markdenman123
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Everything posted by markdenman123
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Are you using the cab block? Amp block or preamp block? I would say that's going to be a tricky endeavor depending on what you are trying to accomplish. I had, and gigged, an AC15 for a little while. I found that there was very little clean headroom. The amp broke up rather quickly - which is what I was after. I used the amp straight in because most pedals I put on the front end muddied up the tone too much for me. Are you using only effects, or going for the whole modelling experience? If it's just effects, I would suggest an EQ block or adjusting the global EQ to "clean" it up. If you want the full modelling experience...that's gonna be harder, especially at full band volumes. First, I would remove any cab blocks you have. Next, since the AC15 has pretty early break up, I would experiment with changing from amp blocks to preamp blocks. This will still allow you to use the AC15 preamp as a "master" EQ/volume section to whatever you put in front of it. If you plan on using more than one preamp model, you may need to run an EQ block (or even two) on each patch to clean up the sound hitting the front end of your amp. Bear in mind that with the way the AC15 breakups you will most likely never really experience the full effects of using multiple amps. The platform is just too dirty. To really get the best out of the Helix you need a cleaner platform that has less "character" than an AC15. An amp with an effects loop is better. A clean power amp is better than that. A PA wedge (what I use) is better than that. A specifically designed FRFR is the best. Hope this helps without being to negative. Good luck!!
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I was shocked by that video as well. I have never seen or tried an AA, but I thought it sounded too horrible to be set up right. However, while the Helix is my main amp these days, I still get GOBS of use from a POD Pro and a Bass POD Pro. There are certain tones/models that sound more authentic to me than what the Helix has, based on owning the actual amps. For instance, I had a Blackface Deluxe Reverb that was amazing. I could cop it's tone using the POD Pro, but have yet to get close enough with the Helix model. Same with the JCM800 model. I had a particularly glorious vertical input 2204. I could nail it's tone in the POD Pro. When working with the 800 model in the Helix it is always too fizzy and requires extra EQ to bring t to the sound of my 2204. Same with the AC30. I had a Rose-Morrisl era Vox that I loved the sound of. Again, could nail its tone in the POD Pro, but can't get there easily with the Helix. As I get to know the Helix better, I am coming closer to getting the mentioned amps closer to where I remember them sounding. I have the POD Pro settings saved in my computer via Line 6 edit (yeah, I still have one old computer up and running, lol) for reference. My point is that when you KNOW a product you make it sound awesome.
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I am using n EV ZLX12P. It's awesome. One thing that I am loving is that it has 2 inputs. One is set to my stage/rehearsal volume, the other is set to a volume that works in the house. I never have to adjust the volume on my patches or the Helix. I just choose the proper input for the application.
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I use a wedge with my Helix rack rig. Mine is MORE than enough to hang in the rehearsal room and works equally as well on stage. Of course live I am running a line to FOH and have support from the front line wedges, but I keep mine back near the rack like I would a traditional cab and it is more than enough to give me the "backline" feel I have always been used to. Here are two videos that demonstrate. One is from rehearsal and the audio is captured by the camera. I have no PA support, it's just my wedge. The live clip is the drum angle for a show. It is also captured with the camera mic. I chose this angle because the drummer doesn't us his side fill at this venue. What you are hearing is my wedge in context of the stage sound near the drummer. It is more than enough. This venue has a great PA and six wedges across the front, but I still keep mine back by my rack.... practice: live:
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I sold all my tube amps and cabs except for one. I kept it because you never know when you might actually need it, AND (mostly) for nostalgic reasons. I will say that I plugged it in the other day and was grossly disappointed in how it sounded. I gigged that amp for 25 years, and know it inside out. I was very bummed, lol. I plugged back into my Helix rig and was VERY pleased.
