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revans

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Everything posted by revans

  1. This advice from a Crown PA amp manual: Keep the power amp volume setting as high as possible to allow the amp to respond to transient peaks; use the mixer (or Helix in our case) output volume to set the desired sound level. My powered PA speaker's volume knob has a notch at the mid point which is labelled with a U for unity. Maximum volume and anything to the right is for boosting the input signal when a mic is directly connected. With the PA speaker set at U, I use the Helix 1/4-inch output set to line level and I set the Helix volume knob around two o'clock to get a balanced mix with the rock band's un-mic'd drums. That's a good rehearsal and stage volume for me. The front-of-house mixer mic's the drums and takes an XLR output from Helix, which I have set to not be controlled by the volume knob. The Helix volume knob only controls the (1/4-inch) level coming from my own PA speaker; the front-of-house (XLR) level never changes. All my patches are balanced to have about the same level as an empty patch.
  2. I changed from HD500 to Helix using the same powered PA speaker (mono) rehearsing with a band and doing live gigs. While I wasn't unhappy with my classic rock Marshall (and Vox and Fender) tones from my carefully tweaked HD500, I would always feel better any time I played through my old Marshall tube combo. I find Helix a much more satisfying experience. My classic rock Marshall (and other) tones sound much more familiar and only minimal tweaking (like you'd do with any physical amp) is needed to get good results. I still play my old Marshall tube combo regularly, but it no longer feels any better than my Line 6 board. I also find Helix distortion and modulation effects very pleasing and musical, where HD500 effects just did the job but felt sub-standard. With HD500 I was trading tone quality for convenience. With Helix compared to real amps and effects, I feel the tone quality is just as good but it is much improved in convenience, reliability (always wondering if it's time for new tubes), flexibility, and the opportunity to choose from many high-quality amps and effects. It's a great time to be an electric guitar player!
  3. With my JTV-69 I've noticed when playing models with the high strings at the high frets the volume level is much too low as compared to doing the same thing with the magnetic pickups. This would not be an issue with the nut (see below) and I'm sure the string heights are good. My JTV-69 nut must have been cut too low as well. After five years of playing it for a couple of hours per week, I'm not sure that the first few frets should be a worn as they are. It needs re-crowning bad or maybe even new frets.
  4. Agreed. Helix is quick and easy to create great sounding presets. Models sound great with default settings. Quick and easy to adjust, even at rehearsal and live. And I keep forgetting about the pedal edit mode, which should make changes even easier. I like being able to use footswitches to control model settings. It unlocks more depth live without having multiple duplicate models with different settings. Using the footswitch mode with presets along the top row and stomps along the bottom row makes it really quick to change to a new preset and change a few common settings. And with a tap on the mode footswitch I can see all the other stomp switches. It's a really efficient use of the footswitches and scribble displays. With the HD500 I would forget what the footswitches do in each preset, with the eight-block display mode only showing the type of effect model, not the specific effect name. I put my own magnetic labels with effect names over each footswitch, but that really limits the range of effects in each preset, and I still end up with a few different effects in each preset so the labels don't always match the presets. Compared to the HD500, I have much more confidence with knowing what will happen when hitting stomp footswitches and making changes live.
  5. Played outdoors last Saturday with sun shining directly on the Helix. Could not see the color display very well and could not see if the LED rings were on or off. The scribble strips were easier to see, especially the active preset which was inverted with a light background with dark text. The stomp displays were more difficult to tell if they were light text or shaded text on a dark background. It would be great if the stomp displays had a light background with dark text when enabled, just like the preset displays. Please vote for these ideas: Please add Noticeable difference in scribble text when engaged http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Please-add-Noticeable-difference-in-scribble-text-when-engaged/818990-23508 Helix Scribble Strips - Effects Toggle Flip Background Text http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Helix-Scribble-Strips-Effects-Toggle-Flip-Background-Text/793835-23508
  6. It's been six years since the JTV was announced in 2010. Surely today's hardware can give us some improvements in quality and features! Please vote: Completely redo/overhaul the Variax http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Completely-redo-overhaul-the-Variax/789214-23508
  7. I'm happy with a Mackie Thump12 weighing 29 pounds and costing $300. Just turn the built-in bass knob almost all the way down to get it closer to FRFR. Work well on the floor on a pole. It's plenty loud, even with a loud drummer and another guitar player's tube 100 W 4x12 cranked.
