codamedia

Yes... I love that about them :) After watching several videos of Michael Britt explaining his "live" needs I realized he approaches things the same way I do... but he has a much better "project studio" to experiment and create with. His IR's are more like an "amp in the room" sound on stage (through monitors, FRFR or IEM's)... but still translate really well to the FOH. I've always found that the studio guitar sounds that work great in recordings often sound/feel too thin on a stage. His IR's bridge that gap really nicely "for me"! They may not do the same for anyone else :)

I doubt this has anything to do with the complexity of the presets... my live presets have a lot going on and I that doesn't change anything on the display side. (note: I'm on an LT with performance view, not scribble strips) Can you explain what exactly isn't working in the display? Is it not updating the signal flow view? Are the snapshot "scribbles" and "footswitches" not following the actual change? Is it just not returning to the view you are expecting? Have you restarted the Helix? Being a computer this can often solve silly hiccups. Short of that, a full "BACKUP", "RESET", "RESTORE" procedure is sometimes required. I've never encountered the need for that in my three years as an owner, but I've seen it successfully mentioned several times on these forums.

I like some of the Celestion IR's (celestionplus.com)... not only for sound, but also their simplicity. A handful of options instead of hundreds. My recent favorites are the Michael Britt IR's. https://mbritt.com/product-category/ir/ He created IR's specifically for live use from his personal stock of cabinets. Although his is mostly a Kemper user, he does have a general set of IR's that work with the Helix (the blended IR pack).

Did the Global EQ accidentally (or purposely) get engaged? IIRC the global EQ will not apply to USB (which you say sounds good), but it will apply to the outputs it is assigned to. FWIW... because of the phantom power issues I feed a direct box with my 1/4" to the FOH and run the XLR to my FRFR.

People have been saying this for years..... in the meantime, they could have been enjoying a Helix! There are 6 variations of the Helix right now (not counting PODGO)... the flagships being the original FLOOR & RACK/Controller. The hardware for each is just an interface for the same software.... they don't sound any different other than the fact you can run MORE on the larger versions. Hardware will eventually come that overtakes the "flagship" position (likely more DSP, maybe a touchscreen, maybe this.... maybe that.... maybe... maybe... maybe....) but under the hood, it will still sound the same. Software updates will apply to all models... with very few limitations. If something fits your wants/needs now, IMO there is no reason not to dive in.

I have a solution that works for me, but it only works for me because I keep a "simple" live set up, and don't require "auto impedance" in any way. For the most part.... I use one preset live, but I have one iteration of that preset for each guitar I own. I create the preset on my Tele (my primary guitar) and the first block is a simple GAIN block. When I copy the preset for the Strat... that gain is turned up a little to compensate the gain difference. For my Les Paul I need to reduce the gain, repeat for each guitar I gig with... The simple act of leveling the input takes care of everything I need. Yes the presets sound different with different guitars... but for me that's the point! I would have no argument against a global solution. I use to use a BOSS LS-2 at the front of my pedal boards for this very purpose... providing 3 instantly accessible levels at my feet when I changed guitars. My Helix solution works fine for me, but something global would work much better for those that work with a lot of presets. If it was an option, I'd likely find a way to use it.

Not the best time to try and figure out a Helix :) What exactly is your expectation of "Snapshot Bypass"? Snapshot bypass only sets whether a blocks ON/OFF state is controlled by snapshots or not. It does not automatically assign all "controls" to snapshots. Controls can only become available to snapshots when they are assigned to do so. As for the global snapshot setting of "Recall/Discard".... do you know the difference or are you just pressing buttons and hoping for a certain result? "Recall" will only re-load your snapshot to original state when you change presets. If you change settings in that snapshot those settings will be retained while you scroll through other snapshots. "Discard" will re-load your snapshot to original state every time you call up that snapshot within a preset. (FWIW, this is my preferred choice because there are no surprises)

Nice demo. Of course each amp can do much more but this is great for a general comparison. I like the Ampegs.. and confirmed once again by this demo, I do not like what the GK does.