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How to Respond When The Bass Player Doesn't Like Your Helix
markdenman123 replied to talonmm's topic in Helix
Ugh. I like the suggestion that you send him some videos of modelers being used live. Send him ALL of the Metallic clips from this latest tour. ALL Fractal. i know this is a Helix forum, and while I am not a Metallica fan....it speaks VOLUMES that they are using Fractals live. From a more practical stand point.... I am in an original rock band that does a lot of out of town shows. I ALWAYS use a Helix - rehearsal, live, in town, out of town, in the studio....EVERYWHERE I play. Being heard and sounding cruddy is a NON issue. I will post some live videos of me using the Helix. Look for others too. Collect them and send the links. Educate the fellow. He speakes from ignorance and living in the past. However, be aware that modelling haters HATE modelling and often CANNOT be convinced that it is a viable amplification system. Also, if you do not yet have your own FRFR cab, then you are not going to make your case as easily. My EV ZLX12P goes everywhere with me. ALL of my patches are created through it. On stage it sits behind me as a guitar cab would. It is 1000 watts of clean, class D power. It will fill a small room effortlessly. I m blessed in the sense that all the venues I play have sound guys, massive PAs and multiple monitors. Nobody has an issue hearing me - my bandmates or the crowd. -
Cool. I'll have to try that out. Thanks! I totally agree for all my reverb needs, except the real surf sound, the Helix 'verbs are fine for my overall needs. I tend to run the spring reverbs between the amp and cab also - and for getting a deluxe reverb or twin reverb sound I am pleased. It's when I want to put the reverb in FRONT of the amp is when I am sad, lol...
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Evzlx12p line 6 L2m qsc k12 Friedman asm can't decide
markdenman123 replied to Riki1's topic in Helix
Much like Dunedin Dragon, I place my wedge behind me like a guitar cab. I use the EV ZLX12P. I LOVE it. I have been using it for a year, and YES it does get scuffed up pretty quickly. I, too, like my gear to look great. I gig with all high end PRS guitars, and NONE of them have a single ding or dent. I am very uptight about that. BUT, with the EV I have to remember that the casing in a smooth plastic and sliding in and out of the trunk or trailer is the biggest culprit. It doesn't look tatty at all unless you are really staring at it. Onstage it looks great, sounds awesome, and has been AMAZINGLY reliable. -
I am in an all original band. Every show we do has th 15 minute change over. Usually when I get to a new venue I wil find the sound guy and (if he's not busy or stressed) I will talk to him about going direct. 99% of the time i get this question: "OH, you're using a Kemper?" My response is, "Yeah, something like that." From then on the sound guy totally understands and when I am setting up, he just gives me the XLR off the guitar mic. I plug it in, and we're set to go. I have yet, after a year, to run into a problem. No soun guy has complained or given me a hard time about going direct. Regarding monitors....while I do bring my own, which I keep back with my rack like it's a guitar cab, I have NEVER had an issue with the house monitors at any venue. I wouldn't sweat the IEM's unless you have the ENTIRE system with you and you are headlining. The wedges should be fine and you'll be able to hear yourself without an issue sonce you don't have a great, competing stage volume blasting from a 4x12 cab. Not sure if the gig has passed, if so hope it went well. If not, good luck!
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I have been having an issue getting that "drip" and "splash" with the Helix reverbs - including the '63 Spring. I have a vintage reverb tank, and the Boss FRV-1. I figure if Boss can NAIL it in a stomp box, Line 6 could nail it with the Helix. Not even close - even when messing with the parameters. The joy of the Fender Reverb box is the three knobs - Dwell, Tone, Mix. That's it. The Boss pedal has the same. SUPER easy to dial in, from subtle to full-on lollipop Dale drench. It is the ONLY thing that disappoints me about the Helix. At this point, I just grab the Boss pedal to supplement any patches that need that level of reverb. Having a Helix rack that's all cased up for gigging it kind of stinks that I can't have that reverb "in the box", so it's a non-option on my live patches.....