  8. Please vote for this idea: Independent pre and power amp blocks. http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Independent-pre-and-power-amp-blocks/748793-23508
  9. My own first experience using Helix at a band rehearsal was awesome! The Helix presets I dialed-in while working alone sounded great at full volume with the band. Just needed to tweak some of the boost levels at the amp model (to compensate for the weaker signals of some of my guitars) and at the output (as a solo boost). The EQ settings I had adjusted on my Mackie Thump12 to get closer to a flat response were just right. Got thumbs-up from the other band members. The real test was when I switched back to my tube amp, a Marshall JTM 60 2x12 combo with a 4x12 cabinet, for the first time I didn't feel a huge difference from the modelled amps. I have been using a POD HD500 on and off since it first came out, and I always felt so good switching back to my tube amp. I used the POD HD500 in a pop band where I play both guitar and keyboards and I used the Marshall combo+cab in a rock band where I play guitar only. I always felt better with the feel and tone of the tube amp, but now the Helix modelled amps sound just as good. I'll now be using the Helix and Mackie powered speaker for guitar and keyboard with the pop band, and I'll use the HD500 for effects only (maybe with preamp models) wired with four cables to my Marshall combo+cab. Looking forward to using Helix live on stage.
  10. revans

    FRFR volume

    I have a similar setup. In all my presets, I put the mixer at the end of the path and set the volumes to +6.0 dB or +9.0 dB, depending on the amp model.
  11. Before tweaking Helix EQ, be careful to try different PA speakers, stage monitors, studio monitors, and headphones to figure out which are more colored and which are more neutral. Play familiar recorded music as well as your guitars and Helix presets. I use the PA's EQ or the Helix global EQ to get close to a flat response. I tweak the Helix presets' EQ only if I'm sure my speakers or headphones are close to a flat response. For example, I was tweaking a boomy preset to cut low frequencies when I realized the Mackie Thump12 I was using has a frequency response that boosts lows, plus I had it on the floor, further boosting the lows. Listening through headphones and studio monitors did not have the same boominess. So I used the Thump12's EQ to cut the lows hard, and after some careful listening, I cut some mids and highs a little bit. Most of the boominess was gone and I only had to cut the lows a bit in my preset.
  12. In floor monitor mode, the L2T was cutting low frequencies. In PA reference mode it doesn't do that. Why? As compared to a vertical orientation (free-space), placing the speaker on the floor horizontally (half-space) boosts lower frequencies. The frequency response graph in the L2t specifications document shows this clearly. The L2 quick start guide (or pilot's guide) document says that the floor monitor mode has "a slight reduction in low frequency content to counteract coupling when placing the speaker on the floor". This is a good thing! If you liked the sound better with the L2T horizontally on the floor in floor monitor mode, then leave it like that. That's what floor monitor mode is meant for. If you want to have the L2T in PA reference mode, then stand it up vertically. If you want to put the L2T horizontally on the floor and you want to set it to PA reference mode, then use the L2T EQ or the Helix global EQ to cut the lower frequencies. But if you're going to do that, you'd be better off leaving the L2T in floor monitor mode.
  13. In one path, set the input to "guitar in" and set the output to XLR with its pan setting to left. In another path, set the input to "Return 2" and set the output to XLR with its pan setting to right. If you plug just one XLR cable into the XLR out left/mono, you'll get both left and right mixed together. If you plug just two XLR cables into the XLR out left/mono and right, each cable will get a different signal, either left or right. This is how I have my presets set up. I use paths 1A, 1B, and 2A in serial for guitar, and I use path 2B for keyboard. I have a single powered speaker connected to 1/4" left/mono to hear both my guitar and keyboard. I connect the XLR out left/mono and right with two cables to two channels of the PA mixer.
  14. That seems to have done it, thanks. In all my presets, I set the Input, Variax Settings to Per Preset and set the Input, Preset Variax Model to Don't Force and I save all my preset that way. Then if I change the Input, Variax Settings to Global, changing the Variax guitar's model leaves the preset's Input, Preset Variax Model as Don't Force when I re-save the presets. This is just the way I want it. Thanks.
