HonestOpinion

If that truly is the only difference between the Alto and the Headrush, I find no flaws in your logic. If there weren't changes in the cabinet, baffles, crossover, amplifier, etc. - something, anything, to add value to an FRFR targeted at guitar modeling I would want to return the Headrush for the Alto as the Headrush would then be nothing but a feature impaired TS312. I think it is worth following up with the company on for a confirmation or return.

I know what you mean about the cork sniffing. As you point out the mic/line pres probably don't vary that much when it comes to the ones used on the backs of similarly priced powered speakers. I do think there is more variance in the pres between mixing boards. Still, in the hands of a great soundman a crappy board with budget mic pres can sound better than a Midas or Allen & Heath with a hack at the controls. There are lots of other factors to getting good sound. Still remain a fan of quality mic pres and different mic pres though. As you said in your original post the biggest impact may be in the event that you need to plug a mic directly into your powered speaker and, oh no, it doesn't have a mic pre or a mic/line level switch that would serve. That's where the mic input on the Helix might come in very handy.

I have not compared two Helices but I would say there is no guarantee that they will all be identical. Line6 has been known to change components from one batch run of their devices to another. Usually to address a defect but I suppose it could happen due to a part's availability as well. They just recalled a batch of HX Effects for a fix so it does happen. Not that unusual in the industry really. You see it done quite a bit with computers. Any given brand name computer for example can have a whole range of different components over the lifetime of one specific model with exactly the same configuration. Those changes may or may not result in a perceptible difference. I do wish companies were more forthcoming about these changes though. I don't think there is any guarantee that every part in a Helix purchased a week after initial release is the same as the ones being manufactured now unless Line6 states that that is the case.

Not sure I understood your post correctly? Were you saying there is no difference in tone between mic preamps or between mic preamps and non mic preamps? Mic preamps can definitely color the tone. High quality mixing boards tend to have better mic pres to my ears and tube pres can sound different from digital or solid state. There are also differences in dynamic range and other factors that can impact the vocal sound. Seems like you were getting at something else here than that though. https://www.uaudio.com/blog/top-5-reasons-mic-preamps-matter/

"Necrobump" that is hilarious! Just in general I think many of us would like to see Line6 add proper metering indicators of some kind on the entire HX line of equipment.

Makes perfect sense! You can also restore a stereo path after a single IR by using a stereo block. All the amp blocks are mono anyway but as usual it is all about how you want to route things in any given preset.

Snapshots are absolutely critical to me on the Helix. Firstly they are what enables spillover/trails for the reverb and delay blocks. That feature does not work between presets, only between snapshots. Another important consideration is that a parameter can only be assigned to a single controller/footswitch on the Helix if you are using pedal mode. By assigning a parameter to snapshots you are in essence allowing multiple controllers/footswitches to be able to control that parameter. Snapshots are also what allows low latency switching. Preset switches can have a significantly longer gap than snapshot switches. Add to that the ability to quickly change amp blocks for multi-channel amp emulations, the ability to change not only bypass states but also parameter settings for all of your blocks and routing mixes from snapshot to snapshot. For me that means when I go for example from a rhythm to a lead tone I can do more that just kick in a distortion pedal. I can change the amp channel block, change the EQ, kick in several effects simultaneously etc.. Although some of these maneuvers can be pulled off by multiple assignments in pedal mode, many operations are either straight up impossible to do with only pedal assignments or just much simpler to do with snapshots. Certainly any time you find yourself having to press more than one footswitch to for example change to a different part of the song you should consider using a snapshot instead. Whether they are called 'Snapshots' on the Helix or 'Scenes' on the Ax8 they are a hugely powerful feature. Btw, you may be aware of this but you can actually use just one IR block and switch IRs by assigning the IR block's 'IR Select' parameter to the snapshots rather than switching between two IR blocks. This can save you some DSP and a block when you are not planning to blend two IRs. A helpful video with some good tidbits such as the fact that changing snapshots with certain delay parameters can cause some unanticipated changes, much the same as if you spun the delay knob on a pedal in the middle of a sustained chord.

