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What you think of the new Helix MultiFX processor?


bartnettle1
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i 100% want one although not 100% sure if i will purchase on day 1 of releasing the hardware, it will deppend if i have saved enough money.

 

one problem i have is, i will start saving then like today .... i caved in got bored and traded in my old Ibanez S470 and bought an spanky new Ibanez ARZIR20FB which in fairness i have been fighting off buying it ever since i bought then returned the epiphone slash fake... but for some reason today it was like something took over me... even though i was telling myself dont do it i still found myself in a taxi off to the music shop and returning with a new guitar ... and to be 100% honest i dont know if i like it now lol ohh i do make myself laff :/

 

although it wont change the fact i will be buying a helix just as soon as i can.

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Saw and heard it Gearfest at Sweetwater yesterday. All I can say is AMAZING! The most realistic Marshall plexi tone that I have heard in a modeler. According to the spokesperson, they are targeting August release. MSRP of $1499 is a bit salty. I am guessing the street price will come in at about $1199 but that is just a guess. The big plus will be not toting big amps etc around. It sounded great through the PA rig that they had set up. We all have to admit that Line 6 has been on the cutting edge of realistic modeling albeit I am not all that impressed with there version of a Marshall Plexi in the HD500. Takes a lot of tweaking to get a good Marshall type tone with the HD. Passable but nothing like the Helix. Just MOHO.

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If it does seamless (or imperceptible) patch changes, then I'm a day 1 purchaser. If it doesn't, I'll wait for reviews.

+1. Can Digital_Igloo chime in on this? I had the HD500 for a bit and the drop out between patches was annoying. That's where Scene capability would help. That being said, I preordered mine yesterday.

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I certainly want one of these.  I can't stop thinking about the damn thing and I think the price point is just fine if it can do all that it says it can.  I was seriously thinking about saving up for an AxeFX II but this looks like it is going to accomplish everything that I want without spending 2.5-3k.  Still, I plan on waiting till its been out for a bit to see what people say about it after they have been playing with it.  I'll be curious about how well it performs in a live situation like is that pause between patch switching gone?  I know there are work arounds for the 500x but I really hope they don't expect us to do that with this new beast.   

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I certainly want one of these.  I can't stop thinking about the damn thing and I think the price point is just fine if it can do all that it says it can.  I was seriously thinking about saving up for an AxeFX II but this looks like it is going to accomplish everything that I want without spending 2.5-3k.  Still, I plan on waiting till its been out for a bit to see what people say about it after they have been playing with it.  I'll be curious about how well it performs in a live situation like is that pause between patch switching gone?  I know there are work arounds for the 500x but I really hope they don't expect us to do that with this new beast.

 

Having just bought a firehawk, and liking some of the innovations it has, but upset about the excess lag between patch switches, if the Helix unit does not have that agravating lag and noise between switching patches, I will save up for one- it is 3 times the cost of what I just got. But, I will wait until there is a definate affirmation of no lag, as I have found it to be the deal breaker with multi effects. It will probably take at least a month for honest opinions to be surface on this forum, as there are still users on the firehawk forum claiming the lag is not really an issue.

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Having just bought a firehawk, and liking some of the innovations it has, but upset about the excess lag between patch switches, if the Helix unit does not have that agravating lag and noise between switching patches, I will save up for one- it is 3 times the cost of what I just got. But, I will wait until there is a definate affirmation of no lag, as I have found it to be the deal breaker with multi effects. It will probably take at least a month for honest opinions to be surface on this forum, as there are still users on the firehawk forum claiming the lag is not really an issue.

 

Yeah I guess it really matters on how you are using it but if you plan on using it in any kind of capacity live that pause between switching patches is a real killer.  There is also the possibility though that with so much DSP and routing possibilities that you could essentially setup 2 sets of amps and cabs in one patch and have one of your stomp buttons turn on/off all the proper amps and cab models so that it mimics switching patches.  But if that's the case, I would need to see that thoroughly tested and hammered on before I would feel ok forking out the cash.  I personally like to use dual amps for a lot of my patches so for me to do that would require a ton of DSP. 

