ozbadman

Thanks for your replies everyone. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try it myself next weekend!

Anyone tried it yet? I'd love to hear your opinions. A modelled Treble Booster has been missing from Line 6 for years.

Really? Even with all the vairiables like mic, distance, er ?

 

Yes. See Digital_Igloos (Line6 product manager) comment at the top of this thread:

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/16050-helix-cab-vs-third-party-ir-cabs/

 

I'm not sure how they do the mic and distance thing. It could be an I.R. at each point, and with each mic, or it could be modelling manipulation on top of the I.R., or some combination.

Can you select the models from the HELIX?

Just to be clear, the stock cabs ARE IRs. This discussion should be "I prefer the stock cab IRs to third-party IRs".

One of the retailers here that used to sell Line 6 gear has been told they cannot get on the distribution list now Yamaha is the distributor. No reason given, just that they were no longer able to sell Line 6 gear.

Yep, here in Oz Yamaha has become the distributor. It used to be music express, and Line 6 products were comparable to US prices, even after the Yamaha buyout.

 

The Helix was priced at $AUD2399 until a few months ago, when all imports stopped for a while while Yamaha became the distributor. After stock was available again, the HELIX price had jumped to AUD$2799.

 

So, if you are watching Yamaha Australia, I was going to get a HELIX until you bumped the price. I bought a Kemper PA instread, also for AUD$2799, That's right, the HELIX is now the same price as the Kemper PA in Australia. If Yamaha stops the price-gouging that happens sometimes here, and goes back to AUD$2399, or even better, AUD$2299, I will buy one, but not until.

 

For what it's worth, the Variax Standard is still at a comparable price to the USA price, so I bought one of those at AUD$1399. Hopefully, everyone in Oz will refuse to buy the HELIX until the price is not a rip-off. I certainly will not be buying one with the screw-me-over-for-being-Australian markup.

OK - guilty as charged. In all seriousness I thought this was a joke thread.

 

Line 6 should include a digital clock on their products because some people choose not to wear a watch and find it too troublesome to fumble around for their phone? Really?

 

Sorry for not taking that seriously.

Except by that logic, we would never have had clocks on phones. "Really, a phone manufacturer should put a clock on their phones so that customers have to take it out of their pocket to read it, instead of just glancing at their watch".

 

I actually thought is was a sensible idea, but if the hardware isn't there to do it, so be it.

Which is what I said...

Wow. Flabbergasted. Gobsmacked. Talk about rewriting history. What you said was the EXACT opposite of what DI wrote. DI is saying EXACTLY what I was saying: There is no financial penalty for not delivering a product on a particular date, which was your initial post, and what this whole thing has been about. Everything else is a side issue.

 

Let me repeat the only important point:

There is no financial penalty for not delivering a product on a particular date (other than lost business).

...blah blah blah

You mean "delivery dates to retailers",

Ummm, no. If I meant that, I would have written that.

 

from the manufacturer and yes, if Line-6 or any other company signed on the  dotted line that they will deliver a said product by a certain date and then don't, they there will be repercussions and penalties (fees) may apply.

Yes, but they didn't. That's the point.

 

Most contracts allow for leeway and special circumstances, but there are set dates that must be met.

Nope.

 

But you really think that release dates on products (hardware and software) just happen whenever they feel like it,  no strings attached,

Yep.

 

and the dates are pulled from thin air? Really? Ya know, just because there are sometimes unforeseen delays does not mean there wasn't an agreement beforehand, and that even mention these delays. You know this, right? You can't be that naive- yer pulling my chain arnt you... you bugger you- Good one hehehe....  ;)

Of course the dates are not pulled from thin air. There are simply no penalties for being wrong.

 

BTW- I can tell you that contractors who have to wait for companies to change something in the process so that they can go back to work, back charge the company they are doing the work for, per every day they are delayed from completing their contractual completion date, per the contract.

We're not talking about real estate here. Yes, some building contracts have penalty clauses for running late. This is not real estate, and any penalties must be defined in the contract (gratuitous underlining and bolding added).

I won't bother responding to the other stuff, but:

 

The vendor has signed agreements made with retailers, marketers, and even the shipper to deliver said product on time.

Extremely unlikely. Yes, they've signed contracts about prices, etc., but usually not with specific delivery schedules, or related penalties.

 

Evidence: the constant changing of delivery dates from retailers. You really think Line 6 is paying a penalty to retailers for that?

The purchase of the Helix has represented for me a financial effort.

I had a lot of HOPE on this new pedal

When I bought the helix, I thought I could use this pedal as a USB interface.

 

So I decided to sell my helix to buy at another company a more expensive product that works as a true USB audio interface.

For me, finished the loss of time to post my comments on my discontent.

I will now be able to really work with my new equipment.

 

 

This is not a new debate, but the feeling of a ex-user and ex-client, frustrated and disappointed.

I'm not sure what your point is.

 

The Helix is principally a guitar amp and effects modeller, and can be used as an audio interface. But, if you want a device whose primary function is a USB audio interface then yes, you would normally be better off getting something designed specifically for that purpose.

 

And Line 6 managers sometimes read these threads, but it's mostly a user forum, so they certainly may not read this. If you really want to send a message to a Line 6 manager, you need to contact Line 6 directly.

Since we're talking about apples and oranges, AX8 is single cab only, and a lot uglier. Less inputs. Lots more effects and amps, and similar price point, but very different beast to the Helix. And it has an editor. :)

But- (and there is always a but) OTOH... There was a contractual date assigned to the release of Helix to the general public, whether or not certain things were shall we say, the best it could be at the time of release, or not. This date is binding, and a penalty of breach of contract among other fines and bad looks apply.

