benlampard

I'd be happy if the Helix could outperform either Guitar Rig 5 or my Whammy IV in pitch-shifting, but it can't. It isn't unreasonable to expect a top-tier multi-effects unit to track polyphonically, since that's pretty standard now. As for "Helix is for amp models and the FX are just a bonus" . . . well, Line 6 certainly haven't positioned it that way. Helix is your entire rig in a box!

. . . but I think a better way to organise IRs, an "undo" option, and better pitch tracking would be way more useful across the board.

Speaking purely selfishly, I'd love a Diezel Einstein model.

You probably can use just Native. How are you planning to get sound out to the desk? Your Scarlett 2i2 has line TRS outputs which can go to the desk, but it might be a little awkward. Latency isn't necessarily a problem, I've got something like 12ms in my Reaper sessions on a laptop with 16GB of i7 processors. I'd say your best bet is to take out the trial version of Native and see if it works for you - maybe go down to a rehearsal room and plug into their PA, see what you think?

Anyone else using a 44? I'm thinking of getting one to fill out the sound in small venues where the PA isn't enough.

What, not an optitrem at the end of the signal chain? :D

Good lord, I thought I had it bad! The other guitarist in my band has a looper and a HD500 mounted in a pedalboard the size of a coffin - it takes up half the stage in some of the places we play. Also kudos on your exceptionally cheeky returns to GC.

Scarlett should be set to inst, really, but I find with some hot output instruments it needs to be set to line. I believe it's just a pad, so as long as you're getting a decent signal level it doesn't really matter which you use

Is the 1/4 out set to "line" level in the main settings page? I would think that you'd want to send line level into your FX return, but that may not be the case.

He's talking about Mackie.

. . . that I'm really enjoying Helix, and Helix Native. I've spent a lot of time with them in the last few weeks and I think they're really excellent pieces of kit. I've definitely had my frustrations in the last year of ownership but I do feel like I'm getting great results now. Little bit of positive feedback for L6 ;)

Definitely agree that you need to dial in sounds at gig volume. Hearing perception changes with amplitude, so what sounds soft and muddy at home sounds perfect onstage (in my experience at least). I've found there's no need to use the global EQ as a default, it's intended more to tailor your sound to different situations quickly. I have my IRs set to tighter cuts, around 100-150hz on the low end and around 3-5kHz on the top. Sound drastic, but the filters are really gentle; I think something like 12db/octave, so you have to set them further than you expect. Global EQ and EQ blocks have much stronger curves.

Hey, those barefoot buttons look pretty cool, are they V1 or V2? Do the tallboy ones make a big difference to hitting the right buttons at the back?

Sounds like a real pr*ck to me. Any number of pro bands use modelling, so that's a non-starter. Congrats on him seeing a mic at a Van Halen gig, he's evidently very proud of that, but the fact is that with Fractal, Kemper and L6 all making such killer products it's much easier to fly a modeller around the globe than a stack. If they weren't up to the task, they wouldn't get used. If the problem is monitoring . . . what exactly is a super-pro setup? If you have any monitoring at all then there's no problem - I've played plenty of shows like that, and it's fine. In fact, without competing stage volumes it makes managing onstage monitoring a lot easier. Are you going to have a great soundguy at every show, who will use the same mic in the exact same position? Will you ever share cabs? If not, then there's no consistency in your sound. Helix can give you this - you'll always have the exact same tone, every single gig you do. Why simulate a Marshall? Well, aside from the beauty of not having to carry the f*cking thing around everywhere, you can instantly switch it to a Fender, or a Matchless . . . and you can adjust any part of it at any point. Not a leg to stand on, just wants to make out like he knows more than you.

Ha, yeah, I have thought about looping in my Whammy, but I've got a rack unit. The thought of it shifting slightly out of tune during a performance and turning my beautiful shimmering chords into an atonal mess puts me off that, and the pedal's so old now that the treadle needs resetting every now and again. I don't trust it to behave. Good point with the IR, I hadn't thought of that. Of course it's a cab, isn't it . . . 6 - on a slight tangent, it would be nice to set up your own default settings for each amp. I'm sure this is on ideascale somewhere.