Yorke

It's not a matter of how many amps do I need, it's a matter of do I have the amp that will do what I need, for a particular song (And you could also say for a particular guitar, with a particular pick-up, etc).That's right, I use the Helix in a recording studio, and I don't "fix it in the mix" with plug-ins. By your logic, Line 6 should stop development and consider the Helix complete and move on. Because according to you, we have "plenty", and should just "make do".

Have you considered some of us use the Helix in a studio setting? I don't really think it matters what ones use of the Helix is, as a Line 6 Helix customer I give my feedback so they have a clearer picture of what I want. And remember the only comment in the entire topic post that is truly negative is yours and yours alone.

I meant getting more than 1 channel model at a time, and it was meant to be constructive feedback from a happy Helix user. I understand 2.80 was a very big update for Helix, but would have liked an additional channel (Clean, Crunch, Etc) to the Red Channel.

Take this as constructive criticism, but it would be nice to get the entire amp instead of a collection of peace meal channels on various models. Looking forward to the rest of the amp. I love the update, the Analog man overdrive pedals are really cool, I've been exploring those this morning.

Ya, I am really liking it myself, really well done. The Analog Man pedals and the Dhyana are nice too. And the Ashville Pattrn is pretty fun to play with. But like you I am really looking forward to the other channels of the Revv.

Thanks all, I wanted 4CM because I wanted to put compression and overdrives before the preamp section, and keep the fx in the loop. I also wanted the option to use the onboard preamps too.

Ok, figured it out, you can go into the global settings and determine if the outputs are line level or Instrument, same for the Sends. And Voila, I could not tell the difference. So, when using the Helix with the 4CM with a bass amp, be sure the signal sent to the bass pre-amp section is set to instrument in the Global settings page. Sounds worlds better, at least to my ears.

So, I tried what Kilrahi asked/suggested, I plugged the bass into the GK1001RB and then inserted the Helix into the FX loop. And I could not hear any difference in tone, so that definitely works fine. I tried Bass into Helix using 4CM again and could hear the difference. I personally think it has to do with how the pick-ups interact with the preamp section of the amp, just not getting the same mojo into the Helix. I also tried using the Return and Output back to the amp input to see if their was a difference and I didn't hear one. I tried a compressor in the fx loop and it was ok, not great, also tried the Klon which I love and it didn't sound much better either. I like those before the preamp input. Running delay and modulation sounds really good though. So I think in my case, I am going to move forward and buy the analog pedals I wanted anyway. Use those in front of the amp, and use the Helix in the FX loop until I can buy the Strymon Timeline and other fx I want. I have not liked the Helix on bass much anyway. It's so weird, sometimes a preamp with nothings sounds ok, sometimes a preamp with an IR sounds ok, sometimes a bass amp model into an IR sounds ok. It all just sounds ok, not great, to me. It does not have the mojo of a bass amp. Uninspiring is the word I will use. I can hear myself to practice or learn a song, but I never find myself going "Wow, that sounds soooo good". OnGuitar, I love it!

Well that particular DI uses a Jensen transformer, which is also used in some high end mic pres. It warms the tone and cleans up the top end, which I found to have a lot of sizzle in the Pod HD500. I would be doing that now if my mic pre worked on the Helix. I cannot remember if I tried it the way you mentioned, but will try it tomorrow when I have some time. As far as presets go, I have a few, but in this case just testing out why I didn't like what I was hearing, nothing is activated. It's simply passing the signal through the Helix to the amp and then through the sends and returns and it changes it in a way that sounds inferior to plugging straight in.

