jroseberry

Dedicated audio interfaces (depending on the model) can achieve lower round-trip latency than Helix. If you're monitoring thru any software processing, this is important. ie: I use a Fireface UFX as audio interface... with Helix going in via AES (digital). Total round-trip latency is 4.3ms at a 48-sample ASIO buffer size 44.1k

Further note about the Kemper, Axe-FX (AX8), and Helix: I've owned and used all of them. All can create good sounds... or crap sounds. There are relative strengths/weaknesses with each. Right now, I have Helix and Axe-FX II XL+ (side-by-side). While the Axe-FX is a more mature platform (been around much longer), it doesn't blanketly sound better than Helix. IOW, If the OP had an Axe-FX or Kemper (instead of Helix), he'd be in exactly the same situation.

If you're going to play out live, it helps to assemble/tweak your sounds thru FRFR monitor/s or PA speaker/s. This way, you can listen at gig level... and have a pretty good indication of your live sound. A nice powered wedge will allow you to get volume loud enough where it feels more (not exactly like) an amp. FWIW, I've got a Dual Rectifier with Friedman 4x12 sitting right next to my Helix FRFR rig. I've got my sound dialed in on Helix>FRFR... and now prefer playing thru it vs. the Dual Rectifier>4x12. I created my own Cab IRs and hardware Neve EQ IRs. Cabs I like, mic'd the way I like, and a prime-time EQ to fine tune the tones With Helix, you have a flexible environment where you can create *your* sound. It takes some time to get comfortable using any of the higher end modelers. But the more time/experience you have, the better sound you can assemble. The more time you spend, the more the final result will sound like you. One small example: I was initially struggling with keeping the bottom end tight. Solution for me was to use a high-pass filter prior to the Amp Block. Problem solved. That's the type of thing only experience will teach. I'd recommend starting with Helix connected to a decent FRFR monitor. Bring up an Amp Block and a Cab Block. Tweak the Amp and Cab until the sound is in the ballpark. Don't forget you can use pre/post EQ to further shape the sound. Focus on this first. Regarding presets: Keep in mind that the person creating them most likely was using a different guitar. If a patch was created using a Tele, it's going to sound different when you're playing a Les Paul. The context of that patch has changed... and just may not work. Check out presets as examples of what's possible. Then, spend the time to create your own sounds. As you learn and create better results, you can then use those patches as templates for new creations (greatly speeding up the process). Regarding speakers: Even with high-end studio monitors, it's important to realize that (while they're accurate) there's no way 8" woofers are going to recreate the SPL of a 4x12 cab pushed by a 100w tube head. If that's what you're hearing in your head (and missing), the answer is to get a monitoring environment that can create similar SPL. A pair of 1000w FRFR powered monitors is much more in line with this high SPL scenario.

Glen's patches are a great way to see/hear/learn. Over time (as you get more familiar with Helix), your sounds will get better. More *you* if you will... I learned that I like using a high-pass filter prior to the Amp Block. Really helps tighten up the bottom end. If you have particular cab/s that you liked mic'd a certain way, creating Cab IRs allow you to take this even further. You've got *your* preferred Cab sound/s in Helix. Helix is very malleable. With the provided tools/processing, you can dial-in (and explore) your sound.

Any reason why the headphone amp is being used for your IEMs? The Mackie DL32R should have plenty of sends (to connect to your IEM receiver). I'd worry about your FOH sound first-and-foremost. If you have to make some minor tweaks for the venue, that's a perfect use for the master EQ. The Shure 215s are decent ear-buds. Bass player friend of mine uses the 215s. I use a pair of 425s (similar)... and they work well. Getting used to IEMs can take a minute. At first, it can feel really disconnected (from the room audience). The sound guy can put up a condenser mic (only routed to the IEMs). This help dramatically... as it puts some room/audience back into your ears. If the IEMs aren't sounding quite right, your engineer can EQ the send. It's great to be able to move anywhere in the club and be able to hear tight/immediate sound.