  15. I want a preset to always be saved with the Preset Variax Model set to Don't Force, even after using the Variax guitar's controls to change the Variax model. I usually test preset changes with several Variax models, but I don't want the Variax model saved with the preset. I am using a Variax guitar and Variax cable with a Helix preset that has the Input, Per Preset, Variax Settings all set to Don't Force and the Global Variax settings all set to Don't Force. Using the Variax guitar's controls to change the Variax model also changes the Helix Input, Per Preset, Preset Variax Model to the same model. Then when I save the preset, the Per Peset Variax model is saved with it, and any time I load that preset, the Variax guitar is forced by the Helix to use that Variax model. I don't want this; I want the preset to always be saved with the Preset Variax Model set to Don't Force, even after using the Variax guitar's controls to change the Variax model. My work-around is to change the Preset Variax Model back to Don't Force every time I save a preset, but that is very tedious when I'm saving often. Is there a way to make the Helix always saving the Preset Variax Model as Don't Force after using the Variax guitar's controls to change the Variax model? Thanks. P.S. I love the Helix! Great job, Line 6, and thanks for an excellent support forum and for continuing development even though you are probably already working on the successor to the Helix that we'll see five years from now.
  16. Compared to the L2t, the L3t adds a subwoofer with a 250 Hz crossover and it's own 655 W power amp. If you are pushing lots of power in the 47 Hz to 250 Hz range while simultaneously pushing lots of power in the 250 Hz to 2.2 kHz range, as you would be if you were amplifying the whole band at high volumes, then the L3t is what you want. If you are just amplifying a single instrument that can do with out the 47 Hz to 51 Hz range and you would not be pushing the limits of the L2t's ample power, the the L2t will do fine. StageSource L2t and L2m - 800-watt, 2-way, bi-amped speaker system - Frequency Range (-10 dB): 44 Hz to 19 kHz - Frequency Response (±3 dB): 51 Hz to 18 kHz - Maximum SPL Output: 128 dB peak @ 1 meter - Directivity Factor (Q): 9.2 (averaged 1 kHz to 16 kHz) - Directivity Index (DI): 9.6 dB (averaged 1 kHz to 16 kHz) - Crossover Frequencies: -- LF to HF Crossover - variable, 2.2 kHz to 7.0 kHz (Speaker Mode dependent) (2.2 kHz in Reference/P.A. mode) - Low Frequency Transducer: 10†extended range woofer, 2†diameter voice coil, 4Ω impedance - Output Channel: LF, Power Amplifier Type: Class D, Peak Output Power: 655 Watts - Output Channel: HF, Power Amplifier Type: Class AB, Peak Output Power: 175 Watts - Dimensions (HxWxD): 23.75†(603 mm) x 12.25†(312 mm) x 12.25†(312 mm) - Weight: 39.1 lb (17.7 kg) StageSource L3t and L3m - 1,400-watt, 3-way, tri-amped speaker system - Frequency Range (-10 dB): 40 Hz to 19 kHz - Frequency Response (±3 dB): 47 Hz to 18 kHz - Maximum SPL Output: 132 dB peak @ 1 meter - Directivity Factor (Q): 8.7 (averaged 1 kHz to 16 kHz) - Directivity Index (DI): 9.4 dB (averaged 1 kHz to 16 kHz) - Crossover Frequencies: -- LF1 Low-pass - 250 Hz -- LF2 to HF Crossover - variable, 2.2 kHz to 7.0 kHz (Speaker Mode dependent) (2.2 kHz in Reference/P.A. mode) - Low Frequency Transducer: 2 x 10†extended range woofer, 2†diameter voice coil, 4Ω impedance - Output Channel: LF1, Power Amplifier Type: Class D, Peak Output Power: 655 Watts - Output Channel: LF2, Power Amplifier Type: Class D, Peak Output Power: 655 Watts - Output Channel: HF, Power Amplifier Type: Class AB, Peak Output Power: 175 Watts - Dimensions (HxWxD): 33.875†(861 mm) x 12.25†(312 mm) x 12.25†(312 mm) - Weight: 57.5 lb (26.1 kg)
  17. I play a Line 6 JTV guitar and a Kurzweil keyboard through my Helix (previously through POD HD500) and out to the main PA and my own powered PA speaker as a monitor. With full range speakers I have maximum flexibility and choice of modeled amps and cabs as well as any keyboard voices like pianos, vintage organs and electric pianos, synths, and other instruments like horns, strings, and percussion. I have separate patches for Marshall, Fender, and Vox amps with matching effects. I have a patch without a modeled amp for the modeled acoustic guitar sound from the JTV. All of my patches use paths 1A, 1B, and 2A serially for guitar processing and access to both DSPs, and path 2B for keyboard processing, just a volume pedal. My JTV guitar is plugged in the Variax input