There is currently no 'auto-save' setting in the conventional sense on the Helix. I believe you are both referring to the Global Settings --> Preferences --> 'Snapshot Edits' setting which can be set to "Discard" or "Recall". Although this setting affects how frequently you have to save while editing, all saves still have to be explicit, whether you are saving in between snapshot changes/edits or just once for the entire preset. The 'Snapshot Edits' parameter affects two operations, editing and saving of snapshots and presets, and also how on-the-fly changes are retained for the duration of the time you are in a preset when you are only performing and not saving anything. The behavior of the 'Snapshot Edits' settings are the same for both editing and performance but I broke them out for clarity. Edit Preset mode (with saving) Discard = Snapshot edits are discarded if you do not save before switching away and then back to the same snapshot When you use 'Discard' mode you are going to want to push save before you switch to a new snapshot while editing a preset. The 'Discard' setting when used during editing usually requires multiple saves per preset when designing your snapshots. Recall = Snapshot edits are retained between snapshot switches and only require you to save once before leaving the preset Performance mode (no saving) Discard = Any changes you make while playing live will be discarded when you switch away from and back to the snapshot. Let's say you have a snapshot with the distortion block bypassed and you activate the distortion. In 'Discard' mode, the next time you return to that snapshot the distortion block will be bypassed again, it returns back to the state the snapshot was originally saved in. Recall = Any changes made to the snapshots while playing live will be retained until you switch presets. As long as you are only switching snapshots all your on-the-fly changes will be retained until you switch away from the preset. In this case, if you have the distortion block bypassed in a snapshot and activate it, it will remain activated in that snapshot until you manually turn it off. When you switch away from the snapshot and then return to it the distortion you turned on manually will still be on. All your snapshot changes are retained until you switch away from the preset.

I appreciate your point. Amazing how many useful blocks you stuffed in there. No arguing that it will work in many a situation and the reverbs sound top notch. Great stuff, please keep it coming. Also no debating that having a broad selection of HX reverbs, including mono versions of commonly used reverbs such as spring, plate, and hall, presents you with the option of a lower DSP footprint, less blocks used, less configuration required, and more DSP and blocks available for other tasks. Hoping to see continuing evolution of the reverbs on the Helix as well as helpful videos on how to get the most out of the existing ones.

Great design and very generous of you to post it. Thanks!

Despite the fact that except in very rare cases I do not find the DSP to be limiting on the Helix there are any number of presets I have that get near to or actually max out the DSP while using only a single reverb block. They would not be able to accommodate the multiple additional blocks required for a more elaborate reverb setup. Some of my presets are lean and mean with plenty of DSP to spare and some utilize all of the DSP available. These include presets with three amp models that emulate a three channel amp or with multiple IRs or cabs, also presets with particularly DSP intensive effect blocks, or "kitchen sink" presets with every effect I might want to kick in spontaneously during a tune. Some of my more bloated presets might include two compressors(beginning and end of signal chain), flanger, chorus, phaser, touch-wah, pitch block, multiple overdrives/distortion, looper, multiple delays, etc.. Believe me, once you get to picking stuff off the shelves of the Helix candy store it is easier than you think to fill up your shopping cart. How much effort and DSP I am willing to devote to reverb depends on the sound I am going for. Many tunes I play require only one block for reverb with minimal tweaking. I use snapshots and they get utilized to vary the reverb parameters where necessary. I understand the utility of your video for some scenarios but having room for "one other stereo effect" would not be sufficient in many presets. Don't get me wrong, as I stated in my previous post, I think your video provides some great tones and ingenious methods for getting a grand reverb tone. You have definitely demonstrated some higher level reverb design ideas. However, depending on the focus of a preset and what other blocks are required, using it a a general template would not work for everyone as it would be too DSP intensive, and that is fine. Your video will be just the ticket for some folks, others may use a subset of the blocks in your preset. I am sure you can see where depending on what other blocks are required in a preset there are scenarios where a single reverb block is preferable. This is a great video for presets focused on reverb but I don't think it can be characterized as leaving plenty of DSP for other things. Nothing wrong with that, it has other virtues. Thank you for posting it!

Thanks for letting us know what worked. Definitely helpful to others with the same issue.