I've not used those particular S/PDIF format converters... but they should work just fine. The StarTech converts both ways...

The IR capture process affects the amount of high-end you'll hear in the resultant cab IR. With the right front end gear (and patience/experience), you can capture an accurate/detailed cab frequency response that needs no high-end roll-off. Note also that some convolution plugins might limit frequency response to save on computation. ie: Rarely do you want to hear reverb go up to 20k. ;)

You can get coax to optical S/PDIF format converter (and vice-versa).

FWIW, This subject broaches what I do for a living. Feel like it's an area where I've got some knowledge/experience that can be helpful. Full Thunderbolt support on PC is very new... and is subject to strict conditions. ie: If you've got a Thunderbolt-2 port (running Windows), you'll never have full "PCIe via Thunderbolt" (full bandwidth) support. If all those conditions aren't met, your Thunderbolt audio interface won't work under Windows. That's my point. Was also trying to suggest the logic as to why L-6 chose USB as a more "universal" solution (in this case chosen over TB)... at a slight performance cost (under the best of conditions).

I knew I was going to do this when I bought the iMac (wouldn't recommend it for those who've never worked on computers)... I ripped it completely apart and upgraded the CPU to a 6700k, installed a real SSD (to replace the "Fusion" drive), maxed out the RAM. Re-applied the screen... and hit the power-button... There's a significant pause after doing so... and that cues the "puckering" ;) After a couple seconds, you hear the familiar Mac start-up sound... and relief!

Never thought about in those terms... But the short answer is, yes... it does. :D

Windows recently got full "PCIe via Thunderbolt" support. It's contingent upon several things. You have to be running one of the latest generation Z170 or X998 motherboard that provide Thunderbolt-3 via USB-C port You have to be running an up-to-date install of Win10 Your audio interface has to have "PCIe via Thunderbolt" drivers available for Windows You need an approved Thunderbolt-3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt adapter If you have all these things in place, the audio interface can offer low latency performance on-par with PCIe units. Right now, MOTU and UA have "PCIe via Thunderbolt" drivers actually available. Most don't have Windows "PCIe via Thunderbolt" actually available (this will change). FWIW, Ultra low latency audio interface technology isn't Line-6's forte'. Plus, the best performing USB-2 audio interfaces are pretty close. ie: The RME Fireface UFX yields 4.3ms total round-trip latency at a 48-sample ASIO buffer size 44.1k. USB is also cheaper to implement. I can see why L-6 chose (especially when Helix was being designed) to skip Thunderbolt. If you've already got a top-performing audio interface, the Helix's AES and S/PDIF outputs are fantastic.

Assuming the Helix is properly functional, you need to spend some time getting familiar with it. The sounds I get out of Helix today are a whole lot better then when I first got it (a year or so ago). Over time, I've learned that I like a high-pass filter prior to hitting the amp-block. I've got IRs of my own cabs, mic'd the way I like them, and IRs of hardware Neve EQ to help further sculpt the sound. I've saved a couple of presets that are now Templates (used as starting points for new amp/cab combinations). My point is that (over time), you can mold the Helix into what you want/need. I've got a MESA Dual Rec with Friedman 4x12 sitting right next to my Helix FRFR setup. I actually prefer to play thru the Helix setup. I get the feel of a real amp... with the details of studio type processing. The amount of control and ease of use (live or studio) is amazing. I've bought a lot of music gear over the years. Helix is one of the best musical purchases I've made.

