themetallikid

Thats what I was thinking. We dont use a lot in the way of effects and such. Some reverb on vocals, chorus/delay on guitars. EQ's for sure to clean things up a bit. We dont need phantom power. Is there a benefit over going the mixer route vs adapter>Return 1? I would run guitars on path 1 and vox on path 2 more than likely. I would be the 'A' paths and other would be the 'B' paths

Ok, so right now for my solo shows I do the mic input, guitar input, XLR out to my FOH speaker and 1/4" out to my monitor. I have a split at the end of Paths 1 & 2 that seperate the feed/mix from FOH/Monitors for myself. For my duo shows, I really like using the Helix, but we end up having to use the full bands PA/Mixer setup and it just doesnt sound as good and is more crap to haul around. My mind was thinking in the shower today (doesn't everyone think about gear things in the shower? No? Just me? hmmm).... Could I get a small passive mixer to run Mics 1 & 2 into, to essentially submix to send to the Mic Input of the Helix? Then send my guitar to guitar input, and send the 2nd guitar into a return send (better option?) then I can run a single vocal path and 2 guitar paths. This would allow me to maintain my 1/4" out to monitor(s) and XLR out to Main(s)?? Or would I have a better option of getting an adapter (XLR>1/4") and running the 2nd mic into Return 1 and the 2nd Guitar into Return 2 and using those inputs as paths 1b & 2b so everyone has their own vocal/guitar path. I would just run a simple FOH mix then from 1/4 outs for monitoring purposes. We dont do a lot of special stuff acoustically. I play leads but really dont need much more than Chorus/Delay. The other guitar player only a small lead part here and there. So I dont think we would run out of DSP, its more the routing that is in question.

Also interesting to try. Appreciate it

Interesting...I'll have to try this....makes sense

My best advice, having used both (helix currently) is to watch videos of people create presets. Using the PC Editors and the on board controls. To me the UI and editor was a no brainer for Helix...again, coming an original Fractal Ultra user. Helix is so plug and play to create a preset from scratch. Not saying Fractal isnt, but its parameter paralysis to a point in some cases....Less is more. Also having less parameters to play with has forced me to search for more appropriate tools and explore the tonal possibilities in the tools I do have.

Yeah, Yek was a great resource when I had the original Ultra

I'm excited to give this a try. I love posts like these. I don't have real world experience with the amps a lot of times and love explanations about different models. The Axe FX had a wiki page that gave some in depth notes about the originals the models were schemed after to help explain the thought process behind the amp design a bit. Was a great help!

I've struggled to like these as well, when trying to run all 3 as a all in one combination type setup. Same struggles as you. I thought I remembered (maybe in my Axe FX days?!?!) that this amp was picky with cab/speaker choice too? I've always thought that this amp was more of a high master, but I thought I remember reading that most real world options dont usually get run much above 4-5 because it gets too flubby and the highs get icy/harsh. I havent revisited this amp in awhile win the York IR's that I use now, but maybe its worth doing.

Yeah, I'm habitually not a RTFM guy once I grasp the nuts and bolts of things, but with it being a release afterwards...and the time its taking me to get to this point....whoops, in one ear and out the other. Thanks for sharing that though.

Yeah, I really havent utilized the 'user defaults' at all, and feel like it will replace lots of my amp setting favorites. However, if you save a user default with the Amp + Cab block, does it remember the cab/mic choices as well or only the Amp settings portion?

Dumb question (more than likely) but its slow at work and I have new IR's to play with. Got me thinking about my use of Favorites...I usually create my favorites after I create a preset. I go through each block and save it with the presets name-block name. It seems clunky and not organized well. Looking for different approaches to how you use/manage your favorites. Honestly, I think some of my fave's could just be replaced with user defaults for the amp blocks and such. I think also I struggle with the amps that can do multiple sounds with different approaches to the settings (think your all in one amp styles) Just a conversation...no issues here.

