craiganderton

A few random thoughts... Because of previous updates, the Helix does more than it did originally. New stuff is welcome, but not essential to my enjoying what the Helix already does. Microsoft and Apple are huge companies with huge budgets, yet their updates are often late (like the Windows "October" update that came out in March), and require subsequent fixes (when I updated to Mojave, it bricked my MacBook Pro and Apple had to walk me through re-installing the OS from scratch). I don't expect Line 6 to pull off something that companies with hundreds of billions of dollars can't pull off. What Line 6 owes us is what they promised when they introduced the Helix. They designed it to allow for updates, and updates have happened. I'm somewhat surprised Helix is still getting major updates; usually at this point in a product's life cycle, the updates are fixes and minor tweaks. All software companies I've worked with are overly optimistic about when software will be completed, even when they try to estimate conservatively. Any change or fix has a ripple effect. Ultimately, gear is relatively unimportant. All that matters is the emotional impact of our music, which has little to do with gear.

A couple people have reported issues installing the presets from the Craig Anderton's Amazing Multiband Helix Presets pack. This happens if there's a mismatch In the Helix firmware and HX Edit versions (e.g., you're running the latest HX Edit version, but older Helix firmware). The fix is to update both to the latest versions from the Line 6 downloads section. Hope this helps!

That sure would be convenient! The only problem I see is that multiband distortion takes up a lot of CPU, so there are tradeoffs involved. Being able to "construct" multiband Helix presets and optimize each amp and cab for a particular band and minimum CPU drain is huge for getting the sound you want. I'm not sure a single multiband distortion effect could offer the same kind of flexibility, although maybe Line 6 could do a more general-purpose multiband effect that wouldn't be as flexible, but still give useful multiband distortion. I've found that four bands is great, but three bands is often all you really need. You might want to check out the video that accompanies my multiband preset pack, it shows the "block diagrams" for several multiband Helix presets along with the audio examples.

Unfortunately the article was rushed into production, and the audio examples weren't included. But if you have a Helix, just follow the instructions, and you'll hear cool sounds :)

To add to what DI said, it REALLY helps with gain-staging when using a chain of effects.

Using the volume blocks is something I use in the 3- and 4-band presets, and it's become a sort of "best practices" thing for me. In addition to being used for diagnostics, as mentioned in the article, after developing a preset they then become useful for varying the levels of the various bands through snapshots. The presets in my preset pack typically have snapshots for no low band, no mid band, and no high band but I've also found that sometimes, you don't want (for example) "no high band" but instead, "mostly no high band." However, using volume blocks may be more of a lazy way out...I'll take another look at the Merge and Output blocks to see they can supplement or improve upon what I've been doing. So many possibilities! Another thing I like about Helix is how you can sometimes accomplish the same functionality in different ways, so you can choose "the right tool for the right job." As to keeping things accessible, FWIW there will be a follow-up article that's intended more for experienced Helix users. For the two-band article, I wanted all the components being used to be obvious by looking at the screen shots. I believe the way you can see everything as a "block diagram" in Helix is very helpful for explaining various aspects of its operation. Unfortunately an entire section with three audio examples was left out, I'm checking with Sweetwater to see if that could possibly be added back in. One of them helps illustrate using two bands with reverb, which is one of the processors where (referring to the above post about using the filters instead of the crossover) you sometimes want the bands to overlap.

I've used the crossover split, and it can indeed save some block locations. But as the article says, "You can also use the Split’s Crossover function when working with a single path, but there may be times when you want the Low and High Cut frequencies to overlap so they emphasize a specific frequency, and besides, you can’t use the crossover across the two independent paths." The overlap aspect turned out to be more important than I thought initially. Because there's no multiband crossover split, for 3 or 4 band splits I usually end up using the graphic EQs to boost specific bands while cutting the rest. But in the multiband preset pack, I often tweaked the presets for a frequency overlap between adjacent bands. It's not necessarily "correct" or "incorrect," but the overlap allows emphasizing bands that sound really good with guitar. One of the main things I love about Helix is that it has the flexibility to do "out of the box" experiments to see what works and what doesn't. The four parallel paths are like a super tone playground for me :)

In the studio (this is not applicable for live performance), I use LUFS metering (not K-System, which is quite different) to balance preset levels. DI is correct about needing to use your ears, but I wanted a way to be able to step through presets rapidly in the context of a song, without having to adjust volume after each switch, so that the level would at least be "in the ballpark." After finding a candidate preset, then I tweak the final volume by using the channel faders, not the Helix. I balanced the presets In my Amazing Multiband Helix Preset Pack, which are designed to work well with chords, by using a combination of peak and LUFS metering, and then doing final tweaks by ear. Regardless, as DI points out, how you perceive level will be different compared to how the LUFS algorithm perceives level. Still, to my ears, it's closer to reality than either traditional peak or RMS metering.

+1. Saw LRB last March, and thought the band was exceptionally good. Unlike a lot of "nostalgia" bands they did some new material, which I thought was the strongest music in their set. The guitarists are indeed talented, work well together, and given how they sounded, definitely know their way around the Helix. 70s rock is NOT my thing, but LRB's musicianship and vocals are just so darn good I'll make an exception in their case :)

From a thread in the forum referenced by datacommando, there's an apparent solution if you're using Windows: I installed just the redistributable (VCRedist2013) from https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=40784 and instantly resolved for me. Some other people resolved this by installing Cakewalk by BandLab (which is free), which depends on certain Microsoft redistributables. Apparently it installs the Windows components Helix Native needs. Worth a try.

