GenoBluzGtr

I'm curious how everyone sets their volumes for gigging live via FRFR? When I build my patches, I set my main output volume (the big knob) to Noon-ish, and Don't use any global EQ (I save that for adjusting to the rooms I gig in). I also set the gain on my powered PA speaker to noonish. I have the outputs of both my 1/4" and both XLRs at the same (adjusted by the main volume). I don't do stereo paths, so I run one XLR out to the FOH and the other to my FRFR. FOH gets same volume as my FRFR. Then I adjust volumes of each patch to as close to equal as I can get (by ear), and use a volume block on the output of the amp to make real-time tweaks of the volumes at each gig. My rationale, is that I play different small to medium venues, and the overall volume requirements vary... some places we can 'rock out' and some places we have to keep it lower. If I make big adjustments to my FRFR gain or my overall output volume, it changes (colors) my patches differently. Something that is "warm" at 'noon' get's ice-picky if I have to turn up... and something that sounds punch and clear at noon gets muddy if I have to turn it down too much. So, is this an 'okay' way to do it? or am I missing something that would make my rig sound more natural? or better to work with? I don't have any complaints, but I know there are different ways to do this and want to make sure I'm optimizing my options. So I'm curious how everyone else does it, and what you think the impact of YOUR way would be if I change from my way to that method?

I've tried both the block and the input gate one and they both seem to choke the tone a bit. Any hints on setting the threshold and decay on the block one?

You can put it anywhere it sounds good. Most people will use a compressor at the very beginning of their signal chain, HOWEVER, try putting it at the end as well. Jason Sadites does this and his patches sound amazing! The rationale is that the Helix doesn't give you the "amp in the room" sound, it gives you more of a finished, produced, mic'd cab sound... and for most final tones we're used to, they've been post-processed in the studio. So putting a compressor (especially the LA Studio Comp) at the end of the chain is analogous to the sound engineer "adding" compression to the mix during the mastering process. It really helps to keep everything "glued together" and more balanced. by the same token, I find that I prefer reverb, delay, and some modulation effects AFTER the amp and cab. This is not something you could do with an Amp/Pedal board set up - again, more like adding those effects during post processing. The beauty of Helix is that you can try these anywhere and everywhere and find what works for you. I've learned more about signal chains and what does what best and when and in which combinations since getting a Helix than I ever did in 30+ years of playing amps and pedals!

Although mostly a "vintage tone" guy, I've got a few patches that I have tried using a bit more gain - amps, pedals, or both - and being a Tele and LP w/ P90s player, primarily I find the noise pretty high on stage when not playing. Prime for a noise gate. However, I can't quite get the noise gate to do it's job without REALLY making my tone sound weird. It seems to be "fighting" my overall signal and not in a smooth way. Anyone else have this issue or is it just that i'm not familiar with how and where to set these to have the least impact while still reducing the noise??

Thanks for the info! I agree. I couldn't decide on which "lesser" device would make the best backup. I know it seem extravagant to have both, but honestly, the deal I got made it hard to refuse... especially with a full warranty. I even have case solutions for both (a larger case for the Floor and the backpack for the LT.)

... But I've been agonizing over finding a good backup solution for Helix. I know it's actually very reliable - if you look at statistics, the actual rate of failures is extremely low in comparison to the number of units out there being used daily... but as a former submariner (HAVE to have a backup for the backup to the backup!), and just not wanting to be without my usual rig for very long, I grabbed a Helix LT as backup to my Helix floor. I found a great deal on a returned (open box) demo unit, still with Warranty, etc... for a significant discount (enough to make it seem less painful to spend so much for a backup). My rationale: If the worst happens - or even if it's something relatively minor - a repair will most likely mean shipping it somewhere and it being out of my hands for several weeks. I gig pretty much every weekend, so that's a non-starter. With my old tube amps, I had 2 or 3 of those and usually could get an amp in to my tech with a couple days notice and it was fixed quickly. So, having a backup that would give me the exact same sounds I'm used to, and could VERY easily and seamlessly be plugged in without any extra equipment is attractive to me. (since getting Helix, i don't have any extra pedals, no tuner pedal, no extra expression pedal/wah, etc.) So an LT would be a one-for-one swap out in the middle of a gig with no loss of capability or tonal flexibility and without having to have an extra "box of stuff" to set up in the event of a failure. So, here is my question... am I able to have BOTH devices registered here so any warranty issues are seamless? I've already bought Native with my Helix Floor (and got the additional Black Friday discount!!!), so If I keep the LT for a couple of years and then pass it on, the new owner would still get the discount, right?

Thanks, I'll give both a try. This could make things even easier.

