amsdenj

There are lots of ways to reduce DSP demand without significantly sacrificing tone. The first thing to consider is the context. If you’re playing solo electric guitar, then you need a lot of tone options and control. Don't use HX Stomp for this, use Helix. But if you're playing in a band context, then the focus should be the song and the mix, not necessarily your individual tone. In a band/mix context, all the complex tonal subtleties from complex blocks and patches either get mostly lost in the mix, or can actually degrade the mix because they make an overly complex sound that competes for too much space or is indistinct and doesn't cut thorough. Less is almost always more in a live mix when it comes to effects. The next is stereo/mono. Stereo blocks take twice as much DSP as mono blocks. So avoiding stereo can save a lot of DSP. Stereo sounds great by yourself. But in a band/mix situation, it offers little benefit. If you're using a stereo backline, then you might hear the stereo, but your audience won't - the speakers are just too close together. If on the other hand you're putting your stereo guitar through the FOH, only a few select people in just the right position will hear it, that's why most FOH systems are run in mono - to ensure everyone hears the whole mix, no matter where they are positioned in the venue. If you really need stereo and lots of blocks, use Helix not HX Stomp. But most of the time you might find mono is just fine and can in fact help clean up live mix issues. Also, if you do use stereo, there's no point in using a stereo block in front of any mono block (e.g., any amp model) since it will get summed to mono anyway. That's just a waste of DSP, and the summing a stereo block to mono can have a negative impact on it's tone. Next there are ways to eliminate blocks, not just to get under the 6 block limit, but to preserve DSP. The OP introduces a couple of good possibilities. Chorus and Flanger are really quite similar effects. The difference is in the length of the delay and amount of feedback. With the flangers in HX Stomp, there's often enough parameter control to produce a pretty good chorus tone from a single block. You can switch between flanger and chorus by using a footswitch or snapshot to change the parameters and save a block. Another great example is distortion. The OP tried to get the distortion from the amp model but wasn't successful and had to add a distortion block in front of the amp. Often the reason amp distortion is insufficient is because there's not enough tone shaping after the distortion. Most distortion blocks provide tone controls that shape the voicing of the distortion. This can be critical to achieving the right tone, and is something where amp blocks are typically more limited. But with HX Stomp, there are lots of ways to voice distortion with an amp block that can provide the control you need without requiring an additional distortion block. You can control up to 8 parameters with a stomp footswitch, or 64 parameters with a snapshot. I prefer footswitches because they are "stackable". With HX Stomp's 3 footswitches, I can control any combination of three things. With snapshots, you only get three different snapshots. For distortion voicing in HX Stomp, I use a single footswitch and set max and min values for amp block drive, bass, treble, presence, and cab low and high cut. Drive (and maybe master) control the amount of saturation. Bass and treble are used for EQ into the the distortion, reducing bass at higher drive settings to reduce mud. Presence, and cab low/high cuts control the voicing after the distortion, lowering the cab high cut to reduce fizz and ice pick. I've found with a little work, you can get really great distortion tones out of just amp models and one footswitch. Finally there's block choice. Sure there are some great effect blocks in HX Stomp that sound really cool and have a lot of control. But these complex blocks tend to use a lot more DSP. You might find that a simpler block produces a similar tone but at much lower DSP usage. In a band mix, the simpler block might actually sound better.

I have use a pair of EON610s for a number of years with Helix and never had a gain dropout. Maybe you have a power problem at the gig location? I use a Powercab+ 112 now instead of the two EON610s. What I have noticed is that the Powercab sounds more natural (less hyped bass and treble) than the EON610s, requires less low and high cut on my IRs, and cuts through the mix a lot better. That may be because I use the Powercab on an amp stand and get it off the floor. That will make it project better and have less flub in the bottom end due to bass coupling with the floor. My setup is mono now, but simpler, lighter, faster to setup and sounds better. I can still use the 610s to create a real nice wet-dry-wet setup, but I haven’t found the need for that yet.

