katiekerry

I run my alesis drum kit through my effects loop in stereo, and turn off any other inputs.  You can add effects afterwards in the chain and control the gain through the effects loop settings.  Works amazing for me crystal clear and crisp...  good luck

Here's another pic

II was the original poster for the make your variax sound 100% better.  I have been gone a few years from the forums .  I had a few dozen messages from people wanting help I am sorry I wasn't around to reply.  First of all this is for the wrap around hardtail bridges .  First of all I added a piece of Velcro the soft side to the head stock behind the nut, also behind the bridge saddles.  That is to help with any unwanted vibrations.   Secondly I added string through bridge to lower the amount of pressure across the saddles,  so I could lower the string height.  The sharper the angle across the bridge the more pressure it takes the fret your notes. Then finally I filed the bridge on the pickup side on the 6th string to eliminate some buzzing I had.  Hopefully this helps some of you out there.  If not sorry

I have had numerous requests for the original link unfortunately line6 has killed the old chat room format there is no way to retrieve it. I honestly hardly ever check the forums anymore do too the fact I no longer have any issues with the variax. Through out this thread lies the answers you seek. I haven't had any problems with pings or artifacts since the last modifications I did. I hope whoever is having issues finds the answers to their problems in this thread there is allot of useful information. Not just by me the whole community has posted allot of valuable information. Good luck to you all

I am not sure if this is the right forum to post this under I have a hd500 but I recently purchased a Amplifi 30. I have a MacBook Pro running El Capitan , when I choose hd500 as input and the Amplifi as the Bluetooth output i can hear backing tracks but I can't hear what I am playing through the hd500. Is it possible to have the input from the hd500 go through the Amplifi via Bluetooth. Do I have something set up wrong.. In the past I was able to choose different output other than line6. Thanks for the help

I cut small pieces of shrink wrap tubing as someone recommended. I feel it made a big difference.

Hey I am glad they figured out a way to block out unwanted noise for the the trem version...  I don't think the Floyd version has any issues since it is clamped on both ends..  May be why some people think it sounds better than the other models...  But that's Awesome  great Idea....

Running El Capitan 10.11.1 Beta here and no problems..  just for more conformation..

I am beginning to wonder if my HD500 is obsolete?  I never had to wait like this for Audio drivers...  Its been almost two weeks now since it was released and nothing..  At least I never had issues with it not working as a audio source even before updating the drivers.. Usually it was software editing issues...  I will have to wait to upgrade I think this is the first time I had to wait which is pretty good track record...

Its been quiet a while Since I have filed the gap in the piezo casing and bridge..  I am glad to acknowledge I have not had a single ping or any sound artifacts since..  The guitar sounds great and plays great..  Good luck guys with solving your variax issues hope the best for you..

How will the Helix sound? 

Depends on the user. 

If you can't get a decent sound out of the HD500, then I think it is user error. Which means you won't get a decent sound out of the Helix either. 

 

What do they call that --- ID: ten tee user problem

yeah I hear you on that...    they Often have some amazing guitar players doing promos for their gear.. (first name comes to mind is Paul Hindmarsh the guy is just a phenomenal player..)  He can make any gear sound like its worth 1500 bucks..  He has actually become my favorite guitar player period.  He is so versatile in what he can play....  but thanks for the 2 cents well received...

Well just thought I would post a  heads up on how my variax is sounding and playing since I filed the casing..  I have not heard a single ping or artifact since..  Was able to turn off the global eq settings I had set up to help neutralize the nasty ping frequencies.  Over all I am quite happy with the variax, probable would say its my favorite guitar I have owned of all time now..  I am hoping the others that have filed it has had the same results...

Not quite sure the tecchnical term would be "crash", but sometimes upon booting, the line 6 logo will blink instead of going to the patch. Requiring a reboot. I've had it stop all together in the middle of a set, requiring a reboot. The HD edit software will stop working if I use the HD expression pedal while editing via the software; requiring a reboot.

 

I call these incidents "crashing". It doesn't happen often, just at the most inconvenient of times! If Helix does this 50% less, then It's a win!

 

Point being, does anyone really think that Helix isn't going to sound good? I doubt it. (unless you are a Kemper/Fractal fan waiting for the right moment to upload the ubiquitous "I'm leaving Line 6 and going to Kemper/Fractal cause Line 6 sucks" post.)

The real meat and potatoes is; can we get what we need out of this thing quickly in an intuitive and musical way.

 

Again...we'll see.

