jroseberry

This is absolutely true. Impulse-Responses capture the "filter" part of the speaker... but not the "ballistics". Dynamic convolution would capture at least some of the ballistics... but it's under patent by Focusrite.

Hi Folks, Inspired by the work of Glenn DeLaune, I decided to create some "tone shaping" IRs using a hardware Neve EQ. Note that these are not cab IRs, they're strictly for shaping the tone of your existing amp/cab. The IRs were designed to soften the high-end... and fatten up the bottom and low mids. I was using my Friedman 2x12 cab IRs (free) when creating them... but they should be applicable to many different circumstances. The name scheme is like this (Bass, Middle, Treble): Neve EQ +1 00 +1 Bass = +1 Middle = 0 Treble = 1 I hope many of you find them useful. http://www.studiocat.com/temp/Neve_tone_IRs.zip

I've owned the Kemper, Axe-FX II XL+, AX8, and Helix. I could have kept any/all of them... but after hours of side-by-side comparison... I decided on the Helix. Helix can sound very good. If you're hearing an overly bright top-end, it's easy to remedy. This can be done via the onboard low-pass filters or using an appropriate IR. If you just load a default amp model... and say it's too bright (without little to no tweaking of parameters)... I just don't get the sentiment. Would you do the same when firing up a new tube-head/cab? If it's too bright, you'd turn down the presence/treble controls. If it's overly boomy, you'd turn down the resonance/bass controls. I could happily use any of the above... but I simply enjoy using Helix more than the others. FWIW, Talking about amp-models having a flabby bottom-end... When using either the Helix or Axe/AX8, a high-pass filter (prior to the Amp block) works wonders for tightening up the bottom end. These devices are no different than any other piece of music gear. One man's awesome is another's POS. It's like arguing politics... There is no absolute right.

FWIW, If you find the Boutique patches too quiet, it's *really* easy to adjust the volume. ;) I can't imagine this being any type of significant issue... even for less tech-savvy users.

That's wild conjecture on my part... but it makes logical sense. The Line-6 folks are probably looking at this... laughing... spitting coffee on their monitors. :D

With the delay in releasing the Boutique Amp presets, I'm wondering if we're getting Tone-Matching in the next Helix update.

Why the sour attitude? Reading thru your post, it's mostly your best guess at what Glenn has done to create his Boutique Amp presets... and trying to shoot it down. I'm not here to defend Glenn (don't know him), but you're saying he's making claims that he never actually did. - Glenn didn't say his custom IRs feedback. Feedback happens when a speaker and guitar pickup interact. - I don't believe Glenn ever said he created a new means of capturing IRs or Tone-Matching. You're right that "Tone-Matching" is not a new process. In fact, long before anyone coined the term "Tone-Matching", Samplitude 2496 had this ability with its FFT filter. That's been probably 15 years. I'm intrigued by what I'm hearing in Glenn's new Boutique Amp presets. No matter what process was used, the results sound pretty good. As far as "marketing", I think Glenn has tried to clarify what the new presets are (not new actual models... but rather simulations of amp models not in the Helix)... and demonstrated them by playing. If you think Glenn's style is full of hype, have you ever seen a Steven Slate video? ;) I don't see any harm/foul when someone is trying to help others get more from their Helix. Yeah, Glenn and Fremen are charging for their presets... but it's not overly expensive. Sound designers program/sell Keyboard presets (for the same reasons).

My guess is that we might see a Tone-Match IR type feature... and I'm guessing it'll be released somewhere around Oct 10th. ;) I'm most likely completely wrong...

If you run a high-passfilter right before the Amp Block (~80-100Hz)... and it's still muddy on the low end, there's an issue somewhere. That should tighten up the bottom end of any of the amp models. As was mentioned, I'd save your presets, do a full factory restore, then check the input impedance settings.

100% signal processed with the IR. it's definitely something with the Fractal Cable block.

