johneric8
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Posts posted by johneric8
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Quick question.. I'm getting ready to start rehearsing with my band after long covid layoff, and this will also be my first time practicing live with band with helix...
I know there are multiple paths with helix, so could anyone tell me how to properly add my bass player into my helix at the same time? I'm getting pretty good with
the helix but I really don't know how to do this..
I will plug into the guitar in and be using only one preset for our first rehearsal. Where will he plug into my helix, and how do I go about setting a path?
One thing to note, this is for a low volume rehearsal so technically he could just plug in direct into one of the channels on my powered monitors,
but I'm trying to set him up his own path in my helix with possibly a little overdrive for his bass..
If this can't be done, please excuse my assumption. thanks guys!
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1 hour ago, rd2rk said:
If you put the delay just after the amp, with the MIX set to 100%, you'll only hear the delayed signal.
I actually tried that but I still head a signal when I first hit the strings. after amp and before cab? or after cab as well?
Thanks
Yeah, this all worked but the problem I'm having is that I'm hearing the dry signal slightly on the left side even though I have everything panned left and then right on the two amps.. It seems when I delay the signal on the right channel which is 1b and mute amp 1 on 1a, I hear the clean guitar on left still slightly from amp 2 even though I have it routed hard right. So I'm getting the delayed amp perfectly on right side but hearing the original dry tone slightly on left.
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18 minutes ago, rd2rk said:
If you put the delay just after the amp, with the MIX set to 100%, you'll only hear the delayed signal.
I actually tried that but I still head a signal when I first hit the strings. after amp and before cab? or after cab as well?
Thanks
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First off thanks to anyone who takes the time to provide me an answer to this question. I will keep it short but I want to explain first what I'm trying to do.
Back in the day I ran a JCM 800, and also a JMP Marshall head. Each head had it's own 4x12 cab. One of the things that I did was I used a Roland SDE 2000 (I think that is what it's called)
to delay one of the heads by several milliseconds. So the basically the JCM would be immediate and direct but the JMP was delayed and provide a sound until a few milliseconds later.
Honestly, it was a huge sound and I loved it... Just so no one is confused, I'm not trying to do any fancy delays, or anything like that, I'm just simply trying to make the second amp head and cab in the chain delayed ever so slightly from the first. I loaded up the two amps in the helix, amp 1 being on path 1a and amp 2 being on path 1b. I also loaded each amp with it's own speaker. I had everything running in stereo and it sounded great, but no matter where I put the delay in the chain I couldn't figure out how to get the second amp in 1b to be a delayed signal so it didn't ring out as soon as I hit a chord.
Just in case anyone is confused, if I were to mute the amp in path 1a, what I want to see happen is the amp in 1b to not make a sound in time with the my pick hitting the strings. i want that signal to be delayed a few milliseconds so the sound doesn't happen until a slight pause. Thanks for any suggestions. -
53 minutes ago, PierM said:
Any metering happening outside the Helix via DAW, isnt telling you much about the real Helix "loudness", since your signal is passing through an audio interface preamps, gain stages, software leveling etc...Even if yor are going full digital, you'd want to know what's the measure you are doing; waveform peak, quasi peak, RMS, true RMS, Loudness, Perceived Loudness etc etc... It can be a huge delta.
Said all that, if your Helix isnt clipping red within its own Output meters, your Helix signal isnt clipping.
The thing is, it was clipping off and on.. Keep in mind that once I lowered the channels outputs for certain presets the tone I was getting was amazing.. The big thing here is, it sounds better for whatever reason and I'm also getting a good ballpark for levels in snapshots. I understand how some effects will make louder and that is what you want depending on part of song, but the loudness meter has helped me dial patches back to a level which seems way more honest.. Also, using my helix as an audio interface into PC, but I'm not running helix native or anything else.. i'm just reading Db levels with youlean loudness meter.. The thing is, what it's showing me has totally also reflecting what I hear from my flat powered monitor.
