razorwit

Spent some time poking at it this morning - none of them are quite right, but I think the Placator, Solo Lead OD, and the Badonk were getting me closest. I think the Placator came closest to matching the gain structure for me, but if you turn down the drive on the Solo or Badonk it should get you in the ballpark. I liked the Placator best, but YMMV. Dean

Hi boraince - which channel are you looking for? My JVM is sitting next to me along with my Helix. Give me some more details and I'll see what I can do. Dean

Hey, I just tried this as well. I don't have an 835 so I tried with a 57, a 58, and a couple of other dynamic mics I have hanging around. I'm running into exactly the same problem as you, and I think the problem is just that dynamic mics are generally pretty low output devices. For example, I just plugged a 58 into one of the Great River pres next to me and in order to get anything like a usable level on a speaking voice I had to crank the input gain to around 50db(!). Same situation on the API pres. Assuming the 835 has similar output levels as the mics I tried you're going to need to add a similar amount of gain inside the Helix, and I don't know that there's a good way to do it that won't sound kinda wonky. Let us know if you find a creative solution for this. I'll keep my digits crossed for you. Dean

Wow, that's fantastic. Thank you! Dean

Victory makes some cool stuff. My gig rig was a v40 into a UAD OX for a couple years. Still miss it sometimes. You might want to look into an OX or another cab sim (two notes etc) if you're trying to cut weight but still want a tube head.

Hey pierpatrip, sadly no advice on a twin IR, but I am curious what you found for a Deluxe. Dean

Hey, just one guy's experience here: I switched to a (full) Helix and Variax back in April. Gigged a bunch on it in everything from 500 person clubs to 15k at a 4th of July show. Before I switched my guitar rig was 5 guitars, medium-big analog pedal board, tube head, attenuator, and cab. Now it's a Variax and the Helix going into my IEMs. Folks ask me all the time if the Helix/Variax is "as good" as my analog rigs, and I don't know that I have a simple answer. I've swapped out the pickups in the Variax and had it plek'd, and spent hours and hours with the Helix (just like I would with an amp and pedals) and it's fine. BUT I'm sitting in the studio this morning playing a Suhr into analog pedals and a hand-wired Vox, and I have no desire at all to get out the Helix. That said, I play keys as well, and for live gigs the Helix/Variax cut 140 lbs and ~20 minutes off my setup. When it's 2:00 AM and I'm loading out, or when I have 15 minutes of changeover time on a big stage, I have no desire at all to get out the analog rig. I mean, between the keys rig and the analog guitar stuff, I was carrying more gear than the drummer. So I guess here's where I come down on it: Playing with the Helix is different. The amp is part of the instrument, and so of course it's different, just like moving from an upright piano to a Yamaha C7 is different. When I was considering making the move I had to ask myself what I was trying to get out of it and weigh the pros and cons. If what you're after is an "amp in the room" thing, then you should probably ask yourself what you'd be getting out of moving away from an actual amp in the room. It sounds like what you'd be getting out of a Helix and FRFR is additional flexibility in amp/cab choices. If that's important, it's probably worth the time and money. If you're happy with the rig as it is now, and you don't need the additional flexibility, then the Helix is probably just a shiny object that you don't need and you may as well save the money for a new Fender Custom Shop or something. Hope that helps, Dean