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Helix vs HD500 quick sound comparison


jandrio
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This is a quick on the fly sound comparison btwn helix + hd500 using a jtv69s spank 5 position.

Patches used:
http://line6.com/customtone/tone/1103500/
http://line6.com/customtone/tone/1103502/
http://line6.com/customtone/tone/1103503/
All r based on the famous Son of Plexi factory preset.
Patches were set on the fly with minimal effort; if i have time I'll further tweak them 2 a full match with the helix sound...

I think with a little bit of global eq'ing, it wld b difficult 2 blind-recognize which is which :)

Edited by jandrio
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You sir, are the man! This tread is going to EXPLODE with opinion!

Thanks!

 

I appreciate the effort by jandrio on creating this comparison. Considering he was working with little more than what he could hear from the original video, I think he did a great job. One must concede there are multiple variables in this comparison which makes things more difficult to judge.

Edited by CipherHost
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excellent effort.  I think you came close with the first one but the other two not so much.  Still, until we see the signal path we can't really sat how they compare head to head.  Nice job tone matching though.

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Ther Helix sounds more real. The thing that I always hated about modeling is the model always lacked air, meaning a wide dynamic range. The Helix sounds more like an amp, where the POD sounds like a model of the amp.

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There is immediately more detail, more 3 D like a tone in a room sound with the Helix which had me wondering if the video was mic'd.

The HD500 sounds harsh and 2 dimensional it is also louder might be clipping somewhere.

Good onya for trying my son said the first sounds smooother, he's a non player.

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Wow, after hearing those demos (thank you!)  Ive decided just to stick with my Axe FX for the time being. Im keeping an open mind though just in case I hear other Helix stuff in the future that I like. 

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Wow, after hearing those demos (thank you!)  Ive decided just to stick with my Axe FX for the time being. Im keeping an open mind though just in case I hear other Helix stuff in the future that I like. 

 

Hopefully we will hear something from Line6 soon.

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I'm sure that Helix is a wonderful unit, expecially for its UI, no doubts..

 

but the HD still sounds very good!

 

same hands, same guitar, same amp model used for the Helix demo below here are used also for the HD demo, 3 important details that should be considered when trying to make serious comparisons.

 

IMO they are pretty identical

 

You make a very good point. Nice chops and very cool tone!

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same hands, same guitar, same amp model used for the Helix demo below here are used also for the HD demo, 3 important details that should be considered when trying to make serious comparisons.

 

IMO they are pretty identical (both equally excellent)..

 

to be honest I don't hear any appreciable harshness difference between the 2 L6 demos, but admitted that there could be even some, it could be due to the resonator added by default to every HD cab and not at all to the Helix cabs, which Helix cabs have also a cab high cut useful to cut any residual harshness, parameter not present into the HD, but easily solvable by putting an EQ FX like the Mid Focus after the cab

 

Great idea to pull this up for comparison. The Helix sounds more complex and full to me in this comparison. But, like the examples you gave in your post, we don't know all the details. The videos I have seen him in before has the signal going directly into Protools.

 

This is interesting because the old video's tone reminds me of what I associate with the JTV. A flat, modeled sound. Yet, in the new video, it looks like the same guitar, but the modeled sound is not pronounced like the old video. Hmmm.

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Jandrio an awesome effort to record this for us !!! I believe you could get an identical sound if you use the same parameters as Sean used....

As for Nico, I am with you, I believe the sound is equally great and there is not any difference from the video you provided. Great Job!

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Wow, after hearing those demos (thank you!)  Ive decided just to stick with my Axe FX for the time being. Im keeping an open mind though just in case I hear other Helix stuff in the future that I like. 

Can I run pod HD for effects only to the Axe Fx? 

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the player is called Sean Halley and he did and stil does most of the L6 devices demos, and I'm 100% sure is the same player in both demos we are speaking about here..

 

here is the link to web page from where I got the link for the video I posted:

http://blog.line6.com/2013/pod-hd-amplifier-extras%E2%80%94using-the-sag-bias-and-bias-excursion-settings/

 

regarding the differences you hear, everyone has his own opinion, as it should be

 

That's definitely Sean in the video you posted above, but in the original video, the Helix samples are Sean, and the HD500 samples are not. It's not entirely clear, but it looks like the HD500 samples are from the original poster.

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Yeah, I was just thinking that my HD sounds better than that.  Not to say the Helix sounds bad because it sounded great, but that HD sound isn't what I'm getting.

I agree, the sound of the HD in the video is not the best it can be.

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  • 11 months later...

Hi 

 

maybe you've read me before, since Helix users aro not a lord of the rings army...

 

comparing the two units have been already exposed

 

my experience with these two beasts have been pleasent, in fact I used to play with some of the POD models connected to HD preamps, lots of eq and lots of effects

 

PODHD effects are by far more hi-fi than PODxt versions

 

to me it's not that big different HD-Helix

 

so now I use some high gain amps(no cab no mic no speaker no room) thru the Helix universe and I just have the perfect roaring machine to get what I really want

 

what really caugh my attention in this forums in order to compare are the amp models

 

it seems cabs and mics are not the best part, cuz lots of users play the helix thru a power tube amp and then they do the rest as real deal

 

I do this since the first POD

 

so I pick up a real speaker, a real bunch of mics and placements, a real room and I have something I've never heard in any recording

 

so...

 

I would think it would be more interesting comparing real deal vs Helix and try to appreciate not the differences for realism but for what you may be pleased as a musician

 

it's not a matter of being close to a real amp, but to get a real good sound, even better than real deal

 

I am a big fan of the Spinal Puppet model and absolutely prefer it over a real Randall solid or tube, because is tight and compressed or even than a mega boogie treadplate... then I choose real speakers, real mics, real rooms and rock the world

 

I'm not saying it's pointless comparing the products, but I'd prefer open my mind to get good tones no matter what it is, if it's real or digital

 

back in the 80's I used to see backstage pre-amps with tons of divices to get solid distorsions and lots of other processing sounds to get that hair metal

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