53 minutes ago, PierM said: -
53 minutes ago, PaulTBaker said:
Just got that meter a little while ago. And yes it helps. I'm trying to find out how to read what it is telling me. What level are you trying to reach. I am trying to get to around - 15 to - 12 for peaks. I've read some things about it it,but I'm still not certain I am using it correctly. It is a feed tool.
Here is what I found is working very well for me. I'm setting my clean tones slightly louder because I typically use pick dynamics and my guitars volume knob, but for example if I'm setting my cleans at - 30db, I'm setting my overdrive at -34db, this way I still have lots of room for boosted solo patches or anything else I may more levels on... I'm not expert by any means but I'm finding that at -30 db I'm getting some incredibly clean tones for my clean sounds.. I think what I've figured out is it pays to stay well below what you may think is appropriate.. The difference for me coming out of PA speakers is VERY noticeable.. You may not notice that big of a difference like I am, but keep in mind I was clipping everything before without realizing it.. I've only had the unit a couple of weeks, but I'm learned a ton.. I'm a tube amp guy, I use to get custom amps by Paul Rivera himself in my past band when I had a deal with sony back in the day, but I'm finding that the line 6 blows those tones away, but there are critical mistakes to be made if you don't use certain tools to monitor what you're doing...
Honestly, the loudness meter has really been a light bulb moment for me and I'm thankful for this.. Now I can design patches knowing the levels are in a pretty good ballpark with each other because my ears while they're great for tone, they're not that great at levels in the digital world.. In my past all I used was a couple of tube amps and pedals with a boost pedal for leads so balancing volumes was easy.... -
Believe it or not, I have found that using my harbinger vari v4115 powered PA speaker is the ticket.. With it set to flat, I'm able to dial in my tone that is transferred to the FOH PA perfectly.. This is why I don't use FRFR..... If I need more low end on stage I can EQ my powered speaker quickly for my own taste... Also, you hear people always talking about using 12 inch speakers and I understand why, but there is an advantage to using a 15 inch powered personal monitoring speaker in terms of having a fuller sound on stage.. I'm basing this off of a little more bottom end it can provide... If I run both 15 inch speakers in stereo it's utterly majestic...
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I'm new to the helix, but have gotten on with it pretty quick. Before I was having trouble getting clean tones and the right breakup, but because either my limitations or the helix floor, I was having trouble really knowing how much level on a proper scale I was sending to either the FOH, or just my powered practice speaker.
I use a gibson 335 with some nice JB humbucker pickups and it sounds great but something was missing. I'm only posting this in case it can help someone else.. So I downloaded a plugin on PC called Youlean Loudness Meter 2, and noticed it gave me some very good info in regards to my signals level. I couldn't believe just how hot my presets were and how much they were in the red, I mean, it was hitting near peak at times... Anyway, as I said, I still learning how to dial everything in, paths, and all that jazz so getting this plugin made a HUGE difference in my tone, because I was seriously struggling trying to gauge how hot my levels were and how they were effecting my tone.
So, the reason I'm posting this, is in case you don't know about this type of plugin because it made a world of difference in me getting a nice starting point for my presets/snapshots stage volumes correct... Wow, I feel really good about my setup now, seriously..-
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I know many prefer FRFR, but as of right now I have a 15 inch harbinger vari v2315.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Harbinger/VARI-V2315-15-Powered-Speaker-with-Bluetooth-Black-1500000259899.gc?source=4WWMWXGL&storeCode=&source=4WWRWXGL&gclid=CjwKCAjw-sqKBhBjEiwAVaQ9a8qY4hV7ywn11m10DiulnDC3RiLRxu2H9-UKuRicbgXz0cLznaUEFBoCqFwQAvD_BwE
I know many of you hate this brand, but for now this is what I have and I have to say it sounds amazing except for I'm trying to find the best settings.. I will probably go FRFR at some point but for now I'm trying to figure out best settings, and I just don't want to totally trust my ears here... I'm connecting the mono out 1/4 inch from the helix to the 1/4 inch to the harbinger channel 1. I have the helix's quarter inch output set to instrument and have the harbinger's channel 1 set to guitar. The harbinger has three choices, mic, guitar and line... the guitar setting on the harbinger seems to be the right setting to me with the harbinger set to instrument.
