emagli

I have an LT and use Performance view in the 4 snapshots + 4 stomp mode. Performance view works very well, and I used to imagine it might be equal or even better than scribble strips (though I do not have an Helix floor to compare). However, if I focus on how I actually use the display and footswitches during rehearsal and live, I mainly rely on the color code and position I have assigned to the snaps and stomps footswitches (e.g, all cleans are white, all drives are yellow, all leads are orange ...). I only look at the performance view screen if I need to recall to myself what is what. In that sense, the scribble strips much likely do a better job.

I have tried this cab/mic combination with the placater, and I agree that something is missing. FYI, after trying nearly all possible cab/mic combinations in the last few months, I have found I like very much the following one: a dual cab having a Mesa V30 with 421 and a Blackback with SM57. One can adjust the balance of the two cab/mic items by varying the output level (IIRC, I use +1dB on the V30 and -1dB on the Blackback). This combination yields a very crisp tone without getting harsh (at least, to my ear). The high end generated by the Blackback and the 421 mic make the placater (or any dark-ish amp, e.g. the mahadeva) a bit more lively. Out of curiosity, why do you use separate cab blocks with split/join, instead of a dual cab block?

I do not really qualify as a veteran user but still... There's really a lot to choose from. High gain, I like placater for a more classic tone and the Revv models for a more modern one. Cali Lead if I need that "liquid" solo tone. Also the Archetype works very well and is very tight. A bit less gain (say G'n'R, more of my thing), I like the 2204 and 2204 mod and the placater. For mid gain with a somewhat looser feel, I like the Mahadeva (Bogner Shiva), or the Plexi Brt. Overdrives: I like the Timmy especially because it's relatively flat and has great low and high cut controls that allow to tune how much of the lows and highs goes into the amp. Little gain (just enough to compress a little) and high volume. I typically follow the Timmy with a parametric eq set to boost mids. I used to use the Minotaur; it provides a more vintage type of mid boost.

This goes to show how subjective tone is... I find the legacy reverbs to be very smooth, maybe a bit too much at the default setting of the high cut (I never tried the Quadraverb, though). Some time ago I compared the legacy reverbs with my TC Hall of Fame in an effects loop. Except for the spring reverb on the HOF, which I do not like at all, I find that the HOF reverbs have very slightly more musical tails than the legacy reverbs, when set to similar level of brightness. However, the difference is very small and as I am going to downsize my pedalboard, the HOF will be the first to go.

Don't forget to play around with the high cut parameter. It actually serves as a tone control, and it allows you to set how bright or dark you want the reverb tails to be.

Does this problem really happen when using multiple mics in a Helix dual cab block? If the mics in Helix are all "simulated" at cab center (or anyways at the same position) I guess there should be no phase issues. I combined dual mics in the dual cab block with variable results, but never had the impression of having phase issues.

That's interesting. How's the high cut effect of tilt eq different from using the low/hi cut eq block, soundwise? It looks like the tilt eq has a different frequency response with respect to a high cut filter.

Just a curiosity -- Besides high cut, does this explanation also apply to low frequency and low cuts? I.e., does the miking process typically generate a low end that is different from what one would hear in a room? With tube amps it is known that a low cut will tighten the tone (a la tube screamer), but in Helix I find this to be necessary even on crunch rhythm tones, whereas with a tube amp I'd only do it for leads.

Hi Metallikid, I had the same issue on 2.92 (tuner having a lag of several seconds), and when it happened I also had a backing track coming through USB. Reboot solves it, but it will happen again. I opened a ticket and Line6 suggested an FS9/FS10 reset. I did that and that worked for me until now. As a side note, I had a TC polytune pedal and put it on the pedalboard I keep next to Helix. I like the fact that I do not need to keep the footswitch pressed in order to engage the tuner. I often use the tuner to mute the guitar, and it is handy to do it with a quick press.

If the fuzz is the first pedal in the chain (like it usually is), it may set the input impedance to a low value. When on "auto", the input impedance is set by the first block in the chain, whether it is active or bypassed. The vast majority of blocks sets the impedance to 1 MOhm, but a few blocks (and notably a few fuzz blocks) set it to a lower value. This will indeed make your tone darker if the fuzz is off. You can verify whether this is the problem by putting another (bypassed) block before the fuzz and see if the tone changes.

