rvroberts

Interesting. Well there are a few different issues here...... Firstly the basic question - does it sound good with a Helix going through it? Then there is a totally different issue - how do you want to use it? 1- If it's live on stage with a band......... Is 180º dispersion what you want? Generally the answer is no. But that depends how you put your live sound together. If you play small gigs with almost all the sound coming from the stage, I can see benefits. But mostly what an electric band does live (and it is going more this way as great sound at reasonable levels becomes an aim) is head towards a "studio" setup. What I mean is that each person just monitors their own sound either from their amp- mostly because that guitar and amp interaction is something guitar players love) or through foldback. That foldback also lets them hear as much or as little of the rest of the band as they want/need. So Isolation is good - it lets you build a stage mix that lets each player hear what they need to hear, and it lets that guy/girl out front control the overall mix without fighting sound coming directly from the stage. That's actually one reason why I have a Helix - it lets me feed monster sounds to FOH while being almost unheard past the first few people. So 180º spread is kind of fighting that! Yes, before that technology, you would often find yourself on a stage where you could hear bugger all of the other side of the stage and I think that desire to hear everyone is often confusing a great stage sound and a decent mix out front. But even in the 80's we had side fill for exactly that problem. All stuff that is going the way of the dinosaur. And spill into vocal mics is definitely a problem on any stage. So what I think the LR Baggs system is is a solo or duo sound solution for small venues. It is the PA - not FRFR.(which is your personal monitor. 2- what about other applications like studio? I don't know - if the system is actually full range not tuned to the sweet spot of vocals and acoustic guitar, then it might be a great solution. I'm guessing that from their promotion it's a tuned solution, but definitely worth auditioning. And if you use your Helix in say a duo situation, it again has a strong probability that it will be a great solution. There are other players in that space though like the Bose L1 and Maui systems - different technology but meant to be portable "one man band" sound systems for filling small venues. 3- what about for home? Seems overkill to me, but if it sounds great...........and you don't have a problem with the dollars...........go for it! I suspect in that application it might win over some FRFR boxes in that a lot of speaker systems need to "get going" before they sound good. As in be loud! As a system designed for smaller venues and acoustic music, it is likely to sound good quieter - so that might be a place it wins out.

OK- maybe I'm beginning to understand............ did you say you were using an apogee interface? Why? The Helix is its own interface. And your headphones - are they plugged into the Helix or somewhere else in your setup? Plug the headphones straight into the Helix if you aren't and tell us what you hear.

Please tell us your setup. A very large number of us are getting great clean through to nice natural breakup with no problems. Some of those people are very seasoned pros. If you are running into a guitar amp, or FRFR speakers or studio monitors, you may need to look to your global EQ - but we need to know how you are hearing this thing to be able to advise you.

Funny, although on floor as wedges (why do you pole mount - removes any bass coupling with the floor) - my Behringers sound pretty good. 2 of what you got in stereo. I have serious top end cut - but I tested it with other boxes and they all seemed to need that............

No, sorry but can't help. I've heard about this before though. I don't have the problem (touch wood) - I use my volume pedal as you do except I don't use the Wah on exp2. I have considered it - is that possibly part of the problem? I'm asking as I'm happy to avoid Wah if that's where the problem comes from? Thanks!

Well, from my experience, the guitar quality is excellent. But it is different. Well for me. I no longer use any effects or amp models in software. Some people still love certain plugins. They won't change. But I'm generally recording fully processed sounds. That is processed by the Helix. That was not possible before. As just dry sound that you reamp, I don't do that.

This is definitely not a common problem. Take it back to the shop and demand a new one! (obviously backup first)

Oh, here - http://line6.com/helix/detail.html you will see that "single cable provides data and power" Yes, you need your own expression pedal(s)

The FBV3 is not listed as compatible with the Helix - I don't think that is an option. The Controller is the way to go if you have to have a rack unit. I personally don't understand why you would want the rack unit - even if you spend all your time in the studio, with the editor on a PC/Mac, I don't see the attraction - there must be one.........??? Rack people???

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What everyone else says. The point is every patch must exist even if it is blank. Remember, blank is not blank. It is a batch of ins and outs waiting for you to do something in between! That's how the Helix works. There can be no "delete". The most you can do is remove the stuff between in and out. The easiest way to do that is to copy an "empty" patch. That has analog to digital converters and a description of all the stuff that makes a patch in it. That's as deleted as you can have on Helix.

You didn't actually do the test. No amp. Just a send. Nothing else. Is there the noise problem?

So if you take a brand new patch and place a return in the path and have nothing else you have a lot of noise? No cable plugged into any send or return? Unplug your guitar? Still there? If that is the case - then you have a technical problem. Submit a support ticket. If what I described does not produce noise, then its something else in your chain.

I think there are some really good reasons for you not to get a Helix. If all the amp sounds you want already come form equipment you already have, what you really need is something to control your effects and switch you amp at the same time. There are lots of midi enabled switchers like those from The Gig Rig, and there is the FX8 from fractal. The Helix is a fantastic amp + cab + Mic simulator. It's a good FX box, but I don't think if that's all you need it's the best answer. If you want the Helix for recording or some other use as well as an FX unit with midi capability, then, naturally it's going to be a great purchase - but not what I'd suggest if you only want FX and switching.