I guess I have two questions.
1. are these settings the right call for my own personal monitor?
2. I have everything set to flat, but how should I run the channel gain and master? should i turn the master on monitor all the way up and use the channel knob as my main volume? what is generally the best way to run these? Also, is it okay for me to turn up the low end a little on these monitors? running it flat I seem to be missing just a hair of low end, I would love to turn up that bass just a hair to suit my ears better.. I guess I don't want dial in tones with the bass up a bit and then have it sound bad going to board... I know I can send different signals to FOH, but at this point I want to be happy as I can be with my sound on stage...
Any advice is appreciated.. -
On 9/15/2021 at 6:33 PM, arislaf said:
Mine mate. Hope you will like them. To put the ir open helix edit at your pc, go to the IR tab, and drag and drop them. The other question already answered by silverhead. For my presets are mostly for studio recording sounds not for live, due to the use of reverb and double tracker, and extreme compression.
I downloaded all of your stuff and I must say that I was in love with the Vox stuff you had, reminded of early oasis.. I'm pleased to say the IR's were easy as well, but I have a question for you brother... I know you said that that stuff you shared with me was your presets and I'm thankful you shared this with me, but since you crafted for live, what sort of tweaks would need to be made on some of these to be suitable? Is it more about the effects and compression than EQ? I found myself getting lost in the Vox preset you had and found it close to being very suitable for a few of my tunes.. Just for the record, I love good guitar tones, but I'm more of a songwriter whom focuses on the production of songs as opposed to being overly anal about tones.. Heck, I made it with my band using a stock rivera and a cabtone and marshall 4x12 (back in 04 mind you)
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16 hours ago, silverhead said:
From the manual (as of firmware v3.0):
“For path Input and Output blocks - These blocks display with a green fill to indicate a signal is present and a red fill if the signal is too hot. If clipping is indicated you should reduce the signal level before and/or at the red indicated Input/Output block.”
Thanks for this, I know this is in the manual but there is no way I could sit down and just read the whole thing because of my ADD I wouldn't retain much of it... So far so good, my EMG's aren't clipping at all as far as I can soo.
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4 hours ago, cruisinon2 said:
This is arguably the most accurate statement ever made around here...;)
I can see the unit being something easily obsessed over. I learned while working for big hitters that sitting in a certain frequency pocket is where I need to be more so than worrying over tone so much. At this point I need some good clean and overdriven sounds that are more accessories to good tunes as opposed to guitar hero stuff. What I'm excited about is finding a few good amps and some effects for certain parts of tunes. I know this is going to be a learning experience for me shifting completely away from amps but it's time for sure.
I was signed to sony with back in 03 in my group... If you guys are interested in the broad spectrum of my journey I will post some links. The video was a couple of years ago, but the tune on soundclick was from like 2003.. My son is now just singing and is 17 and were doing more alternative now since his style has changed and that is right up my alley... Honestly though, I'm looking for just some good round clean and rock sounds at this point. thanks everyone for your help!
This was the band that was signed and toured everywhere.. https://soundclick.com/r/s74rfo
This is the band I put together before covid hit- My son was 14 and an incredible talented singer. I'ts more of a screamo type band, but I'm a versatile writer.-
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3 hours ago, arislaf said:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k4d9xc5jjdvq2b6/AADTNr48c9RZ_x6X9JaOMX5Oa?dl=0
Download these for start. It is all amps with snapshots and custom irs , from clean to distortion
Thanks brother.. Are these yours or just collected? I just got unit and figuring out basic stuff at moment but I will try and figure out how to put the IR's in as well, but I'll admit to not sure how to do it yet.. If I don't use an input pad on my guitar with EMG's how do I find the input level meter to be sure it's not too hot?
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17 hours ago, Hey_Joe said:Hey johneric8 -Take a look at this Learning with Line 6 YT video.It explains Signal Chain Flow.It helped me understand things better in this regard.