Awe that sucks never had that happen to me..  actually the only problem I have had with my hd500 is every once in a while I need to take it apart and clean the foot switches..  ( just use contact cleaner and works perfectly fine afterwards...)  I think the new helix is going to sound better but not by much than the HD500..  Just for kicks I went back and watch the review videos for the HD500 and the PODxt, they always talk about improved dynamics and real amp feel.  And how each generation was miles ahead of what they had previously done.  They always roll back the volume to demonstrate how the amp model cleans up just like a real amp does..  I am hoping the helix is miles ahead of what they had previously ( I think what they have done with the user innerface is amazing, but the way it sounds after its recorded should not be that drastic)..

Entertaining thread!

 

I made this point earlier in this thread and I think it may very well be worth restating.

 

I have no doubt that Helix is going to sound good. Line 6 has the sounding good thing pretty much worked out. Assigning percentages to something that is as subjective as tone is a waste of time. Some swear by Variax spank 1.0 while others only swear by 2.0. To each his own. Go with your ears and make it happen. You have a great tool with the HD500, 500X FireHawk, and Helix. For me the only percentage thing that is worth spending time figuring out is whether Helix is going to be 50% easier to dial up a good tone. Are the menus 50% easier to navigate. Is it 50% more intuitive. Does it crash 50% less, is the DSP limit 50% higher (if that applies) 50% more perameter control etc.

I don't think that tone or sound quality is the question. To me the question is, will this new thing make it 50% easier for me to stay in the creative flow, 50% more inspiration because it's so damn easy to use.

 

We'll see.

Does your HD500 crash I have never had mine crash.. 

Not trying to start anything here, but I would guess the chances are quite good you would use both of those options.

The 8 channel audio is easy: that means 8 tracks to ProTools through the Helix, at ultra low latency.

 

Sure, you may have an awesome way better 8 channel sound card. That does re-amping. But having something like this, which is portable, could be great given the circumstance of how it's used. Just sayin. I use my HD500x as my main sound card right now, into ProTools, etc. I can definitely see some benefits to using the Helix in it's place! I have an old M-Audio Delta 1010 that is an 8 channel soundcard, but it requires a PCI slot, which i don't have open in the PC for my music room. 

 

A good USB 8 channel soundcard, definitely can find some uses for that. Drum tracking? 

 

Which brings us to the FX loops; since the returns are how you'd be using the Helix as an 8 track soundcard. Again, maybe you really won't use that feature, or maybe it's redundant to better options already in your personal arsenal. I still think being able to integrate external FX pedals and outboard rack gear to the Helix through it's assignable FX loops will prove to be of major value to peoples' rig building. Ultimately, for me, I can get behind the idea of its role as rig commander, central brain, whatever. It's able to be all if it all alone, direct, or if you want, it can expand substantially to take on greater functionality in a more complex rig configuration.

 

I respect all you've said, and believe me, I don't have a spare $1500 burning a hole in my pocket! So as much as I would like to snag one on day one, it's gonna be a while..

 

Cheers!

Yeah I still don't think I would use the 8 track feature.  I don't record hardly ever..  Also I am kinda at the end of the road for huge investments in time and money for guitar.  ( I am mainly focusing on Drums right now).  I had a goal of learning a 100 songs on guitar then moving on to making my own music.  I have made the first goal now I am learning drums so I can start writing my own music..  I actually enjoy playing drums more, but when I was younger technology was not quite there yet for Electronic drum kits ( do to noise restraints of apartment living could not have acoustic kit)..  Its funny though I have my own house now, but still use a E kit LOL..

Oh yeah I forgot the power switch...  It may be worth the extra grand just for that I miss having a on off switch..

It seems to me the driving force for people upgrading is the ease of dialing in tones.. Not so much better sound quality ( though they seem to look toward that also).. I guess for me since I already have all my presets made and its not cumbersome for me to make a new tone I don't see the value in it....   I actually see less value because I have to go through and make all new tones.. which was frustrating in previous upgrades ( been using line6 since the original POD)..  All the other features like 4 amps and 8 channels of audio I would never use, nor would I use the multi assignable effects loop... that was the point of buying the modeler so I would not need outboard effects..   I am trying to go back to what I would call modern basics, some of the greatest music was record with 2 tracks or less, with just a amp and guitar.  It relied more and ingenuity of playing vs billions of effects and routing options..  I think for me and allot of people including  me its overkill...

I can sat that Yes, it is worth investigating. Cut a thin strip of fabric, (i used an old tshirt) and simply lay it in front of the saddles and then GENTLY tuck it underneath so its resting against the wires that come down  from the peizos. Cleared up 80% of the noise from the tremolo arm and improved the articulation and tuning stability of the models. 

 

I also put foam up at the nut, but didn't really do much for the sound. 

 

I will devise a more permanent solution, but for now am really happy with results.  JTV 69 tremolo bridge.