I would think so too, but I tried it a number of ways and got the same results. I know by my posts I appear to be a noob, I don't post a lot. So my signal path is as follows. Bass---> Helix Instrument input----> Helix Send 3----->GK Instrument Input----->GK Send-----> Helix Return 4-----> Helix Send 4----->GK Return. With nothing in the Helix signal path there is a change in tone. I played with the gain of the sends and returns and didn't get a noticeable difference. Bass--->Helix Instrument Input----> Helix Send 3---->GK Instrument input (No FX Loop Use) Same result. There is a loss in bottom end, I would to say say subtle, but it's not, its got a very card board like feel to it. Best way to describe it, it's not a BAD sound, it's just not the same warm analog tone of running straight into the bass amp. On the Pod HD500 I got the best tone by first running my instrument into a Radial JDI then into the Mic input. The Jensen Transformer warmed up the tone and sounded a lot better than running into the HighZ input. But the Mic input on my Helix does not work for some reason, which is unfortunate as the above mentioned method seemed to clean up the brittle top end. I have active electronics, I've tried adding a pad at the input, but I wasn't getting input distortion, no change. I also messed with the impedance for the input Not much difference with the active electronics, compared to guitar pickups which do see a big difference. I am kind of stumped, it sounds great on guitar, I've used it 4CM with a Egnater Tourmaster and it worked very well. Only thing I can think is that the GK and Helix don't play nice together, I do have a power amp, I could see how that works by itself running into the cab. But I do like the GK and just wanted to put a few things before the input and be able to add a couple of fx if needed in the fx loop. I didn't try the Helix outputs to send to the GK instrument Input instead of the Helix Sends. Just thought of that typing this, didn't think it would be any different.

So this morning I replaced all the TRS cables with instrument cables and there really was no change, but the tone robbing is definitely there. Very difficult to describe, but it's lost it's fullness and warmth. I love the Helix, it does so much so well, in this case it's just not cutting the mustard.

Hello all, so I've been using my Helix with my Gallien-Krueger Bass Rig in 4CM, and started notice I just didn't like the tone. It doesn't sound bad, just doesn't sound great, very cardboard like, not warm and fat. So I started to experiment, I pulled all the cables and plugged straight into the amp input and voila, I got a great PHAT tone. So I was confused on why this was happening, and realized that 3 of the 4 cables I was using were TRS (Balanced). I am using an instrument cable from the bass into the Helix. Talking to my guitarist, he says TRS cables do change the tone, I was wondering if anyone else has any insight into this? I have a few instrument cables that need the connectors replaced on, but might work just to test. so I am going to experiment with this tomorrow and see if it changes. I use the Helix in my home studio for guitar and bass, mainly guitar, but I had it already and didn't want to build a pedal board for bass if the helix worked. Thanks,

I had really hoped to see some more bass oriented things for the Helix, and Line 6 came through. I did a small write up on my Galleon Krueger 4 wire setup with the Helix. Since then I have made some patchs with the flip top and mesa 400, and i am amazed at the versatility that's been added to my rig using the Helix. I cannot wait to hear the new bass models as well as the bass pedals. Like others have stated, I wasn't expecting an update this soon in the year. Very happy with the Helix so far and its development. Cannot wait to see what else Line 6 has in store for us. Yorke

What is nice about this, I have certain patchs I love. But, when I track guitars, i tend to make them dry and then add processing during the mixing phase. And with this I am primarily talking about delays, not phasers or chorus. With this I can take the delay i was using and add it back in during mixing, rather than relying on a plug-in that might not have the same characteristics. And you have a delay that is locked into the clock of your DAW. Pretty cool. I will definitely be watching this with interest.

Try the Sigma3 IR's, to me they sound more 3 dimensional, the file system is a lot more simplified than the OH stuff. Not knocking the OH Ir's, but to me the Sigma3 stuff sounds a little bit better.

It really is an amazing tool, so flexible, so many options.