and a spare guitar (Parker Fly) is plugged in the Guitar input. My keyboard is plugged into the Return 1 input. The guitar path is panned full left in the output and the keyboard path is panned full right. I plug my powered PA speaker into the Left/Mono 1/4" Out and it gets a mix of both guitar and keyboard. The main PA mixer can either have a mixed guitar and keyboard signal from the Left/Mono XLR Out or it can have separate guitar and keyboard feeds from both XLR Outs. Since good stereo is difficult or impossible to achieve for a live audience, I treat everything as mono. I don't have any studio experience with the Helix. I still gig with another band using a regular tube amp and stomp boxes to get my fix of pants-flapping tone, but with the Helix I can get some really nice feedback just like with a real tube amp. Between the Helix and the JTV I can experiment with almost endless combinations of guitars, effects, and amps without having to commit to so much gear, and I can bring models of many amps and effects to a gig without having to carry anything more than the Helix and a powered PA speaker. It's funny though, when I play modeled Gretschs, Richenbakers, Gibsons, and Fenders, it just makes me want the real things even more. As much as modeled guitars might sound like different guitars, they all feel like the same guitar. There is inspiration from the feel of different guitars that is lost with modeling. I guess the same could be said for effects and amps. Hope you enjoy the Helix as much as I do!
  18. I'm currently using a Mackie Thump12 as my backline during rehearsals and as my monitor during gigs where the front-of-house mixer takes a feed from my left/mono XLR, with Helix and previously with POD HD500. In general, using a power PA speaker is an excellent and versatile setup that gives me the maximum options and flexibility of switching among multiple amps and cabs with electric guitars, simple EQs with acoustic guitars, and a volume pedal and effects with keyboard organ voices. The compromise is that it does not provide feel of a 4x12 cab at your back, but neither does it cause the pain in the back from hauling a 4x12 cab. Specifically, the Mackie Thump12 is a low-cost option that is full range but far from flat response. Using the frequency response graph in the Thump12 manual, the three-band EQ on the Thump12, and my ears, I've been able to get closer to a flat response that I am very pleased with. I am considering switching to a Line 6 StageSource L2m for it's flatter response and the possible benefit that it's one of the powered speakers that Line 6 staff use when developing Helix. I run mono end-to-end. Science and experience tell me that it is impossible for most of the audience to get any benefit from stereo and there are risks of problems with phase cancellation and comb filtering, plus its simpler having just one cable to the powered speaker, one cable to the front-of-house mixer, one powered speaker, and one power cord for the powered speaker.
  19. Playing a guitar through a blank patch with no blocks is my reference level for unity gain. I match the volume level of my patches to a blank patch. You can also bypass all the blocks in a patch to hear the same reference unity gain level. I have noticed that the default levels of all the amp blocks are much louder than the bypassed level, so I use the mic level in the cab to reduce the volume of the amp to match the bypassed level. I figure that lets me run the amp block cranked up for good tone while keeping the patch volume at unity gain. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe a patch with an amp block should be much louder than a blank patch. All the factory presets are much louder than a blank patch. Any thoughts?
  20. Bump! I really like having 10 switches in stomp mode, but changing to another preset in the same bank should only take two switches, not three. This really bugs me, but it should be easy to do in a firmware update. Please vote: Default to 10 switches/IA's upon selecting preset http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Default-to-10-switches-IA-s-upon-selecting-preset/796488-23508
  21. I love the idea of the Firehawk 1500. I wonder if a Firehawk 1500 upgraded to Helix modeling and a Helix floor controller is in the cards. I'd buy one. Vote: http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Firehawk-Helix/805685-23508 Meanwhile, the Firehawk 1500 is probably the best option amplifying Helix in stereo while looking like a normal guitar amp.