I think some confusion in this topic is caused by the fact that a lot of players use the word "fizz" synonymously with shrillness or harshness; it seems to be a catchall phrase for undesirable things happening on the high or high-mid end of the spectrum. I agree that a surplus of gain in various blocks can contribute to fizz or harshness in your tone and should probably be one of the first things you attend to in your preset. Finding the right mic type for your Helix cab or judicious IR selection is also a good place to start. My experience using an FRFR in combination with the Helix at performance volume levels is that despite what you do to minimize issues on the low and high end by proper preset setup, you often will still require high and low cuts and/or parametric cuts. Without them, depending on the preset, things can get boomy, flubby, or shrill. I understand why perspectives on low/high cuts vary depending on the user though given the huge number of variables regarding how people design their presets, what volume they play at, and what they are using to monitor, not to mention their personal tone preferences. I do not think fizz can be solely attributed to gain levels or mic/IR selection however. If that were the case I would definitely have to take cruisinon2 up on his prescription for switching away from the Helix to a Marshall and a Tubescreamer. Even when I am careful with gain levels or mic selection I usually still have to employ low/high cuts. Fortunately low/high cuts really do help to dial in and tame the tone at stage volumes going through an FRFR/PA. Ultimately though, there are those who just happen to have the right combination of equipment, preset design style, and their own highly subjective guitar tone preferences, such that cuts are not required. All these factors contribute to why there will never be total consensus on these issues. I think that is why it is really helpful when people post non-universal suggestions regarding how to sculpt tone that they include which equipment they are playing through and other relevant details about their personal setup or the tone they are going after. That way you can weight more heavily the tips that may be most pertinent to your particular setup and preferences.

You say you are on version 2.54 of the firmware. What version of the Editor are you using? You should be using HX Edit 2.52. You probably want to try phil_m's reset fix in the post above before attempting the procedure below. If it is not a versioning or a reset issue then you may have a bad preset. Try exporting each setlist and try to narrow things down to which one is failing. Then you can export your individual presets in bulk by highlighting half of them and hitting 'Export'. If the export fails you know which half of the setlist has the problem. If it doesn't fail try the other half. Rinse and repeat halving the number of presets each time you export until you get down to the one preset that is causing the problems. Then delete or modify it. It sounds laborious but it doesn't take that long.

The best way to make sure you have the proper driver installed is to download the Helix Editor package that matches your firmware and install that. It will automatically unpack the Editor, Updater, and driver that matches your firmware. Downloading the driver separately is often a recipe, particularly over the course of ongoing updates, to end up with a mismatched driver. It doesn't hurt to uninstall your current driver first either. As others have pointed out try all of your available USB ports and try to eliminate possible conflicting drivers or devices.

At the risk of being redundant as many here have stated these points, I love the flexibility of the Helix cabs. Can't wait for them to add more parameters like off-axis. The right IR in the right preset can be killer as well. Tips for best results using Helix stock cabs (obvious but maybe worth repeating): Before anything else find the cab and especially the mic type that sounds best to you. Selecting the right mic type will probably make the biggest difference in your cab's sound. Adjust the mic distance, this makes a noticeable change in the perceived immediacy, tone and even "harshness" of the sound. Experiment with early reflections I often place only a 10k high cut in the cab block but nothing lower in the cab block. More severe cuts get placed in EQ blocks. Particularly if you are playing through an FRFR you may find it critical to place a low cut from about 70-120hz and a high cut from 5khz on up in an EQ block after the cab, adjusted to taste and depending on the preset and your monitoring equipment. If you have to you can go even higher than 120hz on the low cut. It is amazing how much cutting the lows will tighten up and sweeten your tone. The same thing applies to high cuts. Forget the khz number and cut until it sounds good. When it comes to high and low cuts if you have the energy and the time and can pull off a similar result with more surgical parametric cuts than do that instead. Using strategic parametric cuts may allow you to use no, or less dramatic, high/low cuts. The cuts described above apply primarily to playing through FRFRs at performance volume levels. Studio players as well as those who play through traditional guitar cabs or at low volumes may find these cuts too extreme or even entirely unnecessary. Try dual cab or two different cabs on parallel paths and EQ one cab for the high end and one for a lower sound. Then mix to taste. Leverage snapshots and assign parameters like the low and high cuts to them such that for example you can have a gentler high cut that allows more highs in a clean snapshot for extra sparkle. Your snapshot for your lead tone can be set to a more aggressive high cut for when you are digging in on a solo up the neck and don't want things to get shrill. Or you can do the reverse for muted chords and a solo that really cuts through the mix. You can even change cab parameters like mic type, mic distance, etc. from snapshot to snapshot. The key is taking advantage of snapshots to individually optimize amp/cab, effect, and EQ settings such that they match what you are trying to accomplish in that snapshot(rhythm, solo, etc.). As has been pointed out you can also switch between different IRs using snapshots.