This started happening to my LT this week under 2.92. Never had a firmware problem of any sort before... Tech support suggested the procedure you mentioned, I haven’t had time to do it yet.

Nevermind, I found the answer on dshowmusic. I'll give it a try!

I do exactly the same, for the same reasons. It provides some sustain without the need of increasing the amp gain too much (if at all), which preserves the attack. I add some pre-amp mid boost and output volume boost, and that's my lead tone. I use the LA comp for this, never tried the Vetta (I see it's in the legacy, so I never got to test it). Does the Vetta model any specific pedal? I Googled but could not find specific info.

Just a quick report from rehearsing with the band, putting the DXR10 on a short stand at ear level. It really makes all the difference. The tone is better and more textured; all boominess is gone and the tone is less harsh and less honky. It's one of those things that seem obvious and yet for some reason I had never done before...

What? You buy gear for FUN??? I thought you NEEDED it! ;-) Another thing I forgot to mention... it helps to keep reverb to a minimum and use modulation effects sparingly at least on crunch/drive tones, as they tend to wash out the pick attack and put the guitar in the back of the mix. I just use early reflections in the cab and keep them relatively low, around 15%.

Thanks for the tip. I have found this one shipped from Europe (shipping from US would be too inconvenient for me). It is here, just in case anyone is interested.

I think everyone has their own definition of this :-) My own one is that low mids add body (say 300-700 Hz) and high mids add articulation (e.g. 700 up to 2-3 kHz). Not too far from gunpointmetal's definition after all, for what these definitions are worth. For solos I usually set the mid boost around 1100 Hz for a classic rock tone, but it is mostly a matter of preference and the specific tone one is seeking (fatter, more airy, ...). Many like to boost around 700 Hz for solos, e.g. employing a tubescreamer or minotaur; I happily do that with a strat, but not with a guitar that already has a lot of low mids. Just to say that there is not a recipe that is valid for all cases.

I think this is a good point. For now, I have built a very small wood stand that keeps the DXR10 vertical and pointed slightly upwards and reduces coupling with the floor. I'd like to try a medium height pole, I think it would indeed project the sound better. Problem is that they seem hard to find, most poles are rather high as they are intended for PA speakers. I'll search more.

To be more precise, I keep the mids low only on the Bogner amp because that amp is strong on low-mids and same for the guitar. On most amps I keep the mids between 5 and 8 for rhythm tones; essentially I keep the mids as high as possible before the tone gets too honky, plus I use a healthy dose of mid boost for solos. Yes, I do this at rehearsal. I do not use the D-contour during rehearsal; I use it live if the DXR10 serves as my wedge monitor. On solos, I find that cutting the low end actually helps making the tone more clear and articulated in the mix (after all, that's part of what tubescreamers do). Frankly, I never had the impression that I needed more low end (nor does that the other guitar overpowers me there). Exactly this. As I mentioned, I've got the problem sorted out when we are on even volumes; I found a combination of eq (mid-heavy overall), cab and mic that cuts through without being harsh. If it becomes a battle of volumes, the loudest wins, no contest. That's not a kind of battle I like to be engaged in, however. At this stage, it is a communication issue more than anything else.

Sure. In the attached preset, snapshot 1 is one of my crunch rhythm tones and snapshot 2 is the corresponding lead tone (there might still be an IR block in the preset but it is not used -- I don't have the Helix in front of me to check. The basic tone is with all stomp footswitches in the off position). I use this for AC/DC or Kiss style songs. Keep in mind that the amp, eq and mic/cab have been chosen to play well with a PRS CU24 with HFS/VB pickups. The guitar already provides a lot of low mids, so I can afford keeping the mids low on the Bogner Amp; moreover, the guitar has high output (for passive pickups) and my input pad is off, so the gain control is also on the low side. I would make somewhat different choices of amp/cab/mic/eq for another guitar. For me this does still not cut through quite like a real cab, but it keeps up. Crunch Bogner.hlx

I have had the same problem (two guitarists, I play Helix through Yamaha DXR10, the other guitarist uses a Kemper into a big cab and is not shy of turning the volume knob in the clockwise direction). Problems were not only in terms of tone, but also in terms of cutting through; in a small rehearsal room a real cab cuts through better IMO. For the tones, this forced me to learn the relation between guitar, pickups, amp, eq, cab and mic; it took more time than I expected, especially making the right choices for mic and cab which really make a lot of difference, and dialing the mids and highs right (not too harsh or boxy, but enough to cut through). Main problem being that all those aspects interact. Now I am usually able to recognize what's wrong with my tone and make corrections accordingly; it's taken about a year for me to get there and develop the necessary ear. Live, we all go through PA; nobody (band members and audience) finds that my tone is any less good or does not cut through equally well with respect to his.

