DunedinDragon

Did you install the Windows Helix ASIO driver per the instruction outlined in the link I sent you?

I use my Ableton in a live operation with my Helix, but I have it connected to a standalone audio interface which is directly connected to two input channels on the mixer. There is some guidance for doing this through the Helix, but I can't vouch for it because that's not how I use it. https://helixhelp.com/tips-and-guides/universal/usb-audio

For the last few years I've been using my Helix in the same manner with external tracks but I quickly began to understand the deficiencies that can arise using an external MIDI clock. So in my case, because I have a separate preset for each song, I save the tempo to be consistent with the track it will be used with and that works flawlessly. There may be other ways to configure it to share a common clock, but my approach is bullet-proof, so I've never pursued anything else. I know the MIDI clock definitions and functions will be changing soon with the new MIDI specifications now coming out, but that won't affect me.

You're exactly right. You've stepped up into the current generation of modeling in a BIG way with the Helix. I've had mine since they first came out in 2015 and haven't needed anything more than that for both the studio and live performances. Of course it's still relevant in 2025 mainly due to a great design but also due to the firmware updates that keep it current and expanding it's abilities. The way you intend to use it live is exactly how I use mine. In the studio it's just a simple USB connection to the computer and you're off to the races on pretty much any DAW you can imagine. The biggest challenge you'll encounter is how to configure the Helix and your presets in such a way that they're consistent from song to song. Not everyone does it that way, but I've found it the easiest way to do things and never run short on DSP memory because I've tried to overload a single preset to make it useful on several songs. But that choice is up to you. In my case I have a separate rehearsal space setup in my house with a decent mixing board (QSC TM30) and powered speakers the same as what I'll be using on stage (Yamaha DXR 12). That allows me to gain stage every preset so it will always be consistent for a live mixing board. It also allows me to setup my amps and effects, EQ and compression so there's really nothing that has to be done at a live setup on the mixing board other than to plug my Helix into the appropriate channel and double check my gain level on the mixer and I'm good for the whole performance. There are a vast amount of capabilities you can also take advantage of on the Helix with it's MIDI capabilities if you want to pursue it. You can use the Helix to automate other devices and/or have the Helix automated by an external MIDI controller (which is how I use it in conjunction with backing tracks I record in my studio). The possibilities are extraordinary, but it takes some time and effort to learn about them and how you want to use them. So good luck with your new unit. Now the fun begins!!!!

Most likely you have your Helix output configured for sending Mic signal level rather than Instrument signal level.

It sounds like you might have it set for 4 snaps/4 stomps rather than the 8 snapshots setting

The idea of using the Helix, or any guitar modeling system, to handle vocals has always been foreign to me and never made much sense. The value and purpose of live or recorded sound mixing falls well outside of the design intentions of the Helix which is to handle the processing of one instrument, the guitar, and it does that job exceptionally well. Likewise handling all instruments and vocals in a performance to satisfy the needs and requirements of everyone involved in a live or recording production falls into a separate domain of technology only addressed specifically by a mixer. And today's mixers are just as advanced at doing that as is the Helix at managing the needs of producing the correct guitar sound for any song. Why would I try and force the Helix to do something it's not particularly good at given how easily and effectively I can do that with a Helix and a mixing board? That makes no sense to me in the real world of music production.

Aside from Global EQ you can most likely get the appropriate level of "sizzle" by simply using the new Helix cabs with the appropriate mic and positioning parameters much more precisely than doing it artificially through EQ. My presets seem to sound pretty close to the same played through our stage monitors (Yamaha DXR 12) and our front end speakers (QSC KLA 12). Using the right cab setups with the new cabs and I only need to make very small minor EQ adjustments with a final parametric EQ at the top end and everything's fine regardless of the volume. Making room adjustments is a different animal and there are specific automated tools on modern mixing boards that allow for such things using white noise generators.

I guess this doesn't surprise me given the architecture of the Helix where real-time processing of an entire signal chain takes priority over everything else which is not the case on a standalone pedal which has a much smaller job to do. Add to that the heavier processing incurred by most delay effects and you have a perfect setup of that kind of situation.

The simple fix if you're going to FOH with the L/Mono output is to have your mixer simply send that signal to your floor monitor on a separate monitor output. That's what's usually done. Simple and works flawlessly every time.

When it comes to recording a bass track I don't think there's anything better than using virtual instruments. I finally sold off my Fender precision bass a couple of years ago because it simply pales in comparison to the flexibility and control I get using various plugins for standard electric bass, upright bass, picked/plucked bass, even orchestral bass sounds I can get through using my MIDI keyboard and various sampled bass and professional EQ'ing tools like iZotope's Neutron 5.

THIS is why it works so well if you go direct to the mixing board in a live setting.

https://helixhelp.com/tips-and-guides/universal/midi

To further clarify things, that tone on the video was produced in a recording studio and it's highly unlikely he played that through any kind of amp. The tone you hear is representative of the type of microphone used to capture the guitar for the recording. The tone of the guitar sounds great to me, but I'm listening to it through a pair of Yamaha HS7 studio monitors. If you were to listen to that video through any of those amps you've mentioned it would probably sound good, but not nearly as clear and precise as I was hearing it because amp speakers aren't that sophisticated due to the fact they have a limited frequency response range. And in all likelihood, with your guitar you would be hearing it through the piezo-electric pickups in your guitar, not captured on a high quality recording studio mic setup. With that in mind the HXStomp would provide you with all the same capabilities used for studio recording including the selection of cabinet, mic and mic placement which will give you a greater degree of consistency with how his guitar was captured and playing it back through studio monitors would come very close. When it comes to acoustic guitar I've never used an amp as it's just not the right tool for the job. I always, even to this day, go direct to the mixing board and in a live setting pretty much ALL PA's use FRFR style speakers for the reasons cited above.

IR's aren't really audio files even though they're distributed as WAVs. They capture the "impulse" of the sound as it interacts throughout the room it's recorded in with the specified mic. But, of course that affects the audio frequencies when you play audio through them. The mic and the position of the mic when capturing the impulse response have different effects on the sound coming out of a given cabinet. For example if it's captured near the center of the speaker cone it will be brighter than if it's captured at the outside rim of the speaker which will be darker. That's just the physics of sound from the speaker. Distance from the speaker and angle of the mic have similar effects. You can of course add EQ after the sound of the IR, but I generally just depend on the mic and the position and maybe a couple of small EQ tweaks at the end of the signal chain if needed to correct something. IRs are used for other purposes as well such as recording orchestras to recreate the natural reverb in a performance hall. In fact I have one such plugin from Spitfire Audio that captures the environment of AIR Studios at Lyndhurst Hall in London that I commonly use on various instruments such as percussion or string ensembles.