WickedFinger

Personally if the Helix was not light years better than the HD POD I would not have one. I sort of been-there-done-that on the POD thing. L6 had lost me as a customer until I really got a dose of how well they did the Helix. The Helix has a much better level of tones. I have a GSP1101 with floorboard that is basically new, I just paid it off when I got the Helix because it was such a decent deal. I like the 1101 myself, it has some clean amp models I just love but no where near the options the Helix has. I also had an Atomic Amp for a brief time, great amp models but the effects were not outstanding and limited in scope compared to the Helix ability to use multiple blocks of same effects. The atomic had this annoying clock tick in the background that was a deal kill for me.

Well speaking of massive sonic overkill I have a pair of EV 15s (powered ZLX-15P) and if that is not enough I also run a power amp'd stereo split wired 4x12 with Eminence Man 'O War's which is my go guitar rig package. It is not about seeing how loud you can make everything, it's just the headroom and range. Daddy likes Wattage. Many times I do not use them both on the guitar rig usually either or, but the EV's also run my secondary feeds from my EHX Mel9 line that also has my Trio unit. So most of the time it's my 4x12 with the EVs used for my Mel9 and Trio background. To be honest I do not always like the full range on the models but the Eminence are not low wattage low fidelity, true they have guitar roll off but the guitar has a specific range as well. To be honest I love the EVs for their massive bottom end capability and I used them on my GR-55 guitar synth when I had that rig going. Sold off the synth but still have the EVs so pretty cool to be able to use a range of options. These days smaller speakers can manifest low end more than you might imagine, for me it is wattage handling ability and not tubbing out or not being able to handle what is thrown at them. The EVs are powerful enough to PA a reasonable size band and fill a small club but do nicely in my studio space not cranked to wake the dead. I have speaker stands for them but i tend to like the sound coming off the floor you can also tilt them like monitors if you like. Big fan of EV.

One thing is for sure, this is a wonderful machine. I love how something can exceed my capabilities and take some time to fully groc it out, rather than be limiting to your creative edge. I have been having a lot of fun putting segregated amps on a path A and a path B and having the two channels be able to run either none or slightly different reverb or delays. Still learning some of the various switching options and split,merge things. It can really do a lot of stuff you do not really grasp right away. I've had and used several other amp modelers and this one has been really much better and more realistic sounding. The looping and path ability are superior by far.

Hey if it works, cool. I never had 7 so I cannot really say anything about it. I had 8 and I thought it was supposed to be better than 7 but it had so many issues. What I hate about Windows 10 is the AI takes over your machine and does things you do not want and cannot stop or turn off. The efforts to make things idiot proof and for the non thinking generation are frustrating to the wall for those like me who want the computer to do what it is told and not do what it wants. I live with it as everything on the Helix programs does well. But seriously MS needs to back off the intuitive AI, I do not want all that yada nor every damn update installed without being able to stop it or even remove them. What will future Windows be like, Hal? Stop dumbing down the world, we are stupid enough already.

I had not been a fan of EHX for some time but the newer line of their keyboard mimic pedals are pretty damn awesome. I like having that ambient background under my main tones and the Mel9 is a very nice compact package for strings, orchestral strings, brass, and my fav Cello or even that Flute Strawberry Fields thing. Really does get that quirky Mellotron coolness from that weird tape machine keyboard maintenance nightmare. You should know these are not pristine flawless tracking range renderings of these instruments but the Mellotron emotive of them, which in its own right it is bloody well cool to the bone. This is not a synth pedal but it is for sure just like the Mellotron without the maintenance nightmare. I am not sure how others use the Mel9 but for me I had to split it off into a separate rig line away from my main guitar tones. I cannot see how you would run this in a conventional chain as you do not want this going through your drives and what not. Probably an inventive way to use the Helix to loop isolate it to different outputs but I have not gotten that far along w my programming savvy yet. Right now I run full wet to my EV rig and full dry to my guitar line. I use an ABY on the Mel9 so I can dead mute the dry/wet signal when I want nothing from it, else you get the clean guitar coming through when it is off which is not desirable for me. If you plumb it right. it is a very cool pedal. I used to be a full on GR-55 synth player and all that but the rig just got to complicated with extensive programming on that puppy and having to use the Hex pickup thing which I did not like the fit on my new Les Paul's. The Mel9 gives me back some string and cello tones that add to the ambiance of my tones. I can tell you, learn that main riff sequence of Game of Thrones, it sounds killer and everyone recognizes it. My wife trips when I play that, sounds exactly like the theme w Cellos.

