Anderton

The amount of memory needed for reverb is far more than a cabinet (especially if you want decent high-frequency response). I make my own reverb impulses; a 4-second tail requires about 170,000 samples. Several of my impulses use 300,000 to 400,000 samples. Perhaps manufacturers think not enough people would use this feature to justify the cost of additional memory, especially if a device already includes multiple algorithmic reverbs.

People say "don't listen with your eyes," but I have no problem with "listen with your eyes to tell your ears where to start listening." :)

Cool, glad it helped! I did a lot of research along these lines while writing the book. I could hear differences when changing parameters in the effects like the KWB Distortion, Horizon Gate, Retro Reel, various delays, the different reverbs, etc. But it was hard to pinpoint exactly what the differences were (and how to take advantage of them ) until I pulled out spectrum analyzers and scopes.

Amen, brother! When you consider the variables - strings, string gauge, string age, pickups, which pickup you're using, pickup placement, pickup angle, pole piece adjustments, body and neck materials, pick, levels, musical genre, and playing style, if a preset done by someone else works for you, it's luck.

Once you know how Retro Reel is reducing the highs, you can apply equal and opposite EQ to compensate for the lack of brightness, while still retaining the other aspects of the Retro Reel's sound. I did a lot of analysis of the Retro Reel for The Big Book of Helix Tips and Tricks. The Tape Speed parameter makes the biggest difference to the frequency response; check out the attached image of the frequency response at different speeds (top to bottom: 7.5 ips, 15 ips, and 30 ips). 7.5 ips has the poorest high-frequency response, 30 ips has the best. Also notice the slight midrange dips around 100 Hz, 200 Hz, and 400 Hz for the 7.5, 15, and 30 ips speeds, respectively. The fullness you hear comes from the Retro Reel emulating what was called "head bump." This boosted the bass as a result of the physics of tape heads. There's a subtle bass boost in the 15 and 30 ips speeds, at 50 Hz and 100 Hz respectively. Depending on which speed you're using, the "fix" varies. First off, start with the 30 ips setting, because that reduces highs the least. Then, try using the Parametric EQ to add a broad, mild boost (a few dB) around 5 kHz. If you prefer 15 ips, shift the frequency a little higher, and add more boost. If you use 7.5 ips because you like its particular low-end bump, then a shelf EQ treble boost starting around 4 kHz is probably more appropriate. Finally, at higher Saturation levels, higher Texture values give a “woolier,” less bright timbre. Backing off on Texture of Saturation will restore some of the brightness. (FWIW Texture emulates the influence of the NAB EQ curve on tape.) Hope this helps!

Don't overdo drive. An overly distorted sound can sound good by itself, but doesn't necessarily play well with others - whether it's other players in a band, or a guitar track in a recording. The less drive, the more definition. It's worth trying to find the sweet spot of dirt and definition. If you want to come up with your own sounds (rather than replicate existing ones) consider asking "what if?" instead of "how do I?" What if I run two cabs in parallel? What if I put EQ before or after compression? What if I put two tremolos in series? What if I use the input frequency split to bi-amp distortion or reverb? As you'll experiment, some of the "what ifs" will fail, but some will sound really cool :)

Of course there are, and I use a lot of them. But some have unique selling points. I haven't seen any other multieffects that allows for 4-band multiband processing in a floor unit, but if another one exists, I'd like to know about it because that would interest me. Nor have I seen one that's 1:1 transportable to a cross-platform plug-in that can also throttle performance to accommodate preset develop for other family devices (i.e., HX Stomp, HX Effects). There are other unique features that may or may not matter to other people. For the record, I have a Kemper too. I consider it a different device that provides different functionality.

If Helix had never existed, and was released tomorrow, I think it would sell very well. It remains a unique product.

FWIW it's easy to capture IRs yourself, of cabs from other amp sims. It's much easier than capturing IRs from physical cabs and mics. I have some AmpliTube cabs I use in Native.

Don't forget there's a free trial for Helix Native, so you can try it out with your particular setup, and see if it does what you need. FWIW I feel Helix is vastly underrated as a general-purpose DAW plug-in. Try it with vocals when you get a chance.

