rzumwalt

I found that adding just a very small amount of a natural reverb and a parametric EQ without any amp or IR works well for my purposes. My typical setup for this is Acoustic Guitar > Helix > Loop: Strymon Blue Sky (Reflections Patch) > Parametric EQ > [whatever effects you like] > out.. The Strymon has a cool "Reflections" mode that lets you model a small space, and setting it very short and low in the mix gives a little extra resonance. It should be noted that I use an acoustic with magnetic pickups, so I may just be compensating for an inherent reduced resonance in that type of acoustic pickup.

I use one of these cases: http://www.roadcasesusa.com/categories/Effect-Pedal-Cases/ I forget exactly which one and which size, but I think it was this one: http://www.roadcasesusa.com/effects-pedal-cases-3-8-heavy-duty-choose-from-9-sizes/ And I'm pretty sure it is the 34" x 16". And I definitely recommend getting the dolly wheels.

I actually use a JBL EON 610, and it is about right for my needs. We aren't particularly loud, but I probably only tap into half the usable volume. I feel like it could push through even in a much louder band if I needed it to. You can also use the bluetooth EQ control to help it cut through as well. Ultimately, I would probably want more headroom if I were playing in a really loud ensemble, just to be sure I didn't risk hitting the upper limit. Jman64's 615 should have a good deal more available volume, as its specs say it pushes several dB more than the 610. So I would at least look at the 615.

I love this, so please forgive the puns: The "Line 6 Expert Witness for Hire", the "Disqualified Judge", the "Class Action Specialist", the "Preempted Juror", and my favorite, the "Line 6 Judicial Misconduct."

How about the "Mediator?"

Did anyone else notice the "Bright" switch on the Archon Clean channel? On Helix Editor, it is where the "Depth" control would be on the Lead channel. 1. Any chance Line 6 will update existing amp models with a bright switch (and I may be speaking out of turn because I realize I haven't even checked the other amp models yet, I was loving both the Archon models)? 2. I know what a Bright switch generally does, but can anybody explain what a Depth control does? I'm theorizing that it either works like another bass EQ knob or it sweeps the frequency of the bass EQ control. Thanks in advance.

It could be that your 1/4" cable is adding some impedence to your signal that you are not hearing through the VDI connection. A 1/4" cable is "unbalanced" and, especially if you use a longer cable, the impedence on the signal running through it would darken your tone a little. I'm guessing that either the Variax output via the VDI connection is digital or the CAT-5 cable it uses is "balanced." In either case, there wouldn't be any impedence altering the Variax's tone (maybe an unbalanced cable just has a negligible amount of impedence, someone with more technical knowledge would have to answer that). Your post got me thinking about a complaint I've had with the Variax sounding too edgy or punchy through the Helix. I hadn't considered this, but it could be because I always use the VDI connection rather than 1/4". Perhaps the work-around for this is to use one of the effect loops as the first block in the signal chain and just use it to run your signal through the 1/4" cable you would normally use as your guitar output. I'll be interested to try that myself.

I lived in Phoenix for three years. I can't say I disagree.

That describes me pretty well, actually. While, my particular flavor of adhd won't allow me to leave any capability alone for very long, I think I'll try what you describe one of these Sundays. I can get on board with the concept of an obstruction free workspace. Of course, I'll just clutter it up over time. I think that's the style I will most likely settle on for most presets. A good compromise might be to have one primary preset you use for half or more of your songs, and then the odd streamlined preset like DunedinDragon mentioned. You get to know the preset with all the snapshots and stomps inside and out, but when you need something different, you use a song-specific preset with just the options you need for that song. You really just have to learn the one complicated preset and keep the rest foolproof. And now I feel like I'm beginning to state the obvious: "You use the functions when they are helpful... and then you don't when you need something different."

