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sheehanje

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Everything posted by sheehanje

  1. I recently acquired a Blackstar HT Stage 60 MKII that I've become quite enamored with. I was wondering if there was a way to use Helix Native... I want to: A) Use the Effects in the Loop, using the outs and ins of my Focusrite 18i20 B) Use another in/out on the Focusrite to be able to put overdrives in front of the amp C) Use The DI Output and use it as a block in Helix Native For A&B - I will mic the amp. For C, I will use the emulated output as the amp. The Blackstar also has a USB interface - where I can bring 4 channels in, one raw (good for reamping) -- from the advert: USB connector allows for sending up to 4 channels of the guitar signal, dry, preamp out and stereo emulated out -- so there are applications there I may want to use. I surprisingly like this amp way more than I thought I would - even more then some of the Mesa Boogies I've had over the years. I had one of their older amps, and it was decent, but it seems like they are just putting their own unique stamp on things with the MKII series, and I want to utilize it. I doubt Helix will model one of their amps, because well... Blackstar is doing their own thing capturing different amp feels... I'd really like to know how to get this into my DAW and utilize it with Helix Native. Heck, I might even dust of my Surface Pro 3 tablet and built a portable rig... Yes, I know I can just use Helix Floor, but that I've paired with FRFR's at rehearsal and use it for it's own thing...
  2. Funny that this thread is still going. I ended up ditching all my amps for two Stagesource L3T's and have been getting great results. My last two shows have been a single L3T setup as a monitor, then XLR to FOH. Keeping getting a lot of comments at how good it sounds. I sort of miss my amps, but I definitely don't miss tube rolls and microphonic squeal suddenly in the middle of a set. Good lasting tubes are getting harder to come by these days, and I'm of the opinion now that modelling is the best way to preserve tube amp sound. It's only a matter of time before more tube factories go offline, driving up the price and driving down the quality yet again.
  3. What FRFR speaker are you using in this video?
  4. I used Helix 4CM to a Mesa JP-2C. I had noise in certain places (drummers house) and not others. I was able to reduce it by getting a furman power conditioner and plugging everything into it, I ran a power extension chord from the furman to my helix in a snake with the rest of the cables (3 instrument cables and 1 midi cable). Seemed to help quite a bit. The other thing I did was to slowly build my patch. Starting with a simple noise gate, wah and overdrive to dial in the front end. Then slowly adding to the FX loop. Not only did it help get my gain levels proper, but it also helped me build a usable patch. Once that was done, then I started building my snapshots to change channels and effects, keeping my initial snapshot as a blueprint. Now I'm all Helix with two stagesource l3t's - but I got the itch to get an amp again after playing through a used single rectifier my local village music store just got in. There is something powerful about the simplicity of guitar --- chord --- amp -- cabinet.
  5. If you think the Metal crowd is rowdy, try a punk or hardcore crowd. We play mostly metal but get billed with a lot of those bands because we are on the fringes of it. Everything can have an issue. My helix floor locked up yesterday for no apparent reason during boot up. Restarting fixed it. I've had tube amps get microphonic squeal during the middle of sets. I've had beer spilled on my M13 which shorted out the jack. Nothing is 100% foolproof - but the basic rule is the less in the chain the less that can go wrong. Good luck with testing and performance, let us know how it goes!
  6. To be fair - that list is of anyone using any line 6 product. Few of them are using Helix. A lot of them are using Line 6 relay wireless products or delay units. One thing you have to remember, Helix came on the scene late. A lot of artists were already entrenched in one of the other newer generation modellers with Helix came out. I think what Helix has done is offered on par modelling at price points that guys like myself could afford. Weekend warriors, cover band artists, etc. With that said, there are artists taking the Helix out to big venues and playing live with it with great results. A lot of them have already been mentioned and the list is growing. Fact is, Helix is a viable piece of equipment in a live environment, whether it's used 4CM or by itself for modelling the whole signal chain to the front end. It finally convinced me to ditch my tube amps, after using it about a year in front of a few different Mesa amps. I have a streamlined setup that is easier then any modern setup I've used. My bass player is probably the biggest skeptic I know - but he says he doesn't know the difference between my Helix (with Stage Source L3T's) and my amp. Simple as that. It works, sounds good, and is easy.
