willjrock

People should'nt be forced to spend more money on 3rd party impulses for good sound. I have the entire Redwirez collection, but have had it for 5 or so years now, and need it before Helix was ever on the market. However, had i bought Helix and then realized that i still had to spend another $125 on the redwirez collection, that would be somewhat discouraging after spending $1500 on Helix. Sure the possibility of a couple of OK sounds exists natively inside Helix, but the mid to higher gain sounds are all pretty similar sound wise. The single "very good guitar tone" ive built using native Helix blocks exclusively, was achieved with very unconventional block choices. I cant figure out why Line 6 wouldnt want this for themselves? A "cablab" only makes Helix a better product and such choices are essential in building an above average guitar tone. Real life and virtually. Give us the best possible tools to work with, thats all. Maybe chill on the "similar fx" when there are glaring weaknesses with Helix.

You've got to be about the whiny est 70 yr old lady I've ever met. Nobody was talking to you and it's pretty evident that you are still sore about being embarrassed in the other thread when you were convinced you were hearing "cab coloration". If you don't like what I have to say then fine ignore me, but don't come jumping in on me trying to tell me what I'm implying.

I'm not talking about simply moving the mic. I mean all of it. Total control. Or as much as reasonbly possible. You tell me if you wanted the best possible guitar tones from helix would you be working on a cabinet suite that affords the deepest control possible or adding more of the same fx every update like plastichorus

The problem i have is that they dont have any of the characteristics of the real mic. Its like they took a single modeled sound and slapped a bunch of different EQ curves on it. The 121 sounds just like the 57 but with more bass and less highs, and so on. This wouldnt be nearly as much of an annoyance if as you said, L6 would afford us the ability to move the mic left/right and to tilt it on/off axis. It would help a lot, but do you really feel Line 6 needs its users to make them aware of this? This is guitar sound 101. Its why i have a hard time taking L6 seriously. They refuse to give us all the tools necessary in putting together a professional guitar sound.

the cabs the mic modelling the IR management the pitch shifters

I think they have more to gain than to lose by "advertising" upcoming firmware. I know im far more apt to buy Helix if i hear one of my favorite amps is coming in an update, as opposed to wondering if anything is going on at all, other than random bug fixes. A fella trying to decide between an ax8 and Helix hears that more amps or fx are coming, that may be enough to help sway his decision. I dont know, i dont see what they have to lose. If they said they were doing a 57champ and didnt get it done then just politely tell people "hey we tried, we just couldnt get that amp done for this update, maybe next one". Its far better than "no we're not telling" If L6 doesnt want to give early release notes because they get tired of people asking when its coming out, that would be pretty disappointing, as it would be one of the more shallow and immature things ive heard. Again, nobody is forcing anyone to read these threads. It had something to do with NAMM and the other releases. The software, ect... Definitely not a test. Nobody is forced to read it.

IF you have two of them why wouldnt you just use the other one?

Yeah im with you there. I wouldve never even had a chance to find out about this issue had it not been mentioned. I think a real easy way line6 could quickly address some of these IR issues is either by allowing the already existing IR number to be part of the export, or by simply adding a (temporarily)permanent number at the front of each IR slot, both of which so we dont have to number them. That cant be hard? Yes wed give up 2 more IR characters, but those who number them do that anyway.

It was a joke. No offense to the OP but i think posts about "what almost happened" are kind of silly. Especially when you dont present the information necessary to address the issue. Nothing haapened here, no need to start a thread about it unless it persists or becomes troublesome. These minor "glitches" are common place in computer audio.

One time i pooped and thought i farted.

Yeah you dont want to use Helix cabs. Theyr are pretty much a waste of time for higher gain tones.I have a lot of experience dialing amps, and even after a year wit helix, i have one mid/hi gain tone with helix cabs im not ashamed of. Free IRs are all you need. They are every bit as good as the paid for. Get the Tonic IRs, Redwirez free demo set, and Ownhammer free demo set of IRs, and after a bit of effort you will be pretty happy. If you are still not getting good tones then its probably not the Helix's fault and it may be time to move on. Try your input pad set to on, your master volume knob on about 75-100%, leave your output block at 0db, and i really dont think you want you input set at 10 Ohms. Set it at auto, or 1 (far right) or maybe a couple of clicks left. Im willing to bet you def dont want 10, unless that is a "specialty tone" you are looking for.. If you dont want to hit the input as hard, roll your volume down on your guitar,. It sounds better than low resistance values.

Cant really even see the point behind a stand alone. If im just using it to jam, id just plug into the hardware. Jamming on a standalone program instead of the hardware would be way more hassle.

