phil_m

Well, some stereo effects have more of a stereo spread than others, but the Spring reverb is still a stereo effect - each side is processed independently. It means that if you have another stereo effect before it in the signal chain, it will preserve the stereo image. So you could put something like the Ping Pong delay in front of the '63 Spring, and you'd still hear the delay like you expected.

It's somewhat similar to the HD, but one big difference is that it's easier to see where you're running in mono and where you're running in stereo. There are mono and stereo version of most effects (there are some effects that are only stereo - the reverbs for instance, and other effects). But what this means is that if you want to run a simple mono path, it's very easy to set it up that way, and you don't have to worry about whether an effect is mono or stereo and what's happening to you're signal. You'll know because mono effects are in a different menu that stereo effects. Even this description makes it sound way more confusing than it actually is. It will make perfect sense once you see the Helix UI.

I think you're reading too much into that. I'm not saying there's no audible difference. I think there is. It seems easier to get the tones I want out of Helix, but what I'm saying is that assigning a quantitative measure to a qualitative assessment seems rather pointless. What does it even mean to say something like, "this amp sound is 30% better than this one". Does it mean 30% more people will like it? Does it mean it's 30% better in terms of realism? I think that's one reason manufacturers don't go down the road of doing these comparisons. The one thing I will say that makes a big difference in Helix is having dedicated high and low pass filters for every cab model. I find that's a big help for getting a great sound out of the gate.

I don't really know how you would assign a number when it comes to perceived quality of the amp models. I always figure if a sound works for the song like you need it to, then it's a good sound. The thing that's more important to me is how easily I can get those sounds and how does it fit in with the way I work. The thing that sets the Helix apart for me is the UI. When I got it, I started using it and setting tones up before ever looking at a manual. I'd say I was able to understand 90-95% of the functionality without ever seeing one. There were a few things as far as settings that the manual pointed out that were less intuitive, but the major things are all very easy to grasp. That's what makes me excited. The thing I've always liked about Line 6 is that they make multi-FX units for people who don't like multi-FX, and this tapping into that tradition.

The pedal is 5/16" or so extruded aluminum. It's not going to bend.

Helix doesn't provide the automatic topology and class switching right now, but you can still either set the DT to whatever of those sounds the best or you could control those via MIDI. I would like to see that be added back into the L6 Link connection if possible, too. All I'm saying is that the DT will still sound great with the Helix.

For the guitarist with really, really long arms.

By LM do you mean the Stagesource L2m or L3M? I don't think anyone said it was better. The DT will still sound great with the Helix. Indeed, there are Pre models of all the amps.

I don't see the appeal of adding a proprietary receiver into the device. It would raise the cost significantly, and it would be something that probably only a small percentage of customers would use. What if you already have a wireless system you really like? Why pay more for this feature that you don't want?

Do not try this! You'll damage your amp. The output transformer needs to see a load, and running the amp without speakers connected is like shorting the output transformer - not good.

Helix bows to no other modelers! ;) I'm not sure if you're asking if it can be controlled by other gear via MIDI or if it can be used as a controller. But the answer to both questions is yes.

It's a little bigger (and quite a bit heavier) than the HD500. The screen seems similar to a tablet or smartphone screen. I don't know the specifications for the glass. I imagine you could be buy a screen protector that you'd use for a small tablet and cut it to size if you're really worried about scratching it.

Seems fine to me. I did do a few tests where I compared plugging straight into the amp versus, and there wasn't much difference that I could tell. As far as achieving unity gain, the only thing I did was turn the master volume knob on the Helix to 100% and set the effects loop level on the Helix to line. I didn't have to tweak the effects loop levels beyond that. This is using an Egnater Renegade, for the record. I may try to record some clips something during the next week.

There will be an editor application for Mac and PC. There's no tablet or phone editor. The editor pretty much matches what the screen on the Helix looks like.

Having a true bypass unit wouldn't guarantee a noise-free setup in the 4CM anyway. You could still develop ground loops, and to deal with those you would need some sort of ground lift circuit (which is probably what Fractal has built into the FX8). Anyway, I've used the 4CM with Helix and my amp, and it was fine on both channels. The cool thing was setting up the Helix's relay output to control the channel switching and reverb on my amp. I set it up so the reverb relay was controlled by the same switch I had a Helix reverb controlled by. When I turned off the amp relay, the Helix reverb took over then - pretty cool.

The Helix is available in both right and left-handed versions... :P

You can choose to have the two leftmost switches (FS1 and FS7) remain bank switches or be available to turn effects on or off when in Stomp mode. If you leave them as bank, it just allows you to change presets without hitting the mode switch first. As far as your last question, you can assign MIDI commands to switches you're using for effects, too.

No, you can customize what MIDI messages are sent when you change patches. With the HD500X, the PC messages associated with the patch you are going to are always sent, but with the Helix you assign the messages for every preset.

Yes, that should be easily doable. You'd just assign the appropriate MIDI commands to each footswitch. You can have a custom control scheme within each preset. So, really, if you're using it as a MIDI controller, you'd need it to be in Stomp mode. The other cool thing is that you can have "instant" commands that are sent as soon as you load a preset. This could be useful if you were wanting to change presets on an external device when you change presets on the Helix.

All the models are done, rest assured... I just think certain players gravitate towards certain tones and amp models. I think Sean is trying to showcase the usability and workflow of the device more than certain tones. It's kind of an impossible feat trying to convey the whole range of tones that are possible. There's just so many variables. Really, I think the only way to judge a device as complex as Helix is to try it in person. I'd say that for nearly any stompbox or modeler, really.

Helix has the same Variax integration capability that the HD500X (and Firehawk) has. Aside from powering the Variax, you can store models and tunings with presets, and you can use the volume and tone knobs as controllers.

There is a new Variax - the Standard. If you like the JTV69, I'd say keep your order. I don't see them going away for awhile. Just my personal opinion.

Nope, that's a hardware thing... Pretty hard to install relays and an extra analog signal path via a USB connection... :) Anyway, I suspect the reason that the Fractal unit isn't really true bypass has to do with the issue I mentioned earlier. True bypass can be worse for tone loss if the only thing you have in your signal chain is a true bypass pedal. And with a device like the FX8 (and the Helix), there's a good chance that people will use it like that.

Buffered bypass and true bypass are definitely not the same thing, but buffered bypass doesn't mean there's an AD/DA conversion either. According to the manual excerpt above, there's a buffered analog path and a DSP path with relays switching between them. This actually isn't too different than how the M13 works, except the the M13's analog path isn't buffered - it's really true bypass. The way to test whether something is buffered or true bypass is to see if it passes audio while powered off. If it does, then it's true bypass.