  7. First off - yes, you can use Native and a PC or Laptop for live performance. There is nothing stopping you. Helix rack, floor or LT simplifies things, but I've successfully run live with other VST products. Even doing the whole band through a DAW monitored through a PA (Superior Drummer triggered via a electric drum kit, VST's for Vocals, Bass, keyboards and Guitar). Was an experiment at the time, and this was about 5 or 6 years ago. It worked. It did take quite a bit of uplift and testing before the show though. In a twist, I recently used the Helix Floor as an interface to record the whole band for writing sessions, so while it wasn't a Native plugin, I had a laptop with DAW and was running the drums electric again. That worked great and I didn't have to unmount my recording interface from my studio desk to record the band at my drummers house. Right now, until I get a Helix LT to backup my Helix Floor, I will use native as an emergency backup rig. If you want to try this, don't let others discourage you. Test it. Test it again. and again..... Here are some tips: SSD in the PC or Laptop helps mitigate vibration and magnetic issues. I use a Surface 3 Pro tablet/laptop now - works great. Interface - you want to get as little latency as you can. If I were still going live, I'd probably use a full laptop or PC with a firewire or thunderbolt interface. Chipsets matter too, you get what you pay for in that regard. RAM and CPU Processing Power - again, this helps latency and from glitching. I recommend a newer generation chipset with 8GB RAM. OS Tweaking - there are plenty of guides for using Windows, Linux or Mac as a DAW for studio - same thing applies live. You don't want updates to kick off in the middle of a show. Cabling - have everything labeled clearly. Under the dim lights of the local venue with 20 minutes to setup, this becomes essential Bring a flashlight - see above Make sure you have a sturdy stand for your laptop. This is the one reason I wouldn't use this setup these days - I play to some very rowdy crowds in small venues. Have a backup plan. Again: Testing, testing, testing. There are some rewards to these kinds of setups. Like live recording and using other VSTs/Plugins to go with Helix Native. As far as debunking some of the things said here: Price --- most people wanting to use Helix Native already have a DAW setup. I don't think most people that would want to do this would want to build a system from scratch just for live playing. They probably already have most of the components. Live tweaking - I don't think I've used my Helix Floor once to tweak in the middle of a set. I haven't needed to. I guess it's a nice option to have, but tweaking from a laptop is very easy - and if you are following the testing, testing, testing suggestion, most of the tweaking is done before the show. Good luck and happy jamming.
  8. I've been here before, but revisiting this right before a show I have on Friday. I'm using Helix with 2 StageSource L3T's. I've never used them at a show before, and have only used them in rehearsal for 2 practices. I have 2, but I'm pretty sure I'm just going to use one. Two at practice were either too much volume, or not cutting the mix on lower volume - could be my patch, but with one L3T I got some better balance with the band. What's confusing to me though - in Reference PA mode, is it splitting my Helix for stereo, or is one speaker handling low end and the other high end? If the later is the case, would Electric Guitar mode be better, as from what I understand it acts more like a 2X12 in that mode and I'm getting both speakers engaged at that point? Right now I'm using IR's with an 80hz cut on low, and 7kHz cut on high frequencies. In electric guitar mode I know that there is an automatic cut applied. Does anyone know at what frequencies? My goal with one L3T is to have both speakers engaged at all times. I've had this problem where if the crossover is activating it sounds great when pumping the whole band through, but with just one guitar going through it sounds uneven to me depending on what I'm playing. Anyone one with good sound advice using an L3T or pair of L3T's in a live setting? I will be also plugged into FoH, but this particular venue has bad monitors - so I'm relying on the L3T on the backline to provide a decent guitar sound for myself and the rest of the band.
  9. Did you try a different input? Aux or one of the returns?
  10. Kind of ridiculous - if you really need a Guitar processing VST, there are plenty out there. If you want something fully compatible with the Helix line, then you are just going to have to wait a bit longer like everyone else. I would rather they sort out any issues then release early and be plagued with problems. Good quality control is hard to come by these days.
  11. sheehanje