As far as mid gain tones go, I get PLENTY of tones from IRs that Helix cabs wont even come close to. Admittedly ive never tried an FRFR other than my studio monitors, and i liked what the one dude here said,and it sounds intriguing, but for all intents my monitors ARE an FRFR. You'll get about 3 different tones from Helix, and they really arent all that good, and the rest is just filler and more of the same. The mic modelling is worthless as well. None of the character of the modeled mic, and just a bunch of different EQ curves applied. The transient break-up on helix cabs is nothing short of annoying. The low end sounds like a rubber band. I think the rubber band sounds better. If you think Helix cabs sound anywhere near as good as IRs, i can only recommend getting new monitors or treat your room. My best tones on my POD 2.0 are far better than anything ive gotten on the Helix using native cabs, in over a years use. Feelings are a tiny bit different about cleaner tones. My comments here mostly pertain to mid gain tones and higher.

Excellent points Amsdenj.

It is definitely not cabinet coloration lol. This is why cabs come loaded with different speakers, because of all the things that can be changed on the cab itself, the speakers are what produce the most dramatic variations in tone. The differences you are hearing from brand to brand have much more to do with mic placement, engineering technique, outboard gear used, post processing decisions, sonic signature of the room, speaker quality, ect, than it has to do with "cabinet coloration". The only way to get a feel for how much of a sonic print the cabinet imparts, is by using identical speakers, mics, placement, and everything else and swapping out the constructed enclosure. This is also why its nearly unheard of to swap out the constructed enclosure, and leave the same speakers in tact. Its not practical for the little benefit obtainable.

In a word no. Your monitors are for all intents are an FRFR. You wont get a "better" sound from a dedicated FRFR, you'll just have to EQ your patches a little differently to accommodate the shape of the box and type of speaker, the same as you would from brand to brand of monitor.

Some of it is probably perception. There are days when i think my Helix, or tube amp, or whatever, sounds like absolute crap, and then other days when i love what im hearing.....and we all know, helix hasnt changed its sound to the point where its likely audible, so i chalk it up to my brain. Been Playing guitar since i was 13, so about 33 years, its always been this way.

Appreciate the responses guys. You may have talked me into giving them a go. Ive probably just become too accustomed to Redwirez, where the same speaker in the same cab often can produce wildly different tones, true to real life. Please let us know because my feelings are just like yours in relation to the open back IRs. I dont know if you care to hear this or not, but the two things you are probably hearing as cabinet coloration with the Redwirez are 1) mic placement coloration (cone edge off axis, cap, cone edge, ect...which the celestions dont do much of at all) and 2) room coloration - as the mic gets further back it obviously picks up more of the room. Both of which i am sure you are well aware of after a minute of consideration. Side note: One thing i think is pretty cool about IRs is compared to plugins each company seems to impart its own very evident sonic signature. For instance it doesnt do you much good to have every 1073 EQ modeled plugin on the market, because they dont sound all that much different, but it is beneficial, and i do get a very different sound, from each companies recreation of a vintage Marshall cab loaded with 25 watt Greenbacks, and sure there is a multitude of explanations for this. Point is there is plenty of room for all brands in your library. Dont be afraid to take a chance if IRs are your thing.

Yeah i agree. Not intending to be a tool but soultrainer could definitely put forth a little more effort before starting a thread over some of this stuff.

I like these IRs but they are a bit limiting and the sounds are a bit too similar. These IRs alone wouldnt be much use to a person, but thankfully there are plenty more options. I have the 4x12 Greenbacks, 4x12 Creambacks65, 4x12 v30s, 1x12 open Greenbacks and the 4 x12 anniversarys and yet maybe 2 or 3 of these IRs have made their way into my presets. I like and use the Redwirez IRs in about 95% of my tones. Curious about the redbacks to an extent, but so far ive been slightly disappointed.

Yep just what Andy says.

Thats what i said a while back. Now all my IRs start withthe slot number, and presets end with the IR they are associated with lol. Its frustrating when there are no brainer items that would do well being applied to Helix and they take such a long time to come to fruition. Especially when its seems so easy to implement. Altho i admit, i may very welll be mistaken about the effort necessary to implement some ideas. This one seems easy The whole problem with is you still need a way to see which IRs ARENT being used, otherwise you still need to go thru all the presets counting and figuring. Thats should be pretty easily rectified with a dot by the IR. Yeah we need a manager!

As long as you stay away from the spring verbs ,pitch echo, and multitap 6 on large patches you should be OK

Hey you guys are phenomenal!

Just wondering if you know off hand whether or not a preset can be defined as intel property? Just curious.