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I dont think Helix is for me.

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jeztone2jeztone2 Frets: 2160
Having bought one at Xmas. I’m just not into it. I’ve been using it as an FX unit. But most of the time I’ve got a delay or reverb on and that’s it. 

Im starting to miss my pedals.

It does sound amazing. But there’s almost too much for me to take in. It’s like option paralysis.

Anyone Else? 
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Comments

  • Been there, done that, back to pedals!
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  • jeztone2jeztone2 Frets: 2160
    Been there, done that, back to pedals!
    Oh really. That’s interesting. How long did you keep trying for? 
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  • This is what I'm worried about. 
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  • equalsqlequalsql Frets: 6084
    edited February 2019
    When I first got my Helix LT I too suffered from overload syndrome as if someone had gifted me all the pedals and amps from a small specialist shop. It made me dizzy just thinking about it.

    It didn't help that the factory patches were an awful mix of over the top examples to show what the unit could do.
    I also noticed that many patches had a crazy amount of amp/cab/multiple effect and routing set-ups, it was like you had to be some sound programming guru to get anything decent out of the Helix.

    However.. after stepping back a bit and going online to understand what real-life amps and pedals the Helix was simulating I went back to old school design starting with a blank slate and started building patches that reflected my real world usage and signal paths.. and boom! What a difference.  I set up about 6 patches that reflect my day to day usage with snapshots to create how the pedals combinations are used and I am now really happy with it.

    The LT is completely overkill for what I need but it's nice to know that  I've got all the extra's if I need them plus the cost of the FX and the amps I would need to recreate even my modest setup would way exceed the price of the Helix.

    My only wish is that I could rename the factory FX and Amps to what their real life counterparts are. I know Line 6 can't name them as such due to licensing issues, but I don't see the harm in allowing end users to customise the names.
    (pronounced: equal-sequel)   "I suffered for my art.. now it's your turn"
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  • I own a helix but much prefer my amp and pedals.
    My helix is used as a convenient recording interface.
    It's pretty much a clean amp setting. All effects come from my pedals as I prefer the sound.
    It's a good convenient package, I just don't think it sounds as good as most people make out
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • tone1tone1 Frets: 5112
    edited February 2019
    I tried to visualise myself using a Helix, which usually ended up with me getting fed up with the endless tweaking and scrolling through some line 6 monkey software update thingy.... then realised life’s too short and didn’t buy one and cut out the middle man and kept my pedals...... B

    edit... another thing that put me off was Paul Hindmarsh constantly going on about the vibe modelling a photo-cell (ubiquitous vibe I think it was) which left me thinking that must be the only good thing it does...
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    I have multiple multi-effects units and a few pedal-based boards.
    With increased capability comes increased complexity- there is no getting away from that.
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  • This is probably a silly reason but I think the main reason  I couldn't get on with the helix was that it just felt too expensive to me! My needs are simple and I felt I was having to do just as much tweaking as I had to do with my HD500 and still never being quite happy. It just didn't feel worth it.
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  • FreebirdFreebird Frets: 5821
    edited February 2019
    Always dial it into your guitar and the sound that you want, the presets are pretty much useless.
    If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
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  • I own a helix but much prefer my amp and pedals.
    My helix is used as a convenient recording interface.
    It's pretty much a clean amp setting. All effects come from my pedals as I prefer the sound.
    It's a good convenient package, I just don't think it sounds as good as most people make out
    And the opposite opinion from me. Helix has slowly become the only thing I use. I think you can get it to sound really, really good. Better than the naysayers make out :)

    probably depends what sounds you are going after.
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  • kennedydream1980kennedydream1980 Frets: 1143
    edited February 2019
    My Helix LT is by far the best gear acquisition I’ve made in the last 20 years. I literally went through every amp and pedal imaginable trying to find something useable for me on stage and at home that I was completely happy with. Nothing has hit the mark like the Helix.

    I don’t even think it was a steap learning curve as the UI is so good.

