mrkphpps

In extreme cases, the goat might not be enough - you'll need Antlotl blood and a scraper... Seriously, my helix did have plastic on the scribble strips - but if it's not a problem, leave it there for a while, it's just an extra protective layer...

I went through Pod XT, Pod HD500 and Pod HT plus DT 25. All sounded good to me, and gave plenty of options on how to interface with a PA for the sound guy. Only your ears and hands will tell you whether the sound and feel is better - but the display, scribble strips, capacitive footswitches and the rest make for a hugely different experience. So intuitive and easy to program. Personally, I think the sound is much better too, but I may be biased having made the investment. Evolution or revolution doesn't matter - that's Line6's problem. Yours is whether you like Helix enough to buy - I'm happy that I did.

I remember playing live one day with my HD500 - relying completely on PA and monitor. It was really interesting when the monitor failed and I had to rely on the sound of the PA reflected back from the room... I'd have something on stage - but FRFR works and allows for you hearing a similar sound to the one used in the PA. Just checking, your tones are tweaked at the volume the band plays at? If you're practicing regularly at the same place, maybe it's worth a separate session to get the sound right so your friendly bass player can't challenge in this way. In my opinion, the Helix can do this well enough that no audience member will know the difference.

If you're only playing at home, powered studio monitors would work well too. I'm using KRK Rokit 6's and they sound great to me.

Hi Fireproof, great idea for a thread. +1 thanks for all the advice, especially DunedinDragon. My personal revelation in my relatively short time with helix is to play with cab + mic combinations - just chainging the mic can transform what I hear as an OK sound to a good one. Add a second cab in parallel and it can get even better!

In my experience, you should just try out the amp+cab model, then split out the cab from the amp, play around with different cabs / mics with the same model and settings, and maybe try parallel routing and two cabs, then add effects to taste. You're going to have so much fun!

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience, so far my updates have gone completely to plan. (I'm not pretending I wasn't in lotus position, praying to gods of helix and power supply and eating kit kat i perfect 3cm bites just to be sure though).

I didn't get the POD, but did come through XT live, X3 live and HD 500. I did gig for a while (still remember the day I was using HD through FOH with monitors and the monitor conked out). But I can't claim cancer or pulmonary embolism - more life to you Amsdenj - however you choose to live it. Hope to see a grandchild myself someday.

Snapshots - pick a global view setting that shows them, select 1, then simply press and turn to allocate the parameters you want to set. Set the next and tweak as you wish. I reverb, many different settings, each at the push of a button. LIke having a stompbox fairy poised ready to turn the dials on request. (I've been advised, however, it would be bad form to stomp on the fairy ;)

Thanks all for taking the time to respond. Keeping simple sounds like good advice. I totally understand that studio thinking is different - that's what I'm trying to understand. Leaving the default amp tone settings alone, tweaking gain and listening to different cab / mic options seems to get me a long way in the right direction. Two cabs even further. (IRs are a whole new subject...) However, I realise that my knowledge of eq can be written on the back of a stamp (with marker pen). How do you make that sound sit right in a mix? Sorry, more vague questions? Ford Prefect knows the answer is 42!

Great advice on the loudness idea - everything sounds better just a bit louder! Came here from HD500 - but I do need to learn more about how to get the most from the FX rig (and possibly how to use a spell checker...) I've been interested in the clean plus crunch rig in parallel for a while - two paths = two amps! Checking the tone guide now...

Hello Helix Forum I've had my helix for a few weeks now, and am getting what I consider to be great sounds from my KRK 6 monitors. I've been starting with an amp model, adding a couple of cabs in parallel, and largely just tweaking the gain settings to taste and changing the mics until it sounds good to me. Then maybe a bit of reverb and a distortion box... Thought snapshots sounded interesting, but might be hard work to dial in. Turns out you just push and turn to set any parameter that takes your fancy! Real world alternative would probably involve stomping on your tweaking fairy who has to access dials on the stomp box and amp at the same time to deliver your next tone. Short of getting myself booked on a production and mixing course, am I missing anything amazing? All advice and guidance gratefully received! Thanks Mark

Just played with snapshots feature for the first time. Really Simple stuff - still on just one path so less than half of helix in play. One footswitch tweaked gain and level of overdrive box and master from amp - instant lead tone! Wish it would be that easy in amp and stomp box world.