Thx! :-)

Great video and excellent reverb sounds but more effort and more DSP required than I would generally dedicate to my reverb. Might be great for specific presets where the reverb sound was paramount. I'm sure some of the more diligent preset designors here will get a lot of mileage out of yeatzee's video. Still hoping for Line6 to add mono HX versions of the meat and potato reverb models like spring, hall, plate, etc.. With all the talk on the forum about Strymon style reverbs I can understand why Line6 chose to deliver the reverb selection they did last update. However, it feels like somebody handed me some hip-hugging Jordache designer jeans with a Bedazzler kit and a tube full of glitter when all I really wanted was some high quality work pants.

As the first user I have seen on the forum who reports having one of these, what do you prefer about the Headrush over the Alto TS210? Some folks have speculated that the Headrush appeared to be a repackaged Alto so I am genuinely curious as to what you like about the Headrush. I know there are differences in the specs but I am more curious about what you prefer regarding the end result. At a $299 price point they do have some appeal.

Great links including Line6Tony's post, very informative, thank you! Interesting that they used a "custom designed" speaker. That still doesn't tell us who manufactures it. Unusual that it is "based" on an Eminence speaker but that the compression driver appears to be an actual Celestion. Mixing and matching speaker manufacturers, hmm. I don't think the compression driver's 30 watts of continuous power should be a problem. At least according to the Powercab's specs on Line6 "Products" page the 50 watt power rating to the compression driver is a peak power rating which could easily translate into 30 watts continuous power or less so the Celestion should be able to handle it. I could not find a peak watts rating in the Celestion specs. Just to make things more fun Celestion's specs for the CDX1-1010 compression driver list RMS and continuous power separately and differently. They do explain the difference in their footnotes. Continuous power and RMS are usually used synonymously by most manufacturers even if they are not exactly the same thing. https://blog.zzounds.com/2017/07/19/peak-vs-continuous-power-ratings-speakers/ Also enlightening that the Powercab does not allow the option to use the compression driver for speaker models. I suppose it kind of makes sense if they wanted to avoid people complaining about high-end fizz. That decision probably makes the Powercab act more like a normal guitar cab and allow more people to get an authentic guitar tone instantly which btw, would be in keeping with their decision to go with a lower wattage amplifier. My other question does not really get answered either, "what is the actual continuous (RMS) power rating?". All I saw in the Powercab description on Line6's product site is 250 peak watts(guitar speaker 200 peak watts and compression driver 50 peak watts). Line6Tony's comment about "real watts" is on point as there can be substantial discrepancies as well as genuine differences in methodology in how various manufacturers rate power supplies. However, while I acknowledge how power ratings can be fudged, mistaken, or shall we say overly optimistic, I have to admit that to many old spec readers like myself "real watts" is measured in continuous power or RMS, not peak. I hope Line6 publishes the continuous power spec. If someone finds it please post back here. I know in the fast-paced world of measure-bating, manufacturers are loath to put out a smaller power rating than their competitors but it is still informative and may actually be an advantage and postive differentiator in the Powercab . I like the approach Line6 has taken here with a lower powered but still quite substantial amplifier in their cab. This is a hybrid beast and has the potential to sound great with any modeler and be the perfect companion to a modeler in the Helix/HX line. Particularly if the HX firmware is enhanced to allow control of the Powercab. The lower wattage may actually prove to be an advantage in getting more authentic guitar tones. I say announce your lower power rating loudly and with pride Line6. ("Smiley-face emoticon", if you are reading this after the emoticons get restored to the forum please realize they were not implemented yet when this post was originally written. "Additional smiley-face emoticon")

Thanks for the info on the coax speaker! If you happen to stumble across the link please post it.

Thanks for providing a bit of historical perspective here Phil. I have no doubt there may have been some users who were confused by those settings. There will always be those who get confused by any given setting or option especially something as vague as "Combo Front". I understand its meaning but that is a somewhat obtuse setting name that bears explanation. Ultimately I doubt the number of posts from people confused regarding setting names even begins to approach the number of posts regarding fizz, and how to optimize EQ and other settings to get a good initial sound. I still think adding different monitor equipment settings would make life easier for both new Helix owners as well as those who frequently play through different rigs. Also, people have a tendency to spin through those kinds of global equipment settings when they exist and find one that works for them, even if they don't understand the naming convention. If we start using potential confusion as the sole yardstick for whether or not to include a feature we might well find ourselves having to provide a Helix with only a single optimized preset. Absolutely no tweaking, amp or effect choices allowed! :-) (Btw, if the emoticons still worked this would have been followed by a big grinning smiley face with teeth)

