themetallikid

Ok, besides the pedal vs guitar and other obvious facts.... If I'm looking for a solution that will allow me to minimize guitar changes and be a better one and done solution....which would be better? My thoughts are that... 1) the Drop would need to be incorporated into a loop S/R which is then active/bypassed per preset vs setting tuning in variax per preset Advantage = Even 2) the drop is taking the signal and pitch shifting it down vs. variax does the same via the pickup system - Advantage Variax (only cause its being done at the source, otherwise pretty even here) 3) Drop will receive an E and put out an Eb/D note vs. Variax guitar will resonate an E note and put out Eb/D - Advantage = Even 4) Neither will be able to produce appropriate feedback on the altered tunings - Advantage - Even 5) Cost of pedal - $200ish vs guitar cost is $800ish 6) pedal only does tunings vs Guitar can change pickup/guitar sounds from the source, per preset/snapshot - Advantage - Variax 7) pedal seems to keep the tone in tact when shifting down a whole step (my max I'd be shifting down a whole step) vs Variax has more tuning options that are stable however palm mutes can sound weird (is this still an issue?) - advantage - Variax maybe? So, it seems pretty even, maybe tilted towards Variax...am I missing something?

So I had a post a few weeks ago about a few patches that I've been struggling with getting a dynamic/percussive thump out of compared to other presets. All using the same basic template for the presets, all using the same 2 IR's mixed, and generally the same EQ settings (minor tweaks, but being all presets are based on the same amp...pretty similar)....Though these 2 presets (and the lead versions) just sounded 'off'. So I finally get a chance to dig in and fix whats going on......play with different amps, eq settings, and nothing is getting me there. THEN I make a discovery.... when I go to try a different amp, I turn off the Parametric EQ I have running before the LA Comp at the end of the chain (Sadites style)....and as soon as I turned it off, changed amps the sound I needed was there. Needed to adjust some things (my usual EQ tweaks) and I turn on the Para EQ and, BAM!!!, my tone is gone. WTH!!! I do some trouble shooting....step 1, I turn off my EQ boosts/cuts....no change....Step 2, I go to the low/hi cuts and tweak those....I can hear changes, but still not getting what I need....no thump/chunk and no high end bite. Step 3...try a different EQ....I change to the 10 band...and bam the tone is back. ok...I switch to the Para EQ, and the tone is back....Hmm....I go to make the low/hi cut adjustments, and as soon as I adjust the HI cut from 'off' to 20khz (I think thats the first frequency it shows)....there is a major loss of tone. I reset it to off...and try adjusting the low cut....I get to about 60hz and the tone is gone. I'm beyond baffled...I get that there could be frequencies up around those ranges (unlikely, but whatever)...but not enough that it should be choking my tone/dynamics as much as it was. I debate about posting the preset to see if others have the same issue, then the DUH! moment occurs to me.......in all my presets I have my chain splitting for Reverb/Delay purposes then rejoining before hitting the Sadites Compressor at the end. What I notice is that my Para EQ block is on the chain with the Reverb, but its after the Reverb block. I moved it to pre-signal split for the Reverb/Delay and I now have control over the frequencies without the drastic tone sucking effects I was having. Simple sequencing error on my part chainwise.....however, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around why it was such a drastic tone shift when placed after the Reverb, with nothing more than minimal cuts at 60hz on the low side and literally just one notch from Off > 20khz on the high side. Lesson learned for sure, and I'll have to make a quick run through my presets now to adjust them after I reset my chains on my presets....but thought I'd share...sometimes its not a Helix problem, its the user for sure!!!

you need to download/install HX Edit, when you open that...as long as the Helix is connected to your PC it should pull up the current preset automatically

I agree that the issue is somewhere else other than the IR file, or IR block in the Helix. I've loaded the same IR's that I had with my original Axe Fx into the Helix and those work fine. Can you get a good sound using one of the stock cab/Mic combos? At the risk of sounding like I'm trying to steal something...you could share the IR with someone and see if they get the same result, though if it works in one system I doubt its the IR file itself.

