roscoe5

Try pulling the bass cabs down to a second parallel path and let some of the amp directly through. You can mix the balance at the signal split. This simulates a DI out from the back of a bass amp, mixed with the mic'd cab. I find that a single path through only the bass cabs is a little muddy for my taste.

Sounds great PH! Ugh, makes me want to put the Graphtech Ghost Piezo system in the PRS again ;)

I broke down and pre ordered a PS2 from MF also. I'll give it a go and return it if I like the Spider Valve better. If I keep the PS2, I'll probably sell the Spider Valve and DT50.

I hadn't seen a thread on Helix Factory presets, so I thought I would start one up. This may help new Helix users get going in a right direction with what they have in front of them, as well some of us Helix vets. I see a lot of attention given to 3rd party presets and IR's, which are great don't get me wrong. But there are some good Line 6 Helix factory presets in there as well. Previously I hadn't gone past just the basic amp type presets 000-053 in the Factory 1 setlist. I started digging around in the other presets further down the list and found a few from an apparent Line 6 high gain patchmaster that are set up the way I like with nice dual cab blocks and a parametric EQ right after. Excellent mic choices with varying distances and cuts. I would even stretch to say that these rival 3rd Party patches and IR's, at least IMO for the styles I play anyway. Thanks and kudos to the Line 6 staff that made these. There is certainly a good ear, knowledge and some diligent work involved! I learned a bit about parametric eq settings post cabs with these. Some nice drives and effects in these as well. 058 Mad House: Brit 2204> dual 4x12 1960 T75 cabs>parametric eq 061 Aqualung: WhoWatt 100>dual 4x12 WhoWhat 100 cabs>parametric eq 062 Reign In: Brit 2204>dual 4x12 Uber V30 cabs>parametric eq 066 Pull Me Under: Cali Rectifire>dual 4x12 Cali V30 cabs>parametric eq 074 Shortest Straw: Cali Rectifire>dual 4x12 Uber V30 cabs>parametric eq Now time to dig into the Factory 2 setlist :)

That is so crazy, I'm going to have to try it! I haven't tried to get a Helix fuzz in my bass yet. Thanks for sharing.

I just run the Helix amp model into a channel strip in my DAW, load the IR in a convolver plug in, add eq, re-mic, eq match, etc. plug in(s) and tweak to taste or tone match. Then I run a 20hz-20khz sine sweep through the whole DAW channel without the Helix amp with the plug ins active, capture the resulting wav file and deconvolve as usual. 2048 sample IRs aren't long enough for reverb/ambience. I'm really into the IK Multimedia T Racks Mic Room plug in though to re-mic an IR with physical source mic to a target modeled mic. Very powerful and gives you some consistent additional options from a good single IR. I find that I may capture 10 mic positions, but there is often that one magical one. I love getting a ribbon 121 modeled version of a sweet spot 57 dynamic physical IR to blend with it.

That's what I have done to fine tune a few personal IRs and I believe what some of the custom patch sellers providing IRs are doing.

Personally, I think IRs with really flat response condenser mics are the closest thing to "no mic" and experiment with distances. A Neumann U87 comes to mind first. But there may be better ones.

112 Dynamic and 160 ribbon on a dual Dr Z 212 cab block with a 10 band mono eq block after with 500Hz cut and slight v shape lows and highs.

Maybe this is in the video, but you can get very close to IR sound with a 10 band or parametric eq adjustments at the end of your signal chain after the cabs. I found some low and high boosts and abouut a 500Hz cut does wonders. Also play with the Helix mics. The best sounding modeled mic may not be the one you would pick in the real world. The Helix 112 Dynamic mic is my main go to in Helix. I also use dual cab blocks with different mic at different positions with a mono eq block after to merge the L/R cabs and fine tune the sound. I suspect the Helix mics are separate models from the cab and that Line 6 didn't capture every cab with every mic at every distance. Maybe there is a base mic that was used for the cab model capture and the others impose a difference approximation between the source mic and target mic. I'd love to know what the source mic(s) were ;) Enough conspiracy theory though...good sound is good sound.

Maybe there will be a recall and I can get it fixed next time I take Helix in for an oil change...or free DIs for all current Helix users :) Maybe Tesla wireless power will help.

I'm sure the Corvette has an Aux In. Let's start a thread on Helix into car audio!

It's cheaper than a Corvette for a mid-life crisis :)

I ran across this Line 6 DT support FAQ page that really goes into detail on the DT normal and low volume modes, as well as some other great DT info. Differences with Spider Valve are also mentioned. http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/amplifiers/dt50dt25/dt50dt25-faq-r144 In summary, the following Helix and Line 6 tube amp configurations should work well Helix preamp models + DT normal mode Helix full amp models + DT low volume/power mode Helix full amp models + Spider Valve (my current personal favorite)

I just remembered that my Randall RM100 head was very neutral with Helix as well. I could run full amp models with it and Helix could control the channel switching via MIDI direct to the head. I would suspect any of the Randall MTS amps or combos would work well. It was a pretty cool 4CM setup, and maybe one of the few that you could actually run full Helix amp models with little coloration. I sold soon after I got Helix but probably should have kept it. Ah well, it's worth maintaining the wife/gear balance :) But I think at $699 for the Fryette Power Station that's a good way to go unless you want to spring for the $1400 50W stereo/100W mono LXii. I get about everything I can imagine out of just Helix into a power amp.

