Geolondon

Hi All, I considering the purchase of the Helix and I'm completely new to amp modeling, etc. I keep seeing terms like "IR", "patches", and other terminology used in reference to these devices. Can someone help me understand these, and whatever other terminology I'm likely to encounter, in conceptual terms? I'm also researching a couple other devices, for example the Kemper system. Was it the case that when the Helix initially came out, the stock tones were not on the level of the Kemper but that over time Helix has closed the gap (if there ever was one in the first place)? I ask this because I visited a Kemper forum and had seemed to see more and more converts to Helix in terms of general attitude in the posts towards the device over the past year or so. So I'm wondering that as people have dialed in various tones on their Helixes via "tweaking" that perhaps things have improved over time? And then, of course, I've seen a number of Youtube videos where the Fractal, Kemper, and the Helix are compared and honestly I have a hard time telling the difference between any of them and that it boils down (to me, anyway) the interface of which Helix has the best (again, in my opinion). So if anyone can address or help me out with the above points, I'd greatly appreciated it. Thanks again. Regards, Geo

Dunedindragon and others, Great advice. Thank you Dunedindragon, and to all who have replied. I'll very likely go with the full Helix floor unit, a mixer, and a maybe a DXR. Looking forward to this. Cheers, Geo

As for monitoring.. yes, I'm glad you mentioned the Yamaha DXR10. I was actually thinking of the cheaper DBR10 for this application, but maybe there's a reason to use the DXR10? Oh, I just checked out the L2t...wow, that thing is nice but quite expensive--might have to think about that one. I've also got a Schertler Jam150 acoustic amp that I could, I think, use for monitoring. For playing "out", I mean small pubs and coffee houses...that sort of thing. She's primarily an acoustic guitar player and what I'd term a "pro" singer in the sense she's produced a CD or two and has done some proper televised stage performances. She doesn't make a living at it per se. I've been looking at mixers as well lately and some people have recommended the Allen & Heath ZED10FX. Again though, I don't even have any experience with any of these things so I'm doing all I can do get educated. This is one big learning curve for me, but I'm getting there. I've made friends recently with a guy who runs a studio, produces, etc.. and he's been helpful in the short discussions we've had on this topic, but nothing in depth so far. I'm kind of curious as well, after having read a number of the threads on this forum, how everyone here is so knowledgeable.. I mean, the technical expertise seems off the charts. Are a lot of members here engineers? Just saying. Right now, based on this thread so far, I'm leaning towards the full Helix model. Geo

Hi Everyone, I've stumbled into amp modeling just recently, and am enamored by the whole concept and quality of these devices. I'm now considering the Helix or the Helix LT. I've looked at loads of YouTube videos on the Helix (and the Kemper and the Fractal and others) and am finding the Helix systems hit the right spot in terms of interface and overall quality. Now...I've been a bedroom guitarist for decades and have done some home studio recording (which I enjoy). I have a pretty basic setup (a Macbook Pro/ FocusRite Scarlett 2i4/ a Neumann TLM102 mic/Garageband). Having met a very good female singer recently, we've discussed taking her songs and playing live and also doing some home studio stuff. It's mainly acoustic based, but I also want to incorporate electric guitars into the whole songwriting going forward. I checked out both Helix units at a guitar store and I liked the scribble strips on the full version vs the LT. But I know very little about what inputs and outputs I would need for a live show. I just have zero experience performing live and little knowledge about what works with what. I would want, I think, room to add more than just two guitars and two mics. But I don't even know for sure if either Helix unit accommodates 2 mics. I think there's just one mic input on the Helix and none on the Helix LT am I right? I guess my questions are this: 1) Are the scribble strips all that important or are they mainly nice-to-have? I seem to like them. Is it easy to navigate the Helix LT without them? 2) Do you find that if you do have the full Helix, that you don't use it to its full capabilities in terms of inputs/outputs? In other words, is there a lot of unit real estate that goes unused and will always go unused? Or do you feel that you still want those capabilities "just in case"? I realise these are very newb questions, but I'm finding that, generally speaking, the salespeople at the retail stores I've been to really don't know many of the ins and outs of these systems. I'm just trying to soak up as much in these forums as I can. Any advice or enlightenment is appreciated. Thank you. Geo