soundog

If you look up the address on Google Maps and use Street View, this looks the shop. I wouldn't go there after dark. Or without a gaggle of pit bulls.

I can't imagine why anyone would want to run legacy Workbench if they don't have to.

Add a REDDI DI box to your bass list.

For your tunes I recommend trying 1) first mix the tunes so they sound powerful, dynamic, and interesting as an instrumental (mix with no vocals), 2) bring in the vocals until the words are intelligible. Try +2 dB increments until it sounds right on multiple sound systems. I don't say this because you aren't a good singer, but for this genre you want a lot of the power to come from the instruments, with the vocals supporting. If it was pop, you'd want the vocals more up front. Reference some fave songs in similar genre, and hopefully you'll hear what I mean.

...did a search on jazz trio wrightsville beach and found a local Sean Meade Jazz Trio (alto sax, bass, drums) but could find no audio or video anywhere. Would also like to check them out.

Working for me here... update: Wrong. Not working.

Right on! Keep voting for this on IdeaScale (as discussed above). Its seems almost silly to have to vote, though. Do people have to vote to have access to roads? Or toothbrushes? Every amp sim I am running these days has a standalone app. Except Helix Native.

FYI, I struggled and bitched and moaned about legacy Workbench support for my old 700 on this forum for years (as I'm sure @psarkissian is aware), but ended up fixing up an old Macbook running old stuff (OSX and Java). It comes in handy not only for the Variax, but also for older audio/musical equipment. I probably use it about once a year. Its an antique! You can get old Macbooks for dirt cheap if you go that route. Since you would be using it for simple dedicated tasks (like running Workbench), it doesn't need to have much in the way of RAM or disk size. FYI, before fixing up the old Macbook I tried using a lot of apps (like Parallels) that could run old versions of OSX on a newer Macbook, but this never worked reliably for me. You want something reliable and solid when you are messing with your Variax's memory.

I believe I was running my old Workbench on an old Mac running Snow Leopard. I'll check later, but maybe someone else can verify...

Good info @honestopinion. I guess I think of a power trio as three band members only. The Police was one the most amazing (and more recent) trios I've seen live. Andy Summers didn't play dense and heavy guitar, but the interplay between the three was amazing to withhold. Of course, Sting is no slouch. Or Stewart Copeland for that matter. Dang, also also saw Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream live. THAT was dense and heavy. My ears still ring... Jazz is a whole nutha level, but a reminder that the music does not have to be heavy or busy. The key is to have a drummer and bass player that lay down such a solid groove that the guitarist (or sax, organ, violin, etc) is free to riff without having to worry about "filling in."

Wait, what? A power trio with a fourth "non-playing singer"? Unless the singer is an incredible front person with a killer voice and also writes great songs....get a singer that can play rhythm guitar. Sorry to be so harsh, but pretend I'm your manager and want to see you succeed.

Also worthy of an experiment. https://meldaproduction.com/tutorials/creative-making-impulse-responses-using-match-eq

I don't have any saved examples, but if I find time I'll duplicate an experiment. Not sure what plug you're using above, but most Match functions have either an "amount" or "smoothing" control to adjust the EQ moves applied. Again, try adjusting your curve controls to get a small number of EQ moves you can duplicate. Since Helix para EQ is limited to low, mid, and high (plus low and high pass) controls, you'll have to adjust until you get to those parameters. Don't worry about all the small adjustments. I never tried stacking para eqs, which seems like overkill and analysis paralysis.

I use a lot of this bundle in my Standard. Its very nice, and it was generous of @arislaf to share his work with the community.

I have one for sale, in excellent condition. $60 + shipping to wherever. I think I also have an extra piezo laying around I can throw in.

I've used Pro Q3 Match EQ for this, with good results. I was doing acoustic guitar patches, though, not electric. You need to make a track of your "target" tone, and your current Helix tone. Use the Match EQ feature on your Helix track (sidechain the target in). You can adjust the number of EQ moves applied (try using around 4), and then look at them individually for frequency, Q, dB settings, and try to duplicate using para EQ in Helix. Adjust to taste. Its worthy of an experiment.

I think the E906 would be fine to get you started. Or try direct out of the amp? I've used a Shure SM57 and Sennheiser 421 for IR captures with happy results.

Tried it. Loved it. Bought it.

Also experiment with a parametric eq right before the IR.

Lots of amps. My advice is to create a simple preset with just an amp/cab (maybe a room reverb after for realism). Then try different amps to find which ones sound the best to your ears with your guitar and playing style. Simply play with the gain, bass/treble/presence, and master volume. Nothing fancy. Go for tone. There are a lot of amps, so give your ears some breaks. Do this before going crazy adding pedals and effects. If you try to play around with everything at first, you will go bat-sh*t crazy with variables and parameter choices.

Great endorsements, huh? Both of those youtubers have good ears for shaping tones. Cordy's riffing was killer. After I finish my Black Friday plug-in shopping (I had to set a limit for myself!), I'll grab the free version to check out. TONEX is an intriguing concept; to be able to download and play through gear that was captured by others, or to capture stuff you own.

Never a big fan of Amplitube here (I'm more of an HXN, S-Gear, and Neural DSP fan), but has anyone tried IK Multimedia's TONEX? The online demos and youtube reviews are intriguing. Yeah, its more of a direct competitor for Helix Native, but an especially interesting solution for touring musicians that want to model and replicate a favorite amp/cab setup. The concept of building an online library of user-captured devices (stomp boxes as well as amps/cabs) is also interesting. I'll grab the free demo when I get a chance...

Wah! My SPX90 gave up the ghost several years ago. I opened it up and tried to find an easy fix but couldn't. Ended up throwing it away in frustration. Wish I hadn't after reading this thread, because I'd love to try to fix it again. Wouldn't know where to start looking in the landfills. I miss it so.

If you own a Helix hardware unit (any model, I think), you can't beat this current deal. It's the cheapest price I've seen for Native. Price is good through 12/5/2022.

Alan Holdsworth! That's cool. I'm a Soft Machine fan (spent many hours lying on the floor with headphones on), and my Tony Williams Lifetime records are almost worn out. Right on!