ricksteruk

My tip: Cab sims are supposed to make it sound boxy! It's supposed to sound like you'd cranked and miked up your D50 with a SM57 and are then sitting next door listening to it in the studio through the studio monitors. I find the Interstate 2x12 cab the least offending. Use a high cut above about 4.5kHz, and a low at about 100Hz

For the processed signal simply add a gain block. You should be able to turn it up at loud as you need - and if not for any reason... Just add another. But really you don't need (or want) the signal to be going anywhere near 0dB for recording unless you are making a live mix - for example adding it to a live camera feed to stream it or broadcast. Assuming you are just recording it and will do some post production / editing later there is little need to worry about signal levels as long as you're not clipping. There is so much dynamic range available with 24 bit recording it really makes recording levels less of a worry.

First thing to do is check that you have "Instrument" level set on the Helix Send/Return loop you are using. (within Global settings menu) Then make sure you set your amp's FX loop to -10dBv as that's closest to the instrument level that the front of the JVM is expecting to receive - but still it's actually louder. So I find I usually set the Return level on the Send/Return block to about -15dB. To explain...Helix's Send will be sending Instrument Level to your JVM input which is good, but then the JVM's FX Send is giving -10dBv Consumer Line Level to the Helix return, which is expecting a lower instrument level. You probably want to set the main Helix 1/4in outs to Instrument Level - but they would also usually work fine set at Line level as you've set your JVM loop to -10dBv, you won't overload the JVM's FX return either way - so just do what seems best. If you bypass the JVMs FX loop you can balance the levels through the Helix. It's all quite confusing really!!!

Hi Farley, congrats on the Helix! I'm mainly using mine in 4cm with my Hughes & Kettner Switchblade combo which is awesome, but I'd like to try a JVM.. maybe a 205 Head or Combo. FX - yes most people put delays, reverbs and modulation after the Preamp (Send/Return). Wahs, Compressors and Overdrives are generally better before the Preamp (Send/Return). Some people like Phasers, Flangers etc before the Preamp. EXP1 & 2. If you press the toe switch down on the Helix's pedal (really hard with your foot!!!) it will switch from EXP1 to EXP2. By default whenever you add a Wah block to a preset it is assigned to EXP1 and when you add a Volume block it will be assigned to EXP2. Just press the to switch to choose between EXP1 Wah and EXP2 Volume. Of course you can choose to use EXP 1 and 2 for other things than Wah and Vol.. that's up to you!!! To assign manually you press the menu button, then press Knob2 "Controller assign" and then choose EXP Pedal 1 (or 2) with Knob 2. As far as I know Helix can only send one MIDI cc message per footswitch... so I think you will have to set up presets on your JVM and get the Helix to send Program Change PC messages to the Marshall. Good luck! Rick

I bet you've accidentally plugged into the Sends of both Send 1 and Send 2, Rather than Send 1 and Return 1 ;)

Ahh nothing to get excited about really! Just a reference to a forum post that Digital Igloo made a while ago about there being some stupid fun with some of the features coming in a future firmware update. He was probably just messing with us anyway so it's nothing to get worked up about!!

I've done some experimenting today. First with one of the templates and then on my own preset. It does sound pretty good. The main benefit is a little more focus and clarity to the tone. The downside is that the centre speaker seems to become very important. A bit like with home cinema systems where the centre speaker carries most of the weight of the sound and the other speakers are simply for surround sound effects. I did feel like the outer speakers were a bit superfluous at times.. and not only that it - if I had basically the same thing running through all 3 speakers it almost seemed to make the stereo spread more confusing than just using 2. Now saying all this it should be borne in mind that all 3 of my speakers are different. Using the same speakers and amps may give a different result. I seem to have got lucky in that my H&K and my Session amp actually have a very similar tonality when connected as a stereo pair into their FX returns. The Laney on the other hand is a fair bit brighter - perhaps as it has a metal grille at the front and not a Fender style grille cloth that muffles things a bit. I am going to stay with stereo amps for now.. it actually feels more focused!! I think Roscoe's saddlebags idea is about right if you're going for W/D/W. Use a nice big cab in the centre for your main tone - maybe a 2x12 and then the Wet speakers can be much smaller.

Guys pay attention! Sheeanje is showing you something you've probably not seen before. It works.. it IS 4cm... but it is wired differently so you can't really ever use Helix amps. it may not be the way you're wanting to set up 4cm.. but it is not wrong!!

That's true Roscoe - I can go mad at home and then just take a smaller rig to gigs. Hope your deal comes off.. that sounds like a fun home system :)

I agree! It's super easy to see which is a massive bonus. I wouldn't say no to some additional strobe style lines above the bars though. Here's a tip that I do with Helix (and most other tuners) if I want to be more precise. Start with your string flat... Tune your string up slowly till Helix green bar first comes on - Remember where your hand is (angle of rotation) - Position A Then continue to tune up until the green bar goes off and the next red bar comes on.. turn back a smidgin till it goes green again. Remember where your hand is (angle of rotation) - Position B Now.. turn back to Position A and then rotate till halfway between position A and position B.

Hehe.. FRFR saddlebag :) I like it! Yeah Roscoe, you're right that 3 guitar cabs is getting a bit impractical. Two doesn't seem so bad as my Sessionette 75 is so small it's no bother to bring as well as my main H&K amp... it's amazing that it even fits a 12in driver in to be honest!!