Yes, that's a good distillation. I even create some cabs using only EQ, the sound seems more "analog" sometimes and requires less processing power. Blue Cat audio also relies on post-amp filtering in their Destructor plug-in to give cabinet-like curves. The sound is not as nuanced as IRs or the modelled cabs, but you can customize the sound quite a bit with EQ. I did an article for inSync about how to create EQ-based cabs with Helix. Three audio examples compare the Helix modeled cabs with EQ-based cabs, so you can get an idea of their different "characters." Sometimes EQ by itself can be a good alternative to modeled cabs or IRs.

In the early 2000s I did solo gigs with Ableton Live and guitar. Mostly I was doing fader slamming with Ableton, changing loops and scenes etc. Of course Helix native didn't exist back then, but I loaded amp sim plug-ins into Live. The biggest problem was program changes. It was too much CPU to have multiple sims loaded in different channels, and switch them seamlessly. I had to switch manually. The computer was never a problem. I've done sim gigs like this with both Mac and Windows. A much more unusual use case was doing a festival gig with Brian Hardgroove from Public Enemy on drums. It was just the two of us. I was using hex guitar so I could pull bass notes off the low strings, rhythm off the top four, and there were standard magnetic pickups for playing lead. I had to use six instances of AmpliTube, because the guitar sent a digital multiplexed signal to a breakout box that had an audio output for each string. These had to go to a six-input audio interface. The gig was in 2007 IIRC so let's face it, computers pretty much sucked for real-time operation with multiple amp sims. Still, there weren't any issues with the computer, but unlike the Ableton Live gigs it didn't have to do anything other than host six instances of AmpliTube. There's a one-minute clip of the performance here.

As someone stuck on Catalina I'm with you on the overall sentiment, but be aware that Macs are no longer the secure machines they used to be. While still better than Windows, Macs can be and are infected by viruses and malware. Some of these have been serious. With MacOS becoming more popular, according to this article from Forbes Mac threats are increasing at a faster rate than Windows. I'm sure you don't click on things like weird attachments, but unfortunately the security situation for both Windows and MacOS continues to be a real problem, and it's not getting better. I decided a while ago I had to update my computers because they touch on corporate servers and such from time to time, but I do turn off any automatic updates, and wait until there's an "all clear" from the early adopters, before doing manual update installs. Usually by waiting, the software companies have worked out incompatibility issues by then. Hopefully. Maybe.

...and it makes a huge difference with parallel path setups to be able to have up to 4 blocks in each path.

The USB port and cable matter. If you're using a USB hub, that could be a problem. I recommend plugging anything audio directly into a motherboard's USB connector, preferably one close to the power supply. Also, some USB cables carry only power (e.g., for charging phones), not data. Make sure your cable is actually carrying data. Finally, remember that Helix needs to be not connected when you install the driver. Try uninstalling the driver, unplug Helix, reboot, install the driver, reboot, and then plug in Helix. This might help...good luck.

There are many free trials of amp sim software. Assuming you have a computer and audio interface, this will let you know what to expect. If you can wrap your head around software amp sims, then you'll be able to handle hardware versions. Sweetwater has comprehensive instructions on how to download, install, and activate a free trial of the Helix Native plug-in. This software is essentially identical to the Helix floor unit. Working with the free trial will let know you if Helix fascinates you, or makes your head explode. One of the best Helix features is that you can use the software in the studio as a plug-in with any DAW, and transfer the presets to a hardware Helix for live use. IK Multimedia also has a free version of AmpliTube that's a subset of the paid version. Similarly, Native Instruments has Guitar Rig Player, which is free and includes some of the modules from Guitar Rig 6. Waves has free trials of all their plug-ins, including the PRS Supermodel amps (they're excellent, although they're not really high gain types). You can also download free trials of amp sims from Positive Grid and Overloud's TH-U. It will probably be overwhelming at first but contrary to drummer jokes, I've always found that drummers seem to have an affinity for technical stuff. Helix is awesome - spend a little time with Helix Native, and you might find it's your sweet spot. Good luck!

