ric1966

I haven’t owned my Helix LT for very long, but my Mesa 2:Fifty rack tube amp and two Thiele ported 1x12 cabs are going up for sale. For me, the keys were starting from scratch on fresh, non-factory presets and using Celestion impulse responses with an FRFR powered monitor. There is a substantial learning curve and I’m still on it. Part of the transition is training your ears to expect a polished studio sound rather than the “amp in the room†tone that those of us who started playing before modeling existed have come to expect. I’ve been rehearsing and gigging with a Firehawk for a few years, so I believe I made that leap before I got my LT. Your audience doesn’t hear “amp in the room†whether they are on Sound Cloud listening to your recording or in a club listening to FOH. If you are just playing for yourself, do what sounds best to you. With multiple paths, Helix can send a “no-power amp, no cab/IR†signal to your guitar amp AND an FRFR intended signal to a recording desk or mixing board. No need to choose one or the other if you don’t want to.

Update - got my LT and I’ve been trying out several Celestion IRs with the Plexi bright model. Very convincing! I’m running about the same deep edits as I did on my Firehawk... Sag at 7.2, Bias at 6.0 and Bias X at 4.0. Master and Drive are on 10. Responds well to a TS808 with default settings. No high or low cuts on the IRs as they seem very well EQ’d out of the gate. I’m running a custom EQ on my EON monitor intended to make it sound more like a JBL 515XT (our mains). The speaker EQ includes a high cut, so that may be part of the reason why I don’t need to run any high cut with the IRs. To me, the stock dual cabs with different mics can sound pretty good, but the Celestion IRs are a definite game changer. It’s hard to explain, but they seem to kill the harshness of the amp models and almost sound “three dimensional.†As suggested by DunedinDragon, the Redback IRs really work to tame the fizz and cut through a band mix. After trying all of the mic combos in the 4x12 package, my favorite is the “hi gain - all†IR, which combines an SM57, an R121 and an MD421. The Greenbacks and V30s sound better to me on the 2204 model, but if I had to pick one IR it would be the Reds. Having owned a 2204, I’ve been able to get very close to the tone I remember (it has been a while). I’ve never owned a Plexi, but the sound I’m hearing out this setup sounds a lot like the many records out there cut by guitarists using them.

Glad to help! I just got my LT from Sweetwater and they had already updated it to 2.30. Took me a while to figure this out, but apparently the update has a new default for that setting.

Check global settings > Ins/Outs > USB In 1/2 Destination. Is it set to Multi or SPDIF? Reference p.50 in manual.

Try global settings>in/out>volume knob controls. I believe this will let you set which outputs are affected by the volume knob. If you assign the knob to 1/4†outputs, the XLRs will be fixed and the sound man can adjust the channel gain as needed. You can then control your in ears with the volume knob.

Helix LT is on its way to my door. I plan to use my Firehawk FX as a backup unit. It has served me well over the past several years both in rehearsals and on stage. I would have no worries using it for an entire gig if the LT fails.

Sounds like you might need to download the USB driver from the Line 6 website.

Emble1, try adding a parametric EQ with your high shelf set for -3.5 dB at 4.5 KHz. I sometimes also use a low shelf set for -3 dB at 70 Hz, but I run into a full range monitor (JBL EON 612). Like Helix, you’ll get the best results by ignoring the factory presets and building your own. If you are running into a regular guitar amp, the best way is to go into the effects return, since that usually bypasses the amp’s preamp and tone stacks. You might want to just run a preamp model in Firehawk in that case. If you don’t have an effects return, you should probably just use Firehawk for its effects and bypass the amp modeling altogether. It is really designed for Full Range Flat Response monitoring. There is a learning curve but it’s well worth it!

Unfortunately Firehawk doesn't have snapshots like Helix, so I'm aware of two choices: 1) adapt your live playing style to anticipate the switching lag 2) use stomp mode to engage or disengage individual effects, like an overdrive or Boostalizer for your lead boost. If you need more than one effect to kick in or out, you'll be doing the "pedal dance" just like when using a pedal board. I haven't done a scientific test, but it seems like not having a tablet connected via Bluetooth may decrease the latency. I don't connect when playing gigs.