Neither Mac nor PC is more (or less) prone to stability issues. If the person assembling/configuring the PC knows what they're doing, a custom Win10 PC is a rock-solid DAW platform. We've been building them for over 20 years. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just plain wrong. Proper backup of the boot drive should be done whether using Mac or PC. If you're in a "zero downtime" profession (say a professional composer with strict/tight deadlines), you can do things like have a duplicate boot drive ready/waiting (just in case). We just did this for Fred Coury. Prior planning prevents lollipop poor performance (the six P's) ;) In a high-performance scenario where you needs lots of drives (say a composer who needs massive disk-streaming polyphony from Kontakt 5, etc), the Mac platform (especially with current architecture) doesn't make a lot of financial sense. The latest generation iMac with Skylake i7 6700k is outperforming the $4000 Mac Pro (due to its aging components - this will eventually change). With either the iMac or Mac Pro, additional drives have to be external (via USB-3 or Thunderbolt). As a point of reference, a 1TB Thunderbolt conventional HD is $200. That same drive is about $60 (if installed internally). If you're like me... and want/need a machine with numerous SSDs/HDs, the cost adds up fast. ie: To duplicate my 8 internal drives with external Thunderbolt equivalents, it would cost over $2000. Apple machines *are* very slick/sleek... but this was very short-sighted on their part. BTW, You want to change the boot drive on your iMac? It's a whole lot of fun peeling off the entire glass/display. You have to reapply it with double-sided tape (similar to an iPhone of iPad)... and you've got one shot to get it right. Even for folks who are pretty tech savvy, it'll get your blood pumping. A DAW really isn't so different from an instrument. The devil is in all the small details. If you play a nice PRS, Suhr, Gibson Custom, etc... you can expect it to perform well... with little muss/fuss. Hardware and electronics don't need to be upgraded, the nut is cut properly, maybe the action needs a tiny adjustment... But the guitar plays/sounds great out of the box. With a Mac (within existing limitations), the details have been attended to... With a PC, that's up the the individual. Back to Helix Native, I'm excited to work with it. I've got some Helix sounds that really work well (for me)... both live and studio. What I love about Helix, it just so quick/easy to get the desired result. I'd like to see better handling of IR... and more IR slots. Otherwise, we can always use more models... but what's already available covers most territory.

If someone has a lower-end audio interface, the Helix and Axe may very well have higher quality A/D D/A converters. The opposite is also true. If you have a higher-end audio interface (or high-end outboard converters), they may well be superior to the Helix and Axe. If there's some analog processing "behind the scenes" prior to the A/D, that would be something you wouldn't get with a plugin.

Liked this a LOT!

Hi Chappie, Working on it as we speak. :) Gonna take me a little while to get everything together. Slammed with building DAWs...

Nice tune and playing!

Yeah, mic position is important... If you put the R121 close, the bottom end is thunderous. ;)

Hi Folks, Gearing up for our new Friedman 4x12 Cab IR library, I was doing a few tests and thought I'd share this Cab IR with the forum. For this IR, I used a Royer 121 on one of the Greenbacks. The Royer 121 captures a lot of detail in the upper mids... I positioned the mic about 7" from the cab. Hope you enjoy! www.studiocat.com/temp/R121_7_cone_off_gb.zip

Exactly... The RME Fireface UFX lists 24Bit 44.1k and 48k for its WDM component (Win10 Pro - latest updates). It's fully capable of 24Bit/192k record/playback. Note: With some audio interfaces, if you try to play "Web audio" when set to higher sample-rates (above 48k), you may not hear audio. All down to the driver...

There's nothing at all wrong/broken/sub-par with running a DAW under Windows 10. I've been running custom PC DAWs for well over 20 years... and have rock-star clients doing the same. All down to who's driving the bus... Don't confuse the WDM (Windows audio) component of your audio interface's driver with the ASIO side (used for all major DAW/Video applications). ;) Using ASIO, you're not limited to 16Bit resolution... and you're not limited to 44.1/48k sample-rate.

Absolutely no connection... FWIW, My last name is Roseberry (many folks glance quickly and mistake it for Rose-n-berry). :)

Thanks to all testers for your help with the MESA 4x12. Royer 121 and Friedman 4x12 (two Greenbacks and two V30s) will arrive Friday. Can't wait to get started on the next Cab project!

Exactly... Hopefully we'll get more IR slots and better management capabilities in the future.