I had good luck with MBritt's Helix presets package, which also contains his 30 blended IRs. Different concept here -- you get his few IRs of choice as opposed to a large collection of IRs. Less options, but quicker auditioning. These work well live, as they have a lot of mids.

Hi all, I have recently purchased a MEL9 and have trouble integrating it with my Helix LT, as I am getting noticeable buzz (50 Hz). Brief description of my setup: external pedalboard with G50 receiver --> digitech Drop --> compressor --> MEL9. The dry output of MEL9 goes to POG2 --> wah --> fuzz --> Helix guitar input. Effects loop 1 has a TC Electronics HoF. MEL9 wet output goes into A/B switch and into return 2. I like this setup because I can program how the dry and wet signals from MEL9 are blended. The external pedalboard is powered by a power supply with 4 independent sections; one section is split into other independent sections using the GigRig isolator. I believed I had thought this out carefully, but I am still getting hum noise, specifically from the return 2. Notice that the noise is present even if the A/B switch is off and hence the MEL9 wet out is disconnected. If I disconnect the jack from return 2, it is all dead silent. Do you have any idea whether a ground loop isolator between the MEL9 wet output and the return 2 would eliminate the hum? Or any other suggestions for connecting the MEL9 to the Helix? Thanks! ------------ EDIT: I have further investigated this, and it seems the loop is indeed between guitar input and return 1. If I disconnect either of them, the hum goes away.

This sounds correct to me. Personally, I avoid using the blocks that set the input impedance to a value different from 1 MOhm in Auto mode. These are relatively few and there's a list somewhere on the Internet (I think in a TGP post). It's a couple of wah's, the Dallas Rangemaster, and several fuzzes, if my memory serves. I am referring to physical wah and fuzz stompboxes. Typically the chain would be guitar --> wah --> fuzz --> Helix input. If you put those in an effects loop they will have a buffer in front of them from the Helix. Note that also a few wah blocks and several fuzz blocks may sound differently with a physical buffer before them; they model the corresponding hardware pedals and will react in the same way. There are a few physical fuzzes that, as far as I understand, take buffers well; however, most do not. I have a Wampler velvet fuzz and in the "big" (fuzzface-style) mode it sounds a lot muddier and does not clean well with volume pot when it has a buffer before it. The difference for wah pedals is smaller and easier to live with (at least for me); my Clyde wah is a bit more trebly with a buffer in front, but still usable. I am not aware of wah's that are friendly with an input buffer (though some of them have a specific output buffer that works well with fuzz after the wah), but I did not research extensively. Regarding whether you can live without a buffer with less than 3-meter cable, I think it depends on the number and quality of pedals, your ear and the intended use. Before Helix, when I was using analog amps and pedals, I had my Mesa Mark V 25 with 8-9 high quality and strictly true bypass pedals. I could hear a small but clear improvement if I used a buffer early in the chain (I was using guitar --> wah --> fuzz --> buffer --> other pedals). In a mix or live with the band? I do not think the difference would be very noticeable. Live, it's more like you need to *tame* the highs. Now I am using wireless, so I have a high-quality buffer very early in the chain and there is no loss of high end at all. The only problem I have is that the fuzz does not sound very good. The KWB model works very well for fuzzy distortion and I can get away with that, but I am not very big on fuzz anyway. Your mileage may vary.

For category 1), you would typically not need an external buffer, unless you use a very long cable from guitar to Helix. rd2rk has explained thoroughly how input buffering works in the Helix. For 2) (which is what I use) you should be careful where you put the buffer. If at all possible, buffers should be placed after wah and fuzz, if you intend to have any on your external board. In my experience, a buffer slightly alters the wah tone and significantly alters the fuzz tone. Those pedals benefit from a direct (or true bypass) connection to the guitar. For 3) (which I use, too) you already have buffers in the Helix. Also, keep in mind that other pedals on your board will act as buffers if they are not true bypass pedals. And if are using a wireless system, that's already buffering your signal.