duncann Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Has anyone gotten good results with the 3 OSC Synth? It's sort of fun to play around with, but I really can't imagine using anything this effect pukes out in an actual song. It's also difficult to work with. Maybe there's something I'm missing about this effect, or just not 'getting'. Anyway, wondering what others think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence_Arps Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Im using this in one song so far. Like all pitch to synth conversion your pick attack has to be consistent. I have about 75% which leaves a little guitar in there as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Has anyone gotten good results with the 3 OSC Synth? It's sort of fun to play around with, but I really can't imagine using anything this effect pukes out in an actual song. It's also difficult to work with. Maybe there's something I'm missing about this effect, or just not 'getting'. Anyway, wondering what others think. I have played with the '3 OSC Synth' a bit. I agree the tracking which appears to be strictly monophonic is a lot less than impressive right now, at least with my rig. Perhaps my preset is not set ideally for this block but I have certainly used synth effects that were friendlier, easier to use, and tracked better from the git-go. Generally this is the type of effect I would think would track better toward the beginning of my signal chain but I found that I got dramatically improved tracking by putting the 'Deluxe Comp' compressor in front of it with some direct sound in the mix in the compressor block to retain the guitar's attack. Release settings above 1 second (quite long) helped to provide enough sustain to keep the synth from glitching or dropping out quite as much on the tail end of the notes. Your settings may vary depending on playing style and tempo but I recommend playing with the compressor's attack and release settings. I also liked a hard knee setting to encourage rapid engagement of full compression but this requires more experimentation and again may vary depending on other variables. I have not experimented yet with putting this block after the amplifier/cab block instead of before but I wonder if that might help enormously with tracking as well. Adding distortion (I particularly liked the 'Vermin' model) as well as some post synth processing blocks (reverb, delay, mod) helped with the overall tone and getting a 'big' rock sound although I was able to get some acceptable tones without distortion. I think this is one of the models that could bear improvement (or perhaps just some specific recommendations on usage, could be pilot error) as well as desperately requiring some documentation on the parameters, there are quite a few of them. This is probably the most complex effect on the Helix. Glad they added it though, it has mega potential and I hope they continue to improve it. As WickedFinger has pointed out, this would be a prime candidate for polyphonic processing if that is in the cards for Helix. Btw, I found it particularly helpful to turn off the level for two out of the 3 oscillators and to tweak each one separately and then tweak them together by adding back in the levels one by one. I also found that if you use an oscillator voice that is set to one or more octaves up that turning down the level on that voice helps to get a better blended sound (Fletcher-Munson) and keeps it from overwhelming the lower pitched voices. Tweaking the three oscillators individually without the other two in the mix, and then together, assisted me both in figuring out how each parameter affected the sound as well as refining each oscillator voice as I am not a keyboard player and synth adjustments at this level do not come naturally to me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncann Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Thanks HonestOpinion for the good suggestions and methods to try with this effect. I'll have to try this effect again one of these days with these ideas in mind. I've occasionally tried getting something worth using, but always went away empty. Hopefully at one point they'll add some worthy filter effects, like a lot of them from the HD. In the meantime, I've stumbled on a way to create some interesting pulsating, brainwave entrainment type effects by stacking some delays (the sweep echo is always great) with very high feedback (100%) in front of some modulations (the new harmonic panner thingy coupled with the ubiquitous vibe) on a separate path from the main signal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedFinger Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 All tracking in the Helix is monophonic and glitches. which is a shame for such an expensive unit. One can buy numerous modern pedals with polyphonic tracking on std 1/4 cable these days which are not really expensive. After hearing how bad an old version of the Whammy sounds and glitches I can see why many hate them. Why would you not copy/mimic a Whammy V if you were going to clone one?? The new Whammy V and DT model are polyphonic and true bypass now. The harmonizer modes on that are to die for. I just got a T-Rex Quint for my octave pedal, +/-1 8va and a 5th up with flawless chord tracking, polyphonic glitch free, no latency coolness. I would like to have Helix amp models and IR stuff in a box without all the effects, does any of their products do this? That desk top unit maybe?? Not interested in POD models just the Helix HX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnonguitar Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 Yeah your right, the modelled Whammy sure does miss true-bypass :') 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanecgriffo Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 it's funny that the tracking is so ordinary and only monophonic on this unit, considering that i've had an app on my phone since iphone 4s that does a great job of converting my guitar 1/4" input to midi (it's called 'midi guitar') it's polyphonic and does a great job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 it's funny that the tracking is so ordinary and only monophonic on this unit, considering that i've had an app on my phone since iphone 4s that does a great job of converting my guitar 1/4" input to midi (it's called 'midi guitar') it's polyphonic and does a great job Hate to sound critical because it could something I'm doing wrong but I would say right now that 'ordinary' would be an extremely generous estimation of the tracking on the '3 OSC Synth'. I am interested in other's impressions and usage tips for this effect. I don't mean to imply that the tracking is horrible because it is not. It reminds me a bit of the first generation of the Roland GK pickup except it is monophonic. It works but is a bit glitchy and quite picky about your playing style. Update: Placing the synth block after the amp/cab block rather than before made a significant improvement in tracking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I did try the '3 OSC Synth' block after the amp/cab block and it does seem to track much better there for me. Putting the synth block after the amp does of course change the tone quite significantly from placing it before. Going to have to experiment more with this one. I think the main drawback at this point is that it is monophonic. It is certainly a lot of fun to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billlorentzen Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 I use it in a patch that I use for jazz, with the Gibson amp. I mix in some of the synth, so there is still attack from the straight guitar/amp as well. I usually use it on tunes with an extended solo or for vamping out, etc, to give some variety, but not as the main sound. It works ok in that context. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdip69 Posted March 4, 2017 Share Posted March 4, 2017 hello - I am new to synths... can anybody give me a quick run-down on the helix 3 OSC Synths control parameters (having trouble "controlling" the beast...) and what they actually do... thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncann Posted March 5, 2017 Author Share Posted March 5, 2017 hello - I am new to synths... can anybody give me a quick run-down on the helix 3 OSC Synths control parameters (having trouble "controlling" the beast...) and what they actually do... thanks in advance. Take a look at post number 3 above by HonestOpinion, which contains some good advice in trying to control this block. Beyond that, you could learn how, technically, a synth produces sounds in general which could give some insight into what the parameters of this block do. Or just experiment with the parameters by changing them and listening to what you hear. Also, as mentioned above by lawrence_Arps above, the intensity with which you strike a note can have a large impact on the final sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingsCool Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 I did try the '3 OSC Synth' block after the amp/cab block and it does seem to track much better there for me. Putting the synth block after the amp does of course change the tone quite significantly from placing it before. Going to have to experiment more with this one. I think the main drawback at this point is that it is monophonic. It is certainly a lot of fun to play with. Did you try between the amp and cab? Don't know if that helps in the tone change department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexKenivel Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 https://www.facebook.com/alex.kenivel/videos/10206896309206781/ I'm using the 3OSC Synth (pulled the block straight from a factory preset) after the Wringer Fuzz, fed into an overdriven Essex A30, then a volume pedal (crucial for the note separation) with layered parallel Reverbs (Particle/Octo/Cave) Tone: https://line6.com/customtone/tone/2869456/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 Did you try between the amp and cab? Don't know if that helps in the tone change department. Interesting, I have not tried it between the amp & cab. The tone is fine after the cab but as you might expect quite different from being placed in front. I was trying to find the path placement and gain structure that gave me the best tracking. It has actually been a while since I have experimented with it. I would be interested to hear what other people have found regarding how best to optimize tracking with this block. In the future I wouldn't mind having a "Brain Dead" synth model with choices like sax, harmonica, flute, strings, etc. that just made it as simple as possible to dial up an an alternate instrument emulation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SymphonicDischord Posted March 5, 2017 Share Posted March 5, 2017 https://www.facebook.com/alex.kenivel/videos/10206896309206781/ I'm using the 3OSC Synth (pulled the block straight from a factory preset) after the Wringer Fuzz, fed into an overdriven Essex A30, then a volume pedal (crucial for the note separation) with layered parallel Reverbs (Particle/Octo/Cave) Tone: https://line6.com/customtone/tone/2869456/ That's not bad, almost a pseudo cello thing going on. I think I'm going to have to download it and see if I can adapt it to my setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishinc Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I love the sound of 3 osc synth filter preset 3 but the only problem is that the sound won´t stop fast enough and often changes pitch/note at the end. Solution to this would be to have some sort of gate. Basically a sidechain gate where the gate reacts to the signal of dry input. I have tried MXR noise clamp in helix loop but it didn´t work. I can get the sidechain gate to work in Ableton but I don´t want to have laptop with me just for that. :) Any ideas how to solve this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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