What?

 

A contract between who and whom? A contract requires at least two parties to sign to be legal. Who signed what? L6 and the General Public?

 

So no. No such contract existed, and there are no legal ramifications for late delivery of a product, unless some contract was signed between the supplier and the customer, and either fines were included, or financial loss resulted.

 

Having said that, it's often bad for business to not manage customer expectations well, but there are (usually) no legal implications.

 

Now, I'm not saying that this is the wrong way for any business to work(esp. in these times) , Im just saying it is what it is. Bottom line is If that means there are things to be fixed and improved on later after release, thats just the way it will be handled, ready or not now, because the release met its by god contractual release date.

Again, without a contract, there is no 'contractual release date'. Just a proposed release date, that they may or may not hit.

 

And the consumer has to abide by this because there is no other option available. Im not bad mouthing Line-6 any more than the other million companies that do this, to meet their obligations

They probably have no obligations, just desires.

I have to disagree. The Downloads page here shows that the HD500/X product received 12 firmware updates over a period of approximately 5 years. Was that really below your expectations?

 

They were mostly bugfixes, with a few new amps, and some additional product integration. Relative to the X3, yes it was well below what I expected. They wrote the entire Helix from scratch in 5 years.

But my original point was to expect a device like Helix, given today's technology, not to have any further development at all is also unrealistic.

 

Except that is largely what happened on the HD500. It was the flagship modelling product, until Helix came along. And nothing happened for a long time. After the initial release, L6 got busy releasing the l2m group, stagescape, firehawk, amplifi, etc. All interesting products in their own right, but the HD500 (except for HD500X) release essentially stopped for about 3 years, then the model packs and global EQ came out. Many things in ideascale have not been addressed, and probably never will be. So, buy the Helix for what it does now, because the next release, will be an Acoustic Variax. :) (I know nothing of the sort, I am just making a point. Although a new acoustic variax would be cool).

Except I expected a lot more development on the HD500, and apart from the model packs, and the global EQ, not too much has happened over 4+ years. For me it was OK, since the HD500 did most things I wanted, it still falls a long way short of a lot of the features on the X3. But, it has better quality effects and amps for the ones it does have. I have no idea if they are still doing any HD500 development, and perhaps the same thing will happen with Helix: just some initial bugfixes and then the next gee-whiz mixer or something else. Time will tell.

I'm new and don't know how to start a "new" discussion so I guess I'll post my question here about my new HD500X.

 

You are posting in the wrong place. This area is for the Helix users.

 

Go here, and select "start new topic".

http://line6.com/support/forum/18-pod-hd/

What about hiring a high-end P.A. for the weekend from your local music shop? That would at least give you some idea of what it would be like.

The only drawback of using dual cabs is now you have to sift through all the different mic-mic distance-cab combinations. What if the one I haven't tried yet is better than the one I just tried? And so forth and so on. On the other hand, maybe that's easier than trying to sift through thousands of IRs.

 

Or you could easily combine an IR and cab block. I do that sometimes with good results.

What is the difference between dual cabs and cab + IR?

 

An IR is just a cabinet sampled with a specific mic in a specific position.

I don't mind the editor using the same icons as whats on the Helix display. Makes it simple to use and keeps the current gui in focus. Tabs are a great idea too. Some pics of where Line 6 is right now would go a long ways too (wink wink). ;) Oh come on - even if its not up to me to decide, every Guitar preamp worth its salt these days has an editor of its own. Quick-Pics of the Helix editor isn't breaking an NDA or camera, or releasing dark secrets as long as there are no detailed descriptions of its function and use. If it looks like the screen on the Helix, we have all already seen that anyway...No, I don't wanna take anyone away from programming time to post a few editor pics, but if they are indeed that short on folks then they need to hire some help... B)

L6 has said it will look exactly the same as the Helix screen, so if you want to see it, look at your Helix.

I don't have a Helix yet, so can't check the sounds, but here are some guesses based on the names:

 

Beat Prudence - Beatles, Dear Prudence?

Black Hole - Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun?

Cold Shot - Stevie Ray Vaughan?

Come As You Are - Nirvana?

Dark Uncle Floyd - Pink Floyd. Not sure what the uncle means though.

Even Betta Than - U2, better than the real thing?

Fast Lane - Eagles. Life in the fast lane?

Fire Woman - The Doors. Light My Fire/LA Woman?

Mad House - Madness. Our house?

Raining Princess - Prince. Purple Rain?

Sweet Home - lynyrd skynyrd sweet home alabama?

mileskb, on 29 Feb 2016 - 6:22 PM, said:

Sorry guys... I couldn't resist.. I hadn't been on in a few days and well.... seemed like things were getting too serious so I decided to interject my brand of smarta'rsery. That and I almost killed myself yesterday when I was jamming along, remembered I had a wah patch and actually tried to operate with my foot..... while the Helix was still on my desk... I mighta worked... no fault of the helix that it didn't.... I seem to recall the floor being softer than it was...

It could have been worse. The Helix might have been on the roof.

BTW, Apologies, but I don't regard any of this as a hijacking. The answer to the original question is "the editor will be here when it will be here". Somebody with knowledge may tell us something more specific at some point, but I wouldn't hold my breath. The rest of this thread is just general discussion while we wait for the editor.