Acoustic IRs have to be designed for the source as well as the target. That is, the IR is essentially the difference between the sound source, and the desired sound target. So an acoustic IR for a piezo pickup in an acoustic guitar will be a very different IR than one for the bridge pickup on an electric guitar for the exact same target guitar model. Creating these different IRs isn't the problem. There are really two problems. The first is that the exact sound source we're putting into the IRs isn't the same as what was used to produce it. Our guitars are different, our pickups are different, strings are different, etc. The second is that an IR can't produce sounds, it can only transform or convolve what it is provided as an input into an output. Electric guitar pickups just don't produce a lot of high frequencies. So they don't provide as much for the IR to work with. Acoustic IRs for electric guitars tend to over-hype that 4KHz frequencies because that's all they have to work with. This sound somewhat artificial and brittle to me. But an IR designed for a piezo pickup in an acoustic guitar in Helix does work really well. I use one for my acoustic guitar and mandolin for all acoustic gigs. These do a great job reducing the piezo quack, and warming the tone.

The answer is to reduce the variability that Line6 has no control over, cannot predict, and therefore can't test - that's our computers. I too have had no issues with updates. But I'm using a high-end MacBook pro with a rigorously updated OS and USB-C through adapters and/or and OWC Thunderbolt 3 hub. The computer, OS, updates apps, drivers, and/or USB connections add a lot of unpredictable variability to updates of complex units like Helix. Maybe Line6 should abandon computer based updates, use Ethernet for connectivity and control the updates completely through the hardware. Worth a thought. Perhaps Line6 should start a poll to understand the configurations user have and their update problems in order to determine a correlation and zero in on the root cause.

Wonder how those strings would sound on an acoustic guitar.

Try JamOrigin MIDI guitar 2 before you invest in too much hardware.

I agree with Eric on this one. I want a PC+ preset to control PC+ parameters when used with devices (like HX Stomp) that can’t control those parameters. But Helix can control all the PC+ parameters. There’s no need to complicate things and store the preset parameters in two places.

If you're doing solo guitar, Variax might not cut it. If you're one of many performers in a 5+ group with a dense sound, Variax will probably sound just fine. Things in between could be good or bad depending on the context and instrument.

I really wanted a 2x12 Powercab+. I love the sound of stereo guitar. But for me I don't see how this works. I gig with a 1x12 Powercab+ as my stage amp, its driven by the L6 link in mono. But I also send stereo from my Helix to FOH and have my own stereo IEM mix of the whole band that comes from the PA. I don't do anything without either earplugs or those IEMs in place. My aging ears really don't like loud sounds. It's probably because of ear damage from the past. But I can't get through 30sec of a song without ear protection. So if I had a 2x12 Powercab, it wouldn't make any difference to me, or the audience. They're getting stereo from the FOH mix already. The Powercab 1x12 is perfect for stage fill and giving me and my guitar something to feel. A 2x12 wouldn't change that and would just be heavier and take up more stage space. That said, if I didn't already have a 1x12 power cab, I would get the 2x12 - just because - more is better, right?

In noticed in 2.8 that HX Edit can edit HX Stomp global settings, but not Helix Floor. Any reason for that given they're on the same core platform now?

I also noticed an issue with Red Squeeze being too loud in all my patches. I had to adjust the level in all patches that use that compressor. I wonder if something has happened with the core Helix compressor algorithm.

https://jimamsden.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/wet-dry-wet-setup-with-helix/ I have a Powercab+ and a pair of JBL EON610s that I could use for WDW. But I haven't found the motivation to set that all up at gigs yet.