 

1bridge.wrap.jtv69trem.jpg

2bridge.wrap.jtv69trem.jpg

nut.wrap.jtv69trem.jpg

Well I am glad your mod has helped clean up some of the artifacts, I think they need to figure out a way to make the piezo pickups a bit less sensitive.  ( but then I think we would wind up complaining cause it doesn't pick up all our little nuances in our playing_) Its so difficult weed out the funny sounds we don't want but keep the articulation we do want..   I don't have the 69 I have the 59 burst, just a personal question does your head stock graphic drive you nuts.  It just looks really tacky to me the way it has James Tyler plastered all over it..  That was one of the turn offs I had about the 69..  I used to be a strat guy before I got the variax ( I like the looks and feel of a strat more than les paul style)..  sorry went a little off topic..

You know whats funny I started this thread simply because I was interested if people were planning on upgrading to the helix From the HD500.  And what their opinions were.  Didn't really care how they came about it.  Its so sad it diverted to all this crap..  Oh well I guess I can say this thread has been hijacked LOL

No one...not myself, nor anyone else ever once suggested that an opinion "doesn't count unless it can be quantified". Rather, that attempting to put a number on an opinion, when there is no concrete and measurable standard with which to compare it, is meaningless in the end. There is no Standard Opinion Scale to consult. But all that means is that the NUMBER doesn't mean anything, not the opinion itself. We all like what we like, and nobody is "right" or "wrong".

 

You are reading things into other's comments that were never there in the first place.

then you should be more careful what you post we can't read minds..  I am 100% sure of that.. what do you know can assign numbers to a opinion...  and besides he assigned a number value to his opinion it so it is not relevant..

This thread is 50% more annoying than average... :ph34r:

Is that your opinion, or can it be quantified LOL...  Cause it only counts if it can be quantified...

Ahh...so those who disagree, only do so because of a profound misunderstanding of your intelect. I see. Well at least that's settled. Forge ahead then, assigning random numbers to personal judgements, opinions, and perceptions which cannot be quantified.

Thank you for the example, of what I was explaining... 

I'll admit it!

I was the one who started all this percentage improvement idea.

 

Originally I deduced that as the hub of the Helix is a computer it stood to reason improvements were not linear but a log algorithm not to unlike the increase in amplitude needed increase spl.

 

Lets call listening to a mic'd speaker driven by an amp and monitored in a control room of a studio with decent monitors as the real deal recording wise and arbitrarily as close to 100% there as you can get. 

 

It may not be the best mic'd example of that type of amp ever but mic placement being adequate and captured some excited air molecules. Lets call this 99.9% there in sound quality.

 

Lets add some pedal FX prior the amp and now with some added noise in the mix lets arbitrarily call it 98% sound quality.

 

Lets just stick to Amp models for now.

 

Consensus has the KPA and some of the better profiles getting 95% there. Almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Lets put in the POD HD 500X which I believe gets about 90% of the way there compared to the real thing

 

Where do you put the Helix?

Expecting it to be 40-50% better than the HD500X  is not possible.

 

That is why I claimed a 5% improvement over the POD HD modeling which would put the Helix up there.

 

Now this is in a control room over monitors not in room with power amp and cab.

 

It is a guesstimate and I never claimed it as it is but what it could be

I don't think it matters to some people how you came up with a percentage, It just bothers them.  Especially if they don't understand it.  People tend to Hate, dislike or fear what they don't understand.  And besides no need to take a bullet for me I am the one who started this discussion ( of peoples opinions I would like to add)..

These two ideas are mutually exclusive. You can't assign a numerical value to something that's entirely subjective. As such, there's nothing to calculate. We're dealing with opinions and perception, not objective truth. It's as useless as arguing over what the number 7 or the color blue smells like. Just my 2 cents.

I am not sure where you get that from People all the time calculate their opinions.  And isn't that what the primary purpose of chat rooms are (peoples opinions) If not we might as well just read the Faq page..

I shake my head every time I read "n% improvement" in tone.  Where are people getting these numbers?  What could they possibly mean?

Everyone has different tastes in what the Ideal sound is or what they believe a amp sim should sound like, And if they are capable of achieving those sounds with current or future gear..  If with current gear or parameters you are not quiet capable of getting the sound you want or play ability you are after, but this next generation has a little more definition to pick attack or what ever you are after..  I am sure any intelligent person could calculate a percentage of improvement..  They do it through out society in all different immeasurable circumstances.. 

Here are some close up pics of the low E piezo on my JTV59 so everyone can see the clearance of the string in front of and behind the piezo:

Wow there is a huge difference on how high your saddles are compared to mine.  In just correspondence to the rest of the bridge.  Your casing for the piezo's sit much higher than mine does..  Mine is almost flush with the rest of the bridge..  But thank you for the profile pics...  yeah and by the way you don't have any wear marks from the string like mine did so I wouldn't worry about it..