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musiclover7

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Everything posted by musiclover7

  1. See.. That is what I was hoping for! I was hoping for, if anything, improved tone. And yeah, I will be the first to admit that it could all boil down to user error, but I was up late enough with it last night trying different things, that I really don't think so. Still, the impedence suggestion intrigues me. I don't know what I should try to tweak to counter that though. Over all, my acoustic has this 'air' about it when plugged into the fishman amp, and I can't put it into words. I just know, that it is not there when I bring in the helix. I will also add, that I get definite hiss when I engage the helix. It stays even when the effect loop is turned fully off, but it goes away as soon as I turn off the helix. Gotta be something in the electricity, but I literally drove a 4 foot metal rod into the ground the other day outside my place, and I am still getting it. ayech!
  2. Just in case anyone is following some of my posts, the first unit I received only worked for a few hours before I had to return it defective, which is why my initial post is dated 2 weeks back, and this here post is titled day 5. Anyways, the first night I spent with the helix upon return, was one for the books. Me, a set of headphones, helix, and my electric guitar, playing together until 3am, and I wanted to keep on going. What a crazy ride. I was not, and still am not a huge fan of the amps/cabs, but that's me. I should mention, I am like a 93% clean player. I want clear, warm, juicy, leo fender from the 60's tone as my base. On top of that, I like rich verb, delay, vibrato, phaser, octave, and I love the fact that helix includes a model of the Mutron envelope filter... but most of the amps seem too gritty for my taste, even the fender twin model. Just sounds a bit too tight to be useable even at low gain. I have an old Fender Twin from the 60's that I run my electric rig into, and the model in the helix does not come close, but then again, it was probably modeled after a more modern twin. In any case, after playing around with the amp models more and more over the days, I have concluded they were not designed for customers like me, and I am good with that. Likewise, the presets were not created for a player like me, and I am equally cool with that. Everyone needs to rock in their own way. I am looking for a solid ecosystem of pristine sounding effects/tones that I can add to my on stage toolbelt. The 2.0 update has been very solid. The tuner now is fine enough to be useful. Snapshots are a win. Over all, I love the design of this thing, the ease of use, the amount of customizability. I have played through quite a few all in one multi-effect solutions from Boss, Digitech, TC elec, Zoom, in the past... Each is unique in their approach to constructing an effect chain, each with their bucket list of things that they do well and not so well. This is my first line 6 product, and I really like the helix ecosystem. So what don't I like? With so much to like, why am I sitting here day 5 wondering whether I should hang onto this thing or return it? It's not an easy answer cuz it's not a point blank thing... It's elusive. I love the way the helix sounds in my headphones, and it could be an awesome tool this way, when it comes to recording, but I am live player. When I am plugged into my amp, engaging effects, etc., over all things begin to sound a bit 'over-processed'. The pure fender tone that I have learned to lean on over the years, begins to muddle. There are ways to fix it. Mix settings on effects can be dialed back. I have definitely achieved some killer tones. It is a nutshell feeling though, like by default, this thing is trying to process the heck out of my tone and take it up through the ceiling, raise the roof with it if you will. This is all fine and good at times, but it seems like a lot of the default effect settings are more aggressive than I would prefer, and there is no way to permanently scale them back. Another reason why I think this thing was designed primarily for the "Rockers", maybe not as much for the "Groovers" (The presets kind of hint at this as well), and yet it has a Mutron, so go figure. Last night I plugged my acoustic guitar into the helix, and ran the output into my lovely Fishman loudbox performer. More of the mystery unfolded. For those who have not had the pleasure, these Fishman amps are amazing acoustic amps. They are