blitzt29

I hit the quote button to quote your post, but for some reason it wasn't adding it to my post. I tried to copy and paste, but that wasn't working either. So I had to type out what you said.

So what does the Helix sound like in front of the amp like a traditional pedal board? Does it suck the tone out of your amp? I use my both my M13 and M9 in front of my amp like traditional pedal board, and I get to keep the tone of my Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier. No tone suck. I've been hesitant to buy the Helix because I'm afraid that it will suck the tone of my amp. I bought the HD500 and tried to put it in front of my amp and my amp lost it's punch. The HD500 sucked the tone from my amp. I was very disappointed and I sold my HD500 I'm not a bedroom player tweaking things to death, or a church musician playing through the PA. I'm a gigging musician that plays in 2 bands that uses a real cab with an amp head. I'm in an original band and I also play in a Rage Against the Machine tribute band that plays live shows anywhere from 2 to 3 shows a month. Don't get me wrong...I love my M13, but it has a switch issue and it's been getting worse and worse. All the M-series effects have the cheap micro tactile switches. I bought the FX8 then I saw the ad for the Helix 2 days later and I was excited! I'll buy the Helix if I can use it in front of my amp with no tone suck. I'm just waiting to try one out before I buy one. If there is no tone suck then I'll sell my FX8 in a heartbeat!

I'm the one who started this thread asking if the Helix was a true bypass unit or not. My question was immediately answered letting me know that it wasn't a true bypass. That's cool. What I should have asked was if I would be able to plug into the Helix without the tone suck. I'm a gigging musician and I want to use the Helix in 2 ways. I want to use the Helix live on stage with my Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, using ONLY the effects without the tone suck. I want to use it at home with all the amp modeling and effects. I want to use it to record tracks on my PC and in the recording studio with my band. I don't want to spend hours (like I did with my HD500) adjusting my settings, the EQ, the mix, or tweaking this and that just trying to keep the natural sound of my amp for a live show. I just want to plug it in front of my amp (pre effects only), make some simple adjustments on the Helix for a live situation then BAM! I'm good!

What type of foot switches will the Helix be using?

The M13/M9/M5 units and the HD500 use the cheap tactile foot switches (which pushes a tiny spring to turn on/off the effect). Sometimes the cheap tactile foot switches fail to turn off/on during practice and worst off all during a live show! Will the Helix have more reliable Carling Momentary type foot switches or SSS (Solid State Switch) foot switches?

Thanks for your response. I just bought the Fractal FX8 and got it in on Monday. Then on Friday I read about the Helix and I was blown away by the video from Sweetwater Music. I got bummed out because if I had known that Line 6 was coming out with the Helix (prior to ordering the FX8), I would have waited to try out the Helix first to see if there was any tone suck before making my decision on which unit works best for me. Now I'm sitting here wondering if I should return my FX8, but I don't know 100% for sure if I can use the Helix for live gigs while keeping the tone of my Dual Recifier. The only reason I made the jump from my Line 6 M13 to get an FX8 was because of the foot switch issue. Some of my foot switches on my M13 are not working properly. Failing to turn off or on during practice or live gigs. Come to find out Line 6 uses the cheap tactile foot switches (which pushes a tiny spring to turn on/off the effect) on all the M series units and the HD500. 2nd question: Will the Helix upgrade their foot switches from the cheap tactile foot switches to a more reliable Carling Momentary type switches or an SSS (Solid State Switch) foot switch? With a $1500 price tag I sure hope so!

Yesterday I asked the question about whether or not the Helix was a true bypass unit or not. Maybe I asked the wrong question. Let me rephrase my question. Will I be able to plug into the Helix without the tone suck? If so, what connection method would be recommended to keep the sound of my amp? The reason I'm asking is because I bought the HD500 to use it for effects only during live gigs while keeping the tone of my Dual Rectifier. No matter how i connected the HD500 I was never able to avoid the tone suck with the HD500 in the chain. I have tried all of guitar input/output signal modes, tried every cable mode known, and they all sucked my amp's natural tone. I don't want to spend $1500 if I'm going to run into the same problems as I did with my HD500. I just want to use the Helix without spending hours adjusting my settings, the EQ, the mix, or tweaking this and that just trying to keep the natural sound of my amp. I want to use the Helix live on stage with my Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, using ONLY the effects without the tone suck. Will this be possible to use the Helix without the tone suck?

I have the HD500. My only complaint about the HD500 was that it wasn't a TRUE BYPASS like my M13. I want to use the Helix for live gigs with effects only (in true bypass mode if it has it), and use the full features (amp modeling and effects) in the recording studio. I'm not interested in the 4-cable method. Is the Helix a TRUE BYPASS unit like the M13?

I've been using the M13 for 5...6 years now. The thing I like most about the M13 is that I can run my effects in front of the amp like a traditional pedal board. I like the fact that my M13 is a TRUE BYPASS unit. I also have the HD500. My only complaint about the HD500 was that it wasn't a TRUE BYPASS. I'm not interested in the amp modeling like some guitarists are. I just want to use the effects only without the HD500 coloring my Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier's tone. So I never used it in a live gig. I only used my HD500 to jam at home, or I took it to band rehearsal when I didn't feel like carrying my amp around. That's the only time I ever used it for amp modeling. So I only have one question about the Helix. Is the Line 6 Helix a TRUE BYPASS unit like the M13? I want to be able to have the choice to use the Helix in TRUE BYPASS mode when I'm playing live. With that said I would also use the full features of the Helix (amp modeling with effects) in the recording studio. :) TRUE BYPASS? Yes? No?