Had a Variax 600 back in the day. No pickups, so comment at audition was that the guitar looked weird. Electric 12 model, and bit of distrortion for REM song sorted that opinion. I did back away, but only because I started to get paranoid about starting that searing guitar solo with a banjo model by mistake... Been intrigued by JTVs for a while.

Like you, have been HD 500 user for a while. Got a Helix at weekend, plugged in to rokit6 monitors, tried two presets, and was completely happy with the purchase. I do need to spend some time to build patches though, and haven't tried a Kemper. I don't think you're going to be disappointed.

Bought one from guitarguitar in UK on Sunday. Not past listening to the presets yet - but first impression is that this is in a different league from HD500, both in sound and build quality. Need to find time to build some patches soon.

Just checking you're aware of tube amp 101. Make sure you turn on amp and leave it in standby for a minute or so to get up to temperature. Then you can flip the standby switch and start playing. Starting to use the amp before the valves have warmed up can reduce valve life, and in extreme cases blow fuses / damage stuff. It's good practice to flip to standby before you turn off the power - no real benefit other than being in the right posititon for next time you turn the amp on minimising the chance you'll forget to go through standby before playing. Also when powered down, leave the amp for a few minutes to cool down before you move it - moving when still hot could potentially damage the valves. Eventually, the valves will wear out. How fast depends on how much you use the amp, and how much you play. You should be looking at years rather than months - but like light bulbs you never know. When it's time to swap out, it's time to find someone who knows what they're doing - valve amps retain potentially lethal electrical charges even after they've been switched off for some time. Hope this helps

Hi Brion Congratulations on your new DT25. I've had a HD500 for a couple of years, and have used it happily with various full range monitors / PAs, as well as into the effects return of a Peavey Valveking - but last year couldn't resist the idea of integration with a DT25 over Line6 Link. I think the intention with DT amps is that you should use the pre-amp only versions of the amp models in the HD500 and choose the power amp mode for the DT amp that most closely matches the one for the amp your modelling. That way, you get modelled pre-amp from the POD, and real power amp / speaker from the DT rather than modelled pre-amp, modelled power amp plus modelled power amp from PD. As a bonus, you get more DSP to play with effects etc... When you plug in via Line6 Link, the POD will automatically switch to combo line in output mode (the one intended for this purpose) - but I'm not sure it switches back to studio direct when you disconnect, so you might want to check that if you switch back to using full range speakers at any point. I've ended up with two setlists - one with full amp models tweaked to go straight into a mixer and full range speakers as a lightweight set up for rehearsal, and another with the same settings but with pre-amp only models, with limited tweaking to gain and volume for use with the DT. I'm really happy with the sounds I've got from the setup. There are no rules - I found that starting from a blank patch and getting the sound right with just the amp model before adding in effects etc works form me. But I've also experimented with the presets / custom tone patches and adapted some of them. Let your ears decide what's right. If your experience is anything like mine, you won't be able to stop grinning on Saturday. Good Luck!