Glad to hear it worked out well. I would be curious to know what most people are finding the easiest or most natural workflow during gigs with the new snapshots. I just downloaded v2.01 (missed the 2.00 release) and played with the snapshots for the first time. I decided to set it up with 4 snapshots and 4 stomps visible by default. I tried to stick to a maximum of a couple presets that would get me through the entire set. I set up at least 4 snapshots in each preset, generally (1) Clean, (2) Ambient, (3) Crunch, and (4) Lead. The stomps are typically (a) Master volume boost, (b ) mild overdrive mostly for gain boost, (c ) wah because I use external pedal and I'm apparently the one guy in America who hates toe down activation switches, and (d) an extra delay. I would prefer to use only one preset for the entire set because I tend to forget what presents I use from each song (but it seems like such a waste of the Helix's potential). We play at most 4 songs for any given Sunday morning, but there are probably more than 100 songs we might choose from, and more being added all the time. So it's hit or miss whether I can put together or find an existing preset that will handle all the songs for that week to my satisfaction. The setlists helped a lot this week because I don't have to do an internal monologue every time I try to change sounds, as in, "Ok, for this patch, the 808 is extra high-gain, so for a moderate chrunch tone I need to use the gain boost plus an EQ pedal, wait, does the gain boost stomp pedal also activate the EQ, uh-oh, how do I reduce this reverb?" Does anyone else have a different philosophy? For example, do you find it better to have a preset for each song with the snapshots set up for specific song parts, i.e., intro, verse, chorus, verse 2, chorus 2, bridge...?

Helix Loop 1 - EB Jr to boss SY-300 Loop 2 - Tube Screamer Loop 3 - Strymon Big Sky Loop 4 (input only) - return out from SY-4300 Output is XLR to FOH and 1/4" to a PA speaker for monitoring (and the image is upside down for some reason.) -Edit: It's actually right-side-up now, I'm not sure why, though.

I have pretty much the exact same question. Maybe someone has tried this out since d0stenning posted this in February.

That is a good idea. And, I actually like that the Big Volume Knob wouldn't affect output to the stage amp. I could adjust the levels I send to the house with the BVK without adjusting the amp volume. A couple questions though. Right now I arrange all my POST-AMP EFFECTS after the CABINET. (I will use all-caps to differentiate Helix models form my stage amp) Mostly EQ's, reverbs, and delays, but sometimes mods as well. These would obviously all be bypassed for the stage amp, but would still pass through to the house. I could rearrange the order to: AMP > POST-EFFECTS > SEND to stage amp > CAB > OUTPUT. Do you have any opinion as to whether the final output would be drastically altered having the POST-EFFECTS between the AMP and the CAB models. I imagine it depends on the CAB model and its settings. Second, does the SEND block attenuate the signal passing through to the main OUTPUT. In other words, I believe I am now getting 100% signal through XLR OUTPUT to the house and another 100% through 1/4" MONO OUTPUT to my amp. Would I now instead be getting 50% through SEND to the amp and 50% through XLR OUTPUT to the house? (Assume that I keep the output parameter of the SEND block at neutral.) I'm sure it can all be leveled out in any event. Thanks for the idea.

I'm doing something like this right now. I use my old Flextone III as more of a stage monitor using the 1/4 out from Helix into the effects return of the Flextone. I independently run the XLR out from the Helix into the house PAs. I use the L6 Super Clean channel on the Flextone to get as undistorted a signal as possible. Although I am surprised by how clean it is, I still wouldn't use it as the source of what the audience hears (either through the Flextone's XLR out or by miking its speakers), mostly because it lacks full range capability. This isn't the ideal setup, but I share a monitor channel with several other musicians, so I won't be getting much guitar signal back to me any time soon. So there is still some lack of transparency with the Super Clean power amp only, but not so much that I notice it during the performance. It's cleaner than the cheap in-ear monitors I have right now. I could probably work out a complex output in which a pre-amp or pre-cab signal goes to the Flextone while the full signal goes to the house, but that would be a fairly massive project I don't really have time to set out on at the moment. I could buy more expensive in-ear monitors, but, after the Helix, but my wife has put her foot down on me spending any more on the guitar in the near future. I'm happy with it for the time being.