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Help me with my last debate before I'm buying the Helix.
markdenman123 replied to hag01's topic in Helix
When I switched to the Helix I was ALREADY beyond pleased with my guitar tone. I ordered a Rivera M100 and a pair of C112 cabs loaded with EVM12L speakers directly from Rivera in 1990. That rig replaced my Mesa/Boogie MKIV rig (which I was grossly unsatisfied with). I used and gigged various Rivera heads (M60, M100, S120) with those C112 cabs exclusively for 25 years. Never felt the deep desire to gig anything else, though I did do an East Coast run with a Marshall rig once. Why do I bring that up? Simple. I was already satisfied with my tone. My need from the Helix was different than what most people are after. I wanted/needed MY tone in a portable package. I do some fly date every now and then and I have always been unhappy with the provided rigs. There are NEVER close to what I used - especially when it came to cabs/speakers. Last fly date I did, I requested a Helix. I brought my laptop (which I do anyway) and my patches on a flash drive. At the venue, I attached the laptop and loaded my "rig" on to the Helix. BAM! Everything I needed - my amp, my cabs, all my effects - not to mention my "set list" and snapshots were there in a matter of a couple of minutes. NO compromise. For local and road shows all I pack is a 4-space rack (I have a Helix rack), an EVZLX12P, and a Columbia diaper bag that holds my Helix control, wireless packs, and other little items. It takes VERY little space during travel, and loads into the venue in two trips (counting carrying the guitar). It takes less than three minutes to set up and I only have one wire running to the front of the stage. My tone is ALWAYS complimented and sound guys LOVE the ease of "mixing" me. They give me an XLR, I plug in the direct box (I use a DI connected to the 1/4" outs) and they bring up the volume. DONE. When I first ordered the Helix I was expecting to return it. NOBODY models Rivera amps. I didn't think I'd find my sound in there. I spent a couple hours scrolling through the models and listening for a certain mid frequency that I like. I found something close with the Essex 15 model. I spent a day working that amp with different cab blocks and IRs that I bought. I found a sound VERY close to my EVM cabs using a "dual cab" block. My choice? The Silver Bell 2x12 with the Greenback 20 4x12. That combo with the AC15 model got me close to the basic tone of my Riveras. Getting the right gain was a bit difficult, but I found what I needed using the OCD model combined with the Red Squeeze compressor. It has been over a year now that I have been using ONLY the Helix rig. I haven't looked back. I sold two of the three Riveras, a couple of vintage Marshall heads, my entire vintage Fender collection - '58 Bassman (original), '63 Tremolux set, '65 Bassman set, '66 Deluxe Reverb, '73 Twin Reverb. I sold all my cabs except for a 2x10 Rivera cab. I kept my S120 head and 2x10 for nostalgic reasons - and in case I go do a blues jam or something.... The Helix was SO easy to use that within 10 minutes I was building my own patch. The user interface is exquisite. The sounds are awesome. COULD I split hairs about some models not being EXACTLY like the real amp - especially the tweed Bassman model? Sure...I had one. But how many people have had one or even used one? The model is 90% there - and I am sure the variance in those old tweed amps was pretty high, so while the model sounded nothing like mine I bet it sounds like the one Line 6 used to create the model. Recently I tried a Fractal Axe Ultra with the intent to replace my Helix. While I will admit that if I bought it and worked with it I could probably get it where I have my Helix, I found it to be very complicated to use. After a couple hours with it I couldn't create a patch that put a smile on my face. Remember, my goal with the Helix (and the Axe-Fx had I bought it) was to recreate MY sound with models. In that regard, the Helix hit the target in a comfortable period of time (and lets be realistic, it took two sessions). Not sure if that'll really help you, but it's my story. Good luck deciding!! -
Different amp models with same cabinet model live
markdenman123 replied to brain-donor's topic in Helix
I gig in an original band, and while I use the same amp/cab model for every song I have presets where the amp is varying A LOT. I'll have different levels of gain, EQ, and effects. I think using the same dual cab block on every preset helps the sound stay consistent. -
True. I have found that when I want really clean with more "output" the HiWatt model is where it's at. I use that way more than I ever would have thought - and I LOVE Fender amps.....