  22. The Line 6 L2m may not look like a typical guitar cab, but it is probably the best FRFR powered speaker for Helix. It has L6 LINK which makes it somewhat of a Helix-specific product and it's not too heavy. Use two for stereo. If you have good front-of-house sound, set up the L2m as an angled floor monitor so you can hear yourself as loud as you like without bothering the rest of the band or the audience. You can even mix vocals into the L2m, either for main sound or from a monitor feed. L2m is not as cheap as the cheapest powered PA speakers, but it is probably the minimum level of quality that you want for doing justice to the high quality of Helix. Cheaper powered PA speakers are far from FRFR, diminishing the Helix quality and ease of use. The L2m is in the same price range but is much lighter than Friedman ASM-12. It is much cheaper than comparable products such as Matrix Q12a, Mission Gemini 1, and Atomic CLR. The Mission Gemini 2 is stereo, is about the same price as two L2m speakers, weighs less than two L2m speakers, and looks like a guitar amp cab. If you want stereo in a single box, this is probably the best choice. Personally, both science and practical experience have convinced me that stereo doesn't work in live performances (each member of the audience only "hears" the closest speaker) and creates problems with phasing and comb filtering, so I go mono. Other than the higher price, the hardest thing to get used to is the sound of a mic'd guitar amp and cab through a wide-dispersion FRFR speaker (what the audience hears) rather than a raw guitar amp and cab (what guitarists are used to hearing). But if you want to have the versatility to select among multiple modeled guitar amps and cabs, the real speaker must be FRFR, and you probably won't find a better band-for-the-buck than the Line 6 L2m. (Says the Line 6 fan-boy!)
  23. Helix already has preamp versions of all the amps. All we need now are power-amp versions of all the amps.
  24. Several good reasons for creating preamp and power amp models: 1. Placing reverb, chorus, other built-in, and effect-loop effects where the are in the real amps. One reason we like modeling is that we can get as close as possible to the real amps and effects. 2. New creative options, mixing and matching preamps and power amps. Another reason we like modeling is the ease of experimenting and creating new sounds. 3. Using a modeled preamp with a real power amp and cab, or using a real preamp with a modeled power amp and cab. Vote for these suggestions on IdeaScale: Independent pre and power amp blocks http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Independent-pre-and-power-amp-blocks/748793-23508 Insert Points for Amp and Pre-Amp models that have effects loops http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Insert-Points-for-Amp-and-Pre-Amp-models-that-have-effects-loops/799585-23508 Helix: More Fender Amps, and with built in Verb/Trem http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Helix-More-Fender-Amps-and-with-built-in-Verb-Trem/739896-23508
  25. revans

    FRFR suggestions

    I am very pleased using a single FRFR powered speaker, a Mackie Thump12, placed on the floor like a monitor wedge, at a two-o'clock position. My powered speaker is connected to the 1/4-inch output and I connect the XLR output to the front-of-house mixer. My band has an unfortunately loud stage volume, but this size of powered speaker easily gives me the ability to hear myself as loud as I need to with a consistant tone without relying on the tone and mix of the front-of-house monitors. If the rest of the band needs to hear more of me, they can get my signal through their front-of-house monitors. I also have a front-of-house monitor on the floor in front of me. I used to put my powered speaker on a tripod stand behind me, but the sound guy said it was too loud that way. With my powered speaker on the floor, I can run it loud as I need to without bothering the rest of the band and without overpowering the main speakers. I used to run two speakers in stereo, but I have come to realize that playing bars and private parties it is impossible for most of the audience to get any kind of wet-dry stereo effect, and I prefer the simplicity of mono cabling, amps, and speakers. I really like FRFR because I can have one single output (split into my powered speaker and the front-of-house mixer) for all my instruments, effects, and modelled amps and cabs. I run electric guitars though effects and modeled amps and cabs as well as acoustic guitars and keyboards through different effects without the coloration of a guitar amp and cab. I miss the feel of a real tube amp and cab, but it's an acceptable compromise to simplify my multi-instrument setup and to hear very close to what the audience hears from me. Still, it's weird not having an amp behind me like I've had for 35 years. I'll have to do like Rush and put something else behind me, like a chicken rotisserie, washing machine, or time machine. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uZrELBWopek/hqdefault.jpg http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/tours/070627photo1.jpg http://www.genestout.com/wp-content/uploads/dsc_0080.jpg http://baltimorepostexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/aaa.jpg
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