Potential MIDI issue Using firmware 1.04.3. I was using a Strymon BigSky connected to the MIDI out of the Helix. I had been using the Strymon on channel 1. (I have also been using the BOSS SY-300 on channel 3 if that makes any difference.) After one of the last couple firmware updates, the six "instant" MIDI message slots that trigger on patch changes no longer controlled the Strymon on channel 1. I could still set the exact same MIDI control using the footswitches on channel 1. I checked all of the Strymon settings, and everything was in order as far as I could tell. And since it worked with the footswitches, it couldln't be the Strymon. So I switched it to channel 2 and changed all the Helix messages to channel 2 and now it works fine. So, as far as I can tell, the problem is just MIDI channel 1 and only on the instant MIDI messages that trigger on patch changes. Currently, the fix is to change to channel 2. I hope this helps.

I tried your suggestion and it does help make this model sound more pleasing to me. But it raises a philosophical question. When do we just switch up and use the Mesa or Marshal? I find that I really want to use all the new amp models that weren't in the HD500, even at the expense of not focusing on the models I really like.

If I had any idea what any of those things were, I would volunteer in a heartbeat. I look forward to hearing what develops.

I agree with the "guitar gap" analysis here. I had the HD500 and Flextone III before that. With the Helix, even though the patch reflects the different dynamics of each guitar (I switch between an Ibanez, Telecaster, and Variax Standard), the differences sound natural--like PeterHamm said, more like with a real amp. As a result, most of the amp models sound great for whatever you're looking for. Lately I've been interested in clean sounds that break up by adding overdrives and gain boosts in front, so the Fenders, Voxes, and Highwatt have been my favorites. I have played around a little with the higher gain amps and they also do what they intend to do well. I haven't been able to get the 5150 to give me a sound I like, but that could just be personal taste.

Agreed, this is exactly what I noticed, and it sounds like the problem here. I plugged everything in after doing a reset and it sounded off. I went into global settings, adjusted XLR output from mic back to like and everything was like it had been. I don't know why it changed during the reset, but it was that simple.

Also, try adjusting the individual string volumes. You can do that globally to all models at once under the Edit pull down menu in the editor. I use the Variax with an HD500 and into either headphones or a PA speaker and I am very happy with the way it sounds for most of the electric models. But out of the box the bass strings were overpowering the treble strings; something about piezzo pickups means either that they react more to larger strings or maybe they are just unpredictable and some just come off of the assembly line slightly louder than others. The sound was much more balanced after I quieted the 5 and 6 strings pretty significantly (to 78% I think) and the 3 and 4 strings moderately (~85% or 90%) it sounded much better across all the models. I would recommend listening to the string balance in several different models and seeing if there is one or two strings that stand out or, as in my case, one or two strings that get drowned out by the rest. Then you can go in and adjust individual models The acoustics are tougher however. Charlie_Watt points out the biggest factor. Don't use the acoustics with an amp, and that includes on the HD500, clear the amp and cab section. Also, larger gauge strings are pretty important. It's hard to get a natural acoustic sound when the string attack, sustain, brightness or "live" -ness, are all reliant on the physical characteristics of thinner strings made for electric guitars. I don't really use the acoustic models other than for fun, so this wasn't a big concern for me, but I still put on .11's as a sort of middle-of-the-road experiment, and they seemed to be a little more natural sounding on the acoustic models. The other thing is the size pick you use. I use a fairly heavy pick on electric guitar that I think sounds terrible on acoustic guitars, and the problem seems to be even more pronounced on the Variax acoustic models. I would recommend using nothing thicker than your standard Fender medium tortoise shell. That's what I use with actual acoustic guitars, but I would recommend trying out thinner picks with the Variax acoustics, especially if you use smaller than .12 gauge strings.