Main thing with the Helix is the amp modeling and the IR ability. If I need a better level of effect I will just loop it in. I just remembered that new little DWN&UP pedal from TC, does up and down two 8vas and is polyphonic and is only like $130 That can give you a much truer 12 string thing and organ like tone. I was not expecting a lot on the front end effects and was not planning to do without pedals for a lot of that. The Amps, IRs, a few back end effects plus the cool output and loop features and I am totally happy. I was impressed that they did give a good try and upgrade over the POD front end stuff. What ever the Helix lacks is an easy loop out to something but the amp modeling is fantastic and that was the price of admission for me. Everything else is added bonus.

What Browser are you using? I had fits with the Explorer on my new PC, I went back to Chrome and everything is cool. Make sure you have the correct 2.01 file as the first one on the page is a Flash memory thing not the 2.01 update. Check the header on the window on the left side. I made that goof several times.

I suppose its a stage you go through as there are just so many cool things to try, hard not taste all the goodies. I have run across some cool things messing around. The path switching options are amazing on this thing rather hard not rig up something out of the norm. I mean sort of the point of having this thing, if you are just going to do an amp sound there is not much point to it. I would sooner go back to an amp and some pedals over not using the unit. I've never been a purist myself. Pedals are what always made the guitar fun and expanded its creativity. I do really enjoy switching in some cool reverb options over my default reverb and delay but I am trying to just move over to another preset with new ideas rather than just keep loading it up. The second half of the DSP is in the path B line so if you just stay on A you are not calling up hardly anything in the processing. The art to using one of these is to not over process and loose the tone of the guitar and you can adjust things to be more subtle and enhance rather than overwhelm. One chap had an excellent idea to use the Harmonic Flange but dialed down to where it just enhanced and spread the tone, you could not really hear the flange much at all. USER PRESETS: ?? I was just going through some of the many user presets on the site and man, there needs to be some sort of quality control on this stuff. I just loaded what was supposed to be a Jimmy Page thing and it had two fully loaded paths that were almost identical BUT with no blocks left and no A/B, merge or blend into the other path, both had MIC inputs and separated. Just made no sense at all. Some really have some great ideas while others are an exercise in WTF.

Far as I know they are not new tech polyphonic tracking so playing chords is going to be a glitch out. You can usually get away w simple two note, root & 5th chords but little else. Far as single note riffs they do very well. I do miss my Whammy V, may have to get another one and loop it in. The new V is polyphonic and true bypass. I used to marvel at users of the older model whammy and other monophonic tracking pedals playing chords and thinking the tracking glitch burble was a part of the "tone".

Seems I keep doing dual amps and split path lines when I am not sure it is gaining all that much tone wise. I did like the template which does a split amp A-B thing which seemed to be a better idea. By the time I get done tweaking around my presets are loaded up and complex, wondering if backing off to a more "keep it simple stupid" approach might be better. I do love having options of different reverbs on the same preset but I thhnk I am getting carried away amp wise. What do you chaps think?

Thanks for the reply and example. I got confused as I saw an "Eb" label on some preset and I thought I was missing some sort of detune feature. Is it your understanding the simple pitch or Whammy are polyphonic?? They do not seem to be. I do miss my Whammy V which was new tech polyphonic and true bypass, great pedal. The Harmonizer modes on that puppy are to die for. i like the SImple Pitch a lot and the Dual has some cool tones, you can actually make an organ like sound using +1 8va and a lowered 5th. Tracks pretty good and for sure better in the 2.01 but I would not say they are polyphonic tracking.

Very cool, thanks a lot. Say where exactly is this Eb thing??? I really haven't hardly used the PC editor so I am not up on the features yet.

I do not mind sitting the unit up for preset development but not using the wahs and foot switches to change tones without my hands would be impairing. Some great wahs in this puppy and expression pedal stuff, I suppose you could add more expression pedals but for me that aspect is merely a developmental stage.