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Wow this is the first time since the original POD that makes me go wow its a great time to be alive and playing guitar..  Its a work of art but I am sure it will have its problems but now they can have something to compete with kemper and axefx ...  Good for line6

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I'm quite excited for this! at first glance it appears to be fixing a lot of things I've had issue with regarding DSP, construction, and some sonic things. I've ended up using my HD500x as a foot controller for my Kemper with great result, but I would love to have an easier tweakable and portable live unit (aka hopefully the helix). I can't wait to put it through its paces upon release! This seems like they've been listening to the cries of the community very closely this time. 

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is the high price anything to do with it being a Yamaha thing now. Line 6 gear was always - so much stuff for little money!!

No, it has 2 processors in it versus the one in the HD series, 2 processors which the L6 team have stated they perform to specs the same power that the axeII boasts. In my head if that made the HD's $500 (at one processor), then 2 processors + superior construction + more displays and more ins and outs + newer software/sonic expansion seems valid in the $1499 range. 

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No, it has 2 processors in it versus the one in the HD series, 2 processors which the L6 team have stated they perform to specs the same power that the axeII boasts.

 

None of us have said that, because it's not true. The AxeFX II XL+ has two extremely expensive TigerSHARCs (@600MHz each?). Helix has two 450MHz ADSP-21469 SHARCs, which are the fastest non-TigerSHARC SHARCs you can buy, and may be what Fractal's using in their upcoming AX8. Presumably, FX8 uses a single 450MHz ADSP-21469. POD HD500X uses a single 400MHz ADSP-21369.

 

But DSP processors are a small part of the story. It's still ALL about the code.

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None of us have said that, because it's not true. The AxeFX II XL+ has two extremely expensive TigerSHARCs (@600MHz each?). Helix has two 450MHz ADSP-21469 SHARCs, which are the fastest non-TigerSHARC SHARCs you can buy, and may be what Fractal's using in their upcoming AX8. Presumably, FX8 uses a single 450MHz ADSP-21469. POD HD500X uses a single 400MHz ADSP-21369.

 

But DSP processors are a small part of the story. It's still ALL about the code.

 

Wasn't it said that only one of the SHARC's is for the amp modeling?  

 

I've never tried out a L2t or L3t, but now I'm eager to try one with the Helix...

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Wasn't it said that only one of the SHARC's is for the amp modeling?

 

I've never tried out a L2t or L3t, but now I'm eager to try one with the Helix...

Each tone path has its own processor. Ultimately I think it provides more flexibility that way. One cool thing about the two tone paths in Helix is they can be set up as one long path. Line 6 calls it "Super Serial".
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Each tone path has its own processor. Ultimately I think it provides more flexibility that way. One cool thing about the two tone paths in Helix is they can be set up as one long path. Line 6 calls it "Super Serial".

Why do I keep thinking of the South Park episode with Al Gore when I hear those words?

 

I thought there are four stereo paths?

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Why do I keep thinking of the South Park episode with Al Gore when I hear those words?

 

I thought there are four stereo paths?

Perhaps instead of using "tone path" I should have just said tone. There's can be tone 1A and 1B and 2A and 2B, so you can add a parallel path in each tone. That's how you get four stereo paths.

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Perhaps instead of using "tone path" I should have just said tone. There's can be tone 1A and 1B and 2A and 2B, so you can add a parallel path in each tone. That's how you get four stereo paths.

 

But you could, depending on dsp, have four, serial, stereo tones in one preset? So the 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B nomenclature is more of way to describe how the processors are delegated?

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But you could, depending on dsp, have four, serial, stereo tones in one preset? So the 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B nomenclature is more of way to describe how the processors are delegated?

Yes, exactly right.

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None of us have said that, because it's not true. The AxeFX II XL+ has two extremely expensive TigerSHARCs (@600MHz each?). Helix has two 450MHz ADSP-21469 SHARCs, which are the fastest non-TigerSHARC SHARCs you can buy, and may be what Fractal's using in their upcoming AX8. Presumably, FX8 uses a single 450MHz ADSP-21469. POD HD500X uses a single 400MHz ADSP-21369.