I read an interesting post a while back about this that would apply to all models of Variax. If you are interested in the acoustic guitar models, small gauge strings will cause some trouble for the obvious reason that acoustic guitars typically use .12 or larger strings. I think that logic probably has some application across all of the models. I use the Vairax a lot of the time for hollow body guitar models, because I don't own any of those in the real world. So, I experimented with a compromise of .11's on string one through either .46 or .48 on string six. I don't actually know whether hollow body players generally prefer larger strings, it was more of a whim. But I really like how they sound for the hollow body models, and I don't notice any problems using them with the solid body models. For the acoustic models, they are still a bit to bright, or maybe "live" is the better adjective, but I think there was a very slight improvement over the stock .10's.

I know this a little late on the "why don't they post clips of just plain amp and cab tone?" debate, but it occurred to me that there may be a good reason why. While I salivate over every new youtube clip that comes out for whatever piece of gear I want to buy, I know the overall sound quality is limited by my computer speakers or headphones, the signal compression or bandwidth of my internet connection, and probably other factors of which I'm not even aware. Now, I don't actually believe L6 is doing this, but it would be reasonable for someone who is in the business of manufacturing pure tone to be apprehensive of releasing clips so that they can be viewed on this commenter's crappy tablet pc speakers, stock iPhone headphones, overpriced earbuds with way more bass than should be legal, or otherwise nice over-ear headphones with inexplicable buzzing in the left ear, all streamed over an excruciatingly slow rural internet connection. My point is just that I'm happy they are even releasing clips ahead of release given the likelihood that the end output heard by many will be compromised to some degree. To put it another way, suppose I watch a youtube clip of someone holding out long open chords through just an amp and cab model. If my internet connection is a little slow that day and the sound is a little more compressed than usual, I might think, "this sounds totally processed and fake." If I'm trying to listen during the workday without my boss noticing that I'm watching youtube videos at the office and I have my unaccountably bassey earbuds just in the one ear that faces away from my door while awkwardly resting my head in my hand so that it hides the earbud, I might think, "man, that thing is farty and bloated sounding." Now, I'm not stupid, so I probably won't think those things, but I am neurotic enough to worry that people listening to things I've recorded will. (Again, I don't actually think this was a factor for L6 in this case. In fact, I actually seem to recall some decent examples of relatively unaffected tone in several of the videos.) But anyway, I understand the fear of the unknown. Just because someone isn't willing to let their product be compromised by a bad internet connection doesn't mean you should be willing to fork over your hard earned money to buy it before hearing it played the way you want to hear it. You have much more self-respect than me. But to drew_fx and everyone who took their time to post their hands-on experiences, post audio examples, and sub-moderate this thread, you're heroes in my book. Thanks for taking your time to help everyone else.

Another way to play backing tracks would be through one of the 4 effect loop returns. You would need a 3.5mm to 1/4 inch stereo adapter, and if you've ever purchased a set of headphones for more than $15, then you probably have one.

This is definitely not what you mean, but it can technically be done with two footswitch presses. Program an effect block with a volume pedal fixed at 0% output, so that it is effectively a mute button. Hit the footswitch to kill the sound, unplug the normally tuned guitar, plug in a second guitar you have pre-tuned to an alternate tuning, then hit the footswitch again to unmute. This might also work with a stereo pan with the left and right coming from the guitar and auxiliary inputs, respectively, but I can't think of any real answer for you.

I had heard that about Strymon's personnel. It was one of the reasons I decided to purchase the BigSky, but I didn't know if it was accurate or just an errant comment I once read on a comment board like this. I'll take it from you, though. And I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but the BigSky really plays well with the HD500 via MIDI. When I first tried to use an extension expression pedal connected to the HD500 to control parameters on the BigSky, I expected making the connection between the two would be a hassle but it was an absolute no-brainer. Having just read that back to myself, I realize it doesn't sound all that impressive, but it was the first MIDI controlled device I've ever used with something other than a computer as the MIDI controller, so it was shockingly uncomplicated and foolproof to me.