    Its a pleasure to gig now, no heavy back breaking amps to haul into venues. I can lift everything I need for the gig in one trip and I have consistent tone.

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  • I own a helix but much prefer my amp and pedals.
    My helix is used as a convenient recording interface.
    It's pretty much a clean amp setting. All effects come from my pedals as I prefer the sound.
    It's a good convenient package, I just don't think it sounds as good as most people make out
    I guess, in the end, I agree with this...

    Here are my thoughts, amd all imho...

    1.) The Helix is a ground breaking device. Stunning. The quality of the build, the amazing routing options (I mean if you can imagine it) the Helix will do it. 

    2.) Ive learnt more about sound, EQ, routing, stereo, etc from modelling (ie Helix and Kemper) than I have from 30 years of amps and pedals.

    3.) Its convenient and practical, with superb customer superb.

    4.) Simple and easy to use out of the box - and cheap. My small pedal board now has cost more than a Helix Floor.

    However...

    5.) For me, the amp sounds are no where near the Kemper. Like, not even close to being as sound, for ‘my’ sound in my head.

    6.) Real amps and pedals just sound AND feel better. There, Ive said it. My Carr Mercury V and small board sound better by far. But then again. Its a £2500 amp and a £2000 pedalboard. It should sound better !!!

    But, ultimately for me, it became daft trying to learn the ‘new’ language. I had to study Jason Sadites YT vids to know how and where to place my double EQ, crossover, two path chrome shaft thorax nodules.... and I never really got there and understood it.

    Guitar -> Thorpyfx Fat General -> Carr = instant heaven and SO simple to use.

    Im sorted. Rant over. Hope that helps :)


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  • TTBZTTBZ Frets: 2873
    But, ultimately for me, it became daft trying to learn the ‘new’ language. I had to study Jason Sadites YT vids to know how and where to place my double EQ, crossover, two path chrome shaft thorax nodules.... and I never really got there and understood it.
    That was my problem when I tried Native, I felt like I had to do too much to get usable sounds. However just saw this Leon Todd Stomp video where he pretty much dials in the same kinda tones and snapshots I would use within the 6 blocks (about halfway through where he does the high gain Placater sound). It must be down to using a good IR which sorts most of the EQ issues out. 



    I trust his videos more than others as it seems we go for pretty similar tones and have similar riffing styles. After a thoroughly disappointing session playing my real amp yesterday I'm willing to give this thing a shot anyway :)
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  • I own a helix but much prefer my amp and pedals.
    My helix is used as a convenient recording interface.
    It's pretty much a clean amp setting. All effects come from my pedals as I prefer the sound.
    It's a good convenient package, I just don't think it sounds as good as most people make out
    And the opposite opinion from me. Helix has slowly become the only thing I use. I think you can get it to sound really, really good. Better than the naysayers make out :)

    probably depends what sounds you are going after.
    I have to start with a properly clean amp, I want something as close as possible to my hiwatt. That's my favourite amp sound so I gravitate towards it.
    So in the helix I add my amp, cab(s) mics, fuck about with all the parameters etc and play.
     Harsh artificats on the high end. Back in, global EQ and hi/low cut added. 
    Now it sounds ok but nothing like a hiwatt. You don't have to cut highs on a mic'd up hiwatt.
    You don't get any of the massive frequency range and magical fairy dust you get from the real hiwatt.
    Ok, it will probably be ok in the mix and I have soundtoys to sort it out.

    Then the effects section...
    All my opinion of course but the delays are ok, quite average for the most part, definitely two or three that are better than the rest, so I will generally use my mf104m or h9.
    Drives... Hmmm, one or two are ok but I find a driven amp sound generally works better so off to make another patch, fiddle, fiddle etc.
    Modulation. Choruses, phasers and flangers that would make the baby Jesus cry. Tremolo is great and the vibe I don't really care for as I am not a massive fan of the effects.
    Reverbs, not my thing typically, some are ok but again the h9 offers so much more.
    Pitch shifting... I'll leave that alone.

