Getting started... my first few days with Helix

[mileskb]

I hope I can help those like me who are getting the Helix to replace other gear.   Overall I'm very impressed but there are some nuances that if you are going to jump into the deep end of the pool, can be a little annoying.

 

If anyone else has any tips and tricks, I hope they add on.

 

1.  This is not just the random first tip, but it's what I think is the most important.  Be VERY careful in choosing MONO or STEREO blocks of any sort.  I'm not sure why the same options/effects appear on the same list.  The Stereo ones can unnecessarily eat up DSP power especially when you AMP and CAB blocks

 

2.  SAVE OFTEN !!!!   Like every time you change a setting.  It's only been a couple of days and I click SAVE/OK without even thinking about it anymore.  It's too easy to be thinking of tweaking a parameter and turn a preset or the joystick instead.  I know it sounds stupid, but after a few hours, when the lightbulb lights with "oh.. that's what I want" and you go to quick and muck up a bunch of stuff you already had dialed in. I also may have found a bug as I lost almost all of the patch I have been using for the past couple of days.  I turned the unit and it was just gone.  So I guess BACKUP as well, as soon as I figure out how.   I'll post about this in another thread to get help.

 

3.  Do not discount the Line 6 effects.  Not saying that you would, but if you're looking as example for a Boss CE-1 like Chorus, the "70's Chorus" that is claimed to be modeled on that IS NOT it.  It may be it tone wise, but not control wise so essentially it's not it.  Not only is is not it, but the controls are all different and there's really no way to get that sweet CE-1 sound from that effect.  However, the "Chorus" which is a Line 6 original, has the parameters to get a really decent CE-1 sound from.    On the original CE-1 the "depth" and "rate" controls worked in "Chorus" mode.  On this one, they are actually called Vib Depth and Vib Rate and have no affect so the only real control you have is "Intensity" and then there's other shelving and such that weren't on the CE-1.  Anyway, I found in a couple of cases, what translated to a Line 6 Original, worked better than the supposed model.

 

4.  When trying to reproduce a sound, once you pick a block, LOOK AT ALL OF THE PARAMETERS IN THE BLOCK BEFORE DOING ANYTHING.  This will save you a lot of time.  The common/important parameters are right up front, but some of the parameters that are buried on the 2nd or 3rd page, many of which you would not normally associate with that type of effect, can bite you in the butt.  

 

5.   Along with #4...  when trying to get a particular tone or effect...  Just follow your ears no matter how much your brain is saying things like "but how can you have a speaker before the amp".   You may not end up leaving it there, but then again you may.

 

6.   When using multiple paths, be sure to the check the parameters of the SPLIT and returning MIX points.  It can really impact things that you split for the purposes of having something different hard left and right.  In my case I had two bucket-brigade delays, one on each path.  My output was favoring one side because I didn't hard pan the mix returns A and B to left and right.   Also when using INSERTS and RETURNS, if you are routing to an effect you want completely in the chain, you need to remember to set the mix of the send to ZERO so the signal ONLY goes to the send and does not continue down the path.  This is of course if that's what you want to do.   In my case, I wanted my input signal to go to an external sustainer.  I didn't want any of the original signal leaking by on the signal path.

 

Finally (for now) at least two gripes that I see as oversights that seem rather odd.  Maybe I missed something so please correct me if I did.

 

A.  Lack of level indicators.  This is especially important for compression.  Compression is a dark art on the best of days, but doing it blind is a near impossible task.  To do it right in the blind IS an impossible task.  

 

B.   Lack of effects loop points on applicable blocks such as an amp-cab or pre-amp block.    If I want to stick an EQ or Reverb between the gain and EQ stage of an amp (even a model that would normally have an effects loop) I can't find a way to do it.  Seems like it would be an obvious option.

 

Well that's all for now.  I hope this helps.   Now I have to go figure out what went wrong with the patch I lost.