I notice in the Templates there is a Gain block just before the Path 1b output to Send1/2 for the dry amp. Wouldn't it be nice if you could assign the Gain control to the Big Volume Knob :) I'd be using three (different) 1 x 12 combos... I just sold my 50W Marshall head and the 4x12 is up for sale too.. my back can't take it anymore! I'll just have to experiment in the morning when I can make noise and see if it sounds any good. I have a newish 50W EL34 H&K combo, an old 30W 6V6 Laney AOR combo and an old 75W solid state Award Sessionette 75 combo. The H&K and the Sessionette are sounding really good as a stereo pair. Of course they sound different to each other - one is tube, one is SS - one is open back, one is closed - one has a neo magnet Celestion, one has an old 80s Celestion. It's these differences that make it sound so good!! I always used to enjoy running multiple sets of speakers as a kid through our stereo and enjoy the nuances that each different sized and shaped cone brought into the mix. So the Laney would go in the middle. Now I will want to set that up in 4cm as well as both the others... AAAARGH :o

I quite like the way you've set this up! There is a certain elegance to having Path1 as Pre amp FX and Path 2 as post amp FX. As you say.. if you want you can just bypass the amps fx loop to trouble shoot that part of the chain.. useful for getting levels right through the Helix's send & return sockets - I actually did a similar thing when I was first setting up 4cm on Helix with my amps. Just make sure the 1/4 in outs are set to Instrument and not to Line Level or you'll be pumping too much signal in to the front of your amp.

Thanks for the reply DI. Yes!! "Trust your ears" is almost certainly the best advice... because if it sounds good.. then it is good!!! I will have to check out those templates and see how they are set up. It's helpful to have a look and see how someone else would do things rather than trying to reinvent the wheel all the time.

I'm wondering if I ought to give it a go. Is it the best thing in the world ever? ;) (W/D/W means Wet / Dry / Wet - the centre amp has no FX just pure guitar tone, the outer ones carry the stereo FX) At the moment I'm playing in glorious stereo with two 1x12 combos separated by about 6 feet. Sounds immense! It really just fills the room.. even when just playing simple "mono" presets. The big question is... Should I put a 3rd amp in the middle? I am worried that if I try it I will like it too much! Then I'll have an extra thing to lug to gigs which of course is not ideal. But curiosity is getting the better of me.... I wonder how I will rig it up. At the moment the two amps are fed from the 1/4in outputs so I can control them both with Helix's Big Volume Knob. I think I'll probably need to put a Send block right after the amp block (or Send/Return if in 4cm) so that the centre amp does not have any post modulation, reverb or delay. I won't be able to use the Big Volume Knob to adjust the centre speaker :( Could someone who's used WDW before tell me if it would it be normal in a W/D/W rig to use Kill Dry so that the wet channels don't carry the core signal? Helix doesn't have kill dry as such but by turning mix to 100% on reverbs it can do it. Helix's routing is so powerful different presets could have totally different set ups of amps.

Me too! I'm still having stupid fun with my Helix after a couple of months and I've still not tried out everything yet. Helix just makes me want to play my guitar so much that my fingers can't handle it :)

Yes that's right.. that's the idea. Have you got all cabled up properly? When you turn off the Send/Return block it should just be feeding into the FX return.

I think I'm just going to obtain a nice looking used Dunlop wah off eBay or wherever for £40 - £50 ish, and then just put a 10k pot in (or maybe be clever and add some other components to make it think it's a 10k pot) If I found a mission used for the same money I'd happily buy one :)

I'm trying my best... ...but the mind does boggle at what Helix's project manager thinks of as stupid fun :D Hope the update comes soon!

I think you might be a little confused about what 4cm is? - I think you do want to use standard 4cm by what you are saying. The whole point of using 4cm is that you would use you real guitar amp's preamp (in a send / return loop) and not the Helix modelling amps. You cable it like this: GUITAR -> HELIX Guitar IN -> (pre FX) -> Helix Send to Amp input -> Amp FX Send to Helix Return -> (post FX) -> Helix 1/4 to Amp FX Return If you want to use a Helix amp for a change you just don't add a SEND/RETURN block to your path, so the signal goes GUITAR -> HELIX Guitar IN -> (Helix fx and preamp) -> Helix 1/4 to Amp FX Return. Does that make sense?

It's hard to know how the H9 works.. maybe when you send it a program change it loads the program and restarts it from initial settings even if you're already on that preset - hence no spill.

I have to say I find these expression pedals stupidly expensive... Mission, etc I mean you start with a £80 Dunlop wah, take out most of the components.. and then charge an extra £50?? Does anyone else think this or is it just me?

Aha - I see - you gotta love the press and their tacky slogans for things. A little bit of politics eh? (not sure if politics is allowed on here.. ) Well seeing as Britain helped write most of the European policies and charters after WW2 it seems odd to me that people would want to leave. I think the press is doing it's classic tactics of trying to blame foreigners for the problems in the world when it's all really down to the banks, corruption and corporate greed. Ignoring all that.. looking forward to my new bag :)

Brexit? sorry what do you mean?

Great thanks - I've just ordered it now :)