mbenigni

As I've said before, I'm not too worked up about there being a million different amps, or about some specific boutique amp being in the list. If the amps that are included are GOOD amps, they will be versatile, and the tones they'll deliver will broadly overlap with most of the specific amps that are being requested, just as those specific amps tend to overlap broadly with one another. Selecting between 20 different amps that only the most discerning of players/engineers can distinguish from one another is often more distracting than just picking an amp that's in the ballpark and dialing it to taste - provided that amp is versatile enough. Personally, I'd rather see Line 6 broaden the number of deep editing variables so that end users can "design" their own amps as they see fit. That's part of the allure of per-component modeling vs. profiling for me. Theoretically, a few good circuit models and lots of exposed variables should yield countless tones - something to suit everyone. And it cuts out the middle man, i.e. Line 6 listening to us whine, us waiting on Line 6 to deliver content. But that's just me. I like to tinker. (See Positive Grid's Bias Amps app for an example of how to put a smile on my face.)

I'm kind of extrapolating at this point. No, I haven't heard clips of every single tone I hope to coax out of the Helix. I think that's kind of an absurd thing to expect, frankly. But I've heard enough good tones that I can read between the lines, and therefore expect to be able to carve out the tones I need with the tools available. The frequency range is there, the definition is there, the gain is there. Hell, custom IR's are there. I'm trying to maintain a constructive skepticism so I'm not disappointed on arrival, but from where I'm standing, it's increasingly hard to imagine how I would be unable to get good metal tones - or just about anything else - out of this box. Worth noting that I'm not exactly famous for my optimism, by the way. :)

I'm guessing the answer is no, just because it's been indicated that the looper acts like any other effects block. Hopefully I'm wrong. This brings us back to the various posts and IdeaScale submissions for a Global effects path - the looper (or better still, loopers, plural, per an unrelated IdeaScale submission) would reach their full potential if a Global path were available.

:) You were quick to notice - I thought that post might complicate the discussion more than it helped, so I deleted it. In any case... I can confirm that the Kemper has nothing comparable to scenes. The closest they come is providing a "performance mode", but this is really just a place to save variations of presets for later recall. I can see getting by without scenes by setting up patches with strategic effects ganging and A/B path switching. The only disappointments at the moment are lack of effects tails for those who prefer to change patches mid-song, and this limitation: I can definitely imagine cases where you'd want to gang an effect to more than one other effect on different pedals. But still, I agree with ericgross84, that we should work with it before assuming there's a significant problem. I definitely DON'T want Line 6 to make any changes that would push back the ship date! In fact, I'd like mine shipped today, as is. :)

I found a 20% coupon from an MF-affiliated dealer called Woodwind & Brasswind. Their website also indicated that discounts were not applicable to Line 6, but I spoke to a rep on the phone and worked it out. That got me within +/- 20% - good enough for me. :D

Voted. BTW, I posted this same idea a couple of weeks ago. Please vote here as well; might help to get all our votes in one place: http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Optional-Global-signal-path-Spillover/741927-23508

You're absolutely right - I didn't think about the constant latency mode (added via firmware about 2 years into the KPA's life cycle) until after I'd posted. I never used it as I wasn't doing any significant recording at the time. All of the rest stands, though. The KPA's routing is fixed (excepting the parallel mode also recently introduced in firmware) and therefore predictable. This, and the "profiling" vs. "modeling" distinction I described, will - all things being equal - give the KPA an edge where latency is concerned. Again, I agree that latency is an important factor in terms of making one of these rigs feel authentic (it's the main reason I'm not satisfied just playing an iOS app at this point) so you're going to have to decide for yourself whether the Helix cuts it. Maybe, on account of your personal sensitivity to this variable, the Kemper is the best solution for you. For me, there were too many tradeoffs in functionality elsewhere. I'm REALLY onboard with the Helix's open-ended effects/ routing approach. If I incur a ton of latency because I want a ton of effects, that's on me. Hopefully the really lossy points in the chain, e.g. ADC/ DAC, are fast enough that it's all negligible anyway.

A million different videos won't substitute 5 minutes with the thing in front of you. We're going to need to hear it in the room through familiar speakers, with our own fingers on the strings. And that opportunity will be here soon enough.

Oh, yeah, I have no doubt about that. My point is just that the HD patches in these videos have more gain than the HX patches they're being A/B'd against, which renders the entire experiment somewhat moot.

