HonestOpinion

One of the challenges with these comparison videos is actually getting the presets on both units to be set as similarly as possible. I understand that using a 3rd party IR allows both units to be compared with the same cab sound which is probably the element that makes the most profound difference to the sound. However this does little to give you a feel for what the unit will sound like with the native built-in cabs. Any given 3rd party cab may interact better with the amps on one MFX than another. Sometimes I think the best test would just be what do the default sounds on the native amp and cab on the Helix vs. Fractal sound like with no tweaking whatsoever. Even this does not truly give you an idea of which unit has the capability to sound better with proper tweaking, only which unit sounds better out of the box. In other words, which company did a better job of releasing the stock settings. I think my ideal head to head comparison would involve two teams of "experts", one Fractal team and one Helix team. They would both have extensive time in programming their respective units and be great musicians with good ears. Each team would be tasked with coming up with either one version or multiple versions of the best amp sound they could get out of their MFX for each of a set of given amps. To me this would give a much better idea of what each unit is truly capable of. Maybe we need an "MFX Olympics". The benefit would be that they could make the presets they designed available to the public after the competition. Just think of the endorsements and groupies these guys could go home with after the "Olympics" :D

Yep, sounds like "Snapshot Mode" (both Bank buttons pushed simultaneously). Selecting just one Bank button and then a preset should put you in the mode to reflect your "snapshots top - stomps bottom" view. Also this note from the manual regarding how you have the "Snapshot Mode Switches" parameter set. "If you don’t want Snapshot footswitches to disappear after selecting one, set "Global Settings > Footswitches" > Knob 4 (Snapshot Mode Switches) to “Manual Return.†In this case, Helix stays in Snapshot footswitch mode until you press FS6 (CANCEL). "

Glad they are both out there, they provide choice, healthy competition, and encourage and inspire each other to innovate and play Leapfrog. It's all good!

Cool!

LOL. The natives are getting restless, picking at nits, time for a new firmware release, let's have something new and significant to clamor about B)

Regalpierot is probably right about testing first to see if you like the slant. Just wanted to add my two cents worth. I went with the Gator G-Tour case which comes with a slightly inclined board and I like it just fine, no issues with the footswitch angle or screen visibility. Something to keep in mind though, some folks might prefer a flat board instead of inclined and I suppose the degree of incline could make a difference as well.

Yep, and that is one of the units that requires a hex pickup. That is why the Boss GP-10 is of particular interest because I thought I saw that it can do polyphonic tracking without a hex pickup. Note: After further research it looks like you still need the hex pickup for true polyphonic operation. Not quite there yet apparently. Looks like it might do monophonic to midi through a 1/4 input though. That would be fairly novel. Not quite sure without more reading. Anyone own one of these?

Does the Boss GP-10 do polyphonic tracking with a standard 1/4 input? I thought I saw that in their literature somewhere. Usually you need a hex pickup to get truly reliable polyphonic tracking.

I am not sure which guitar is most stable but anything well made with a set-neck that is not too susceptible to temperature changes, decent machines nut and bridge, good setup, and no whammy is generally the most stable. In regards to tuners, and I do hate to appear critical about the new tuner which certainly allows me to get closer in tune, every tuner (and I have several) from my strobe to my clip-on cheapos and every tuner in between is more stable than the Helix. I hope they stabilize the display in the next firmware release.

Your observations go directly to the point I was making. If IR and EQ block high/low cuts are true cuts, as in no frequencies below or above them are allowed, then using cuts does not accurately reflect the behavior of a speaker although it is the quick and dirty method to tame the muddy boom on the low end and the shrill icepick on the high end. A typical guitar speaker may have a frequency response that provides the strongest or loudest signal in the 70hz-5khz range but still allows frequencies above and below these points, just at increasingly lower volumes which at some point probably become inaudible as you get closer to the edges of the 20hz-20khz range. I guess another factor would also be our ears are not as sensitive to sounds at the low and high ends of the audible range. All this leads me to think that it would be really nice to have some kind of an EQ block with tapered low and high cuts; perhaps tapers that could be customized. Another option would be a combination of parametric EQ and graphic EQ settings that emulated various speaker types. Of course all of this begs the question of "Isn't that what an IR is essentially supposed to do?". And if that is the intention of an IR, why do we still find ourselves often having to tame or cut the low and high end on our presets?