Yeah basically mimic his settings for that LA Comp, so I can try that. There's really 2 issues I'm having, and I think the 2nd issue is a result of the first one as well.... 1) the rhythm presets just don't seem to have the same resonant punchiness/dynamics as the others I've created. This I will try the bias/bias x controls and see if they give me what I'm looking for....I usually leave those stock, but maybe I have a bit further on the Sag I can adjust as well...if not, then maybe have to find a different amp setup for this.... 2) My lead versions of the presets in need of help, just can't seem to get them above the rhythm presets enough to come through....I run my gain/volume boost blocks after the compressor so that should be out of the equation. But thinking this is maybe a result of #1's issue a swell.

Ok, so I've got some of the best tones I've ever had, however, I'm struggling with 2 of my sounds, and the lead versions of a maybe 3-4 of them. Quick background, I run in 8 preset mode, with the bottom row as 4 rhythm, top row as the 'Lead' equivalent of that preset. Bank 1 would be Clean/Gritty/Classic/Crunch on the bottom, then Clean Lead, Gritty Lead etc on the top. In addition to the Clean/Gritty/Classic/Crunch...I also have sounds named High Gain Crunch/Modern/Hard Rock/Hard Rock Scoop. For the most part the rhythms are great, lead versions are just what I am looking for (well...maybe 90%, lol). The ones I'm struggling with are the High Gain Crunch/Modern presets. I get a nice percussive/punchy type attack on the Classic/Crunch/Hard Rock presets...but when I get to the HG Crunch and Modern...It seems to be very compressed and even trying to get my 'lead' versions to boost enough and just be an extended version of the rhythms isnt working when I apply the general same principle as the other presets. I understand that as 'gain' is added it compresses the signal more and you get less dynamics....however, I would think I could combat that in a few ways....so far, not successfully. I generally do not run any compression on my presets, other than what Jason Sadites does at the end of his presets with the LA Comp just to 'glue' the delays/reverbs together to the signal a bit more before being sent to the board. When I create my 'Lead' versions of the rhythms, I have a Gain Block after the compressor so its the last thing the signal sees before being output. I usually have the Gain Block set to +3db, but some presets dip to 2.5, and the more gainier ones are closer to +4.5db because of that compression I was speaking of. My HG Crunch is just a boosted version of my Crunch preset, and a touch more on the Gain parameter. I've reduced the 'Sag' to help keep it a bit stiffer and allow for some more punch that way, but it just doesnt seem to be getting me there. I'd like to keep the same Amp choice if possible as a lot of times I swap between the Crunch/HG Crunch for a dynamics difference during the song...however, there is a character difference there...and I'd like to just keep it a ballsier version of the Crunch preset. The Modern preset is a different amp, so I may just have to try a different amp to get a different character. I dont have my Helix available right now, its at the practice place and we are jamming tonight...so I can do some quick edits and see what does the trick......any ideas other than SAG to help bring back some dynamics/punch to the sound. The IR I'm using is the same 2 IR's, set parallel and adjusted via the level paramenter in the IR Block...so its not a IR issue.

I dont recall, I do remember thought that it was not very impressive. Was super bass heavy, and didnt seem to have the right feel....

Yes, I do this, not to mimic a specific wah pedal, but just to get a sound that I like. I usually use the Fasel model, low cut down to about 220hz, high cut at 1.9khz. I'll put an OD in front, which one varies with the gain of the preset I'm using. Its either a Valve Driver or the Kinky. I dont remember the Valve settings, but the kinky was usually bright/boost both on, and the drive set to around 5. This just gave the wah a more resonant, aggressive sound to me.

any help on trouble shooting this?

Lol, I agree Cruisin....I'm on both sides. But my 'like' of that feature stems from being able to have Global Blocks for each effect/amp. Different topic, different conversation. In regards to the OP, I think a full reinstall of 2.7.

yeah I don't think that is normal behavior, and I have not experienced that at all. Have you tried backing up your original setlist with the one version of direct presets, and backing up the amp setlist separately and then importing them again, maybe that will disconnect whatever connection is causing that. Maybe once backed up, I'd take some 'blank' presets and just copy/paste them over the slots that are currently filled, to remove those presets fully. Then import the backedup ones and see where you stand. if they are still 'connected' at that point....maybe reinstalling the latest firmware? then a ticket if still having issues??

I don't think I've noticed that...but I have my stuff arranged where different setlists are different types of presets.... setlist 1 is templates, setlist 2 are my 'stock/core' sounds, setlist 3 is song presets, setlist 4 is downloaded presets...I've copied from my setlist 2 to setlist 3 and made changes to the setlist 3 versions and not noticed anything updating in setlist 2....and also when making changes to Setlist 2, it doesn't seem to affect setlists 1/2 either. But I agree, this could be a useful feature if there was a way to mark a preset as global, or when choosing to save, you could have a feature to 'update all presets with same name'

Hmm interesting...that may be the best workaround for me. I'll have to check that out.