tubeless, but with the inclusion of a little tweeter, you get this ultra pristine tone with killer sparkly overtone, and it just sounds acoustic. It reacts to every finger picking nuance. I had my guitar plugged direct into my Ravenlabs pmb1 Blender/preamp, which has a dedicated effect send and return. I love this thing for acoustic guitars, but also wind up using it in my electric band because of the way it effects tone. You can turn up the effects send all the way and hear the Helix in full glory, and you can turn it down all the way, and here just you guitar. I was going back and forth comparing. Here is a link to the RL Blender if interested. https://reverb.com/item/982380-raven-labs-pmb-1-2000-red Anyways, I can tell you that with zero effects engaged on the Helix, just running clean into it with the effect send fully engaged, I am losing considerable tone. I was not expecting true bypass, but I also wasn't expecting what I'm getting. It just goes flat. I tried playing with global eq, instrument/line, pad, etc, but no joy. What was lost, cannot be found. Now, with an electric guitar, you engage compression and move forward. For the avg player, it might even be an improvement. But with my acoustic, a tone/sound which I know so well, it's enough of a game changer to be game over. When I disengaged the effect loop to helix and played just my acoustic, I was actually relieved to hear and feel the guitar as I have known it. "So, oh well, not for my acoustic rig then. Lets keep working on the electric rig"... I tell myself. I have managed to get some great tones with this thing, and I bet over time, I can get it to do everything I am after as far as my electric rig is concerned. This is probably true. But still, it's not sitting well with me. I didn't pay $500 bucks for this thing. I paid $1500. At that price tag, I did not expect my acoustic guitar to go flat. I have used 500 dollar all in one solutions, and yeah, they were not this good, but were they $1,000 shy of being this good. I don't think so. Good thing I have a few more weeks to play and contemplate... cuz this is not an easy decision.
  3. Workflow is that now I am up to 12 stomps in a single preset, plus the looper, so 13 total. Snapshots are helpful. I managed to leverage 3 of them to accomplish closer to what I am after, at least as much as I really know what I am after. I am a pretty in the moment player, and as much as I have been into effects (only been incorporating them for the past 4 years or so), I tend to reach for them sort of like a painter reaches for colors, as the moment demands it. I don't see myself tweaking a separate preset for every song. I'd much rather get a single preset where I want it with enough colors on the palette, and just work directly from it, adding colors on the fly. Anyways... Thanks for the advice all.
  4. I don't know that snapshots is exactly what I am after, but it helps. If you want to maintain 10 fs in a patch, then your only option to get to snapshots as I see it is to exit stomp mode, and hold down up and down at same time. I still want the option to swap presets, so this gives me access to 4 snapshots. Helpful for sure, but not ideal.
  5. Can you link to an example maybe? I am researching this option currently. Really, I guess what I am after is approx two more foot switches, though more cannot hurt. I don't want to break the bank to get them.
  6. Trying to figure this out. Is it possible to get more than 10 foot switches in a patch? I am guessing probably no, but sort of looking for a way to maybe get another row of 5 below, with a way to switch down to them, then back up if needed. I know, sort of over kill, but I am out of switches in my current patch, and trying to figure out a way to get more to control certain parameters. Any help appreciated!
  7. Holy crap! The minotaur is amazing! So much fun!!
  8. Trying to figure this out. I am thinking of running my vocal and my guitar into my helix when I play a specific venue with an aging Mixer that lacks adequate reverb for vocals. I typically run my guitar into helix, then into my Twin Reverb amp. Now I want to send vocals to mains, guitar to amp, but then I also would love to send a weak guitar signal to the mains as well primarily so the folks on the other side of the stage can pick up some of it. So, as I see it, you can select multi output, 1/4 inch, or xlr, etc.. but you cannot select multi and elect to send 100% to 1/4 out and only 20% volume to xlr, or can you? Maybe I am missing something. Any help appreciated!