 

But DSP processors are a small part of the story. It's still ALL about the code.

 

When you say "It's still ALL about the code.", can I infer that the Line6 gurus were able to do more with less?

 

I can only assume you guys/gals have competitor's equipment that you use as reference to compare when developing the Helix. Are we going to be shocked as to how awesome the models are when comparisons are made to the more expensive units? 

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When you say "It's still ALL about the code.", can I infer that the Line6 gurus were able to do more with less?

 

Yes, we've been experts at doing more with less for twenty years. Now with Helix, we can do MUCH more with... more.

 

Fractal and Kemper make awesome boxes; you'll never hear me disparaging them, and not just for political reasons. A bunch of us at Line 6 own studios full of competitors' gear, and a couple of us plan on using Helix and AxeFX together. And Strymon. And Eventide. And Lexicon. And Moog.

 

Besides, we're more interested in comparing HX amp models with the original amps.

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It looks brilliant. I use 2 rigs in different locations and the old one (a Yamaha based rig) is getting a bit tired. My HD PRO can go to replace it and i can have a new toy. The routing options look good. The PROs pitch shift sound breaks down too easily so I've had to use a TC Gmaj2 to take some of the duties as it's pitch shift is better.

I'm wondering how much Yamaha influence there is?I've only had great experiences with Yamaha gear.

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I'm looking forward to getting one of the new Helix as soon as its available. It seems as it will tick most of the boxes for me.

 

Price wise for what is being offered it does seem to me a lot for little. Yes it's more to pay than for an HD pod, but the Helix is in a different league it would appear. I especially like the IR loading, re amp and four FX loops. Not to mention the scribbles.

 

I missed the opportunity to go to a demo yesterday of the Helix, due to work etc. ah well :-)

 

Thanks Line 6, looks like it's going to be really good.

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I'm wondering how much Yamaha influence there is? I've only had great experiences with Yamaha gear.

 

I have no idea if this is true, as I had zero to do with the Yamaha acquisition, but a part of me wants to believe that Yamaha pursued us in part because of Helix.

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Yeah it looks way ahead of anything. Love that display!

Per the FAQ I read and answers on this forum the modelling is from the ground up.

I read, there are no headroom issues which means it must 32bit floating point or above.

The routing is enticing

To me sound quality is paramount. 

If it sounds noticeably better, I'm sold. 

I really want to check it out asap

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What I think of Helix... I think that it is our dream machine. that all of us contribute and Digital Igloo - Line 6 heard us on Idea scale (personally I feel a bit of lollipop now since the DID heard us) .

 

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/line6-helix.1586637/page-11

 

Do i need it? No, since I am a bedroom guitarist and I will never become a pro.

Will I buy it? Yes, It looks awesome, and between buying an over priced axe fx 2 xl, or wait for an overpriced 3 with all it's ugliness, yes, i vote for L6.

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Wow. That dude has serious mental health issues. The video is not a product comparison in any way. It's a 3 minute rant against Fractal in general and its owner in particular. I think Cliff would have grounds to sue for slander (or at least hire a bodyguard).

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Personally I am not very interested in this versus that debates even when done with a little more intelligence, that video was a waste of time to watch.  Its not a review its a rant by a guy clearly has issues about Fractal, in particular its founder.  

 

Lets try to keep on topic  :)

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I think the feature set looks incredible. The routing options, multiple FX loops, IR loading, the new UI, all look great. Having 2 processors with more DSP and more blocks available should equate to better overall sound. Haven't heard enough sound clips yet to really evaluate how much of an improvement in modeling has taken place, but I am gambling that it is significantly better, and I took the plunge and pre-ordered one.

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What do I think of the Helix? I think it's going to drive my G.A.S./A.D.D. nuts having to wait 2 months for it to hit shelves! Damn instant-gratification-culture ruining my sense of patience! lol

 

I know right!  I just finished paying off my FRFR setup that my wife awesomely barely put up a fight with.  Somehow I think she might fight a little harder against this one which leaves me thinking all day long of ways to scrape the cash together for this.  Patience is a virtue?  Yeah, seems I have about as much virtue as a priest in a room full of boys...  

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