    I get the convenience, I get that it's most things to most players in a box at a good price and it's a dead handy recording interface but I feel like I have gone insane at times when I read the praise for it on here. It literally does no wrong walks on water and slices bread, that's just not my experience with it.

    After long periods of use it starts to sound normal and I get the appeal, I really do, but I personally feel it's not quite there yet. The good news is that it seems to be forever improving and for the most part is pretty fault free.
    However in contrast I do think the Kemper and the axefx sound better. More fiddly and more expensive but better sounding.

    Anyway I'm sure that will upset a huge section of the FX membership so I will stick my tongue foil hat on and go play some guitar (through my amp).

    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    I've only made very minor changes to my board in 15 years so, no, I don't think the Helix is for me either.
    For the simple stuff I played it would've been massive overkill.
    I can see how it would be very useful, just not for my modest needs.
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  • thecolourboxthecolourbox Frets: 9654
    edited February 2019
    I'll preface this by making it clear I've not tried a full sized helix, only the HX FX, and I've a feeling i would probably have preferred the Stomp had I know (it was released the week after I plumped for the HX Effects, bigger). So pinch of salt maybe required here

    I can see the appeal, I can see why people like then and I can see they would be Very useful in a lot of circumstances. They are growing all the time as well.  They are a tool though I think, rather than a toy. So for us home players who've no requirement to play outside of a small room, they are quite unnecessary in the scheme of things. I've no idea whether that market is bigger than the pro market.

    Stuff I didn't like about it:

    1. You can't use the HX Effects with HX Edit to create the signal flows, so you break your back kneeling down crouched over the small screen trying to work it out. The "tap touch" thing on the switches also didn't help this because if you slightly catch a switch whilst reaching for the knobs and don't notice you eggs up changing something totally different as can't remember how to put it back.

    2. It was really big so no room on a fairly well sized board for effects like the Whammy that the HX can't do well.

    3. Further to number two, despite intending to sell everything to use one of these instead, I found I still had to keep my Whammy, Multi Overtone, Octavia, and overdrive which meant I was basically only using the Fuzz Factory, Bit Crusher and the routing on the HX which seems overkill to accommodate the space and power supply just for that.

    4. All the overdrives basically sounded the same into the (admittedly digital) preamp I was using. That may have been the fault of the modelling preamp as well to be fair, 

    5. One of the attractions of something like this seems to be that its cheap because you don't need the separate FX and an amp. But you do - i am fairly cloth eared and still needed about £300 worth of pedals to work with it, plus you do still need an amp of some sort, so a £300 multi FX suddenly means you have to spend a further £600 on the pedals it can't do and an FRFR amp. 

    Admittedly I've had better results with the Native trial but a further £300 to £400 on that seems a big investment that still requires a powerful laptop to use it and cables everywhere waiting to pull that laptop off the desk. At least with the HX Effects youn can sell it on!
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
    youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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  • LebarqueLebarque Frets: 3755
    I own a helix but much prefer my amp and pedals.
    My helix is used as a convenient recording interface.
    It's pretty much a clean amp setting. All effects come from my pedals as I prefer the sound.
    It's a good convenient package, I just don't think it sounds as good as most people make out
    I guess, in the end, I agree with this...

    Here are my thoughts, amd all imho...

    1.) The Helix is a ground breaking device. Stunning. The quality of the build, the amazing routing options (I mean if you can imagine it) the Helix will do it. 

    2.) Ive learnt more about sound, EQ, routing, stereo, etc from modelling (ie Helix and Kemper) than I have from 30 years of amps and pedals.

    3.) Its convenient and practical, with superb customer superb.

    4.) Simple and easy to use out of the box - and cheap. My small pedal board now has cost more than a Helix Floor.

    However...

    5.) For me, the amp sounds are no where near the Kemper. Like, not even close to being as sound, for ‘my’ sound in my head.

    6.) Real amps and pedals just sound AND feel better. There, Ive said it. My Carr Mercury V and small board sound better by far. But then again. Its a £2500 amp and a £2000 pedalboard. It should sound better !!!