All I can say is my Windows 8 machine got constant site messages to upgrade my operating system even on my bill pay utility websites. It hung up and could not work with many things I had to do. Windows 10 solved everything. Computers tend to get outdated in 5 years. I also had to improve my Word software with the new machine.

Didn't I read something about using the Snapshot feature to alter things like that in the same preset or am I wrong on that? I am new to this puppy myself.

I just cannot find how to do a bunch of things on the editor software that seem so easy on the Helix unit. Is there a help or included manual for this puppy I am missing?

Windows 7 is seriously outdated man. I had to abandon my Windows 8 machine as website after website gave warning notice "the operating system is outdated" and things just would not work with it. This is pretty sophisticated software, needs a higher end PC. Just FYI. I just picked up a great deal on a desktop Dell that has enormous memory and speed ability plus wireless keys and mouse. It's a desktop model but the entire unit is self contained on the back of the 24" screen, and wireless so I could move it anywhere with ease. 2.8Ghz, 12GB RAM, 64bit, 1TB memory drive, was also $200 off, I was amazed. Also one of the few models which still has a CD/DVD drive, Windows 10. was just 12, no finance charge, no interest, payments at Best Buy. I could not be more pleased as my other machine died a long slow death and just would not hardly run at all anymore. Just FYI, but I'd say it's the PC unable to handle the drivers and software package.

I've decided I just do not have a care who or what it is. Rush, not Canada's #1, really???

Dual delay, simple, adjust the L 800, R 1600, repeats to suit. Can also stack two single delays, many ways to config. If you run a split path you can put a mono delay on each side. Make several presets using different methods and choose the best. Now you know why it takes me all day to render a single preset but man when it is done, wow, tones are incredible. I saw a May preset somewhere on the Custom tone share site you might see what they did.

I had been using Chrome for ages and my PC died, the new one started up on Explorer 11 and they have all this stuff integrated into it. I finally restored my Chrome and so much happier. Ex is the most user unfriendly thing. I hate when they try and dumb things down trying to make things moron proof, I like to fly the plane.

Before I got the Helix I had a EHX Mel9, highly recommended for strings and cello stuff, very, very cool. You have to split it out to get the best tones. I run dual rigs so not a problem for me. I was running through the theme of Game of Thrones last week as that is a real head turner. Using the Cello and a loop of the faster repeating theme riff, it sounded so amazing my wife came up into the studio room to comment and she almost never gets moved to do that. I plan on splitting off the Mel9 outside the Helix as I like using an ABY on it so I can mute it out completely when I want no signal pass coming from it when off. Marvelous unit really. You do not want to try running this in your chain, if you plumb it right the tones are amazing. But for strings, cello, orchestral stuff and whatnot the Mel9 (Mellotron mimic) is a real winner.

I just worked out my 5th preset in a week. 175???? WTF? Guys a freakin' programming prodigy.

Speaking as a Klon circuit user of various pedal board setups. At times I have had one front and end of the board for not only the decent buffer but because a Klon makes anything running into it or after it better. The trick is run them cleaner the clean boost quality is exceptional. I was delighted when I saw L6 put the Klon and Timmy models in. As for fuzz, never been one of my things but for sure into a clean Klon makes for more a Velvet Fuzz (Wampler) thing. I like most of the effects in the Helix and I find the pitch shifter and dual pitch shifter to be very good on tracking and tones. The 2.01 seems to have tightened up the tracking glitch very nicely. TheVibe in the Helix is one of the best I have ever heard even for real photocell circuits I have always used. I also like the reverbs and delays myself, I can get some some really great things using various combinations and splits. If they want to work on new things or improvements, fuzz would be at the bottom of my list. I was skeptical of the Helix, not being a POD fan myself, having been-there-done-that. but the Helix is a very different animal, I could not be more pleased with the unit, it is a costly unit but in the scope of other higher end modelers still a great deal. I have heard good A/B's using the Fractal and I cannot tell a difference.

Gotten into dual split paths on A and B and it is just wild. There is a nice template for dual lines in the preset list that gives you a good start and makes you realize you have too get off that Path A and use the other half of the DSP power on B.