Are you getting the same result through the 1/4in outputs or the XLRs?

I also just used the Script Mod Phase in stereo after the speaker and the spread control at 50% - that swirls around in stereo really well

OK - that thing makes a range of sounds - but the one I think you are looking for is pretty much on and off with nasty fuzz. I had a quick play with the mono tremolo set to square wave - intensity on 10 - that does the on/off thing. Try the duty cycle pretty low for more chop. You can use any nasty fuzz you like - EQ it if you want it more edgy. So that's basically fuzz into Tremolo. The Chopper can also Autopan - the stereo tremolo offers Autopan (you would have to use it after your amp/cab), but you might like the Pan (Volume/Pan) on a pedal - that sounds cool. Using the Gray Flanger after the distortion but before the Tremolo takes the thing into wild territory. You could use a chorus or Phaser too for other variations So I think you can duplicate all those sounds with that combo of bits and extend the idea beyond the original pedal.

As a marketing move it's going to be a deal breaker/maker for those thinking maybe Fractal or maybe Helix - this extra flexibility - especially if owning a Helix will always give you the plugin at $99 - will make up a lot of minds. And the expanded market has to lead to more development for us all.

I agree with Hideout. And yes, you could simply go direct into the PA and have the sound guy send you back a mix with your Helix through a foldback wedge and not have any stage system. The reason many of us don't rely on that is that then you need very good monitoring and a good soundie. I use a self powered PA style speaker - actually 2 but that's just because I get off on the stereo! - and it works extremely well. It's just keeping more control of my sound for my own playing pleasure - it's not 100% necessary.

If you bought your Helix for stage, it is good news. If you bought your Helix for studio and don't play on stage, you now have a very expensive foot controller! Well latency issues might not be as good........ Seems that there are more amps???

OK - if you come from the HD500, you might be well across what I'm going to say - also I find that some people are guitar amp purists - they just want it to sound like some amp they love and no more. For me the big thing is that the Helix is a studio in a box. So when guitarists go into the studio, the sound tweaking doesn't stop at the amp. The mic is really important. Then, I've never been in a studio where extra EQ was not needed to make the guitar sit in the mix. Then to sit in an audio space there is reverb - there is always some reverb in a studio mix. That reverb is after the amp and the mic - in stereo. So what I think is a really big thing is the ability to treat the guitar, pedals and amp like in a studio with reverb and delay and maybe other effects like stereo flanging applied after the mic. I've found the Harmonic Flanger used as a post production effect just subtly, gives a really wide spread to your sound. Some people call all that type of stuff "too produced". for me its the biggest win. I've been getting compliments from traditional guitarists on my sound and they go "you're going direct aren't you?" What they aren't realising is it's all that extra studio thinking they hear live that's really why they hear a "good" sound.

Well, I know you have been around the Helix for a bit, so you have probably thought your way through most of the options. But, I'm wondering if the ID is really a modeller? So that its speaker and amp are kind of a FRFR system? Maybe not quiet as full range as it's a 1x12, but say FRFR in essence. The fact that the presence etc is all part of the modeller and not the power amp points to that possibility. Why not try it with your amps and cabs in the patch and see what you get? If you are using global EQ or per patch EQ to tame the highs and lows in your FRFR setup,that might need adjusting (or turning off) - but I'm thinking treat it like FRFR with maybe some EQ adjustment. Be interesting to know - blackstar might be more Helix/modeller that we think?? Just because it looks more like a conventional amp............

You know, as another person on the wrong side of the pond, I'm feeling mixed emotions about all that. I'm finding an almost bottomless pit here already. Every time I leave the thing "as is" for a bit, I discover more stuff when I dive in again. I'm not arguing against new stuff - I'm extremely happy with the Litigator, so that was a relatively new addition that has made me very happy - what next? On the other hand, I'm not wanting everything to change too much too quickly or I might start playing Helix rather than guitar and get lost down that rabbit hole that I suspect some of the people here are. It's cool to explore tone - but that used to be a new amp once every few years and a pedal or 2 every year................now that could well become so much so fast that no one can really keep up and still make making music their first love. I'm swimming right on top of this wave right now - but nervous if the surf gets any bigger I'm going to start drowning!! Just a personal view.

I can't see anything to indicate that your effects send/return is at line level. It's more likely its instrument level as it is designed to take normal delay and reverb pedals. I'd start with that assumption and see how it sounds. Very few guitar amps have line level loops as that means only studio rack units are compatible.

Yep - you can use it like 2 mono amps - but who really wants 2 totally discrete amps? Who only wants 2 sounds in this modern world - especially when the thing has 5 killer sounds? And I personally would run it in stereo. I know a few guys who use it - they run the Cleanish channel on both channels and run a pedal board into it splitting into stereo on the board - like stereo chorus, stereo delay etc. They therefore don't use the crunch or lead sounds but get that from their pedals. My point was if they only gave you a remote that effectively was that knob for switching sounds, the thing would be way more attractive. You don't have to agree. But I bought the Helix because I thought that omission was stupid. Yep its 2 mono amps - the foot switch lets you change amps - wow - that's so cool (not) - it could be 5 killer stereo amps with a tiny bit more thought! (a good tech can probably do that as a mod.)