Happy to be of assistance, good luck in the "lab" :)

Is there a Mission pedal out now that has a toe switch that works with the Helix floor version?

Yep, I am a big fan of low/high cuts. I also use the frequency range and response from the Celestion website as a rough guide and I generally just use the low and high cuts for EQ. What can make life interesting is that although the low and high cuts are by far the easiest way to tame the high and low end they are not the most precise or surgical way to emulate the frequency response of a guitar speaker. The problem, particularly with high cuts is that although the frequency response of typical guitar speakers drops off radically at around 5khz the frequency range actually extends all the way up to 20khz. This means that a high cut at, for example 5khz, is actually completely cutting off frequencies that may still be generated above 5khz on a Celestion speaker although due to the frequency response they might be significantly quieter than the frequencies between 70hz-5khz or may even be inaudible. I guess ultimately a combination of parametric and graphic EQ might be a more precise way to emulate a guitar speaker but I just find it easier to use the low/high cuts instead. I think this profound difference between frequency range and frequency response may account for why many people prefer a high cut more around the 6-8khz area because even though a typical guitar speaker's signal attenuates or drops off at 5khz due to the speaker's frequency response, its range does not completely cut off there. There are still audible frequencies above 5khz, just not as loud.

If you look under Global Settings --> Ins/Outs on the third page there is a "Volume Knob Controls" parameter. Although there is not a "None" choice you can set it to something you are not outputting to such as "Digital".

The Send/Return inputs/outputs on the Helix are TS (unbalanced) so it would be an XLR to TS connection from the XLR "Output" connection of the Firefly back to the Helix. However, if you are going to use the Firefly in a send/return loop with the Helix "Send" going to Firefly "Input A", one choice might be to use the Firefly's "Aux Out" output back to the Helix's "Return" input which would only require a standard TS cable eliminating the need for an XLR to TS connection. I believe the Firefly's "Aux Out" output can be used pre or post tube section so you would still get the benefit of the tube if you want it. Remember you have the "Aux Thru" button on the side of the Firefly if you have any ground hum issues via the Firefly's "Aux Out" output. Or... it might ultimately be simpler and take better advantage of the Firefly's capabilities to just use the Firefly after the Helix. Nothing but choices here, lot 'o flexibility on tap between these two devices (Helix, Firefly). Note: In the event that you decide to use a Send/Return loop on the Helix, The "Aux Out" output on the Firefly is a high-Z output so I am not sure how or if this would impact the signal being passed back into the Helix's "Return" input. It probably won't matter as it will be the Helix's "Send" output that would be delivering the signal to the Firefly's "Input A".

You can disable the cap-sensitive switching by setting the "Touch Select" parameter to "Off" under Global Settings --> Footswitches.

What makes the answer to how to use the Radial Firefly potentially a little more complicated is that it has the "Drag Controlâ„¢ load correction that lets you adjust the load on a magnetic pickup so that it 'feels' as if connected to a tube amplifier.". If you need to continue using this feature you will probably have to place the DI at the beginning of your signal chain directly connected to your bass and use the Firefly's "Aux Out" to the Helix's input. If you do that you may have to play with the impedance setting on the Helix's "Input" block or the pad setting in the Global Settings --> In/Out depending on what the output signal from the Firefly is set to. However, you will probably find you don't need the "Drag Control" on the DI with all of the available amp features on the Helix including things like the "sag" parameter which can substantially change the 'feel' of the bass, similar to the intention of the "Drag Control" on the Firefly. If you are not concerned about using the "Drag Control" feature on the Firefly then as others have said the best way to use it may be as a standard DI after the Helix and before the PA and your amp. Use the Helix's 1/4 output connected to the Firefly's "Input A", and then use the Firefly's "Aux Out" to your bass amp and the Firefly's XLR "Output" connection to the PA. As WickedFinger points out though you are always free to experiment and see where it sounds best in your signal chain. Note: You may also want to take a look at this topic or others like it with tips on getting a good bass tone from the Helix. http://line6.com/support/topic/22839-help-with-bass-tone/

