. I live mostly in the mid-gain region and at higher gains I want more of a loose fuzzstortion type thing.
I live in that clean -> blues -> Dad Rock zone and love the sounds.
Well I primarily use a high gain sound and I can't get on with the Helix guitar amp modelling either. The Axe FX amps are considerably more plug and play to me, and also I think they do sound and feel better even after tweaking the Helix, at least for the way I play and the sounds I want.
Its the feel thing though, as you are playing and interacting with the modelling and FRFR vs amp and pedals that doesn't compute with me.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922