Hi Radatats What Phil said - I was drafting the same reply as he posted. That's exactly how I run my HD500 / DT25 rig - POD to DT25 via L6 Link so I've got something on stage I can control, then DT25 XLR out to PA so the sound person can supplement to FOH if needed. The output setting is global, so DT25 / XLR and 1/4 inch outputs are all going to be in the same mode. Having said that, I'm sure I read some posts a while ago that proposed a creative way to use the effects loop to get a line signal at the same time as using the XLR for combo / amp mode.

oehman sorry - didn't realise we'd jumped on your thread. You've got the right models for the comparison though... Mark

Like I said, follow your ears. I've not tried other tube amps since dropping cash on the DT25. In my covers band, being able to push one switch and completely change the characteristics of the power amp section to match the preamp in the POD, and just run one cable is enough to win me over. Could be worse - apples and zebras? Mark

Hey Tinman I can definitely share some of your frustration. My HD500 currently has two setlists - one for full models forfull range speakers / monitors, and one with pre models for my DT25 in full volume mode. The tweaks between the two aren't huge - mainly just pre / full model selection then balancing the volumes. It would be great if I could have one setlist then push a button somewhere an magically have the same patches work on both the monitors and the DT25. As it is, there's a few minutes work involved - but I find that the sound / feel of playing through the Dt25 in full power mode, even right at the bottom end of the master volume range in a home setting, makes a huge difference. I've currently got no intention of setting up a third set for LVM on the DT25 - but who knows, one day I might go there. Before I had the DT25, I was pretty happy with the POD through my studio monitors at home, and straight to PA at the few gigs I do. However, one gig when the stage monitors failed mid set and having to monitor from the sound reflected back from the FOH speakers was enough to send me to the amp shop! I agree with radatats - even a 5 watt Epi valve junior is too much to use in a domestic situation and get the valves contributing significantly to the tone. However, the tweaking needed to keep a low volume preset list, and a higher volume DT25 list is a price I'm more than happy to pay for the grin factor I get when hearing the DT25 working at gig volume as it was intended! There's no right answer here - follow your ears, but don't give up just because it's slightly more complex than you expected it to be. Mark

Hey Tinman Couple of years ago, bought an Epiphone Valve Junior thinking it might work for home practice. Just 1 valve, 5 watts, 8 inch speaker. How wrong could I be - loud enough to threaten the windows let alone the neighbours when starting to break up... I've been using an Hd500 for a couple of years, initially though the FX return of a Peavey Valveking combo, then through a decent quality FRFR powered speaker. But a DT25 at gig volume was a huge leap - just felt and sounded right. Admittedely I had to put together a new setlist with pre models and balance volumes all over again, but the investment was worth it for me in improved tone and feel. The DT25 is configuring the power stage to match your pre-amp model, and this can mean that it behaves differently from the modelled power amp (dimed by default in the HD500 models - would be super loud in full power DT25 to deliver the same power amp distortion). You will need at least to balance volumes. If you like the modelled power amp distortion from the HD500, you might want to run straight to PA / use studio monitors or headphones at home. Watch out for Fletcher Munson - what sounds good at home volume will likely sound boomy / harsh at high volume. You're also likely to want to reduce the gain / distortion levels as volume increases. There's no "right" answer here - but in my humble opinion, the HDXXX / DT25 combination can deliver good tones. Good luck Mark

Hi Magmarv Death Metal isn't my kind of thing, but I've used my HD500 into the effects return of a Peavey Valveking 50 1*12 combo in a covers band - in a small venue this was plenty loud enough for me. I've also used it with 250 watt full range solid state monitors and got good results. This may be HD500 101 - but just checking you've got the switch on the top panel set to line out rather than amp? Amp is for going into the guitar in and is still at guitar output kind of level, whilst line out is closer to what the guitar preamp should be putting out into the power amp section - could explain your volume issue. +1 to dbagchee - max out the power amp and use the POD master to control the volume. If your Crown is capable of 700 watts, you should have plenty. Two guitarists going for the same sound is always a potential recipe for a volume competition - this may be heresy, but you might want to ask your bandmate to turn his 6505 down a bit, and/or look for a different tone that compliments his in the mix. Good luck Mark

Hi Luke I meant to say in my earlier post, I've never tried to run vocals through the POD - just push that straight to desk. With Space's response, I think I might be trying a few experiments with auto tune / harmonizer and the rest to see what might be possible... What effects are you looking to use on the vocal? Mark