Since cabs are mono, the main advantage I see is in the studio, for stereo imaging. But, the effectiveness diminishes in complex arrangements. In a simple arrangement (e.g., power trio) or LCR mixing, being able to place two mono sources in a stereo spread opens up the sound. With a dense arrangement, dual cabs can just add clutter. As to whether the OP is "missing something," it's more likely he's not missing that often, less is indeed more. My main application for multiple cabs is with multiband processing. Then each cab can be optimized for a specific frequency band. However, it's just as likely that the multiple cabs end up in mono, for the reasons given above. Think of it this way: a bi-amped studio monitor is like having two cabs, one for the lows, and one for the highs, but in the same enclosure and creating a mono point source. I'm basically making a virtual cab with low, low mid, high mid, and high speaker drivers in the same virtual enclosure. So it's more like a "big single cab" sound than something that's perceived as a dual cab, or stereo. FWIW back when I used two amps on stage, they were in stereo but right next to each other. People thought I was stupid to have a stereo setup that didn't spread out the sound, but what the audience heard was two sounds essentially mixed in mono. I often create that same kind of effect with Helix. Finally, another use for dual cabs is putting them in parallel, and throwing one path out of phase. You still end up with the sound of a single mono cab, but everything the cabs have in common cancels, and what's left are the differences. Even though there are two cabs, the sound is thinner than a single cab, and sometimes can fit well in complex mixes. On the other hand, you can't really anticipate what the sound will be until you try it...sometimes it works, but sometimes it totally sucks :) HTH

I did a pretty extensive article for Sweetwater's inSync online magazine about using the Helix as an audio interface, I think you might find it helpful. (This material will also be included in my upcoming Helix eBook.)

Unfortunately, that's a lot to be new to at the same time. I'd recommend starting by eliminating as many variables as possible. Don't uninstall HX Edit yet. Restart your computer, open only HX Edit. After it opens and complains nothing is connected, then connect hardware Helix to a USB port that connects to your motherboard - preferably on the rear panel, close to the power supply, and NOT through a USB hub of any kind (powered or unpowered). If HX Edit doesn't connect, it's probably a driver issue. Another possibility depends on your USB cable. Some USB cables (like those that come with consumer devices, including some phones) include only the power lines, NOT the data ones. Data will never be transferred under those conditions. If HX Edit does connect, then the issue with Cubase relates to configuration. But first, let's find out if HX Edit can connect.

. Those are important points. I create all my own presets, so a computer-based editor is essential for creating custom presets. Helix has HX Edit and Axe-FX has Axe-Edit, however AFAIK, Axe-FX doesn't have the equivalent of Helix Native. The advantage of software for the studio, hardware for live, and the ability to switch presets back and forth between the two is a big deal for me.

All of these units go so much deeper than it might appear on the surface. The more you dig deep into what's possible, the more you'll like the unit you chose. When Helix first came out 6 years ago, it had four parallel paths and I could do multiband processing. That's an important part of my sound, so I wanted it. Over the past six years, I've developed lots of presets, favorites, etc. But here's the main point: Even if something "better" came along, it would take me six years before I had exploited it to the same depth as the Helix. These days, all the gear is good, and all of it has limitations. Choose whatever has the least limitations for your specific needs, devote yourself to learning what it can do, and you'll be happy with it.

Ah, okay, that's what I thought. Thanks.

I can't figure how to control note parameters in the Note or OSC blocks with MIDI note messages, only controllers or aftertouch. What am I missing?

There are two envelope-followed filters. One emulates the Mutron, the other is a Line 6 original, which I much prefer. Like any other autowah, the sensitivity parameter is crucial to find the right match for your playing dynamics. I find that putting the LA Studio Comp compressor in front of the Autowah gives me more leeway in not having to be too careful about my dynamics. Hope this helps!

One of the main reasons I posted that was because I figured I'm not the only Helix user who has Maschine. I've yet to find any multieffects that can do as many parallel paths as Maschine, and of course, you get to access all those DJ-oriened effects for slicing, tempo sync, etc. So knowing about this hack might be helpful. Even though Native Instruments clearly wasn't thinking about guitar players when they made Maschine, it's a cool multieffects that complements Helix well.