Yeah for sure. And I havent adjusted my outputs, I still typically design presets the same way, and dont have to adjust our stuff much at all when I redo my presets from scratch....its the lead boosts that I've really noticed it. And the only thing that makes sense in this skull shaped peanut of mine is what the board could be doing boosting/cutting at the input trim to either eliminate/expand the difference in my rhythm/lead boosts...unintentionally of course....just what i've noticed.

I'm not disagreeing in theory with you at all...and agree with lots of what you said here. Just something I have noticed. Again, it may be something else causing that to happen, but on my end....presets were consistent, leveled and not a problem other times.

Yeah, I agree. Thats why with our stuff it sounds fine, and I try not to send a goosed signal to the board cause it just causes problems elsewhere. And I trust the FOH mix/guys, I'm just saying my experience with monitor mixes/IEMs, in reference to the OP question is that it can vary if your going through multiple different systems/gain structures on consoles.

Hey Sascha, I'm not sure that I'm the most articulate to explain it, but here are a few examples. 3 scenarios, same presets, varied results. As I've babbled about before, I run a preset per song. Typically a rhythm/lead/additional effect snapshots as needed. However those presets are usually based on a batch of 6 different rhythm sounds, and lead versions of those sounds. I take great care/pain in getting those core presets to sound as level as I can by ear. Also making sure that the lead boosts come across as 'enough' to come through over my other guitar player. I even create 'half' lead snapshots if there is a lead line, but its something that still hides behind the vocals a bit (just adding my lead effects, not much in the way of a true volume boost). For my examples, lets just use simple numbers that arent true but will explain my point. All rhythm presets are designed at -4db at the output block. All lead boost sounds take me to 0db at the output. Here are the 3 scenarios I have run into (not just Helix, but other previous systems as well) 1. Our main PA system - has my guitar input trim set to +2db... Most my stuff sounds pretty decent/level etc. 2. We play at a place that has in house sound. They are more used to real amps/cabs, I'm sending the full line level signal (disabling the volume knob)....they are usually blown away by the level of the signal at the input, so they adjust (as they should, lol) but lets say that board ends up at -4db on the channel strip. I've found that this tends to squash the boost i've got in my presets that seems fine in scenario 1. 3. We play a festival and the opposite of #2, the board ends up running my guitar at +10db. My lead boosts are now much wider in their 'boost' and ripping peoples faces off. All three scenarios are using the same presets, but have given me varied results. I suppose it could be something more in the monitoring signal patch with the PA, but that has been the main struggle I've had with setting lead boosts. Especially before we had our own consistent PA. From sound guy to sound guy it would vary, it made it really hard to settle on a specific boost for each sound. I'd be at +6 and it wasnt enough, then went to +9 and it was ripping peoples faces off, so then I'd go back to +6 and still too hot, so I'd back it down to +3 and then its non existent...etc. Lots of other factors, I'm sure and maybe Im attributing the effect to the wrong cause. Just my experience.

One thing to remember, I do the same thing with lead boosts.....2 things really. 1) My band runs our own sound, we have a digital board that saves settings. My gain structure on my board channel doesnt vary. 2) This is where #1 leads into #2....The +6db boost would be great if every board you plug into is set at a 'unity' gain structure from your output to the speakers. However, most boards are going to have a boost/cut at the channel input. That boost/cut can either squash or explode your Lead Boost increase. If this is someone you use often, gear wise as well, I'd have them maybe readjust/calibrate your channel so that what you get through your PC more closely mimics the FOH response. You definitely need to feel it out, but all depends on your FOH gear/sound guy.

I do the same thing with a preset/song thing. Some songs have 1 snapshot, some have 5 or 6. I've never used 8 snapshots. What I do for my extra snapshot slots is make those my main rhythm sounds so if something happens its not my lead or clean sound that makes a huge dynamic difference. I copy and paste that snapshot to all non-used slots, and then for the name, I enter a blank space so no name appears. I also do not assign a color to it. I run my layout in the 10 button stomp mode in this format.... Buttons 1 & 2 are my Preset Previous/Next Bottom row buttons (5 available) I have dedicated for snapshots, I start from the right and work left, so if I have 5 snapshots the one next to the BPM switch is my snapshot 5 and I work left.