Thanks for that... that explains when when I switch presets, I have to always adjust my pedal back to that ~65% spot... if I make it "global", it will automatically set the new preset to that position? Since we're on this topic, is there a way to make it so that when I switch presets, the Volume Pedal Block is always "selected" so I can look down and see the percentage level of my pedal position ??

I'm starting to include a Volume Block with my presets. A couple of reasons... - I was used to using a "boost pedal" or riding the guitar volume when I used amps and pedals. Never used a volume pedal before, so I wasn't "used to it". Now I think it's time to use it for a couple of things. - Volume balance between presets... My thought is to get my presets as close as I can in volume, but as I've seen over the past several months, I can never get them perfect and always end up adjusting the "big knob" several times during a gig. This way, I have a "window" and can use something close to the "mid-way" point for most rhythm stuff, and just dime it for solos. - Adjusting from Cleans to drives. I don't like to use a volume pedal to do anything other than pure level... and I don't care much for using it to "clean up" drives, etc... I can do that with my volume know on the guitar. So, my question: Do you put the volume pedal before everything? Between ODs and Amp? After the Amp but before Mods/Verbs/Delays? At the VERY end of the chain? Also, is Linear better? or Logarithmic? What are the pros and cons? Right now, I'm putting it after the amp and cab/IR, but before things like the delay and reverb (and any last-in-the-chain EQ blocks). And I'm using Linear, but I'm setting the travel to go from a minimum of 40% volume to a max of 100%. My hope is that I set the overall volume for a good lead/solo level when the pedal is toe-down. Then back off to about 60-65% for most Rhythm duties, but adjust in the Halfway area +/- some as I move from Preset to Preset. Better ideas?

Here is a preset I built using stock Helix Cabs. it's the Cartographer amp, a kinky boost, a minotaur, and dual cabs with a mix of a dynamic mic and a ribbon mic. https://line6.com/customtone/tone/3400968/ And here is a soundclip of me playing through this preset directly into garage band from Helix (sounded the same playing through my FRFR) https://soundcloud.com/geno-13/modtraynor_emjam There is a drum/bass/crunch guitar rhythm track and this preset on two tracks (clean snapshot on one track and a smooth lead tone on another using the 'drive' snapshot ). This is also played with a Telecaster, so it only gets warmer sounding with humbuckers.

pretty darned close... no built-in expression pedal and I don't know enough to know if I would have enough "single-footswitch-press" tones available (I go from clean to crunch to dirty to solo a LOT during a song)... but I've read/heard great things about it. Considering finding a used one and trying it out. Thanks, that's good to know and i'll take a look... although only 20% off new doesn't seem like a great price, it's still better than full price.

Exactly... which is why I'm agonizing over this solution. I think the right answer would be a Helix LT, but that's a LOT of chiclets for a backup. But it would sound IDENTICAL, same patches, same "almost everything"... but there are so many nice, smaller and LESS EXPENSIVE options out there... AA3, Boss units, etc.... but my backup needs to be able to interface directly with an FRFR and FOH at the same time (so I need good cab sim and dual outputs MINIMUM). Ideally it would have a tuner so I didn't have keep a tuner handy... ditto with built-in expression pedal. And if I was without Helix for a month, I wouldn't want to have to revert to amps and pedals once I "got through the gig" with my backup unit... I would want to just keep gigging the backup. I wish Line 6 had a product that was "LT-like" with less power and smaller footprint but could still do all these things. if anyone is selling a used LT for a good price, let me know!

I am keeping a small mini board for use with the one or two "sentimental" tube amps I'm hanging on to - a Tweed Deluxe (gutted/handwired early re-issue) and a L'il Dawg 5F10 Harvard Head). The board has - Mini Crybaby Wah -> Mini Tuner -> EP Boost -> BB Preamp (only non-Mini Pedal on it) -> Mooer Compressor -> Mooer Trelicopter Tremolo -> Mooer Ensemble King Chorus -> Flashback Mini Delay. I MIGHT hang on to a TS 9 that I have, only because EVERYONE needs to have a TubeScreamer in their life. Also might keep my Xotic Wah (I may want to integrate that with my Helix so I can dedicate the built-in expression pedal to Volume only?) Still on the fence about that. All else will be going on the sale block very soon: Strymon Flint w/ Favorite Switch Fulltone Plimsoul Wampler Hotwired V1 Cmatmods Signa Drive Mooer 90 Orange Phaser (mini) Mooer Yellow Comp PT Jr w/ M80 Case and PP2 Power supply T-Rex Fuel Tank Jr Power Supply Richie Kotzen Fly Rig Clark Penrose 2X10 Tweed Combo (5F4 Tweed Super Clone) Quilter MP Mach II 8" combo Peavey Bandit

I just ordered two of the Mag connectors and they work fine in my iPhone and for charging up my work Android and my power pac.... but do not make a consistent connection in the G10 receiver. The "normal" cable works fine, but I wanted the Mag connectors to work, too. Guess I'll just have to keep using the regular cable for now. For some reason the tip with the Mag Connectors has to be wiggled to get a connection with the receiver. I just do NOT want to be wiggling this thing more than I have to.

