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steelstringer

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Posts posted by steelstringer

  1. I’m working on a stereo live patch, and I want to bounce this approach off of the folks who avoid stereo patches in live settings. My current patch has a dry path (amp/cabs/eq) being sent via 1/4 to my mixer (not panned L/R). The second path has the stereo effects and splits at the end. This path is sent via two xlr to the mixer (one panned L/one panned R).

     

    So it’s a wet/dry setup. And yes, it requires 3 channels on our mixer ( I run the board, so no angry sound guy; well sometimes I get angry at myself ). As long as I mix the dry amp so it’s louder/more prominent and treat the stereo paths as “icing on the cake,” mixed a bit lower, no essential sounds would get lost if audience members weren’t in a perfect spot. Right? It just sounds so much fuller than my mono patch. 

  2. I’m using the Double Take (stereo) block to fatten up a few presets. Anyone have any advice on placement? My gut says right after the cab, which makes it the first stereo effect, and before any other effects. Thoughts? 

  3. I agree that a second snapshot for your lead tone is the way to go. One easy way to make snapshot 2 your lead tone is to add an eq block after your cab. Then, you can boost your volume and change the dynamics of the tone without having to change your amp settings. That is how my patches are set up, and it works well. I also use a delay to fatten the lead tone (and sometimes the Tubescreamer, as well). 

  4. If I were in your shoes (and I was 2 years ago), I would sell the amp/effects and get the Helix LT. From the sound of your post, you want simplicity- walk into a gig with the fewest amount of cables/components/amps. Plug in. Play. Sound good. The LT is perfect for that. I’ve used tube combos, analog pedal boards, modeling amps, etc, and I’m happier with my LT straight into our PA/mixer than with any other previous setup. Full disclosure- I kept one tube amp and one pedal board. Just in case...

  5. 4 hours ago, jws1982 said:

    The spider valve series have a “power amp in” on the back that bypasses all modeling and just sends the signal straight to the tube amp.  The tube amp in the spider valves is designed to be pretty transparent, so actually it’s a great option to complement the helix.

     

    Thanks for the correction. I had a SpiderValve for a bit, and I always understood that you couldn't just use it as a tube power amp (I remember that being one of the major complaints). I guess I should have played around with the inputs/outputs on the back a bit more...

  6. 8 minutes ago, coachz said:

     Great information. So do you use In-ear monitors? Or would you have had the same situation with the really loud drummer and needed to crank up to compete? Do you have any monitors to give the direct guitar sound to the audience member who standing right in front of you or do they only get it from the PA on the side?

    I do use in ears, but I always run two monitors just in case. Both methods work for me. And I am finding that feedback issues tend to be more prevalent with loud stages (loud amps/drummers), so it easier to raise a modeled amp level or vocals without feedback, in my experience. The audience members only hear my modeled sound from the main speakers (again, in my opinion, the less that the stage volume bleeds into the front of house mix, the better).

     

    One thing that I have to admit is that I have switched to modeling because I am more focused on the listening experience of the average bar/club/outside party goer. I'm not going to say that a modeled JCM 800 sounds BETTER than a cranked tube amp. But I'm not really terribly focused on the listening pleasure of guitar/tube amp experts because, let's be honest, most people don't know or care what the difference is between a tube amp and a modeler. Professional musicians make up a very small portion of crowds that I play for. So, my opinion on this matter is biased because I have found modeling as a great way to quickly and effectively provide a great guitar sound to people who are mainly wanting to drink and dance (sad but true). 

  7. Consider this information/perspective: Last night, I set up and ran sound for two bands (one of them was my band) for a large outdoor gig (around 1000) people. My band uses all modeling amps direct to the mixer; I use the Helix, specifically. I was able to set levels quickly, keep the stage volume at a rocking, but not painful volume, and provide a clear, clean listening experience to the crowd. I have received so much positive feedback on this setup in the last 6 months that I wish that we had switched over earlier.

     

    As my band wrapped it up, I started getting the second band set up. They used 4 tube amps, each of which had to be mic'd. This was unbelievably time consuming, but I got it done. Then, it was time for a sound check. Surprise! They had an unbelievably loud drummer, so, of course, the guitarists wanted to turn up. Then, of course, the singers couldn't hear themselves. As I brought up the vocals in the stage monitors, feedback became an issue. The stage volume was ridiculously loud, and that sound bleeds into the front of the house mix.The gig went well, and they sounded good (after much tweaking), but I am a believer in the power of the Helix (or modeling in general) for excellent, easy to dial in live tones on guitar and bass.