I don't post much, if at all, but I thought I would do a little write up on a rig I put together. I mainly use the Helix in my home studio for guitar, I love the thing. Getting a good bass sound has always been a struggle for me, my secret little magic box had been a Tech 21 VT Bass Pedal. Then after playing around with some Sigma3 IR's, I was able to piece together a patch that I liked better than the VT Bass pedal. I started looking into the Gallien Krueger MBP 212, which is a 500 watt powered 2 x 12" cab, I wanted to use the helix but was concerned that what i was hearing out of my studio monitors might change drastically with power and speakers. I called an old friend who I thought had a power amp and 4 x 10 laying around that i could borrow to see how it sounded before i spent the money. He informed he did not have it anymore, but he would sell me his GK 1001 RB mkII and GK Neo 4x10 cab for a steal, it was practically new. Prone to GAS, I couldn't help myself and jumped on the deal, it was basically a 2 for 1 deal. Now the Gallien Krueger 1001RBmkII sounds fantastic by itself, really all you need is a tuner and your set. But, I had the Helix sitting next to it and decided to play around a little bit. I had read a tiny bit about the 4 wire technique and decided to see what I could come up with. When I ran all the cables, what turned out to be an oversight turned into a discovery. I accidentally thought the send and returns next to #1 send and return were the #2 send and returns, they are NOT they are the #3 send and returns. What I found, was that running the bass into the helix, adding a compressor (50% Mix) and straight into the return of the GK sounded fantastic. Absolute clearity with no coloring. Once I realized my patching mistake, I had the 4 wire system properly in place and it also sounded really good. There was no loss at the GK end of things, that can sometimes happen when things are added before or in an FX loop. In fact I would pull the Fx loop patch cables and you could not hear a difference in signal level. What's really cool about this system, you can put a compressor before the input, an EQ before the input. But also put those in the FX loop and they both sound great, but different. I also found that you can set the signal path up in the Helix, so I can use the M9 Carbine Pre-amp to run the GK AMP section. This sounded really good, very Mesa like, I had an M6 Carbine Combo, it reminded me of that. So adding the Helix to a rig using the 4 wire technique, really gives you limitless possibilities. I can run the helix with GK preamp section, with no preamp at all, with the Helix preamps. Then you add in all the FX and pedals, overdrives, etc. I found I could run an OD pedal in parallel to the main bass signal, and then dial it in using the split A/B to my liking. Delays, Chorus's. I am pretty pleased with this setup and have only scratched the surface of what I can do. And for Live playing, the GK 1001RB is known for having a great DI, or you can use the Helix's 2 discreet signal paths to your advantage, which allows you to use the 4 wire system AND have a patch setup for front of house mix. REALLY COOL!

That did the trick, thanks for the help.

I may be dense and didn't read the update post correctly. But I use the snapshots in my patchs and before you would press the 2 bank buttons simultaneously and it would go into Snapshot mode and stay there until you pressed both buttons again. Now, it goes into snapshot mode shows the snapshots that I have programmed, but when i press a snapshot, it goes back into preset mode. Can somebody point out what I am missing here, much thanks. Other than this issue, I love the update models, The PRS Archon is a killer amp, really well done.

I bought the Ownhammer Heavy Hitters pack and have really liked it. When I bought the Helix, I thought it sounded improved over the Hd500, but when i added the Ownhammer IR's it was a massive improvement. I think the Heavy Hitters pack will have everything you will ever want or need for metal. Although not a metal patch per se, my favorite right now is an Uberschall with a Mesa cab with G80 Speakers. You can also do a lot with the Modded JCM800 and the cabs in the Heavy Hitters pack. The Rectifier also sounded much improved with the Ownhammer IR's. Hope that helps. Yorke

Ok, understood, thanks for the reply.

Before I bought the variax, I have been using a Radial JDI Direct box with my HD500, I plug the guitar into that, then JDI into the mic input. It's got a nice sounding Jensen Transformer in it and gets rid of some of the fuzziness that I was encountering. I had hoped to use the VDI as a means for patch changes and then run the sound how I have normally run it. Comparing the 2, Variax input vs. Mic Input (JDI Direct Box), the Mic input sounds warmer and better, the Variax input is hotter and more brittle on top. So If I am only running sound out of one (1/4") and using the other for patch changes it will hurt the Variax? This is pretty much how the Work Bench works right?