I think I get it. If you use VDI to power the guitar, and TS plug in the output jack at the same time, the power terminal of that TRS jack will be grounded by the TS plug. That could easily cause at least a partial short on the VDI power supply. But if you used VDI to power the guitar and TRS with nothing connected to the ring, then this would seem to eliminate the short and potential additional load. Although that might actually be fine, it's a lot simpler to say don't use two cables at the same time. This would prevent situations where someone used TS cables, or used a TRS cable that happened to ground the ring on the other end. It's probably better to be cautious and avoid the potential issue. That said, I still think the 1/4" output sounds better than the VDI into Helix - better tone, more sustain. I wish that weren't the case since I use VDI exclusively.

The replies to this post raise an interesting point: the source of the distortion can have a big impact on tone and feel. I'll explain. There are three different configurations that have been describe in this post: Grammatico with master set high, Grammatico with master set lower, and some overdrive pedal into Grammatico. Let's look at what's different about these and why they might sound and feel different. Grammatico with master set high: In this case, its going to be the power amp that is distorting. Since Grammatico is using a tube rectifier and push-pull power amp, power amp distortion is going to generate a lot of odd order harmonics and exhibit quite a bit of sag. The only "tone control" on this distortion is the following Cab/IR model. This can sound brittle and harsh, and have sag that may negatively impact dynamics. But others might love the aggressive distortion that comes from odd order harmonics, and think the sag is providing the feel they've been missing. Grammatico with master set lower: this will cause the distortion to be created in the preamp section which will have more even order harmonics (preamp tubes distort asymmetrically) and no sag since the amp isn't actually being driven that hard. Some people like preamp distortion, others think it has no life. A lot depends on how loud the amp is. Louder is going to sound better. But preamp and power amp distortion will sound different even if the saturation and volume levels are the same. Preamp distortion will be a little less aggressive and harsh, and won't have much feel. Grammatico with overdrive pedal: in this case the amp is typically running close to clean and most of the distortion is coming from the pedal(s). This is the most flexible because you can use different pedals with different tone controls to control how much saturation there is, what harmonics make up the saturation, and have tone controls before and after the distortion to control the saturation voicing. This is why some people love pedals. They provide a lot more flexibility than preamp and power amp distortion. Which of these is better? There's no way to know, everyone's taste and needs are different, and different songs need different sounds. But what's key is that they are different and why. Knowing this might give you better control to determine what you like.

I too am torn regarding PC212+. If it had been available when I got my PC+, I would have opted for the additional cost for stereo. But now, I'm not so sure. First I use IEMs for gigs, so I already have stereo in my ears, and PC+ behind me as a backline stage amp. Changing that to a PC212 wouldn't change anything for me except my stage footprint would be bigger and I'd be carrying a heaver amp (and I'm not that young anymore). If I really wanted stereo, I could use a wet-dry-wet setup with the two JBL EON610s I use to use for my live FRFR with PC+. I suspect that would be pretty cool. But bottom line I'm very unlikely to ever bother doing that. PC212 would give me stereo at every gig. So to me the appeal of PC212 is that its stereo, will have no problem as an outdoor backline (I play quite a few of those each year), and can be used for lots of purposes. PC212 isn't like POD HD500 and many other digital devices that became obsolete and worthless pretty fast. Its a quality powered FRFR cabinet that can double as a powered 2x12 guitar cabinet driven by any good guitar preamp. So I think they might last longer than other digital gear.

The difference is where the A2D conversion is being done - with VDI its done in Variax, with 1/4" its done in Helix. I do think there is both a tone difference and sustain difference. To me the 1/4" sounds more natural, and sustains longer, and dies out without odd warbles. There's probably a number of reasons for this. First the A2D converters are probably different - Helix might have better converters. Second is the Helix 1/4" input has wide dynamic range and programmable input impedance, the input preamps might be better in Helix than in Variax. Finally, the Line6 VDI cable is 25' long. That's a lot of opportunity for jitter and noise to get into the digital signal and cause errors at the Helix input. From all the posts above, its still not clear to me if/why the TS 1/4" can't be run with the VDI cable at the same time - as long as there's no battery in the Variax. The point is there should only be one power source at a time. @psarkissian, could you clarify.