    But, ultimately for me, it became daft trying to learn the ‘new’ language. I had to study Jason Sadites YT vids to know how and where to place my double EQ, crossover, two path chrome shaft thorax nodules.... and I never really got there and understood it.

    Guitar -> Thorpyfx Fat General -> Carr = instant heaven and SO simple to use.

    Im sorted. Rant over. Hope that helps :)


    Thank goodness for that. I can sleep easy at night again now, @Wazmeister ! :0)
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  • @Lebarque - it was your prayers, persistence and posts that saved me from myself... ;)
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  • neilgneilg Frets: 94
    As I only play at home in all the years I've been playing I've only had small practice amps and I've never been happy with the sound, after getting the helix LT I'm finally able to get the sounds I hear in my head.

    I also like how compact it is for how much it can do and being to change parameters on the pc in hx edit means I'm not having to bend down to the floor.
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  • I own a helix but much prefer my amp and pedals.
    My helix is used as a convenient recording interface.
    It's pretty much a clean amp setting. All effects come from my pedals as I prefer the sound.
    It's a good convenient package, I just don't think it sounds as good as most people make out
    And the opposite opinion from me. Helix has slowly become the only thing I use. I think you can get it to sound really, really good. Better than the naysayers make out :)

    probably depends what sounds you are going after.
    I have to start with a properly clean amp, I want something as close as possible to my hiwatt. That's my favourite amp sound so I gravitate towards it.
    So in the helix I add my amp, cab(s) mics, fuck about with all the parameters etc and play.
     Harsh artificats on the high end. Back in, global EQ and hi/low cut added. 
    Now it sounds ok but nothing like a hiwatt. You don't have to cut highs on a mic'd up hiwatt.
    You don't get any of the massive frequency range and magical fairy dust you get from the real hiwatt.
    Ok, it will probably be ok in the mix and I have soundtoys to sort it out.

    Then the effects section...
    All my opinion of course but the delays are ok, quite average for the most part, definitely two or three that are better than the rest, so I will generally use my mf104m or h9.
    Drives... Hmmm, one or two are ok but I find a driven amp sound generally works better so off to make another patch, fiddle, fiddle etc.
    Modulation. Choruses, phasers and flangers that would make the baby Jesus cry. Tremolo is great and the vibe I don't really care for as I am not a massive fan of the effects.
    Reverbs, not my thing typically, some are ok but again the h9 offers so much more.
    Pitch shifting... I'll leave that alone.

    I get the convenience, I get that it's most things to most players in a box at a good price and it's a dead handy recording interface but I feel like I have gone insane at times when I read the praise for it on here. It literally does no wrong walks on water and slices bread, that's just not my experience with it.

    After long periods of use it starts to sound normal and I get the appeal, I really do, but I personally feel it's not quite there yet. The good news is that it seems to be forever improving and for the most part is pretty fault free.
    However in contrast I do think the Kemper and the axefx sound better. More fiddly and more expensive but better sounding.

    Anyway I'm sure that will upset a huge section of the FX membership so I will stick my tongue foil hat on and go play some guitar (through my amp).

    To me it's just a difference of flavour. Not quality.

    I use my single stomps as much as - actually lately it's more than - my Helix. But that's not because I think the Helix is low quality. I just think they have different flavours.

    Like the way the delays decay away on the Helix is a bit different to the way the Source Audio Nemesis does it, and the way the Strymon Timeline does it. Sometimes I want the more diffuse 'distant' sounding thing from the Helix, and sometimes I want a really obnoxious digital delay sound from the Timeline.

    In terms of amp-simulation, some models on the Helix are the bomb dot com. Like the Placater. But the NeuralDSP Nameless amp-sim is kinda my go-to amp-sim right now. Actually has been since the tail end of last year.

    But I have a Diezel VH4 sat in my studio at home. If I just want to play guitar and I'm not bothered about recording any of it, I plug into that and don't bother with software.


    Bye!

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