     

    My Helix setup uses the JCM 800 model, and it replaced my Marshall tube amp (DSL 40) that I have used for quite a while. It takes time to get used to the sound of a modeled amp; as these comments suggest, it sounds like a mic'd cab, but I have come to love that particular tone. As long as you have high quality powered monitors onstage, or a nice in ear system, the Helix will sound awesome in the mix onstage. As for front of the house (which is really more important in my eyes), I think my modeled tone sounds better than my mic'd tube amp. Seriously. I have many friends and co-workers who play guitar, and none have said anything but positive things about my guitar tones onstage. Hopefully, this gives you a bit more info as you make your choice.       

  8. This is a fun patch. Thanks for your time and effort on the YouTube video. I tweaked the patch a bit to lower the amount of delay so that it is more like a slap back effect. Then, of course, I had to run it through my mixer and main speakers just to see what it sounds like. It's a great tone! I changed the dry amp path output to XLR and kept it dead center on the mixer. Then, I changed the outputs of the wet amps to 1/4 and I ran them to two separate channels on the mixer; I panned one amp hard left, the other hard right. Basically each amp got its own input on the mixer. So, would you guys agree that this would be the best way to use this Wet/Dry/Wet patch through a mixer and two main speakers or is this a flawed approach? Thanks for any feedback. 

  9. On 6/22/2018 at 2:34 AM, rbum said:

    In my setup I cannot bypass the Helix cabs, because my Helix XLR still goes out to the PA, the PC is only my stage monitoring. Bypassing the cabs would kill the sound for the main stage ... So I would have to make different paths in Helix, one for the PA (with Helix cabs ON) one for the monitor PC (with Helix Cabs OFF) - that is not working because I would run out of paths and processor power in many songs.

    Thanks for your response; this is the exact situation that I will probably run into.

  10. 7 hours ago, rbum said:

    There are some things more to think about before including the power cab into your setup. If you use the cab simulations of Helix before going into the PA (that would be the normal way, if you don't use mics), you cannot use the speaker modeling of the Power Cab (which sounds best for me)

     

    Thanks for your review. I am on the fence right now about buying the Powercab Plus to complement my Helix. Your quote above is the aspect that I am the most confused about. I currently run my Helix XLR out to a mixer, which is connected to 2 powered speakers (Yamaha DXR series). It sounds amazing, but it isn't portable if I want to go jam on a whim. I do use the stock cabs, as well. But, if I understand the point of the Powercab, one could run it in FRFR mode and leave your presets alone (with those cabs on). Now, if you want to use the speaker modeling on the PC, you should probably bypass the cabs on the Helix because you would not want to run stock cab emulations into speaker emulations on the PC.

     

    So, your quote above makes it seem like you wanted to run Helix cabs and the speaker emulations simultaneously, which, if I understand the PC, would not sound right.  Any further feedback on this topic would be great from PC owners.  

  11. 47 minutes ago, BBD_123 said:

     

     

    Something else that's fun to play around with is separate cab blocks with a split path. Try putting your verb and echo on one path and leaving the other clear for (IMHO) considerable improvement in tone on some patches.

     

     

     

    dualspkrs.JPG

     

     

    Cool. Thanks for the tip. 

    • Like 1
  12. 1 hour ago, prudenjim said:

    Splitting them provides the flexibility to choose the cab models.  I find it useful to choose various combinations such as 1 1x12 mixed in with a 4x12.  With various mic setups I dial in the tone by sliding the A/B balance toward of of the two cabs.

    Yes. And this is why I would like to split them (especially to use the A/B balance feature). What I am running into is that I would like to mute/bypass one cab while I dial in the other, but when I do this, the active cab sounds muffled/distorted, and I am not sure why. When they are both on, it sounds nice, but I want to dial them in separately, and then blend them. This will let me dial in a bigger, warmer tone on one cab, and a more focused, treble-heavy tone on the other. Thanks for the feedback.  

  13. Hello all. Is there a difference in tone between these two approaches to using dual cabs after the amp block? Approach one: simply use the dual cab block. Approach two: split the cabs using an A/B split path.

     

    I swear that the built in dual cab block sounds better, but I don’t understand why. Thoughts?

  14. You might try the Kinky Boost (gain - 0, boost - on, bright - on) into a Minotaur (gain-3, tone -4, level - 6) into your high gain amp of choice (gain around 3-4, master around 5-7). This works well, and it doesn't change the tone/character of the amp as drastically as the Rat or Screamer. I was so excited to try the Rat into the JCM 800 model when I got the Helix, and it just doesn't sound great to me. Just a suggestion...