Whether this works or not depends a lot on the amp and cab/IR model you're using. For example, it will almost always work well with a Fender style amp, but not as well with Marshall. The reason is that Scream808, Minotaur and similar TubeScreamer inspired pedals have quite a bit of bass cut and mid boost. This works well with Fender Starts and amps because they both have quit a bit of mid scoop. Mid scoop sounds good by itself, but can get muddy and piercing as your get loud enough to cut through the mix. A mid boost on the other hand is warmer and more vocal sounding. A TubeScreamer in front of a Super Reverb adds some of that warm mid boost back. Kinky Boost doesn't have that same amount of mid hump, so it could sound better depending on the amount of mid boost in the amp model. For example, Derailed Ingrid is a pretty mid focused amp. Kinky Boost works well in front of it, but Minotaur doesn't, there's a bit too much mid boost and not enough low end anymore. Another thing Chris Buck does is use a lot of overdrive pedals, none of which is clipping that much. Different ones have slightly more or less clipping, and might have the tone set to voice the distortion different. Then he stacks these to increase the saturation. This way no particular pedal is clipping that hard, keeping the buzzy high-end odd order harmonics down, while providing a lot of flexibility with different combinations of stacking.

The EXP Toe state is not being stored in the patch. It's effectively global. I hope this bug is fixed soon as it impacts all of my patches.

I think the problem is that the EXP Toe state isn't being saved in the patch - its essentially global, and always comes up with EXP 2 selected on power up. If you use the default Wah EXP 1 and Volume EXP 2, then this will work ok. But anything else will have problems.

Powerecab+ will be way more flexible, especially if you need different speaker/IR options and acoustic patches.

Cerberus bass amp from Kaussa is fantastic. I would dearly love to have S-Gear amp models in Helix.

Yes, but the JTV models are pretty nice instruments without the Variax models. I really hope Line6 allows hardware upgrades of existing JTV models when Variax HX is released.

Most power amps (at least those that are push-pull) will do symmetric clipping and produce odd-order overtones. Pedals that put the clipping diodes in the feedback loop, and offer asymmetric clipping options (as Teemah! does) can produce clipping with more even order overtones that can sound a bit smoother. Amp models with drive can vary depending on how many preamp stages they have and how hard you clip them. But preamp distortion is typically asymmetric and will produce more even order harmonics with moderate clipping. But the biggest difference between pedals and amp clipping is the ability to control the tone after clipping. Typically you want to cut bass before clipping to reduce mud, and cut treble after clipping to reduce fizz and ice pick. Again this is what Teemah! does and why its a good choice. But with Helix you can control pre-clipping bass with the amp’s bass control, and post clipping with an EQ, or to save a block, just use high-cut on the cab or IR model. My goto patch has a Drive footswitch that changes bass, drive, channel volume, IR high cut and switches off the compressor. By using more extreme settings you can get an great clean/overdrive tone on HX stomp without using a distortion block. Anything that saves blocks on HX Stomp is a nice plus. The reason I set all these parameters on a footswitch instead of using snapshots is that snapshots can’t be combined, footswitches can. So if I also have an overdrive pedal in the patch, I can gain stage it with the drive pedal to get 4 different tones out of two footswitches.

Before getting PC+, I used two JBL EON610s for gigging. They sounded good, but never inspiring, maybe a bit scooped and harsh. I found they didn’t cut through the mix well, no matter how loud I turned them up. PC+ fixed both of these issues. I’m now getting the midrange I was missing and people are saying they can finally hear me. But I can now pair up those EON610s with PC+ to make a real nice wet-dry-wet setup. Haven’t gigged with it yet. But I might.

I have found there’s some sensitive in how the battery seats in the charger and the guitar. I had a case where I thought there was a charging problem, but the issue was I didn’t get the battery seated well enough in the charger.