This was exactly what I needed.. It's basically splitting the signal path which gives you lots of options... Love the idea of running two cabs as well this way since this is what I typically did with my rig. The delay path directly into a reverb also can be muddy so splitting it up gives some flexibility for sure.. Thanks for the video, I saved it for future reference as well.
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19 minutes ago, j_hotch said:
1. Download and install the latest HX edit software for your Mac/PC before connecting the Helix. Let it install all of the related drivers, etc.
2. Hook up your Helix to the Mac/PC and install any updates it detects for your device.
3. Do a full factory reset of the Helix after installing the updates. Look at the 3.11 release notes for instructions.
Good luck!
I have to say that I've never heard of doing a factory reset on a brand new machine? I am getting in new in the box tomorrow are you sure your advice applies to me?
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1 hour ago, jester700 said:
That's a parallel path. Here's a good post on it...
That was very helpful now it makes sense... So what it does is process different signals like a clean amp and a dirty tone together where you retain each characteristic without muddying it up? It seems like there would be a million cool ways to use it, but I really like the idea of mixing a clean amp with dist among many other things. thanks again!
One of the setups I used live was a Rivera m60 and a VOX ac30 running at same time. I would delay the vox a few milliseconds from the rivera and my sound was HUGE on stage, but this was back before we had all of these cool new amp modelers. Much appreciated Jester, thanks..
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15 hours ago, rvroberts said:
Hi - a brave move!
Depending on what it is you get form a big amp, you probably need to be thinking about how you will be hearing the Helix.
Be aware, there is a big difference between hearing a good Marshall sim at conversation level and at 100db!
Also check out the Fletcher Munson effect - your tone that sounds great at low level is all boom and harsh highs at high levels.
So be sure you can monitor at a level you can relate too - or use different variants of the same tone for quiet and band level situations.
So just be aware in general that you need to expect to deal with stuff that a sound guy/engineer would normally be doing as you are now controlling a simulation of an amp and a speaker cab mic'd with a certain mic.
None of this means you will be worse off in any way. I don't miss the amp in the room at all because I'm hearing studio quality guitar sounds.
At stage level, I can still play the feedback etc - obviously a bit less so at home level.
Expect to need to adjust this totally HiFi device to be limited to a guitar amp frequency where it's needed - so you might want pristine delays requiring a bit more frequency range, but you want a cab sound that is not harsh - and that means high and low cuts at a minimum - very possibly a full EQ just after/before your cab. The short message here is any distortion sounds really bad if you have a pile of high frequencies - and guitar amps and speakers have very limited frequency response - and our ears like exactly that!
You will have lots of experience of pedals. If you have your amp sim set up well, the pedals do exactly what you expect. If they don't (you hear all the time - I added a fuzz and it sounds terrible - that is a clear indication of the amp not set up well (or you just hate fuzz!!).
So My advice is not to get too involved with the presets that come with the Helix - use them for a reference by all means - but if you learn to use the unit, you will never use them for anything more.
Start at the basics - start with an amp and a cab you know how it should sound. Learn to make it sound like it should.
When you get that the rest is just pedals you mostly know anyhow. You might have to figure out the "wiring" sometimes - so definitely learn how to use the full set of paths in the Helix - but if you can take an amp that's sounding good - you are 90% done.
Learn to backup! You can take any risk you like if you know you can always go back!
Snapshots are great - but I've found trying to have a preset for every song is a bit extreme and leaves you a bit tied up when you need/want to improvise.
Generally think in rigs - so I have 2 Marshall rigs (presets) - with 8 snapshots each - that covers every case of a Marshall sound I need - there are flangers and chorus, delay and reverb settings within that that do 15 songs. I have 2 Fenderish rigs for clean and tube screamer driven sounds with a batch of pedals again - does all the clean to driven stuff except.......
The Vox rigs - that do cleanish jangle to driven Vox sounds. Then I have a few others that are for songs that need something more specific or unique. Done!
Not that I actually use a Vox for both presets - it's just that sonic territory. Same goes for Marshalls - Friedman might be one of your Marshalls and if you are a Marshall man, you might need an extra Marshall based rig or 2.......... My point is you may well be able to keep this down to 8 rigs - which means you can get to rig with an absolute minimum of tap dancing.