Oh wow. Interesting. So you think the Marshall 9100 sound is equally as good as the Fryette PS's. The Marshall 9100's have 5881 tubes in them, right? I have a Marshall EL34 100/100 but have not dug it out and tried it with Helix. I assumed it would color the sound to much for full amp models. The L6 Spider Valve has been great. I'll have to give the Marshall 100/100 a shot one of these days though. Fryette should be coming out with the "FRFR" 1U 2x50W 100W mono LXii soon, but it's $1400. It seems that has been in the works for years though. Nice rig BTW :)

Definitely good points above using solid state amps and full range speakers if you want to use Helix cab models or IR's. If you want to use a tradional guitar cab/speakers instead of modeled cabs, I would go with the neutral tube route per your OP. There are one or two Fryette Power Station users here on the forum. Maybe they will chime in.

Try Helix full amp models (not preamps) 1/4" out into the Power Amp In of a Line 6 Spider Valve with no Helix Cabs/IR's to that path. You can split the path at the end to XLR for PA, monitors, headphones, etc. I'm running it into a Mesa 2x12 V30 cab, which V30's are what the SV's were designed for. WickedFinger has some nice write ups above and in other threads about high end, flatter, more neutral guitar speakers such as EV, Eminence, etc. that you may be able to use Helix and cab models/IR's with. But Helix cab models/IR's sound like poo through a real V30, and probably other traditional Celestions. I haven't tried them though as I have always had and love V30 speakers. Plenty of variety in the Helix amp models without even getting into cab models/IR's. I wanted a Fryette Power station for a while too. But I came across a good deal on a used Line 6 Spider Valve MKII head. I believe this was Bogner's neutral tube concept for amp modelling, similar to Fryette Powerstation concept, but without the amp attenuator features and with twice headroom at 100W (keeps the power tubes cleaner/neutral and out of distortion/coloration). You could always look for a 40W SV 112 combo if you want something portable. I'm not sure that I would go with a 40W 212 as the tubes may get into distortion. There are way more of these on the market and you will save a few hundred. If you don't like it and want to go for the Fryette or something else, you can always get your money back out of it. Prices are low and pretty stable. Caution: Personal opinion flood ahead...This is the absolute best sound and feel I've gotten with Helix, bar none. It's way better than anything I can get with any configuration of my Line 6 DT50 or L2m. Better than solid state into the V30 cab. Better than Helix preamp models into the effects return of my Mesa amps (4CM). Better than Helix with cab models/IR's to computer monitors, headphones, or PA. I think Helix+SV is giving me the best sounding, most satisfying guitar tones I have ever had. I have a Mesa Mark V, Triple Rec, Stiletto, Triaxis and Marshall JMP-1/EL34 100/100, and have had just about every Pod version. It was originally designed with Spider III amp models, then Spider IV with the MKII version, but the manual recommends plugging the Pod X3 into the Power Amp In jack. Obviously Helix is generations better than X3, and I really think that the SV power section was ahead of its time. I have run the SV Preamp Out 1/4" into Helix and some cab models and verified that these were full pre/power amp models in the SV. So Helix full amp models into the Power Amp In align with the SV's original intended usage. I would love for Line 6/Bogner to put the 6L6 Spider Valve power section with no amp models (optimized for Helix of course), in a small format that would fit into the front compartment of the Helix backpack, similar to the Fryette Power Station. Stereo would 1up the Fryette. I bet they could do it for $499 or less. Here is a pretty good Bogner interview about the Spider Valve and his goals with it. Also check out the Fryette Modeling Workshop video series. In episode II Eleven Rack. Steven goes deep into the physics of low impedance solid state amps vs. high impedance tube amps and the difference in the way the interact with guitar cabs. This is something you can hear a little and feel a lot. The 50W stereo/100W mono LXii "FRFR mode" may be similar to the mono 50W Power Station in flatness and neutrality (minus the amp power load and attenuation) judging from the Fryette descriptions of each and videos online, but I haven't seen that stated anywhere.

Ah, ok. Kill Dry could be useful. I had an HD500x and DT amp, but never used or even considered using wet/dry/wet. You should Ideascale that. I would vote it up.

I know L6 link was able to identify the number of connected DT amps before so I wonder if there's a possibility to have unique identifiers for each of the stagesource speakers or DT amps within helix so that you can make up to four digital assignments and leverage L6 link for all

Well maybe you can use stereo digital L6 Link out for your wet and split the signal in helix and go quarter inch output to dry

It was possible to do this with POD HD and 3 DT amps all via L6 Link. I'm not sure if it can be done with Helix and 3 Stagesource speakers. Check out the wet/dry/wet L6 Link hook up on page 3.11 of the DT manual. http://line6.com/data/6/0a06434d41f050904bee355b1/application/pdf/L6%20LINK%20Connectivity%20Guide%20for%20POD%20HD%20&%20DT%20Amplifiers%20v2.10%20-%20English%20(%20Rev%20A%20).pdf This is not really an answer, but may inspire some thought and answers from others.

Anytime. I think I stumbled around that split parallel path too a while before I really figured out how it worked and what I could do with it when I first got Helix in January. Be sure and check out the AB switch/mix capabilities on the split "block", which is right where the path lines diverge.

I it is how I am picturing it, dragging the IR down, making a second split path would leave the original path with no cab, passing a cab-less signal through along with the split IR cab signal. It would certainly sound fizzy or harsh, like running a tube amp into a PA speaker. This would be like setting a 50% mix on an affect, allowing 50% of the dry unaffected signal to pass. This was the point I was trying to make on your original reverb block question.

Love the title!