This will depend on the amp choices, as well as the type of delay and reverb. What exactly are you using in your current preset? Based on your photo, I quickly tested Helix Native in "Stomp" compatibility mode. Since one of your amps was the "L6 Badonk" I used that for both amps. IR's needed to be 1024.... 2048 was not an option in this configuration (greyed out) Then I added a simple delay and a Hall reverb.... both MONO With all that added there isn't much "greyed out" for options... which means you should be able to swap out reverbs and delays (even stereo ones) relatively freely but the 2nd amp might be limited to very few. At least half of the options are greyed out.

This is exactly the reason I pushed myself toward getting an FRFR. I am usually quite content with stage monitors or IEM's, but there are times when you need to take care of yourself on stage. I'm a multi-instrumentalist with a combination of acoustic and electrics so staying full range was important to me. Like you, I didn't want to make a huge investment since I don't need it for very many gigs. My local store had plenty to choose from and I decided to go with a Cerwin Vega CVE-10 (there is also a CVE-12 & CVE-15) which was just a little more than an Alto or Headrush. They aren't very common, but if you find one they sound great and are very versatile.

@zappazapper .... I didn't mean to come across as pretentious with my statement, but it sure looked that way didn't it :) I've edited my statement. "dvok64" was concerned about flimsy and said he had to gig with it.... I was just pointing out that I gig with mine often and have had no issues.

I'm a "gigging" guitar player and I don't find the LT to be "flimsy". Not built like a tank, but hardly what I would call flimsy. My LT is mounted on a board along with an external expression pedal, a DI and a Wireless.... it is properly cared for and maintained, but not babied. The case has a hard cover for moving around. As for the expression, mine has never given me any trouble. I don't seem to suffer from the problems "theElevators" mentions above. It reaches 0 and 100 respectively, and no sqeaks/squaks from mine. His concerns are something I am mindful of though, because many people have brought that up. One problem I do have with the expression pedal occurs on sunny outdoor gigs. When the sun hits it at the right angle it wreaks havoc on the sensor and the pedal behaves erratically. I'm not sure of the Helix floor or controller suffers from this, but it is a problem on my LT under the "perfect" conditions. (ie: it's not all outdoor gigs, just certain ones).

FWIW, when I use the computer for editing any hardware (not just the helix), I am always in the habit of saving changes on the hardware, not from the software. I look at it this way... it's the hardware that is saving the snapshot/preset, so I push save on the hardware. The software is just the middle man, and I don't trust a middle man with anything important :) I keep my Helix on a stand beside me in my studio so it's easy for me to do this. I can certainly understand the trouble if you keep it on the floor or out of reach.

I agree with the full reset.... that is always solid advice when dealing with computer devices that are acting out of the ordinary. Two other things to consider... Did phantom power accidentally get turned on at the mixer? The Helix does strange things when phantom power is on. These units are susceptible to power... are you sure there were no power issues at the practice spot that evening?

A pedal that does nothing more than push the front of an amp harder would be a clean boost or a variant of one (EQ, Treble Boost, etc... etc...) Overdrives use soft clipping to add dirt.... to varying degrees. Distortions use hard clipping to add dirt.... to varying degrees. There is a lot of overlap between an overdrive and a distortion. Even clean boosts can come with a little grit themselves.

Yeah... very strange because I never saw or responded to this thread until this morning... after you quoted me - LOL. The guitar modeling on the 300 would be different from a JTV so I suspect you may need to setup duplicate/tweaked presets for when you grab that guitar. I'm also not sure if the guitar models would be in the same positions... which could cause problems if you change models via snapshots & presets. IMO, the 700 is one of the nicest looking guitars I've ever seen and from what I understand the build quality is exceptional. If you already have an XT (as a computer interface) and are comfortable with the processes to make it work well on a Helix, it sounds like you have things in order.

