shredjsx Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I bought the 500 x because its operating system was like my X3 and it was rugged instead of plastic... I was also not interested in sounding exactly like certain bands it is designed to model... I get close and tweek my own style... I want to make sure that I didn't make a mistake not getting the newest design, and that the hd500x is gonna be supported for a long time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillBee Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Speaking for myself - I try to stay behind a couple of years on gear (unless the GAS gets too bad). The bugs get worked out and I honestly don't "need" the latest high $$ gear. Now "want" is a different ballgame. I use the gear like yourself - I work on the vibe and go from there. -B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 ... I want to make sure that I didn't make a mistake ... It's called 'buyer's remorse' and it happens with almost everybody shortly after almost every major purchase. Don't worry - the HD500X will continue to be supported 'for a long time', whatever that means. Enjoy it worry-free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunedinDragon Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Line 6 has been pretty good at keeping products alive even though they may be old. Look at how long the Spider series of amps has been around. I think there's reason to believe the HD series will be around a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 All I care about is that they keep making the software so that it can be connected to computers ---- and hopefully someday to an android phone. I don't need more amps or new features. Fix the bugs (if there are any) and make sure that I can hook up my HD500 to Windows 25. My last rig lasted over 20 years. I want this one to do the same. ~~~I don't chase technology. I buy what I need when I need it and once I have it I don't care what else comes out because I bought what I needed and didn't need something that wasn't in it or else I wouldn't have bought it because it wouldn't have been what I needed. Try saying that 3 times fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncann Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I really like my old HD500, especially now that I finally developed a certain experience with it (by doing my homework and following the so called learning curve), and I think I have a good idea of its more strong and weak points and how to get many different tones that for their quality deserve to be used professionally and also for personal pleasure without doubts.. as I said several other times I'm convinced that this device represents the best value for money modeler on the entire planet, and it has a cost that is what I consider the fair one for a good and simple modeler.. regarding Helix which is not only a simple modeler, but also a sort of central control tower for other gear, I didn't have the chance to try it in person (hope I will at some point), till now I heard some demos made by Sean Halley which I liked very much, he got some really excellent tones, but to be honest at the same time I've not been so impressed by the demos made by many other people, except maybe a few ones.. in more than one occasion I had the impression that several of the different HX models tend to sound too similar to each other, and this could be (just an hypothesis) because there are very small/subtle difference between the available cab/mic combination for each cab type, on the contrary on the POD the differences are much more obvious.. so obvious and apparent that with POD is like having much more models onboard at disposal than the real ones considering all the possible very different and really effective cab/mic commutations, given that the models included into the HD vintage model pack are ported from the HX technology, and that this pack contains 2 new cabs (Champ and JC 120) still ported form HX, you can verify by yoursef how much the tone changes if you choose a different mic: almost nothing,.. it is not even comparable to the huge differences you would get by doing the same experiment with the HD cab/mic combinations.. however surely the above aspect is abundantly compensated by the Helix ability to load external IRs, another point in favor of the POD is its ability to eventually interact to perfection with the DT amps.. Helix probably never will.. all people I heard who use that perfect POD - DT combi are simply in love with their rig HD500 value for money: hard to argue with that. I have a partially completed song, Aphotic X, on my bandcamp site that is done entirely on Helix (started on HD), no post-processing. Should be done with this song very soon. So if you're impatient to hear another demo, it's there now. I agree that a lot of the amp models sound the same, or can be made to sound the same, on both the HD and Helix. There's probably exceptions, such as the 5150 for sure (I can't get any other amp to sound like a 5150, regardless of cab/mic), but others as well, I guess. Haven't messed around too much with anything other than the Jumped Plexi on Helix. The cab differences on the HD versus Helix I don't see. While there can be dramatic differences on the HD when switching mics, that's also there with Helix. In fact, more so because there are more mics and mic distances. So it has the extremes and everything in between. For example, the HD might have a 421 mic on a blackback made with a distance of 12", but an 87 cond might have been made with a distance of 1", which would make a dramatic difference just because of the distance alone. I don't know for sure if this is the case, but it's possible. One thing is certain, Helix has all those missing distances in between, in increments of 1". The only thing really missing on Helix is