I am curious as to who makes the coax speaker in the Powercab? Also find it interesting that Line6 chose to go with a 250 peak watts of power rather than the 1,000+ watts that many newer powered PA speakers and some other FRFR options tend to come in around or about. I was unable to find a continuous(RMS) power rating listed. Continuous wattage is usuallly significantly less so I am wondering what it is? Likely that the power range in the Powercab is more like a traditional guitar amp than for example a powered PA speaker. Not necessarily a negative IMHO just a very different approach than some of the other recent offerings such as the Headrush FRFR which has 2,000 watts peak and 1,000 continuous (RMS). I do find the Powercab tempting! The ability to offload the cab or IR processing DSP on the Powercab+ as well as being able to use the L6 link for a seamless digital flow from the Helix is great. I wonder if they will ever find the development cycles to allow control of the various functions such as cab/mic selection or IR loading to be done from the Helix. That would be a lot easier than working the back panel of the Powercab or having to connect a computer. I think implementing control over the Powercab from the Helix, LT, and maybe even the HX Effects will definitely sell a lot more of them.

Using the Helix or any modeler with an FRFR is profoundly different than using it with a guitar amp. As has been stated many times and is a well known fact an FRFR does not have the built-in extreme limitations on both frequency response and frequency range that a guitar speaker possesses. The Helix does not know what you are going to plug into. If for example it only outputted the correct signal adjusted for an FRFR it would probably sound dull and lifeless through a guitar amp. In essence you would have a Helix signal that already had high and low cuts going into a guitar amp combo or cab that applied those cuts again. This would result in low and high end cuts that were too drastic. All this talk about fizz makes me want to reiterate a few points. The Helix would be well served by including some initial global settings such as "FRFR", "Combo Amp", "Stack", "Keyboard Amp", etc. that matched the monitor(FRFR, guitar cab) that will be used. Adding gradations of these settings such as "FRFR Flat", "FRFR Dark", "Combo Amp Bright", etc. would add additional value to these settings. These would essentially be global EQ's with low/high and even parametric cuts/boosts, and maybe even include output levels that get new users in the general ballpark of a good sound for the specific monitoring equipment they are using or trying out a new Helix with. Settings like these can also make switching between different types of monitors much easier without having to adjust presets individually. These kinds of settings have existed for years on other modelers. For new users of the Helix who are using an FRFR I think the easiest way to get started is to set your Global EQ up with a low cut of 70-120hz and a high cut of 5-5.5khz and then adjust to taste. If you are feeding in to a mixer you can set those cuts up there instead of or even in addition to using the global settings on the Helix. Using the global settings is just a starting point for new users. As you grow more familiar with the Helix you may want to turn off the global EQ and migrate your EQ cuts into your presets allowing you to vary them depending on the preset or even the snapshot being used. This will free up your Global EQ that you used initially as a novice Helix user for adjusting to different PA's, rooms, and guitar monitors. It will also give you finer control over your EQ cuts. Some will find that it is simpler and that they prefer to just continue to use the Global EQ going forward and that is fine. Of course some presets, depending on the amp/cab and effects used, sound ok without modification, but many need these cuts. If you are primarily a bedroom or studio user of the Helix or you just happen to have the right magic combination of monitoring equipment you may find that high/low cuts are largely unnecessary. This probably accounts for at least one contingent of forum users who cannot see why there is so much hullabaloo about fizz. Design your presets as closely to gig volumes as you can. It cannot be stressed enough how much difference this makes in having your presets sound as good at rehearsal and gigs as they do when you are designing them. Make sure to protect your ears! Many of the tones that sound just fantastic at practice volumes instantly become boomy, muddy, and/or ear-piercing at gig volumes. That becomes immediately apparent when I take tones that sounded perfect to me at practice volume and use them at rehearsal. The characteristics of sound and tone change profoundly dependent on volume (Fletcher-Munson, etc.). Also, be prepared to have to restore a bit of brightness for cutting through the band in the mix. How the preset will sit in the mix with several other instruments can be difficult to determine exactly when you are practicing alone.

Yep, no denying it does make the most efficient use of DSP. I think if you have horsepower to spare there may be other blocks that make for a more subtle or even "musical" cut. I guess as is often the case there is more than one way to get there. Whatever works and sounds best with your presets and rig.