The JD Aura is not a "speaker sim" it's more of a "mic/distance" sim. No cabinets.... no amps - just the tone of the MIC/Distance through a high end pre-amp. When you use a piezo on a Dobro (resonator)... the JD Aura adds that "mic/distance" flavor into the tone. When you capture an IR from a JD Aura, it does the same thing. I have to respectfully disagree with "in all cases it's always been used with a traditional amp". In Bluegrass and Country it's often just a mic direct to FOH/Console like an acoustic guitar would be. I've never seen my favorite "Dobro Players" (Jerry Douglass, Phil Leadbetter (RIP), etc...) plug into any "traditional amp"... yet some of my favorite Blues/Americana players all use amps. Both options are viable, but each option provides a very different tone suited to different styles of playing. As I mention above, that is certainly one viable way to do it but so is placing a MIC on the resonator at 12" - 16". You simply cannot do the latter with a Helix because you can't add a MIC without a cabinet... and you can't pull the mic back further than 6". On the Helix alone... maybe a neutral sounding cabinet with the 121 would get close... but (IMO) I would not insert an amp into the mix for the bluegrass tones I am familiar with.

Don't use the guitar while making an IR, use a sweep wave to get the purist sound from the Fishman. Use the free version of voxengo deconvolver to create the sweep.... Record the direct sweep on one audio file... Set the JD Aura to preset 1.... turn the blend up full and the volume about half way Play the sweep you recorded in step 1 through the aura, and record it's output in a new file or track Repeat for all the presets Now use "deconvolver" to create the IR's by comparing the original sweep to each each recorded preset sweep. You will make 16 IR's in total (one for each preset)... but the free version of deconvolver needs to be restarted after 2 or 3 builds. I did this with my JD Aura and with my favorite tones from my Fishman Aura. The IR's are indistinguishable from the hardware. NOTE: It takes some trial and error... there are some youtube videos on using deconvolver to create IR's you might find useful.

Follow the advice of @rd2rk above.... I'm just going to expand on one thing he mentions. The presets you bought will include "cab models". The PC+ must be set to "FRFR Mode" (Preset 000 Flat Stereo) for those presets to sound good. If you are running the PC+ with any speaker modeling at all, you need to turn off the cabinet in the Helix models. The general rule is do not run a speaker model into another speaker or speaker model. "Muddy/muffled" is often the result when you do.

@jcmathews... I'm not sure how you quoted me as I have not been part of this thread (yet). It is my understanding that the "modeling" of the 500, 300, 600 and 700 are the same. The guitars are different, the electronic housings are different, the bridges are different, etc... etc... but the modelling is the same and interchangeable. NOTE: I only own a 300, so I cannot say this with 100% certainty. FWIW... A standard scale Telecaster or Stratocaster neck works fine on a Variax 300. I put a genuine 80's Tele Neck on my Variax 300 and it immediately became a much nicer guitar to play. If I were you... I'd look at upgrading the neck on your 300, then buy a MODERN Generation Variax as your main guitar.... such as a JTV or Variax Standard (Yamaha). That 2nd gen Variax plays nicer with the Helix Line, alternate tuning is separated from the models, and it comes with magnetic pickups for great versatility. The sounds won't be identical between the two generations of Variax... but why should that matter. I own multiple telecasters and strats, none of them sound like each other.

My apologies... that was not my intent at all. I do like to remind people there are manuals (you would be surprised at how many never look at them), but I don't tell you to go look for it... I do provide the answer as best I can in an effort to help.

That's why they make those pesky annoying things called manuals :) When you buy something as "deep" as an HX Device (Effects, Stomp, Helix) it's worth the time to read the manual, and keep it close by for quick reference. If you like to watch video tutorials... don't limit yourself to HX Effects. The same principles of programming are done on the Helix, so those videos are also relevant, and there are many more of them.

Anything in the signal view can be there without a switch assigned to it. The first step is to disassociate the signal view from the stomp mode view.... those dots only have to connect when YOU want them to. Nope, that's just an assumption on your part :) As I state above.... stomp mode (switches) is irrelevant... the chain is managed in signal flow view. You can have all 9 blocks filled and nothing assigned to a footswitch if you want. The manual will go over signal flow view quite well.

A couple things to check.... Did you accidentally insert a STEREO loop on switch 5 instead of a MONO loop? Are you already using "return 1" somewhere.... which would make it unavailable for a loop.

Based on the three you mention I'd lean toward a quality PA Speaker such as the QSC. EDIT TO ADD: I had made an assumption the L2 was one of those BOSE Systems.... which are nice, but not something I would use for the Helix. If the reference is for a Line 6 Stagesource L2, then I would certainly place that right up there with a QSC or other quality PA speaker for your needs.