So decided to add the looper to my acoustic patch last night as there is a song or two it would be fun to mess with the crowd of me stopping playing....but the guitar keeps going. However when I tried it out, the recorded playback was significantly quieter than the 'live' sound. what am I missing? It seems the levels in the looper block are maxed out at 0.0db, and I can only reduce them. I am using the 6 button looper FYI. I haven't quite mastered the 1 button looper yet, as I'm a newb.

I could be wrong, but I thought I remember somewhere reading in a thread that the issue with the editor only implementation is that the editor doesn't have the blocks stored in its programming that it reads the information from the Helix...So that might be a roadblock to having it an editor only option. it would have to be implemented into the Helix software, which the editor would access then.

that is fair...right now I'm going through a transition with my presets. I just recently did some new 'core' tones (clean/gritty/classic/crunch/HG crunch/Modern/hard rock/hard rock scoop), these are all dry presets other than reverb and delay (for the lead versions of these). Off of my core sounds I then copy paste them into the song specific presets and add the song specific effects. I suppose I could just save an 80's template and such....I just think it'd be as easy to create from scratch by right clicking on the spot I want the block and choosing Amps>Fender Deluxe Clean, Effects > Chorus > Clean Chorus, or Pitch> Whammy > 2 octave dive mostly not much of a difference...to me it'd be easier to call up the effects blocks verses saving a ton of presets.

Yeah where I create presets per song (68+songs for our band) and then use snapshots to turn things on/off....it'd be nice to save an 80's Chorus, Lead Delay, 2204 80's Crunch, SLO Lead or whatever, and just drop in the presaved settings idea. Instead of having to find the right preset, copy, go back to the 'new' preset, paste, then save, then back to another preset with another effect I like and repeat as needed.

Yeah that ability on the Boss Units to have 'Global settings' saved for different effects and such really makes editing easy. Its nice to setup 10 amp sounds, wahs/chorus/ etc, and they just reference that saved slot. Any changes are made to any preset that references that saved file.

IR's are the same as the 'cab' block. They just have everything 'baked in' as opposed to being able to change the cab type, mic type, mic distance, etc. So instead of having access to those parameters, you'd have an IR file for a Marshall 4x12/SM57 2"off axis, another file might be the same but slightly different of Marshall 4x12/MD421 2"off axis. Every IR file is a different setting for cab/mic/speaker distance

Yeah the Fractal has that feature and even the Boss GT series allows you to store 10 presets for every effect type including amps and then recall them from a quick menu. I don't mind copy paste...but when doing so between presets that are separated #wise or in different setlists it can be cumbersome

Only way to really do this at this time would be to use duplicate blocks with different types selected, dial each in, then toggle them back and forth and keep the one you want. Not always feasible...but that's partially why I'd love the functionality of being able to save 'favorite' block settings. For example, Lead Delay (simple delay), Ambient Delay....and just recall that favorite setting.

when you look at the IR block, the top parameter should tell you what slot its referencing, I believe that information is stored in the preset, so if you loaded the IR's into different slots you'll need to adjust what slot the IR block is looking at.

My first thought would be... Do the presets use an onboard speaker cab or are they using an IR, and if so....do you have any IR's loaded? If not, even though the IR block is there, its referencing one of the 128 IR slots, but there is no 'file' there so its almost like the IR/Cab block is non existent. To remedy this, I would drop in an 'amp+cab' block for the same amp that the Britt presets use (if there is room in the signal chain, I'm not familiar with those presets) and match the settings in the amp portion but retain the stock cab that it uses. If you bypass the 'Britt' amp/IR and only use the 'Amp+Cab' block and it sounds fine, then I'd bet its an IR/Cab issue. If that sounds the same then I'd lean towards monitoring issues maybe?!?

That makes total sense, THank you for that!

I recently fell into a tone I really like with the Mark IV, and was using the separate 5 band Mesa EQ block, before I realized it was included in the Amp block as well. Is there any difference between them other than the separate EQ block has a level parameter? I like the eq curve I have, however I also boost the level by 2-2.5db to compensate for the cuts....but I can't do that in the amp version.