the mic alignment, which I do wish it had. IRs solve that problem though. One thing the HD definitely has going for it currently is effects. I really do miss certain effects, such as autovolume, growler, obi-wah, seeker, a lot of the other filters are fun also. Forgot to mention that Helix FEELS better then HD when actually playing something. After using Helix for just over a couple of months now, I would honestly have a hard time going back to the HD. It's not really any one thing that makes me say this, but many things, from the ease of use, to flexibility, to not having to worry about DSP, to just name several. So the topic asks HD500X or Helix. For me it's Helix. Mostly. Because Helix still lacks effects, which I hope time will cure. Then it will be Helix 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexKenivel Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 The only support i want at the moment is in the form if a hi cut knob in the cab DEPs. I know the boys are a little preoccupied with getting the Helix up and running, but when they get a moment some HD love would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shredjsx Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 As far as a 5150 goes, I have been chasing that tone with line 6 for a while.... Today I believe I got it, with all things, the line 6 Smash tone!!!! My Harmonist in the effects loop though make a BIG difference to any of my patches... But, by sheer luck of messing around with resonance, bias, mics and cabs I got an incredible tone out of it today... It sounds like the Carnal Knowlege tone... The Album that got me back into Van Halen, or Van Hagar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexKenivel Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 if you have a free slot in your chain and still enough DSP resources available.. The clincher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncann Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 surely I have no reasons to doubt what you said above here.. so it seems that in Helix the "mic distance" parameter is the most crucial one, what can make the difference for cab type.. as we know the "mic distance" parameter is missing in the POD, however as I said previously by changing mics just on those 2 cabs ported from Helix affects the tone maybe for about 5% which IMO doesn't make much sense in the POD.. in the POD the "mic parameter" alone for HD cabs is surely very crucial for tone characterization, even if I should say that the "mic" in realty is not a true parameter but it's instead just a indicator of which true mic has been used to capture a particular cab IR.. so seems probable that the 8 HD cab IRs available for each cab type are just more different than each other as they are, compared to those in Helix, but by using the "distance" parameter in Helix you can get the more differentiation you may look for.. I'm sure I have read somewhere from an Helix user saying that the differences due just to the mics change are much more subtle than in the POD.. I wonder if the Helix "mic distance" possible values corresponds to different IRs, or if the "mic distance" is a modeled parameter I wouldn't say when changing mics in Helix - at the same distance each time - is less subtle than the HD. It's just more correct sounding. It's more natural and smooth, the rough edges filed away, maybe because it's likely higher resolution. But the differences for each mic are clearly apparent, no less so than the HD, or at least that's how I perceive it. Then again, maybe what I just described here does make it more subtle. Now I'm getting confused... Don't know if each mic distance is an IR or not, but it does do a good job. Closer distances have more low end, while farther do not. Just like you'd expect. The low end isn't the only thing that changes, but it's difficult to find the words to describe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianoguyy Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 In 30 years of performing on stage, I am not aware of a single time that my amp was not mic'd right up against the grill. In the studio, I am willing to set mics all over the place at the same time and then choose which tracks give the best sound (sometimes you'd be amazed at what it sounds like strapped to the ceiling facing the far corner like it was an school kid that got in trouble). That's not something that can be done with these electronic gizmos. But, that's because they ARE the mic'd sound. Design the patch the way you want to hear it. Which is far different than having a sound and needing to recreate it on tape. You patch is the same as the final product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shredjsx Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 w In 30 years of performing on stage, I am not aware of a single time that my amp was not mic'd right up against the grill. In the studio, I am willing to set mics all over the place at the same time and then choose which tracks give the best sound (sometimes you'd be amazed at what it sounds like strapped to the ceiling facing the far corner like it was an school kid that got in trouble). That's not something that can be done with these electronic gizmos. But, that's because they ARE the mic'd sound. Design the patch the way you want to hear it. Which is far different than having a sound and needing to recreate it on tape. You patch is the same as the final product. Yeah, most of the gigs we played In Arizona before I left mic'd right up against the grill, come even have a dinamic mic on a clip that fits over the cab.... Mainly to avoid as much bleed from the other instruments So, studio distance is cool, my X3 live did that.... But I really don't miss it nor did I notice it until it was brought up here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.