I just got a Relay G10 Wireless for Christmas, and was wondering how many of you have your wireless receiver on the floor with your Helix? I do not have a hard-case (thinking about it) and I'm Loathe to just set my G10 Receiver on the floor next to the Helix - too easy to get damaged that way - and running a cable from Helix to the Receiver placed somewhere else (in a PA cab, by my FRFR speaker, etc.... kinda kills part of the purpose of having a wireless to begin with. Yes, Guitar is no longer tethered, but would still need to run an instrument cable somewhere. If you DO set it on the floor, any issues??

I've been gigging with the standard K series for a few months. I set the speaker up just like I do the other K Series we use for Mains and Monitors. Flat / Normal / Line. Do not use the "Vocal Boost" setting - it adds a weird upper midrange that doesn't sound right with guitar. I generally set the channel volume to a level that makes my Helix (set at Noon on the master volume) the right level for the room / stage. I strive to have BOTH the Helix and the K10 at Noon on their respective volumes. I have found that if I build my patches for a noon / noon setting, and i have to turn up the Helix everything seems a bit too "high-end" and if I have to turn down the Helix, everything is too mellow and dark. So I typically will end up adjusting the volume on the QSC first... and try to keep my Helix Volume where it was when I built my patch. I know the standard 1000 watter doesn't have all the same bells and whistles of the KX.2 series, but they should be close. FWIW, I generally have my tone going into my K10 vocal monitor as a wedge in front of me, but I have also used a K8 behind me... standing upright on a GRAMMA speaker isolation platform. In that situation I still use a Flat EQ.

There do seem to be a variety of separate camps on what is the "best way" to use Helix in a live situation. My thoughts: - If you initially try Helix alone and don't quite get to the point where you can build very realistic sounding patches, some will consider abandoning it, and some will consider perhaps it will sound much better through a real guitar cab and power amp. These folks MAY or MAY not keep working at Helix until they figure it out as a stand-alone solution... perhaps they stick with it as an input into a power amp (or amp fx loop) and a real guitar cab. - Some folks are fully convinced that they will never feel comfortable without a real cab on stage. These most likely won't even try it as a stand-alone solution. They need a guitar cab and perhaps a tube-amp, but can make use of the Helix as an FX unit or to model preamp tones, etc. - Others - and I put myself in this category - have never owned more than a couple of amps in my lifetime with an FX loop. All my amps are vintage or vintage clones, and no way to use Helix through ANY existing equipment. So in order to try it as a "in front of a guitar amp/cab" solution would require me to buy a power amp, or a new amp with an FX loop. Too much to buy for me. Those of us in this category either stick with it long enough to find our tones in Helix to a PA or FRFR or we will abandon and go back to our amps. - A fourth category are those who have been using Modeling units for a long time and Helix is just the next step in the evolution of their quest. - One thing that I think fully sets the Helix (and the AX8, Kemper, and other IR - capable modelers) apart from all the other modeling units out there (although more are starting to pop up lately based on the success of these), is the ability to use IRs or to make use of the extensive modeling done in the Helix Cab simulations. The ability to have a different cab for each patch, or multiple cabs within a single patch is supremely flexible and if you can figure out the secret sauce to Mic position, Hi/Lo Cuts, the right mix of dual cabs / dual mic's, etc. If you're using a guitar cab and/or a guitar amp/power amp, it seems to me like it will still restrict you to one cab or one type of sound post-preamp - STILL a huge increase in flexibility compared to a standard pedalboard/amp rig, but I would feel that I was only using a fraction of the Helix Capabilities. My quest was to find a way to get the 90% solution while still being able to completely stop hauling heavy amps, cabs, dozens of cables, tube woes, etc... so I specifically looked for that route. I have found that I'm FAR beyond the 90% solution. I'm at least at the 98% solution for sound quality, once I got my hands around how to build patches properly, and what works for me in the cab simulation and mic positioning realm. In many cases, I may be BEYOND the 100% solution, because I have found SO MANY tones that I like, that I would have never tried if it required buying and lugging a new amp to a gig. So, we all have different needs and desires, and that's one of the beauties of this unit - it works for a number of different scenarios and there are so many happy owners who all use it in different ways.