Does it load in other DAWs? You could download a free trial of a different DAW, and see what happens when you try to open 1.71. Also, I don't know if you're using Mac or Windows but if it's Windows, go to Add Remove Programs and check if you have Line 6 Helix Native uninstallers. Uninstall all instances, and then re-install 1.71. Also make sure that the plug-in is in the expected VST scan path. This thread about Reason issues and re-scanning plug-ins might also help: https://forum.reasontalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=7501379 Hope this helps...good luck.

Well...given that Microsoft's March "update" hosed my W10 computer to where it couldn't boot afterward (had to re-install from an image, and turn off updates), and the Mojave update bricked my Mac to where Apple Support's solution was to re-install the OS from scratch...AFAIC, Line 6 can take as long as they want...as long as it doesn't brick my Helix :)

From a practical standpoint, I'm glad I use only stock cabs because then anyone can use my preset packs. From an aesthetic standpoint, my main use for the Helix is multiband processing, so the final sound is a composite of multiple cabs. Between that the editing options for each cab, so far I've been able to get any sound I wanted. This isn't a diss on IRs at all, there are some great custom IRs out there. But for me, there are only so many hours in a day, and the stock cabs do what I want. One final point: Some of the stock cabs have a resonant quality that I don't like, but putting a parametric stage afterward and tuning it out solves the problem.

Cool! That sounds like a good workaround. It would be nice to have a 24 dB/octave-type ladder filter with an exponential sweep...but I'm not complaining. Helix rocks.

What I love about Helix for bass is the parallel processing. Something like an envelope filter sounds horrible with bass because of how it thins out the sound, but putting it in parallel gives the effect AND keeps the bottom end. Same with distortion. Helix can also do amazing things with drum machines :)

I leave the pad off, because my pickups are fairly far away from the strings to increase sustain. This cuts the output by around 8 dB, so the pickup distance is the "pad." However, another factor is that I use Helix almost exclusively for multiband presets. The filters needed to create different bands reduce the signal level because they're filtering out some of the audio. To compensate for this, I increase the EQ output levels, which also helps compensate for the pickups being further away. I like with Helix Native that you can adjust the input level. It's more important with a plug-in because of the potential gain-staging issues.

The Q Filter in the Legacy category might come close to what you want. It has a lowpass mode and the response is smooth, but I don't know if it will go high enough for you...give it a try with the following settings, and vary Freq with the pedal. Because it's fairly high gain, you might need to put a Vol block in front of it and kick the signal down about -6 dB. Hope this helps.

You can do both - place a Stereo Vol block after the dual cab, and choose the Stereo Width option. Varying Width changes the cabs from centered when fully to the left, to full stereo when set to the right. In between those extremes gives partial panning. Hope this helps!

In the comments section to my demo video of the Craig Anderton's Amazing Multiband Helix Presets pack, R. L. Lynch asked about the possibility of converting existing presets to multiband operation. The issue will always be CPU, because multiple amps and cabs - the heart of the multiband process - consume more CPU than effects. The presets in my pack are carefully "tuned" to try and preserve as much CPU as possible to allow for effects, but that tuning process may not be possible for presets created by someone else. However...! I wanted to see what was possible, and was able to figure out how to convert several of the factory presets to dual-band operation. The top image shows the SC Small Lead preset, which unfortunately uses one of the most CPU-hungry amps (Solo Lead OD), so it wasn't possible to convert it to even dual-band operation. However, substituting a different amp opened up several possibilities. The top image shows the original preset. The middle image shows it converted to dual-band operation, with Simple EQ preceding a split to each amp. The EQs separate the guitar into high and low bands. You could also use the Split's Crossover function, but there may be times when you want the Low and High Cut frequencies to overlap so that they emphasize a specific set of midrange frequencies. To save CPU, the two amps feed a common cab. Note that you'll probably need to raise the level on the EQs to +6 dB. This is because the filtering takes out quite a bit of the signal, so you need to boost it going into the amps. If you have the available CPU, a somewhat better approach is to use two amps and two cabs (lower image), or two Amp+Cab blocks. This improves the sound quality compared to using a single cab, and allows tweaking the individual cabs. Remember, miking makes a big difference with frequency splits like this. While dual-band operation won't give the same kind of definition (or options) as 3- or 4-band operation, the result is still more defined and articulated than single-band distortion. By the way...the response to the preset pack has been so positive, I'm going ahead with plans to do a follow-up that concentrates on multiband lead presets. They're a whole other animal!

Roll off as many highs as you can going into the amp. The distortion will restore a lot of the highs, but it will be harder to set up a feedback path. Also rolling off highs after the amp can help. Many models have resonances that peak considerably higher than the rest of the audio, and these can promote feedback. A parametric notch can sometimes solve this. Good luck! Just remember that high gain is HIGH GAIN. There are limits as to how much you avoid feedback with that much gain.

Glad it worked for you! More tips to come.

You'd be surprised at what I DON'T know!! All I know about "json" is it looks like a typo for someone who was trying to spell "Jason." :)

I'm sorry, I wasn't at all clear and sorta changed topics without prior notice, LOL. I meant something like an XML dump of all the parameters.

If anyone knows how to get a dump from the Helix Floor screen, please post the answer here.

You'll be happy to hear that Sweetwater has asked for more modeling articles. They've already accepted one on how to bi-amp the Helix, and I'm submitting another one with more general Helix tips next week. It usually takes 2-4 weeks before they're published on the site, depending on the editorial cycle. They tell me the Helix is doing very well for them. :)