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It would probably be the easiest - especially if you aren't getting together with him first - to not worry about inserting his board via returns. Just set up the Twin with a stock cab configuration and have him go: guitar -> pedal board -> Helix input
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What has helped me get a tighter tone when using the high gain models is to run the Red Squeeze compressor first in the chain. I ran one in front of my Rivera tube amps too. My settings are: Sensitivity: 1.9 - 2.1 Mix: 72% Output stays at +5.4 (or whatever it actually is when you pull up the model)
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What frfr speaker/amp do you guys use for at home and jamming?
markdenman123 replied to spearmint95's topic in Helix
Live, in rehearsal, and programming I use the EVZLX12P. When recording I monitor through my JBL LSR305s. -
There was a little PA in there, but they mostly use it for vocals and kick. So that vid isn't 100% EV - maybe 85%. It's still a VERY full sound on it's own. I use it unsupported in rehearsal, and there have been a couple of gigs with vocal ONLY PA and it hangs great. Doesn't have the massive spread of a 4x12, but the places with vocal only PA were REALLY small so the EV filled the room well enough.
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I use the ZLX12P live and for home use. I LOVE it!!! When shopping for speakers I tried the Alto, QSC, JBL, Yamaha and EV. I found the EV gave me the sound I was used to hearing. Not surprising - I always had EVM12L in my cbas when I was using tube amps. There is something about EV's midrange that I like. I won't lie, the QSC was amazing - VERY neutral, but it didn't sound like what I wanted to sound like. In all fairness, my main goal with the Helix was to be able to have the sound of my Rivera S120 analog rig in a more compact package. Using the EV ZLX12P got me closer than using the QSC (or any of the others) would. Here's a clip of me using it at a gig. In this clip i am using a PRS Paul's Guitar, my Helix rack rig, and the EV.
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Video Footage Of Me Using My Helix "Live" Onstage
markdenman123 replied to robbieb61's topic in Helix
I have been using my Helix Rack/control live for just over a year. I LOVE it!! I am in an all-original hard-rock band based out of Tampa, FL. My live patches are all based around the Essex 15. I use a dual cab block with the silver bell 2x12 and the greenback 20 4x12. I don't have any high or low cuts added. My internal "pedalboard" has the red squeeze, phase 90, and an OCD (jut like my old analog board). After the amp I have a 63 Spring Reverb that's on all the time, and the simple delay set to dotted 1/8ths that gets kicked on during leads. Each song in our set uses this basic rig - some songs have extra/different effects depending on the song. I have snapshots set up for verse, chorus, lead - and bridge, etc....again, depending on what the song needs. All my volume and effect parameter changes are prgrammed nto each snapshot. It is SOOOOOOO great not to have to compromise onstage. Last time I had rig that was CLOSE to the Helix was when I had a 12 space rack with my pedals and rack effects controlled by a GCX/Ground Control Pro set up. Talk about A LOT of weight and wiring work - and it STILL wasn't as flexible as the Helix!! This particular show we travelled south to Fort Myers. I used my PRS Paul's Guitar. I love this clip because you can hear that the Helix allows the pickups to shine. I am using the bridge humbucker for most of the song. The first part of the lead is the neck pickup as a single coil. Anyway, enjoy!!! -
Cool. I'll give it a shot!
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For me it is the 63 Spring Reverb. I was SO hoping it would have the splash and boing of a real 63 Spring Reverb, but it's not even close. It's ok because I have a vintage Reverb tank and the BOSS 63 Reverb pedal - but still, I like to keep it all in the box....
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I am using an EV ZLX12P with my Helix rack on-stage. Between that and the house monitors I have had no issues hearing myself.
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How does Line 6 treat middle control when amp has no middle?
markdenman123 replied to markdenman123's topic in Helix
Awesome. Thanks for the reply!! -
First off, hello everyone!! I am a new Helix Rack/Controller owner, but I am not new to Line 6. I have been using (and still regularly use) a POD Pro (or a kidney bean 2.0) since they were first released. I am greatly enjoying my Helix!!! Anyway, I have a very specific question. In the old Line 6 products if you used a model of an amp that had no mid control (like a deluxe reverb, for instance) you just put the middle control at noon and the model functioned like the real thing. How does Line 6 treat that issue in the Helix? I am using the Dr. Z model in one of my patches and I went and checked out what the real amp looks like and what controls it has. Again, it is an amp with no middle control. How should I set the mids in my Helix to accurately coax the tone from that particular model? Thanks!!