Till11

Will add to Ideascale, but.. It would also be great to see some sort of option to drop wattage.. i.e. Mark V:25 from 25 > 10. I know it takes out some bottom end and could ultimately be replicated via simple EQ but the idea seems interesting.

a small update on some tweaking I have been doing. I am now mainly using the preamp choices in the chain.. ultimately using the EHX 44 mag to push my Mesa Thiele 1x12 cab. I am also tried the ART preamp at the end per robbie's suggestion and does add some organic feel to the sound. I used the template from Jim's blog (using Helix as a pedalboard) to get me going. I originally tried this set up through the front of my Mark V 25, but it just sucked the tone completely out of the amp, and surprisingly using the EHX 44 mag to push the boogie sounds better. I should add that the distortion choices sound much better in this configuration. Eventually I'll add an EQ in the mix, but my time has been extremely limited lately. I'm still surprised by how unappealing the Helix sounds through my studio monitors. I also tried running through an Alto 15 that I have. Maybe I need to explore high end FRFR choices to get a better sound? Or I may need to face the fact that I don't click with FRFR method and need the "amp in the room" setup to be satisfied. All in all, the effects are killer in this and I am pretty happy with how it is sounding. Thanks again to all for the suggestions.

jaminjim, I'm sure the L2M sounds great but I'm not willing to spend another $750 on gear

Jim, This is great advice. I have always been a big fan of using the tone control on my guitar and typically have it set around 6 or so when using the bridge pickup.. I like the idea of the gain staging and adjusting the Pre... New methods to me but well received. I have also been reading up on your blog which is helping me tremendously. Just in a few days the Helix has gone from disappointing to amazing. I am tempted to sell my pedals and Mark V:25 at this point and roll on with the Helix! Your feedback and the responses of all others has been a huge help. This is a great forum! Thanks

That's what I figure. I may know very little but I'm pretty I wouldn't have made that mistake. Thanks

Sounds great. At this point what is another $40 right ? (: I'll check it out and report back. Thanks Robbie

Dshow, I will try this. I was really surprised on how well using cabs sounds while running into the Mesa 1x12. I would expect running cab sim into a real cab would be a muddy mess, but it actually sounds great, especially on a clean setting. I will look at the high cut in the cab and global settings. thanks

jaminjimlp, I have not. My goal is to focus on moving away form the Mark V:25 head for convenience and use the Helix models. Dumbing down my gear and having to only use the Helix, 44mag, Thiele 1x12 and my guitar would be ideal for gigging. I am our lead singer and play some keys as well, so less is more for me... I know the Helix will provide me everything I could ever need. Thanks for the input!

Ozbadman, I updated to the most current version via the Line6 updater.

This never even crossed my mind as I am really uneducated in the realm of live sound. Like I said, I was really a plug and play guy and relied on our sound guy to do what he does best... Would I be able to use the EHX 44 Magnum in the same capacity ? My hesitance would be running the 44 mag back into the Helix and really screwing something up since its a power amp, not a tube pre.. Thanks man.

Dave, thank you for the reply. I will absolutely look into the global settings and the mid-range settings. I have been focusing alot on A/B'ing between cabs and bypassing, relying strictly on the Mesa cab. Once again thanks for the info!!

Hey guys, I'm completely green to Line 6 and for the most part the digital modeling world. I have been playing through a Mark V:25 / 1x12 Boogie Thiele cab for the past 2 years but wanted a "one stop shop" for gigging in regards to hauling gear and setting everything up. I received my Helix this past Tuesday and ran direclty into my Presonus Eris 4.5 studio monitors and the sound was mediocre at best. I sampled many of the presets, downloaded many patches, and found that most of the distorted and OD tones were very harsh. I then tried running through the front of my Mark V:25, and the sound quality improved, but still nowhere near what I expected, nor what I have heard through watching numerous demos online. Today I borrowed a friends EHX 44 Magnum and ran from the Helix > EXH 44 Mag> Boogie Thiele cab > Great Success !!! (for the most part). The cleans are absolutely brilliant. I went back through many clean presets and made a few patches of my own and couldn't believe how responsive and "real" the tones feel. The only issue I still face is experiencing slight harshness to the overdriven amps and pedals, such as the OCD and Minotaur. Does anyone have any suggestions to bring out more warmth to the aforementioned tones ? (beyond adjusting basic eq.. bass/treble/mid/presence). Sorry to be long winded, but this piece of gear is unbelievable in terms of editing and possibilities; just looking to get the best out of it can. I should mention my main guitar is a Dean Zelinsky private reserve Strettavita.. SH-4 JB / SH-1 Neck... Thanks !!