  15. 42 minutes ago, Doug6String said:

    Now here's a post I like!  Yup - I have a JP15 7 string (has piezo and mag outputs) and use dual paths and it sounds surprisingly like two different guitarists playing (clean) when panned L and R.  I also do a version of this for dist/crunchy tones which is surprisingly good too. Later today/tonight, I'll send you a short clip I recently did and I'll include a fav preset for this approach.  Feel free to send me what you're doing if inclined.  Doug

    Sounds great. I look forward to hearing it. 

  16. I recently bought a Martin acoustic IR from 3 Sigma in hopes of creating a patch that blends an acoustic sound with a clean electric tone (top path is the acoustic ir, and the bottom path is a clean Lonestar). I’m using a Carvin electric guitar. 

     

    I was thinking of the tones that Alex Lifeson and John Petrucci get using piezo equipped guitars. I threw a patch together quickly, and it sounds pretty cool. Has anyone else tried this approach? 

  17. THANK YOU!!!

     

    Jason Sadites' video actually gave the precise answer I was looking for.... that's a great video (and he really knows his Helix ;-) )

    No problem! In particular, it’s his use of the Y crossover split that makes a big difference. I actually use it at the beginning of path 2 since I like to blend 2 cabs (3 Sigma irs actually) on path 1. To my ears, this approach makes the amp models more lively and easier to dial in than doing drastic high and low cuts on the cabs.

  18. I've tried 3 different "PA" scenarios:

    1- In a practice session with a fully fledged Presonus mixer plugged with a pair of 350w powered speakers using XLR output / MIC setting (@studio)

    2- XLR direct using LINE to Adam A5X speakers (@home)

    3- USB to computer using Logic Pro for recording output to Adam A5X direct from Macbook Pro (@home)

     

    In all 3 scenarios, I tried to filter with equalizers, use Amps/Cabs, using High cuts in global setting, in an added Equalizer effect, in the Cab, in the Amp...

    Tried using IRs

    Basically, after all that work playing around with the sound, I am never able to get a "satisfying" sound...

     

    Plugging the Helix directly to my Blackstar HT-20 or Blackstar ID:60 is miles better then it is with any of the scenarios above (and I don't even use a 4 cable method)

     

    I'll give you an example:

    The Blackstar ID:60 also has a Tube simulator (6V6, 6L6, EL84, etc...), if I use that combined with Helix effects (no Amp/Cab) I will achieve a result 10 times superior then I will using those same effects + EQ + equivalent Amp/Cab from the Helix.

     

    Now, I do not think the difference should be so obvious right?

     

    I mean, I've played with Helix's effect enough to be able to achieve a bass sound while using a guitar, and trust me, it really does sound good. I know my way around it when plugged to a real guitar amp

    But for achieving good sound on a PA or recording/USB, I can't do it.... I mean I can, but it just sounds bad to my ears.

     

    So if anyone could share the AMP/CAB combination/settings they use that for them works well, I'd be really happy to hear it.

    I play Muse, QOTSA, Royal Blood, and a lot of classic Rock (Led Zep/AcDc, etc...), let's say I use a lot of Fuzz and harsh Overdrives/Distortions (which is why maybe I have a hard time setting them right on a PA)

     

    By the way thanks for helping guys, I really appreciate it. You all ROCK!

    Someone earlier mentioned this YouTube series. Have you checked it out? Jason’s approach has helped me dial in great tones. I use my Helix direct to PA in a live band setting (rock cover band). My Marshall and vintage Fender tube amps stay home, which means this unit can deliver tones that (at least in my eyes) are comparable to a typical amp/pedal board set up.

     

    https://youtu.be/2oSUj8oK6Pg

     

    Check this out...

  19. That's what I figured, a nifty trick.

    I like this approach because I am not making hi and low cuts on my cab/ir and I can leave my amp settings in more familiar/realistic places (in the real world, I would never have the bass on 1 or 2). The parametric eq and compression at the end is also key to his setup. This guy has put some serious time into his Helix!

  20. Does anyone understand how he is using two volume blocks in this video to "boost the highs and cut the lows" as he puts it. I don't understand how split volume blocks accomplishes that without for example using a crossover split type which he doesn't mention. I wonder if that is what he is using? Does he mention this in a previous video?

    Yep. I just found this YouTube channel today, and he is using a crossover split - not an a/b or y split.

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