iamgeorge

Floor unit all the way. One of my mates has the rack control and he loves it, but he barely uses the foot-controller that it comes with. Whereas I'm constantly using mine, PLUS, the floor unit has the exp pedal. As far as midi goes as well, should you down the track buy an actual amp that has midi, it'll be able to change channels on your amp whilst changing FX etc etc. It's awesome. Good luck

Hey guys, sorry.. It's Beautiful Dangerous (Slash + Fergie) and as per my iPod, the effect in question comes in at around the 9 second mark..

Hey guys, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjmTf31MAe8 Not sure what effect this is, does anyone know? Also, I assume this type of effect can have the tempo adjusted accordingly to suit? Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, is this effect available on the Helix? The effect comes in at around the 0:16 mark.. To me, it’s not quite flanger/not quite phaser.. kinda like a helicopter, or something.. Thanks.

+1 to Bone Toner's comment about the VHT. I've got the VHT 2/50/2 and that destroys all 3 Matrix amps that I used to have. Solid state cannot compare with a valve amp IMO, however others will think differently based on their experience no doubt. Also, for what it's worth, if you're going to be new to modelers, the Helix is a breeze to use and navigate thru when compared the Axe FX. I've also owned the Axe FX and whilst it's more popular, the Helix is so far advanced when compared to the Axe FX.

Is that right..?! Is there some fix for this yet? I've read various threads on here and I haven't found anything that actually fixes this issue after updating to 2.1. I’m using SNAPSHOTS, with my Helix floor unit à VHT power amp à 2x12 cab. I’ve been using the expression pedal on my Helix floor unit purely as a volume exp pedal and now it just doesn’t work. Any fixes yet?

Thanks for that. Yeah I meant exactly that, hard-rock/hi-gain/metal sorta stuff. All good, you've answered my question. Horses for courses really..

Hey man, that's pretty much what I'm doing too. It really is the easiest load in/load out I've ever had, which is super cool. So you're not using it for guitar I take it? If by chance you are, what amp sims have you been using, in particular for the hi-gain stuff? George

Hey guys, I know I know, lots of players are really digging FRFR/cabs sims etc, but for my purposes, I'm really digging using amp sims IN CONJUNCTION with my VHT 2/50/2 power amp. Just curious to know if there's other players out there, as the title suggests, that use their Helix with a valve (or even solid state) power amp, AND IF SO, are you using it in a band? Last question, as far as hi-gain tones are concerned, what amp sims do some of you use for this? Thanks.

I'm sure many do mate, and there's many players out there that live and swear by FRFR - I'm just not one of those guys. I play live shows in a hard rock band with another guitarist who plays a Mesa 4 channel Roadster, and I never go front-of-house, or DI etc. Gimme a valve power amp + the Helix + 2x12 or 4x12 and I'm happy. To me, FRFR cannot compete with this for various reasons, BUT, like I mentioned above, other players will think otherwise. It's what works for you and your surroundings. I like German Shepherds, you might like French Poodles.. my favourite colour is purple, yours might be teal.. who cares, right? Right now, I'm using my Helix, and VHT 2/50/2 power amp, and a vertical Mesa 2x12, and it thumps. Other times, I use my actual 120w valve power amp with the Helix in 4CM + 2x12 and that too works really well. I will add though, it's not so much that it doesn't play out with a band, a real amp has... i dunno.. something going on that amp/cab sims don't - which is probably the best way I can put it. Second to that, having owned an Axe FX 2, having tried a sh!t-tone of various amp sims on both the Axe FX and now the Helix, there's just something more appealing to my ears about having a valve power amp + real cab + amp sims from the Helix. To me, this works better than running cab sims.

Isn't it interesting.. I removed myself from the whole FRFR thing (for various reasons.. which I don't need to get into here), so the key for me as of late has been dialing in the right amp - one that works well with my VHT 2/50/2 valve power amp. And because I'm using the power amp, I'm loading in a PRE-AMP as opposed to AMP, or AMP + CAB. That said, putting a Minotaur, or Timmy etc in front of the amp, as well as an EQ in front of the amp and an EQ after it certainly 'cleans' things up a bit and it really starts sounding like a real amp, not an amp sim as such. BEING able to do this and tweak settings in an environment where you can really crank it up, say at band-volume, is paramount too. Creating/making patches at bedroom volume is probably fine if/when using your computer monitors etc, however for those of us that play live, who don't use FRFR, this is a good way to experiment.