The AG truly was a great pedal! They seemed to have found some magic mojo with it that made it incredibly fast and easy to make any acoustic guitar sound great through the PA within moments. An updated version of it would be awesome but I think the tech in that pedal is really expensive to make these days. It was probably expensive to produce even then as they never really followed it up . No acoustic pedal I have tried since sounds as warm to my ears although many certainly have some features missing on the AG Stomp. They really got the EQ and processing right for acoustic guitar with that pedal. I am not saying that the Helix can't ultimately produce a better tone than the AG, it is just the AG was so quick and easy to dial in. Would love to see it, or parts of it, modeled for the Helix, perhaps with an accompanying preset that would recreate the EQ, chorus, reverb, and compressor/limiter sections of the pedal as blocks. Hey it was a Yamaha product, why not throw it some well deserved props on the Helix. Note: Oh, and as I have mentioned on this forum before, it had phantom power for your acoustic to eliminate the battery, something I wish every MFX intended for acoustic guitar use included.

The "Pad" setting can be found under Global Settings --> Ins/Outs. Try setting the "Guitar In Pad" parameter to "On". The impedance setting can be found on the "Input" block under each preset. Experimenting with this may help. The High Cut filter can be set by inserting either the "Low Cut/High Cut" EQ block into your preset path or any of the other EQ blocks that include a Low Cut/High Cut. Also make sure you have "Mic" or "Line" selected properly for the output to your amp if you are using XLR outputs, if you are using the 1/4 output choose "Line" or "Instrument" (see manual for output settings); this is also found under Global Settings --> Ins/Outs. Lastly experiment with the levels used in your effects and the output block as well as the large output knob as musiclover7 suggested. Your output signal from the Helix may be too hot or it could be too low, either could potentially cause thinness or a tinny sound. Also, I am not sure if you are using the factory presets or designing your own but you want to make sure the mix for the signal is set and routed correctly to the outputs particularly if the preset has merge/split routes or multiple outputs set up.

Echo that!

Thanks for posting up the video PeterHamm. Some incredibly good tones there but I am still hearing that vaguely "piezo" artificial slightly phased, slightly digital tone that makes me throw up my hands and just want to plug my acoustic direct to the board or through my old Yamaha AG stomp. I can't quite put my finger on it but it just does not quite have that killer woody organic tone I look for in an acoustic guitar sound. Not bad overall though, better than many other so called acoustic presets, IRs, and tones I have heard and would certainly do just fine for saving you having to bring an extra acoustic guitar to a gig. Still leaning towards giving these a try.

Exactly, I think what the OP might be looking for is as neutral a mic as possible. Full frequency range and a flat frequency response.

Might be worth experimenting with the input block impedance and turning on the pad. Also the usual advice about setting a high cut filter.

The Crowdster is a really nice guitar but a bit of a custom design. I am wondering what these IRs would sound like with something like a standard acoustic-electric like a Martin or Taylor with a soundhole? I guess the video gives you some idea of their sound and the IRs do sound good with both standard acoustic guitars and electrics. I am curious what they would sound like with a Variax or with an electric guitar with a piezo. I notice that they notably don't include any strumming on the clips of the electric guitars playing through the IRs - finger-picking only. Seems like even with a good IR it is still a challenge to get a good strummed sound with an electric emulating an acoustic. I must admit I am tempted to give these a try and psyched to see 3Sigma embarking on what looks like an ongoing effort to produce IRs for acoustic instruments of all kinds.

Are you using them with an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar or some kind of hybrid acoustic-electric with piezos?