So... After seeing the thread (maybe it was on TGP, IDK) about a 10 button Stomp Mode layout...I thought I'd try this approach to make me some 'pedalboards' of sounds. So.... Thinking maybe one of my setlists would be dedicated to this approach. If I'm understanding right, I could get 10 sounds on a 'bank'. I'd have to have the same 10 presets set up so that in Stomp mode they all show the same 10 presets in the same slots, correct? While in preset 1, I have presets 2-10 listed. When I go to preset 7, I still see the same 1-10 presets listed. Correct? So that would mean that if I wanted 3 or 4 different styles of pedalboards at my disposal, I'd need 30 or 40 presets. And any duplicate sounds between those pedalboards (clean, breakup for example) would have to have duplicate preset slots, as each preset slot would be referencing a different 'group of 10' for that pedalboard style. Correct? If my above assumption is correct... What are your 10 preset type suggestions? I'm thinking maybe a Dance Rock (Mellencamp, Tommy Tutone, Rick Springfield type music), 80's Rock (Poison, Bon Jovi type stuff), Hard Rock (Metallica etc), and maybe a Country style board. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Work is slow...looking to spark some homework for the weekend.

its working fine the next day after. Not sure what changed, lol. I tried deleting the IR and reimporting it and it didnt change the behavior...so. no idea what was causing it. But its gone. Computers do funny things.

One is a guitar IR (Strat 3rd position) and the other was a cabinet. I thought the same thing, but the names werent close at all. My guitar IR was named Strat 3p and the cabinet was named BGNR 4x12 V30 57c

Yeah that '44' was supposed to be slot 16 for the Verse Snapshot, I would save it and it would save, but when i'd change one snapshot and go back it was saved to 44. It's been fine since I made the thread of course. Gremlins, I tell ya.

yeah, thats what was happening, except when I changed snapshots it was resorting back to the slot 44. Even after saving, power cycling etc. Bout to fire it up for a quick run through again.

So I'm working on a preset for a song. I have the 3Sigma guitar IR's (used only for special occasions) at the beginning. The song is I'll Be There For You/Bon Jovi. I have a Strat 5 position and Strat 3 Position queued up in my IR slots (15/16 respectively). I use the 5 position for the Intro Snapshot, and then have it switch to the 3 position on the 2nd snapshot (Verse). For some reason it is wanting to jump to IR slot 44 regardless of me saving the preset, reassigning, deleting/reassigning the IR slot via Snapshots back to slot 16. Don't critique the preset yet, as its still a work in progress as I learn the song....but here is a copy of the preset. I'm just afraid I'm back on the 'corrupted preset' train again that I was on for awhile. I'll Be There.hlx

I would really suggest looking into a place like I used and at their custom prices. The company that I used built this to my specs including making the lid 1.5" taller to accompany the angle/height of the Helix. I know they do tiered systems as well and maybe they can quote you something that matches what you need.

So here is my board. It measures roughly 17" x 30". It has a flip up top surface that allows all my power cords and such to be housed underneath. My MXR talkbox is also underneath (my goal was to also have a Digitech Drop and Freqout, however I did not like how those pedals integrated and also new the Poly stuff was coming down the road at some point). The side panel has 2 female power outlets, 2 usb powered outlets and a male power outlet that powers the whole board. This setup is great. When I do my solo acoustic shows, I bring the board, a powered speakers, stands and guitar. My monitor speaker and tablet plug right into one of the outlets on my board. My lights/main speaker plug into a 3 way extension cord which also plugs into the 2nd outlet on my board and I run a 25ft IEC cable to power my board to the wall. My full band shows I only have the tablet and monitor to run on it. It also has a bracket next to the power plate that I can put a mic stand into. All of this was customizeable and I think I paid around $300-$400? I'd have to dig for that, and also to find the website. I'd gladly do that if you think you'd wanna check them out.