I’ve seen a few posts here and on the Fractal Forum.. So here’s my 2c worth on the Friedman ASM-12, having owned two myself. Loved them. Bought them purely because they were/are the closest thing to what a real cab sounds like, which was important to me. Yes, it’s FRFR and does the FRFR thing quite well, BUT, it does the ‘real sounding cab thing’ better than any other FRFR solution - this was what got me over the line. It was a no-brainer to buy. I used to own the Atomic CLR wedge and strongly disliked it. Too artificial sounding, didn’t sound anything like what I thought a mic’d up cab should sound like. Normal music sounded good through it, but playing your guitar through it didn’t cut it, not even close. I also owned 3 different active Alto speakers (a couple old Alto Elvis 10’ & 12’ which were actually quite good for a budget speaker). Might be a good time to just acknowledge that this is obviously very subjective; what sounded good to me may not sound good to you etc etc and vice versa. Having owned two Friedman BE100, Bogner XTC, 3 different H&K amps, EVH 5153, ENGL Steve Morse and Powerball etc (some decent amps I might add..), I had a pretty good idea what my ears would naturally gravitate towards tone-wise and cab-wise. I’ve only ever played 4x12 & 2x12s that were V30 loaded or combo V30+Creamback, if that helps. So, after years of playing these amps through these cabs, my ears have memory of the tone (if that makes any sense) and I knew what I would naturally like, or expect to hear. Back to the ASM.. It’s bulky and a little bit awkward to carry, but it’s worth the awkwardness given the sound that you get is precise but not over the top. It’s the only FRFR speaker that sounds very close to a real cab and pushes the air – which is what real cabs do, right!?! You can have it in the wedge position or the upright position. I kept it in the upright position 95% of the time. It could keep up with my other guitarists 100W JCM900 and delivered a good mid punch which I think A LOT of FRFR solutions really lack. Again, YMMV. Lastly, because I’m quite OCD, I had a couple custom covers made up for them because the shiny outer material looks like it can damage/scratch quite easily. Credit to Dave Friedman, the man makes some killer amps and some killer products in general, really. If I was to revisit the FRFR path, I’d get an ASM. Why did I get rid of them?!? Simply, I don’t play FRFR anymore – I’ve gone full circle and use my Helix to drive my amp which is my ‘A’ rig, and I use my Axe FX-ii with a valve power amp (VHT), which is my ‘B’ rig, into a Mesa vertical 2x12 cab.. actually, I use my two 2x12 vertical Mesa cabs! Awesome sound. Anyway, for what it’ worth I hope this helps. If anyone wants the specs for these custom covers that I got made up for it, just send me a PM. Georgy

Thanks Pilo.. I can't right this sec, but I will shortly.

I'm gonna bump this, with the hope someone may be able to chip in with something.. still struggling!! :unsure:

Hey guys, Can't quite work out what I've done wrong here.. So I'm using my Helix floor unit with my actual amp in 4CM (amp has midi which is SUPER handy :-)), and for some reason, I just can't get the expression pedal to work properly. When I'm using it in FRFR mode (with my Yamaha HS5 monitors), it works fine, no probs. However when I use it in 4CM, even if I copy and paste the EXP/VOL block at the beginning of the chain, it just doesn't work.. <_< Am I doing something wrong, or is there a different setting maybe for the VOL/EXP (and even WAH now that I think about it) when using it in 4CM? Thanks in advance. George

Not sure if this will help or not.. But totally agree with Zooey.. Snapshots all the way. I not only do I come from the land down under (pardon the pardon :P), but I also come from using the Axe FX-ii, and I wholey and soley use it in 4CM with my EVH 5153 50w amp. Now, I'm using the EVH amp purely as a power amp so that I can use all the on-board amp sims within the Axe (yes, even though I'm doing it in 4CM). It works incredibly well, I love it and it's seamless. When my custom made amp gets finished in the next week or two, it has midi, so I'll be using my Helix floor unit to change channels etc etc all via snapshots. I won't be using the footswitch that my amp will come with - that's what my Helix is for. Once you've kicked a goal or two by using snapshots, I think (and hope) you'll find it to be the best way to use it..

Hey there, Started playing around with my Helix floor unit (not the rack unit) for the first time last night. What an amazing piece of gear. I love my Axe FX, but having only played around with the Helix for around an hour, I can already see that it runs rings around the AX8/FX8.. just my opinion though.. Being an EVH fan, was just wondering if anyone has had any luck making up an EVH Unchained flanger sound? If anyone is willing to share their settings for this/screen dump whatever, would be awesome? OR, does anyone know where one could find such settings via the Helix? Thanks George

Hey guys, Had a bit of a look on the 'show us your Helix rigs' and so forth to see what kinda pedalboards you guys are using.. Any specific recommendations? Yes, of course, it's very preferential etc, however I guess I'm kinda looking for something that the Helix can sit in, where I can just remove the lid and away I go. The Pedal Pad boards seem decent.. anything else out there? http://www.pedalpad.com/products/pedal-boards#!/PHAT-III-Hinged-Pedal-Surface-w-accessible-compartment/p/27578297/category=6472051 With my Axe FX setup, I ended up getting a custom-built pedalboard which I want to avoid if possible, so I'm just trying to gauge what people out there recommend, as well as what they're using.. Cheers guys!! George

Great point mate, totally agree with that. A big colour screen with an easier-to-use interface should certainly win a lot of votes for the Helix.

Hey guys, I'm about a week away from receiving my Helix floor unit - and I can't wait! Having been a Fractal user for the last 2 years, I've become quite accustomed to how the Axe FXii works, what it's limitations are, and to be fair, just how damn good that thing really is. I guess this is more of a question for the guys who have come across from Fractal to the Helix.. as the title suggests, what pro's/con's have you discovered? Where does one lack where the other one is superior? Any do's and don't's? Amp sim options? I know it's all very personal and preferential, it could be a simple thing that the Fractal FX8 or AX8 do not have an expression pedal built in. Or, the fact the Helix is completely colour whereas the Axe FX looks like, as one of my friends have recently said, a 1986 Casio calculator! Apologies if this question has already been asked! Cheers George

Thanks Guru.. I'm an OCD creature of habit.... and I've come from the Dark Side (Fractal) to the Helix!! One thing that I did like about the Axe FX, FX8 and so forth were the labels. They actually do help, especially if you're playing live. I will just be a matter of getting used to it. Cheers :)

Hey guys, Yes yes I know, it's too pretty to put magnets on it like the Fractal gear is..!! I'm just curious to know, is it actually magnetic in case I want to get some magnets made up for it, the same way you can get magnetic labels for the POD etc etc?? Thanks in advance! :D George