  9. Well.. that's interesting. I am still like 4 years new to effect pedal world, though I have been playing professionally for about 25 years. Used to be, I would run straight into my 68 twin with reverb, occasional tremolo, and that was enough pizazz for me. Then I started delving a little a few years back, and wound up getting really sucked into the land of digital effects. I knew I was never going to be a guitar player who lugged around a complex pedal board with 10 different pedals attached to it. Way to much to maintain, so the idea of an all in one box has always appealed to me, even if I can just find 3-4 additional tones to tuck into my belt for when needed. My guitar into my vintage twin, is already tone heaven. I have no idea what year tube screamer I played that hooked me. It was one of those green ones though for sure. I liked the effect, cuz it created this amazing sustain with very little 'distortion'. It was almost as clean sounding as just my guitar into amp, and yet I could hang on one note for 2-3 bars, and my tone would not slowly dissolve on me. This was straight awesome sauce, and is a definite tool I don't want to go without. Anyways, I appreciate the education... Makes sense to me that the tube screamer I played may be of a different era, and that the Zoom G5 was closer to that than whatever year/make the Helix is modeled after. All I know, is that for the brief few hours that I was able to mess with the helix, I was unable to achieve that tone I was after. I am definitely, in no way a 'brand happy' player. I go with what sounds good to my ears and could care less what it's called. I'll look forward to trying with the minotaur when the new Helix arrives.
  10. I was comparing to the Original. I had to send my helix back, as my original unit turned out to be defective, so waiting on another to come in the mail. In any case, I will try the Minotaur when it comes and see if I can get the tone I am after.
  11. Finding myself rather disappointed in the tone of the tube screamer in the helix. It does not seem possible to get that mostly clean, yet highly sustained tone that I usually reach for with it. I have tried lots of knob tweaking, even putting two of them back to back in a chain, but I am pretty much striking out. Honestly, I prefer the way this effect gets translated on my Zoom G5, which is disappointing, as other effects in the Helix, are leagues better than the G5. Still, this is one of my go to's, so it is kind of a deal breaker. Anyone else having difficulties? Anyone figure out how to solve them?
  12. Come on guys.. this is 2016. The average 500 dollar computer comes with 8-12 gb of RAM plus a quad core processor. I don't care if you are recording at 96khz, 2-3 minutes of record time at most is going to maybe use a few hundred mb. For 1500 bucks, we should not have to slice and dice like this. That is the reason we spent 1500 bucks. Side note, I bought mine from guitar center and I am still within the 45 day return limit. I am on the fence about it. Anyways, just seems like 100-200 mb should be drivel in todays world at this price point. Those that make the argument that they would rather have the extra memory for their effects are missing the point. My zoom g5 cost me $260 after discount, and it records 60 seconds, plus it lets me layer over that. Just saying... I get that the extra time does not help you, but that is not what this is about. I am a mostly clean player. Most of the hard core distortion rigs don't help me either, and I would love to exchange them for better looper, more effect options (killer envelope filter, etc..). That's not how this works though. Still, at the 1500 dollar price point, you shouldn't have to sacrifice 1 or the other imo...
  13. I am curious... What chance do you all think we have of getting more Rigs/Effects bundled into the Helix in the future? Will we have to pay for them when they come?
  14. Jeez.. How hard could it have been to add an extra 30-60 seconds (60 preferred). Seems to me they already have the system architecture, they just needed a little more memory. For $1500 bucks in 2016, this should have been a no brainer. My needs are different. I like to lay sometimes 1-2 min loops down, and then come back and solo over them. I do this both live and when I am practicing by myself. In practice, it is huge. The reason we go for these big multi-effect units, is because we don't want to lug around and maintain a bunch of individual pedals. In an ideal world, I would show up with the helix, plug into my amp or the house PA, and call it a day. This to me seems like either a big over-sight, or more likely, an intentional dumbing down of the system. In the past, I always felt like these multi-rigs were dumbed down so folks would still have to buy the accompanying looper. Can't make it too sweet, otherwise no one will buy the specialized product. It's a shame.. I just want 30-60 more seconds.
  15. This is confusing to me. Why only 60 seconds on the looper? This is supposed to be a high end jack of all trades product. Why only 60 seconds. It is 2016. Storage is cheap. Why limit this function to only 60 seconds? This seems like an intentional act to limit functionality. I don't want to have to have a separate looper pedal. That is one of the reasons I seek to buy a pedal like this. My zoom g5 has 60 seconds, and it is 5 years old. :( I am disappointed.
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