These sound comparisons between HD and HX seem kind of meaningless to me. The A vs. B tones are so different I don't get the sense that there's been a real effort to get the HD in the same ballpark as the HX. Maybe (probably, in fact) the HX is smoother, but it's just as likely they've lowered the gain a bit, cut some highs, and said, "ooh, isn't that nicer?" Well yes, it is nicer, but it's not an indication that the same couldn't have been done on the old hardware. Same moral, different story: won't really know until I'm playing it myself.

I haven't used a Line 6 product since the Vetta, but I specifically remember loving its reverbs (and if I'm being honest, not much else LOL.) Have Line 6's reverbs gotten worse since then, or do I just have a tin ear for reverb??

So awesome. :)

Monkey_Man, I agree 100% that it is a big deal, but I also agree that a simple answer is difficult to provide. First off, yes, the KPA is the best unit I've personally played in terms of minimizing latency. There are some straightforward reasons for this: 1. Its amp block isn't doing dozens of calculations in parallel in order to model individual components and interactions; it is instead executing a relatively small (and consistent) number of calculations with changes in coefficients etc. to model an entire signal path's I/O characteristics. 2. It's routing is fixed and therefore also relatively consistent/ predictable. Even so, if Kemper responded to the latency question with something as direct as n ms, I imagine they were oversimplifying, as many users commented on certain amp profiles having different latencies which impacted on phase in recordings (though its improbable any of them had enough latency to feel bad during performance.) If I were to speculate: Helix will likely have slightly more latency than KPA. Helix will have less latency than HD500 for all but the most insanely over-engineered patches, on account of the faster processors. Latency will vary on a patch-by-patch basis. (The alternative is to lock every patch to a latency that suits worst-case-scenario CPU load - which no one wants!) Disclaimer: this is all based on what common sense tells me, and I could be wrong on every single point. :) I still say the best approach is to wait and TRY IT WITH YOUR OWN HANDS in order to know whether it's fast enough for you personally.

My intended application is slightly different from yours, I think, but I've already submitted an IdeaScale request along these lines. (Please vote!) http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Optional-Global-signal-path/741927-23508

You left the Variax 300 out of that analysis. If you put it back in the timeline this all makes better sense. The Variax Standard is similar to the 300 in that it puts the current (JTV) technology in a platform whose price is accessible to more players. And by the looks of it, the Standard is a much nicer guitar than the 300 was (not a tall order, granted) so IMO it's all good. The Variax Standard is aimed at a specific demographic; at $800 street it's not meant to please everyone.

What do you consider "around" $1000? i.e. What is your margin for error? If you pay close attention to web retailers coupon offers, etc. the Helix is what I would call "around $1000" already.

Cool re: the DTs. I never got a chance to try one. Yes, I appreciate your point about sometimes wanting to be able to revert, and I agree that this should be optional. That's why I used the word "mode" above - essentially, a performance mode.

I'd love to see a mode where Helix would autosave the values mapped to the potentiometers on the fly, so that you could tweak EQ, gain, and master volume for a given "channel" mid-performance and not have to worry about hunting for a save button (and waiting to confirm overwrite, etc.) This would make the experience more like driving a channel switching tube amp with independent tonestack etc controls. So far the only digitial modeling amp I've seen that nailed this concept was the otherwise much-maligned Roland GA series. But I always thought that was a big selling point. Maybe I'll throw it on the massive IdeaScale pile. :)

It's a grand worth to me. It's very hard to make across-the-board statements like this about $$$ value. (For some people, burled walnut on their dashboard is worth $10K. Me, I couldn't care less... just one random example.) I've found in the past couple of years that it's frighteningly easy to run through a thousand dollars (to make no mention of the time and misery) buying, configuring, testing, and being disappointed with footcontrollers, control surfaces, editing solutions, etc. Even if the Helix sounded just like the HD, it would have grabbed my attention on account of that UI.

...with a photo of a POD 2.0, just to bring this full circle. :)

Thanks, and you got it: http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/High-quality-detune-capo-a-la-EHX-Pitchfork-etc/754044-23508

Everyone knows, if you want a toaster you buy a KPA. ;)

+1. I'm not quick to jump on the "need more amps" bandwagon, but the omission of Boogies seems almost sacrilegious.

We can re-use this thread at the end of August. ;)

LOL I had kind of a love/ hate relationship with my Kemper, too - now extensively documented on their own forum. More hate than love in the end: I sold mine, too.