HO, when you run two PEQs are you using both paths in your signal chain? Each one has its own DSP.

Sweeeeeeet!!! Love a lot of things about this patch, especially how it cleans up when rolling back the volume knob. Great playing as well.

Yes, I do realize there are many, many factors that go into creating these tones. I found a few demos that appear to showcase the Celestion blended IR mixes that use three different microphones/placements. I'll definitely check out the Redbacks and some other IR vendors when I'm up and running, as well as the stock cabs. I'll be running FRFR into a JBL EON 612 custom EQ'd to emulate the response of our JBL 515XT mains. Thanks for the advice!

I won't have my Helix until next month, but I'm dyin to try these two setups: 1970's - a Plexi Bright with Celestion G12M Greenback IR 1980's - a Plexi Bright, Tube Screamer and Celestion Vintage 30 IR Maybe somebody could try/has tried these combos...

Might not be just Helix. My Firehawk does this on at least one patch, a Plexi Bright HD model with mids all the way up... It is so gradual, I thought I was going (more) crazy, but then I noticed the background hum would suddenly jump up after a quick back and forth preset switching event. Since my patch is only lightly gated, this is a sure telltale that gain is gradually falling off and then getting restored when I toggle patches.

So fuzz is good, but fizz is bad. No wonder drummers think we are crazy!

Loving my EON 612! The EON Connect app allows you to make a custom EQ curve that is useful for getting your EON to respond more like a typical PA speaker. Check the website for a curve, EONs have an unusually flat response in the high frequencies, which makes them sound "bright." I rolled off some high end and boosted the bass and mids by a small amount (for monitoring six-string electric). Yes, the constant hiss is noticeable in low ambients, but I was pleased to discover that it doesn't get louder as speaker volume is increased. To get max volume, make sure your modeler's outputs are matched to the speaker's inputs, i.e. both line or both mic. I tried plugging an electric-acoustic guitar directly into one of the 1/4" inputs set to line level and couldn't figure out at first why it wasn't very loud. To get the same volume out of XLR as 1/4", I do have the run the input level higher on the EON. XLR noticeably eliminates cable noise.

I use this custom EQ curve with the "Main" setting overall. I think it sounds good with the speaker on a stand or on the floor in monitor position.

If you are looking to replicate that "cranked up" power stage distortion at any volume, then sag, bias and bias excursion are your best friends! I love a Plexi Bright model with master dimed, sag at 6.9, bias at 6.0 and bias excursion at 4.0.

Here's a screenshot from the EON Connect app.

EON Custom EQ settings: Bass +2.5, EQ1 300 Hz +1.5 dB Q=0.25, EQ2 600 Hz +1.0 dB Q=0.50, EQ3 3900 Hz +.75 dB Q=1.0, Treble -1.5 dB. These values are intended to make an EON sound like a JBL 515XT (our mains).

The other guitarist in my band and I both use JBL EONs for rehearsal and stage monitoring. He uses a 610 and I have a 612. We use the same custom DSP EQ curve that I created by spending the better part of a day dialing in tones on one of our older mains (JBL 515XT) and then tailoring my EON to sound as much like it as possible. I had the two speakers side by side on the carpet and kept switching back and forth. Talk about ear fatigue! I had to take several breaks and come back later. The EONs have a VERY flat response, so unless EQ'd they sound artificially bright compared to more traditional full range speakers that roll off the highs. Now we can both dial in new tones using our EONs and they sound remarkably similar through FOH, giving us assurance that our audience is hearing pretty much what we hear on stage. The one time we used a different set of mains recently, we got several compliments on the sound out front. I agree with DunedinDragon and HonestOpinion that the slight difference in tone among different FOH brands is insignificant once you dial in with a decent monitor.

Yes, I know and love the desired effect. It's somewhat elusive with amp modelers and FRFR, particularly at the low volumes we use when my band rehearses. I can get it when my monitor is cranked up, especially when it's on a stand right next to me. Was thinking of getting a Digitech FreqOut for low volume situations.

Feedback in Church; that's ... AWESOME,!!

You need the updater and the device drivers from the Line 6 website. It sounds like you just have the updater...

No, it does not. That's one of two reasons I bought a Firehawk (other is the HD amp models).