    Tube amps Gone?

    That is appealing - especially seeing that tubes degrade over time. Plus the fact I can eventually buy an LT and have the same exact tones for a backup if my main Helix goes down. I've had identical model and year of tube heads and they have variation of sound. When I sold my last tube amp, I gave the guy a bunch of tubes I had in a storage bin, a few sets of matched power amp tubes and a bunch of preamp tubes. It was the first moment that I thought, maybe getting rid of this thing isn't so bad after all.
  12. sheehanje

    Tube amps Gone?

    I sold my last tube amp - mostly because I needed money for emergency dental work for one of my kids. It was between selling my last tube amp (a great one too, JP-2C) - or selling my helix setup (helix with 2 L3T's). I had been using Helix 4CM with the JP-2C. It worked great, and I hated to break that setup up, but when it came down to between the two, the Helix affords me a lot more versatility and now that I'm full time on it for modelling amps and cabs, I've been more impressed with it and there is a lot less regret in selling the JP-2C. The true test is going to be live - we don't gig again until September. If it goes well, I'll stick with this setup - if not, I may be investing into an amp again when finances permit.
  13. Just got the JTV-89F home. I'm already having issues. First thing I notice - it plays real stiff. Wasn't expecting that, and the weight was way more then I'm used to - and I've played some heavy guitars. Second issue, went to plug into the Helix with a variax cable I ordered, and it was real hard getting it plugged into both the Helix and the JTV. I had to unscrew each end, then plug in, then tighten it back up. Seems like it could become real inconvenient in a live situation. Those two issues I think I could remedy with a proper setup and maybe a pair of pliers on the cable. But the next issue is the modelling. It sounds dull - almost like it has no bite. I actually enjoyed the mag pickups and they seemed more then sufficient - but I could get a hell of a guitar for the price I paid for the variax. I know I paid at least $400 for the hardware and computer inside to make this thing operate - so I want it to work. The other issue - and this is just a show stopper to me - when I palm mute it sounds like birds are chirping. I'm a metal player. Palm muting is not optional. Anyone else having major issues right out of the gate with these guitars?
  14. Right now I own a helix and 2 stagesource l3t's. But I've heard a lot of good things about the Firehawk 1500. Does anyone have experience with both that may enlighten me if there is a big difference between the two other than footprint and the fact the firehawk can be used as a backup if something happens with the helix? I plan on eventually getting a Helix LT for a backup to my helix, so that's not important to me. I also don't mind lugging around two Stagesource speakers when I need two, and it also affords me a backup should one fail. I'm more interested in sound comparison. Does firehawk sound more organic amp like then Stagesource? Does the footprint make it sound more amp like from a projection and feel standpoint? Or am I comparing apples to apples soundwise here?
  15. I think your right, because the tune he linked to is in C Major. If he were joking he would've linked to something in D Minor.
  16. It would be nice to have the option of assigning them for something else, but far from a deal breaker for me. Have had my Helix over a year now and finally just switched over to all modelling rather then going 4CM to a tube amp. Don't feel neutered at all.
  17. Very nice! I have standard heritage cherry - unfortunately the only artist in my family is my 5 year old and I don't think I want stick figure people and spiders on my guitar....
  18. Specifically - I don't want to get a guitar that has been sitting in a warehouse for 3 years lol. I don't think Sweetwater would do that, but hey, you never know. I purchased it - I see the alternate tuning thing is easy to deal with on the guitar. I'm selling off the rest of my old equipment to help offset the cost of the variax. Looks like I'll be almost 100% Line 6 soon - other than my Gibson SG - that's going nowhere.
  19. I'm actually going ahead with the purchase - I figure Sweetwater will give me 30 days to know if I made a mistake. Is there any way to tell manufacture date of a Variax by serial number?
  20. Probably the most alluring feature would be able to take a guitar with a Floyd Rose and easily do different tunings with it. Not sure if I would need to do that through patches or whether I could do that on the fly with just the guitar. To me that's the holy grail of guitar - I wouldn't have to bring 3 or 4 guitars with me to every show and keep swapping them out. I've given up on buying guitars with floating bridges for live performances. I'm just a weekend warrior - so I can't justify having a guitar for every situation - one or two that I can accomplish them all looks more appealing to me.
  21. I liked both guitars - a lot - but one of my kids needed emergency dental work and I sold it for a quick influx of cash. I don't regret keeping the SG. I probably liked both guitars equally - but my experience on each respective community forums left the decision of which to sell that much easier. I'm not stupid though - if the SG wasn't something I didn't like playing I would've kept the Majesty. But the SG was my dream guitar for a long time. I even have the one everyone else seems to hate - the 2015 Standard with the Les Paul signature and hologram on it. Replaced the robot tuners on it, but I absolutely love the way it plays - I prefer the wider neck on that years model. I've had other SG's, but that one fits me so well - all my other guitars are just this guitar's backup. I hope I never have to get rid of it...
  22. I've been considering getting the JTV-89F - my only thing is live I'm fond of using wireless, and that would defeat a lot of the Variax features with Helix.
  23. I should remind you - you are asking this question on a Line 6 Helix forum - so you are going to get a lot of positive feedback on the Helix. The same would be true on a Kemper or Fractal forum from their respective user bases. What I would suggest is procuring a Helix or Helix LT from a source like Sweetwater where you have 30 days to return it if it doesn't suit your needs. You pay the shipping back, but it isn't real expensive with the Helix - not compared to shipping back a big amp or guitar. I don't think you'd be disappointed though. If cost isn't a concern then I'm sure, like Peter said, any of these options will work for you.
  24. sheehanje