Ditto. nothing I have bought in the 3+ decades of playing at home and in live bands, has had so much of an impact on me. if you think your current rig is "flexible", you haven't seen anything yet. Helix can do things that you simply CAN NOT DO with any other rig. Instant changing of dozens of parameters with a single footswitch, even parameters like Amp Bias, Microphone placement in front of a cab, internal Dip Switches inside a pedal, Ripple, Hum, Bias X, etc... things that would require opening up an amp and using tools and meters to perform on "real gear" - a single footstomp. In normal mode, up to 8 different parameters. In Snapshot mode, up to 64 different parameters, can all be assigned to ONE FOOTSWITCH. Up to 1042 different user presets, dozens of factory presets, storage of over 100 IRs, access to so many amps, stomp boxes, cabs, microphones, etc... and you can change anything you want from song to song, or even within a song, just by pushing a button. Also, with Foot-Edit mode, if something doesn't sound quite right, you can even make adjustments mid-song with your feet without stopping what you're doing on the guitar. The flexibility is simply amazing to me. Other processors can do similar things, but for me, Helix has all the right features in one single processor. 4 FX loops (if you want to integrate other pedals), a built-in Expression Pedal that can be used for multiple functions - all assignable, stereo outs for both XLR and 1/4", headphones, etc... and a screen that allows EASY patch building and adjustments without the need to hook up to a computer (I don't generally use the HX Edit to build patches... it's a great piece of Software, but I like building it on the floor unit itself... can't really do that with AX8 easily). Just remember that it won't be 100% instant gratification until you get into it for a week or two. But give yourself plenty of time to play with it, and you'll wonder why you didn't make the move earlier.

also, if you use existing (or paid-for) presets, you can simply bypass the cab block and leave it there if you want to turn it back on in the future (going direct to FOH).

Don't forget about Marco Fanton. His stuff is awesome. But before you drop any money, check out the "Customtone" link above. 227 pages of FREE presets to try out. averages about 8-10 per page, so there are hundreds of free presets - many just as good as paid-for stuff - at the very least, it will give you quite a few different ideas for your own patches. Just look for the ones that have triple-digit downloads. Usually worth the try.

"unlike real gear, you won't hurt anything".... this is a broader statement than just this topic... I was thinking the other night about some of the cab/speaker/mic combos. In the real world, playing a 100 watt amp into a Celestion Blue or two would NEVER work unless I kept the amp volumes very low. No blown speakers, no impedance mis-matches between amp and cabs, no overdriven ribbon mics because they're too close to the speaker... another GREAT reason that Helix is so fun. Combinations that are not even possible in the real world can sometimes be an awesome tone!!

The paid presets serve a purpose... they give you ideas of different approaches to building patches, plus the guys and gals who sell them invest a lot of time getting tones just right, plus they're really not expensive, in the big scheme of things. however, once you get comfortable with your own approach, I find the paid presets to be something of a novelty. I still check some out every now and then, but just like your "own tone", it's hard to find someone who builds a preset that works for you out of the box. Every one that I've bought, I still had to invest a couple of hours getting the volumes balanced, adjusting this block or that block to add or subtract something that was missing or distracting to me. Once I got settled on my own approach, I can build a good preset pretty quickly that works for me. I liken the paid presets to a buddy calling you up and saying, "Hey, I got an amp/pedalboard rig that sounds just like artist XY! you should use this tonight at your gig!"... then taking his rig, plugging it in and hoping it sounds like you imagine it would. A lot less hassle with a digital file into a Helix, but similar concept. You'd likely be tweaking knobs, and turning off certain pedals, adding a couple of your own, etc... before it worked for you in your situation. I highly recommend buying a package or two when you find some clips that speak to you, but remember, the Helix is sensitive to which guitar is used, which outputs you use, what type of speaker/pa/frfr/headphones/DAW/etc you play into, and even the room. So don't expect to drop it in and hit the stage without a lot of tweaks.

I guess I should have put a "sarcasm" icon in my post... it was to call attention to the dramatic title to the post. "FRFR Fail!! Read before you buy!" - very click-baitish to me. But you're correct, we should never be lemmings.

Whew!! I'm just glad that the thread did NOT turn out to be what I thought when I read the title! I love the sound I'm getting through my K-Series monitor. I bought Helix to AVOID carrying an amp to gigs.... so when I read the title, I though there would some catastrophic reason I needed to stop what I'm doing and start lugging a heavy amp around again. Okay.. .back to building presets with cab models.

Not wrong, I think - but it depends on several factors. The beauty of the Helix is how the controls seem to change slightly, depending on the amp model. It truly seems to react like a bias adjustment. If you've every played around with adjusting bias on an amp where you tweak, then play, then tweak then play, you'll find most amps have a "Sweet Spot" on the bias settings... more like a "Sweet Window"... where it seems to sound better, but not night and day. Helix appears to have this as well. Each different amp - to my ears - has a different reaction to the bias, bias X, hum, ripple, sag, etc.... One amp may sound best with bias set higher, while others may sound best with bias set lower, etc... and since all 5 of these parameters are somewhat interactive, that setting may move around based on how you have the other 4 set.