Worth thinking about?
2 pages of presets absolute tops I recon!
Anyhow, be patient - expect it to take a little time.
There will be some frustration.......Youtube videos will help a lot - but by time you have a handle on this thing you will find you disagree as often as you agree with them. They aren't gods - some of them are just a month ahead of you!
When you know what you are doing, you won't use the marketplace - I bet. (except maybe IRs) You've got all that experience of the real world and it does translate - when you know what you are doing.
So like I said - start with an amp and cab - if you can get an amp and a cab sounding good - especially one that's just lightly driven - you will be on your way.
Thanks so much for the taking the time to help me! Yes I'm a bit overwhelmed but I also know that I'm dedicated to getting the best I can out of the unit like I am with everything else.. I'll be honest, I'm excited, I'm honestly not looking back at this point. I've seen so many great touring bands using even the podhd and sounding better than most tube amps so I know what these things can do. I love dialing in tones, and I'm fully aware at how different things sound from low to high volumes as this applies to my last am the 6505+.
I love all of your feedback and especially your advice on just working on an amp! This is great and sound advice and I will do that... I do want to ask you one question on something I'm very confused about though if you don't mind? I notice on the signal chain sometimes people will split the chain and put another block directly under another one. It was explained to me that this is great for possibly keeping a delay clean within a reverb, but I guess I don't understand how it all translates. Or, I see two speaker cabs on top of each other. I'm just not wrapping my head around this yet.. Just to be clear I'm talking about the first signal path line allowing for another block under it on same line.. I will admit to having a hard time understanding this because I'm still waiting on my unit to arrive tomorrow. If you or anyone can explain in simple terms why it's important to stack within same signal chain?
I attached a photo and highlighted in yellow.. Any clear explanation will be greatly appreciated by me.
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1 hour ago, waymda said:
As well as reading the manual 2 suggestions:
- try to reset your expectations to hearing a recorded amp sound - that's effectively what Helix is providing effects etc and a mic'd up amp like in a studio and represents a real leap for lots of guitarists
- Check out someone like Jason Sadites on youtube with his creating a great tone https://www.youtube.com/c/JasonSadites
thanks man, I've already looked at tons of videos so I know my way around the unit to a degree and understand how the chain works, but I know the possibilities are endless so I'm excited. You made a great point in terms of standing in front of a stack, because you're right, it's easy to get seduced by those tubes being pushed through the cab, but I'm past all of that and looking to really get creative with dialing in sounds for my songs. This is why I knew the helix would be for me quite honestly... I have avoided going to amp sims for a long time, but now is the time for me and I'm ready and not looking back..
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2 hours ago, lawrence_Arps said:
Hi
it wont matter what order you down load. Check the version of HXEdit - but if its a new download you should have the latest version. In most cases that's all you need as it will do the rest for you...I havent used the updater for a couple of years. HXEdit will check your Helix version and tell you if there is a later update. It will also guide you through the backup process - .
There seem to be some very rare cases where people have needed the updater to fix some issue but its very unlikely.My number one advice....read the manual- its on the USB stick that comes with the Helix but its worth going to the manual download and checking you have the lasted version. Start with the basics but get comfortable finding your way around the manual. It never lies!
Appreciate it, I just didn't want to get stuck trying to get it setup...
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Hello my friends.. I'm an experienced guitarist but have always been a tube amp purist.. Mostly Marshal JMP's and Riveras.. Anyway, I sold all of my gear and a helix is on the way and I was wondering if you guys would be so kind to tell me what to do first and in what order? I like a vast variety of tones but my plan is to mess with the stock sounds first to get my feel for stuff before I start diving into IR's and the marketplace. My goal is to design tones and snapshots for each song individually at some point, but I know I will be overwhelmed at first even though I've been readying the manual online.
What order should I download the line 6 updater and hxedit program's in? I keep hearing how some people have issues if they don't download the certain software first so I'm trying to avoid any issues for my clean install...