    Glenn Delaune

    Been thinking of picking these up myself. I've been able to dial in some great tones myself but want some more variety. Wondering how they will sound with a pair of stagesource l3t's and what speaker mode and orientation they would sound best with. Particularly interested in the new high gain patches.
  25. I don't own a kemper or an ax8. But, I have owned a ton of tube amps and other equipment. I just sold my prized tube amp - a Mesa JP-2C. It took me a while, but I finally became convinced that Helix will do everything I need - and more. I've seen some of the comparison videos - and I can say without a doubt that most of these are people quickly setting up a patch or preset and while some of them sound pretty good, most aren't showing off the depth you can go with Helix. What finally sold my Mesa was the fact that my drummer was moving out of state, and we needed a quick way to record a few songs we had been working on for the next guy to learn - we were also rehearsing for his last show. I brought the Helix to rehearsal along with two StageSource l3t speakers and a laptop - got the drummer to use his electric kit and I was able to use the Helix as a recording interface. It provided a guitar amp, bass rig, vocal effects and gave me a midi interface to trigger superior drummer with the electric kit. Simultaneously! When I decided to downscale my equipment I was torn between selling the stagesource speakers or the JP-2C. I needed an extra influx of cash and seeing my band won't be gigging much anymore, I finally decided to part with the Mesa and make the Helix work. Up until that point, for live gigs, the helix was only used in 4 cable method to the JP-2C. I decided that the Helix and the FRFR speakers would suffice and maybe I lose some sound quality, but I gain a ton of versatility. I was wrong. Dead wrong. I haven't lost and sound quality. I've been really taking a lot of time with the Helix and I've dialed in some of the best tone I've ever had. I experimented with the stagesource speakers (another very versatile piece of equipment from Line 6) in different modes, and without a doubt I'm not missing a beat switching over. I was going to integrate some of my pedals into the mix, but I've found I don't need to. The crazy thing is, I've only scratched the surface of this - I've only dialed in 2 patches so far - both "2 channel" amps. Whether Kemper or AX8 sounds better is a moot point to me now. The Helix sounds just as good as my tube amps did, and that's something I didn't think I'd be saying. For the price point of a Helix, it's about the best value I've run across. Yes, I did add $2200 worth of FRFR speakers for backline - but there are much cheaper options if you need to gig live. If you don't need all the extra IO routing, the LT is even a better value. I may pick one up just to have a backup if I ever need it. I loved that JP-2C. I never thought I would part with it. I've owned some great amps over the years from Marshall, Fender, Mesa and even Blackstar. I'm not saying I'll never look back - but it's hard to justify keeping a bunch of tube amps around in my current situation. Also - Line 6 hasn't sat still with Helix. They've had some incremental firmware updates, and then a couple monstrous updates. The Mark IV patches have been a godsend - as well as snapshots. It's crazy to think there is better - this has given me everything I need so far.
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