Metalisgood9 Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 I just dropped a stupid amount of money on a Helix and I’m a little worried about all the post about not getting a good metal tone from the factory presets. I’m new at the whole processor thing, always used petals. What do I need to know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfsup1955 Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 Hey and welcome.. Not a metal player here, but I was in the same boat 2 years ago. I.e., I dropped $1.5k on the Helix not sure if it would meet my expectations - pretty much as did everyone else on this forum. My only advice is: If you can't get what you want out of it - send it back and get your refund. I play classic rock, blues, etc on both solid bodies and acoustic. After 2 years I now have 8 presets with multiple snapshots on each one to cover everything I do. My only problem with the Helix at this point is: I have 2 tube amps, 1 nice modeling amp, and shelves full of analog and digital pedals not being used. Bottom line is: if you bought the Helix from a reputable retailer, you have nothing to worry about. Enjoy the tweaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalisgood9 Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 Thanks for the reply, if it wasn’t for the ability to make your own tone I would not of spent the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirtualGuitars Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 I just dropped a stupid amount of money on a Helix and I’m a little worried about all the post about not getting a good metal tone from the factory presets. I’m new at the whole processor thing, always used petals. What do I need to know? My advice is take the time and get to know the architecture. There is a little bit of a learning curve, but once you begin to figure it out you will see just how easy it is to use. I use my Helix with two tube amps, but also use it with large studio monitors. The possibilities are absolutely endlesss. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 If you're looking for a good metal tone from the factory presets, you may be disappointed. However, Helix contains pretty much all of the amps from which the metal genre was created. Load up any of the high gain models, throw a Scream 808 in front of it and there ya go. Add one of the EQs for fine tuning. Just like the real world. Metal heads argue endlessly over which real-world amp is best for djent or doom or Swedish black doom death metal or whatever. It's all very subjective. Don't believe what anybody says, try it yourself. If you feel that you absolutely need presets, there's Customtone for free. If you've still got a few bucks left, Fremen has great sounding (to me) heavy presets. Worst comes to worst, as surfsup said, you can always return it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunedinDragon Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 Probably the most important thing you need to know is to make a decision about what your physical setup is going to be. The Helix can adapt to most anything, but depending on how you physically set things up you'll need to understand what features apply and how they apply in order to get the tone you want. I've had my Helix for 2 years now and it's not my first modeler, so I've been at this modeling game for a while. The single most consistent problem I've seen in that time is people saying they can't get the tone they want (metal or not) when it actually turns out they were doing something that didn't make sense given the setup they were using. A classic case in point is using the Helix in conjunction with a power amp and cabinet using a modeled amp, cabinet and mic. Naturally it's not going to sound right because you have a modeled cabinet and mic feeding into a power amp and and REAL cabinet so you're coloring the sonic output multiple times before it comes out of the real cabinet. It will work, but it probably won't sound right. That's not the Helix fault, it's a fault with the design of the signal chain. All of the top end modelers are very powerful and capable machines, but they do rely on the user having a certain amount of base knowledge about the components in the signal chain (both inside the helix and external components) and how they affect the ultimate sound. I've always told people that the Helix is pretty much like having a portable, fully stocked recording studio. That's both a blessing and a curse for some folks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 I just dropped a stupid amount of money Then you haven't bought a Gibson LP yet, have you... ;) A musicians creed to live by- Tone wise a good purchase is never a stupid investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalisgood9 Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 thanks for all the replies,it will be in Tuesday thats when the real fun begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkyou86 Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 I just dropped a stupid amount of money on a Helix and I’m a little worried about all the post about not getting a good metal tone from the factory presets. I’m new at the whole processor thing, always used petals. What do I need to know? No worries my friend, just remember: never use headphones for dialing metal patches :) I believe you'll need a full range speaker or a pair of studio monitors. I also strongly recommend you to try out your patches with the full band on the rehearsals, make sure that your tone "sits" in the music. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfsup1955 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 thanks for all the replies,it will be in Tuesday thats when the real fun begins either way, keep us posted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalisgood9 Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 Wow this thing is soo versatile. Dose any body have any good metal IRs they wanna share Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 I just dropped a stupid amount of money on a Helix and I’m a little worried about all the post about not getting a good metal tone from the factory presets. I’m new at the whole processor thing, always used petals. What do I need to know? Fear not! You won't get a good tone from the factory presets for ANY genre... metal or otherwise. 😂 Ignore them, learn the unit, and create your own patches. Relying on factory presets is doomed to failure 99% of the time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalisgood9 Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 I understand why people love this thing holy sh#%!! I’ve been at it 9hrs now, so much you can do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbieb61 Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Welcome to the Helix brother!This thing is amazing. I even went all the way in with FRFR speaker and dropped my entire tube rig a long time ago. The sound I am getting is incredible. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunedinDragon Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Wow this thing is soo versatile. Dose any body have any good metal IRs they wanna share IRs really aren't divided up into metal or non-metal. The best you can do is get an IR of a commonly used cabinet for metal music such as an Orange, Mesa, Engl....or like a Celeston 4x12 Redback....things along those lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfsup1955 Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 On 3/1/2018 at 12:04 AM, Metalisgood9 said: I understand why people love this thing holy sh#%!! I’ve been at it 9hrs now, so much you can do! So I assume you’re keeping it :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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