FWIW, I had both the Helix and AX8 (also the AXE-FX)... and compared them extensively side-by-side. I don't want to slam Fractal (admire their products and commitment), but IME they're doing something in their Cab block that colors the sound of the IR. Load the exact same acoustic guitar IR into both the Helix and AX8 (no other DSP blocks)... and the sound is significantly different. In the Helix, with no tweaking, the sound is very natural and playing piezo equipped guitars sounds closer to an acoustic. In the AX8 (same IR), even after much tweaking, the acoustic guitar IR was far less effective in making piezo equipped guitar sound more like an acoustic. It's like there was some comb-filtering happening in the Cab block of the AX8. That shouldn't be the case... but I could never get the same type of natural acoustic sound from the AX8. I had some good crunch/gain sounds dialed up on the AX8. Still wasn't crazy about the Cab block (many of the stock Cab IRs lean toward dark/tubby). To keep things in perspective, if Helix didn't exist... I'd happily use the AX8.

The only real advantage of using IRs (instead of the onboard Cabs) is to have complete control over the cab sound. You can choose the Cab, the mic/s, the preamp, and how the mic is positioned. I think the onboard Cabs are fine. IRs are just another way to customize the overall sound to your specific preferences. Certainly not necessary... but (IMO) particularly nice

Loving the Helix. Created some cab IRs from a Friedman 2x12 (vintage 30s). Wanted to share them with the community. http://www.studiocat...an_2x12_cab.zip Three basic mic positions for most of the IRs. 1 = center 2 = edge of cap 3 = cone 1o = center off-axis 2o = edge of cap off-axis 3o = cone off-axis Multiple mics were used (SM57, SM7b, MD421, RE20, RE320, C414). The center positions are bright. If that's not to your liking, make sure to try the other positions. Enjoy!

FWIW, If you're using an external tuner (or other pedal/s) patched via one of the sends, this increases the odds of a ground-loop. That's happened to me several times. In this case, lifting the Helix ground didn't solve the issue.

There's a set of (free) Taylor acoustic guitar Impulse-Responses. You can search this forum for a link. Load those IRs into your Helix... use a little EQ and reverb. Sounds amazingly good with piezo equipped guitars.

If you have a Mooger Fooger or external Envelope-Filter type pedal, you can use those with Helix's sends/returns. I don't think Octave down is too useful with bass. Octave up... to simulate playing "tutti" with a guitar player would probably be more practical.

Helix works great for bass (live or recording). I particularly like the Cali 400 Ch1 model. Helix provides flexible signal routing, so you can tailor the EFX for bass. ie: Put an effect on a separate path... and using high-pass filters to keep it from affecting the low end.

I consider myself somewhat picky when it comes to reverb. Can't stand metallic or grainy sounding reverb algorithms The Plate works well for me... Dial in a nice balance of wet vs. clarity... and the reverb doesn't sound bad at all. It's there... but it doesn't get in the way. For more "wash/ambient" type sounds, I could see wanting higher density reverb. Something more along the lines of higher end Lexicon units (480/960)

First, I would try to specifically define what you're looking for... Pick out some examples as reference points Research the gear (especially the amp/cab) used to create those "reference" sounds Now, setup the Helix to mimic that gear I'd start with one of the higher-gain amps... and pair that with a cab (onboard or IR) that puts the sound in the ballpark. Changing the mic/distance can help further "dial-in" the sound... as can high-pass and low-pass filters.

Hi Robert, Glad you like the IRs. Thanks for the shout-out and thanks for posting a link to your tune. Great stuff!

Very Cool Al! Thanks for posting.

Glad you like the IRs. At some point, drop a line and let us know how you're using them.

If you get a free moment, drop us a line and let us hear the result. Love hearing what other folks do with the sounds/cabs...

The Friedman 2x12 cab (vintage 30s) sounds great with many different tube amps. I wanted the IR capture process to have as little affect as possible... With a good sounding cab, it's just a matter of having decent mics and positioning them well. (Same as straight up recording) I wanted more control over my cab sound. Numerous mics (each having a different character) positioned to capture bright thru darker tones. Using the IRs, it's just one step closer to the sound in my head. I like a consistent amp sound for the bulk of a gig. That helps give the band an identifiable sound. Playing with dynamics/nuance (rolling guitar volume , boosts for solos, different drives, etc) things sound consistent... but not static. Glad the IRs are working well for you.

Thanks for the kind words folks! Glad many are finding the IRs useful. If any of you get a moment, let us hear what you're doing with them.