Any advice or things you wish you knew when you started I'm all ears and will bookmark this thread. I really appreciate everyone! -
14 hours ago, SaschaFranck said:
Yeah, that'll be fine. When I posted the link to the headphone extension cable, I didn't remember the Helix had a full 1/4 headphone out (I never use it, that's why). And I also thought using the Helix' headphone out might be a good enough idea because I couldn't find the appropriate 1/4-to-mini-headphone adapter cable on a quick search. But yes, using the 1/4 outs will likely be the better idea, so go for it.
First off thanks for posting the link because that is what led me to the link for the 1/4 stereo to 3.5. You brought up a good point though about the headphone jack, wouldn't it seem like that would work just as well since it's stereo? All I would need then is 1/4 male end with the other end being female 3.5 right?
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I guess to keep it more simple, how do I take my singular 3.5 male speaker end to the stereo 1/4 outputs of the helix?
I want to take the cable that is connected to my speakers and unplug it from the back of my pc's monitor and plug it into the
the stereo outputs of the helix. Would this work?
https://www.amazon.com/Poyiccot-Stereo-Female-Splitter-35FM-2x635M/dp/B017IKKN3I/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1TIYP97UNT02F&dchild=1&keywords=female+3.5+mm+to+male+1%2F4"+audio+adapter&qid=1631307301&sr=8-6 -
8 minutes ago, SaschaFranck said:
Correct.
And believe me, once you're a bit more familiar with things, you may want to use the Helix as your computer's sound device. Even outside of any recording related things, it's just extremely comfortable. So you might want to have a look at some cable extension, allowing you to connect the Helix outs to your PC speakers input cable. Your easiest bet might be a headphone extension cable that you connect to the Helix headphone out, offering a jack to connect your PC speakers on the other end. Something like this (hope it loads):
https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/B01N6RTS2B/ref=sr_1_3?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&crid=1OVNWDT4R5VLE&dchild=1&keywords=headphone+extension+cable+10+ft&qid=1631305462&sprefix=headphone+ex%2Caps%2C301&sr=8-3You might as well look for something with two 1/4 jacks on the Helix side, but this should be sufficient for a start.
I like the idea of connecting the single stereo 3.5 male end my stereo PC speakers use into my Helix for sure. My speakers are connected to the back of my PC monitor so it would really easy for me just to unlug it and then plug it in to the helix when I wanted to use the PC to edit patches and hear the tones. I like the link you posted showing me the 3.5 female end that would plug into my speakers male end, but my question now would be how do I get that singular male 3.5 stereo end into the two 1/4 inch helix outputs? I will need another adapter that attaches to the helix that will accommodate the singular male 3.5 end correct? This is assuming I'm wanting to go stereo with my helix to PC monitors. thanks again for your help! It's going to save me lots of time..
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3 minutes ago, SaschaFranck said:
The patches you will create/use on the Helix will come out of the Helix output(s). If you want to listen through your PC speakers, you will have to connect them to one of the Helix outputs. The USB connection can be used to transfer sound into your computer, but that's mainly for recording purposes (there's some other things possible, but these will be too tricky to explain for the time being). The USB connection in your case will mainly be used to edit your patches without having to use the Helix' onboard controls.
However, once you've installed the Helix driver (which you need to do as well), you can as well have your system sounds running through the Helix' outputs. You will have to assign it in your system sounds control panel. So you might as well just use the Helix instead of your onboard soundcard (the one you connect your speakers to at the moment) and then, say, play a YT backing track and jam along with your Helix, with all the sounds coming out of the Helix outputs and then running into your PC speakers.
Thanks so much for taking the time for the long post because I was seriously confused.. It almost seems like my best bet will be to use head phones with my helix while I'm editing the presets on my PC. Just so I understand, if I'm uploading a new amp sim to my helix through my PC, I should be able to monitor that through either the headphone output or outs of my helix correct? I haven't started messing with it yet, but will shortly. I'm well versed with pedalboards, just not working with them in a connected environment.
Can I also allow my bass player to run out of helix at the same time?
in Helix
Posted
Thanks! here is the preset I'm using.. I'm using up to 2a.. Can I still add a bass path?